Her Blood Moon

Christmas Eve

Dawn woke up, and stared up at the off-white ceiling. Her eyes traveled from the ceiling to the flower wallpaper around the room. This wasn't her bedroom….

Confused, she just laid there for a minute when the feeling of heaviness on her chest made her glance down to see an arm lying on top of her. She just stared at it for a minute, trying to get her bearings and remember where she was.

Light snoring came from beside her, a side glance slowly filled the gaps in her brain as she saw her mom, a messy blonde mop of hair with her mouth wide open, sleeping beside her. She glanced back around the room, and remembered the night before, hanging in the living room with her mom, grandma, and grandpa, sitting next to grandpa. Her mom and grandma were talking about something as her and grandpa were watching basketball, yelling at the screen.

They were spending Christmas with her grandparents at her grandma's house. Her mom had gotten in another fight again with her most recent boyfriend, and he had kicked them out of his house. Though Dawn's mom didn't tell her grandparents this, and Dawn wasn't necessarily upset about being away from who she had nicknamed groping Tom. She was glad he was out of their lives. He creeped her out. Hugging her way too long and way too tight at times, touching her thighs and once or twice her butt….

Her eyes widened, and she quickly sat up, pushing her mom's arm off of her along with the thoughts of gross Tom. It was Christmas Eve! They always open presents on Christmas Eve! She reached over and started shaking her mom's sleeping form.

“Mom! Mooooom! It's time to wake up! Wake up! It's time for presents! Moooooooooom!”

Her mom snorted, grumbled, and turned over, her back now facing Dawn. Dawn rolled her eyes and darted out of bed, yanking open the bedroom door and ran toward her grandparents room. She was met with an empty king size bed, already made, her grandma's bright red quilt laid neatly on top. Hearing voices in the kitchen, she turned on her heels and sprinted toward the door frame.

Her grandma stood by the stove, her long dark auburn hair in a ponytail on top of her head, her body wrapped in a robe as she cooked what smelt heavenly like bacon. Her grandpa sat at the table, newspaper in hand, dark blue coffee mug sitting next to him on the table. Dawn smiled at the picture. She loved her grandparents, and was actually really glad things happened the way they did. At Least her mom and her would have a good Christmas this year. After her moms divorce from John earlier in the year and the multiple bad boyfriends since then, including the most recent one, the year would at least end on a good note.

“Morning! Grandma, mom wont wake up and i wanna open gifts. Can you help?”

Maryl, Dawn’s grandma, looked over at her.

“You’ll just have to annoy her until she wakes up sweetie, she's been that way ever since she was a kid. She’s a hard one to wake up, unless you make her mad enough to wake herself up. Get her up and we’ll all go into the living room and open gifts.”

Dawn took that as a challenge, and took off out the other doorway, running through the dining room, hearing her grandma's china cabinet shake as she ran. Her grandmas voice echoed out of the kitchen,

“Dawn no running through the dining room!”

She quickly came to a stop, making a face and rolling her eyes before taking off again in a quick walk back to the bedroom. She found her mom where she left her, snoring in bed. Dawn sighed and stood there, contemplating on what to do until finally she smiled getting an idea. She ran out of the bedroom, and came back 30 seconds later with a cup full of water. She knew it would make her mom really mad, but maybe she would get a pass with it being christmas….

“Mom! Mooooooooom! Wake up!”

Danielle grumbled and pulled the covers over her head like a teenager, Dawn rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

“If you dont wake up I'm gonna throw this water on you! One…….two……”

Her mom quickly pushed the covers off and rolled over, glaring at Dawn. Uh oh…. Maybe she took it too far this time? Dawn gulped.

“Dawn Alizabeth Culler, I swear to God if you throw that water on me, you’ll be sitting on a very sore butt while you open gifts.”

Dawn's eyes widened as she slowly sat the cup of water on the nearby dresser, then held up her hands.

“I was joking…..ummm grandma said to get up so we can open gifts. I love you?”

Dawn’s mom shook her head, and sighed, sitting up in the bed.

“I love you too, get in there, i'll be there soon.”

Dawn grinned, and ran out of the bedroom, not having to be told twice and thanking her lucky stars she didn't end up with a whoopin for Christmas.