Page 30 of Nice

I don't even have to turn. The thumps become even louder until they halt behind me. Harsh breath fans the back of my head, and I tremble, clutching the pants even closer to my body.

"Please," I whisper, begging Red with my eyes.

He looks behind me then back to my face, his features hardening. With a quick jerk of his hand, he motions for me to come towards him. I hesitate. He works for Kris, after all. Either way, I can't stay where I'm at. The hairs at the back of my neck rise as Kris brushes up against me. Hobbling over, I rush over to Red's side. He grips me by the shoulders and looks me up and down.

"Are you all right?"

"Of course she is. Why wouldn’t she be?"

I wince at Kris's growl and huddle in closer to Red. The resolve flowing through him makes me feel just a bit safer. I still don't know if this is the right choice, but at least he seems to care. Nodding firmly, he shifts me over to the side and next to a small female. Her warm, brown eyes make me feel relaxed and at peace. It's an odd feeling, so different from the situation.

"It's okay. I'm Dancer. Come with me."

She stretches out her delicate hand, and the breath I've been holding lets out in a whoosh. Once I touch her, I'm flooded with feelings of peace. The anxiety drains from my body. I want to ask her about it, to fight it even, but I can't. I just don't want to. She leads me out of the room, and we start traversing the maze of hallways.

Behind me, loud shouts echo off the walls, but inside, I feel serene. We walk in silence for several minutes, each hall looking like the next until we come across one in disarray. Grimacing, Dancer leads us through the debris and around the elves already trying to put it to rights.

"I don't know why he even came here," she murmurs, shaking her head as we pass through.

I open my mouth, but she squeezes my hand. I don't even know what I was going to fight about. We shuffle our way to the main door and pause. Outside, the world looks calm and beautiful. Inside, I know it won't last. As Dancer removes her hand from mine, all the fear and stress come crashing back in. Frantic, I try to grab back onto her, but she dances away just out of reach.

"You're okay now. Just head out those doors. There's an inn over to the left that you can stay in until we figure out what to do."

With that, she glides away, slipping out of sight. I stand there trying to gather my thoughts. All I know is I want as far away from Kris as I can get. Resolved, I push open the doors and head out into North Pole Proper.

The pants threaten to slip down my hips as I step outside, so I find the strings and pull them as tight as possible before knotting it into a bow. I must look awful, but no one pays me any mind. It's like night and day from when Asmon and I walked through here earlier. Gone are the sour, frightened faces. Instead, all elves nod and smile their greetings as I wander around.

Looking to and fro, I take in the sights of the city. Earlier, wrapped up in Asmon's arms, I didn't really see too much of it. I wouldn't let myself see. Now, I have no choice if I'm going to navigate myself home. Whimpering, I wrap my arms about my waist and try desperately not to feel sorry for myself. If this is the worst that happens, I'm lucky. Jutting out my chin, I walk down a narrow path, trying to not peer into the houses as I pass them. What little I do see pangs my heart.

Inside the cozy cottages, families gather around tables laden with food. Decorations are up everywhere. Everyone is smiling. Gripping my fingers into fists, I keep following the path, hoping it will lead me to the outside. Small children dressed in festive holiday wear zigzag about without a care in the world. Their tiny laughs are infectious. Smiling, I watch them tackle each other and wrestle into the snow. A small hand tugs on my shirt, drawing my attention.

"Candy or coal!"

I look down into the bright eyes of a small elf. Her hair is done into twin French braids cascading down her back. Fuzzy antlers adorn her head, and on her nose, she has a blinking red light.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand."

Giggling, she takes the nose off and smiles at me. "It's almost Christmas. Now's the time to play candy or coal!"

She grabs my hand and drags me to a nearby door. Placing her nose back on her face, she knocks at the door and stands patiently with her bucket. The door opens, spilling out multicolored lights onto the child.

"Candy or coal!"

"My my, what a cute reindeer you are!" A plump, kindly woman steps out onto the porch, her arms laden with a bowl full of candies. "Red hasn't seen you wearing that has he? He'll give you coal for sure." They both share a big laugh before she casts a stern look at the child. "Now then young one. Have you been good this year?"

She gives an emphatic nod.

"No lies?"

"I promise!"

"Hmmm. I guess then you don't get coal this year. Have some candy!"

The small elf stands on her tiptoes and rummages through the bowl.

"Full sized candies! You're amazing!" She plops the candy into her bag and beams at the woman. "I'll make sure all the kids know to come here!"

Before the woman can answer, she races off into the night.