Sage had formed a plan. It was so simple it couldn’t possibly fail, because it basically required him to only live his life and keep quiet about anything to do with dead people or Grandpa Matthew. He would absolutely not tell mum that Grandpa Matthew worked in Foxbury University. He would study hard and then enrol in Foxbury to study biology or botany. They both interested him anyway and would be beneficial for growing the Death Flower. It was three wins in one, provided grandpa didn’t get fired or decide to change careers. Sage would have to keep an eye on the staff of Foxbury in case that happened, but otherwise he’d just have to wait.
Ellie liked the plan a lot.
“It’s like a life except also being a secret agent! Or a private detective!” she’d said, “And I can come with you, if you want! Foxbury’s a great uni! I’ve sometimes looked at their communications tech courses, and they sound great!”
“I’d love that,” Sage said, “I mean… if we’re still together then. Not that I don’t want that. Because I do. Really. I… I should probably stop talking.”
“Nah, it’s fine,” Ellie giggled, “We’ll see how this works, right? So far I’m liking us a lot and really wouldn’t mind us being together for a long, long time.”
That made Sage’s heart soar.
That – as well as the friendships with Sonny and some of his school buddies – also made Sage somewhat happy when life at home became very awkward. Sage and mum never really recovered from their fight. They talked and mum was still doing her best to help Sage with life, but there was a tension there that made sentences clipped and unnatural and wound smiles too tightly. It also extended a little to grandma, who had apparently also hidden a lot of things from Sage. As time went on, Sage found himself talking more with Akira than with mum. Akira had nothing to do with their family drama, as far as Sage knew, and he was cool. They played video games together, and Akira even taught Sage some basic coding and listened when Sage talked about plants.
Probably the most awkward times were the Snowflake Days, because then mum insisted that everyone needed to be together and everything had to be lovely and cosy. They put on neat clothes and set up a tree and mum cooked delicious food. Sage invited Ellie, because of course he did, and she arrived after celebrating half a day at her own home. She made the whole deal tolerable, even fun. Sage was even able to ignore the sad faces mum kept making whenever she realised that the wall between them had grown almost impossibly thick.
It didn’t feel like a real Snowflake Day, though. Not until everyone had gone asleep and Sage crept downstairs to talk with Addie.
Addie hadn’t celebrated much when he was alive. In his own words, he’d been too busy being broke and angry.
“The best I could do was some shoddy gifts and maybe putting some half-dead ornaments on a tree with my friends,” he said, “I mean, it wasn’t too bad, I guess. And I didn’t really mind, to be honest. It wasn’t my style anyway.”
He looked at the tree that was big and expensive and took up all the space between the fireplace and the bar.
“I guess I can see the appeal, though,” he added.
“I don’t think this is the best example,” Sage said, “Unless you want the shiny crap in the stores.”
“That bad, huh? You and your mum fight again?”
“No. But mum kept trying to force this into a ‘look how much we love each other and have no problems’ -day. At least Ellie was there.”
Addie smiled. Sage looked at the dark fireplace and then a stupid idea sparked in his head.
“Hey, since you’re here, wanna have a Snowflake Day party our way?”
“Like how? Isn’t all Snowflake Day stuff kinda… grounded in material stuff?”
“I… yeah, I guess. But we could… light the fireplace and watch some fun Snowflake Day reruns and just talk? Just… be? Or go out and make a midnight snowman or something.”
Addie shrugged, an amused smile on his face. Or maybe more than amused, almost kind of touched. Like no one had ever asked him that before. And maybe no one had, at least in a long time.
“Sure,” he just said, in a voice that was only kind of choked, “Happy Snowflake Day, then.”
Author’s Note: This chapter exists because the Snowflake Day snuck up on me in-game and I liked some of the pics I took. The end. It’s kinda a nothing-chapter but I wanted to use these shots. Next time, time jumps and maybe plot?
NEXT Chapter:
Forget-Me-Not 
Nothing chapters are the best, and it’s not entirely nothing, because it shows how the tension still exists between Sage and his mom, what Sage’s future plans are, and develops Addie’s character.
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