How to love a devil

a star

Now it is official! I'm pretty much the happiest girl in this world!

I can finally stand behind the cash register again, I can finally go brawling again, I can finally visit the Hero Academy again. I have a living book with which I can transform myself into Trixie-Colette, my new powers help me to become a better fighter and soon the Christmas party in the gift shop will take place, which I also am allowed attend!

Yippee!!!

I am happily wiping dust in the shop. Humming, I scrub every shelf and countertop until it glitters and twinkles everywhere. I'm polishing the gold doorknob when a huge, tall fir tree walks through the storeroom into the shop. Two plate-sized hands stand the tree upright and two normal-sized hands with black-painted fingernails fix the trunk in its stand.

"Well done Frank and Edgar, very nice." comes a voice that is all too familiar to me.

"I'm so glad I was able to source this wonderfully festive and wonderfully cheap Christmas tree for the gift shop. So, nothing stands in the way of our Christmas party." Griff says happily and immediately stomps out the door again with Frank.

While I am now also admiring the pretty Christmas tree, Edgar is already carrying several boxes full of Christmas decorations into the shop. I quickly free my gaze from the tree to help him. Together we decorate the shelves, the counter, the displays, the door, the windows of the gift shop and finally the tree. Edgar deftly pushes himself off the ground, jumps against a shelf to get even higher and uses his scarf to pin the magnificent poinsettia to the top of the tree in a matter of seconds before it lands back on the ground right in front of my feet.

Dreamily, I turn around the room a few times, everything looks so beautiful, so magical, so Christmassy!

In the meantime, it has gotten dark, outside in Starr Park the Christmas lights are switched on for the first time in addition to the illuminated attractions – and what are those? Excited, I walk closer to the window.

Is that snow actually!

Thousands of small, white flakes trickle down from the black sky and glitter in the headlights like sparkling diamonds. I stand there spellbound, staring out the window, hundreds of little crystals competing to shine, both in Starr Park and in my eyes.

Suddenly, I notice that Edgar is standing next to me.

"It's so wonderful, isn't it?" I ask him, turning my gaze back to the window.

"Yes, and how it is." Edgar says and if I hadn't fixed my eyes on the magical snowflakes, I would have noticed that he wasn't even looking outside.

"Colette... I, um..." he wants to start, but I'm already out the door and dancing through the tangle of ice crystals. Edgar follows me and walks silently beside me while I'm like a hyper-excited puppy dancing through the alleys. Despite the late hour we meet Leon and Sandy and are having the first snowball fight of the year with them!

-----

Despite the freezing cold and my frozen feet, I slept like a marmot. In a good mood I walk through the snowy streets to the gift shop. Someone is standing in front of the door – Edgar.

I happily run the last few meters and want to stop in front of him. Unfortunately, I overlook a large frozen puddle, slip on the ice, and fall forward, knocking Edgar over. He's lying on his back in the snow and I'm on his stomach, the tips of our nose's only inches apart. I quickly get up and help Edgar back to his feet.

I clumsy really have a gift for manoeuvring myself into awkward situations!

"T-I'm sorry!" I mumble in embarrassment. We look at each other and both blush at the same time, Edgar grabs his neck.

"Not bad! I wanted to talk to you anyway."

"Um, w-w-what is it all about?"

Damn it, why am I stuttering again?!

Meanwhile, Edgar turns slightly away from me, but continues.

"I wanted to ask you if..." but he doesn't get any further, because at that moment an angry rumble shakes the earth.

What was that? And where did that come from? There! behind some houses I see flames!!!

"Colette, come on!" calls Edgar, throws me a helmet and jumps onto his motorbike. I quickly put my helmet on and take a seat behind him. We're already jetting off through the deserted streets towards the fire!

It's Em's makeup tent! It's burning!!! And behind her tent is a monstrous robot firing rockets at her displays!

Angry, Ems sprays her poisonous hairspray on him, but she can't deal with this monster on her own!

Immediately Edgar activates his super skill! At full speed, the emo jumps off his motorbike, lunges at the robot and whacks it with his scarf! Since I know nothing about motorcycling, I decide it's best to slow down, just ram one of Em's boxes and then get off. Meanwhile, Edgar is having a serious boxing match with the metal monster. I skilfully dodge the rockets fired and shoot my hearts at the enemy, then notice that the rockets are heading for Ems tent, want to try to stop them, but to no avail - the rockets hit their target, leave big holes in the tarpaulin, and destroy Ems expenses.

"Eat my scrunchie! I will destroy you, your miserable bunch of outdated tin!" she yells, charging towards the robot and activating her super skill! "Hah, try my new perfume!"

A giant purple circle stretches across the square, I can feel myself getting sick and staggering. The robot gets too does some damage, but he manages to shake off Edgar, fire a good load of rockets at Ems - and hit!

Dazed, she lies on the ground, I can hardly stand up either - but what is that?!

"Power chord!"

POCO!!!

He plays the strings of his guitar energetically, a wave of green musical notes floods the square, Ems gets to his feet, and I too can feel myself getting better by the second!

Poco's healing is just great!!!

"Colette!" Edgar calls to me from the ledge of a window on the fourth floor. "Tie him up!"

He points his finger at the Christmas lights, and I get it! I quickly move out of range, because the metal monster has already started shooting rockets again and I pull out my book!

"Okay, now it's our turn!" I say, petting the cover.

"You can't get away from me! Ever..."