• Four years later.
    It was exactly midnight and fireworks began to explode in the sky right above the village. Everyone was outside enjoying the festival. It was really crowded and loud, like always.
    “Roger!” I ran to him and gave him a kiss on his cheek. His face turned bright red. “Happy new year!”
    Jen came running towards us. “Do I get a present too, Anysa?”
    I frowned. “Sorry…”
    He gasped. “You didn’t give me anything?”
    I shook my head. “No, I got you something. Its just that I…”
    “Ate it” Boa laughed. “She made you cookies and well…she said it looked tasty so she decided to try some and boom! Its all gone”
    Jen crossed his arms. “That’s just sweet, ain’t it? So, Anysa, how did it taste? Was it good?” he puffed his cheeks.
    “It was delicious!” I gave him a quick hug. “Happy new years”
    “Awww you’re so nice. Do I get a hug too?” Trek came up from behind Jen with Kert who was holding a pink cotton candy on a stick.
    I nodded and gave both of them a hug. After everyone showed off their boxes of presents waiting to be opened, we ran into the forest to Kert’s cottage. The presents were set in a pile on the grass. We all sat around it in a circle and stared in awe.
    “Who’s first?” I asked.
    No one answered.
    “Well?” I started to feel uneasy when I noticed that they were all staring at me. “what…?”
    “Well, you see Anysa, remember your birthday?” Trek said.
    “mhmm” last year when it was new years, all of them had birthdays before that day that we celebrated together. They noticed that my birthday wasn’t celebrated yet so they asked me when it was. I didn’t know, didn’t remember, so they gave me my own birthday which is today, on new years.
    “It’s only right that the birthday girl gets to open hers first!” Trek announced. Everyone nodded in agreement then handed me their presents.
    I smiled. “Thank you” I opened Kerts present first because it was the most unusual shaped. I laughed.
    “Isn’t it great? It can actually move on its own and talk! It has it’s own personality, too” Kert boasted.
    “Really? Must be your best yet” I smiled as I held the stuffed bear toy in front of me. It was a medium grey color with black button eyes. The nose was a rusty red color and it had a peachy cream belly. “How does it move? I don’t feel anything mechanical. Its all soft and fluffy”
    “Its suppose to be like that. You wouldn’t want a toy that was rock hard, would you?”
    I giggled. “no, no I wouldn’t”
    “open mine next!” Trek beamed. “It’s amazing, too!”
    He handed me his. It was big with no wrapper, just a cardboard box with tape all over it. It took me awhile to take it all off so I could open it.
    “So what do you think? It’s a crescent moon!” Trek smiled.
    “I…It’s really…” I didn’t know how to say it.
    “Trek” Roger said.
    “Yah, what is it?”
    “Why do you put a small pin…clip thing in a big box?”
    “To surprise her, of course!” he grinned.
    “So it’s a clip?” I asked.
    “Yah! Well sort of. It’s actually like a tracker device. That clip is what this tracks!” he held up his right wrist which has a grey metal watch strapped on it, only it wasn’t a watch. The screen where the time was suppose to be is a greenish black grid with six blinking lights; three yellow dots, two red dots, and one white dot.
    “What are the dots for?” Jen asked.
    Trek stared at it, confused. “That’s weird!”
    “What is?” Kert wondered.
    “The white dot is where Anysa is and the yellow dot is me, you, and Boa…but Jen and Roger…the red dots…he didn’t say anything about the red dots!”
    “What do you mean by he?” Boa asked.
    “The guy I stole this from” Trek muttered. “Oh well! Who cares ” he laughed.
    “um…okay…” I clipped the pin on Mini (the bear Kert gave me) and then opened Boa’s present.
    “Oh wow!” I stared at his gift. Everyone was staring too, just as amazed as I am. It was a golden orange fox-like animal with a red ribbon tied around its neck, a bell hanging from the front. It was so tiny, half the size of an adult squirrel.
    “That’s as big as its going to get” Boa did a thumbs up. “Its amazing, isn’t it?”
    It made noise, like a baby kitten meowing.
    “That’s a rare species!” Kert glowed. “Its amazing! Where’d you get this?”
    “It hitchhiked into my bag a couple days ago” he laughed. “It’s a boy”
    “What’s his name?” I asked him.
    “Well...I named him Chee” he scratched his chin.
    “Chee? Why’d you name it that?” Roger laughed.
    “Chee!” the little fox creature squeaked then jumped onto my shoulder.
    “That’s why” Boa said.
    “My turn!” Jen squeezed between Trek and Kert then gave me his gift.
    I gaped once I unwrapped the box. It was a sphere, a mint blue color. On the sides were golden designs that spiraled to the top center. It glistened and seemed to radiate a diamond glow.
    “Looks so expensive…” I muttered.
    “I had this since I was born. It never aged” Jen was trying hard not to act excited. “Twist the top where the gold swirls come together”
    “Kay” I held the top and turned it. Once I let go, the upper half of the sphere lifted up an inch. A couple seconds later, music came out of it. It was the same song that Jen kept humming and whistling two years ago when we met. “A music box…” I smiled. “I love it! This is…its so…”
    “I know, I’m awesome” he glanced at Roger. “Beat that!”
    Roger groaned and didn’t do anything.
    “Well?” Kert said. “Where’s your present?”
    “It’s um…well…um…” he tossed me a small box then turned around in embarrassment.
    ‘Awwww Rogerrrr!” Jen and Trek said in a girlish voice. “Your so a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e, adorable! Mua, mua, mua”
    “Shut up!” Roger growled.
    They laughed then turned to me and told me to open the box.
    “Wait! That can’t be all, can it, Roger?” Jen asked.
    He groaned. “What do you mean?”
    “There should be at least one more gift you have for her…”
    Roger’s face flushed a little, I could tell because his ear was turning pink. “I…don’t know what you’re talking about. That’s the only present I have for her”
    “Don’t lie! You’re forgetting it!” Boa hissed. “Turn around”
    Roger turned and faced me but he wouldn’t look me in the eye.
    “What’s wrong with you?!” Kert whispered angrily.
    “Nnn…” Roger moaned.
    “Come on! It’s already been four years!”
    “Yah, so go get her!” Jen shouted before he pushed Roger to me, hard.
    My heart raced, Roger’s face never been this close to mine before. Our lips touched. We were both astonished that we didn’t even pull away. My heartbeat increased speed; I was certain it would jump right out of me and start dancing around. My chest and stomach felt like there were butterflies crazily flapping inside.
    Roger pulled away as the others shouted, “Happy birthday, Anysa!”
    Then something happened, something awful. It went by so fast that I couldn’t believe my eyes.
    A long raven sword sliced in and out of Boa’s chest, right through his heart.

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