Dümped

Sandra didn't choose to become an elf—they made her one. The ritual was simple: a glass of milk, an offered cookie. "Will you drink of Santa's blood and eat of his flesh?" they asked. It felt more like a communion than a swearing-in.

At first, being the only adult among them felt strange. But after playing the voice of reason a few times, she settled into it. For some reason, they called her Buddy.

She helped "fix" the North Pole—what they called the mall. Under her guidance, it slowly became more child-friendly.

One afternoon, a meeting was called. Among the items on the agenda—food reserves, repairs, security—was something simply labeled "Buddy System."

After working through the usual concerns, they called Sandra to the center of the room.

"I've had complaints," Santa announced, his voice grave. "You've been treating your fellow elves like children. Buddy, how do you plead?"

A murmur rippled through the crowd, followed by scattered cheers and a few jeers.

Sandra crossed her arms. "Not guilty. I treat them like any caring person would. I don't force anything on anyone. But if I see someone standing on a ledge, of course I'll say something. If that's treating them like children, then—" she hesitated, then straightened her posture. "Then I'm guilty."

Santa frowned. "So… are you guilty or not guilty?"

"Not guilty."

Santa nodded and turned to the crowd. "Very well. If you believe Buddy is guilty, say 'Aye.' If not, say 'Nay.'"

A wave of voices filled the room. The Nays outnumbered the Ayes.

"I hereby clear Buddy of all charges," Santa declared, then brought down a mallet against the arm of his chair with a loud crack.

Sandra had been cleared, but learning that some of the kids resented how she had treated them made her uneasy. She resolved to stop meddling in their personal lives. Still, even with her helping with repairs, Santa continued his search for the SVI list.

And he wasn't the only one.

Sandra joined a small group of kids hunting for the list, following their lead. With her were TomTom, Jackfrost, and Merlin. Like the myth, Jackfrost could freeze anything solid with just a touch. Merlin had the power to teleport objects and people, but only within a 240-square-foot range—anything beyond that was out of his reach.

TomTom's ability seemed unimpressive at first glance: an extreme attention to detail. But when used right, it was nearly supernatural.

All of a sudden, TomTom stopped.

"I think we're being watched," he said, moving toward a plant with a broken branch. He tilted his head, scanning upward. The others followed his gaze.

"What are we looking at?" Jackfrost asked.

TomTom leaned in, whispering something in his ear. Jackfrost's expression stiffened. He bent down and murmured the message into Merlin's ear. Sandra, still clueless, tapped Merlin for an explanation.

"Just a second," Merlin said, holding up a finger. He extended his hand in the direction TomTom indicated. TomTom adjusted it slightly.

Then—Merlin teleported something. He knew he had, but he wasn't sure what.

Jackfrost reacted immediately. Guided by TomTom's sharp eyes, he reached out—and his fingers met solid flesh.

A man materialized from thin air, frozen in Jackfrost's grip.

"Wow, how did you know he was there?" Merlin asked, eyes wide.

"That twig wasn't there when we passed by," TomTom said, pointing at the small branch on the ground.

"Wait… twig? I thought you were looking at the branch," Jackfrost said.

"I was, but I first noticed something move in my peripheral vision. When I checked, I saw it was a twig. That twig. But it wasn't broken when we walked by, even though our footsteps had been right there. That meant it had fallen after we passed. When I looked up, I noticed a distortion in the tree's shape. Since the whole tree wasn't distorted, something had to be in front of it, blocking part of our view."

"Wow, I didn't even hear the twig fall," Sandra said.

TomTom stiffened. He hadn't heard it fall either. Before he could voice the realization, something slammed into him, launching him into a tree.

A girl—about seventeen—stepped forward.

"Telekinesis," TomTom groaned as he pushed himself up. "She caught the twig midair and lowered it down so we wouldn't hear it."

The girl kept her arm raised, her fingers twitching slightly. "We heard you've got someone who knows where the SVI system is."

Jackfrost glanced at Merlin and gestured for him to pull her in with his teleportation. But before Merlin could act, she flicked her wrist—and Merlin was sent flying.

"I saw what you can do," she warned Jackfrost. "Keep your distance."

Jackfrost glanced at TomTom. "Is she talking about Buddy?"

"Guess they got the news a little late," TomTom muttered.

The girl's eyes flicked to Sandra. "She's the one who knows where the SVI system is?"

Before anyone could react, she hurled Jackfrost backward with another blast, then grabbed Sandra.

With a burst of telekinetic force, she shot into the air, leaping from tree to tree, dragging Sandra with her. Sandra struggled, twisting and kicking, but the girl's grip was ironclad.