3. Kelli

3

KELLI

“ It looks like the Questarions have been watching a lot of The Hallmark Channel ,” Kelli remarked as they stepped out of the long-range shuttle and headed towards the Christmas Village . The little town was all lit up in the gathering dusk—it looked just like the set of one of those made-for- TV movies where the big-city girl comes back to her small-town roots and falls in love with the boy next door who owns the local coffee shop or bakery.

“ What’s the Hallmark Channel ?” Klaus rumbled, frowning. He looked positively savage in his Santa outfit with his golden eyes glowing in the gloom, Kelli thought. Her huge Kindred Protector would be better cast in a Krampus movie or a horror film like Silent Night , Deadly Night , than a romantic Christmas special.

“ Oh , it’s just a form of human entertainment,” she said, to answer his question. “ You wouldn’t like it though. It’s mostly for women.” She shivered and put her arms around herself. “ Brrrr — I wish the Questarions had sent us some coats to go with these costumes.”

“ Our apologies,” murmured a soft voice in her ear. “ We fear the temperature is not to your liking.”

“ Huh ?” Kelli turned around quickly, looking for the source of the voice but no one was there. “ Did you hear that?” she asked, looking up at Klaus .

“ Hear what?” he asked, frowning.

“ That voice—it spoke in my ear just now.”

Kelli was beginning to think she must be hearing things. Clearly she and Klaus were the only people for miles around.

But then the voice spoke again.

“ Would you like us to provide you with warming outer garments?” it asked.

“ Okay that time I heard it,” Klaus said grimly. He pushed Kelli behind him for safety and looked around. “ Whoever you are, come out!”

“ We are here, though you may not be able to see us with your single-dimensional vision,” the soft, musical voice said. Kelli couldn’t tell if it was male or female. “ Allow us to enhance our appearance,” it said.

A moment later, there was a sparkling in the air right beside her—kind of like a slight golden shimmer that was just barely visible in the dying light.

“ There —there it is!” Kelli exclaimed, pointing.

“ Where ?” Klaus stepped between her and the golden shimmer protectively. “ Who are you and what do you want?” he demanded.

“ We are the Scientific Council of Quatra Four ,” the soft voice replied. “ Please be at ease—we offer you no harm. We have invited you here only to study your ways and customs.”

“ Hello .” Kelli stepped out from behind the big Kindred and smiled at the shimmering patch of air, which was hovering around the height of her head. “ It’s very kind of you to invite us to try your Christmas Town ,” she said. “ I am Kelli , the Good Will Ambassador from the Kindred Mother Ship and this is my Protector , Klaus’ex . We’re very pleased to meet you.”

“ We rejoice in the knowledge of you as well,” the voice returned politely. “ But we perceive a difficulty. Have we made the atmosphere too cold? It was our understanding that the Earth holiday of Christmas was meant to happen at a time of cold and freezing temperatures.”

“ Oh , no—you’re right—you got it just right—for my part of the Earth , anyway,” Kelli assured them. “ Christmas doesn’t feel the same if it isn’t cold. This is perfect weather—really it is. I just wish I had something warm to wear over the cute little elf costume you sent me,” she added.

“ We are most happy to grant your desire,” the soft voice replied. The shimmering intensified for a moment and then, suddenly, Kelli felt something warm and soft around her shoulders.

Looking down, she saw that she was wearing a luxurious, floor-length fur coat.

“ Oh , this is beautiful!” she exclaimed, stroking the brown fur—it was incredibly soft. “ Thank you so much!”

But Klaus wasn’t quite so accepting of the gift.

“ How did you make a coat appear out of mid-air like that?” he growled, frowning at the golden shimmering spot in the air. “ How could you bend the laws of physics to make something materialize out of nowhere?”

“ Ah , we forgot for a moment how primitive your people are,” the soft voice sighed. “ For us, your laws of physics are no more than suggestions. So of course, our science looks like magic to you, but we assure you there is nothing supernatural occurring. We are simply able to manipulate space and matter on a higher level.”

“ It is like magic,” Kelli agreed, slipping her arms into the sleeves. The fur coat was the nicest thing she’d ever worn—she hoped she got to keep it after their night at the Christmas Village was over.

“ Please feel free to explore and enjoy the experience we have crafted for you,” the soft voice murmured in her ear. “ If you would be so kind as to speak your thoughts about the Christmas Village aloud, we will hear you and add your comments to our research.”

“ So you’re going to be watching us while we walk around?” Klaus didn’t sound happy about the idea.

“ From a distance,” the voice said. “ But you will, of course, be given privacy in the cabin. Speaking of that, when you finish seeing the town, you only need to follow the lighted path to the one which has been prepared for you.”

“ Thank you—thank you so much,” Kelli said, smiling politely. “ We can’t wait to explore and see all the wonderful things you’ve made.”

“ I can wait,” she heard Klaus grumble behind her, but she ignored him.

“ We hope you have a wonderful experience,” the soft voice said to her. “ And now we will withdraw to observe. Please don’t forget to voice your thoughts aloud so that we may improve the Christmas Village for future guests. We will not speak to you again.”

And then the gold shimmering in the air abruptly disappeared and Kelli got the feeling they were alone.