The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Can we spend Christmas together?

Sienna blinked and looked at the creature she had summoned.

Teddy was lying on the bed, his legs slowly moving up and down, his head resting on Sienna's pillow, his arms outstretched, holding her little red book in his hand.

"Isn't it a bit too early to be thinking about this now?" Sienna asked.

“What is that?” Isabelle asked.

“It’s like that thing where you give a gift to someone you like. My book says it’s very capitalist, but I don’t really understand it. If it’s about giving something to someone else, I feel like it’s the exact opposite,” Teddy said. “So, can we do it just once?”

"Uh." Sienna was about to explain that Christmas was still several months away when she was met with Teddy's big, watery eyes.

Sienna dodged the "fatal blow," but then met Isabelle's even bigger, more watery eyes.

“I…I haven’t received any gifts,” Sienna said.

She paused for a moment. That morning, she received a box from her mother containing things that her mother thought would be useful when the weather turned cold, things that Sienna had mentioned to her mother in a text message.

"I don't have any special gifts prepared for you right now, but I can go and buy you some things. It will just be a bit rushed."

Sienna couldn't find anything in the box to give to her sisters, but it reminded her that her sisters would also need such items, like gloves and thick socks.

“It’s okay!” Teddy cheered.

Isabelle nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

Sienna took out her phone to check her schedule. She had homework to do tonight to prepare for next week's classes, but otherwise, she had plenty of time.

“Okay,” she said, “but you have to stay here, okay?”

“We can do it,” Teddy said. “I’m really good at staying in one place for a long time.”

Sienna nodded and stood up. She patted Teddy's head, then patted Isabelle's head in the same way. "Okay, I'll be back in an hour or two. Do you need anything else?"

“Pizza,” Teddy said.

"Pizza for Christmas?"

“You said it’s not Christmas yet. Besides, pizza is great anytime,” Teddy said.

“Usually, we eat turkey for Christmas, with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and gravy,” Sienna said. “At least, that’s what a traditional Christmas dinner is like.”

Teddy nodded. "Okay, I'll eat those."

“The mashed potatoes are delicious,” Isabelle said.

"Uh, we'll see?" Sienna couldn't think of anywhere where she could easily order these things.

The two sisters watched as Sienna took a few things, put on her boots, and walked toward the door.

“I’ll be back in a bit, okay, girls?” she said.

Goodbye, boss!

Goodbye, sister!

She smiled and then went out.

Teddy carefully closed her book, put it aside, then rolled over onto her back and stretched. "Can't wait to try the turkey," she said, lowering her arms and patting her stomach.

“Me too. I love the idea of ​​receiving gifts,” Isabelle chimed in.

Teddy nodded. It's great to get things for free. "Yeah, giving and receiving things is the best."

"Yes, Teddy."

"Ok?"

"Shouldn't we give gifts to others for Christmas?" Isabelle asked.

“Yeah, that’s why the boss went out to buy things for us,” Teddy said. It wasn’t complicated.

“Yes, but shouldn’t we also send something to our sister Sienna? Like, exchanging gifts?” Isabelle asked.

Teddy suddenly turned around, rolled off the bed, and stood up with wide eyes and rapid breathing. "We need to prepare a gift for the boss!"

“What should we send?” Isabelle asked.

Teddy started pacing back and forth, thinking, "I can go and steal something from someone who looks easy to bully."

Isabelle sighed. "Yes, that's a good idea—wait, we can't leave this room!"

"There's no one here to rob!"

“I know!” Isabelle said, jumping up and pacing back and forth. “Can we order something? No, it won’t arrive in time. Can we make something ourselves?”

Do you know how to make things?

Isabelle shook her head. "I don't know. It's just...it's something." Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she snapped her fingers. "Wait! Did she tell both of us we couldn't leave, or just you?"

"Uh," Teddy recalled the conversation in her mind again, but it had happened two minutes ago, and she couldn't remember it all. "I... I think so?"

"Great! Then I can still go out."

"Then go and steal other people's things?"

Isabelle nodded. "Hmm, I think so." She tapped her chin lightly. "Alright! I'll go out and find Sienna a present."

Teddy nodded, picked up Isabelle's jacket from Sienna's chair, and tossed it to her sister. "Okay! What are you planning to buy?"

Isabelle stopped halfway through dressing. "Um," she said, "what would Sienna like?"

Teddy was also stunned. "Hmm, I didn't know?"

"What do you mean? Don't you know? You've been with her for even longer!"

"She never told me what she likes!" Isabelle waved her arms wildly, and Teddy had to duck to avoid being hit.

"Calm down. I believe we can figure it out. Boss likes... uh... us? Organizing things? She likes us washing our hands?"

Isabelle snorted. "We can't steal a bar of soap for her as a gift, that would be too shabby!"

"I don't know, do you have a better idea?"

Isabelle crossed her arms and glared angrily at the other end of the room. "She likes... cute things?"

"Everyone likes cute things. Oh, let's buy her a teddy bear."

"No, Sienna isn't a child anymore."

"Teddy bears aren't just for little kids."

"that is!"

"You're the one who's a child!"

Isabelle's face flushed red. "That makes no sense! Forget it." She stomped past Teddy and headed for the door. "Go find something to wrap the gift, I'll go get it."

"What kind of gift is it? And how big is it?"

Isabelle opened the door and went out. "I don't know. If you don't want to be a child, figure it out yourself. Oh, and remember to open the door when I knock!"

The door slammed shut.

Teddy stared at the door, then began looking around for something to wrap the gift Isabelle had found.

Isabelle took a moment to calm herself down. Talking to Teddy was making her blood pressure soar, and she was far too young to worry about such things. Once she had calmed down a bit, she looked around and then walked down the corridor.

At least, she had just set off, but hadn't gone far.

A door leading to the elevator was open, and inside was a room that looked a lot like Sienna's room... If Sienna went crazy and rearranged things haphazardly, it would probably look like that.

The walls were covered with posters; some featured handsome young men in superhero gear, some were colorful and had movie titles printed on them, and others looked like educational posters. A brightly colored blanket covered the bed, and a large rug was spread on the floor.

Standing a few steps away in the room was Samantha, the girl bent over in an odd posture, taking off her shoes.

She noticed Isabelle staring at her and put her foot down. "Hey! You're Sienna's sister, right?" she asked with a smile.

Isabelle blinked. "You know my sister?"

Samantha shrugged. "We've only met twice, so I wouldn't say we know each other very well. Are you alright?"

Isabelle was a little reluctant to say that she had something to do, but nothing bad had happened the last time she trusted a stranger. "No, I have something to do."

The young woman's smile vanished. "What's wrong? Why?"

Isabelle frowned. "We... I don't know what to buy for my sister Sienna for Christmas."

Samantha's lips moved, but she didn't say anything for a while. "It's still two months away."

Isabelle had almost forgotten about this. "It's not because of that! I still don't know what to buy her. Does this mean I'm a bad sister?"

“Hmm, really?” Samantha tried to say. “I mean, I don’t have any sisters, but I don’t think it’s a big deal, right? How about buying her something related to her interests?”

She pouted. "I don't know what her hobbies are."

"Something related to her favorite show? Her favorite movie?"

"I don't know what those things are either."

"What does she do in her free time?" Samantha asked again.

"She studies?" Isabelle tried to recall. "She does her homework. Sometimes she watches videos of last year's lectures."

“Wow,” Samantha said, “well, this girl needs to relax.”

Can I buy this for her?

“Uh, no. Never mind, it was just an example.” Samantha scratched the back of her head. “You really don’t know what she likes?”

Isabelle shrugged. "She likes quiet."

"Maybe two months won't be enough to figure this out," Samantha muttered to herself.

Isabelle's heart sank. "We're finished!"

“Hey, calm down,” Samantha said. She quickly glanced around her room and snapped her fingers. She ran to the other end of the room, grabbed something from the bed, and handed it to Isabelle.

It was a blanket, but it was incredibly heavy; Isabelle almost fell over from its weight. "What is this?"

"Give this to her. It's nothing special, but it's very comfortable and warm. Every girl should have one, especially someone as tired as your sister."

Isabelle huffed and puffed as she hoisted the blanket onto her shoulder. "This... thank you?"

Samantha smiled. "You're welcome, child. Merry Christmas in advance..."

Sienna pushed open her bedroom door with her back to the door. She was carrying several boxes in her arms, leaving her hands somewhat full. She couldn't find a turkey, but the grocery store sold roast chicken and mashed potatoes, and she also bought a jar of cranberry sauce. That would do.

"Hey girls, I'm going back—"

The first sign that something was wrong was that Isabelle and Teddy were standing side by side with smiles on their faces.

On the table next to them was Sienna's pillowcase, which was covered in duct tape.

"What's going on?" Sienna asked as she closed the door.

“We’ve prepared a gift for you,” Teddy said.

"I did most of the work."

"Where's the gift I wrapped!"

"That's the easiest part!"

Sienna sighed, but when the two weren't looking, she secretly smiled. "Come on, you two, let me see what kind of mess you've made."