Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

Winter solstice is seriously my favorite holiday.

| mean, this will be the first time | get to celebrate it. In the past, | was responsible for wrapping all the gifts for the Silver Moon pack Winter Solstice party. One year, there was an extra gift left over, so Beta Tate let me have it after everyone had left. It was a box of chocolate truffles. There were eight in the box. Each one had a different flavor filling, and | savored every bite. | knew | would never get another gift again, but that one meant the world to me. It didn't matter to ten- year-old Kas that it was just a forgotten box. |t was special to me.

Even if | haven't been an active participant before, | still love all the decorations, watching people exchange gifts, the music, the games, the special foods | get to bake, all of it. It is the feeling in the air. It is just so wonderful. Speaking of which, | want to give gifts this year, but | feel awkward asking Bronx for money. | don't want him to think I'm taking advantage of him. So | do what lam best at. | bake.

Since I'm still a little unsure about borrowing a laptop, Ashley prints me out a list of all the families in the pack. There are over six hundred families, so | have my work cut out for me, but | know | can do it. | start with chocolates and truffles since they last the longest, then | move on to cookies, then cakes and pastries. Mrs. Miller tells me there are plenty of extra pantry supplies, so baking for the pack won't be a problem. She even lets me use the kitchen and helps me find nice decorative packaging from the storeroom.

Delilah hasn't found a job yet, so she asks if she can help. It turns out she likes baking, and she's really good at it too, so she helps me with all the goodies I'm making. I'm so glad to have the company. She and | have a similar taste in music, so we are able to dance around while we are working or waiting for things to come out of the ovens. A few days before Solstice, we're waiting around the kitchen for more cakes to come out of the oven. Delilah is leaning against the counter looking bored.

“Kas, | need a haircut. Where do you go to get yours done?" Delilah whines a little, looking at her blonde split ends between her fingers. “I've never had a haircut. I've used old shears | found in the trash when it was brown, but | haven't cut it since it turned silver," | shrug. "lokaste Latmus," Delilah sits up at attention and scolds me, her eyes turning dark blue, " taking care of your hair is just as important as taking care of the rest of your body."

She picks up her cell phone and texts someone. A moment later, the chime of response comes through. She picks up the phone and smiles.

appointments for tomorrow. You and | are getting fresh haircuts for the party," Delilah says with conviction. | notice her eyes shifting to a lighter blue as her mood changes. It's

day out and convince Ashley and Lenora to join us. After much deliberation based on

life, | get a professional haircut. The stylist looks at the picture several times as she cuts my hair. She cuts off about four inches, but it's still long. Then she adds layers and heavy bangs that come a little below my eyes. When the stylist turns the chair around, | stare at the girl in the chair with my mouth hanging wide. That can't be me.

comes up behind me and squeezes my shoulders. Lenora and Delilah agree from their manicure

ways to style it. She even shows me how to use a flat iron to put wavy curls into it. “Do you think Bronx will like it?” | ask, tugging a little at the ends, looking at my friends in the mirror. The layers

gonna love it," Lenora reassures

on how nice the restaurant is after we are seated. | haven't been to a restaurant since we stopped at the little cafe in France when we were coming home and before that; | had never really been to a restaurant, except one time when | was on a class field trip, but | didn't have money to actually eat, so the teacher gave me the

you mean you haven't been to a restaurant since

"We've had a lot going on. Bronx has been busy with MasonCo. I've busy helping with Winter Solstice planning.” Lenora lets it drop, but based on the look

and comes to the living room to give me a

is-...It...l can't......umm," he stammers. The look of shock

like it?" | ask, suddenly

Crap.