Jingle Bells

It had been half an hour since Melanie and Lydia left, the former claiming to have an idea regarding their broken decorations.

"They can't be that much longer." Sapphire said, tossing her mug between her hands on the table, hot chocolate long finished as they waited in the kitchen.

Holly had taken a red flower from the vase, Poinsettia, and was playing with it, she heaved a bored sigh and, flower still in hand, took the mugs to the sink.

"You're right!" the blonde said suddenly, turning toward the living room when she was done rinsing the mugs. "Let's get set up, in case anything else is broke."

Sapphire followed her sister and they started going through the box; putting tinsel, baubles and other stuff into piles on the couch.

Sapphire pulled out a small bell with a red bow on top, she went to put it with the other bells, when she noticed this one, unlike the others, had metal inside.

She gave it a small jingle, giggling like a child when the sound rang throughout the room, Holly chuckled despite shruggling with a long piece of tinsel.

Sapphire watched in amusement as Holly tried to untangle herself from what was actually three lengths of tinsel. Holly yelped when she tripped and ended up in a heap on the floor, grumbling as she untangled herself.

Sapphire burst out laughing right as the cousins came in, both with their coats scrunched up in their arms.

"A little help?" Lydia asked, confused while watching Sapphire help Holly out of a mess of pink tinsel on the floor.

Holly kicked the tinsel away and glared half-heartedly at her still laughing sister.

"Guys, help!" Melanie whined.

The sisters jumped, having not noticed them come in, and rushed to help.

"Do you still have that big bowl?" Lydia asked.

"The brown one for cooking!" Melanie rushed to add, going to the kitchen, while still hugging her coat.

Holly nodded and went to get it, she put it on the table and watched them shake their coats over it.

"What are they?" Sapphire asked, plucking a small, cream bead that shone pink in the light, they were very pretty.

"Pearls." Melanie answered excitedly, stretching her tired arms. "I know a place full of them."

"Pearls?!" Sapphire cried in surprise.

"Oh yeah," Holly snapped her fingers. "Do you swim with dolphins?"

Melanie blinked, then scowled deeply.

"Do you ride on broomsticks?" she shot back, offended by the joke.

"It's in our bloodline," Holly snapped. "You two just woke up one day with magic."

"I was swimming at the beach." Melanie corrected.

"And I was taking a nap in the park." Lydia added, then winced when she realised Holly's angry comment applied to her.

"Who cares! Mel can turn into a mermaid! And Lydia can shape shift into anything she wants!" Sapphire cried.

"Alright, what were you planning to do with all these?" Holly asked, nodding to the bowl before the argument got too heated; despite her starting it.

"Melanie was going to make new chains." Lydia answered.

Holly and Sapphire glanced at each other, then at Melanie.

"I can put holes in them, I just need something to thread them together." Melanie explained.

"I'll go get some," Holly said, running up to her room to get some thread from her sewing kit.

"This should work." she said when she got back, holding a small roll of thread.

Melanie thanked her and got to work.