Chapter Three
Theo
I got up the next morning, hoping it was all a bad dream. That Jake, or should I say Jack-Freaking-Frost, and I hadn’t destroyed the sleigh runway by accident. That Santa hadn’t almost expelled me from the program I had dreamed about my entire life.
And that I wasn’t about to miss out on Christmas in Santa’s Village to make up for it.
But I saw my suitcase in the living room of my little cabin and sighed. It was real.
I made my morning hot cocoa and sat down for one last breakfast in the North Pole. For now, I told myself. I’d be back.
I was halfway through my cinnamon roll when I realized there was a red and white striped envelope on my table.
Curious, and puzzled, I grabbed it and opened it. Inside was a plane ticket in my name for a flight to Vermont. There was also a brochure for a ski resort and a Christmas postcard, both for the same town. I flipped over the postcard.
Reservation #2512
Snowdon
S.C.
“What?” I murmured, reading it again.
Oh, of course. S.C. must have been Santa. Who else could have picked up a postcard from halfway around the world and left it inside my cabin in the middle of the night?
Apparently he had chosen where he wanted me to go. But what was Snowdon? I flipped through the brochure of the admittedly lovely looking resort, but didn’t see the word anywhere.
Well, no time to ponder it now. I’d have time on my flight.
I finished packing, made sure I had everything I needed for a couple of weeks among humans, and headed for the edge of town.
The main runway for the sleigh was swarming with elves and yetis and shifters, all busy repairing it.
But there were plenty of smaller runways.
I chose a slightly private one; I didn’t feel like any goodbyes while feeling like I was being exiled.
After making sure my backpack was secure, I shifted. I shook and stretched a little, then pranced around to warm up. When I was ready, I double-checked my backpack, then lined up on the runway and started running.
As I picked up speed I gathered myself and leapt several yards. My hooves hit the ground and I galloped a few steps, then jumped again. Each jump lasted a little longer and took me farther and higher than the previous one. And then, the jolt from hitting the ground never came.
I started moving my legs like I was running, slower this time, almost lazily, and climbed higher into the air.
I hadn’t gone far when the air in front of me shimmered.
I kept going, pushing through the magical barrier that shielded the North Pole from the human world.
I galloped along, high in the air, feeling free.
For a little while, I felt nothing but joy.
I pranced and danced in the sky, riding the wind and letting the falling snow pelt me.
But all too soon, I could see civilization.
I landed before the humans could see me and then trotted through the woods until I came to the edge of a city.
I shifted back into my human form and headed in.
I walked a couple of blocks, then opened up my DriveMe app and called a car to take me to the airport.
I probably could have flown there without a plane, but only Santa’s chosen reindeer were gifted the magic to go as fast as they could.
Even getting from the North Pole down to the northernmost airport in the world had taken me quite a while.
Going all the way south to the resort would have taken at least a couple of days.
And if I wanted to help someone find some Christmas cheer, I needed all the time I could get.
I landed, caught another ride to the resort, and stepped out of the car in front of a beautifully crafted lodge.
It screamed Christmas. I walked inside, admiring the architecture and the pine swag and decorations…
but my joy was short lived. How was I going to find someone who didn’t like Christmas here?
But, Santa had given me the ticket and the flyer. He must have known something I didn’t.
So, I headed up to the front desk and checked in.
Key in hand, I headed up a rustic wooden staircase to the third floor.
My room wasn’t huge, but it was cute and homey.
It was tastefully decorated for Christmas as well.
I let myself smile, just a little. Maybe Santa wasn’t that mad at me, if he was helping me out like this.
I headed down to the large dining room for dinner.
It was fairly crowded and it seemed like the only available seat was at a two-person table in a corner.
I took it and people-watched while I ate, wondering how I was going to find someone who didn’t have any Christmas spirit.
Everyone here looked merry and bright. Most of them were even wearing festive sweaters.
All except for a handsome guy in a business-casual suit with a sour expression. He looked around the room, passed me three times, and then finally hesitated nearby. Looking for a table no doubt.
“You can join me,” I offered, loud enough so he could hear me over the din.
He looked around again, then his shoulders slumped in defeat and he headed over.
“Thank you,” he said, setting his tray down.
“No problem.”
We sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes, just quietly eating.
“Where are you from?” he asked, almost like he didn’t actually want to know, but was trying to be polite.
“Up north,” I said vaguely. “You?”
“Out west,” he said with a ghost of a smile.
We both chuckled a little. “I’m Theo Jingle,” I said. I winced as soon as the words were out of my mouth. I knew my nickname was normal enough for humans, but my surname always raised eyebrows.
Sure enough, he laughed. “Jingle?”
I smiled and shrugged helplessly.
“Eh, I can’t really talk. Shaun Snowdon.”
“That’s not as bad as Jingle,” I said honestly. “Snowdon has a nice…” I bit back a gasp. Snowdon?! Could it be? Was he the guy I was supposed to help? Or was he just someone who was going to help me? “What brings you here?” I asked, trying to feel him out.
“Work.”
“Working here or working while here?”
“Little bit of both,” he answered with a shrug. “You?”
“Just here for the holidays.” I looked around and couldn’t hide my smile. “I think I picked a good place.”
“Yeah…” Shaun looked around with an odd expression. Like he didn’t know how to feel.
“I hear there’s a fantastic Christmas market down in the town.” I didn’t add that I had read it in the brochure this morning and that I had never heard of this place before.
“If you… like that sort of thing,” he said slowly. “I’ve heard it’s… nice.”
“Do you like that sort of thing? Christmas, I mean.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “No…” He leaned back away from me. I couldn’t tell what I had done, but I swear his body language and totally changed. “No. I don’t really do Christmas. Or…” Shaun gestured around us. “This. Holidays. Whatever. Actually, I’m not that hungry.”
Without another word, he grabbed his tray, got up, and walked briskly away.
“Huh,” I said to myself. “Yikes.”
But even as I said it, I started to smile. Yes. Shaun was exactly the sort of person who needed a little injection of holiday cheer.
~~~***~~~
The next morning I spotted Shaun in the lobby after breakfast. I lingered and pretended like I was checking out the ornaments on a tree.
A shuttle bus that went into the town pulled up and several people, including my target, boarded.
I hurried across the lobby and made it just before the bus left.
Luck was with me; one of the only open seats was next to Shaun.
“Hello again,” I said brightly as I sat down.
His green-gray eyes narrowed slightly at me. “Morning,” he grumbled.
“Off to the Christmas Market?” I guessed. That seemed to be where pretty much everyone on the bus was going.
“No,” he said flatly. I kept smiling at him expectantly until he sighed and elaborated. “I was in a rush when I packed and forgot a few things.”
Annoying. That would make it a little harder to figure out his angle.
“I’m off to the market,” I said. “Know of any stalls I should hit?”
He shrugged. “Depends on what you’re looking for.”
“I could use a new sweater or two.” Not untrue. You could never have too many festive sweaters, especially in the North Pole.
“There’s usually a whole row of knit goods. Every vendor is great, you can’t go wrong. There are usually a couple from Frostbourg though, if you’re after that look.”
“Oh, thank you. I do love the Frostbourg knits. Have you been?”
“To Frostbourg?” Shaun asked. “No…” He studied me for a moment and I swear he looked irritated again. “No.”
“I have. It’s a great place. If you like the holidays, that is.”
He grunted in response, then turned and looked out the window.
“Going to the ball tonight?” I asked, trying a different tactic.
“I’ll be working.”
“That late?” I asked. “You can’t take an hour or two?”
“I mean, there. I uh… work at the lodge.”
“I see. What a great place to work!”
Shaun nodded slowly. “Yeah, it’s… it’s great. I do love this resort.”
At last, something he had expressed interest in. “What do you there?”
“This and that. Little bit of everything.”
“Ah, jack of all trades.”
“Something like that,” he said with an almost awkward chuckle.
“Maybe I’ll see you tonight, then?” I offered.
“Maybe,” he laughed. Then he shot me the first real grin I had seen from him. “If you recognize me.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
Shaun arched a surprised eyebrow at me. “It’s a masquerade.”
“Oh no! Really?” Ah, crumbled cookies. That sounded really fun, but I didn’t have a mask. I told Shaun as much.
“I’m sure they sell them at the market somewhere.”
“I hope so…” I frowned in thought. “I’m not even sure what a masquerade mask is supposed to look like.”
“I can…” Shaun hesitated. “I can, probably help you find one. Quickly. Before I do my own shopping.”
“That would be so kind! Thank you!”
He smiled at me and shrugged one shoulder. “Tis the… Just doing my job, helping out a guest.”
I smiled back at him, but inwardly my mind was going a mile a minute.
I was positive he was going to say ‘tis the season.
Why not say it? And why would that be the first response from someone who claimed to not enjoy the holidays?
Yes, I was sure now that Shaun had once enjoyed the season.
Santa had picked the perfect person for me to help.