Page 6 of The Christmas Letter

Holly pulled out when the road was clear, belatedly realising that she had no idea where she was going. She fumbled for her phone, which she’d stored next to her coffee cup, and brought up Maps, entering in the last known postcode before propping it on her dashboard. As she drove, the raindrops grew heavier – though actually, now that she looked closer, it looked more like—

‘It’s snowing!’ Lily exclaimed. ‘It’s actually snowing – on Christmas Eve!’

Holly turned on the windscreen wipers. ‘I’d say that’s more sleet than snow.’

Lily flapped her hand. ‘Stop ruining it. Mum and Dad are going to love this.’

‘I doubt they’d like it if they had to drive in it,’ Holly muttered, but low enough that Lily could pretend not to hear her. She turned left at the end of the road and Lily frowned.

‘You’re going the wrong way.’

‘No, I’m not. I’m following the blue line on Maps.’

‘Well, maybe you entered the postcode wrong, because I looked at the map just now in the café and you’re going the wrong way.’

‘Lily! For God’s sake, just let me drive, ok?’

‘I’m not telling you how to drive, I’m telling you you’re going the wrong way. Look, I’ll show you.’ She reached over and snatched Holly’s phone from the dashboard.

‘Hey!’

‘All I’m saying is that your sense of direction is hardly brilliant, Holly. Better I just—’

Holly snatched for the phone with one hand, glaring at her sister when she moved it out of reach. ‘Give it back!’

‘I’m checking, Holly, that’s all.’

‘Well, there’s a junction coming up. Am I supposed to turn left or right?’

‘Hang on for a minute, will you?’ Lily lowered the phone, zooming in on something.

Holly made a sort of growl noise. ‘Why do you always have to interfere like this every time I’m in charge of something? Why can’t you just let me sort it myself?’ There was a car coming up from behind now, practically tailgating. For God’s sake! She was going the speed limit, even when it was sleeting; couldn’t they back off a bit?

‘I think that’s a touch dramatic.’

‘No, it’s not! You always think you know better, don’t you?’ On some level Holly did realise she was overreacting, but it was so annoying.

The junction was coming up fast now, and she pressed on the brake. With a car right behind her, though, and on a main road, she couldn’t just stop completely.

‘Give it back,’ she said again, snatching and this time grabbing the phone. Victory!

And in that moment, that tiny moment when she was concentrating on the phone, a car swerved around the junction ahead of them, far too quickly. So quickly that it missed the turning, had to over-compensate, and sped over into their lane. Holly dropped the phone and gripped the steering wheel with both hands.

‘Shit!’ she swore, at the same time as Lily yelled, ‘Brake!’, her hands coming up protectively over her stomach.

So Holly braked.

But the car behind them did not brake. Not in time. And so instead of avoiding the oncoming car, their own car was thrown forward a few extra metres – straight into harm’s way.

Holly felt it – the moment of impact. Felt her body lurch, heard a sickening crunch of metal. Felt her seatbelt cut into her, her breath being stolen from her. Saw Lily’s face, her eyes wide, the hair she’d so carefully styled this morning flying out in front of her.

That was it. That was the last thing she registered, before something hard smacked into her head. Before the pain, shooting across her skull. Before her whole world went dark.

Three Years Later

December

Chapter Three