Alice Lennox

Chapter 17: Hey, Maybe You Should Shut Up.

I found Curtis and Frost in the main part of the village, working on their Canadian disguise. Well, more like Curtis was watching Frost put up a sign.

"I see the town's looking good." I say.

"Yeah," Curtis replies, "So... what happened earlier?"

"Not now." I say, not feeling like explaining it again. "Let's just say it's complicated. Anyway, where's Scott?"

"He went back to get her parents. He'll be back soon. Where's Bernard?"

"Doing something for Mother Nature."

Frost then came down from the ladder he was on and took a few steps back.

"Guys, I've done it!" He says just before the sign falls and breaks. He then turns to the two elves that were helping him. "What have you done? Is it going to clean itself up? I don't think so. Quickly, quickly." The two other elves got to work, he turned to Curtis and I. "Alice, there you are. I was wondering where you were."

"Just sharing our... history." I say.

Thankfully, he didn't press that subject any further, for now. "I haven't seen the bearded wonder around for a while. Where'd he go?"

"Not your concern." I respond harshly.

"Now now, no need to be nippy, Alice. Anyway, with all the stress I wouldn't blame the big guy for doing that escape hatch thing."

"Escape Clause." Curtis corrects.

"Right. How does that Escape Clause work, anyway?" Frost asks.

"Sorry, classified." Curtis says, "Elfland Security Act."

"And I'll repeat, not your concern." I add.

"That's just what I'd say." Frost says.

"What?" Curtis asks.

"If I didn't know anything." Frost responds. "Don't be embarrassed." He adds when he sees Curtis and I's stunned expression, "Makes perfect sense. Only the big guy would know the important stuff."

I wouldn't admit that the was right about me not knowing, but I could start to see that he was trying to get info out of Curtis, especially since he still takes pride as one of Scott's favorites.

"For your information, Alice and I are elves number three and two respectively." Curtis says.

"Oh? Where's number one?" Frost asks.

"Busy." I respond.

"And I know everything there is to know about the Hall of Snow Globes." Curtis adds. Okay, now he was starting to give away too much. That I knew.

"Everybody knows about the Hall of Snow Globes. That it's not special." Frost says.

Again, the expression on Curtis's face was one of did you really just say that? Are you crazy? He then got up from his snowmobile and approached Frost.

"Not special? It's the most top secret, hush-hush, amazing place in the world. It's where every Santa throughout history has kept his own personal snow globe. How can you say that that's not special?"

"Because it isn't." Frost replies.

"Curtis, maybe you should stop..." I start while Frost continued, ignoring me.

"Unless you now what it has to do with the Escape Clause, which clearly you don't. I bet Santa doesn't even trust you."

If there was one thing I had learned in my years here, it would be when someone was about to do something stupid. I could see Curtis angrily taking some snow and forming a snowball in his hands.

"Now, you listen here, frostface." He starts, but I step in.

"Curtis!" I say, taking the snowball from his hands. "That's enough. Why don't you check on the others while I handle this?" I say. "And you," I add, turning to Frost, "break's over. Now get back up that ladder and fix the sign."

"As you wish." Frost replies before doing so.

I then turned back to Curtis and thew the snowball at him. "Are you crazy?" I whisper to him angrily. "Do you even realize what you were doing?"

"What?" He asks.

"You were telling him exactly what he wants to know. Look, call me skeptical, or say I have trust issues with him, but I don't trust him. Just please try to be more careful."

"Alright." He says before driving off on his snowmobile.