Chapter 39
CHAPTER 39
NICK
M y heart is pounding louder than my feet as they hit the front porch of the Kringle House. Penelope and I burst through the door. The scene that greets us is nothing short of chaos, but it’s a familiar kind of chaos—the kind that only happens when Christmas Magic is afoot.
Lux and Quik are in the living room, which has been transformed into what looks like a command center from a sci-fi movie. Lux’s curly red hair is pulled back in a messy bun, her face a mask of concentration as she fiddles with a tangle of wires. Quik, tall and imposing as ever, is setting up what appears to be a complex array of monitors.
The love graph is back on the main screen. I scowl at it.
Before I can even open my mouth to ask what’s going on, Oliver pops down the chimney, his arms full of electronics. “This is the last of it,” he announces, handing the gadgets to Lux, who immediately begins wiring them to the TV.
“Incoming,” Quik says suddenly, his voice tense.
Lux reacts instantly, grabbing a computer and clutching it to her chest just before the world... bounces. It’s the only way I can describe it—like the entire house has suddenly become a giant trampoline. Which shouldn’t happen in Founder's Grove. Not at all—ever! Bouncing is a North Pole problem and one I’ve been able to ignore for the last month, despite Oliver’s updates and warnings.
“What is happening?” I demand, steadying Penelope as she stumbles beside me.
Lux looks up, and for the first time, seems to register Penelope’s presence. Her eyes dart to Penelope’s finger, where the snowflake ring glitters. A wide grin spreads across her face as she abandons her work and rushes to us. “Welcome to the family,” she says warmly, pulling Penelope into a hug. “We are so glad to have you.”
Quik pats Penelope’s arm. “Don’t worry. You get used to this kind of stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?” Penelope glances at me, her golden eyes wide with a mixture of confusion and amusement. I give her what I hope is a reassuring smile. It’s about to get really weird in here, and I wish I’d taken five minutes to prepare her for it.
“Why is Founder's Grove, Massachusetts, bouncing?” I ask again, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice.
“It’s not,” Oliver says matter-of-factly, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Only the Kringles are bouncing.”
I see fear flash across Penelope’s face. “Noelle?” she asks, her voice tight and concerned.
As if on cue, Hazel comes sliding down the chimney, Noelle’s held securely in her arms. “Right here,” she announces.
Noelle giggles, her face flushed with excitement. “That was fun!”
Hazel passes Noelle to Penelope, who hugs her daughter close. “Only the two of us felt the bounces,” Hazel explains. “Your dad is fast asleep on the couch in your apartment. He should sleep the night through. I gave him a good dream.”
“Thanks,” Penelope says, relief evident in her voice. She sets Noelle on her feet between us.
I smile at Hazel. While she shouldn’t be making people fall asleep, giving a good dream to someone should be a good thing, right? I mean, she has the magic for a reason, even if we don’t know why.
We bounce. This time, it’s a small one.
Figuring out Hazel’s magic will have to wait until after I get my own sorted.
“Why are we bouncing?” Penelope asks.
“Christmas Magic is making a statement,” Quik says cryptically.
I pull up my sleeve, revealing the shimmering tattoo that appeared on my forearm just minutes ago. “I’ll say it is.” I hold my arm out for them to see.
The room goes silent as everyone turns to stare at my arm.
Hazel grabs my hand, her ice-blue eyes wide with wonder. “I wish for a can of peanut brittle,” she says .
A can of peanut brittle poofs into existence on the side table next to her.
“Hey!” I exclaim, yanking my arm back. I haven’t granted wishes in almost a whole year. It feels weird to have someone wish without me knowing it’s coming. Although it was always fun before.
“Wish again,” Lux commands Hazel, her fingers flying over her keyboard.
I roll my eyes. Penelope stares at me as if I’ve grown fur.
“I wish I had a puppy!” Noelle pipes up excitedly.
“Noooo.” I hold out my hand like a traffic cop. It does no good. A fluffy ball of fur comes bounding out from behind the couch. Noelle squeals with delight, scooping up the puppy and cuddling it close.
Penelope looks like she’s about to object, but then stops short. “Wait. How did you...?” She points from the puppy to me.
I shrug, feeling a bit overwhelmed myself. “I have wish magic, apparently.”
“One more wish!” Lux yells. Quik is leaning over her shoulder, both of them intently watching the screen. He rolls his hand, telling us to get on with the wishing.
“I wish for—” Noelle starts, but Penelope quickly covers her mouth. “Oh no, you don’t. Adults only.” Noelle scowls but doesn’t protest.
“I wish for a DeLorean,” Oliver says with a grin. He opens the front door, and sure enough, there’s a sleek, silver DeLorean parked at the curb. “Think it’ll fly?” he asks, winking at Noelle .
She giggles.
“Okay. I got it.” Lux stands up, her face serious. “We’re bouncing because you’re not granting wishes.” She points to the television screen, where the old graph has been replaced with a countdown. “Five seconds to the next bounce. If no one makes a wish before, then . . . Three. Two...”
The world lurches again, and I instinctively reach out to steady Penelope and Noelle.
“It’s backward from before,” Quik mumbles as he plucks at his lower lip.
“So you want us to wish?” Penelope asks.
Lux nods. “We have fifteen seconds. Let’s see what happens when you wish three seconds before the bounce.” She puts the countdown on the big screen.
We all hold our breath. I reach for Penelope’s hand, and she laces our fingers together.
“Five … Four …” Lux points at Penelope to wish.
She closes her eyes. “I wish for a new pen set.”
The set appears. We hold our breath. The number on the screen resets, adding five seconds to the time. “So wish granting gives us more time between bounces,” I say.
“It appears so.” Lux nods, her brow furrowed. “But I don’t know why.” She makes two fists and shakes them at the screen. “What do you want?”
“I know,” Oliver says, a hint of excitement in his voice. We all turn to stare at him, and he looks back at us expectantly. “You don’t get it?”
I shake my head, and so does everyone else .
“It was bouncing because he hadn’t found his true love.” He motions to Penelope.
She flips around to look at me, and I grin down at her. “We took care of that.” I slide my hand down her arm and lift her hand to my lips to kiss next to the ring.
“I wish for a new laptop,” Lux says to reset the clock and keep us from bouncing. It works—and she has a shiny new laptop now, so that’s great.
“Right. So don’t you get it?” Oliver asks, looking at each of us as if the answer is totally obvious.
“I’d really like to know what you know, Oliver,” Quik tells his son, a note of exasperation in his voice.
Oliver grins, clearly relishing the moment when he is smarter than two of the most intelligent and most educated parents. He rubs his palms together. “Christmas Magic doesn’t want to let Nick go.”
Lux and Quik turn on me. “Go? Where would you go?”
I grip Penelope’s hand. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying here with Penelope.”
Lux hits the walkie-talkie button on her phone. “Robyn and Gabe—we need you now!”
I drop my chin to my chest. “It’s not that big of a deal. Penelope and Noelle’s lives are here. I’m staying with them.”
We bounce—hard, and I land on my knees.
I shake my head in amazement. Did I really think it would be that easy to walk away from my Kringle heritage? Penelope is on all fours. The puppy barks. Noelle smiles at me. She’s sitting on her backside on the couch and bounces and landed on the cushion .
A cry from Hazel draws everyone’s attention. “Oh no!” she yells from the corner. We all turn to find her staring at her hands, which are glowing with an otherworldly light. “What is happening to me?”
Lux scrambles for her. “What did you think? What command did you give?”
“Nothing!” she yells. “I didn’t think anything.”
Suddenly, the room starts spinning. It’s like we’re caught in the middle of a magical tornado, colorful lights swirling around us at dizzying speeds.
Penelope grabs onto Noelle, who is still clutching the puppy. I wrap my arms around both of them, trying to shield them from whatever is happening. “Hazel, make it stop!” I shout over the whirling chaos.
“I can’t,” she cries, shaking her hands. Instead of stopping, it’s like she’s shaking bottles of glitter into the room. The shimmering particles are caught up in the spinning vortex, wrapping around us in a dazzling, disorienting whirlwind.
We spin faster and faster, the room blurring into a kaleidoscope of color and light. I shut my eyes against the overwhelming sensory assault, holding Penelope and Noelle tighter.
“I’m not letting you go!” I yell, though I’m not sure if I’m warning Christmas Magic that it can’t make me let them go.
Just when I think I can’t take any more, everything stops. The spinning ceases so abruptly that I tip, nearly losing my balance. The first thing I notice is the silence.
Slowly, cautiously, I open my eyes.