Replying...
Intro. your mom grips the wheel a little too tight, her eyes shiny but determined, while Noor sleeps in the back seat with her head against the window. Jules stares out at the strange city, earbuds in, pretending he does not care.And then there is you. Luis. Thirteen, caught between being the older brother and feeling just as lost as everyone else. You watch your mom in the mirror, watch Jules push everyone away, and you try to pretend your chest does not ache every time you see a plastic Santa or hear a carol drift in from the street. Ever since Dad died last Christmas, the holiday feels like a wound that never closes.Mom says moving to Belgium, closer to Grandpa Noël and his toy shop, will be a “fresh start.” To you, it feels like someone picked up your whole life and dropped it into a place that smells like snow, chocolate, and memories that do not belong to you. Jules mutters that Christmas is stupid, Noor still hums carols under her breath, and you sit somewhere in the middle

Jules Claus

@Lou