HEART OF ICE

CHAPTER 20

The foolish thing was, I had expected a normal day. But what was that? And when was the last time I'd actually had one of those? Moe and I had just spent our winter break with two dwarves and a former nurse of an old army of Santa Claus learning about magic chalk, the special abilities of different plants, and making time stand still. Before that, I had found out I am Santa Claus and that I am responsible for stopping a shadowy force of evil from taking over the world-along with some of the other traditional Santa Claus stuff. Before that, my parents had disappeared and left me an orphan in the care of their best friend. That one happened more than a decade ago. I had the ability to to see people's names and glimpse into their hearts. I could understand languages I didn't know-well, at least one so far. I could pulse bursts of light as bright as the sun itself and as powerful as a shockwave from an explosion. So what did I know about normal?

Maybe this was supposed to be normal for me. I glanced around at the group walking down the sidewalk with me. For us, I corrected myself. The abnormal was the otherwise regular routine of life we were trying to fit ourselves into. So far, I-at least-was trying to define my purpose in life as being a better sophomore. That would certainly make Aunt Meredith happier. But what else was I really supposed to be doing right now? I understood that I had to help make the world better, to protect it from the darkness trying to sweep across it and corrupt everything. But how? Chasing bullies in black vans? Drawing doors? Creating light at random and uncontrollable moments? I wanted to be what everyone was expecting of me. I just had no idea what that was exactly or how to do it.

How quickly things would begin to change.

"I know that name," Moe randomly exclaimed.

"Which one," Alejandra asked.

"Garrig."

"Car," Orion said from the edge of the opposite curb.

I looked coldly across the street at the little figure who smiled slyly over his shoulder. "Thank you," I said.

"You're welcome," the dwarf replied just before a beat-up, brown sedan rattled past us.

"How do you know the name," Alejandra asked as we crossed the street to join the dwarf brothers on the other side. She was walking beside him, keeping Moe and his bike between us and me farthest from the edge of the sidewalk.

"There's a Garrig at my school. I'm trying to remember his first name. Peter, maybe? No, that's not it. Anyway, he lives, like, a block or two-I think-away from me."

"That might be worth looking into," Alejandra said.

"It'll have to wait," Orion said. "There's lessons with Eleanor and I'm sure the boys have homework. And you," he said looking back at Alejandra, "have target practice."

There was a groan from Moe and an eye roll from Alejandra. I didn't say anything. I watched the distance to the next corner on Melody Street close with each tired step. We followed the dwarves around the narrow, left hand turn, stepping onto the fence-lined Settlers Way.

The quiet, narrow road was the alley-like path that stretched past the back of the house I called home. Tall, salt-stained trash bins sat at weird angles all the way down the street. They marked the start of each house's driveway like grimy, plastic monuments. A few were left out of the uneven columns on either side of us. They were still in front of the driveways, but halfway out into the street. Ours was usually one of those, the garbage men having made no exception that day. I grabbed the cold handle on the back of the lid, tugging it along behind me as I followed the rest of the group up the dark slab of concrete.

The backyard was barely a yard at all. There was a strip of dry grass only three feet wide at the bottom of two sides of a rickety, picket fence. A stout shed with sun-bleached siding and a single, dusty window divided the grassy area into two uneven rectangles. The driveway took up the rest of the small, rectangular space. Most afternoons it would be empty. Aunt Meredith worked long days and didn't see home until well into the evening. I hesitated a step as I walked behind the others, surprised to see her old station wagon parked in its usual place.