Cape High Christmas: A Side Story (Cape High Series)

by R. J. Ross

  "You're okay, son," Ken says, patting his back. "You didn't drown."

  "You sure?" Jack demands.

  "I'm sure," Ken says before finishing up the ceremony with a little grin on his face. Then he hugs Jack, lifting him a good foot out of the water. "That's my boy," he says proudly. "I'm so proud of you!"

  "Aw, man, Dad, do you have to do that in front of the school?" Jack demands as he heads out of the baptismal. Ken starts laughing.

  Jeanie moves to the pulpit and they start singing Christmas hymns as the two change into dry clothing. Ken takes over the pulpit when she's done, and starts telling the story about Jesus' birth. The entire group, including him, stops, though, when a camel walks down the aisle with a wise man on his back.

  "Ace, man," Jack says, elbowing him.

  "Oh, sorry--um--" Ace waves a hand and the camel disappears. "You can go on, sir," he says to Ken.

  "You can bring back the wise man," Ken says, grinning hugely. "We won't complain." Soon the small church is overflowing with camels and stars and angels, as Ken tells the same story Piper had--but in a slightly different way. The hour of church passes in a blink, and the kids are almost reluctant to get on the bus. Jack leaves before they do, going with his family. And while they talk excitedly about the illusions, Ace sleeps like the dead in the back seat.

  When they get back to the school, they're a bit surprised when Jack stops in front of the bus. "We're going to need the wall brought down, Nico," he says, motioning to the massive pile of metal behind him.

  "Go-karts?" Nico asks, looking over as Trent and Ken take to the air around the canyon. "Sounds good," he says, waving a hand and lowering a section of the force field. The metal frames and parts take to the air.

  "Zoe? Aubrey? Think you can get the tires?" Jack asks as he heads into the school with all the other parts. Before the girls can even get to them, the rest of the group is grabbing them, racing for the canyon with huge grins on their faces. Soon they're standing in a group as Jack steps in front of them.

  "So, I guess this is pretty obvious, huh?" he says, earning nods. "We're building go-karts. Once all of them are running, we're RACING go-karts," he tells them with a shiny grin. "Since I knew I was going to take up half the day, I put together all the frames for you. Me, Zoe, and Aubrey will be helping with whatever you can't figure out, but I figure I'll walk you through it, first."

  One of the heaviest duty frames comes floating over to him, along with a lot of parts. "This is mine," he tells them, even though it's obvious. He launches into an explanation as he shows them how to assemble the cart. Soon everyone is running around, building their own, helping others, and making him customize parts. Before they know it, there's only one go-kart not made. "Wait... where's Ace?" Jack asks.

  "We left him sleeping in the bus," Max says, looking amused.

  Jack snorts, hesitates, and starts putting the go-kart together for him. "He'd probably cheat if I don't," he explains when people just look at him.

  "You just left me sleeping!" Ace declares angrily as he comes through the security field. "You could have woken me up, at least!"

  "Don't get your man panties in a twist," Jack says, "I made yours, too." He steps back, showing the go-kart that looks suspiciously like a dragon's skull. "Now everyone to the starting line!" he calls to the group before hopping into his own kart. "Winner gets bragging rights!"

  Ace is staring at the go-kart, a hint of confusion on his face. After a moment he gets in, chasing after Jack to the starting line at the edge of the canyon floor. Soon the entire class is racing around the canyon, jockeying for position and yelling out jibes at one another. And when Zoe crosses the finish line first, they all start to slow down--until Jack goes, "I never said it was just one round!" and races past them at top speed, leaving the others to kick up the speed and chase after him.

  "This is never going to end, is it?" Ken asks Nico as they stand to the side, cheering the kids on.

  "Not since Zoe rigged the engines to run off their energy," Nico says. "Want to go in and eat?"

  "Sounds good," Ken says. The rest of the adults follow him inside, leaving the kids to race. "They'll come in when they get hungry," Ken decides.

  A few hours later the group comes in, just as predicted. Ace steps next to Jack as they get in line for sandwiches. "Thanks," he says. "I didn't expect that."

  "Not a problem," Jack says. "I didn't expect the stuff this morning."

  "It's a cool story," Ace says. "Somehow it just sort of... got stuck in my mind. And when he started telling it again, I couldn't seem to stop myself. I dunno, that sounds stupid, huh?"

  "Not really. It tends to have that effect," Jack says simply as he piles up food on his plate.

  "I won!" Carla declares from across the cafeteria, making them both look over. "I totally won the race! I won two rounds!"

  "Yeah, but I won the FINAL round," Ward says, "which makes me the winner!"

  The argument kicks up, with Jack joining in, since no one really has a clue who won. When no one can agree, everyone shoves down their food and races out again.

  Advent Calendar - Day Twenty-One

  The gym is covered in the blankets and pillows they'd used during Piper's day. The kids look around curiously, seeing several of the once busted pillows looking like new. In the middle of the room is Kirsten, standing and fiddling with the edge of the shirt she's wearing. She looks worried, and when they all turn their attention to her, she jumps slightly.

  "Oh, um, welcome to my day," she says, her voice a little shaky. Having some of the biggest names, or even the future big names, all turning their attention on her is a bit more than she's used to. She knows as well as any of them that she's been written off as the rabid Justin fan and dismissed. That's actually sort of painful, but it's not something she isn't used to. It's just she used to have a best friend in the same boat.

  "Hi, Kirsten!" Carla says, waving at her as she heads for the large plush unicorn. She drops down on it, using the neck as a chair back. Piper walks past her, yawning hugely and curling up on the gigantic teddy bear she'd used earlier. "Hey, Max, Max, can we have these for Christmas?" Carla asks as the super villain walks in. Kirsten feels a hint of panic hit her, and she almost tells the younger girl to be quiet--you don't ask Maximum for things! He's a super villain!

  "Sure, Carla," Max says with a grin. "It's not like I WANT a pink horned unicorn big enough to ride--pink's never been my color. I'm actually surprised they're still in here," he admits as the kids go to their various favorite pillows and blankets.

  "We thought we might need them again," Piper says, cuddling her teddy throne and yawning hugely. "So we stored them--well, they stored them. I slept through most of it," she admits, clearly planning on sleeping through this, as well.

  "Um, well," Kirsten says, trying to get control back and failing. Like she COULD, she thinks dryly. She's--

  "Everyone!" Aubrey says, getting up and moving to her side. The entire room turns. "Hi! Today is Kirsten's day, so why don't we hear what she has to tell us?" she asks.

  "Sup, Kirsten?" Max asks, dropping on top of a gigantic black beanbag with his logo decorating it. "What's the plan for today?"

  "Um, okay," she says almost to herself, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "You all know what my power is, right? Well, I thought we could re-live some of your favorite Christmases," she says. "That is, if you're willing to share them," she admits. "Bobby and Aubrey are my helpers," she goes on. They wave. "So, um, do I have any volunteers?"

  The room is silent, some of the kids looking a bit awkwardly at anything OTHER than her. Trent is the first to raise a hand. "I'll do it!" he says, getting to his feet and walking over. The atmosphere changes completely, from nervous worry to eager anticipation. Everyone wants to see how the Liberty family has spent their Christmases.

  "Okay, if you'd sit here," she says, pulling an aluminum chair forward. He looks at it hesitantly for a moment before slowly sitting down.

  "If I break it, Jack ca
n fix it," he says, much to his brother's irritation. "Okay, what do I need to do?"

  "I want you to think back to your favorite Christmas memory," Kirsten says, her confidence growing with every second. "I'm going to touch your forehead and we'll all see it here, okay?"

  "Sure, sounds good," Trent says.

  "Nothing too embarrassing to show?" she asks, hesitating.

  "Nah, embarrassing, sure, but nothing people will be surprised by," he says with a little grin. "Let's do the Christmas that Liz and Mega had the food fight," he decides. "At the time, Liz and Mega were fighting about EVERYTHING--especially over my family. They've calmed down since then, but this one--well, it's one of my favorite memories."

  She touches his forehead and all of a sudden there's a table in the center of the room. Liz, Mega, and a seven-year-old Trent are already sitting at the table as Ken and Jeanie bring out platters of food and head back into the kitchen to get more. Mega and Liz are straight across from each other, glaring at one another when people don't think they're looking.

  "Aren't you Jewish?" Liz asks him. "That means you shouldn't be eating Christmas dinner--or ham," she says.

  "Jeanie said she'd make a roast, even though I didn't ask," Mega says, glancing at Trent a bit pointedly. "And I was invited. It would be impolite to pass up an invitation."

  "This was MY holiday, you have Hanukkah! They even did a special meal for you on the first day! Even had the latkes!" Liz says.

  "You're acting like a spoiled child, Liz," Mega says. "Trent, tell her she's acting like a spoiled child," he says to Trent. "This is a FAMILY dinner, and I want to spend it with family. I'm just stuck sharing it with you, too, I guess. Besides, you CAME for the Chanukah dinner!"

  "Can I make my plate yet, Mom?" Trent yells to the kitchen, too smart to get in on this argument. "I'm starving, and if I don't eat now Dad will eat it all!"

  "I will not!" Ken calls back.

  "You can start filling your plate, but no eating until after we've said grace!" Jeanie says. "And yes you would, honey, remember Thanksgiving?" she adds.

  Liz starts filling her plate as well--and a spoonful of potatoes "accidentally" goes flying across the table, hitting Mega in the face. "Whoops," she says, waving the spoon at him. "Must have slipped."

  Mega very calmly wipes the potatoes off of his face before starting to fill his own plate. A spoonful of stuffing goes flying a moment later, hitting Liz's ugly Christmas sweater. "Whoops--but it shouldn't matter, you can hardly see it with that sweater," he taunts. Soon the food is flying back and forth, covering the two quickly. Trent, to everyone's surprise, doesn't have a drop on him--and keeps reaching out to grab handfuls of food and place them on his plate.

  "Sorry it took so long--" Jeanie starts out as she comes back into the room. She stops and stands there, the ham in her hands. The food stops flying and Mega and Liz give her the most guilty looks they've ever seen.

  "He/she started it," they say, pointing at one another.

  The illusion disappears as the group roars with laughter. "Me next, me next!" Carla says, waving a hand and hopping to her feet. She's waiting impatiently in front of Trent before he even stands. "I want the chair, please," she says.

  "Got it," he says, moving out of the way. She sits down and looks up at Kirsten eagerly.

  "There's one that I really, really love!" she says as Kirsten reaches down and touches her forehead. In front of them a large chair and a fake fire appear. There's an African American Santa sitting in the chair, lifting the next little kid onto his lap and asking them what they want for Christmas.

  The group's attention is drawn to a group of kids--the tallest which is obviously a younger Carla. She's talking to her three younger brothers. "No pushing!" she tells them. "Santa is watching, and if he sees you push the kids in front of you, you're going to be put on the naughty list, got it?"

  "Yes, Carla," they say. Two look exactly alike, the third is a little younger. Carla reaches down, picking up the fourth, and youngest--a girl, and holding her on her hip. She turns, waving to a woman in the crowd. The woman is just starting to show her pregnancy, and looks a lot like Carla. She waves back, snapping a picture with her phone.

  The line moves and Carla urges her brothers forward. Soon they're climbing onto Santa's lap, one by one, staring at him in wonder and barely getting out their Christmas wish. When all of her siblings have finished, Carla starts for their mother without taking her turn.

  "Aren't you going to tell Santa what you want for Christmas, Carla?" Santa asks. Carla goes perfectly still, her eyes widening as she turns to the Santa.

  "Daddy?" she asks. Santa tugs his beard down, giving her a grin and holding out his arms. She races forward, throwing herself into his arms. "You were overseas!" she says. "Mom said you couldn't make it back this year!" Her little brothers and sister rush forward, hugging him, as well.

  "I only found out I could come two days ago," he says as the group hugs. "I wanted to surprise you," he adds, kissing her on the forehead. The memory disappears and they all turn to Carla, who's both smiling and crying at the same time.

  "Your dad--" Max starts out.

  "Oh, he's still alive!" she says before he can ask. "He's a Tactical Aircraft Maintenance Specialist--which is a fancy way of saying mechanic, he says," she explains. "But he's always going back and forth--he's one of the best! He's going to retire next year--I thought I'd ask if he could, um, get a job as a black suit," she adds, glancing shyly over at Nico and then up at the drones recording all of this. "You know, so he can be with the family all the time. He can fix ANYTHING--but I guess with you being there--"

  "I'm sure we'll find a fitting place for him," Nico says. "The Hall is always in need of good mechanics."

  "Thank you," she says with a grin. Then she throws her arms around Kirsten, hugging her tightly. "And thank you, SO MUCH! That was beautiful!"

  "You're welcome," Kirsten says, a brilliant smile crossing her face. "I'm just glad you liked it. Now, who wants to go next?" Kirsten asks.

  A handful of hands go up.

  Advent Calendar - Day Twenty-Two

  "Okay," Justin says, looking at his bandmates, and then at Ace. "Man, I can't thank you ENOUGH for giving me a hand," he says to Ace, clasping hands and hauling him into a hug. "You've been working your butt off this Christmas, and I know it."

  "Yeah, but hey, what's a best bro for?" Ace asks, clapping Justin on the back. He's got his simple mask on, to keep the bandmates from finding out who he is.

  "You freaked out by this as much as I am?" Lonny asks Cole.

  "It's a bromance," Cole says, wiping at a fake tear. "So bromantic, man!"

  "I'll tell you what you can do with your 'bromance'," Justin says, turning on him.

  "Don't hide it, man, don't hide the love!" Ace says, dragging him back into a hug. Justin starts laughing his head off as he shoves the super villain off of him. "I see why Freddy does it to me," Ace says, grinning evilly. "That's seriously funny."

  "But anyway, I was just going to do a concert, right? But everyone keeps raising the bar--so I figured we could do a sort of Christmas Special show--we're being recorded, anyway, right?" Justin says. "Maybe they can sell it on HTV as a pay-per-view."

  "If they did that, the norms will realize you're best friends with a super villain," Ace points out.

  "You know... you really could have pointed that out before I signed the contract," Justin says lowly.

  "YOU could have pointed out you signed a contract," Ace says. "Too late now, we've already started," he says, waving at the school sitting on bleachers in front of them.

  "Live from Kansas City, the Justin Christmas Show!" his voice echoes over the area. Fake tinned clapping comes next and the rest of the students start to laugh.

  "Did you seriously sign a contract with HTV?" Ace asks as the laughter calms down. "Can you imagine what the norm world would think if they knew about us?"

  "Dude, we're not dating," Justin drawls. "But enough of that--I'll deal with it late
r."

  "You seriously signed a contract," Ace says in a dead-pan tone.

  "I seriously signed a contract," Justin says. "Now get off the stage, it's my time to sing Winter Wonderland," he says, picking up his mic. The band heads to their instruments and Justin starts crooning the old song. Soft snow starts falling over the band--but quickly it gets heavier, until the drummer is busier shoving snow than drumming. "Hey! Hey, wait a second--we're having technical difficulties," Justin says, trying to dust the snow off of his shirt. "DRAGON!" he yells.

  "What?" Ace demands, coming back on stage.

  "That's too much snow! It wasn't supposed to get on the instruments!"

  "Oh, sorry, I must have been too preoccupied with figuring out how to GET YOUR CONTRACT BACK," Ace yells, waving his phone in the air.

  "Forget the contract! Do the show and we'll call Mr. Harrison after--"

  "I'm afraid that's not an option," Andre says over the phone Ace is holding. "It's for a live show." Both boys turn, looking at the drone that is suddenly in their faces. "Say hello to the world, boys, you're on live TV." Slowly, with stunned expressions, both Ace and Justin raise a hand to the drone.

  "So..." Justin says. "Well, anyway, it's time for the class to go see 'you know who,'" he says to Ace.

  "Oh, oh right," Ace says, before pointing at the drone, "I'm STILL a villain, got it? This means NOTHING." And he storms off angrily.

  "Sheesh, drama queen," Justin says, following him.

  On the stage sits a massive chair with the back to the drones. Lined up to the side are all of the students--now in full uniform. "So what are you going to ask Santa for?" Maximum asks Cold Steel.

  "Are you kidding? I'm top of the naughty list--I just want to find out for sure," Cold Steel says.

  "No you don't," Maximum says, "because that's MY spot."

  "I really doubt it--you're last year's villain, and just barely," Cold Steel says, bringing back a fist. The large chair turns--and the entire school stops and stares blankly at the adorable elf sitting there.