The North Pole Challenge (Flea's Five Christmases, #1) (11 page)

             
The security snowman relaxed, its sharp-edged arms turning back to their normal stubs. “Oh yeah, the one with the clothes. What do the others think of him?”

             
“Most don’t know yet,” Niko said. “Wait here, I’ll be back soon.”

             
Niko grabbed Flea by the elbow and guided him out of the building.

             
“How did you get inside?” Niko asked but he didn’t wait for an answer before continuing to complain. “Never mind, I don’t know and I don’t care. I have more important things to worry about. You need to do something that’ll keep you busy and out of trouble. You aren’t going to be any trouble for me, are you?”

             
“No, I don’t – ”

             
“Good, because you’ve been enough trouble already,” Niko said. “And whatever you might have overheard back there,
don’t
bother asking me any questions about it.”

             
Niko intended to get rid of Flea by dropping him off at the school, which was where they were quickly headed. As Flea approached the big building, his stomach churned as it did every time he was about to start a new school yet again.

             
“Great, another new school,” he muttered to himself. If Niko heard what Flea said, he didn’t mention it. Flea never got used to entering a new school, but for the first time that he could remember, his usual emotional soup of fear and anxiety also had a dash of hope mixed in with it. Flea didn’t know exactly what went on inside this elf school but there was a chance that he might actually fit in for once, something he never thought would happen.

             
“Think you can make it the rest of the way or do I need to hold your hand through
everything
?” Niko asked. “Look, I have way too much to do. The elves are getting their orders and now I have this new security issue to deal with. I don’t know what you think you saw back there but if you know what’s good for you, you won’t say a word about it to
anyone
. Believe me, your appearance at the North Pole will already be enough to worry some of the elves, you don’t want to give them anything else to be concerned about.”

             
Niko sure had a way of sucking the hope right out of Flea, who suddenly doubted all the positive feelings he’d just been experiencing. Niko turned and began to march away when Flea realized that there was still so much he needed to find out before entering the school.

             
“But I don’t know where to go,” Flea said.

             
“It’s the first door, that shouldn’t be hard, even for someone like
you
,” Niko said.

             
“What about books or school supplies?” Flea called out as Niko got farther away. “I don’t have
any
of that stuff.”

             
“You won’t need them!” Niko said.

             
Once on his own, Flea walked the rest of the way to the school, pausing in front of the doors, taking his traditional deep breath before entering the unknown. He expected to see more brightness like the elf dormitory and activity like the factory, but when he opened the doors, Flea discovered that he was wrong on both accounts.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Back to School

Inside, the school was rundown. Dark and dirty and dusty, the place looked like it hadn’t been used in many years. Dozens of broken and poorly-made toys were strewn about the hallway, the sight of which gave Flea the creeps. He was tempted to turn around and head out of the doors, to call out to Niko that there was a problem, but the elf was already too far away and wasn’t likely to have much sympathy – or answers – for Flea. Instead, Flea carefully tiptoed around the old toys (afraid that they might come to life and attack him at any moment) and entered the first door he came across. The classroom was dark and empty but Flea found the light-switch just inside the door and flipped it on. A string of red and green Christmas tree lights ran along the ceiling like track lighting and illuminated the room with a crimson haze.

             
Unlike every other classroom Flea had ever seen, this one didn’t have any blackboards or paper or desks. Several large tables were scattered haphazardly around the room, with partially-built toys littering every surface. But the strangest part was the lack of any other people –
make that any other elves,
Flea thought – which made Flea feel like he might be in some sort of trouble. Flea hoped he simply had the wrong room but before he had the chance to walk out and search the surrounding classrooms, the door opened and a small elf entered.

             
“Have you learned not to hop
down
the hopwell yet?” the elf asked.

             
Flea recognized the condescending voice, not to mention the elf’s face. While Flea hadn’t been able to gauge Niko’s age, it was clear that this particular elf was
old.
The elderly elf had the same sharp features as Flea and Niko but that was the end of the similarities. The rest of his face was covered with wrinkles and there was a small patch of white hair atop his head. His glasses were extra thick and he seemed so frail that Flea was shocked that the old elf used the ‘hopwell.’

             
“Your name is Vork, right?” Flea asked, remembering the name Niko called out earlier.

             
“If I am going to be your teacher, then you will call me
Mister
Vork,” the old elf said. “Doesn’t anyone have manners anymore?”

             
Vork was apparently just as cranky as Niko, though a smile appeared on his face for the briefest of moments.

             
“I see that you’re wearing the traditional elf-in-training attire,” Vork said. “It’s a very
subtle
way of showing that you’re new to the North Pole.”

             
Vork wore similar black clothing to Niko’s, though he didn’t wear a large red Christmas hat like the younger elf. The sight of yet another elf dressed differently from him made Flea nervous, especially considering how ridiculous he looked.

             
“Niko told me that
all
elves wore this kind of outfit. Why aren’t you?” Flea asked suspiciously.

             
“Fashion is for the young, I’m old and prefer a more boring style,” Vork said. He looked toward the door and then at the clock hanging just above it, which read 11:59. “I know it’s been years since I last taught but elves in my day were more respectful about showing up on time.” The old elf sighed. “Well, I’m guessing that you have lots of general questions about the North Pole so you might as well waste my time and ask away before the others show up.”

             
Vork seemed just as annoyed by Flea’s mere presence as Niko had been.

             
“Why don’t you like me?” Flea asked.

             
“Of all the North Pole’s amazing mysteries and wonders,
that’s
the idiotic question you choose to ask?” Vork asked, slowly shaking his head. “Fine, you’ll get your answer. You are
new
and you are
different
, two qualities that most elves don’t like in others. I don’t exactly know if that’s fair but that’s just how it is so you better get used to it.”

             
Maybe this school won’t be that different from the others,
Flea thought with disappointment.

             
“Then why was I even brought here?” he asked.

             
“You
are
an elf, that much is obvious, so you
belong
at the North Pole…at least that’s what someone very important here seems to think,” Vork said. “Plus, your line of products is already in high demand for this Christmas season.”

             
“
My
line of products?” Flea asked.

             
“For someone with very limited time to ask questions, you sure are missing the big picture,” Vork said.

             
Flea knew he was right and quickly focused on the most important things he’d been wondering about.

             
“Fine, tell me how Christmas hasn’t already past. Niko explained that time is slowed down everywhere across the world except the North Pole.”

             
“
And
the South Pole,” Vork quickly interceded. “The South Pole experiences the same time slowdown that we do. You must never forget the importance of balance on Earth.”

             
“Okay, balance, that’s great, but
how
is time slowed down?” Flea wanted to know.

             
“That information is known only by Santa Claus and a few of the most elderly and important elves – neither of which
you
happen to be,” Vork said. “For now, you can know exactly what the rest of the elves know: Santa leaves at 11:58 aboard his sleigh and returns at 11:59, at which point the world’s time has officially slowed.”

             
“Why wait until the last minute to complete all of the work?” Flea asked. “Why not start months earlier to give yourselves plenty of time to finish?”

             
“If you’ve been asking such foolish questions all day, then I understand why Niko became so frustrated with you,” Vork said. “Sometimes a little bit of thought can go a long way. The answer to that question is quite obvious.”

             
Flea pleaded with his brain to come up with an answer but the harder he thought, the fewer possibilities came to mind. Niko and Vork were obviously highly intelligent and left Flea suddenly nervous that he would be the dumbest elf at the North Pole, a
third
quality that would give others reason to dislike him.

             
“I’m sorry, I can’t think of – ”

             
“
Lists,
” Vork said angrily. “We need to wait until the very last minute to make sure that both of our lists are finalized.”

             
“Both?”

             
“Wishlists and the Naughty/Nice list,” Vork explained. “If a child changes what he or she wants at the last minute, we have to be ready to make him or her happy on Christmas morning. And consequently, we need to have an updated naughty list to determine how much coal we need.”

             
“Where do those lists come from?”

             
“From the Deet-Deets of course,” Vork said, as if this was common knowledge to anyone not a total fool.

             
“Did I hear you right? Did you say
Deet-Deets
?”

             
“I guess you might know them better as Christmas decorations,” Vork explained. “Most parents put them around their house and think they’re getting into the holiday spirit. But what they don’t know – and more importantly, what the
kids
don’t know – is that the Deet-Deets are watching over them and transmitting information to the North Pole computer systems.”

             
Flea immediately thought back to his apartment and wondered if the bent-branched plastic tree had been judging whether he’d been naughty or nice this year. Considering that Flea disobeyed Miss Mabel and caused her great disappointment, he didn’t expect to find much under the tree this year.

I don’t even know if I’ll ever be returning to Miss Mabel or that apartment again,
Flea thought. But before he had the chance to ask, Vork held up a finger for silence and listened at the door.

             
“Question time is over, you’ll just have to figure out some things on your own. The others are on their way. Take your place behind one of the tables so we can get started right away,” Vork said.

             
Vork hobbled just outside the open door. Even though Flea didn’t hear anyone coming, he still felt nervous to meet other students. The classroom was large and he expected it to fill with elf students; he wished for at least one friendly face in the bunch. Flea hoped that not
all
of them would be as resentful toward him as Niko and Vork.