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Chapter 5~ One and One-Eighth Elves
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They had to endure the snow once again to reach the living quarters in the quaint city. Kit shut her eyes tight and exhaled loudly before Bernard heaved the large doors open again. It hit her almost immediately and all she wanted was to be back in the warmth of Grandpa’s office once again. But, they trudged through. She couldn’t understand at all how Bernard could just waltz through the interminable cold—hat, scarf, and gloves only—like her walking down Main Street. Kit watched her breath, desperate for some distraction when a gust of wind shook them back. She hesitated and tried to find her strength again.
“We’re almost there, Kit. Just a little longer.” Bernard unwrapped the thick blue scarf from his neck and layered it snuggly around her first scarf. She blinked at him through the snow.
“Aren’t…you freezing?” But, he just smirked and led on.
It only took a minute or two longer before the two reached the doorway. Bernard pushed the doors open and helped her in. Only when the doors finally closed shut did Kit find some relief. She began unwrapping all the heavy layers to get to the warmth quicker. Bernard helped and suddenly stopped to chuckle.
“What? What is it?” she said.
“Nothing,” he sang through laughs, “Your nose and cheeks are just so red.” She felt around on her face but only felt freezing cold skin.
“That happens when I get so cold I can’t feel my feet. What, you don’t get that?”
Bernard shook his head and took back his scarf. “Elves are made to be able to endure extreme temperatures. We don’t react to storms like that outside. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You’re only about 1/8th elf anyways.”
And, he walked off like that was no big deal.
Kit caught up to him as he led on at his usual brisk pace. “Wait, what did you say?”
“I said, elves are equipped for cold—”
“No,” she stopped him, “Not about the cold stuff…about the 1/8th elf stuff.”
He peered at her like she didn’t know what Christmas was.
“Of course, you are part elf.”
Her eyes widened and she pushed further. “Since when?”
Bernard led her down the long, elaborately decorated hallways. He began pulling out a large ring of gold and silver skeleton-style keys.
“Simple genetics. It’s always been a strict benefit for all Santas that once they assume the role of Santa Claus, their body chemistry changes. They take on the Santa ‘look’ and the same goes for the DNA. So, when Scott became Santa, he became half-elf. The same changes take effect on Santa’s immediate offspring but much more subtly. This is to prepare them to become next-in-line Santas. And when Charlie had you, well…it passed on to you as well.”
Kit stayed quiet for a few moments. Bernard stopped at a door and flipped through keys. She whispered it quietly to herself, at first. He turned to her.
“What’s that?”
“Maybe that’s it…”
“What’s it?”
“The reason why only Dad and I were spared. It explains why everyone on the council and everyone here wasn’t affected. Grandpa even suspected something very similar.”
This time, it was Bernard’s turn to fall into silence. He stared off into space, obviously thinking.
“That does make sense. The only way to really know for sure is to contact Buddy.”
She smiled. “So, do I get any advantages to being part elf?” Kit teased.
He reciprocated with a smirk. “Unfortunately no. But, believe me, you’re much happier where you’re at.”
With that, Bernard shoved the key into the lock and turned. With a short click, the door cracked open. They stepped inside to the same room Kit had stayed in for all her years of visits and vacations. And it nearly took her breath away.
It was just the same as she always remembered it. She knew how memories always felt so different when you were a child. But, these never lost their touch. The icy blue walls with gorgeous gold trim caught her gaze first, then the crackling fire in the large stone fireplace—almost as if they were expecting her. The massive canopy bed was made with a fluffy white bedspread that reminded her of the mounds of snow just outside. Every amenity, every piece of decoration matched exactly the picture in her mind. She smiled and looked back at Bernard.
“It’s like I didn’t ever leave.” His smile faltered, just slightly. But, he walked her further in and began hanging her scarf up and putting away her gloves. She found a trunk at the foot of her bed filled with some of her warmest clothes from home and more pieces she definitely didn’t remember owning. She hurried to the fireplace to start warming her stiff fingers. Bernard took her boots soon after, and in a matter of minutes, Kit was back to her normal self.
She lounged back on the nearby couch and wrapped a shawl around herself. She patted a spot for Bernard to come over, which he did. And suddenly, the room felt very very quiet.
“I’m sorry,” she started, “for all the hassle. I know this probably isn’t how you planned to spend your night.”
He cocked his head to the side and tried her. “Do you want to know how I really planned to spend tonight?”
She bit. “Go.”
“I’d spend the whole night all alone answering letters of questions I’ve answered a million times and writing reports I’ve written a million times. Somehow, I feel really lucky for all this mess.”
She didn’t even have to think. “Me too.”
It was silent for another moment. Bernard relaxed more into the couch. Kit drew her knees in and tried to brace herself for what was sure to come.
“Are you okay—after all this, I mean?” he asked. She asked it right back to herself.
“Actually…I am. This morning, I was sure it was the end of the world. I don’t know. Maybe it still is. But, knowing that if I have to die, I’ll die here has oddly enough made me feel much better.”
They laughed and Kit felt some of the nerves lose their grip on her.
“How have you been here, all alone?”
“Nothing really changes much anymore. I still have to deal with Curtis and the other elves. But, I’d much rather hear about you.”
And she told him. She told him all about how graduation would be coming up soon and how she’d won the Franklin award in writing for the book he helped her with. He especially beamed with pride on that one. She even told him about Charlie’s new obsession with Billy Idol and how she thought she was going to rip her own ears off every day. She told him about that crash in the taxi she was in a few months back and how she came to the risky decision to lop off her long hair and even what she was hoping to get for Christmas. But, she didn’t need to tell him. He already knew. And he listened anyway.
It was late when Kit finished her rambling. She only knew it was nearing midnight by the ornate clock on the wall. Bernard pulled himself from the couch and began slipping on his gloves again.
“I shouldn’t keep you up any longer. I expect we’ll have a long day tomorrow…or, today?” She giggled at his silly expression and walked him to the door. She hugged him close and tight. A heaviness laid on her shoulders and in her chest. She almost felt bolted to the ground. But, his warm brown eyes sparkled back in kindness. She wanted so much to—
“Goodnight, Kit. I’m really…Well, um…I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.”
He touched his hat, nodded back to her, and left.
**********
When the morning came, it all felt like a distant dream. The sunlight fell on her eyelids, warming every inch of her face while slowly easing her out of sleep. She stretched her arms out and brushed up against the sheer fabric of the canopy. And, suddenly, it was no longer a dream anymore.
She wasted no time hurrying back to the workshop. She jogged down the long hallways, throwing on a warm gray peacoat and wrapping a heavy scarf around her neck. Kit threw open the heavy doors and braced for the worst. But, the storm had died away. She stepped out into the calm courtyard and searched for the town’s countdown to Christmas. And there it read: December 23rd. Nothing had changed.
The workshop was in a frenzy. Elves ran about on their daily tasks, redoing all the work they’d done the previous day. They all looked so tired.
She found her dad and Grandpa back in his office. But, the Council was nowhere to be found. Grandpa caught Kit’s eyes as she walked in.
“Kit, good morning, sweetheart. How’d you sleep?” he asked, putting on his best impression of ‘calm and composed’.
“Alright,” she replied, moving over to the warm fireplace and peeling away most of her layers. Charlie came closer and gave her a quick peck on the forehead and hug before retreating back to Grandpa’s desk.
“What does it mean?” she overheard in hushed tones. She kept her back to them, trying not to disturb but to gather all that she could.
“It means he could be anywhere at the moment.”
“Anywhere?”
“Don’t worry, Charlie. I have my best guys on the hunt.”
Charlie scoffed. “Who, Bernard and Curtis? Dad, we’re talking about the balance of the universe at stake here. I admire all the work you and the Council have done, but isn’t there someone else you can call?”
“I already told you,” Grandpa sighed, “All our forces are on the lookout. Everyone is taking this very seriously. We’re going to find him.”
“Find who?” Kit butted in, turning around and approaching the desk. Grandpa and Charlie exchanged a look.
“Find Father Time. He was missing from his domain yesterday…er, today,” Grandpa replied.
“What does that mean?”
“It means until we find him, we’re all stuck like this.” The room fell into silence. Kit searched her thoughts for some sort of answer, something she could do. Anything, really.
“What can I do?” she pressed, locking her gaze onto Grandpa. He held so much sympathy in his eyes that she couldn’t even guess how he might respond. But, he didn’t. Charlie did.
“Nothing. This isn’t for you to worry about. I won’t risk you getting hurt, Kit. Just put your faith in the people trained for this.”
Grandpa looked up at Charlie and shook his head. “You can’t prepare for this sort of thing, Charlie.”
He looked back to Kit and she saw something there. Something that reminded her of the Grandpa she remembered as a child. Courage, a bit of hope, and a lot of mischief.
“We’ll need all the help we can get.”
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