White Christmas trees that were chest-height and lit up brightly could be found on either side of the road every ten yards or so. They were like a beacon that followed them the entire drive. Even the security gate and stone fence were decorated: each gate had a wreath hanging on it and the walls seemed to have luminescent icicles hanging on them. “A little over-the-top?” James asked to no one in particular. “Yeah,” Eliza whispered. “Are you kidding me,” Matt burst out excitedly as the house came into view and they could see the Santa Clause display on the lawn, the elves, and all the colorful lights around the house itself. “It’s freakin’ awesome!” She tucked the car under the archway which led into the gravel courtyard and parked. Matt and Tres exploded from the back in order to take in the decorations a little better. James chuckled as he saw Eliza eyeing all of the lights warily. “I take it they never do this?” Eliza shook her head adamantly. “No. Never. Usually the in-side

The announcement of the imminent arrival of Tres’s family was greeted with a flurry of activity. It seemed no sooner had Brian—the Secret Service agent—told Eliza’s mother that they had just driven onto the property that Liz began to bustle around checking and rechecking the placement and positioning of several decorations. James was helping Cathy finish up with the groceries as Eliza went upstairs to corral Tres and Matt from their rooms. A few minutes later, the beam of a pair of headlights invaded the foyer and Liz called for James to come greet them. He handed Cathy the last of the bags, then swept through the revolving door into the sitting room and over to where Liz was waiting at the foot of the staircases. Eliza’s mother always seemed to want to inspire a good impression, no doubt due to her upbringing, and because Esmeralda and Charlie had never been to the manor before, she looked especially nervous. James sat on the bottom step to wait. A moment later, Allan opened the fron

He was there again. Nothing but white for as far as the eye could see. Snow was drifting lazily everywhere around him. He looked down and even though there was nothing but an absolute, blinding white to take in, he knew that he was suspended in the air. With the difficulty he was experiencing in getting enough oxygen in his lungs, he must be very high up. He breathed deeply, the icy air burning some feeling back into his body. Thankfully, the flakes of snow were neither acid-like nor pounding painfully against his skin. Actually, when he thought truthfully about it, apart from the ability to see nothing at all, he found that this experience was somewhat pleasant. It was peaceful. In spite of the freezing temperature, he could almost force his imagination to conjure up feelings of fluffy clouds and soft, snowy mounds. He had always enjoyed lying out in the snow as a kid, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep. Hmm, I think I’ll try that.James closed his eyes, the backs of his eye

After everyone had had their fill, they all headed out to the horse barn in order to give the horses a little exercise before the massive storm hit. The weather channel was claiming it was to be on a par with the freak snow storms that swept the country during the winter of 2014. Most of the horses that were currently there would be taken out as they had such a large party. Even Heather, the tall blonde who helped take care of the horses, was there making last minute preparations before the holiday. She helped everyone get saddled up and settled—James was paired up with Shadow, of course—and they set off at a slow pace. Bundled up against the cold, they explored the wooded trails, the lakeside, and more of the grounds than he had ever seen. Originally, what he had taken for being a few hundred acres of the estate, really turned out to be more than a thousand. It was massive and beautiful in an odd, winter wonderland sort of way. The oaks, willows, and dogwood were all stripped of the

James woke up early on Christmas morning. Knowing that Tres’s little sister would be bursting at the seams with excitement to open presents— come to think of it, Tres probably would be too—he had set the alarm clock on the nightstand to wake him shortly after dawn. He climbed out of bed, stretched away the stiffness from a restful and uneventful sleep, then crossed to the bathroom to shower and refresh himself. When he was finished, he threw on a pair of cotton athletic pants, a t-shirt, some socks, and a hoodie; the temperature had noticeably dropped through the night. “Come to think of it…” he said aloud, then strode towards the window. He threw back the thick curtains and a child-like glee came over him. Wide-eyed and excited, he stared out at the winter wonderland before him. The pearly pinks and creamsicle-oranges reflected off a beautiful sight: a hefty covering of snow had been dumped on the ground through the night. From where he stood gazing out of the window, he could see t