108 Chapter 107

NINA'S POV

The sun was barely peeking through the curtains when I opened my eyes. I could feel the excitement bubbling inside me as I remembered it was Christmas Day. With a grin on my face, I slipped into my cosy slippers, their softness hugging my feet.

I tiptoed down the hallway to my brother's room. Bursting in, I exclaimed, "Wake up! It's Christmas!" His eyes opened slowly, and a sleepy smile spread across his face before he fell back to sleep. I ran to his bed and shook him until he responded. He didn't, so I took his duvet away. He had an angry look when he got out of bed.

My brother was now out of bed. Mission complete. Next stop: Mum and Dad's room. I pushed open their door and found them still wrapped in blankets, snoring softly. "Wake up, wake up! It's time for presents!" I sang. They groggily stirred, promising to join us in a moment.

The excitement couldn't wait, so I hurried to the guest room where Grandma and Grandpa were staying. I burst in, shouting, "Merry Christmas!" They blinked in surprise, then chuckled at my enthusiasm. Grandma and Grandpa slowly got out of bed. I turned and ran out of the room.

Running downstairs, I couldn't help but imagine the treasures awaiting me under the tree. The colourful lights blinked, and the ornaments sparkled, promising a magical morning. I helped put up the tinsel and the ball. I even put the angel on top of the tree.

My eyes widened as I spotted a small, wrapped box with my name on it. I eagerly picked it up, ready for it. I hurriedly ripped all the wrapping off. Before I could open the small brown box, Mum's voice echoed through the room. "Hold on, sweetie. We're going to open all the presents after breakfast."

A pout formed on my face, but I reluctantly set the box down. "Okay, Mum."

She smiled and suggested we make breakfast together. She let me pick what we were having for breakfast, and I wanted pancakes. Mum told me to get the flour and eggs from the cupboard. I helped measure out the flour and the milk. We whisked and mixed, creating a fluffy pancake batter. The scent of pancakes filled the kitchen, making my stomach growl.

"Come downstairs. Breakfast is almost ready!" Mom called, and everyone else came downstairs slowly. Dad and Albert made fresh orange juice and smoothies, while Grandma and Grandpa made fruit salads. We then gathered around the table. We poured fresh orange juice, dished out fruit salad, and shared laughter and stories over the delicious meal.

As we finished, we all helped clean the table before mum announced, "To the living room for presents!" I rushed back to the twinkling tree, ready to uncover the wonders hidden beneath the wrapping paper.

I sat down next to the tree and grabbed the brown box. I opened the box, and I instantly fell in love with it.

"It's beautiful. What kind of bird is this? It looks like a turkey," I said as I showed it to everyone.

"That there is a phoenix," my brother said as he held Snow and sat down on the sofa. "A phoenix is like a really cool bird, but it's not just any bird. It's a magical bird with some extraordinary abilities. One of the most amazing things about a phoenix is that when it gets old or tired, it doesn't just take a nap or go to sleep like we do. A phoenix does something really, really cool. It turns into ashes, like when you burn a piece of paper.

But here's the most magical part: from those ashes, a new baby phoenix is born! It's like the old phoenix saying, 'I'm done being old, so let's start fresh and new!' Isn't that amazing? A phoenix has these beautiful, fiery feathers that shine in bright colours, just like a sunset. Imagine a bird with feathers that look like the colours of a warm and cosy fire."

"Wow! I want to be a phoenix."

It had an aura around it that was too beautiful to describe. It was a whole phoenix with its wings spread apart. As I stroked it, the feathers were smooth and soft, as if they were real. It looked like it was real.

At the centre of the brooch, nestled between the outstretched wings, were two red gems that made it look like it was actually looking at me. The red was soothing. I want red eyes like that gem. I then tried to put it on my jumper, but I couldn't do it. I went to mum, and she helped me put it on.

When it was on me, I felt really warm. It was like I had central heating inside my clothes. I asked Albert about it, and he said it was enchanted with a 'temperature regulation rune matrix', whatever that was. He also liked using big words around me.

"Can we see a phoenix?" Grandpa Luke asked.

"Maybe. Headmaster has a pet phoenix, so you could try and ask him to see it. But that is very likely. Or you could go to the Phoenix sanctuary located in the heart of the Al-Ahsa Oasis," my brother replied.

"Isn't that the largest oasis in Saudi Arabia?" Grandma Sansa asked.

"It is," dad replied. "I remember reading that somewhere. Were they not the ones trying to use the underground river for agricultural purposes?"

"It was them and Sudan," mum replied. "Is the sanctuary like the Leaky Cauldron?"

"It's more like London Zoo, where they have a separate space for the phoenixes. We should visit London Zoo next time I'm back. You guys could see a magical creature. I'm sure Nina would like that, wouldn't you?"

"Only if I could see an unicorn," I replied.

"I don't think they have unicorns, but I could be wrong. So would you like to go?"

"Yes! Mum, can we go next time brother comes home from school?"

"Why not."

I ran towards her and gave her the biggest hug I ever gave her. Mum then picked me up and sat me down on her lap. Everybody else kept talking about other stuff, like planning a summer holiday trip to the place where they have those really big triangles. I got bored and started waving at Snow and messing around with her.

"Snow!" I shouted.

"What's wrong with Snow?" my brother asked as he looked at Snow.

"No, not Snow. Snow! Look! It's snowing," I said as I pointed out the window.

"Nina, do you want to build a snowman?" mum asked.

"After I see what Albert got for Christmas," I said.

"Well, then, Nina, do you want to help me open my presents?" My brother asked. I jumped out of my mum's hand and ran towards the tree. I helped him open all his presents. He got a few books. One of them was called QED by someone called Feynman.

He also got a collector's edition of the Lord of the Rings series from his friends who went to private school this year. He also got a huge poster from the Weasley twins. He also got a lot of sweets from Katie, Alicia, and Katrina. He got a pouch from Thomas, Maxwell, Pamella, and Sophia. Shannon gave him some scented candles and a notebook. Angelina gave him a set of goggles, and Lee gave him a scarf. The scary lady that visited us got him three copies of a magazine along with a scarf.

Albert gave me the scarf and wrapped it around my neck. I then left with mum to get ready. We were going to build a snowman. When I came back, everybody else was ready. Dad, Grandpa, and Albert had slingshots in their hands. I asked why they have them. They said they were going to have a snowball fight.

Me and mum made a snowman while the boys had a massive snowball fight. After mum shouted at them to stop because they almost hit us, they started making a snowman. It wasn't fair. Their snowman was bigger than ours. After we all made snow angles, Grandma Sansa stayed inside and watched through the living room windows. She made us hot chocolate when we came inside.

After that, we started playing board games and UNO with consequences. The loser had to sing. We always picked songs that were high-pitched for the boys. They were terrible at singing. After that, we listened to the Queen's Christmas speech before going into the kitchen to help make Christmas dinner. After we finished eating, we went back to the living room to watch whatever was on TV. I had the most fun day in a long time. I hope the rest of the holiday is like this.