Starring:
Date: December 23, 2009
Summary:
The German orphans holiday in Alaska.
"Can't Always Get What You Want"
Alaska — Undisclosed Cabin
The cabin is a small hunting affair made large enough for the comfort of a business trip or family get away - it has a single floor with a kitchen, which opens into a dining room and that opens into a living room with large cathedral ceilings. These ceilings are designed to accommodate the loft upstairs, where two comfortable beds are set up. Trees and pines curl around the house, and the road is snowed up and impassable during the winter months - like now. Even at this moment, the snow filters down from the heavens. It cannot be seen. It cannot be heard. Save for those who are there, it does not exist.
And those who are there are delighting in it. A large Christmas tree has been set up, garland hung from the rafters with red bows. Christmas music plays, and while there is no fireplace, there are flames curling from within a woodstove. The whole place smells of cookies, and bells can be heard as some of the orphans chase each other, socked feet pitter-pattering over the wood floors. It is an absolute delight.
Cam, after first arriving, ventured outside. No coat, of course, he has no need of one even here. (Antartica, maybe.) He travelled down to check the snowed-in road, adding some tank-trap-like chunks of ice, so if someone did decide to plow their way up, they'd have noisy trouble before getting too close. That done, other than helping with the decorations he's been just enjoying himself, spending a lot of time outside, making snowmen and just in general enjoying his most natural environment. Now, he comes wandering back inside, brushing some snow off of himself.
And even though it's Christmas and Micah had been so excited to decorate and celebrate, he's in a funk today; not as merry as the other children, although moreso than before Christmas. He's oddly quiet, but is pushing himself to feel and do the things he thinks he ought to, even if cheer isn't easy to recall. At this moment it includes sitting on a small cozy looking couch; it his first Christmas without his parents — which weighs heavily on his heart and mind. On either side of him sit younger children who peer over his shoulder at a book Micah reads aloud to them. As the story draws to a close Micah reads, "And they lived happily ever after. The end."
"Books always end like that," Hailey observes. "Is life like that Micah? Like it's always happily evah aftah?"
The fourteen year old purses his mouth, but he forces an extremely strained smile, before answering, "Yes, Hailey. If it's not happy. It's not the end."
And Charlotte? Well she's trying not to kill herself (and everyone around her) by cooking. "Nein, sweetheart," she scolds a girl who is helping her with the turkey. "Take all this and put it in the pot and save it for later, okay?" One of the smaller children was swinging the giblet sack around for play. And then in comes Cam, and Charlotte, her hair up in a bun and wearing an apron like a spinster old woman, smiles. She wipes her hands and gets a mug, buslting over to help Cam brush the snow away. "Here you go, nice and warm and with marshmellows! And here's one too for Micah - bring it over, hmm?" She asks, giving the cold boy a kiss on the cheek before she returns to her cooking.
Cam might normally complain about the help brushing the snow off, but not today. Unlike Micah, he's in a good mood it seems. "Thanks," he adds, as the hot chocolate is handed to him. His own cup he freezes a little, bringing the temperature down just barely enough that his heat-sensitive skin can handle it, while keeping the other cup steaming as he brings it over to Micah, holding it out for him. "From Charlotte."
"Reeeeeally?" Hailey stares up wide-eyed at Micah.
"Yes. It's true." Maybe. "Go play or something," Micah urges the two younger children at which they slide off the couch and traipse after some of their peers. "Thanks," Micah manages a small smile as he brings the hot chocolate to his lips. "It's good," he smirks before he calls towards the kitchen, "Thanks Charlotte!"
Charlotte bustles in a few moments later with cookies, setting them out in front of the boys. "Now you two should absolutely ruin your appetites, because I'm not that good of a cook, I've only seen other cooks do it when I was waiting tables. So this might be the only nourishment you can stomach." She tells them both, sitting down beside Micah and looking over them all. Of course, the scene has a few oddities - children outside having telekenetic snowball fights. One boy flying up among the rafters. Little things like that. "Do you think I should call everyone inside? I'm rather worried about bears." It is Alaska!
Cam sips his own hot chocolate as he sits down, and then reaches for one of the cookies, grinning, "Thanks." Then he shakes his head quickly, "Are you kidding? The bears should be worried about us, if there even is any. Don't bears hibernate?" Then he takes a bite of his cookie as he sits back.
"Uh. I think we could be fine against bears," Micah observes as he sips hot chocolate and grabs a cookie. "Besides, I think Cam's right. Bears hibernate." He forces a smile as he sips at the hot chocolate again.
"Well then I'm all the more worried!" Charlotte sighs, standing and opening the sliding glass door. "Come inside now!" She yells, and the kids start to make their way, albiet slowly and distractedly. "What if one of them finds a bear and wakes it up? That'd be even worse. Everyone's grumpy when they first wake up. And hungry." The worst part is that Charlotte is totally serious now too.
Cam rolls his eyes and grins, "Charlotte! Hibernating animals are deep in caves and things like that. And there's no caves anywhere around here, so if someone's exploring one to find a bear, they won't hear you yell anyway." Probably not helping.
With a heavy sigh and an eye roll, Micah observes, "I think it would take more than a few kids playing to wake up a bear." Regardless he shrugs. The Germany-crew hasn't felt this free for some time, and it's refreshing to have such a time together. "And Cam's right… only if someone were looking for them would it wake up…"
"Well they're kids. They might go looking for one," Charlotte scolds, moving to settle in beside the boys. "Do you like the Christmas tree? Do you think it's nice? I always through trees were supposed to have a star on top of them, but all we had was the angel, and everyone seems alright with it." The kids have finally gotten to decorating it, even despite the german tradition. Some are even stringing up gingerbread men.
Cam nods quickly to Charlotte again with a grin, "It's fantastic! My real parents never had a tree that cool, always this old fake one. So it's cool." He finishes his cookie, and takes a sip of his hot chocolate before he says, "This is going to be a great Christmas."
"It's okay," Micah says with a shrug. "It smells good and everyone's having fun decorating it. And the angel works." Realizing what a downer he's being today, he brings the hot chocolate to his lips again after which he manages to force a smile. He sighs quietly before a genuine, albeit small smile, plays on his lips, "It's good, Charlotte. Everyone's having fun. I think the break has done everyone good."
"It's nice here. It's a shame we can't stay, but with the snow and everything…oh I don't know." She sighs, letting her head fall back. Is she blushing? Is she giggling? She just might be. "Speaking of which, I have to do some last minute shopping. What do you think? What would you boys like as a last-minute surprise, hmm? Anything you want." That she can afford.
Cam grins, "Well, snow isn't a problem. Until it gets hot enough to melt it, anyway, I can keep this whole place protected. It's awesome here." He looks to Charlotte curiously a moment, and then answers, "Um… well, don't really have anything specific. Besides, not really a surprise if we know what's coming, is it?"
Pressing his lips together, Micah considers what he wants, but what he wants can't be bought in a store, and isn't posssible for him. "I don't need anything, Charlotte. And what I want…" he shrugs "…not gonna happen." He shrugs again for good measure. "Besides, Cam's right, surprises only work if we don't about them."
Charlotte sighs. "I know, but I'm so bad at buying presents. I wanted to get something special for everyone here but," she looks over the room of playing children. "What all of them want - and need - can't be bought in a store." They are, after all, all orphans by some streach or another. "Blankets, and hot chocolate, and the tree - what else are we missing?"
Cam nods a little again, and then says, "Well… video games are always good. And for a group this big, ones that can be played party-style, like Rock Band. Toys for the younger kids. I.. I don't even know what I'd want either. Besides the same thing Micah does," he adds a little softer.
"Nothing I can think of right off," Micah hmmms as he glances around the room, but he shoots Cam a half-smile. Micah knows he's been selfish lately, but it's so hard not to internalize everything that's happened this year. "Cam's right though. Stuff people can play together might be a good thing."
Charlotte nods. "So what's this Rock Band thing?" She asks the two of them. Come on kids, think of happier things. "Is it like a car racing game or a fighting game? I don't think I approve of fighting games. Some of the car racing games are getting pretty racy too, these days. Is there like a multi-player pac man?" Charlotte may be only 25, but her lack of human life and contact has made her a bit…well…disconnected.
Cam looks back up to Charlotte, and blinks. "You don't know about Rock Band? Come on! You're musicians in a band. You play on big plastic instruments, or you can sing into a microphone. Hundreds and hundreds of songs to get, it's awesome."
"Yeah, it's really not violent, Charlotte. Not like Zombie shooting games," Micah grins as those are his favourite. "Yeah, there's like drums and a guitar and you play music. I bet I would be awesome at that game." He beams. Of course, his ability helps him be awesome at almost any video game.
Charlotte gives Micah a wry look. "Well if I buy it you all have to promise that you won't use any powers to play it. You'll just play it so everyone's fair, hmm? And if you promise that I'll buy it and….let one of you set it up." Because she certainly can't! "On Christmas eve night, so everyone can wake up and have it all set up nice."
Cam grins at that and nods quickly to Charlotte, and says, "Sounds good to me. We'll need a game system to play it on too," he adds. "Unless Micah's is still at the old house."
"I don't really use it on purpose when I play a game. I mean, I get a controller in my hand and it's like I can see inside the technology, understand how it works and stuff." Micah smirks at his own comment. "And yeah, we could set it up. I'm sure it'd be easy to do anyways." He winces though at the mention of the old house. Butterflies bubble inside his stomach, drawing a frown to his lips. "Yeah. My X-Box is probably there."
X-box? Kids these days. "Well I'll pick it up and you guys can set it up. Oh the kids'll love it!" Charlotte smirks playfully to Micah, nudging him. "And think of this as a way to practice with your ability. Being able to use it is one thing, but you have to be able to turn it on and off to say you've controlled it." And it's a good way to get him to focus on NOT using his ability, but shhh!
Cam nods quickly to Charlotte and grins, "Yeah." He nods agreement with her words then and says, "I know that's still the hardest part of my powers. I still end up making ice when I shower half the time."
"Hmmmm," is all Micah manages. He'd been practicing his ability behind his parents' backs before they'd died, which has enabled him to help so many people through their current crisis. He has mixed feelings about the X-Box, but doesn't verbalize them. Instead he continues to frown and just leans back against the couch.
"And I remember I used to teleport at the worst times. I had a man try to kiss me and I got so nervous - pop!- I ended up a million miles away. I never went back to see him," Charlotte sighs wistfully. "Think it would have seemed rather strange."
Cam blinks, and then laughs as he imagines that, "Yeah, that would have been weird." He looks to Micah and then asks, "You want to use a new system instead? They're probably pretty cheap right now."
"It's fine. The old one's not being played. If the government didn't take it." And if they had? Micah imagines several CIA agents sitting around playing X-Box which elicits a very small short-lived smile. "Mo — they would've wanted us to get it. Didn't like wasting stuff. And I got it after Da… after we thought he was d… " swallow.
"I'll buy one." Gosh, all this money is floating right out the window. "Just…I'll ask the man at the store. Rock band. Alright, be back soon." Charlotte rises, and is waving as she starts to fizzle away. Must bring children games to make them happy!
Cam ohs, nodding a little to Micah and says, "Ok." Then, though, Charlotte says that and he blinks, but waves to her as she vanishes.