The air was cold, and the roads were thick with ice. I stumbled, losing my footing on the slippery ice. Dad caught me by the arm, and helped me down the frozen path. He helped me climb into the car, and buckle in.
It was late. Really late.
I’d wanted to go home, we’d only lived five minutes away, just a bit further out of town. Mum had started fighting with her own Mum, and I hadn’t wanted to stay in a house with that much bad energy. When I had told my parents that I’d wanted to sleep in my own bed, they’d told me to just go sleep in the spare bedroom.
It was Christmas evening.
Almost boxing day morning, really. I had cried and stomped my feet, demanding to go home to my stuffed animals, and my cat, so that he could curl up on my lap. Mum had told dad that I was being spoiled.
A sp
