Hey guys!

So this chapter will be kicking off the holiday season. It was a lot of fun to write and I hope y'all enjoy reading it as much as enjoyed writing it.

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Thank you

Enjoy!

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"I've never been to a winter carnival before," Thomas tells me as we jump out of the car.

How can someone never go to a winter carnival? Whenever one was on, my mum would beg my dad, brother, and I to go with her.

"Really? Mum and I used to go all the time" I smile.

Hank shoots me a disapproving glare "Emma"

Sometimes I slip up, and sometimes I don't care. I guess I just got to go with it.

"I mean uh I used to go all the time with one of dad's girlfriends" I correct myself.

"I'll see the two of you later" Hank announces as we walk through the parking lot "I need to discuss something with one of the other staff members"

"Alright," Thomas nods.

"Don't get into too much trouble?" he says.

"No promises" I smirk as Hank begins walking in the opposite direction. "Good he's gone....so never?"

"Never ever" he assures.

How has he never been to a winter carnival? I've been at least one thousand times.

"Wow, you haven't lived" I shake my head.

"Are the others coming?" He asks as we walk through the carnival.

"Laura's in Paris, Willow hates these sort of things so she's probably sitting in her bed with some popcorn binge watching stranger things for the thousandth time on Netflix ...the guys should be here though" I tell him.

"Good, good" he nods slowly.

"Wow look" I point in the distance to the snow maze. "Oh my god it's beautiful"

It's one hell of a snow maze. I haven't been in one in so long. I think the last time was the winter that my parents died.

"It looks cold" Thomas comments.

"Lucky we're wearing layers" I smile as searching my surroundings. There are so many people, and rides. It's now close to nine o'clock, we should have arrived sooner. "Wow... Everything's just so beautiful"

"Yeah I uh guess" he nods.

I glance at Thomas "Can you come in the maze with me big brother?"

"I thought that I was your little brother?" He cocks a brow.

"We should really get our stories straight huh?" I smirk. "So how about it?"

She shakes his head "No thanks...I pass"

"What, why?" I raise my brows.

"Not my thing" he tells me.

He can't say that if he's never been in one.

"How can you say that its not your thing if you've never tried it?" I fold my arms.

"I don't need to get hit by a truck to know that it's going to hurt" he points.

Okay touche.

"You have a dark sense of humour brother" I smirk.

"You have fun in the maze and I'll have fun on rides" he nods.

I almost always get lost in the maze. Dad had to always come find mum and I. God I miss them both so much.

"What if I get lost? Can I count on you to save the day?" I grin.

"You can always count on me any day" he smiles. "Have fun"

"Bye" I wave at his back as he walks away from me.

I enter the snow maze slowly. Jesus, it's cold. Times like this is when I regret wearing ripped jeans. What was I thinking?

Quickly, I pull out my wine red coloured cable knit hat, that matched my wine red coloured cable knit sweater.

The cold breeze brushes against my exposed hands, knees and cheeks, sending a chill down my spine. Slowly, I take in a cold yet refreshing a deep breath, as I navigate my way through the snow maze. I see a little girl holding her mum's hand a few feet away from me.

"This way! This way!" She cheers as the little girl tugs on her mum's hand, thus dragging her through the maze.

"Its cold" six years old me frowned.

"That's the beauty of it kiddo" my mum told me.

"What do you mean?" I furrowed my brows in confusion.

"The cold cleanses your soul" she smiled "freezes out all the negative energy, you know what I'm saying?"

"Nope" I shook my head.

"Haven't you heard of people submerging their bodies into the icy cold water for large periods of time?" She raised a brow.

"Huh?" I questioned in confusion.

"They take a real cold bath" she explained simply "...you know I did it once... It's so refreshing"

"I think you're a crazy mommy" I laughed.

"Am I now?" She smirked as tickling my belly "am I really monkey? Am I?"

"Mommy-" I laughed as holding my belly.

I smile at the moment from my past but soon frown.

That's the thing about moments, no matter how hard you try to cling onto them, they're already gone. That's the inevitable truth.

In the distance, I see a familiar face. "Hey" I greet as approaching him "god I feel like I haven't seen you in forever"

"I have been busy with... Assignments" Ely informs as standing in front of me.

He wears dark denim jeans, a cream cable knit sweater, with a black peacoat, and a dark checkered scarf. Ely's always so fashionable for an American teenager in the twenty-first century.

I feel like everybody has seen him around me but me. Almost as though he's been avoiding me.

"Yeah I get it" I nod "I just get the feeling that you're avoiding me"

"I'm sorry if you had gotten that impression" he gulps, attempting to keep his jaw clenched.

Well we can always hang out righ now. He doesn't seem to be busy at the moment.

"We can hang out now, right?" I suggest.

He pauses. Ely then shakes his head slowly "No I'm must-" he begins walking away from me.

He can't just walk away from me. I follow him quickly "Must what? Christmas break has started, we're at a carnival...there's no reason-"

"Emma I am sorry-" he sighs.

So he has been avoiding me. Why? Is thus about our 'date'? I'm sure Laura told him that I saw it as getting a bite to eat with a friend, and nothing else.

"It's me, isn't it?" I corner him between the snow wall.

He can't escape me now.

"No, of course not-" he denies.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" I cry as furrowing my brows.

I look into his eyes. He attempts to avoid making eye contact with me. Ely opens his mouth cautiously, where I suspect that he is finally going to answer my question.

Suddenly his retro ringtone begins playing from his pocket. I sigh and as a result, and take a step back. Ely presses his cell against his ear.

"Hello" he greets "Tommy.....yes I am....alright I'll join you...I will be right there, yes, tell Jacob and Kyle that I am leaving now....alright goodbye" he ends the call before glaring at me "I will see you later Emma"

I shake my head slowly. "No, you won't"

Ely's eyes fill with sadness, causing him to sigh and then nod, before eventually leaving my sight. I feel tears beginning to surface.

"Don't cha hate it when people ask questions that they already know the answer to?" A familiar voice states from behind me. I turn around to face her "I know that I sure do"

"Oh hey, Violet" I half smile as wiping away my tears "how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough girl" The 5'8 girl with, chocolate eyes and curly hair, and caramel skin, then folds her arms.

She works a plaid red skirt, with black stockings, a waffle knit turtleneck sweater, with some black combat boots.

"Wait so-" I start.

She saw all that?

"I saw that little performance" she waves her index finger at me as pursing her lips.

I don't know Violet that well. We have gym together, but I rarely speak to her. She's kinda a loner - but she never misses a thing that's going on around her.

"What do you mean performance?" I ask despite already knowing what she meant.

"You know what I'm talking about" she nods "....and I bet that you know exactly why Elijah has been avoiding you...Let's skip the bullshit shall we Emma" she takes a step towards me "Ely is in love with you-"

"Love-" I interrupt.

He can't love me. He doesn't know me. He knows nothing about me. This is a stupid little crush, nothing else.

"I'm talking" she firms her gaze "he's in love with you but won't do anything about it because of Kyle-"

Kyle? What?

"What does Kyle have to do with anything-" I raise a brow.

"Okay, this is how it works! When I'm talking, you're not, capeesh?" She folds her arms in annoyance

"You speak Italian?" I blink.

"Ethiopian on my father's side, Italian on my mothers, and what did I say about talking?" She raises her voice.

"Sorry" I look down.

"Now Ely respects the bro code, thus won't admit to his feelings because of two things" she pauses "the promise that he and the others boys made Laura when you first transferred here-"

How does she know about that?

"How do you know about-" I start.

"Still talking" she rolls her eyes "....and the second reason is that he knows about the kiss between you and Kyle-"

Wait does any one know about that? There were no people around.

"What?" I cry.

"Oh yeah he was there and reported it back to the rest of your clique" she explains "So now he's under the impression that you and Kyle are an item, so he's keeping his distance to respect the bro code"

Ugh. I'm not with Kyle. Kyle hates me and I equally hate him.

"Oh my god" I exclaim "there's nothing going on between me and Kyle"

"You know that and I know that" she nods.

"Should I talk to him?" I ask.

"The ball is in your court" Violet puts her hands on her curvy hips "good luck girl, I'll see you next time I get sick of you being so god damn oblivious"

"Thanks, Violet" I nod.

She leaves my sight as I pull out my cell. "....I'm officially lost" I sob "come to find me?"

"I'm on my way" Thomas sounds too amused.