Santa Daddy, I’m Not the One

15

LANDON

T he closing of Yuletide Crossing loomed over me, and a mix of excitement and dread churned in my stomach. It was a strange feeling, knowing that I had the option to return to my world, to the life I’d known before I’d ever heard of Twinkle Glen or found out Santa was real. But as the time drew near for the Crossing to end, fear gripped my heart with icy fingers.

Nils entered the stable where I was feeding the reindeer. I flashed him a smile, hoping my apprehension wasn’t showing on my face.

“Landon.”

“Hmm?”

“You’ve been here long enough. What’s on your mind? Is it the Yuletide Crossing?”

I sighed and nodded. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot.”

“Understandable. Are you having second thoughts?” He wrapped his arms around me from behind.

“No. It’s just so final.” I placed my hands over his and leaned into him. “Can you tell me about the Yuletide Crossing again?” I needed to hear it to understand it fully.

“It opens a bridge between our two worlds and occurs mostly every month. You have to follow the alignment of the stars to find out when they will happen. Because it’s two different dimensions, you can’t exist with knowledge of both, so if you return to your world, you will forget everything from this one.”

Forget him? No. No way. He was the best thing to have happened to me. The idea of forgetting about everything, about Nils and Twinkle Glen, seemed unfathomable. A world without magic, without Santa, without the one I loved. Could I really make that choice?

I shook my head vehemently. “No,” I said firmly. “I don’t want to forget. I don’t want to leave this behind.”

“I’m glad. Tonight is my last trip to deliver the presents for all the children.”

I tilted my head back and looked up at him. “I heard you’ve pushed yourself the last two days, so tonight you’ll finish early.”

“For the Mistletoe Ball. I miss it every year, and it never bothers me, but I want to take you.”

I smiled at the thought. “I can’t wait.” Excitement bubbled up inside me, pushing away the shadows of fear. “It sounds magical.”

“It will be, especially with you there,” Nils said. “I have to go now, but if you get bored, the elves love playing board games with you.”

“That’s because I never win.”

Nils chuckled. “If you stick around, I’ll teach you all you need to know to beat them at their own games.”

My heart swelled with joy and anticipation as Nils left for his last trip. The stable felt empty without him, but a soft nudge of a reindeer muzzle reminded me I wasn’t alone. I smiled, thinking about the Mistletoe Ball and how special tonight would be.

After hugging every one of my friends, I left the stable, the crisp air nipping at my cheeks, and walked back inside. I took a hot bath, letting the warmth seep into my bones. The water swirled around me, steam fogged up the room, and for a moment, I lost myself in the tranquility.

After drying off, I chose my clothes for the evening—something I hoped would make Nils’s eyes light up. The soft fabric against my skin felt like a comforting embrace. I was ready, or at least I would be once Nils returned. The excitement was almost too much to bear.

But as the hours ticked by, I grew restless. I could ask the elves to play one of their board games, but I needed some fresh air, stretch my legs. I donned my coat and stepped outside.

As I walked along a familiar path, I encountered a group of elves returning from the forest with an enormous Christmas tree. They were singing their jovial yule songs and laughing in their high-pitched voices. “Landon!” one of them waved excitedly. “Join us for the tree decorating party!”

“I will later.”

After everything that had happened, the elves seemed nicer to me. I waved back at them, feeling lighter than ever. An idea formed in my mind: a surprise for Nils when he returned. Something that would let him know how much I wanted to stay here with him, forever intertwined in the magic of Twinkle Glen. But what?

Lost in thought, I walked on until I stood at the edge of the Whispering Woods. Quickly, I turned around and hurried back toward the workshop. I’d wandered off too far. If Nils found out, he would be so mad. Elves were searching the woods to find Frostheart, but so far, they’d found no leads. The others thought Frostheart disappeared after his last plot failed, but Nils wasn’t convinced.

Shuddering, I quickened my pace, the mere thought of the name Frostheart sending a shiver dancing down my spine.

Something enclosed around my ankle and tugged. With a startled scream, I stumbled and hit the ground hard. I spat snow out and kicked at the hand, but the long, black fingers around my ankle didn’t let go.

“Come now.” The voice was chillingly familiar, the icy timbre of Frostheart a stark reminder of the darker side of this paradise. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

“No!” I struggled, kicking my foot free. “You lost! You shouldn’t be showing your face again.”

Frostheart laughed. “Lost? I can’t be killed. I’ll just come back again and again and again until I get my way.”

“You can’t do anything to me. I’m not afraid of you.” My voice wavered, but I held my own. I was an immortal now. I didn’t have to do anything he said.

“Oh, really?” Frostheart sneered, his eyes glinting with cruel satisfaction. “Just because you’re an immortal doesn’t mean you can’t be hurt. And it certainly doesn’t mean those you love can’t be harmed.”

Fear coiled around my heart like a crushing serpent. He was right. Just because I was safe didn’t mean Nils was. Or the elves. Or the reindeer.

“But I won’t harm them.” Frostheart languidly rose.

I scrambled to my feet. “What do you want?”

“I’m here to grant you a favor. I’m here to take you home.”

“But I don’t want to go home.”

“No? Have you changed your mind?”

“Yes. I’m happy here. This is my home now with Nils, so leave me alone.”

I took off, but a hand grabbed me by the hair and yanked me back against a gnarly chest. I screamed. It was all futile.

“You changed your mind?” he asked again. “Fickle boy. Oh, how I wish there was enough time to taste you the way I saw Nils did. I almost envied him the day I saw you both through that window. I watched you two the whole time, you know. Such a nasty little boy you are. I like them that way.”

“You’re sick,” I spat out, struggling against his grip.

“Don’t worry. We have only a little time before the Crossing closes. Too bad.”

“I’m not going.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

He released me briefly, only to throw a cloth over my head. No, not a cloth. A bag like the sack the elves had used to kidnap me and brought me to Twinkle Glen.

No! No! No!

I couldn’t go back. I couldn’t go back. I felt myself shrinking and tumbling over and over into a black hole as Frostheart laughed, a cold, bone-chilling sound that seemed to echo endlessly in the suffocating darkness.

Nils!