ALEX WAS SO BUSY with school she barely noticed when the Christmas holidays came around. Her classes kept her occupied. She had also been busy helping Beau with his homework.
“He isn’t that busy. The other players manage to get their school work done,” Jennifer said.
Alex ignored her, content to spend the extra time with Beau. She also had the extra-added bonus of knowing it made Catelyn furious.
Alex remembered that first day back to school after her birthday fiasco. Beau had had the nerve to greet her as if nothing had happened.
“Please don’t talk to me anymore.” Alex’s heart was beating so hard she nearly fainted but she had forced herself to say the words. She couldn’t even look at him. She kept her eyes glued to her hands on the desk in front of her.
He had feigned ignorance of the whole thing, saying Catelyn had taken the invitation without his knowledge. He begged and pleaded, swearing on his mother’s life that he hadn’t made fun of her for inviting him to her party.
“So you would have come?” Alex asked.
“I was out of town for a game that weekend.” He winked at her.
That had been the end of it. She continued to help him with his assignments and even let him peek at her exams. She felt guilty but she just couldn’t say no when he smiled at her that way.
Alex was looking forward to the Christmas break. She was having another party at her aunt’s house.
And she hadn’t seen any strange girls in the mirror.
That, more than anything, was the reason for Alex’s cheerful mood. She held out hope that the strange trips back in time were over.
She and Jennifer spent many a night talking about what Alex had seen and heard each time through the mirror. The only thing she kept to herself was the young man in each time period that she felt a connection to. She wanted to keep a little something private.
“I still can’t stop thinking about that man in Venice. It seems very weird that he would show up and try to have Veronica arrested,” Jennifer said.
“I know. I wish we had more pieces of the puzzle.”
Alex managed to earn enough money working for her aunt to buy everyone a little something for Christmas. There were times when she wished it could be more but she knew her friends and family would like what she got them.
The day of the party dawned cold and grey. Alex had been up since 8:00 am helping C.C. and Karen with the decorations. Alex knew her aunt was happy to have the party as a distraction. Mark had been called away suddenly and was not sure he would be back in time for Christmas Day. This would have been the first Christmas he had been home in years.
Alex’s friends arrived and they dug into the food C.C. had laid out for them. She groaned when she thought of how many calories of sugar she was consuming.
“Who cares? It’s Christmas!” Jennifer said, smiling around a huge bite of red and green Jell-O.
Alex had been so busy making sure her friends were having a good time she had not noticed her mother’s absence for most of the evening.
“Aunt Karen, where’s Mom?” Alex asked.
Karen put on a too-wide smile and told Alex she was fine and not to worry, but Alex could see the furrow in her brow and the tightening around her eyes.
Alex went to the guesthouse to find out what was going on. She hoped her mom wasn’t coming down with a cold or flu bug.
“Mom?” Alex called out. Patricia was sitting at the dining room table, holding pieces of paper in her hand.
Patricia looked at her daughter and Alex was shocked to see that her mother had aged about ten years since yesterday. The papers fell from her limp hands. Patricia did not try to stop Alex as she picked them up to see what had her mother in such a state of shock.
They were divorce papers, already signed by her father.