“Watch this.” He scooped his hand into the box and brought up a ball of light, barely larger than his palm. He blew gently across the surface. The golden colors swirled and settled into a picture of Tracy standing by Pim's bedside only a few days ago. Pim's dark hair was spread across her pillow. She was too pale, and she stared off at nothing. That vacant gaze sucked away all of Tracy's excitement. Her stomach turned.
“I'm going to fix you. I know what to do,” said the Tracy inside the ball. A TV flickered in the background.
Pim lay in her bed, staring, blinking. Her fingers tapped up and down on the covers. Tracy never knew if Pim did that on purpose or if it was just her nerves moving them.
Tracy went on, speaking very low as if she was afraid someone would come in and hear what she was saying. “I heard your mom talking to my mom on the phone. There's a doctor, and he can fix you. No one has the money, but I know how to get it. I promise you, everything's gonna be okay.”
Just then a commercial came on the TV, reminding children to send in their lists to Santa Command. It caught Pim's attention. She looked at the TV and gasped. Then, one word came from her mouth, “Saaaanta.”
“Yes!” Tracy said. “Yes! That's how I'm going to help you. I'm going to find Santa.” She hadn't told Pim her whole plan, because there was no need. The point was, Tracy was going to fix her cousin, and her cousin understood!
The image disappeared from the ball. Tracy had tears in her eyes. “I let her down,” she said while rubbing her sleeve across her cheek. “I messed everything up.”
Chris considered that for a moment, then with a regretful tone in his voice, he said, “Tracy, I have something else to show you.”
Tracy nodded. She was upset that she hadn't been able to help Pim, but she was ashamed of what she had done that night. It was time to own up to it. “Is this about the computer?”
His answer was to blow another breath across the ball of light. The scene shifted to a forest, one with a dry, barren ground and skinny, skeleton trees. In the middle of the forest was a wall. That wall didn't have bricks or cinder blocks or any of the normal things that make up walls. It was a shimmery, flowing barrier that looked like the surface of a soap bubble. It reached all the way up to the sky.
“What's that?” Tracy asked.
“A mistake.” He looked at her, and she knew that he meant it was her mistake.
“Can it be fixed?” She didn't know what it was, but at that moment, she would have given anything to fix it. Not only did the bubble look scary, it looked wrong in a way that made Tracy's head spin.
“I don't know,” Chris said honestly. “In order to fix the computer, they had to stop time, but when they started it again, this is what happened. They're lost, Tracy, in another time. And I don't know how to get them back.”
“Lost? Is it just Santa Command?”
Chris shook his head. The forest in the ball zoomed out to show a map of the United States.
Tracy saw little pinpricks of light, indicating big cites, but in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama, she saw nothing. All three were blacked out.
Chris pointed to the dark section. “The entire Southeastern sector.”
Tracy gasped. She thought she'd just crashed a few programs and that Santa Command could run things manually if they had to. Why hadn't she thought about the consequences? “My…My parents are gone.” Did that mean she wouldn't see her parents or Pim ever again? “Why didn't you tell me this before?”
“I was hoping I'd come up with an idea.” He let the ball slip back into the box. “But I'm old, and the world just doesn’t work like it used to.”
“What do you mean it doesn't work? Time can't be altered. No matter what the world is like, time is constant. Just like science.”
Except, if there was magic, then maybe the world wasn't as constant as she'd always thought. And the more she thought about it, she remembered another scientist who knew that too.
“Einstein,” Tracy said. She'd done a book report about him in fifth grade, and that book report was forming into an idea.
“Yes?” Chris narrowed his eyes like he was trying to see the cogs and gears turning in her brain.
Tracy didn't remember exactly what the book had said, but she had the general idea. “He said that it was possible to travel through time if we had the right catalyst, something to set it off.”
“What would set it off?” Chris took her hand, encouraging her to figure it out.
“Something big, like a star exploding.” And then she knew. She had a plan that would bring her family and everyone else in her sector, back to the right time. While the plan took shape, she chewed on her knuckle. They needed a plastic bag and a cloth bag and maybe two handfuls of the magic sitting before them. It was the perfect combination of science and magic. “I know what to do,” she said, hoping she had calculated correctly. If she overestimated, she could blow up half of Alabama. “We're gonna need the sleigh.”
Chris smiled, like he never doubted she would come up with a solution. With a tilt of his head, he indicated the other side of the barn. “Do you see what's back there?”
Tracy turned. Behind her, the horse stalls transformed. Yellow sparkles twirled around the broken wood and splintered signs until everything looked brand new. There were eight stalls, freshly painted and with name signs on each one. The one that said “ond” earlier now said, “Donder,” and poking his head above the stall door, was a magnificent reindeer.
Tracy jumped to her feet. “Are those…?”
“They certainly are,” Chris said. “Are you ready to go for another ride?”
“One second.” She pulled her neck pouch from beneath her shirt and emptied all of the contents onto the ground. Chris raised an eyebrow at some of the things she had collected. She chose not to comment and held the pouch over the magic box. Before she took any, she stopped herself. “Can I have some of this?”
“If that's part of your plan,” Chris said. “But we better hurry. Time is waiting.”
While Tracy filled the bag, Chris harnessed up the reindeer. When the bag was full, Tracy plucked an empty Ziploc bag from her pile on the ground and ran to the sleigh. Within moments, they were soaring over the forest once again.
As they flew, she explained her plan and how she knew it was going to work. After all, she had performed an accidental test of the experiment back in the warehouse. When she had finished, Chris punched a red button on the dashboard. It was small and tucked in a corner, so Tracy hadn't noticed it. A TV screen appeared in the middle of the dash, where before there had been nothing but a red, wooden board. His sleigh wasn't old-fashioned after all.
Mary's face popped onto the screen, and Chris gave her a few directions. Based on the urgent way he spoke to his wife, Tracy knew her plan was going to work.
She bounced up and down in the seat, chanting “Faster! Faster!” under her breath, hoping that would somehow make the reindeer pick up their speed.
They were nearly at the edge of the forest when a cry far below them cut through her thoughts.
“Help!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Jared
Jared was submerged up to his armpits. After he'd fallen into the river, he'd kicked hard and fast, but his hands slipped right across the ice, and he couldn't pull himself out. The only thing that had kept him from slipping under completely was his grip on a tree branch frozen into the ice.
He didn't know how long he'd been there. It was probably minutes, but it felt like hours. He was so cold. He couldn't feel his legs anymore. His hands were throbbing, and he didn't think he could hold on to the branch much longer.
That was the moment he looked up and saw the sleigh and reindeer flying above him. He didn't know whether they were real or imaginary visions, and he didn't care.
“Help!” he called, but his throat was frozen, and the word was barely a whisper. They couldn't hear him. Soon, they would be too far away. A knot formed inside
his chest. This could be his only chance. He cleared his throat, then called out louder. “Help!”
A small face appeared over the edge of the sleigh.
Tracy!
“There!” She pointed down at him. “It's Jared!”
As the reindeer guided the sleigh downward, Jared cried with relief. They came for him. Chris came.
They landed. Tracy immediately popped out of the sleigh and ran for him.
“Hang on,” Chris called to her as he pulled a thick, coiled rope out of the sleigh. He tied one end to a bar on the back of the sleigh and handed the rest to Tracy. “Toss this to him, but don't get too close. We don't want you falling in too.”
“Got it.” She did just as she was told and tossed the rope to Jared when she was about five feet away. It smacked him hard in the face, but he was too relieved to snap at her. He didn't have the voice anyway.
He let go of the log and threw his arms as quickly as he could around the rope. When he did, the coil unraveled, and he slipped under the water.
“No!” he cried, but all that came out of his mouth were bubbles. He kicked furiously as he slid further under. He clamped his mouth shut and pulled on the rope. The rope uncoiled, foot after foot of it slipping through the hole in the ice, like it wasn't attached to anything at all. What good was the rope if it was too long to help him? His lungs burned. Every part of his body hurt. He shut his eyes. Please let me get out of here. Please. Please let me get out of here.
Suddenly, the rope tightened. He didn't realize he was clutching it to his chest. He held on as his body inched up through the water until finally, he burst through the surface.
He gasped and spit. “Get me! Help!”
Chris guided the reindeer forward as they pulled the sleigh, and the sleigh pulled the rope, and the rope pulled Jared. He held tightly to that rope with one hand and dug his fingers into the ice with the other, scooting himself forward until he was finally out of the river.
As soon as she could, Tracy grabbed his arm and helped him to his feet. Her eyes were as big as lumps of coal, and he could tell she was scared. But nothing could compare to how scared he'd been.
He only stood for a second before he crumpled to his knees. His legs were too frozen to support him.
Chris raced to his side with a large, brown bundle in his arms. It was a blanket, which he wrapped around Jared. The old man was dressed in his Santa outfit again, and he knelt beside Jared on the ground.
Jared let Chris take his hands. Warmth filled the boy instantly, like he was being dipped in a hot bath. It wasn't coming from the blanket, but from Chris. It entered through his palms, snaked up his arms, and filled his body. It wasn't possible, but it was happening, and he was grateful. Within seconds, his clothes were dry, and his bones stopped shivering.
Jared took a few breaths before he said what he had to. “Thank you.”
“You are quite welcome.” Chris let go of Jared and pushed himself to his feet.
“Wait,” Tracy said, like something had just clicked in her mind. “We flew over the forest when you had the ability to simply pop us straight to Alabama. You knew Jared had fallen through the ice.”
“You did?” Jared felt his face heating up just like it had in the kitchen. “Why didn't you come sooner?”
“My dear boy, when will you learn to believe in me? I'll always come for you.”
“But how did you know where he was?” asked Tracy.
“Haven't you heard the song? I know when you're sleeping. I know when you're awake.” Chris tapped the side of his head. “I've got my own personal GPS right here. I knew we'd get there in time.”
“But I didn't,” Jared wailed. “I thought I was…I was going to…”
With his face all scrunched up and tears pooling at the corners of his eyes, Jared didn't feel like the angry kid from before. It had been terrifying, sliding down into that water, not knowing if he was ever going to breathe again. Chris may have known what he was doing, but no one told him.
“Jared,” Tracy said quietly. “I'm glad you're okay.”
Jared swiped his sleeve under his nose and looked at Tracy, like he was seeing her for the first time ever. “Thank you.”
Tracy squirmed a little, tugging at the hem of her Santa coat. “You're welcome.”
Chris cleared his throat, and Jared was glad for the interruption. His face switched from concerned caregiver to man with a mission. “Jared, since you're feeling better, how about I give you a job?” He didn't wait for Jared to answer. He simply turned on his heel and walked toward the sleigh.
Jared stood still for moment, wondering why Chris was in such a hurry.
As the old man hefted himself into the sleigh, Tracy tugged on his sleeve. “Come on!”
The two of them took their places on either side of Chris, and before Jared could ask any questions, the wintery forest had vanished. Chris, Jared, and Tracy, along with the sleigh and all eight reindeer were now sitting on the edge of a forest. On one side of them were bare winter trees, but on the other side was a gigantic, pulsing wall.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Santa Command—Phil's office
December 25th
0410 hours
Walt ushered Phil into the office, then slammed the door shut behind them. Phil's framed “Employee of the Year” certificates bounced against the walls.
Phil backed up against his desk. He gripped the edge to hold himself steady.
Walt stood before him, his face glowing Santa suit red. His stubby finger sliced the air between them. “First, you bring the girl here against my orders. Then, you let her get loose. And then…” Walt's face turned a deep shade of purple as he geared up to explode. “And then, you purposely give her access to our computer. She crashes it, and of course you decide to fix it by knocking thirty four million people out of time. And after all that, I still don't think you understand the magnitude of what you've done. If you did, you would have handed in your badge two hours ago.”
Walt paused. His breaths came in short, angry puffs as he stared at Phil's collar.
No, he stared at the ID badge dangling from Phil's collar.
Phil unclipped the badge, which had been a source of pride for him for so long, and with shaky fingers, handed it to his boss. “You know why I brought her here.”
Walt stuffed the badge in his pocket. “And you know why you shouldn't have. I want you out of Santa Command by morning.” He ripped one of Phil's certificates from the wall and threw it to the ground, then stomped out the door.
Shattered glass covered the floor like ice. It was almost pretty except Phil knew that it was a symbol of his failed career.
Phil shrugged sadly. Once the Inklings dusted him, he wouldn't remember the plaques or his job or anything real about the last fifteen years. He'd never spend another Christmas Eve squaring off against the kids, because this year, he'd lost.
Soon people would start waking up. A couple hundred of them would be wondering why Santa hadn't delivered their presents. The rest would be wondering why they couldn't call family in other states. Confusion would soon turn into panic, because for them, the rest of the world would simply disappear like someone took scissors and cut them away. Why hadn't he considered the consequences before he acted? Would someone eventually fix it?
Phil wondered if the night could have played out differently. What if he had wiped Tracy when he was supposed to? What if he had put a guard by her window at Santa Command so she couldn't escape? As Phil struggled to think of how he could have fixed the computer without stopping time, a message in red letters appeared across the bottom of his monitor.
Incoming Call. Press enter to accept.
What?
He pressed enter, and Mary's image popped up on the screen. “Good morning. It's been quite a night, hasn't it?”
Phil angled his screen, because he didn't think he was seeing it correctly. “How is this even possible? We're out of sync with you guys.”
Mary smiled like she knew a secret. She'd always been good at keeping them. “You're probably wondering how I'm speaking to you. This is a recording which I uploaded to your main frame, programmed to run on every computer at this exact time.”
Phil sighed miserably. Of course, she and Chris had found a way to scold him. At least, he wouldn't remember it for long. He looked forward to the Inkling dust.
“I know you think I'm probably going to yell,” continued Mary, “but I'm not. This is far more important, and you need to listen to every word.”
Phil sat up. Had they found a solution? He grabbed a pen and notepad.
“The first thing I'm going to give you is a warning, and the second is a request.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Tracy
Tracy and Jared jumped out of the sleigh, Tracy with her pouch and Jared with the Ziploc bag so the magic was as far away from the plastic as possible. There was no way she would risk an explosion before they were ready.
The wall was even scarier in person. It stretched up as far as she could see, and it hummed, like there was an electrical current flowing through it. Jared reached out to touch it. Tracy grabbed his arm.
“You might not want to do that.”
Why not?” he asked.
“Just a feeling. Here,” she held out her neck pouch, “open your bag.”
He held the gallon bag while Tracy poured the yellow magic into it. The first sparks zoomed around the bottom of the bag, like they were inside a washing machine. They were pretty angry about where they were being placed. Tracy quickly dumped the rest in, not caring that a couple of specs dropped to the ground. She had a feeling this wouldn't take long.
“Now, zip it up.”
His fingers fumbled, and he nearly dropped the bag. “Ow! This stuff is getting hot.”
“Oh, give it to me.” Tracy zipped it up, even though the heat scorched her fingertips. Then, she threw it, hard and fast at the time wall.
Tracy Tam: Santa Command Page 10