Monsters Under Mistletoe

Prologue

Prologue

WILLOW

“ W illow, your turn.” Principal Grislow tipped the giant fishbowl toward the literature teacher with a goofy smile on his face.

Willow Bronte was worried but plunged her hand into the bowl regardless. No matter what shenanigans her principal was up to, this was the yearly secret Krampus exchange. Everyone on staff was required to participate. Normally she would rebel against an activity that forced people to buy something for someone else, especially someone they didn’t plan to purchase something for. However, the school bursar had a rule that once the gifts were exchanged, everyone could submit an invoice for up to fifty silver (the maximum amount allotted) for the gift and the school would reimburse the cost on the next paycheck. She stopped complaining after that.

However, her complaints began anew as she opened the piece of paper and saw his name.

Ogar Mantinelle.

Of course it was Ogar! Willow tried not to tip the minotaur off as she tucked the paper away and immediately glared daggers into the floor. That bull headed—pun intended—jack-wagon was the person she had to shop for? What on earth could she even buy the one coworker she didn’t get along with?

The gym teacher was notorious for his great smile, massive muscles, and fun loving attitude. In theory, they should be best pals. Willow loved playing games with the kids, encouraging them to move about in her classroom, to seek out learning in whatever manner suited them. King’s Falls Elementary School was known for being lax on the strict structure of other schools. They liked when children sought out their lessons, not were brained with them. Encouraged by their bosses to go for unconventional methods, as long as it gave results, one would think that the two most loved teachers in the schools were buddy-buddy?

They’d be wrong.

Willow hated Ogar with a burning passion. And now she was forced by her mischievous Principal to gift him something or else Krampus would come and snatch her by the shins.

Greeeeaaaaaat!

“Who’d you get, Ogar?” Mr. Palemeto asked as the pair trotted back to the gym.

They had a good thirty minutes before the kids arrived at school, but Ogar was pretty excited to set up the activity for today. They were playing body bowling, and the kids loved it. Pumping up the massive body balloons so that kids could wiggle in then go charging down the lane was the best part. It was a great way to kick off the holiday break.

King’s Fall Elementary took three weeks off for winter solstice. It covered all holidays and allowed plenty of rest and relaxation. Granted, teachers only technically got two. Today was Friday, and the last day for children. Then, next week was a work week, where lesson plans were caught up on, grading was submitted, and next Friday, the teachers solstice party. Where they were going to exchange Secret Krampus gifts.

Ogar didn’t like to say it, but he hated this event every year. The party was fine, everyone drank punch, ate too many finger foods, and waddled home. That was fine. It was the forced proximity of all his coworkers, pretending to like one another for several hours, and to top it all off, they were supposed to buy thoughtful gifts for someone on a short turn around?

Ogar didn’t know most of his coworkers well enough to buy them anything other than food or supplies. And every year for the last five years he’d worked here, he’d skated by on getting people gift cards to spas. Everyone needed a good spa day. No one would hate that, ever!

But the Minotaur hated the fakeness that work holiday parties presented. Because at the end of the day, they still needed to work together. No one spoke their mind… well… mostly no one. Everyone minus Ms. Bronte, that was.

Willow Bronte was probably his favorite person in this school, and it was solely because she hated him, and he knew it. She never hid her disdain for his goofy antics or stubborn rules. One morning, he was chomping down on granola, and she bellowed from across the room if he could chomp any louder . HR wanted to write her up for it, but Ogar told them to let it slide. He had been crunching loudly and she was grading papers.

It was wrong to push her buttons.

But, dragons above, he liked to push them. Liked to see her get red in the face, stomp her cute little feet, and berate him for whatever childish antics he’d performed just to get her attention. She was the only one not afraid to tell him what’s-what . And he liked it. He liked her… a lot.

So, when he pulled her name from the fish bowl, Principal Grislow grinning from ear to ear, he knew he’d been set up. His fun loving, albeit meddling principal was known for playing games. Ogar would bet his left hoof that Willow got his name too. Which would mean next Friday, they’d have to eventually face each other and exchange gifts.

Realizing he hadn’t said anything, and Ricky Palemeto was still waiting for an answer, he chuckled, “Kinda defeats the purpose, don’t ya think?”

“You got me didn’t you?” Mr. Palemeto paled, a look of horror crossing his face.

“I didn’t get you,” Ogar sighed, shaking his head.

Mr. Palemeto immediately huffed, “Then who got me? I want to drop hints not to get me gym socks again. I have too many!”

“Socks?” Ogar nodded for the bear shifter to head into the gym.

“Yeah, socks… maybe I’ll drop some hints in the break room that a bear could use a bubble bath basket or something.” His fellow gym teacher shrugged as he crouched next to the body balloons.

Ogar crouched across from him, pumping the balloons while his mind wandered. What to get Willow Bronte? Was this the year he did something? Was this the year he confessed that maybe he had a crush on the feisty, opinionated fae woman? Or was he getting her a spa day retreat?