The Sinners - Ruby Vincent Page 0,93

straight face. “It’ll be a blast.”

Camila hugged me as I picked up my things to go. “I’ll call you on Christmas.”

“Bye.”

Eli waited for me on the first floor. We tramped through the grounds and met our aunt at the front gate. She sniffed.

“You two look fine to me.” She whipped around. “Let’s go. I have a nail appointment at three.”

Nope. This was not going to be a blast. Too bad I didn’t have a choice. Nolan had to go home for the break and he wasn’t leaving me on my own with the Angels until his vile plan succeeded. His first thought was to make me come home with him and tell his parents we were dating again. I almost threw up right there on the spot.

As a compromise, I agreed to stay with my aunt and uncle. Blanchett witnessed the best performance of my life. I burst into her office crying and wailing about being depressed, homesick, and missing my parents more than ever. I laid on thick my wish to get away from this dreary school.

She suggested I leave for break and I asked if she would call my uncle because “he won’t let me leave.” She was on the phone with him in five minutes impressing upon him the hard time I was going through and needing my family more than ever. That was that. Appearance over everything.

There Eli and I were. Forced to stay in that mansion cold of temperature and spirit.

We made the most of it. I put on movies every night. Ran out to get marshmallows and cocoa. I even got us a mini tree and we decorated it in his bedroom. He perked up seeing all the presents I got him under the tree.

Christmas Eve morning, I was awoken by a lump on my back. I fell asleep in my brother’s bed after the movie and he made me pay for it.

Eli lay flat on me, head bent over mine and big blue eyes coming into focus as I blinked blearily.

“Ugh. Come on,” I groaned. I stuck a finger between us, holding up one.

Eli made an excited noise and tumbled off the bed. One for the single Christmas present he was allowed to open.

He picked up the biggest present of course. Eli pumped his fist at his newest bookshelf.

“That one comes with a bonus present,” I signed. “Open the blue one too.”

Eli tore off the paper and found himself holding Harry Potter bookends. Hedwig flew on one end and Dobby held his sock on the other.

Eli ran over, I thought to hug me, but he dropped at my feet and reached under the bed. A flat rectangular gift was placed in my hands.

“What’s this?”

He was cheesing wide like a kid who knew he nailed it.

I unwrapped the gift and gasped.

Berenice Abbot’s photo collection.

“Royal spilled what you wanted and Hiro helped me buy this.”

“How did you pay for it?”

“I asked Uncle for money to buy Christmas presents.”

“And he gave it to you? Wow.”

“Mr. Johnston held the phone up to my mouth when it was my cue to cry.”

I burst out laughing. I laughed and laughed and laughed some more. There with Eli holding our perfect presents and laughing our heads off, it felt for the tiniest, briefest spell like a happy Christmas.

Until nightfall brought our aunt into the room. I was standing over Eli doing his tie.

“Are you two ready?” Aunt Violet took one look at me. “Heavens, Ember, what are you wearing?”

I glanced down. “What? It’s a formal dress. It fits the dress code.”

“It’s the same dress you wore to the Thanksgiving party,” she cried with way more outrage than I felt the situation warranted. “What will people think?”

“Uh... that I own a washing machine?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she snapped.

Yeah. I’m the one being ridiculous.

“Go change. Now,” Violet ordered. “I’ll finish with your brother’s tie.” She removed my hands and steered me out the door. “I bought you the cutest red gown before school started. Wear that.”

I considered fighting her and changed my mind. The party would be terrible enough. I didn’t need to add Violet’s disapproving stare trailing me the entire night.

I changed into my red satin ball gown adorned with crystals on the bodice and an empire silhouette. I never said my aunt didn’t have good taste. This dress just wasn’t my style, though it’d look perfect on the Violet clone she wanted to turn me into so she’d find me tolerable.

My mismatched family waited for me at the bottom of the