Chapter 18 A Not So Silent Night

• I found myself caught off guard as I looked up into the unexpected face of Nicholas perched in the tree. This was the cruel and aloof Nicholas, who always wore a stern face and exuded an air of coldness. And had a surprising fondness for apples?
• The two full baskets at his feet showed he’d been picking them for some time. Was he asked to do so, or did he actually enjoy it?
• The stark contrast between his usual demeanor and this apparent affinity for this simple fruit amused me, and I felt a newfound sense of ease in his presence. I realized that I was no longer as scared of Nicholas as I once had been.