Chapter 13

13

Lunabelle

“ R ed, where are you?”

I grab another egg and praise Little Lou, one of the chickens, for her kind gift before calling out, “I’m collecting eggs!”

Kilgore comes walking into the room as I’m collecting another egg for the cookies I’m going to make. I’m actually going to try out a new recipe, and make pumpkin-flavored cookies since pumpkin is his favorite food.

“Here you are!” He sounds out of breath. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Look, I need you to stay in here with the chickens for a bit. Can you do that for me, angel?”

I look up from Little Wren and see how stiff Kilgore’s shoulders are, along with the tension tightening his features. “How come?” He’s just come from outside. I wonder if he’s encountered an unexpected threat.

“Because the chickens need some attention.” He bends down and pets Little Wren. “Plus, I need to go take care of something.”

I look around at the chickens who are perched on their nests, looking perfectly content and not at all in want of my presence. I need to know what he’s truly concerned about, because I do not believe for a second it’s the emotional well-being of these hens.

“What do you have to take care of, Kilgore?”

His features scrunch up tighter and I know something else is going on. “Um…I have to…uh…” His throat is bobbing and he’s searching the room as if he’s looking for a lie to give me.

“What are you trying to hide from me, Kilgore? If there’s a monster outside, I want to be aware. I don’t want to be lied to, nor do I want you to hide anything from me.” He does not need to shield me from the monsters; I’m aware that there are creatures who want to steal the magic of our realm and turn the world dark.

His shoulders slump as a long sigh releases from his pursed lips. “Santa is coming to deliver the goods I requested for the winter.”

“Santa’s coming?” With the mountain of snow blocking the Enchanted Forest, I thought he wouldn’t be able to pass. But I guess his reindeer can fly over anything. Goodness, I can’t wait. It will be so good to see him. I can send word to my parents and let them know I’m okay. And I can send him back with cookies for the Sugar Plum Faeries.

“Yes.” He tips his tight chin. “Which is why I’m locking you in here.”

Locking me in here? What on earth? Oh…right. How soon I’ve forgotten. I’m his prisoner. Here I’ve been playing house these last few days, believing something truly special was growing between us, but it looks as though I’ve been deluding myself. He knows Santa will take me home if I ask, and that’s why he’s trying to hide me away. He’s not even allowing me a choice. I’m his pet whom he intends to keep locked away.

“So, this is what I am to you? Your prisoner who you intend to keep under lock and key for the rest of my life? You’re not going to give me the choice to stay; you’re just going to demand it?” I step closer to him, looking up into his glowing eyes. “I’ll tell you this, Kilgore. If you lock me in here, I will never speak to you again. I will never let you lay one finger on me again. This”—I swallow down the lump of fear, feeling it settle like sour milk in my stomach—“will be over.”

He backs away from me and turns, walking right out the door. When his hand reaches up to the crystal that will close me inside this room, my heart splinters. “You’ll obey your orders and be quiet, Little Red, or you’ll be getting a spanking when I return. And you and I both know, your threat means nothing. As soon as I get my hands on you, you’ll be begging to be mine again.”

The door closes and I drop to the ground. Pain slices through and my tears begin to hit the stone beneath me, like heavy raindrops splattering in a storm. He doesn’t get it. If he’d given me the choice, I would’ve chosen him. But he doesn’t care how I feel. I’m just some toy he wants to play with and keep in a box. If he truly cared for me, he would’ve let me decide. He would’ve begged me to stay instead of trying to trick me into staying hidden.

Goodness, it hurts so much. I’ve never felt a pain so deep. A sadness so heavy. I don’t want to be here anymore. I can’t look at him. I wish to go home.

As if a cloud sweeps through the room, I’m suddenly swept into a swirling light, feeling like I’m floating, but I can’t see through the thickness of the golden fog to know what’s happening. When the light disappears, I’m standing in my bedroom back in Christmas village. I look around my room, seeing that it’s exactly as I left it. I pinch my arm to check if I’m in some kind of delusional state brought on by my grief, but the pain of my nails tells me I’m not. I’m home. I wished it and here I am.

But how? I… My powers . I must’ve finally come into my powers. I’ve heard that some elves have the gift of teleportation, but my father said it’s rare. There are only a few elves with magic strong enough to do it. They’re known as the Gift Givers because they help Santa deliver all the toys around the world. If I have that gift, it means I can go anywhere my mind takes me. I could go to the beach in Hawaii. I could go to Japan and see the cherry blossoms. I could go to… I will never go back to him. I will not be kept by a man incapable of love.

“So, you finally decided to stop throwing your tantrum and come home?” I turn toward my open door and my mom is leaning against the frame with her arms crossed. For some reason, she looks angry with me.

“What?” My mind isn’t working right. I think I’m still in shock. Tantrum? Did she say tantrum? Why isn’t she happy to see me? Why isn’t she rushing toward me and hugging me close, telling me how worried she’s been? How they’ve been looking everywhere for me. Why isn’t she looking me over and making sure I’m not hurt? And why does she look annoyed?

“I’m hoping this means you’ve come to your senses, young lady. Quill is an incredible catch, and you’d be lucky if he still wants to ask for your hand in marriage. He was quite upset you weren’t at the Christmas Festival; I’m guessing he had a proposal planned that night. I told him you were in bed with the flu, so hopefully, you haven’t ruined your chances.”

Ruined my chances? I don’t understand what’s going on. She’s acting like I ran away. It doesn’t seem like they were even looking for me.

“So, where did you go? Were you hiding in the back of the bake shop?” My mother bristles. “Mrs. Tiddlewinks has always been jealous of me. Or were you hiding out with the Sugar Plum Faeries? Those unruly girls are such a bad influence.”

“I…” I can’t believe she wasn’t worried about me. In all my life, I’ve never given her reason to think I’d run away. I’ve always been a good daughter. I’ve always obeyed and done as I’m told. Certainly, there are moments I’ve been stubborn, and I definitely voiced my opinion about Quill, but I would never throw a tantrum and leave . I love my parents. But if my mother loved me, wouldn’t she have come looking for me? Wouldn’t she have come to the bake shop and tried to convince me to come home? I feel like I’ve returned to some awful nightmare.

“I went to the other side of the forest,” I tell her. “I went to thank the Keepers for protecting us and for saving Santa. I took them a basket of cookies, and when I arrived, an avalanche hit and my path home was blocked.” I’m not going to tell her that I was kidnapped; it will only harshen her opinion against the giants. And not that Kilgore deserves it, but he’s not this awful monster my mother is making him out to be. I’ll let her believe I stayed as a guest for a few days. After all, it’s how I felt until today. Although, I didn’t just feel like a guest, I felt like the princess of the castle. Doted on every second. Feeling as though I meant something to the giant.

“I told you never to go to that part of the realm, Lunabelle. I told you the Keepers are dangerous.”

“Yet, here I am in one piece, Mother.” I hold out my arms.

“Yeah, well, consider yourself lucky then. Now, get out of that rag you’re in and get cleaned up. The New Year’s Eve Ball is in a few hours, and we mustn’t be late. And make sure you wear your gold dress. If you’re going to be getting engaged in front of the entire village tonight, you need to look your best.”

I bite back my scream. I seriously feel like I’ve come home to a living nightmare. Doesn’t anyone care about me? Apparently, my mother just cares about her social status and marrying me off. And my father is nowhere to be seen.

I shake the frustration off and storm into my bathroom, looking at my reflection and wondering what I’m supposed to do now. I don’t want to upset my mother further which means my only option is to get ready for the ball tonight.