Chris raised an eyebrow at Jared, but he didn't comment. Instead, he gave Sophie a hug and sent her back to bed. Then, he pushed himself to his feet and said, “Sasha, do your magic.”
As the kids stepped toward the fireplace, Sasha dusted them again. Within seconds, the small group was back in the sleigh and on their way to the next house.
After Sophie's house, Chris moved faster. Not faster as in running, faster as in he was a blur surrounded by sparkly, yellow magic. At each stop, Sasha stayed in the back, handing Chris the presents. Tracy and Jared tried getting out of the sleigh for the first couple of houses, but by the time their feet touched the roof, Chris was back and ready to go again. Tracy got the feeling Chris had let them out at Sophie's place for a very specific reason, and she figured it had everything to do with Jared.
Jared now seemed like a different person. Instead of the sad, lonely look he had earlier, his eyes danced with excitement. He helped Sasha with the presents. He asked Chris if he could control the reins. (Chris let him.) He helped Chris navigate between the houses. Jared did everything he could to help speed the ride along, because the sun would soon be rising, and they had to be done before then.
After a dozen or so houses, Tracy scooted over so she was sitting next to Jared.
“Are you okay?” she asked him again.
“Yeah,” he said with an honest smile. “It's Christmas, and I have a present waiting for me at home.”
He didn't sound like he was talking about a new Xbox or an iPad. The word “present” had a stronger, more personal meaning. Tracy wanted to ask what he meant, but she decided not to. If he wanted her to know, he'd tell her. They did exchange phone numbers though, so they could keep in touch. They were on an adventure with the one true Santa Claus. Who else could they talk to about it, except each other?
Santa's bag never seemed to empty. Each time Sasha took presents out, yellow sparkles surrounded the bag. Tracy guessed it was somehow linked to the loading dock back in Alabama and asked Chris why the other Santas had to reload if they could simply use magic.
“Because the other Santas only have Inkling magic. That's not enough to keep the bag full.”
“But couldn't you give them some of the magic from your box?”
“Oh, look!” He pointed to the end of a cul de sac. “Our next stop.”
On and on they went, until the horizon began to lighten. The sun wasn't up yet, but it soon would be. Tracy was wondering if they would ever finish when Chris steered the reindeer to a sharp left and brought the sleigh down softly on a two-story lime green house.
“Last house,” Chris said. “Want to come with me?”
Tracy didn't want to go. She had been inside that particular house a million times. In fact, she had been in the house just a couple of days before, promising Pim that she would find Santa and get help. She had done the first part, but not the second, and she felt sick about it. It didn't matter that Pim would get her presents. Her cousin wouldn't get the present she needed most of all.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Tracy
Tracy took the packages from Sasha and numbly followed Chris out of the sleigh. The lump in her throat kept her from talking.
Tracy had failed. Science fair judges didn't accept “magic” as the result of a science experiment. True, she had a few pictures from her stolen camera, but they weren't enough. And even if they were, she didn't have the right to expose everything Santa Command worked to keep hidden. What would happen if she did? Would they keep doing it once everyone knew the truth? Or would Santa Claus just go away, because people had nothing to believe in? Tracy wouldn't take that risk. She set her pile of presents down and walked to the edge of the roof.
There was a lake in Pim's backyard. It was small, with a few ducks and turtles, and it wasn't too far away. Tracy pulled the camera out of her pocket and hurled it all the way out to the center of the lake. It sunk straight to the bottom.
“What was that?” Chris asked over her shoulder.
“Nothing,” Tracy said. “Nothing at all.”
She couldn't meet Chris' eyes as she grabbed her presents and walked back to the chimney. “Dust me, Sasha,” she said to the Inkling, and she jumped.
Once in the living room, Tracy dropped the presents under the tree and shuffled down the hall to her cousin's first floor bedroom. Pim used to be on the second floor, but since the accident put her in a wheelchair, her parents switched bedrooms with her to make it easier to get around.
Tracy sunk to her knees beside Pim's bed, dropped her forehead onto the mattress, and cried. She didn't hear the footsteps behind her until Chris spoke up.
“Your cousin?”
“Please,” Tracy begged. “You have magic. Please fix her.”
“Tracy…”
“Please.” Tracy looked back at him. “If you heal Pim, I won't ask for another Christmas present ever again. And I promise to always listen to my parents, and clean my room, and—”
“I wish I could.” Chris moved up beside her and placed a warm hand on her shoulder. He sounded very sad. “Even I don't have enough magic to undo this.”
In her heart, Tracy knew that was the truth. Chris knew when kids were sleeping, and when they were awake, and when they were injured. If he had the power, he would have already fixed her. Hearing him say “no” still ripped her insides to shreds.
Sasha scrambled up onto the bed and gently touched Tracy's arm. “I'm so sorry.”
Tracy's eyes burned as the tears came flowing out.
Her sobs were enough to wake Pim. The girl yawned, then blinked a few times, and for a brief second, her eyes focused on the Inkling. Then, she scrunched up her face and squeaked out two words in a completely terrified voice.
“Santa! No!”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Santa Command—Control Room 8
December 25th
0524 hours
Phil clutched the edge of his chair to keep from falling out of it. Paige Murphy's face was there on the view screen, larger than life. Two years had passed since he'd given the order to wipe her memory, but he had never forgotten the horrified look in her eyes right before it happened. She wore that same look now as Tracy knelt next to her bed with tears in her eyes. Sasha was perched on Tracy's shoulder, and Chris and Jared were hovering just inside the door.
What are they doing in there?
Tracy's lips moved, but the camera was in a tree outside the closed window. Phil couldn’t hear a word. He spoke into his headset. “Sasha, do you copy?”
The Inkling looked straight at the camera and nodded.
“Good,” Phil said. “Get me some audio.” It wasn't an order. It was a plea. He needed to hear what was being said in that room.
Sasha fiddled with something on her earpiece. The speakers in Santa Command crackled, then Tracy's voice filled the air.
“—couldn’t do it. I screwed up. Big time.”
Paige lay on the bed, twisting her head from side to side like she was saying, “no.”
“It's okay.” Tracy took Paige's hand. “The doctor said the operation will work. We'll find another way to get the money, and we'll fix you. I promise.”
Money? Phil leaned forward in his seat. There's an operation that can fix her?
Paige's movements grew more frantic. She started whimpering.
Sasha jumped off of Tracy's shoulder and onto the bed. “It's okay, honey.” She touched Paige's arm.
Paige opened her mouth wide.
The sounds that she made came out as a cross between a hiss and a gurgle, but there was no mistaking what she said. “Dust! No!” She yanked her hand from Tracy's, balled up her fist, and knocked Sasha across the room.
Sasha yelped. The microphone in her earpiece filled the control room with a deafening squeal.
Everyone but Phil covered their ears. He spoke urgently into his headset. “Sasha. Sasha, answer me.”
“I will as soon as my ears s
top ringing.” She picked herself up off the carpet and shook her head clear. “That was completely uncalled for.”
“No,” Phil said, “it wasn't. You're the reason she's like this.”
Sasha placed her hands on her hips. “I most certainly am not.”
“Well, not you exactly. It was me, but…” Phil's thoughts were too jumbled to say what he needed. If there truly was an operation that could help Paige, he had to talk to Tracy. “It doesn't matter. I have an idea, but I need you all back at Santa Command, now.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Tracy
Tracy, Jared, Phil, Beth, Walt, Sasha, and Chris were all in the dressing room where they'd put Tracy when she’d first arrived at Santa Command. They were all seated on the couch or on the floor except for Phil, who was pacing the room. He would mumble a couple of words, then stop and start pacing again. Tracy watched him go back and forth like a tennis ball until she couldn't take it anymore.
“Stop,” she said. “What are you trying to tell us?” All of the presents had been delivered on time, despite everything Tracy had done. The fake Santas had been deprogrammed and sent home with no memories of their trip. It was Christmas morning, and some kids were already up, squealing for joy at the presents Santa left them. Why was Phil so upset?
Phil stopped and knelt on the floor in front of Tracy. He may have looked fairly young, but the pain in his eyes made him seem a whole lot older.
“Paige Murphy,” he said urgently. “Do you know her?”
“She's my cousin.” Tracy didn't know why Phil was asking, but it made her very nervous. Why would he care about her cousin?
“And you said there's an operation that can fix her mind?”
Tracy nodded. Had Chris told them about her plan? Was she in trouble? That thought sent her apology tumbling out. They were just words, but it was all she had. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break anything. I just wanted to help her so badly. I thought everything was fixed.”
“No,” Phil said. “Everything isn't fixed. But I can fix it.”
Beth slid off of the couch and knelt by Phil. She touched his shoulder, and that seemed to calm him. “What are you saying?”
“I have money. I've been saving up for a vacation, but you can have it all. Just tell me how much you need.”
Tracy pulled her hands out of his. “Why would you do that?”
“Because…” Phil took a deep breath before he let out the words he couldn't say earlier. “I was the one who ordered Paige to be dusted. She sneaked out to spy on Santa, and my job is to prevent that at all costs. You know about our Santas. You know what would happen if we let children see them.”
Again Tracy nodded. She didn't fully understand what he was telling her, but she felt sick to her stomach.
Phil continued. “So I had the Inklings alter her memory. I promise you, I didn't know the affect it would have.”
“But…but Pim fell out of a tree,” Tracy insisted. “That's what happened. She hit her head on the way down.”
“After I had her dusted.”
“No,” Tracy said, but she believed him anyway. Pim had been injured because of the person kneeling before her. She buried her face in her hands and started sobbing. Beth pulled her against her shoulder and ran her fingers through Tracy's hair. Beth didn't say anything though. Nothing she could say would bring back the years Pim had lost.
“Wait a second.” Chris spoke up for the first time since entering the room. His voice was gravely, like he was exhausted. Tracy couldn't blame him. She felt like she was ready to collapse. “Are you saying Inkling dust made that child the way she is?”
Phil hung his head like he was ready for it to be chopped off.
“You know that's impossible, right? My magic cannot be used to harm children. Even if you tried, it wouldn't work. You may have erased a few seconds of her memory, but you can't take the blame for her brain injury. That, she did when she fell.”
Phil looked up. The tiniest bit of light appeared in his eyes. “You mean it's not my fault?”
“No, sir,” Chris huffed. “Do you honestly think I'd allow harm to come to a child on my watch?”
“I didn't do it,” Phil said softly, just to confirm what Chris said. Then louder, he said, “It's not my fault!”
“Congratulations,” Tracy snapped. “You know it doesn’t change anything, right?” She knew she sounded rude, but she couldn't help it. Even though the sun was up, the night was still pressing down on her. There was nothing anyone could do. She only wanted to curl up in her bed and sleep for the next three days. She didn't even care about presents.
Phil lifted her chin so their eyes met. “Did you forget? I said I would pay for her operation.”
Tracy shook her head. “Weren't you just shouting it wasn't your fault? You don't have to anymore.”
“But I want to.” He was no longer sad. In fact, it was the first time all night that he had been excited about something. “I joined Santa Command so I could make magic, and this is the most magical thing I can imagine doing. Please, let me do this.”
“But how? I can't take a check from a stranger home to my parents.”
Beth had an idea. “He could make it anonymous.”
“That might work,” Phil said. “I'll include a note saying I heard about her operation from a friend, and I wanted to make sure she got it.”
“You'll really do this?” Tracy couldn't believe that she had gotten what she came for. It just didn't happen in the way she expected.
“Just let me know where to send the check.”
“Thank you.” Tracy threw her arms around Phil's neck, knocking him to the ground. The two of them laughed hysterically for the first time in a very long time.
“Wait,” Tracy said after their laughter had settled down. “Are you still in trouble?” There was one guy sitting on the couch that she didn't recognize. Was he the boss? If so, she was ready to do some big time groveling. Phil was going to fix her cousin. The least she could do was make sure he kept his job.
Everyone stared at the guy on the couch, who in turn, stared back. “What do you expect me to do? I can't let something like tonight happen again.”
Chris cleared his throat, and everyone turned to him. “I'm pretty sure I'm the boss, and I say Phil has a job for as long as he wants it. He brought you here, Tracy, because he was afraid for your health. He stopped time because he was protecting children. He's giving up on his dream for a little girl he doesn’t even know. He's exactly the type of person I want working for me.”
Walt couldn't argue with that, so he simply said, “Glad you're still on board, Phil.”
Everyone in the room cheered while Tracy hugged Phil again.
“Well, I'm glad we were able to work everything out,” said Chris while he pushed himself off of the couch. “If you'll excuse me, I have a wife waiting for me at…” His voice faded out, and his body started to shake. He reached for the couch arm, but not soon enough. He collapsed to the floor.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Santa Command—Dressing Room
December 25th
0546 hours
Phil was the first one by Chris' side. The old guy was still in his Santa suit. That should have been the first clue that something was wrong. Chris would have changed back to his normal clothes the moment he got to Santa Command if he had the magic. But he didn't. The night had taken it all out of him.
Tracy knelt next to Phil. “What happened? What's wrong?”
Jared knelt on his other side. “He's still breathing. That's good, right?”
“Yeah,” said Phil. “That's good. But he needs magic. He's centuries old. He can't survive without it.”
“Is that why he doesn't deliver presents anymore?” Tracy asked. “Because it's too hard?”
Beth nodded. “When the world became too big, the job became too much. His magic is limited, and over the years, he's used a lot of it up. He has enough to keep both him
and Mary alive, but as you can see, even an hour of deliveries weakens him.”
“So he created Santa Command?”
“Several hundred stations worldwide. It's far from perfect,” Beth shared a look with Phil that said they both agreed, “but he couldn't stand for kids not to get what they needed.”
Sasha climbed onto Chris' chest and placed her tiny hand over his heart. “We need to get him home. Back to his magic box.”
Phil looked to Tracy and Jared. “You two ready to go through the portal again?”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Jared
Magic existed in the world. It was all around him, and it was important. And now, it was going to save Chris' life.
Jared and Tracy carried Chris through the portal on an improvised stretcher made from Santa coats. Mary met them on the other side and helped them lay Chris down in the center of the library. Phil had contacted Mary already, and the magic box was waiting for them in the room.
Chris seemed so small and fragile lying there on the floor. His cheeks were sunken in. His skin was white and thin as paper. It was even worse that he was still in his Santa outfit and not in his normal clothes.
Jared had no idea what to do. He looked to Mary and said, “Well?”
Mary opened the lid. “How about you do it?”
Inside the box was a brilliant galaxy of stars, leaping and dancing together. It was so bright, it hurt his eyes to look at it, yet he couldn't look away. He knelt beside the box and scooped up a handful of the magic. He smiled at the way it tingled. Everything about it was real. He accepted that now.
“Your turn,” Mary said to Tracy.
Tracy knelt next to Jared. She hesitated, and he nodded, encouraging her. She scooped up her own handful, and the two of them carried the magic over to Chris.
“Now what?” Jared asked.
Mary stood behind them and put her hands on their shoulders. “You know what to do.”
Tracy Tam: Santa Command Page 12