It was December 29, exactly forty-eight hours before New Year's Eve.

Solace was an anxious mess. It wasn't every day that she would be committing a federal offense with a punishment of a maximum of ten years in prison. She had done her research. She was not made out for imprisonment. The communal showers and the apprehension of being stabbed in bed were enough to kill her. A nervous wreck is what she would be. Solace had seen enough television to know she would have to join a gang for protection because with her great lack of muscles, she wasn't intimidating anyone.

All she had to offer was art. Maybe she could start an art class, teaching the misunderstood and undoubtedly aggressive prisoners that oil paint and graphite pencils were a peaceful and non-harmful coping mechanism.

And that was if the cops got to her first.

What if Sage's boss didn't want any loose threads being her if they failed? Whoever ran the business would not think twice before snipping the strings that led back to him. Sage would be forced to work and kill and stay far from his family, the guilt of her death looming over him like a grey cloud. There was no winning, no backup plans, no miracles that would save them. All that was left to do was acquire the painting and present it to the boss.

But there was no time to sulk and dread the possibility of a gruesome death when it was the holidays. Surely, she could fret over dying in prison and having her limbs torn apart once the day was over.

For now, Solace would enjoy the light festival held at Stone Zoo in Stoneham. Emi and she had been planning to go see the dazzling string of lanterns and animals since November. Like always, Sage tagged along. She was glad he did.

Bright lights draped a pink blanket over their faces and clothes as they crossed over a bridge. Solace hugged her jacket tightly around her torso and pulled her beanie below her ears far from the harsh night cold. Beside her, Emi awed in delight at the lights delicately forming the shapes of elephants and reindeers, and Sage blew hot air into his hands to keep them warm as he pointed at an arctic fox behind a glass screen.

"I am terribly against zoos and their captivity of animals as they deprive them of their natural habitat," Sage ranted, "but I will make an exception for today." He did not wait for them as he scurried off to see the real animal and its ivory puffs of fur.

"He seems to be having a great time," remarked Emi as they followed him. They weaved through sticky children and exhausted parents as they trailed after their hyperactive kids.

Solace leaned closer to Emi. "He started a Save the Marine Animals Club in junior year where he and a bunch of other environmentalists would stand outside Bridge City Aquarium with posters, hassling families to sign petitions." She paused at the display of gleaming polar bear displays, losing her train of thought momentarily. "I think he was prepared to kidnap an orca to send it back to the ocean."

"How do you kidnap an orca?"

"I don't think he thought it through."

"Where would he store the orca? Where would he find the necessary equipment to haul the orca from the aquarium to the ocean? How big are orcas? What kind of food do orcas eat because they would need to be nourished until they're back home?" fired Emi with so much seriousness, passerby's would have thought the two girls were planning to hijack a black and white whale.

Solace snorted. "That was an excessive use of the word orca's."

"Talking about orca's reminded me to ask if you've used the tablet yet?" Emi wondered innocently.

She arched a brow. "How are those two things contingent?" she asked instead.

"Answer the question."

Sage came into view, squatting down to see the arctic fox carefully. She kept her gaze on him and his childish wonder as she considered answering Emi's question. It was a simple no. The sleek tablet had been placed gently onto her desk, and she would stare at it. Just stare. Not touch. But gaze at it intensely.

Truthfully, she was scared. She was scared she was going to enjoy it, that all the warm feelings of art would rush back, and she would do something drastic. Something unthinkable and impulsive. Solace was far from spontaneous. That was a word appropriately saved for Sage Reyes. Forming plans and lists and five-year agendas were more in her set of attributes. Could she really drop out of her Political Sciences degree, going against her parents to do art, a passion that made her unequivocally whole?

"Not yet, but I promise I will," assured Solace. Every word was emphasized with sincerity. She would start when they got home. Or maybe tomorrow. Yeah, it was going to be late by the time they arrived at the apartment, so tomorrow was the only plausible option.

Emi eyed her suspiciously, not wanting to push. "You better."

Thankfully the conversation was put to rest when Sage rambled about reindeers and led them to a large clearing, fenced off my varnished wood. She couldn't see much except for bits of fur entering her line of vision when the patrons in front of her shuffled or moved. It was too crowded, but Sage had the best seat with his height.

"Neither of them have a red nose, That's disappointing," grumbled Sage.

"Because this isn't a cartoon," scoffed Solace.

He ignored her, yanking down her beanie until it covered her eyes. "And they're weirdly muscular. Like they would step on my neck if I tried to attach them to a sled."

Solace slapped his arm, huffing as she set her beanie back in place.

"As Sage continues to insult the reindeers, I'm going to go grab some hot chocolate for us," laughed Emi.

She muttered a thank you, rolling her eyes as Sage carried on his vicious assault on Santa's animals. "The only thing they have going for them are their big eyes, and even those are kind of creepy."

"What is it with you and disrespecting well-renowned Christmas creatures?" Solace questioned, unable to fight her breathy laugh at his ridiculousness. "First my elf and now these poor reindeers."

Sage grinned down at her, the blue artificial light casting a glare on his skin. He looked devastatingly wicked. "You have to admit, your elf had a large head."

"Stop body-shaming them."

He chuckled. "But you can't deny that the reindeers looked like they've been injected with steroids."

The crowd had grown and with her shorter frame, it was becoming increasingly difficult to see. "I can't tell. People are blocking my view," she said, standing on her tippy toes but failing.

Sage frowned and then, smirked a kind of smirk that foreshadowed a terrible idea. "Here, get on my shoulders."

"No way. That is the perfect opportunity for you to drop me."

"Fine," he sighed. "At least get on my back." At her dubious expression, it was his turn to roll his eyes. "I swear on Saint Nick that I will not drop you. Now, do you trust me? I would never put my man in danger like that."

He really had to stop treating Santa as if they were best friends. "Okay," she muttered in agreement. How many chances does one get to see real-life reindeers? Solace wouldn't pass it up.

Sage appeared to be very proud of his persuasive skills as he squatted down just enough for her to jump onto his back. He securely wrapped his hands around her thighs, and Solace did the same around his neck. It took her a moment to get comfortable, the slippery material of her jacket not doing her any favors nor his soft touch. Once she was settled and a head higher than she was before, she peered at the reindeers.

Their twisted antlers and doe-eyes gave them an aura of innocence. They were a lot larger than she had initially imagined. Around their necks were collars that jingled as they moved gracefully. According to the sign, their names were Dasher and Comet. Whom she assumed to be Comet with a star crest on its collar laid lazily in the snow as Dasher cutely leaned his snout into the small hands of children and excited adults.

"Woah," she breathed out. They looked magical.

Sage smiled up at her, his face so close their breaths mingled.

They stood like that for a few more minutes, gazing in awe and laughing when snotty kids cried at the animals. A few of the brave ones fed carrots, and others petted the top of their heads.

"Do you want to pet them?" asked Sage. "Because I'll knock over these kids if you ask me to."

Solace laughed, completely aware that he meant every word. "I'm all good. Let's go find Emi." She was prepared for him to let her down, but he kept walking as if she wasn't clinging onto his back like a sloth. It would save her from walking, so she would allow it.

Resting her head on top of his, her eyes roamed the festival, seeking out Emi over the hat-clad heads but what she found instead was a child, around the age of six or seven, tripping over a Christmas tree. Solace couldn't stop it when a chuckle bubbled in her throat, which immediately turned into full-fledged laughter, tears and all.

"Did you see that?" she choked out.

Sage glanced up at her. "Oh, you mean that poor child falling on his face, possibly traumatizing him for life with a jagged scar or chipped tooth? Yeah, I saw that," he remarked with a smile.

Solace cackled. "He just flew."

Her laughter must have carried over when the crying kid's mother looked in their direction.

"She's looking. Stop laughing," hissed Sage.

"I can't," she whispered, shoving her face into the crook of his neck to smother her chuckle. Her warm breath tickled his neck, and his grip around her thighs tightened.

Sage began to walk away swiftly. "Have some empathy," he chided, but he sounded all too amused.

Solace sighed contently. "People falling is top tier comedy."

As Sage prepared a reply, a flash of light came out of nowhere. Solace turned her head to see Emi with her phone pointed in her direction. "Cute," hummed Emi.

"Let me see," said Sage, leaning over to look. She did the same and saw their toothy grins perfectly captured in the photograph.

"And you two are matching," Emi commented slyly.

Solace pursed her lips in feign at the all-black outfits they were wearing. "That was unintentional."

"Oh, no. I did that on purpose. I wanted to match," joked Sage, but she narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

Nevertheless, she let it go, and the three with their hot chocolate in Styrofoam cups ventured deeper into the light festival. They took more pictures with Santa because according to Sage, you can't possibly have enough. The three rode in a train that was clearly meant for children, squished into the small crates with Sage's legs contorted in weird angles and Solace purposely elbowing him in the ribs. More pictures were taken with the black bears and lynx's, which led to Sage's rant about the unethical practices of zoos. They ate maple bacon, candy cane milkshakes, and sleigh-shaped sugar cookies.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, this was one of the best nights of her life.

***

Author's Note:

Hi everyone!

I got some bad news. I need to put SIAAF on pause for at least a month! I know, I'm a terrible person after I promised double updates. BUT, I will update on Thursday. After that, there will be no more until mid-Jan! It's because I really want to focus on The Origami Code rework. I am 75% done and I really want to pursue traditional publishing some time next year. I hope you all understand!

Until next time - m.k.t