Little Red Box
Title: Little Red Box
Author: Faline
Summary: Dark Angel Fanfic. Gen. Jondy. Claim #26 An 09er hears about Santa Clause and stays up waiting for him
Holiday prompt from da_halloween
Hands clench, sweat on her palms and she was worried the tire iron wouldn't be enough. She'd heard the man was large. Had some heft to him. She'd heard the man had dipped in to the cookies one too many times.
The stairs creaked under Jondy's feet as she crept as quietly as possible down to the first floor. Above her, the adoptive family slept and she started to make her preparations. Set her traps. The girl who shared her room mentioned that the man came when everyone in the house had fallen asleep and it'd been less than a half hour since the mother had finally drifted off.
She didn't have a whole lot of time.
As she set traps, she ran through the facts. A jolly man breaking in to houses once a year to leave presents for good boys and girls. It sounded highly unlikely and as Jondy didn't see herself as either good or bad, she was disinclined to believe he'd be leaving her a present.
She needed to work faster. Her small fingers flew over a knot in the trip wire; she needed five more minutes. A small shuffle upstairs had her breath held and she waited until nothing followed before finishing up her prep work.
Once finished, she smiled and nodded and then took up a hiding spot. Right behind the tree.
The tire iron in one hand, she waited. And waited. The clock ticked on mercilessly. Where was the jolly red man!?
Another shuffle sounded from upstairs and Jondy started, realizing that the sun was streaming in through the windows now. She must have fallen asleep. She stretched in a minuscule amount, still not ready to give up her position.
Her foot glanced off a previously unnoticed package. She had, in fact, missed the many packages now sitting around the tree. They were all gaily wrapped and looked . . . happy.
She frowned. Her senses were only becoming more sharp as she grew older. There was no way a fat, jolly, old man would have had the ability to sneak around her, no matter how deeply she slept. Her eyes flew to the traps she'd set.
They were intact, she realized grimly.
This man, this Santa Clause, was indeed a foe to be wary of.
She stretched again, moving aside a present blocking her way, and rose. From above, the sounds of the family increased and she knew they'd be down soon to discover the things the man had left for her.
Her eyes glanced over the presents, gifts they'd been called, and they rested on a medium sized box, wrapped with brilliant red paper and tied up with a silver bow. She was entranced by it and walked closer to inspect it.
Jondy's attention wasn't swayed from the package, even when the father came down stairs and was tripped first then knocked out by her bowling ball set up. Or when the mother ran after and was summarily tripped her own self.
Her ears, and her eyes, and every single one of her other senses, pedestrian and supernatural, were fixed on the red box. A rich script looking up from it's tag called to her.
To: Jondy
From: Santa
Better luck next year
Jondy, known only to the family as Kathy and nothing more, raised her eyes and looked skyward. 'Next year indeed'
Author: Faline
Summary: Dark Angel Fanfic. Gen. Jondy. Claim #26 An 09er hears about Santa Clause and stays up waiting for him
Holiday prompt from da_halloween
Hands clench, sweat on her palms and she was worried the tire iron wouldn't be enough. She'd heard the man was large. Had some heft to him. She'd heard the man had dipped in to the cookies one too many times.
The stairs creaked under Jondy's feet as she crept as quietly as possible down to the first floor. Above her, the adoptive family slept and she started to make her preparations. Set her traps. The girl who shared her room mentioned that the man came when everyone in the house had fallen asleep and it'd been less than a half hour since the mother had finally drifted off.
She didn't have a whole lot of time.
As she set traps, she ran through the facts. A jolly man breaking in to houses once a year to leave presents for good boys and girls. It sounded highly unlikely and as Jondy didn't see herself as either good or bad, she was disinclined to believe he'd be leaving her a present.
She needed to work faster. Her small fingers flew over a knot in the trip wire; she needed five more minutes. A small shuffle upstairs had her breath held and she waited until nothing followed before finishing up her prep work.
Once finished, she smiled and nodded and then took up a hiding spot. Right behind the tree.
The tire iron in one hand, she waited. And waited. The clock ticked on mercilessly. Where was the jolly red man!?
Another shuffle sounded from upstairs and Jondy started, realizing that the sun was streaming in through the windows now. She must have fallen asleep. She stretched in a minuscule amount, still not ready to give up her position.
Her foot glanced off a previously unnoticed package. She had, in fact, missed the many packages now sitting around the tree. They were all gaily wrapped and looked . . . happy.
She frowned. Her senses were only becoming more sharp as she grew older. There was no way a fat, jolly, old man would have had the ability to sneak around her, no matter how deeply she slept. Her eyes flew to the traps she'd set.
They were intact, she realized grimly.
This man, this Santa Clause, was indeed a foe to be wary of.
She stretched again, moving aside a present blocking her way, and rose. From above, the sounds of the family increased and she knew they'd be down soon to discover the things the man had left for her.
Her eyes glanced over the presents, gifts they'd been called, and they rested on a medium sized box, wrapped with brilliant red paper and tied up with a silver bow. She was entranced by it and walked closer to inspect it.
Jondy's attention wasn't swayed from the package, even when the father came down stairs and was tripped first then knocked out by her bowling ball set up. Or when the mother ran after and was summarily tripped her own self.
Her ears, and her eyes, and every single one of her other senses, pedestrian and supernatural, were fixed on the red box. A rich script looking up from it's tag called to her.
To: Jondy
From: Santa
Better luck next year
Jondy, known only to the family as Kathy and nothing more, raised her eyes and looked skyward. 'Next year indeed'