Misty

Most people shop for gifts to give someone for Christmas. We don't unless we need things like clothes or other things. We prefer to spend time together even though we always spend time together. It doesn't help that Mother Nature skipped us with the snow this year. What. The. Hell?

I don't like snow unless it's on Christmas. What did we get? Green grass, cement, and fifty-degree weather. How can you hit someone with a snowball when there's no snow?

"Misty, staring out the window won't make it snow," my dad said.

I glanced behind me at my parents lounging on the couch in their PJs since we had already opened gifts. "I'm willing Mother Nature to come to her senses."

"And how's that working for you?" My mom asked, smiling.

"Not so well. How can I hit Nash with a snowball without snow?" I held out my hands to the window.

My parents chuckled.

"Nothing says I love you like smacking someone in the face with a snowball," my dad said.

My mom laughed.

"Sharing is caring. I prefer to share my pitching arm with Nash." I shrugged.

My parents laughed even more.

Someone knocked on the front door since Dad locked it. I clicked the lock and opened the door to Nash standing on my front porch, a bit peeved. "May I help you?"

"Why is your door locked?" Nash asked me.

"Dad wanted to keep vermin out of the house. He figured a locked door would help." I grinned.

Nash rolled his eyes before kissing me and entering the house. I closed the door so my parents wouldn't have to pay to heat the outside, as they like to remind me.

Nash removed his coat and hung it up before handing me a gift. "Merry Christmas, baby girl."

"Aw, you shouldn't have. Then again, what do I know?" I shrugged.

My parents chuckled.

"Yes, I should have. I don't need to hear you bitch about how I got you nothing for Christmas," Nash said.

"Then, in that case, I don't feel like a schmuck for getting you something." I grabbed a gift from under the tree and handed it to Nash.

"Aw, thanks, love muffin," Nash smirked.

I rolled my eyes and opened my gift to find gold hoop earrings. Nash opened his gift and received a watch. What did you expect us to give each other? It's not like we don't have everything we need.

My dad said, "We should get ready before we leave for Elias and Tori's place. "

I nodded, kissed Nash, and headed upstairs to change out of my pajamas into other clothes.

******
Valentino

While Mags and her folks got ready, I texted my grandparents to ensure everything was set. Grandpa Elias assured me it was because he was in charge of it since Nana was cooking.

Since the entire family celebrates Thanksgiving, Christmas is for individual families. Grandpa Matt and Grammy would pick different years to spend Christmas with various families. Uncle Nate and Uncle Gabe were the lucky ones this year.

I looked at the Christmas tree and noticed the different ornaments and decorations. It wasn't tacky but festive. I hated those picture-perfect Christmas trees. They weren't realistic to me, so I shook my head at that idea.

Mags came downstairs dressed in jeans, a turtleneck, a hoodie, and ankle boots. "Are you checking out our tree?"

"Always. I like how you and your family keep it realistic. It's not perfect."

"No tree should be perfect. It should show a family enjoying the holidays." She shrugged.

"Ready to head out?"

"Yeah." She walked to the bottom of the stairs. "We're leaving!"

"Okay, Sis! We'll see you in a few!" West yelled back.

We put on our coats and left the house. I didn't want to stick around to find out when West and Alana were leaving. If Mags wasn't home, my guess was in a few hours.

******
Misty

Nash pulled in front of a two-story house and parked on the street since the driveway had vehicles in it. We got out and headed inside to see his parents, uncles, aunts, and cousins gathered in the living room. We removed our coats and hung them on a hook before joining everyone.

"Where's Grandpa?" Nash asked.

"In the kitchen with Nana, helping her cook," Nixon said.

"More like taste testing everything," Nathan said.

"Elias! If you don't help me, get out of the kitchen!" Tori yelled.

"It's my duty as the official taste tester to ensure the quality of the food! We don't want a repeat of our first Thanksgiving when the turkey met the floor!" Elias yelled back.

"Get out before I sit on your head, you goober!"

Elias came into the living room to see us looking at him. "Your mom and I had a different opinion with my help in the kitchen."

"Was that before or after eating the food?" Pat asked.

"I need to sample the food for quality assurance." Elias nodded, hands on his waist.

"Ma hasn't poisoned us before. I doubt she intends to start now," Rafe said.

Elias gave Rafe an annoyed glance before turning his gaze on Nash. "Ready?"

Nash nodded, stood up, and left the living room with Elias.

"Nothing like abandoning your girl to your family," Nixon said.

Pat shot Nixon a look before talking to me. "How's everything going, Misty?"

"It's okay." I shrugged.

"Have you had any more issues at school?" Rafe asked me.

I glanced at everyone, understanding what they wanted to know.  Did I have any run-ins with psychotic ex-boyfriends? "No. Nash and the cousins have made sure I've had no issues."

Rafe nodded in understanding. "Well, when you're done with school this year, you can work part-time at the bakery."

"Really?" My face lit up.

"Tino is planning to work at the bakery this summer," Val mentioned.

"Wow. That's great."

"Ryan is working with Val while Preston is hanging with Oliver and Melody," Pat said.

"Michael's interning at the paper," Marty said.

"And Noah is following in Pat's footsteps and being a bum," Romeo said.

Pat and Rafe glared at Romeo.

Elias entered the house through the front door and noticed Pat and Rafe giving Romeo the stink eye. "Knock it off before I lock up in your makeshift jail cells."

I giggled.

Elias turned to me. "Misty, I need you to follow me."

I glanced at everyone as they shrugged. I got up, followed Elias outside, and stopped as snow fell on us. Everyone came to the doorway and smiled. I held out my hand as a snowflake landed in my palm and melted. I looked at the sky and followed the direction of the snow to see Nash standing beside a machine, creating the snow.

I spread my arms apart and spun while laughing. I leaned my head back as snow landed on my face. The cousins ran into the snow, made snowballs, and threw them at each other. The adults watched us play in the snow since Mother Nature cheated us on Christmas.

******
Valentino

Mags always said it wasn't Christmas without snow, so I asked Grandpa to help me create snow for her. He rented a machine to create artificial snow from ice blocks. I operated the machine because I didn't want to risk damaging my hearing aids.

West and Alana arrived at the snowfall and smiled. Alana hurried into the house while West joined the fun with Mags and my cousins. None of us realized how much we would need today when the school year ended. It'll test our resolve when a hellish storm rips through.

They always said there's a calm before a storm. We were experiencing the calm as a storm was building to a magnitude none of us expected.

******
Lex

I watched the funnel cloud grow in the distance. My sisters joined me. Lyric and Lark stood to my left, while Lake and Luna stood to my right. We watched lightning flash through the funnel cloud.

"Is it me, or is this not good?" Lark asked.

"It's not you," Lyric said.

"Don't tornados move toward you when they seem far away?" Lake asked.

"Yeah," I said, not like this storm's direction.

"Something's not right. I can feel it deep in my soul," Luna said.

My sisters and I exchanged glances, agreeing with Luna about the feeling.

"There's always storms to cleanse the earth," a voice said behind us.

We turned to face Azreal.

"How a person weathers a storm makes the difference."

"What does that mean?" Lark asked.

"This is the first storm coming. It will leave destruction in its path. Two more are arriving. Pray they can survive the first one before the next one arrives."

"What?" Lake asked, voice cracking.

"Did you think they received a free pass when they returned? He tests them to see if they deserve a second chance. It was a stipulation for their return and second chance."

"This isn't right," Lyric said, shaking her head.

"There are always stipulations when people return. They understood this concept when they agreed to it."

My sisters gritted their teeth to keep from lashing out at Azreal. I hope Lyrical gave my message to Dad. I took a huge risk getting the message to her. The less my sisters knew, the better.

I turned to watch the funnel cloud, waiting for what was coming. I could only hope they survived this storm for their sake and ours.

Start following the crumbs.  The storm is heading for Oakridge in massive proportions and hit someone head on.