Chapter 10: A Silent Christmas

“Beckett! How are you?” Kayleigh sits down on the chair on the other side of the table.
            “Fine, I guess.  Still got a bit of a headache.” I say while I put my book down.
            “Oh right. That’s why you didn’t come to the Christmas prom.”
            “Yeah. I went early to bed in the hope I would wake up without a headache. Sadly, that wish didn’t come true.”
            “Ahw. You really  live on solar energy, don’t you?”
            I smile. I always get sick when the days are getting shorter. “Just like half of the world.”
            “I think it’s more like seventy five percent of the world. Maybe even more.”
            “True. Hey, what’s that on your arm?”
            Kayleigh looks confused. “What do you mean?” I point at the three black stripes on her left arm. “Oh. Well… I don’t know.”
            “You don’t know? It looks like it’s made with… Permanent marker? You have written on your arm with permanent marker?”
            “I can’t remember I did this, okay? Or why I did this. I was in classroom 13 and when I left the place I had these three stripes on my arm.
            “Right… Anyway, I think I’m going to get my stuff for the next two weeks. It’s getting quite busy down here and that’s not helping with my headache.”
            “Why don’t you take an aspirin?”
            “I did, though it didn’t work. They never work. And they make me nauseous.”
            “I see. I think I also should start packing. I don’t know what to take home.”
            “Eh, laundry, clothes, homework. That kind of stuff.”
            “Homework? Really?”
            “You do realize we have a test week coming up, right?”
            “Right. Homework.”

I walk through the room, trying to find a few school books and some clothes. I think the only one who tries to keep the room clean is Hermione. I pick up one of the notebooks that are lying on the floor. Chantal’s Math’s notebook. I throw it on Chantal’s bed and pick up another book. It’s one of my Geography booklets. I throw it at my bed. Pyrite walks to me from under the bed, dragging another book with her. “Hey sweetie, what do you got there?” I walk towards her and pick up the book. It’s my book for art class, the book I had been searching for. “Thank you, dear.” I pet Pyrite on the head and walk back to my bed to start putting the books in my suitcase. The next moment there’s a knock on the door. “Come in.” I say. When the door opens, I suddenly hear something and take a look at the walk-in closet.
            “Good morning, gorgeous.” I turn back around to the door and see Fred walking in. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Well, that’s not so weird here, actually.” He grins.
            “Yeah, I’m fine. I just thought…”  I look back to the closet. “There was something…Well, I don’t know.” I’m quite confused now.
            “That headache isn’t doing you any good, is it? You should take a rest.”
            “I did. I went to bed early yesterday, remember? That’s why I didn’t went to the prom.”
            Fred walks towards me and takes my head in his hands. “Are you sure you are okay? Because you kinda look awful.”
            “Yeah, that’s something a girl likes to hear.”
            He smiles. “So, what are you planning to do in the Christmas holiday?”
            I free my head and go on with my packing. “Well, I’ll spend Christmas and New Year’s with my family, and I’ll probably study a lot. Why?”
            “You should rest.”
            “You sound like my mom if you talk like that.”
            “Maybe. But I mean it. You look really tired.”
            I turn around to face him. “You know, you’re kinda sweet when you’re worried.”
            He only smiles and kisses me. 

            “When are you going home?” he asks while holding me close.
            “Tonight.” I answer. “You?”
            “I’m leaving in an hour. I thought we could go and do something until then.”
            “What do you want to do then?”
            “I don’t know. Snowball fight?”
            “Well, I still got a bit of a headache, but maybe the fresh air will do me good.” I say. I pick up my jacket and a scarf. Fred takes my hand and together we walk out.

There are a lot of people outside already. Snowmen are standing everywhere and there are a few people busy making a snow-hut. Snowballs are being thrown and there are a few guys trying to walk over the frozen lake. It’s good to smell the fresh air of the winter season. A snowball is being thrown in our direction and hits Fred. We both look up and see George and Lotte standing a few meters away, snowballs in their hands. Fred looks at me.
            “Shall we?”
            We both grab some snow and form it into a ball before throwing them at George and Lotte. I hide behind a car to avoid one of the balls being thrown at me, but when I sit there I  get hit in the back. I turn around and see Fred standing there with a big grin on his face.       “Okay, that’s mean.”
            “What? This?” He throws another snowball at me and I duck to avoid it.
            “Oh, it’s on.” I say and throw a ball in Fred’s direction before I run away.  A few meters away I turn around and throw another ball while avoiding another ball being thrown in my direction. I run away again.
            “Hey, what’s wrong?” I turn around. Fred walks towards me.
            “What do you mean?”
            “You suddenly stopped running.”
            I can’t remember I did that. “I stopped running?”
            “Yeah. You just stood here and when I threw a snowball, you didn’t react.”
            “Okay… I really can’t remember that.”
            “Are you sure you feel alright?”
            “Yeah, I guess I just got distracted or something. My mind is playing games with me.”
            “Fred! We’re going to leave in five minutes!” Fred turns around. I can see Mrs. Weasley standing in front of the school.
            “I’m coming.” Fred yells back before he turns back around. “Come on, I need to give you something.”

I sit down on Fred’s bed while he grabs something out of his closet. It’s a miracle the room is so neat; the last time I came here it was a bigger mess than my room.
            “Here.” Fred hands me a package.
            “What is it?”
            “You’ll see on Christmas. Only then you’re allowed to open it.”
            “You know I’m a curious person! Though I also think it’s sweet. Thank you.” I say and give him a kiss.
            “I know. I got to go now, before mom gets angry. You promise you’ll rest a bit in the holiday?”
            “I promise.”
            “Good.” He kisses me.

When I walk into my room I see that Chantal is also busy packing. Her iPod is in the speakers and is playing a very strange song.
            “Hey Chantal. What are you listening to?”
            “Oh, hey Beckett. It’s a song called…” she takes a look on her iPod. “Enjoy the Silence.”
            “Ah. Well, it’s weird.”
            “Yeah, I know. This is the first time I listen to it. What do you got there?” She points at the package.
            “It’s a Christmas present from Fred.”          
            “Okay, and why haven’t you opened it yet?”
            “I’m not allowed to open it before Christmas.”
            Chantal smirks. “Good luck with that.”
            “I’m going to get some food for lunch. Are you coming with me?”
            “Neh, I already had some.”
            “What’s for lunch today?”
            “Tater tots, salad en soup.”
            “Sounds good.”
I open the door to the atrium and immediately get hugged by a small redheaded girl.  “Becky! How are you?”
            “I’m fine, thanks for asking. Nas, can you let go, please? You’re crushing my ribs.”
            The girl lets go. “Sorry.”
            “It’s okay. How are you?”
            “I’m fine. Are you coming to the see the Orchestra later today?”
            “Uh, yeah. Sure. I’ll come.”
            “Yay!” Nastja hugs me again.
            “Nastja, I think you’re crushing her again.” Ernö joins the conversation. “Hi Becky.”
            “Hi. And thanks.” I say after Nastja releases me again.
            “You’re welcome. So, you’ll come to see us perform?”
            “Yeah. When are you performing, actually?”
            “In two hours.”
            “You’re hair is cool.” I look at Nastja who is making a braid with my hair.
            I smirk. “Thanks. What’s that on your arm?” I ask when I see the two black stripes on Ernö’s arm.
            “I don’t know.”
            “That’s strange. Kayleigh too has stripes on her arm and she also can’t remember why or when she made them.”
            “Ha. That’s strange indeed. Who knows. It’s probably nothing.”
             “Yeah, who knows.”
            “Becky! Good to see you, I need to talk to you.” Amy appears next to us and grabs my arm to drag me along.
            “Wait. Nas, let go of my hair.”
            “But I’m not finished yet.”
            “Sorry. See you in two hours.”
            Amy drags me upstairs. There’s nowhere around, so she turns to me. “Here put this on.” She hands me an eye drive, like the one she was wearing with Halloween, and I see she’s also wearing one.
            “Why? What’s going on?”
            “Put it on.”
            “Okay, fine.” I put the eye drive on and I feel a little shock. I want to get it off my face again, but Amy grabs my arm.
            “Don’t. The little shock you just felt was the eye drive making connection with your brain. That’s a good thing.”
            “Okay, and why is that a good thing?”
            “Because you will remember what I’m going to say and what I’m going to show you. Here, look.” She shows me her arm. It’s full of black stripes.
            “What’s all this with the stripes? Kayleigh and Ernö also had a few on their arms.”
            “That’s because they saw the Silence.”
            “The Silence? What do you mean with that?”
            “Haven’t you had one of these moments when you suddenly forget what you were doing?”
            “Sorta.”
            “That’s because you’ve seen the Silence.”
            “I don’t get it.”
            “When you see the Silence and you look away, you immediately forget them.”
            I think about that for a second. “Okay, sounds reliable. But why are you telling me this?”
            Amy grins. “Because you’re going to help me get rid of them.”
            “Them? As in plural?”
            “Yes, of course. Have you ever seen a monster alone? They always come in groups. Even Fluffy has three heads.”
            “Okay, I get it. So, you got a plan?”
            “Of course I've got a plan. How do you want to fight monsters without a plan?”
            “I don’t know, improvise? I mean; what’s your plan?”
            “I don’t know yet.”

            “You won’t need a plan.” Both Amy and I turn around to face the Doctor. “Come with me.” I look at Amy, who shrugs and follows the Doctor. I also follow and we walk to the Doctor’s class room. Kayleigh, Ernö, Rory and Chantal are sitting on tables. The Doctor turns around and faces us. “Okay,  before you sit down, give me those… thingies you’ve got in your eye.”
            I hand over my eyedrive, but Amy refuses. “But…”
            “Give it.”
            “Fine. Here. And it’s called an eyedrive.”
            The Doctor ignores Amy. “Now, I know you were going to fight against aliens all by yourselves. First, that was not a good idea. You could’ve got killed when you did. Second, there’s no need to fight them anymore. They’re already gone.”
            “But they were here, like, one minute ago.” Amy says.
            “Amy, have you forgotten that I am in the possession of a big blue box in which I can travel through time and space?”
            “Right. I see.” Amy answers.
            “Anyway, I want to warn you. Some strange things happened in the last few months and it seems like they won’t be the last strange things to happen. Anyway, if you ever see a strange creature here in school again, you’ll tell me. You are not going to fix the problem yourselves. Got it?”

            “Got it.” The six of us say.
            “Good. Now go. There’s a holiday to celebrate. Enjoy.”
            When we walk away, Amy turns to me. “Can you believe he just did that?”
            “Eh, yeah. I can. It’s probably the best.”
            “Yeah, you’re right. Did  you knew Rory and Chantal also  have stripes on their arms?”
            “No, I didn’t know. Anyway, I think I’m going downstairs again. The headache is getting back.”
            “Have a nice holiday.”
            “Yeah, you too.”

On Christmas morning, I sneak out of my bed and walk downstairs. I grab the present I got from Fred from under the Christmas tree and open it. There’s a blue locked notebook in it, with the tiny key on a necklace. I open the notebook. There’s a small card in it that says: “Merry Christmas. I can’t wait to see you again in the new year. Love, Fred.” I smile.
            After looking at the card and the notebook for a few minutes, I grab a pen and start writing down the things on my mind: Fluffy, the Weeping Angels, the lost subject from the teacher’s vault and the Silence. “Some strange things happened in the last few months and it seems like they won’t be the last strange things to happen.” What’s going on?