Winter will always be my favorite season. There’s nothing to hate. The sparkling rainbow lights, the hot chocolate, Christmas.

I looked up at the white winter sky breathing in the fresh smell of snow.

“Elina!” Mallory came running over with Lily following behind her.

I smiled as they stopped next to me.

“Hey guys,” I said, as they grabbed a hot chocolate off the table in front of us.

“The gift exchange is happening soon you coming?” Lily asked taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

I groaned, “After last years disaster I think I’ll pass.”

Mallory grabbed my arm, “Elina come on. Don’t you want to see what you got.”

I shook my head as she pulled me over to the giant Christmas tree in the town square.

“I really don’t,” I said as she picked up a tiny box and handed it too me.

“It’s from Kai,” Lily said as I looked at it.

“Does that make it any better?” I asked.

Mallory nodded, “Isn’t he your best friend.”

“He’s one of my friends. And that doesn’t mean that this gift will be any good.”

“The last gift he gave you was pretty good,” Lily was eyeing the locket that Kai had given me on my last birthday.

I smiled remembering the night. Everyone else has forgotten about my birthday, expect Kai.

“Okay,” I said peeling the paper off, “I’ll open it.”

Inside was a note.

“What is it?” Mallory and Lily asked at the same time.

“I don’t know,” I replied opening the note.

It said, meet me at the Spring Falls pond.

“It says to go to the pond,” I showed them the note.

“Go!” Mallory pushed me away from them.

I looked back Lily was smiling and Mallory was waving her arms telling me to go.

I decided that maybe this years Christmas present wouldn’t be as bad as last years.

The fastest way to get to the pond was to cut threw the forest and then follow the path until it led to a bigger dirt path that led you directly to the pond.

When I got there Kai was sitting on a frozen log drinking hot chocolate out of a water bottle.

“Kai?” I asked, as I walked over to him.

He stood up, holding a big box wrapped in shiny red paper.

“Merry Christmas,” he said as I took the box.

I opened it, inside there were white ice skates.

I looked a Kai, he was smiling like he knew he’s picked the perfect gift.

“Kai,” I smiled, taking one of the skates out to look at it.

Kai turned around and grabbed black ice skates, sitting back down on the log to put them on.

I sat down next to him. After we had the skates on Kai stood up offering his hand.

I took it and we walked on to the frozen pond.

“Are you sure this is safe?” I asked as we got to the middle of the pond.

“Anything’s safe if I’m here,” Kai smiled.

“It’s safe for you. Vampires can’t get hurt. I can.”

Kai laughed, “If you get hurt I can heal you.”

I looked at him, “How?”

“Get hurt and I’ll show you.”

I rolled my eyes as Kai started skating around the pond.

Ever since I was little I had always wanted ice skates. And doing it was more fun the I had imagined.

“Ready for a trick!” Kai asked as I stopped.

I nodded, “If you think you can do one.”

Kai laughed as he skated out to the middle and jumped up. He spun around three times landing back wards with one leg out.

I clapped as he came back to me, “Very nice. How’d you learn it?”

Kai shrugged, “I can’t remember. It was almost a hundred years ago since I last skated.”

I laughed, “It’s hard to think of you skating.”

Kai lifted his arms out to the side, “You just watched me.”

I laughed, as Kai came up in front of me.

“Put your hands on my shoulders,” he said.

I shook my head, “I’m not doing a trick.”

“You’ll love it.”

“You’ll drop me.”

“Then you’ll get to see how I can heal you.”

I shook my head again, “I’m good.”

Kai sighed, “I promise I won’t drop you.”

I took a deep breath.

I put my hands on his shoulders.

“Okay jump.”

I jumped and Kai wrapped his arms around my legs, lifting me up.

I put my arms up, as we spun around.

“Was it fun?” Kai asked as he set me back on the ice.

I laughed, “Yeah, it was fun. Too bad you didn’t drop me.”

Kai laughed, “I guess you’ll never know how I can heal you.”

I smiled, “I guess so.”

We skated until the sunset, it was freezing but I didn’t notice.

“Was that a good Christmas presents or what,” Kai said as we walked through the forest the same way I came.

“I’ll give it l you I wasn’t expecting something like this.”

Kai smiled as he pushed a branch out of the way.

“You know,” I said, as we got back to the Christmas party, “I’ve never met anyone like you before.”

Kai laughed, “You should be grateful for that.”

I smiled as we joined the rest of the town at the Christmas tree, for the best part of the year. When we would light it covering the whole town in a rainbow of colors.

And every year after that Kai and I would skate on the pond, laughing until we couldn’t anymore.