Selfish Elf Wish by Heather Swain Page B

reindeer.”
    “Right, reindeer,” we say, nodding.
    “And who helps Santa make all the toys?” Timber asks.
    Briar and I shrug. I run through my limited knowledge about this erdler holiday. I know Santa wears a red suit because I keep seeing him on billboards and in shop windows everywhere I go. And I guess he likes to drink cola.
    “Penguins?” Briar guesses.
    “Dude,” Kenji says, shaking his head.
    “You should know this,” Timber says to me, but I’m drawing a blank. “Elves,” he finally says.
    Slowly, Briar and I turn away from Timber and Kenji. She takes my hand and we stare at each other. If my face is as white as hers and if her eyes are as big as mine, then we must look like two snow owls right now. I wish my magic was strong enough to get inside her mind, but I can’t, so we stare at each other, wondering why they’re bringing up elves. Do they know? Did our family give it away last night? Is that why they’re being so strange today? And the biggest question of all: where are they taking us? I squeeze Briar’s hand. She squeezes back.
    “Hey, guys.” Timber taps me on the shoulder. “What’s wrong over there? Don’t you remember the story about my grandfather’s friend Bunny Woolen?”
    The color comes back into Briar’s cheeks and my hearts slows down. “Oh right,” I say. “That was a showstopper last night.”
    “Yeah, what was up with that?” Timber asks. “Your whole family went dead silent.”
    “Guess we were just curious,” I say.
    “Yeah,” says Briar. “So tell us everything you know about elves ?” Now it’s our turn to swallow our laughter.
    “I don’t know,” says Timber. “Guess they’re good at making things.”
    “Do they hunt?” Briar asks.
    Kenji raises an eyebrow. “No. What would they hunt?”
    “Reindeer,” Briar says. “To eat.”
    Timber and Kenji both look horrified. I have to press my hand over my mouth to keep from snorting.
    “Santa’s elves don’t shoot his reindeer!” Timber says with a shiver. “Now you’re getting creepy.”
    “And the idea of a fat guy in a red suit who comes into your house while everyone is asleep isn’t creepy?” I ask.
    “When you put it that way ...” Kenji says, looking horrified.
    “But wait,” I say. “What’s this have to do with the surprise?”
    “Remember last night when you said you’d never sat on Santa’s lap?” Timber asks.
    “I didn’t say that, you did,” I point out.
    “Yeah, but I was right, wasn’t I?” Timber asks.
    “I guess so,” I say with a shrug.
    “We’re taking you to see the man himself,” Timber says.
    “What man?” Briar asks.
    “The fat guy in the red suit,” says Kenji.
    “I thought you said he lives in the North Pole,” Briar says.
    “And he’s made up,” I point out.
    “Dang,” says Timber, hanging his head and laughing. “Sometimes hanging out with you is like ...”
    “Like what?” I ask, my fist on my hip.
    “Easy there.” He pats my leg. “I was going to say like hanging out with foreign exchange students.”
    “From Mars,” Kenji adds.
    “Hey!” Briar punches him on the arm.
    “Seriously,” Kenji says, rubbing his shoulder. “Even a foreign exchange student would know that Santa’s elves don’t kill and eat the reindeer.”
    Timber pops up from his seat as the train pulls into a station. “This is our stop,” he says.
    “Herald Square?” Briar reads from the sign on the platform as we step out of the train. “This ain’t the North Pole, honey.”
    “You don’t have a bow and arrow hiding in your coat somewhere, do you?” Timber asks, patting me down.
    “Maybe,” I tease. “Deer meat is awfully tasty.”
    He shakes his head as we climb the stairs. “Don’t take down Rudolph, whatever you do. Santa needs him.”
     
    Briar and I follow Timber and Kenji out to the crowded midtown sidewalk. Even though I’ve been in New York for a few months now, I can’t get used to seeing erdlers swarm like ants. They come from