Chapter 5
AWARDS CEREMONY
CHRISTMAS EVE NIGHT
Iclosed the locker door, grateful to be on the other side of it this time.
Like I did every time, I marveled at my name etched in the frosted glass.
Above it and the window of the locker in large, curling cursive was the title: Dasher.
I brushed my fingers over the title and my plate as if they might disappear if I blinked.
It still didn’t feel real, even after all this time.
I smiled. It had been almost three months, and I still couldn’t believe I had my own locker in the Stable.
To this day, I couldn’t come into the locker room without remembering Orientation Day.
Hell, I couldn’t look at Cupid’s locker at all.
Even though it had been repaired before the Reindeer Games, I still blushed when I saw it.
Crazy considering how many times me and my mates had done it in here since.
Around me, the Nine moved with easy confidence as we all slipped into our enchanted flight suits that shimmered with magic as we zipped ourselves in.
Flexible and breathable, they were bespelled to remain on us when we shifted back from the run.
They were custom-made to fit our bodies just like Santa’s suit.
I was worried at first that the elves would dread having to make a suit for me and my more plus-size body, but instead of being weird about it, they were ecstatic.
They leaped up and down with excitement at the prospect.
Mrs. Claus, the one in charge of how Santa and his team looked among so many other things around the North Pole, shared their eagerness.
“It’s about time this place got a breath of fresh air. You are just what we need,” she praised, hugging me close. She reminded me so much of my own mother, tears had welled in my eyes. It was just another time when it truly hit me that I had made it.
After the Reindeer Games ended, everything had happened so fast. The rankings were revealed in a snowstorm of tension.
Merrilee was still Prancer, the perfect role for her.
In the closest final tally in the history of the Games, Felicity was given the post of Rudolph by two teeny tiny points across our total scores.
I was far from upset. I couldn’t be prouder.
I never wanted to be Rudolph anyway, wanting just to be a part of the Nine.
My mother and sisters had rushed the field.
My mates lifted me into the air and kissed me like I had won the top spot.
I don’t think I stopped crying that whole night.
Chrissy, on the other hand, had been humiliated.
When she ranked as a Second-String Light alternate, Chrissy had shrieked about how we must have cheated and how unfair it was that we were the Top Three of the Nine. Coach Tannebaum shut her down without hesitation.
“Numbers and skill don’t lie, Christine, and neither does your attitude. There’s nothing in the rules about mates being on the same team. We should be celebrating that we finally have our first out and proud members of the Nine, not finding a way to take it from them.”
Then, Coach Tannenbaum did something else unprecedented: she kicked Chrissy off the Nine.
“Poor sportsmanship and player misconduct will not be tolerated. Now, get the fuck out of my Stable.”
With her mom also failing to qualify, the Beckett Legacy fell apart overnight. They quickly descended into obscurity where no one had heard from them since.
Not that I had much time to worry about her. I had flight paths to study, training to survive, new team dynamics to master, and Felicity and Merrilee to kiss breathless every single night.
“Ready for your first sleigh ride there, Bambi?” Felicity leaned around her open locker door next to me with an easy grin.
Her suit was already zipped and ready to go.
Instead of the dark evergreen that the rest of the Nine wore, hers was a candy-red one trimmed in gold.
Her matching hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she looked absolutely radiant.
“Our little doe definitely looks ready to ride something,” Merry said from Felicity’s other side, tying her boots with a crooked smile.
Felicity rolled her eyes. “We’re flying around the entire world in a few hours. Maybe we should stay focused until we land?”
“Oh, I make no promises,” I said sweetly. “But I am super ready to be covering your six.”
Felicity raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you think you are doing?”
“I did score higher in adaptability, love.”
“You are getting it later for that, my little brat.”
I blew her a kiss. “Merry Christmas to me then.”
The three of us laughed.
A chime suddenly sounded overhead. The voice of the Head Elf rang out clearly throughout the Locker Room. “We are currently completing final preparations. Would all members of the Nine report to the Launch Deck?”
“Showtime, babes!” Merry declared with a shout.
We all put on our gloves, and the Locker Room rang out with a chorus of excited chatter and closing doors.
I caught my reflection in one of the vanity mirrors as everyone filed out.
My curls were pulled back into a ponytail with only my bangs and a few pieces to frame my face.
My flight suit hugged my curves, making me look wonderfully snatched, and like I was born to wear the uniform.
I truly looked like my dream had come true.
I looked right, not like I was dressed appropriately, but like I was meant to be here.
“As good as you look in that uniform, baby, I can’t wait to rip it off of you later,” Merry whispered in my ear.
I giggled. “You are so feral.”
“For my girls, I sure am.”
“You ready to show the world how incredible you are, little doe?” Felicity asked, taking my hand.
I smiled with nothing but pure joy in my heart. “I already did. But now, I’m ready to fly.”
We followed the rest of the girls out into the hallway, glowing with enchanted snowflakes drifting lazily in the air.
I could already see the open sky at the end and feel the bite of the Arctic cold, but Felicity’s and Merrilee’s hands were warm even through their gloves as they held mine.
Up ahead were my fellow team members of the Nine and the waiting sleigh.
Of all the accolades, of all the things I’d ever won, of all the titles I carried, nothing could beat being my Rudolph’s and Prancer’s girl.