Santa Claus isn't real. Or is he?
But he wouldn't be somebody young. Would he?
He's supposed to be old and stuffy. Isn't he?
He's not supposed to be young and hot and handsome. Right?
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Jae Character Design on picrew.com (online avatar maker) *Photo not mine
Chapter 20
"I'll be good. Don't leave me."
The words lacked emotion but it shot straight into Jae's heart. A distant memory flashed through her head. Back on her first day of kindergarten, she clung to her mother's pants like her life depended on it. She was crying her heart out, burying her face while her mother softly caressed her back. She didn't want to part from her mother that day and she didn't actually expect her mother to leave her in someplace unfamiliar to her. She remembered feeling betrayed while the teacher pulled her away gently as her mom waved her goodbye.
She recalled spacing out the whole day while her classmates stared and whispered about her. They were weirded out. Nobody wants to be friends with the weird kid. It was the first of many times Jae discovered the steps towards independence. Alone doesn't mean lonely.
Clearly, this wasn't the case for Santa Claus. Jae, with her fragility, opened her arms for the adult with a kid's heart. "Just, don't do it again. If you want to be friends, you need to respect my boundaries," Jae stated rigidly. Skye accepted the hug, breaking his walls for a quick glimpse of vulnerability.
"I understand," Skye murmured with a sigh. "And, I apologize. For everything. If I hurt you unintentionally." He pulled away as he rebuilt his walls. With his ears tinged in red, he glanced away from Jae, feeling uncomfortable for showing a moment of weakness.
Jae smiled to herself. "Apology accepted."
Now that the theatrics were done, Jae has the time to look around. They were in some sort of tower, a water tower to be precise. They were sitting right on the balcony on top of the tower, overlooking the massive forest that seemed to stretch for miles and miles. Jae stood up from where she was crouched down, her knees wobbling underneath her. "Wow." She found herself breathless. The sight of dense green wherever she turned her head brought up overwhelming emotions. A flock of birds emerged from one part of the forest and took flight into the skies.
"It's one of my favorite views," Skye said while he settled beside her. He'd be lying if he said he was staring towards the horizon than Jae's gaping expression. "Plus, I'm the only one who can get up here."
Jae turned her attention to Skye for a moment. "What do you mean?" Dread started to creep up her spine as she waited for him to answer.
"The stairs are all rusty and frail. The only way to get up here is to teleport." Skye flinched at his own words. It hasn't even been a few minutes and he was already breaking a promise.
Jae buried her face into her palms as she groaned loudly. "I knew it." She can't help but peek in between her fingers as she stared into the horizon once more. "Fine. But let's go back down later. I'm still enjoying this view."
Time passed without Jae noticing. She could watch forever. The only indication that time moved forward was when Skye's phone started ringing, snapping her out of her trance. She glimpsed at Skye while he answered his phone. "Hey, how's it going, old man?" It looked like he was talking to Sir Wynter.
