The next morning, it was hard for me to get up. I felt like I had weights on my eyes and weighed a thousand pounds. But, then again, that's every girl's dilemma. And I wasn't much of a morning person. Bernard tried his best to wake me up.
"Bella Stella, rise and shine," Bernard said as he gently shook me.
"Mmm," I groaned.
"Come on, Stells. Time to start the day," Bernard said as he shook me a little harder.
"Mmmm," I groaned louder.
"Stellaaa," Bernard sang.
"No," I whined.
"Don't make me do this the hard way," Bernard said. I groaned in response. "Okay, that's it," he said. He then yanked the blankets off of me.
"No, it's cold," I said as I went to grab the blankets, but instead Bernard grabbed my hand and used it to haul me over his shoulder.
"Noooo," I whined again as I was yanked from the bed.
"Yessss," Bernard said, mockingly before he took me over to my closet.
"I don't wanna," I whined.
"Well, you gotta," Bernard replied as he grabbed my clothes. He then took me over to my bathroom and placed me in front of the vanity.
"Get dressed, I'll meet you outside when you're ready," Bernard told me. He was about to close the door but I stopped him.
"Wait," I whined.
"What?" asked Bernard. I frowned and crossed my arms.
"Ah. No pouting," Bernard said as he pointed at me in warning. I pouted even more by flapping out my bottom lip.
"I want a kiss," I whined. Bernard's expression softened and he smiled. He kissed my pouty lips and closed the door.
I brushed the hair out of my face and looked in the mirror. I screamed in panic. The door opened quickly a few seconds later.
"What? What?" Bernard asked, worriedly. I looked over at him and grabbed my ears.
"They're gone!" I yelled.
"Uh-oh," Bernard said with widened eyes.
"Uh-oh is an understatement, the more appropriate reaction is–Ahhh!" I screamed. I couldn't believe my pointy ears vanished overnight. They were completely fine last night when I returned to the Pole but now they're gone completely.
"Wh-wha-what do I do?" I asked.
"Well, you can wear your hat a lot lower down on your ears," Bernard suggested.
"Okay, okay. But since my ears are gone, does that mean I've lost my elf magic?" I asked.
"As long as you have power in that necklace all of your powers should be fine. If not you can test it out," Bernard suggested. I nodded and tried to teleport over to my bed. Luckily it worked. I sighed in relief.
"Phew," Bernard sighed in relief.
"Okay. I'll be okay, It'll be fine. I still have the ability to teleport to illinois...phew," I said to myself. I had Bernard leave the room so I could finish getting ready. I got into my green outfit and wore my hat lower down on my head to where the tip of my ears hid.
I met Bernard (who was now also fully dressed) outside of my room and went with him to meet Curtis outside of my dad's office.
"Ah, good morning, Stella," Curtis said to me.
"Good morning, Curtis," I said in greeting. We then entered my dad's room only to see Toy Santa eating a bowl of waxed fruit
"Uh, good morning Santa!" Curtis said to Toy Santa. Toy Santa looked up and dropped the waxed pear he was eating.
"Ah! Curtis! Hello! I didn't hear you come in," Toy Santa said with a chuckle before putting down the bowl.
"Are you ready for the day, sir?" Curtis asked.
"Yeah, yeah, sure! Just let me get the handbook," Toy Santa said. He then grabbed the handbook that was sitting at his desk.
"Alright, Santa you remember Stella, your daughter," Curtis said to Toy Santa who has his nose in Curtis' hand book. Toy Santa looked up at me.
"Ah, yes. Stella, my daughter," Toy Santa said to me.
"Alright. Shall we begin the day?" Bernard suggested. We all nodded and Bernard, Curtis and I walked along with Toy Santa trailing behind us.
I still didn't feel comfortable with a life-sized toy version of my dad walking around. It felt weird and I really didn't deem it necessary but I didn't want to hurt Curtis' feelings because I know he worked really hard on the Pantograph. His intentions on the machine were good, but I honestly wasn't too sure how good Toy Santa was going to be. I was completely zoned out until something Curtis said got my attention.
"Well, I think he's learning at an excellent rate," Curtis said to Bernard.
"Oh, really? This morning he ate a bowl of waxed fruit," Bernard disagreed.
"--Wait a minute," Toy Santa interjected as he caught up to us. "I need the naughty-and-nice list."
"No," Bernard said as he shook his head.
"Oh, yes, yes! It says I'm supposed to check it twice," Toy Santa told Bernard.
"Santa already checked it," Bernard replied.
"No, I didn't," Toy Santa said.
"The real Santa," said Bernard.
"I am the real Santa," Toy Santa said, loudly.
"I'm sorry?" I interjected.
"I'm in charge here," said Santa.
"What?" asked Bernard.
"I'm supposed to check the list twice. That's the rule. I like the rules. I think you're aware of how I feel about that," Toy Santa said to Bernard.
"I think you're misunderstanding something," I said. "Look, I don't know what kind of ideas Curtis filled in your–"
"No, no. I'm the rule maker. I like the rules. Santa likes rules. I thought I'd–"
"I've got a good idea. How about we have some fun?" Curtis interjected.
"Huh?" Toy Santa said as he looked from Bernard to Curtis.
"It's good to have fun," said Curtis.
"Right," Bernard said. "Santa," Bernard said with a cough. "Look over there. See those elves?" Bernard asked as he pointed over to Joey and his pals who were playing a game of tinsel football before their shifts. "Go ahead. Go play some tinsel football."
"What's the object of this tinsel football?" Toy Santa asked.
"Come on down," Curtis said as he waved Toy Santa over. Toy Santa knelt down to Curtis' level.
"If you don't have the ball, get it. If you have the ball, run to the end zone," Curtis told Toy Santa with a smile and nod. Toy Santa smiled and nodded as well, a little squeak emitting from his chin.
"OK, I'll go get the football," Toy Santa said right before the elves started the game. Brian was about to pass the ball to Joey, but Toy Santa ran at him and dove right at Brian, knocking him down. I gasped and covered my mouth. I looked over at Bernard and Curtis' whose jaws were agape.
"Alright, I got the ball. What are you gonna do about it? Who's gonna stop me? Come on!" Toy Santa mocked. The elves looked intimidated by Toy Santa's behavior.
Alex ran at Santa.
"This is a lot of fun!" Toy Santa yelled before knocking Alex over. He then knocked Floyd, Oscar and Kendall over.
Curtis, Bernard and I winced.
"Someone's got to stop him," I said as I developed an orb in my hand.
"Stella, no," Bernard scolded.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Santa said sarcastically to the elf he just knocked over. Manny tried to dive at him but missed and Toy Santa stepped on him and wiggled his feet. Now only Joey was left. Toy Santa did a dramatic hand gesture to challenge Joey.
"Joey, run!" I yelled. Joey ran for it and Toy Santa ran right after him.
"Come here! Stop! Slow down when I'm talking to you!" Toy Santa yelled as he chased Joey up the stairs. "Come here, you! Come on."
Toy Santa yelled and dove to try and catch him but he missed.
"That's it," I hissed. I then ran towards the flight of stairs to chase Toy Santa. Bernard and Curtis tried to go after me but I outran them. I aimed my orb and fired it at him. It stunned him and he wriggled on the floor. The elves around us gasped in shock, but I didn't care.
"Alright, Santa. You've had enough fun for today," I said as I grabbed the collar of his shirt and brought him up to his feet. "Curtis!" I yelled.
"Yes, ma'am?" Curtis yelled from the ground.
"Take Santa to his office for a time out," I told him.
"A time out? I'm Santa Claus! I don't get time outs," Toy Santa said as he struggled against my hold against him.
"We do not hurt the elves and you broke that rule. You need to learn to play nicely," I told him before I took him down the flight of stairs and threw him at Curtis. I brushed my dress off and stomped over towards the workshop. I made sure to put on my normal happy face before entering the workshop. Annie walked up to me.
"Would you like a cookie, Stella?" she asked.
"Of course, sweetie," I said as I knelt to her level.
"Where's Santa?" she asked.
"Santa should be in his office. He might be out later," I told her. "What's on the menu today?" I asked her. She held up a sugar cookie in the shape of a candy cane covered in red and white frosting. "Ooh, my favorite," I said as I took the cookie from her. "Thanks, baby-doll," I said sweetly to her. She smiled and walked away. Just then, Abby came up to me.
"Stella, you may want to see this," she told me. I nodded and she led me to the naughty-nice section. She showed me a scene on the screen of Charlie running away from two school monitors.
"Oh no. Again?" I sighed.
"It seems so. I'm sorry, Stella," Abby said, glumly.
"No, that's okay, sweetheart. It's not your fault. I'll be right back. I need to make a side trip. Tell Bernard I'll be back in a couple hours," I said to her. She nodded and I returned to my room and changed into business attire to make it seem like I worked at my Dad's old job. I decided not to use Dasher and just used my teleportation abilities. I teleported a few yards outside of Charlie's school and soon met up with Dad who was getting out of my car I let him borrow. He was a lot skinnier and he almost looked like he did before he put on the coat eight years ago.
"Stella? What are you doing here?" Dad asked.
"I came as soon as I saw," I replied.
"Why are you dressed like that?" he asked.
"Well, my alias is that I work at the company you used to work at," I replied.
"Oh, right. Well, if Principal Newman asks, I called you after she called me," Dad said. I nodded and the two of us met Principal Newman right outside the main entrance.
"Mr. Calvin–Stella, I wasn't expecting to see you here," Principal Newman said as the two of us greeted her.
"Yes, well as soon as Dad got your call he called me and I'm on lunch break so, I have time to be here," I replied.
"Okay, follow me," Principal Newman said. Dad I followed her inside then led us to her office to retrieve Charlie.
"Alright, Charlie. Follow me," Principal Newman said to Charlie who was glumly sitting in one of the chairs in front of her office. Charlie huffed and got up from the chair. He grabbed his backpack and walked out of her office. Principal Newman then led us up to the second floor.
"Are Laura and Neil on their way?" Principal Newman asked as we walked up the staircase.
"No, it's just Stella and me, apparently," Dad replied.
"Oh. You-you look...You've really lost weight. Are you feeling alright?" Principal Newman asked as she looked my Dad up and down.
"I was until I got this phone call," Dad said as we entered the hallway. Principal Newman walked ahead of us leading us to a group of lockers. She closed one of the open ones, which revealed a very attractive portrait of principal Newman pointing to a speech bubble, which said: Trim a Tree, Go to Jail.
"Wow," I said, unamused.
"Charlie, you promised you weren't gonna do this again. Now you've broken a promise," Dad scolded as he pointed back to the mural. "What's the matter with you? I'm gonna have to punish ya. I'll ground him for...two months," Dad said.
"I thought you were on my side!" Charlie exclaimed.
"Charlie, you need to find a better way to express your creativity. Graffiti of your principal isn't the answer. Dad's punishment only seems fair enough," I said to him.
"I'll do you one better. Charlie, you're suspended," Principal Newman said with crossed arms.
"But, Dad!" Charlie whined.
"Hold on a second. I'm as upset about this as you, but isn't there another way to punish him that doesn't mean takin' him out of school?" Dad asked.
"What did you have in mind?" Principal Newman asked.
"Community service could work," I chimed in. "That way he serves not only a way of detention but also gets some hours done for graduation requirements."
"Huh. That's not a bad idea," Principal Newman said in agreement before looking back at my brother. "OK, Charlie. I want you to start by cleaning up this wall. I want everything off of there by tonight. And then clean off every mark off every locker in this hallway."
"Every one?" Charlie asked in disbelief.
"Do as she says, Charlie," Dad scolded as he pointed at him.
"But I have homework, tests to study for," Charlie complained.
"Not my problem," said Principal Newman. "I have a detention group on Saturday. So we will all get together at the rec center. See you two there," Principal Newman said. I did a double take.
"You say both me and him?" Dad said as he gestured to Charlie and himself. "No, l... I'm very busy. I do a lot of other community service.
"That's good. You just got yourself elected parent rep," Principal Newman said to my father, completely unfazed by his words. "And, Charlie...We'll talk about the suspension," Principal Newman said to Charlie before she walked away.
"Okay, well that was...something," I said. I looked over at my watch. "Looks like my lunch break is over. I'll see you two later," I said. I then tried to use my teleportation powers. I was able to cover myself in a bit of sparkle before it died down.
"Uh-oh," I said, uneasily.
"Uh-oh?" Dad questioned.
"Hold on, hold on. I got this," I said. I tried again and luckily it worked and I teleported back to the Pole. I sighed in relief.
"Okay, guess I can't use my teleportation powers anymore..." I said. I looked at my surroundings and was back in the workshop. I was near the Naughty-And-Nice Center. What threw me off was that Toy Santa was there with the list.
"What in the silver bells is going on here?" I asked as I crossed my arms.
"--I could ask the same thing," came Bernard's voice from behind me. "Curtis, what is he doing in the naughty-and-nice center?" Bernard asked Curtis before he and Curtis walked up to the center. "What's going on here?" Bernard asked Toy Santa. I walked up next to him.
"Well, I'm checking the naughty-nice list. Actually, I'm checking it twice," Toy Santa said, confidently.
"I already told you," Bernard raised his voice before looking at Curtis and I. "It's been checked, don't worry about it."
"Well, I do worry about it. There's a lot of mistakes on this list. I'll give you a big fat, for instance! In Denmark, there's a guy named Sven Halstrom right here," Toy Santa gestured to Denmark on the globe. "He's a Dane. He was wiping his nose on his sister's shirt. Yuck! That's not very nice! And yet he's on the nice list," Toy Santa claimed
"We try to cut most children a little bit of slack this time of year," said Curtis.
"I don't understand that! It looks like kids are misbehaving everywhere," Toy Santa defended. "They're running with scissors. They're always sticky. I'm not gonna stop this car! No, we're not there yet! Brush your teeth! Pick up those clothes!" Toy Santa ranted as he got up in all of our faces." It goes on and on."
"But they're just kids! Everybody misbehaves some time," Bernard defended.
"But according to The Santa Handbook, naughty kids get lumps of coal in their stockings. Right? And if they don't have stockings, we will make them stockings. In my little personal opinion, they should all get coal in their stockings. Don't you?" Toy Santa asked before he got into one of our naughty-nice elf's faces.
"Good thing it's just your little personal opinion then," I said as I stepped up to him. Toy Santa stared at me. "That handbook hasn't been updated in 1600 years. And we've made quite a few changes around here that work perfectly fine and help everything run smoothly. So that handbook you're holding right there in your hand is outdated. You don't want to read anything outdated, do you?" I said as I put a hand on the Toy Santa's shoulders. Toy Santa stared at me for a second before yelling.
"Get me the naughty-nice list. Get me every list! Get me everything," Toy Santa said as he handed the naughty-nice elf the handbook and dismissed her.
"Santa," I said with a cringe. "You just ignored everything I said and I am more superior than you. Without me, there's no Christmas at all. You tend to forget that you're just a substitute, not the real deal," I said in a low growl.
"For now," Toy Santa said before looking down at my necklace. He smirked then walked away. I balled my hands into a fist and turned around towards Bernard and Curtis.
"You two keep an eye on him and keep him away from me. I don't trust him so I trust you two to make sure he doesn't ruin Christmas," I said, sternly before I walked away.
I kept to myself for a few days. I only popped out if Toy Santa wasn't around. I really didn't like how he looked at my necklace a few days ago. It made me uncomfortable and self conscious. Bernard and Curtis would come up and check on me and Abby would bring me hot cocoa on occasion.
On Saturday, the day Charlie was supposed to do community service, I decided to have a talk with Curtis in my room.
"Hi, Stella. What did you want to talk to me about?" Curtis asked.
"Curtis, have a seat," I said as I gestured to the chair in front of my desk. He took a seat and I took a seat at my desk. I sighed. "Curtis, I know you've worked really hard on your Pantograph and I know you're proud of the Toy Santa you created, but he's causing way too many problems. He was only supposed to be a stand-in, not the replacement," I told him.
"I know, Stella. But, I know he can change if we just convince him otherwise," Curtis replied.
"I don't think so, Curtis. He's pretty bound to that handbook of yours. He thinks we need to follow every rule as it is. He doesn't understand that we changed the way we work here. I'm afraid...we need to get rid of him," I told him.
"No! The elves will get suspicious," Curtis defended.
"No, they won't. We'll just tell them that Santa has decided to go back to his old look because all the chemicals he used for his new look caused mood swings and that he won't make a full recovery until Christmas Eve," I explained.
"That would help the elves feel better about how Toy Santa has been acting," Curtis muttered.
"Curtis, I'm sorry your plan didn't work out as you had hoped, but you had good intentions on creating a plastic version of my Dad. It's just like I told Charlie, you just need to find a better way to express your creativity. Maybe we can use your machine to reduce the Toy Santa and give him to a toy company as one of those small dancing Santas."
"But, Stella–"
"No buts, Curtis. My magic is starting to weaken. I was barely able to make it back to the Pole, which means my Dad is completely on his own. If the future of Christmas spirit disappears due to the fact that Toy Santa gets away with giving out nothing but coal to all the children of the world or my Dad never returns to the Pole, so will my magic, which means that I will die because of how fast my aging will catch up to me. You don't want any of that to happen, do you?" I asked. Curtis shook his head.
"Then we need to get rid of Toy Santa," I told him. Curtis frowned and nodded. When he left, Bernard peaked through the doorway.
"Come in," I told him. Bernard walked in.
"Are you doing okay?" Bernard asked him. I shook my head.
"I can't go back to Illinois. My powers are weakening. Either that's part of the De-elfification process that links to my dad's DeSantification or–"
"--The future of Christmas Spirit around the world will disappear," Bernard told him.
"Which means I don't have much time left, especially if we divide to keep Toy Santa in charge. I already told Curtis we need to get rid of him," I said.
"Good. No way in Krampus am I going to let anything bad happen to you. I made a promise and I'm going to stick to it," Bernard said. I looked up and smiled sadly.
"Bernard, I need you to promise me something," I told him.
"Anything, angel," he told me.
"If, by chance something happens to me...watch over my family for me. Even if my Dad stops being Santa. Would you do that?" I asked him. Bernard frowned at me.
"Stella, I told you. No harm would ever come to you and I'm not going to let it," he said, sternly.
"I know that, Bernard, but we are in real trouble here. With the future of Christmas spirit disappearing, the power of Bethlehem weakens, which will weaken me and I won't be able to recharge. Resulting to–"
"--No, don't you dare say it, Bernard said. "You're not going to die. You can't die. You have no idea how better my life has gotten since you stepped into it," Bernard yelled. I stared at him. I didn't know what to say or how to react. "We are going to get rid of that plastic monster even if it destroys Curtis," Bernard said. I sighed.
"Curtis knows what we have to do. He'll be okay," I reassured him. "We'll get rid of him tomorrow if we have to," I said.
"Good. Um...I'm sorry I blew up, it's just–"
"I know, Bernard. Trust me. I feel the same way about the situation like you do," I told him.
"But, you seem so calm about it," Bernard said, glumly.
"I told you this when we first met, Bernard. I'm an accepting person and I'm willing to accept whatever fate is given to me," I said as I stood up.
"I know...I just wish all this didn't affect you like this. I mean, going back to being a human is one thing but having your whole life taken away from you is just too much...I can't lose you like that," Bernard said.
"And you won't unless we do something about this Toy Santa business now," I told him. Bernard stared into my eyes. He then engulfed me in a tight embrace. I hugged him back. I heard a sniffle coming from him.
"Bernard? Are you crying?" I asked.
"Nope, nope. Not crying," Bernard replied as he pulled away from the embrace. I saw his eyes and immediately knew he was lying. I wiped the two tears from his eyes.
"I'm sorry, I–I just don't know how I can handle myself when I think I'm going to lose you," Bernard confessed. I gave him a sad smile.
"Then don't think about it. Think about something happier," I said.
"Like what?" Bernard asked. I gave him a warm smile.
"Well, we've been dating for eight years now...we might want to think about going forward in our relationship–somehow," I suggested.
"F-forward?" Bernard asked with a gulp. I nodded.
"I'll let you figure that out," I said. Bernard turned pink and I smirked at him.
"Alright, why don't you keep an eye on Toy Santa for a bit, try to make sure he stays out of trouble. I'm going down to the kitchen and get myself some food," I said as we both headed out of my room.
"Okay, um. I'll d-do that," Bernard stuttered. I loved making him nervous. In a good way, of course. I headed to the kitchen and Bernard went to find Toy Santa. I found Abby and Annie in the kitchen. Both of them looked upset.
"What's wrong, girls?" I asked.
"It's...Santa. Something's wrong with him," Abby said.
"What did he do now?" I asked with a sigh.
"Well...it's not necessarily that bad, but it's concerning. So far Santa has consumed 30 gallons of my cocoa since the beginning of the month. That could be bad, even for him," Abby said.
"Thirty gallons? Oh my god..." I said with a sigh.
"Santa also doesn't like my cookies anymore..." Annie said with a sniff.
"What?" I asked in disbelief.
"I offered him a cookie and he took one and ate it but he made a funny face and spat it out...are my cookies bad?" Annie asked.
"No, sweetie. You two come here," I said as I gestured the two of them over. Abby and Annie both walked over to me. I knelt down and put my arms around both of their shoulders.
"Now, I'm going to tell you both something...Santa hasn't been himself lately. It's because of the new look he has. He thinks it's helping him but it's not," I explained.
"He does look funny if I'm being honest," Abby said.
"Yeah, he wanted to make himself look like a toy and see what would happen. All the chemicals he's been using for his toy look has been giving him mood swings and random cravings. Last week he ate a bowl of waxed fruit," I said. The two girls giggled.
"Tomorrow Bernard, Curtis and I are going to try and convince him to go back to his regular look because he was a lot nicer with his normal look, huh?" I said to the girls. The two of them nodded.
"I don't want you two to worry about Santa. He's okay. He's just stressed and thinks things need to be done a certain way that's not necessarily the right way. But, I'm sure with Bernard, Curtis' and my help, we can help get Santa back to normal, okay?" I reassured the young girls. "You two make the best cocoa and cookies anyone's ever had. Don't listen to anything negative that comes from Santa, okay?"
The two girls nodded. "Now, do you two feel better?" I asked as I looked between the two. Abby and Annie nodded.
"Good. You may go back to what you were doing. I just came here to get myself some dinner," I said as I patted their shoulders.
"Want some cocoa to go with your dinner?" asked Abby.
"And cookies for dessert?" asked Annie. I chuckled.
"Of course I do."
I got my dinner and sweets from the girls then took my food to my room. I ate at my desk and decided to keep track of time. The hours went by slowly. Eventually, I tried going to sleep but I couldn't. I had just too much on my mind.
Thinking that everyone had gone to sleep, I decided to take a walk. I left my room wearing a white nightgown and a red blanket slung around my shoulders. As I was walking throughout the quiet workshop, I started hearing a noise. An all too familiar noise, I went towards that room and peaked through the door. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Toy Santa was making large replicas of Toy Soldiers. I gasped slightly at the horrific sight. I backed away then ran to my room and locked the door. I hid myself in my personal bathroom in the bathtub due to the fact that I was afraid I got caught and now I'm being looked for. The only reason I felt the need to hide was because I wasn't sure how strong or how weak my powers were at this stage of the game.
Of course, I didn't sleep a wink that night and the next morning when I got up to get ready for work, I noticed I was looking rather pale. "Oh no..." I said as I felt my face. I wasn't running a fever but I sure looked like I was. I put my green hat over my ears and went to start the day. Elves were already at work and Bernard was at the Nauhty-and-Nice Center. "Bernard, I need to talk to you. Now," I said to his. Bernard looked at me and a worried look washed over his face.
"Stella, you look sick. Are you feeling alright?" Bernard asked me.
"Not exactly. Look. I saw something last night and–"I was interrupted by the sounds of machines shutting off. "Can I have your attention?" came Toy Santa's voice. Bernard and I looked up to see Toy Santa in a black uniform with a beret. "Stop the work, please. Everybody stop the work," To Santa said as he shifted the sack that my dad used for delivering gifts. "Merry Christmas!" He now had all the elves' attention. "That's nice. I have a little announcement to make," Toy Santa said. "From this moment forward, we're not gonna make any more toys."
All the elves started to exclaim in disbelief. My jaw dropped. Who did this plastic piece of trash think he is? "The children of the world don't deserve presents. They're running rampant with naughtiness. This Christmas we're gonna give those greedy, selfish little kids exactly what they deserve."
Toy Santa then reached into the sack and pulled out a lump of coal. "A beautiful, high-quality yet low-sulfur variety of coal!"
"COAL?!" All the elves exclaimed.
"Quiet! We have to focus, all of us, on the goals ahead," Toy Santa yelled. "And just to make sure that that happens..." Toy Santa looked over to the elf beside him, who was from the Naughty-And-Nice center and retrieved an air horn from him. "Thank you, sweetie," he told her before he held up the horn. "I... I hate to blow my own horn," Toy Santa chuckled before he blew the horn. Just then the doors burst open and in walked all enlarged toy soldiers that I saw Toy Santa replicating last night. They started to march into the workshop, which scared all the elves. "Stay where you are! Don't be afraid!" Bernard told the elves. I went down and helped comfort the other elves. Annie found me and ran to me. "Santa's scaring me," she said. I scooped her into my arms.
"It's okay, sweetie," I said as I comforted her.
"I was up late, couldn't sleep. Milk wouldn't do it, cocoa is a little sweet, so I decided to make an army of toy soldiers," Toy Santa explained. I knew it. The toy soldiers positioned themselves in a circle around the Naught-And-Nice Center. "They don't have a good sense of humor like me. I would do what they ask you. Which is pretty much what I'm going to tell you!"
"Don't listen to him!" Bernard yelled. "This guy's not Santa!"
All the elves yelled in disbelief.
"He's a toy! He has a rubber face and a plastic tushy!" Bernard yelled as the Toy Soldiers started to crowd him.
"Bernard no!" I yelled. "Trust me! Don't let him ruin Christmas!" Bernard yelled as he was engulfed by the Toy Soldiers. "Thank you for those kind words, Bernard!" Toy Santa said, sarcastically. "Well, now that we all have an understanding, have a joyous and merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!"Just then, Toy Santa pulled a lever that released a bunch of coal down the conveyor belts we used for toys.
"Oh no, you don't!" I yelled. I placed Annie down and walked out from the crowd. I threw my hands upwards, which stopped the coal from coming down onto the machines. The elves gasped. "Stop acting like you run this place. You are a toy for heaven's sake! A TOY! I don't care what you do to try and take over the North Pole but as long as I'm here that will NEVER happen," I yelled at him. Toy Santa looked down and gave me a sly smile. "Now you can lock me up, chain me, leave me out in the cold but you will never kill Christmas Spirit," I told him. "Well...not yet," Toy Santa told me. I then noticed he wasn't making full eye contact with me. He was making eye contact with my necklace. I took the necklace and hid it in the collar of my dress. "Boys. Take her down," Toy Santa told the soldiers. Just then the Toy Soldiers started to crowd me. I tried using my telekinesis powers to throw them but my powers barely even nudged them. "No, no, no," I hissed. I felt myself get weaker. Just then, the toy soldiers grabbed a hold of me. "No! No!" I screamed. The elves started to yell in fear as the coal started coming down on the machines. The toy soldiers took me away and to my dad's office. Bernard was tied to the chair in front of the desk and the Toy Soldiers tied me to my dad's desk chair. "You'll pay for this," I said, weakly before the Toy soldiers walked away and closed the door.
"Stella...are you okay?" Bernard asked. I looked at him and shook my head.
"Bernard...Christmas Spirit is dying...and I think I am too..."