✔ |The other side of christmas | ✔

Chapter 4 - He knows if you've been bad or good

I didn't get any sleep at all that night. Was that elf only joking? I really hope so. Deep down I know he wasn't joking, but hope is always there.

In the morning, when I stepped out of my room, I saw out of the corner of my eye Santa turning around the hallway.

I ran up to Santa, and poked his shoulder to get his attention. "Uhm hi, it's me again" I said trying to come up with a way to word my concern "I'm in a hurry. Make it quick." He said in an emotionless voice, not stopping, and not looking me in the eyes. "Is my job to.... kill the naughty children?" I asked. "Mhm" Santa nods, still in a hurry.

I freeze in my spot, my eyes widening, and my breath is hitched in my throat due to a lump forming "sir, I can't do that" I say in a desperate voice. He stops what he's doing and turns his head slowly towards me, his creepy smile back on his face "well dear that's what you signed up for" I shake my head "but-" I start but he cuts me off "There will be no buts, you better show me how much of a fan of me you really are" He says and 'kindly' pats my shoulder, trying to comfort me.

I thought about it. This job has been my dream since I was a kid. And I am grateful to even have this job. I guess Santa knows best. How long had the job been killing children? Is this why there's always kids missing Christmas eve?

The thought gave me goosebumps and chills down my spine, it was too surreal to believe. Right now all I wanted was to be home, and safe... And be with my sister.

I got a bad case of homesickness. You know that pit you get in your stomach when you really miss someone or the lump you get in your throat when you're nervous.

That's how I feel...

A few days passed while I tried to accept my fate at this job. We had been preparing to go for so long. Santa gave me a list of all the kids I needed to eliminate, so many of them were so young. My eyes ran down the page,

....

𝒮𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒩𝑜𝓇𝓂𝒶𝓃 - 𝟫 𝓎𝑜

𝒮𝑒𝒷𝒶𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒶𝓃 𝒮𝓂𝒾𝓉𝒽 - 𝟩 𝓎𝑜

𝒮𝒾𝓂𝑜𝓃 𝒮𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓈𝑜𝓃 - 𝟣𝟦 𝓎𝑜

𝒮𝓊𝓂𝓂𝑒𝓇 𝒢𝓇𝑒𝑔𝑔𝓁𝓎 - 𝟣𝟤 𝓎𝑜

And at the bottom of the S list was,

𝒮𝓊𝓏𝓎 𝑀𝒾𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓁𝑒 - 𝟣𝟤 𝓎𝑜

My sister...

The world around me stopped and blurred for a moment. Memories of her and me by the firepit with hot chocolate, drawing pictures together, playing with our old dollhouse - which is now packed away in the attic, standing up against the bullies and so many more lovely memories.

At home she was always an angel, so how could she be on this list?

I will have to kill my own sister. Tears started forming in my eyes. I did my best to blink them away, I can't let Santa see me crying.