Daniela Wrecks Christmas

"I'm not there yet!"
 This page contains ***major spoilers*** for the series. If you're not caught up, stay back! Av's not gonna be too thrilled if you react to spoilers prematurely...

## Daniela Wrecks Christmas

### Air date

December 14th, 2020 (original)
December 25th, 2023 (rewrite)

### Director

Potato Flakin

***Daniela Wrecks Christmas*** is a Christmas special episode of *The Adventures of Evie and Mya*. Most of the special takes place before the events of Season 1, but parts in the present day take place a little before the beginning of Season 2.

## Synopsis

Upon uncovering a box full of Christmas 2011 memories, Mya tells Winter of a chaotic Christmas tale.

In this tale, Evie and Mya's Christmas joy and continued retaliation against an agitated Daniela push her into going to Grinch-like lengths to ruin their Christmas and get revenge for humiliating her. This time, she relies on the help of a troubled accomplice to steal - or rather, destroy - their Christmas entirely. While she succeeds, it comes with a great price, and Evie and Mya race against the freezing weather to make sure another Grinch doesn't get away with tarnishing the merry holiday, surprisingly gaining help from the least expected to take a stand.

## Content Warning

*This special contains minor violence, obscene gestures, and various allusions to child abuse/neglect.*

## Transcript

*It's a beautiful, sunny afternoon in Pineshadow, with the sunlight filtering through the windows of its many humble abodes and casting light on the darkest shadows in the neighborhoods. The trees gently rustle in the wind, and in the backyards, hummingbirds buzz, lapping up the sugary fuel contained inside the brightly-colored petals of flowers and budding plants. A pair of jays tustle in the sky for nesting rights, and early springtime tree blossoms are in bloom, flourishing in the abundant yellow rays.*

*All is quiet and well, especially in the household belonging to the esteemed, laid-back Heartley family... where it appears to be quite the lazy day.*

It had been an hour since she'd first sat in here, and Mya Heartley hadn't moved a muscle. She couldn't. And she wouldn't.

She was laying flat-back on her bed, gazing up at the ceiling, which now had a few multi-colored stars hanging from it. The stars were pretty, and dazzling, little ores in the afternoon light... but they weren't the ones limiting her movement, captivating as they were.

Rather, it was the gooey, marshmallow-y *dork* that had chosen to nap on her chest, breathing lightly with a smile on her lips and even some drool leaking onto Mya's cyan t-shirt. Unintentionally, but *adorably*...

*Oh, Winter...*

It'd come to be a shock to many if Mya mentioned the tomboy lesbian Winterlyn McCormick to be her sister. They looked hardly alike; Winter had freckles and Mya didn't. Winter had ice-blue eyes that could leave any person in a rigorous cold sweat, and Mya's were a soft leaf-green, bright as the summer sun, capable of affectionately melting anyone who crossed her path.

Winter was taller than her. She had far more attitude. And if she got pissed off with you, she'd likely try to find a way to cut off your neck. Scratch that, it'd be *off with your head*.

Mya was the polar opposite of all those things. She was a softie, had cunning comedic edge that she believed rivaled the late night sensations, and behaved naively. *Used to*. Well, *sometimes* still...

Winter had been torn to shreds to get where she was now, and it pained Mya to think back on all she had suffered through. Being forced to flee from a homophobic father and a traitorious ex-girlfriend. Living under a belt of lies and stars. Relying on barely any help to scrape by. The fiery vendetta of a bitter ex. The name-calling. Facing the brink of life and death. Winter *had* been on the *brink* of death, and would have died - if had it not been for her savior.

Her ex-girlfriend, Daniela, blamed her for their bloody breakup that had ended in an gruesome attempt on Winter's life. She had sought nothing but for her to suffer, bullying her repeatedly, harassing, and going the extra mile to ensure Winter wouldn't live a day in solitude. Not even stalking and all-bark-no-bite threats were enough to satisfy the bloodthirsty Daniela.

Nothing ever was. No amount of punishment could stop her from kidnapping Winter in the dead of night, or tormenting her in what was best described as a crack shack, or revealing her plan to kill her in front of her best friends. Nothing could stop Daniela from blackmailing herself into what should have been a celebratory party, where she'd led an ambush, a verbal onslaught that ended in her ex-girlfriend's shoulder being stabbed, the blood staining the tile floor, and Winter running off, seemingly never to return...

Many thought it was over.

If had it not been for her savior.

Thanks to Mya and her angelic light, Winter remembered *who* and *what* she was: *unstoppable*. Her anger was *insurmountable*. And when honed in, she was *vicious*. She was *Snowlight*, born of blood and risen from the coldest seasons.

She wasn't *Snowblind* - the coward who left the past out of sight and out of mind.

Compared to Daniela's brutal, humiliating defeat at the hands of the girl that time had simply forgotten, of a girl that most had ridiculed and jeered at out of the spiteful belief she was a fraud and snake-oil saleswoman, Winter was rewarded with recognition as a *hero* - her name being Snowlight - and adoption into a loving family. These days, she only wanted to rest, relax, and be forever bonded to her adoptive sister, whom she adored endlessly for her bubbly, charismatic, and out-of-the-box nature.

Even if it meant restricting Mya's mobility for an hour to sleep on her warm chest. Not like Mya minded; her own girlfriend *loved* snuggles.

Evie wouldn't admit it, but snuggles were one of her greatest weaknesses... which was why her tender side was ever the more of a treat to the witty Mya.

She saw Winter raise an eyelid before lowering it, sighing and gripping her shirt.

*Mmm? Looks like someone wants to deceive me into wanting additional cuddles today.*

Classic Winter. When no one was looking, she, too, had an irresistible soft side.

"Time to wake up, sleepyhead," she murmured, nudging her chin. Winter pretended to present apathy, just as she did before to the outside world. Did she forget *who* was her sister?

"You can't outfox the master of pranks, Winter!"

Still no response. That would *not* do.

Mya had to get out the big guns. Something that for sure would make Winter *jolt*. Something that'd make her glide in a *beautiful* blue sky, something that'd make her *ascend* to the *heavens*...

"Winter, Varien's about to release a new single next week, and it's an epic collaboration with-"

"**WHERE**??"

Winter had leapt off of her, eyes darting around feverishly as she scanned around the room, only seeing Mya and... *nothing else*?

*Wait...*

She saw the smirk etched onto Mya's smug face. Almost saying *gotcha*.

Her sister wasn't fooled in any means by her snuggly display. She was right - she could *never* outfox the so-called master of pranks.

"Alright... you caught me." She chuckled, clutching her arms and looking away a tad sheepishly.

Mya, letting out a *pfft*, yanked her sister into a hug and ruffled her short-cut hair. "You dork. Sorry, but I gotta stretch my legs. It's been an *hour* and like... they feel like stilts in molasses."

"That's *one* way to describe it," Winter said, and Mya popped off the bed, walking like a flamboyant ostrich to loosen her legs before changing her pose to look like she had just been deployed in the military. Up. Down. Left. Right. Breakdance. Rinse and repeat.

Winter, as Mya did her miscellaneous forward-marching, glanced around the room, which was a half and half of the sister's interests. One side was pale pink and decorated in flowers and picture frames, representing Mya's. It was also decorated with some lights, which circled around the perimeter to her sister's side, and posters of her favorite things, mostly things pertaining to all things meme-y and queer. Between those string lights were photos, half of Winter's memories and her own. The other half was a deep blue, decorated with Varien posters, the emoest of emo content, picture frames of holy memories and two pride flags - a bisexual and lesbian flag, were tacked together for unity. The room was a perfect melting pot of the two's interests, a yin to their yang and the luminous side of the moon to the shadowy side.

*I can't get over how beautiful everything is now.*

The room was *spotless*. *Perfect*. A *dream* come true, and-

Winter noticed a jacket sleeve sticking out from under the closet door, light blue in color - it was the indicator that it didn't belong to her, but her sister. The sister that for the life of her, hung clothes messily and *hated* clotheshangers. Winter honestly couldn't give a damn if her room was a mess, but she *preferred* her clothes all hung up and stored *neatly*. Her biological mother always told her that a clean closet was a *heavenly* one, after all.

No matter. Hanging the jacket back up would be an easy fix.

"My, one of your jackets is collecting dust on the floor again."

Mya stopped stretching, awkwardly lining up straight, legs still on the floor. "Erm... I can explain. See, the hangers hate me... they're always-"

"I know, Mya. They're going into the trenches with you. I'll fix it," Winter stated, opening the closet door and picking up the fallen jacket. It was Mya's favorite - just a light blue North Face windbreaker, not too shiny and detailed. In fact, didn't she say Evie had gotten her this as a gift from the mall once?

She hung it properly around the clotheshanger, hung it on the rack, and dusted it off for good measure.

"I could honestly teach you how to hang them, y'know..."

"And maybe I can get out of the trenches!"

"Yeah, you could..."

Winter peered back into the closet, the tight space a bit dark, but managable. Were any other clothes haphazardly about to fall from a misaligned battle with more hangers? Didn't seem like it. The clothes were not the only clutter in the space, however, and Winter happened to see a *bunch* of cardboard.

*Lots* of cardboard.

"Damn, what's with the boxes in here?" she questioned, wondering how she hadn't noticed this beforehand.

Mya trotted up to her and peered in, her face unmoved. "Those have been in there before I was *born*."

"Before you were *born*?" Winter asked in disbelief.

"My room was the original house storage room for Mom and Dad. Then Mom got pregnant with me, and they... *seriously* benefited from the space. There were a lot of old things they didn't need, so they boxed em up and put them in the closet. If you want an estimation of how *long* they've been sitting there... we're in the dust bunny period of time."

"I see..." That seemed plausible. People procrastinated on throwing old stuff out all the time.

"Speaking of dust bunnies," Mya then interrupted, "I wonder if the Sharpie denoting the boxes is faded?"

"Doubt it." Winter was correct - many boxes still had black Sharpie scrawled on their dusty, rough edges. *Old Books*. *Magazines*. *Newspapers to Recycle*. *Old Antiques*.

Suddenly, Winter paused, her eyes scratching the surface of a small box at the base of the closet. It was cardboard, not one that was rough-edged or dusty, but rather *recent*. It didn't have her parents' handwriting, but *Mya's* handwriting, if the way the lowercase t's looped hadn't given it away.

*That One Christmas We Don't Talk About*

*Huh?*

"Uh, Mya? What's this box for?"

Mya turned to face her with a raised eyebrow. "You mean the magazines box? Or the old books box? Or the old antiques box? Or the *TOCWDTA* box?"

Winter raised an eyebrow - here went Mya again naming random things off the top of her head... but her mind was firmly dwelling on that mysterious, redacted Christmas box. Her intrigue had *peaked*.

*One Christmas they don't talk about? What on earth could have made that something to redact?*

*Did I miss several chapters in the Heartley family life? With the way Mya has nonstopped talked about her misadventures and tribulations, I'd thought I'd learn everything by now... oh well, can't say no to surprises.*

"This one," she guided, pointing her finger to the box with the loopy Sharpie written on the front. Mya's eyes irradiated with a familiar understanding.

That *glint* in her leaf-green eyes was settling *in*. She knew the lore here, knew it on the backs of her hands, her backbone... the code of what had seemed like *years* ago, spun into a gap of a few months...

"Ah, the *TOCWDTA* box... I haven't touched this since *December*."

"The latest December?"

"December '11, yes siree. There is a *huge* story behind the box... and *why* it's in my closet, if I might add..."

Mya's leaf-green eyes blurred over, a sign to her younger sister that she was thinking, and thinking *very* deep. It wasn't a secret to her - no less her girlfriend, Evie - that Mya had a *very* vivid imagination similar to her own.

Yet she also had a *love* of telling tales. Whenever she could tell a story, she could tell it again, and again, and *again*, until everyone gave her *the eyeball*.

Nights under the stars were always perfect with a wisecracking storyteller like Mya, who could stay up to midnight re-enacting her life stories. It was pretty apparent that she had kept Evie - and already, Winter - up *far* past midnight.

What the auburn-haired "literary megamind" hadn't told her was the story of *this box*. It'd been in her closet, and it was a bit *unusual* she hadn't brought it up yet... but Mya was Mya. She had her gimmicks.

"You wanna tell me about it?" Winter prompted, and Mya, blinking out of her deep-thought-chosis, smiled and beamed.

"I can... but I wanted to save it towards Christmas time. We're in the middle of *spring*."

Winter's eyes flashed with a hint of mischief. Who said the holidays could wait? She had a fond love of Christmas herself because of how she used to celebrate it with her biological parents. Her mother, cooking the best food, and her father, baffled by how she was embracing a tomboyish nature instead of typical standards...

Now *that* was *special*. It wasn't too late to have that magical feeling, rolled tightly into one of her sister's starstruck endeavors... she *loved it*.

"Myyyyaaaaa..."

Mya bit her lip. Her sister had learned *very* well from her, maybe *too* well...

How could she say *no* to that adorable, freckled face? The girl who lived every day in the woods like it was an adventure, galvanized into exploring by her stars and the protection the woods had granted her?

The wild tomboy with a sisterly streak? The one who's potent anger just couldn't be drained?

There was no backing out; the agreement was signed. Winter deserved to hear this story in all of its dastardly glory.

"Alright... I don't mind spoiling the holidays a little early," she conceded with a *hint* of ruefulness. "It sounds *extra* Grinchy, and devious... but I love the *thrill* of it as well. It was a fun three days, ah... let's get into this bad boy. Though, I should warn you... this'll contain a someone you are *nightmarishly* familiar with."

"Just who might that be?" Winter already had an idea, but she never knew what curveballs to expect from a *Mya* story. Presumably an avalanche of them.

"You'll see... now, where do I begin? The beginning, or the additional expository, or the interlude, or the end?"

Winter rolled her eyes. Mya just *had* to make it extra dramatic. She raised a finger and gave her a *boop* on her nose.

"Nah, I'm playing with you. Let's take it from the top." Mya cleared her throat with a *hem*, and with fluid waves of her hands in the air...

"See, it all started on the 23rd of December, 2011... where it was exceedingly, *exceedingly* snowy and the last school day of the year..."

**EAM SPECIAL - DANIELA WRECKS CHRISTMAS**

**DECEMBER 2011 - A FEW MONTHS AGO**

It was *bitterly* cold outside of Pineshadow Middle School, the fierce wind nature's blade as it gusted on by, clawing through the pale, freckled cheeks of the young girl that was making her way to the warm, usually-not-so-inviting interior of the school. Behind her, her other best friend, just doing her own thing and vibing, doing a *stomp* and a *dance* and extending her pink tongue out to accumulate the falling white gifts from the sky.

*Everywhere* was a wintery white wonderland, from the barren brown forks of the trees that propped up blobs of fluff, to the grasses that had been concealed, to the roofs and sights everywhere. *Everything* was covered in *snow*.

The mountains in the distance looked like snow-capped ice cream cones more than ever. And more was on the way, because it was all but guaranteed in the far outreach of the Pacific Northwest.

The forecast had called for it to snow throughout the day - and with the rate the flakes were falling, school was bound to end *earlier* than ever.

Who said anything was wrong with an earlier break anyway? The girls just had to get inside first, get somewhere warm, and the rest of the day would be a *breeze*. The mission was easier accomplished then it was done.

*Plop*.

"Cowabunga!" Mya cheered, laying on the sidewalk and doing snow angels, working at the pace of a polar bear hunting for seals, scrabbling and scraping with an innocent, childlike glee and laughs o' plenty.

They were outside the *school*. Where people were *watching*.

Mya did not care. She also likely didn't care that she could get frostbite in this wintery Washington weather, which added to the worry (and building impatience) of her confidante.

"Mya! It's cold. We should be getting inside," Evie protested, placing her mitten-laden hands in her pocket and shivering, even with her thick coat.

"Inside, indeed, but you gotta confess that this snow hits the *spot*!"

She rolled off of her snow angel and jumped around in the snow, *hippity hoppity hoo*, leaving behind a trail of messy footprints around the area and her friend. Evie caught a glimpse of that *happy*, *elated* face, and knew that Mya wasn't just enjoying the snow. She couldn't help but smile and chuckle to herself.

Mya was just being Mya and taking advantage of the moment, in all of its pristine snowy eminence. Who could even blame her? Pineshadow residents *loved* the annual snowfall, the cancelled school days, the Christmas parties, the colorful holiday lights that were a sensation in every neighborhood, so much so that, according to Mya, her parents drove around Pineshadow a week before Christmas just to admire them all.

That wasn't mentioning the Christmas displays at the Pineshadow Outdoor Mall, the Starbucks seasonal menu and holiday cups, and the cheer that Pineshadow reverberated throughout Washington. That special, *most wonderful* time of the year was *almost here*.

It would be in *two days' time*. December had whizzed by in the blink of an eye.

"Mya! Come on, my fingertips are beginning to ache from the cold!" Evie shouted, her fingers curling inside of her mittens. Mya was clumping up snow as if she was gonna try stuffing it in her backpack and taking off with it, and Evie knew she'd follow, eventually. But good *lord*, she was *freezing*. She turned her back, heading under the awning and her warm destination ahead...

*Splat*. Icy snow splattered the back of her head, sending a non-violent chill down her spine. She tensed.

She turned around.

A lump of snow was pressed against her face, and behind that lump of snow was an enthusisatic sillyhead, chuckling.

Evie, for a second, forgot about the bitter cold and how her lips were going *blue* from the snowy surprise. She giggled, her heart thawing and open to just a *pinch* of wintery wonderland entertainment.

"Okay, I see your strategy." Without warning, she kicked snow onto Mya's heels, causing her to yelp in surprise, and then...

*Splat*.

"But I'm *always* one step ahead of you, you goofy idiot."

Mya, laughing, grabbed Evie's hand. She *knew* that would do the trick. Evie *loved* fun and games way more than she let on - and the winter spirit was *enrichingly* contagious with her around.

Mya had infected her and *fast*. A wide smile was etched onto her face, wider than the one before, and her hair neatly rested at the back of her head, dampened from the snowball. Her friend's face was pink from her counter.

The match was a draw.

Hand-in-hand, they walked inside Pineshadow Middle, skipping through the mounds of show and shaking the lingering traces off their bodies, and the interior was a *hub* of *jolly great fun*.

Silver tinsel and luminous, enchanting Christmas lights were strewn around the building, as well as mini decorative Christmas trees, each dark green and having several mini ornaments adorn their branches. On top were silver or gold stars that illuminated the walls behind them.

Smack dab in the middle of the school was a Christmas tree, several presents tucked neatly under it, and from their tags, it was likely gifts from members of the office staff to another. The present wrapped in gold? That *definitely* belonged to Principal Rex.

Just for the day, the cafeteria advertised Christmas-sprinkle topped waffles with spare helpings of whip cream and chocolate milk. That would have been Evie and Mya's go-to breakfast had they not already eaten.

"Mmmph, imagine how the waffles are tasting today. They'd *definitely* Leggo my Eggo," Mya murmured, rubbing her stomach.

"Are they even Eggo? Either way, had Dad not made me peppermint-topped muffins this morning, I would have tried it myself. Actually sounds legit delicious."

The girls turned the corner around the Christmas tree, finding counters manned by STUCO members, who were happily giving out free elf and Santa hats. Cecilia and Jamal, the leaders, were tending to the station with the elf hats.

"Ooh! I'm gonna get one!" Mya dashed off to them, surprising Cecilia and Jamal with her sudden appearance. Evie lagged behind, watching her friend amusedly. *She loves hats.*

"Hey, Mya. You want a hat?" Cecilia offered.

"You betcha! It would add to my seasonal *Elf on the Shelf* flavor..."

Cecilia cocked her left eyebrow, but shrugged. Mya always had the *randomest* things on her hyper, zany mind.

"If you insist. Here you are!" She deposited the lime-green and red hat in the girl's arms, and immediately, she fastened it to her forehead, squealing with glee. "Thanks Ceci!"

Evie smiled, seeing her best friend bounce around the halls, and she heard the *jingle jingle jingle* of the hat's silver bell on its very top, flopping back and forth in a mismatched harmony.

"Very jingly today, are we, Mya?" she questioned good-humoredly, and Mya saluted, dipping her head in a nod. *Jingle*.

"Ever the merrier, given I have worked on a Christmas tune for this year..."

"Oh? And what that might be?"

"Jingle bells, Christmas smells, farewell 2011 hells!" Mya sang *triumphantly*, her eyes to the sky as she hooked Evie's arm (without giving her the time to compliment the rather creative tune) and hauled her to the Santa hat table, managed by the newest member of STUCO, Amelie Hewitt. "But first..."

There was no *way* Mya was getting a second hat. *It won't even fit on her elf hat!* Evie thought, slightly incredulous but relaxing in her friend's festive grip.

"Hey A-meeeel-lie! One Santa hat for *her*, please," she requested, affectionately pointing at Evie with her other hand.

Evie *blushed*. Mya wanted her to *wear* a *Santa hat*? At *school*?

*Hats are not my thing! Aah!*

But at the same time, wearing a hat sounded so... *cute*. Christmas-y, cute, and *fitting*.

Amerie nodded, placing a fuzzy scarlet cap in Mya's hands. "Thanks!" exclaimed the merrymaker Mya, and she released Evie, allowing her to regain some of her other functions. With a giggle that made her lightly smile in embarrassment and surprise, Mya crowned her Santa and placed the hat on top of her head. Her friend stared at the hat, its pom drooping towards her nose, and she wrung her hands together.

"T-Thanks, Mya... it's lovely."

"Looking *spiffing*, Evie Claus!"

Evie blushed *harder*. Mya had no reason to be spoiling her *like this*!

"Ho... ho... ho?" she answered, growing ever the more flustered - especially because they *were standing in the middle of the freaking hallway*. Some eyes were on them, mostly gravitating towards Mya's excited display of holiday cheer, though Evie felt nagging eyes staring at her. They didn't know her as one to be festive, to say the least.

Mya laughed the stares away, blushing herself from the attention she had unintentionally beckoned to them. "Ev! It's *fine*. You look *pretty* in a hat!" She gave her a thumbs-up, and Evie felt the plush, white rims of the hat. It was... *soft*, and it felt snug against her head, which still felt chilly after standing in the cold (and having a snowball jettisoned into it) for a few minutes.

It was *cute*, *warm*, and a *perfect* gift to set the tone for a *beautiful* holiday season. Mya sometimes knew her heart more than she even knew it herself... hats weren't her thing, but maybe it was time for a needed *change*.

Evie laughed, swinging her friend into a sweeping hug, enough to yank her off the ground for the briefest of seconds. Just for Mya, she'd make an exception. Santa hats were *cool*.

"I think I *do* look pretty. Thanks for the gift, My."

The pom was droopy, but it didn't obscure her vision whatsoever, and the way it flopped was kinda *adorable*? It matched Mya's drooping elf hat and the bell that always went *ring a dinga ling* whenever she moved.

The two were hand-in-hand, Ms. Claus and her trusty elf, on their way to the *workshop* - that being, the gym.

The two proceeded to the gym, with Mya skipping so her bell would go *jingle*, *jingle*, *jingle*. A sweet, infectious, melodic noise filled the air, and all at PMS was *peaceful*, *buzzing* with Christmas cheer and *rock* around the Christmas tree. *Everyone* was immersed in the holiday spirit, and even Evie had to confess to herself that playing in the snow and getting her own hat was *fun*. She'd *become* one of them.

She and Mya *both* were the embodiment of the holidays.

But *one person* at PMS *wasn't* in the holiday mood at *all*. The lights were too *bright* and eyestrain-inducing. Everyone's smiles were unveiled tubes of *acid*. The decorations *reeked* of the lumberyard and a kid's fever dream on *steroids*.

And that irritating *jingle jingle jingle* approaching the dark corner of her *hideout*, *away* from that *grotesque* display for the *stupidest* day of the year, wasn't going to appease Daniela one *morsel*.

*Grrr... these entitled twerps get special breakfasts, mopey hats, and festive lights... and I get nothing! When out of everyone who sits their lazy asses down here, I work the HARDEST!*

Daniela wore *nothing* that carried the Christmas spirit. That stuff? Oh, that stuff wasn't just *gross*, it was also *heinous*.

The noise *burned* in her ears, leaving her with an extreme case of *gritted teeth*. An auburn head emerged, and the silver bell atop her head *jingled*.

Daniela's last straw snapped clean in half. Furiously, she stalked toward Mya and blocked off her path, startling both her and Evie.

"**Heartley**, if you don't **clam up** with that **jingly-jangly banshee** on your *fuzzy auburn head*, I am going to **rip it off** and force it *up your ASS*!"

Mya, gasping, took a step back, appalled and feeling fright take ahold of her veins. Evie bared some of her teeth in warning.

Daniela looked on in smug triumph, seeing the two's ruffled feathers and Mya's alarmed, timid silence. Just what she was *used to* - at least there was some order in her twisted world.

"Pah! Losers. Hope you enjoy the second-hand *embarrassment* - because, let's be *honest*. Both of you are **obnoxiously stupid** in those ***smelly fleabagged caps***!"

Onlookers peered at Evie and Mya; Evie had returned to her original stature, looking more irritated than spooked. A growl rumbled in her throat while Mya peered at her feet nervously, the gazes making the anxiety in her itch harder and *harder*. She grabbed her hat, pulling it down so the cap rested just above her eyelids, her feet shuffling on the tile floor.

*Come on... say something! Say something and defend yourself! You're gifting Daniela what she wants!*

Evie saw the *panic* and *hurt* in her eyes, and she *snarled*. Of *course* Daniela would seek to *tarnish* the break *and* Mya's day. She was unhappy with *everything* PMS sought to share for the holiday season, holding it in fistfuls of unforgiving *contempt*. Christmas was a holiday Mya *loved*, but she *hated*. To see Mya be miserable made her heart flare with *rage*.

In addition to that, Daniela knew *where* to *hit Mya*. Right in the heart, where she knew she'd be upset and humiliated and would likely force herself to shut down and put off the holiday festivities. Mya's holiday couldn't end like *that*! *Never*! Evie clenched a *fist*.

Daniela had *crossed* the picket fence between them.

*How DARE you act so shamefully!* She thought of a retort to backhand the bully with, putting a hand on Mya's back to soothe her rattled friend with, when suddenly, an idea *crystalized* in her mind.

A *brilliant* idea. So *brilliant* that it almost made her feel like the *Grinch*, except that the Grinch in her wasn't *evil* - it was *heroic*.

Christmas *wouldn't* be ruined at the hands of Pineshadow's most foul-mouthed young child.

"Mya! Daniela doesn't seem to be getting into the spirit of what makes Christmas a *blessing*. Maybe you should sing her a Christmas carol?" she proposed, *rejoicing* out of *relief* when Daniela's eyes, a disrupted, *flaring* amber, *dilated* to black slits. Mya perked up just as her bully opened her mouth to give a *frosty* retort.

*A Christmas carol!*

"Oh **HELL NO**! You *can't sing*, Heartley! You sound like a *dying wombat* each time your mouth flops open to the soulless tunes on the *radio*. *Please*. Humiliating yourself is **my business**, not the dumb crowd's!"

Mya remembered the lyrics, which *flowed* through her *head*, clear as falling snow. Her Christmas tune that she performed to Evie *earlier*. One that wasn't entirely *original*, but modified to her liking... a *mischievous* liking.

She had her crowd, watching her, Evie, and a stiff-faced, irritated Daniela, waiting eagerly for how she'd react to her bully's latest round of bullying. Would she falter, squeak, and flee, being yet another mouse trapped under the cat's paw? Or would she be able to *perform* her *swan song* and hand out happiness and cheer to the students, and show Daniela what Christmas was *truly* like?

She had *Evie*, her partner-in-crime, the one who pitched the unorthodox idea. She was smiling, her faith at full throttle. She *believed* in the magic of the winter season. She believed in *her*.

Mya *also* had the perfect *piece* to complete her little jingle. A hasty add-on, but one that rhymed *almost as perfectly*. It was absolutely silly and *unhinged*, but it made *sense*. A beautiful, *heavenly* sense.

The perfect spectator to her jingle was standing right in front of her, in a blue sweater, thinking she could be the victor of all the *spoils*.

She hadn't yet earned *all* the spoils, though. Mya had the *greatest* one of them all, resting under warm sheets in her *voicebox*.

*Ha! Genius idea, Evie! I've got my own idea to tack onto yours. Daniela did say I could sing... but she DIDN'T say I couldn't sing AND breakdance!*

Mya, shaking off her fears, took a step towards Daniela, cracked her knuckles and the muscles in her neck, and snapped three times.

One. Daniela sneered silently.

Two. Daniela clenched one of her fists.

Three. Daniela wouldn't even get a chance to *move*.

"Jingle bells, Christmas smells, Daniela go to *hell*! Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh, **HEY**!" Mya sang loudly, tapdancing on the floor.

Daniela had *no words* to even *counter* what had came singsonged out of Mya's *mouth*. Her face was dunked into cranberry sauce, for it turned a *furious* shade of dark *red*. Mya had just *humiliated her* in the *worst possible fashion*, and there was *nothing* she could do to *reverse the downsides*.

The audience *wooed*, but Mya wasn't done, inviting *Evie* to her side. Daniela's jaw unlocked, *slamming* down on the tile floor.

*What the HELL??? No! She can't! There's no way Evie can-*

"Jingle *bells*, Christmas *smells*, Daniela go to *hell*!" Evie chimed *effortlessly* and with *shocking* amounts of stability in her voice, linking her arms with Mya's. "Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh, *hey*!"

*Both* bowed to their audience, who clapped, giving them whistles and *thunderous* approval. A stray elf hat went flying towards Mya's feet, and she *kissed it*, waving out to the concertgoers.

Daniela was *speechless*. Utterly *dumbfounded*. Left for *dead*.

Everyone was *glaring* at her, *laughing* at her, and her face and ears were *red* as *beetroot*.

Contrary to her expectations, Mya - and her *smug*, *intelligent* friend, Daniela's own *rival* - had *embarrassed her*.

*Badly*.

Daniela, hissing, stalked back to her hiding spot. She wasn't feeling *victorious* nor *dominant* anymore. Evie and Mya had hogged her *one* chance to ease the pain and melodramatic Christmas disease that had plagued the school for *weeks*, her *one chance* to put her enemies down to soar *above*, her one chance to *show* that Christmas was for *lame*, good-for-nothing, *whiny* crybabies.

She *hated this*. Evie and Mya were *testing her*, *pushing her*... and she wasn't going to *tolerate it*.

*Fool me once, I'll barely let you slide. Fool me twice... and neither of you two are going to be celebrating your unceremonious, morbid holiday unscratched...*

Meanwhile, Evie and Mya had escaped, all smiles, to the gym, which was a heart's warming tale of *excited* voices and the *thomps* of stoked feet on the ground, of children that desired *freedom* and *emancipation* for the holidays. Mya let her arm hook with Evie's again, and from there, it was all dancing in the noise.

"You *impressed* me back there, Evie. I had no idea you could sing!"

Evie rolled her eyes. "Meh, I'm no superstar talent. Your jingle's *great*, though. Why the twist line?"

"Daniela deserved it," Mya quipped, sticking her tongue out at her. Evie chuckled and patted her on the shoulder.

"Well, I won't disagree there. *Dumbiela* had it coming for her guts."

"Sure as hell did. But still, Evie. You can *sing*!"

"Only for you I will," Evie huffed, stopping to cross her arms and stare at the bleachers. "You will *never* see me out there with a microphone in my hand, unless it's for my graduation speech in, hmm... *five years*, tops."

"And has *Mother Dearest* entirely plotted out your graduation speech?" Mya warbled, twirling on the bleacher railing as her friend stepped up to join her.

"She has the rough draft written in Microsoft Word, mark my words."

"The horror!" Shaking off the childish banter, the two found open seating in the middle of the bleachers and sat down, each pulling out their phones and bunched close together, so much so that their shoulder blades had faintly touched From here, the two could get lost in their own imaginations, tuning out the mindless, holiday-filled chatter scattered and bouncing off the gym walls. Their own bliss took over, and all that was left was to enjoy the atmosphere...

...since the gym would be *all theirs*.

Evie and Mya were relived they weren't going to be hauling around their tired, first-semester bodies around for *eight whole periods* today. Per PMS custom, on early release days, *everyone* would only go to their seventh and eighth periods. It saved *so much hassle* and *stress*. Plus, as exams were finished the prior week, the only thing stopping them would be *wavelengths* of fun!

"You think Samoski's gonna be cheery today?" Evie asked Mya, who was staring at her app store *very* intensely, waiting for an update for one of her games to download. She drummed her thighs.

"That's a possibility! Samoski *needs* a break. He spends too much time being chronically angry and frustrated... poor fella."

The bell rang, and the crowds in the gym were dismissed, heading off to their classes sans those in Samoski's class, who stayed behind with the girls and set their backpacks down on the bleachers, waiting for Coach Samoski's instruction.

The coach them appeared, no whistle and clipboard in sight. He was *off the hook*.

"Attention, Pines! As it's two days until Christmas, arguably *everyone's* favorite Pineshadow holiday, I have no plans for warmups, drills, or general athletics today. The time's yours. Please, *have fun* - but *don't* be a menace. If you all need anything, I will be at my desk."

Samoski whirled away, stretching his arms, and with the kids off to their own devices, everyone crowded around, interacting with friends, hitting up social media and games on technology, or just playing with toys of their own. Evie and Mya remained on the bleachers, gazing out at the familiar scenery.

"Just wait until we get to history," Mya remarked, nudging her phone slightly, and she rested against Evie's shoulder blade. Evie knew what was on her mind in a split *second*.

*Naecher's gonna have hot chocolate and Christmas movies. He's been hyping it up for weeks.*

"You just want Mr. Naecher to make his signature hot cocoa recipe, don't you?"

"I'm thirstyyyyyyy, Ev!" she protested with a shining smile.

"I am too, believe me. Could use some energy after walking through *that* weather out there."

Mya, fluffing her long auburn hair behind her, focused on her phone and then *squealed*. *Yes*! It *downloaded*!

"Ooh, Evie! The new *Angry Birds Seasons* update is live!"

Evie scooted closer to her, glancing down at her phone screen, which steadied into the loading screen of *Angry Birds Seasons*, now winter-themed and full of winter *delight*.

"New area?"

Mya tapped in and laser-focused on a brand-new set of levels, one that made her turn to her friend and squeal even more.

*Wreck the Halls*.

"*Wreck the Halls*! I'm gonna *wreck* some *halls*, *hah*!"

"With *my* help," Evie interjected, adding, "I want you to play the Golden Egg level when you reach three stars on all levels."

"But that requires *grinding*!"

"I'll *help you*. When it comes to *Angry Birds*, *strategy* is key."

That's how seventh period went for Evie and Mya, going back and forth, playing the *Wreck the Halls* levels, laughing at very evident fails and trial and error to get Golden Eggs (a sore spot for Mya). They became distracted in talks of baking gingerbread men and having hot chocolate mustaches, decorating the Christmas tree and hoping Holly, Evie's cat, didn't run off with an ornament as a new toy, thinking of the Christmas meals that would await them, and, the most *coveted* subject of all: *the sleepover*.

It was in early December that Mya had asked Evie for a few-day Christmas sleepover, wanting to unwrap presents and have a *huge* meal and watch movies together with her best friend, spicing it up compared to her family's typical party for themselves at their home. Evie agreed immediately, as did her parents. *Both* parents was a surprise, considering Evie's history with her occassionally-prickly mother, Opal.

The two had a *lot* planned and a *lot* to discuss doing, and they were pretty much in the clear for anything as long as it was appropriate and not in any way, shape, or form dangerous, per Opal herself. It was a *win*-*win* for the dynamic duo, and the Christmas season this year was looking to be *everything* wrapped in the most glorious, rich present designed by the Big Man himself.

They just had to wait another *hour* - potentially even *less*.

Eventually, the two managed to *accomplish* the three stars feat and played the Golden Egg level together, cheering upon its satisfying completion, and they high-fived, laughing it off and burning out the rest of the time walking around in the gym to Christmas music, thinking of what things could be once the clock struck the 25th. So close and yet out of their reach for now...

The girls couldn't dwell any longer. The bell to end seventh period rang, and grabbing their backpacks, they dashed side-by-side up the stairs to history, taking their seats at their joint desk.

"It's homemade hot chocolate time!" Mya cheered, clapping her hands excitedly.

"I know!" Evie purred, excited herself. All that was left was for class to begin.

The bell rang, and Mr. Naecher shut the door to the classroom. "Heyo, class! Wow, it's almost Christmas time. Can you believe it?" he inquired, heading over to his hot chocolate station.

"Hardly!" Mya snorted, and the class murmured agreement.

"Two more days. I don't have much to say, other than I hope all of you have a *merry* and *beautiful* Christmas, playing in the snow, sharing the warmth, love, presents, and food. If you plan to travel, *do* stay safe! Beware of black ice and icy roads. If you're in an avalanche, ski to the side. Now, who's ready for hot cocoa and a *iconic* Christmas movie?"

"Us!" The class chorused with hyped chatter.

"Give me the hot chocolate! I *demand it*!" Mya insisted.

"*Tôi đã sẵn sàng*!" encouraged Evie.

At once, the mini party in history had *begun*. Mr. Naecher handed out cups of steaming hot chocolate, and the girls decorated theirs with flecks of cinnamon and tiny, fingernail-sized marshmallows that bobbed in the frothy *heaven* that awaited them. When that cup was placed *gently* on Mya's desk, she *snatched it* in record timing and took a sip, sighing in *peace*.

"*That* is *art*," she murmured, slinking down, and down, and down, in her chair.

"Mya, you're going to fall out of your chair," Evie pointed out, every facial feature of hers curved in amusement. Was Mya high right now, or was the hot chocolate *actually* that magical?

"I burned my tongue, so falling out of my chair is the least likely of my concerns at the moment." She gave a thumbs-up and stuck out her tongue, and her companion's eyes went wide in response. She *what*?

*I don't think I should even ask questions,* Evie thought to herself with a slight guffaw, turning back in the direction of the Smartboard, which was now playing *Home Alone* - definitely a Christmas classic, and a movie Mya *always* said she'd watch every Christmas. Simply put, it had a *charm* that was *not* going to be resisted.

"I can't wait to get to the traps part," Evie admitted. She wasn't a *Christmas movie*-person, per se, but she didn't mind some well-written action scenes mixed in with some slapstick. Variety was important when it came to analyzing media, as her mother said that one time.

*Can't go wrong with slapstick, though that's something Mya has coded in her brain.*

The movie progressed at a rip-roaring pace, which made Mya shake her hands and Evie, motioning to what x was *doing* or what was happening or whispering the plot's events, all while finishing her first cup of hot chocolate and getting a refill, the rim of her mouth stained with brown, which she promptly cleaned off before taking a sip from her second cup. She was dancing in hot chocolate heaven, and Evie was on board with her every step of the way, all while cracking a good laugh at the gags in *Home Alone*. Those action scenes were *priceless*.

All the while, the snow had transitioned into a *downpour* outside, and torrents of white flurries assaulted the school. Their *patters* and *plops* were heard against the roof, and whispers went around that school would be let out early. Mya thought it was unlikely, since they'd stayed in for snowfalls like this before, though if Rex was in the Christmas spirit and not vanquished by Daniela's sadistic lobbies, maybe she *would* gift them quite the treat by axing the dimissal time in half.

Her eyes grew heavy, and her thoughts drifted from snowy falls and wrecking halls and decking halls to the land of the unliving. Her body rested against Evie's, lightly snoring as the movie neared its end.

*Awww,* Evie remarked inwardly, adjusting her position so Mya had a more comfortable spot on the crook of her shoulder, her warmth seeping into her neck, and she felt herself loosening up. She didn't mind the snuggles - today was just the perfect, cozy day for them.

There was no arguing with that.

Soon, after the traps scene of *Home Alone* had finished, the PA *rang*, and Evie nudged Mya, who awoke with a, "Is it Christmas yet...?" Upon realizing she was back in Mr. Naecher's history classroom, she fell quiet and nudged herself off of Evie.

Instead of the school's typical announcer, Mr. Ackers, taking over, a deeper, feminine, and upbeat voice was the speaker, and she seemed more delighted than anything in the world.

"Hello, students!" Principal Rex greeted jovially. "Due to the weather conditions in the area, the staff and I have informed parents and are now informing you that dismissal will begin in *ten minutes*. Please remember to *be careful* during the break..."

Evie and Mya tuned the principal's announcement out, staring at each other with glee, relief, and *longing* to be home, resting in the warmth of the Ly household, snuggled on the sofa, watching the outside transition into a blizzard of a winter paradise, giving Holly belly rubs underneath the Christmas tree... oh, there was *so* much *fun* to be *had*!

For the next ten minutes, they sat together, finishing up *Home Alone*, celebrating the conclusion; Evie nervously grinned at Mya when she got a *third* cup of hot chocolate and was bouncing on her toes near dismissal.

"Mya, if you're going to drink a *fourth* cup-" she began, waving a hand at her in concern, but Mya shrugged.

"Evie, it's not coffee! I don't feel my system crashing, or haywiring, or spitooning... but *god*, I cannot refuse the most holy drink. You know Mr. Naecher. It's homemade *bliss*!"

"To each their own, I suppose." Evie couldn't debate with Mya when she was head over heels for something she *loved*, whether it be hot chocolate, games, music, or something she manufactured in her own imagination.

Suddenly, *diiiiiiiing*!

"Bye, kiddos! Have an *awesome* holiday break!" called Mr. Naecher, but by the time he spoke the last few words, most of his students had already left the room, Evie and Mya included.

The duo sped down the stairs, pushing through the crowds, skidding on the tile floor, and finally, tasting the *piercing cold air* of the snowy outside. Flakes of snow christened the tops of their hats, and their boots *crunched* the powdery white that had promised Pineshadow it'd take over for *days* on end. Those days, as they stood, were *endless*.

Some kids hollered and whooped, throwing snowballs into the parking lot and at each other's faces, building wobbly snowmen with no mouths and no teeth, waltzing in the snow and prancing like the Great Prince of the Forest, just laughing and embracing the spirit of December, no strings attached.

Others, however, were *sick* of the cold, the icicles forming on their lips, and their ears pulsing red from the *lowest* temperatures recorded in the season thus far, hopped in their parents' cars and sped off to the *relieving* comfort of *home*.

Evie and Mya were *not* among the Debbie Done-ers, and decided, with a spark of imaginitive and joyous flare in each of their green eyes, to *walk* through the storm. Home was like, what, ten to fifteen minutes away? It wouldn't devastate them in the slightest if they went the long way today.

"Would your mother allow for us to wage *war* in the snow later?" Mya asked casually, glancing at the snowy banks and the snowy Piney Woods ahead, some of its trees barren and others having snow covering their pointed needles. Evie let out a short *hmmm*.

"She wouldn't be opposed as long as we don't attempt to murder each other... think of the repurcussions of me dying a premature death. Mom would deem our house *cursed*."

"Better yet, a legacy of *failure*!"

Evie snorted with an eyeroll to boot. Yeah, that was pretty in-line with her mother too. But she wouldn't be dying anytime soon, that she'd bet on - with all her training, psychology, and physical awareness in her, she was destined to *succeed*.

"Moving on, what about Christmas movies? Could we watch those?" Mya questioned, her tone bubbling with starlit eagerness, and Evie nodded. Whatever floated her sleigh would be fine with her parents.

"Can your dad make Christmas cookies?"

Evie nodded again. Her father was an *excellent* cook, more so than her mother (who was more of an expert in cultural cuisine), and knowing how much he *adored* Mya, he would *absolutely* make sugar cookies. And her favorite chocolate-chip cookies as well. *You never go wrong with cookies.*

The two had almost reached the corner crosswalk, and Mya, her gaze to the sky, thought of something *grandiose*. Something *extraordinary*, and something a bit more *challenging* to propose.

Yet that something sounded just so *fun* and *jolly* and *perfect* for the occasion.

"Ooh Evie! Evie, what if we went to the-"

Unfortunately for the creative, witty Heartley, she would not nearly have enough time to hear the sleigh bells ring in *warning* in front of her, and her sentence was abruptly ended when she skipped right into a *raging mass*.

A mass that was dormant until she *saw* her elven *foes* at her front door, all merry, bright, sugary, spicy, and *not so nice*. The *same* buffoons and rugrats who, earlier, gave her a *humiliating* defeat that *scorched* her face, dug *deep* into her inflamed presence, and showcased the most *egregious* flaw in her kingdom of *tyranny*.

*Weakness*.

The fire that had been doused in peppermint *pride* earlier had *reignited* at once within Daniela. How *dare* Evie and Mya show up so *brazenly*? Were they just here to *gloat*? Rub their *embarrassing* Christmas carol in her *face*? She *had it*.

She *hissed*, and the two stepped back. "Are you **twerps** just here to ***BRAG*** about **humiliating me**?" she accused without hesitation, squaring her arms with a *threatening* amount of force. Evie swept herself up and countered, brushing off the brief amount of alarm that flared in her body.

"*No*, Daniela. We're going *home*," she flatly retorted. Daniela was *not* satisfied with the answer and growled for a second and *far more menacing* time, her fists *clenched hard*.

"You are **NOT** going home, Ly, and neither are you, *Heartley*. You owe me a *freaking explanation* for what in the name of **hell's asshole** you did to me in the *morning*."

"Do we really?" Evie muttered.

Daniela *sighed* and *facepalmed*. "Gonna downplay the *cost* of you and your *bestie's* fiendish behavior? Evie, let me put this in terms you'll *actually comprehend*. It's Christmas time, woohoo, Pineshadow is snowy and it's wintertime and everyone is supposed to be *happy*. In my world? *There is no such thing as happy* when people like **you** *burn out your time* singing **stupid carols** and giving *cheap gifts* and *punching each other on the shoulder* watching old-timey movies. It's a season of **suffering** for me, and if you had *any amount of sympathy*, you wouldn't have chosen to make me a *laughing stock* in front of people who **hate me**!"

Mya frowned. Did Daniela seriously believe *she* was the victim here? When she had *instigated* the confrontation in the first place, all because a *jingle bell* was too much for her *fragile* soul? *Sheesh*.

She took a step up and pressed her shoulder to Evie. "Daniela, it's Christmas. Do you honestly think people are going to want *your version* of the holiday, which is essentially the Seven Deadly Sins with a mix of Grinchy flavor?"

*Oh*. So there was *Bold Heartley*, who only came out to defend her best friend when she had *run out* of counters to slash her opponent with. Daniela's demeanor switched into reverse, and out of the vengeful bully disguise she went. Her devious smirk took ahold of her face, and she *grinned*.

Her prey was in *sight*, fresh for the *taking*. Forget retribution for a *moment*. She could gain some *vindication*, and then most of today's grievances would be eased.

"Nobody likes my holiday because they're a bunch of *uncultured swine*. Today was *dreadful*, and that cheer? *Ugh*, disgusting. PMS is a hellhole as it stands, but *this month* is when it's the *worst*. It's like *poison*, tasting cyanide and arsenic and all that stuff at *once*. People like you two exemplify what I hate, and you two went *above and beyond* to make the day *a lethal dosage*."

She crackled her knuckles.

"But? You two have decided to *show up again*, and what's stopping me from blowing off steam on Santa's precious little elves? Maybe this holiday will be *worth it* after all, once I *wipe* those cocky grins off your pale faces and gain that *cathartic antiviral*, heal from the *poison* of the holidays. The festivities aren't all *that bad*, I'd **say**!" Daniela, laughing, closed the window between her, Evie, and Mya, rendering her prey in *striking distance*, yet they stood strong, augmented by each other's aura and same-brained agenda.

Daniela *needed* to let go. It was snowing, and it was gonna get *worse* the more time slipped on. Plus, it was *cold*. How was Daniela only in a *sweater* and practically *unbothered*? Was she *that* supercharged by her most insignificant vendettas?

Evie groaned. "Nope. Waste of time. Get out of *our way*." She pushed past Daniela, and the bully's glare, in a second, turned *toxic*. She put a roadblock in her path.

"Are you that much of a sheep? I never knew you were a *coward*, Ly!"

"Stop it, Daniela!" Mya insisted, trying to go around the other way, only to be hard-blocked and *elbowed* back by Daniela herself, who was looking all too *sly* with herself. All too *pleased*.

It was easy to *befuddle* and *torment* your slim pickings. She was *wrong*. Christmas was the greatest time of year - when your enemies were guaranteed to have a *disconsolate* holiday.

She stepped in front of Evie, sidestepped in front of Mya, flicked her jingling bell back, toyed with Evie's pom, and repeated this *over and over again*. Evie and Mya were looking sodden in the snow, especially Mya, who was very agitated and blushing from the freezing wind battering her cheekbones. After another minute, Evie took a step back and supported her friend, fixing her hat. Daniela *wheezed*.

"Never thought the holiday would be *this* entertaining... but I got my *kicks* out of it. You have *ought* to see your faces!"

*You've gotta be kidding me...* Mya thought, placing her eyes on her wet snow boots. Evie, growling, shook loose snow off her shoulders and repositioned her Santa hat.

Daniela had her fun and games, and now, it was time for her to *go home and seethe*. She and Mya had plans to do, business to decide, and *their own fun*, and the school's number-one belle of a bully wasn't going to get away with *ruining it*.

She pushed ahead through the snow, her face gruff. Daniela fully predicted that she'd push her aside, as before, and then, she'd find the path to *victory* blocked by a buff blue sweater.

What she *wasn't* predicting was Evie hitting her in the *ribs* with a *strong* elbow, and she doubled to the side in pain. Whipping towards the girls, she *snarled*.

"Why you son of a *snitch*!" she shouted, leaping towards Evie and *violently* snatching the Santa hat off her head. Evie shrieked, holding onto Mya, and she watched with renewed irritation, mingled with disbelief, as Daniela set it upon her head.

*She wants us to be here all day.*

"Jealous?" Daniela inquired, flicking her visible black hair strands back and strutting around like Mrs. Claus on a vacation in Hawaii. "I think it suits *me*, a destined *royal*, better than a *culture vulture* who *elbows* me in my *back* when she doesn't get her *way*. Karma is *hot*, Evie, Mya. So is *hell*, where that *carol* you invented to *deprecate me* is *rotting*!"

Evie's dark green eyes *instantly* shone with *fury*, and leaving Mya a whisker behind her, she *growled*.

"*Nói*. *Cái đó*. *Lần nữa*," she demanded, baring her teeth, though Daniela didn't respond, blankly staring back. Mya, worried, clutched her still-warm cup of hot chocolate in her mittened hand, seeing Evie's white-hot offended state versus Daniela's infinite, vigorous, *incensed* stature. Two on two on equal footing.

Daniela had the advantage. She had Evie's *hat*, something which, as soon as she'd get home, she'd *throw away*. Discard it like *nothing*.

*That's MY gift to MY friend, you two-timing fleabrain!*

"Daniela, give Evie her hat *back*. I'm not letting you go *hrrumphing* around with that!" she ordered.

She was met with a raspberry and crossed arms.

"In your snow dreams, chucklefu-"

"*Give it back*!" she repeated, stepping up to her.

"Only if Ly wants to have fisticuffs for something she can buy at the dollar store for *pennies*."

Evie only remained in place, her hand resting on Mya's shoulder, and her green-eyes weren't like a Christmas fireplace, but of pure *fire*. Fire that *scorched*.

"I am not fighting you over a goddamn *hat*. The dollar store is *fine with me*. Get a grip on your life and your bruised ego."

"Seems like this battle is *over*," Daniela sneered, patting the hat and treating it like her own property. "It's *mine*. *Toodles*!"

Suddenly, Mya hissed. Daniela's *hat*? No, that was *Evie's*, and *rightfully hers*. Daniela hadn't *earned it*! She *stole it*! That Grinch wanted *no fun* and only *spoils*, that rotting scrap of *flesh*.

She only wanted to ruin Evie and Mya's holiday and make them *depressed naughty list children*.

Mya wouldn't let this slide. If Daniela wanted to pick a fight with her best friend, then *she was in that fight by default*.

Before Daniela could turn away, and before Evie could deliver a *fiery* argument, Mya slurped the last of her chocolate, stepped up to Daniela, and *discharged* the bullet hiding in her mouth.

*Splat*.

Daniela felt nothing but *claws*, *chocolatey claws*, tear across her right eye, and *screaming*, she collapsed to the ground, covering her eye and panting in *pain*. *Aggressive* pain. In the lacuna, Mya tossed the cup like a tennis ball, and it landed neatly in a trash can. She also stripped Daniela of her hat and placed it back on Evie's head.

"Your property has been returned, Mrs. Claus."

Evie was still in a state of shock from what had just unfolded, but hugged Mya and smiled. *That wasn't necessary, and I could have just gotten another one... but Mya is loyal to the very end. And she stood up for herself to get the hat back! She's grown so much...*

"Thank you, my dearest elf. I didn't even think of *that* as a defense mechanism... but you're *always* a clever weasel. Let's get home, shall we?"

"To home base!" Mya proclaimed, and she and Evie sped off from the scene of the crime.

Once again, Daniela was *abandoned*, desolately, and the only one laying in a heap on the ground. Instead of celebrating, embracing the snowfall, and being a child spoiled rotten, she was *livid*.

Her eye was on *fire*, and even with one uncovered eye, it was apparent that she was *ablaze*.

For the second time that day, Evie and Mya had *infuriated and chastened her* in *cold*, *callous blood*.

Christmas was already the worst holiday of the *year*. Everyone had widdled her down to her *bones*. Now, her *greatest enemies* were making a *mockery* of her ego *and* her position of power. Undoing all of its careful, stitched threading, and watching as she came undone again and again.

This was *ridiculous*. Dark spurts of fire lapped at her heart, and she glared off at the distant horizon, where her rivals had escaped her metal grasp.

"*Cockroaches*," she seethed under her breath, still clutching a hand to her agonized eye. "You're just little cockroaches under my *boots* that *won't give up and die*. I'm *warning you*, Evie and Mya. Fool me thrice, and you're going to be waking up to *coal* in your *sorry stockings*."

*I hope you entitled, bossy, limelight-thieving aristocrats have the worst Christmas you've ever had.*

**BACK IN THE PRESENT**

"I had no idea Daniela *despised* Christmas with a burning passion. Then again, she hated *everything* with a burning passion," Winter commented, laying on her stomach and peering up at Mya from her spot on the bed.

"To be frank, I have no idea what made her snap *that* hard that particular year," Mya responded. "But alas, karma was always ready to kick her in the ass. The carol was the icing on the cake."

"That was *creative*. A carol telling her to go to hell? I'm shocked it worked on her!"

Mya shrugged. "Eh. Dani likely didn't have the heart to duke it out in front of crowds yet."

"And from the looks of it, she wanted to rip your head off for spitting *hot chocolate* in her eye. *Hot chocolate*! Mya, you're a madman!" Winter then exclaimed, blue eyes twinkling with awe, and Mya winked.

"Have always been. Anyways, let's continue the story. Though I'm warnin' ya, Winter, this won't be the last you hear of your ex, because the night of our sleepover, she was *brewing* up yet another one of her *plots*."

Winter knew this story was going to be a *long* one.

**DECEMBER 23RD, 2011**

The Ly household was a Christmas corner, for it had holiday wreaths mounted on the walls and a Christmas tree settled in the corner of the living room, decorated in various-sized ornaments, from red, to green, to white, blue, and so many more, some of which were handpainted by Evie's mother, who often cast her eye to the tree's magnificence.

The girls closed the front door behind them, setting their backpacks by the foyer. "We're home!" Evie called, heading to the couch and giving her cat, Holly, some well-deserved scratches behind her ears. She rolled on her belly in a purring black heap.

"Hey darling!" shouted Evie's father, Anderson, who had his cooking apron on and was tending to the oven, with his wife, Opal, tidying up a strand of tinsel above the sink.

"Presuming school was smooth sleighing?" she asked with a delightful grin, and Evie gawked. Since when did her mom enjoy *jokes*?

"Mom. You don't sound like yourself. Should I call the doctor?"

"*Không*. It's Christmas time, dear. And I don't want to get on Santa's naughty list for being an F-tier parent."

"*My* naughty list," Anderson clarified, batting an eye at Opal, who blushed.

"Lovey doves aside," Mya interrupted, stepping into the kitchen and between Evie's parents, separating them with two outstretched arms. "Whatcha cookin, doc?" Opal's green eyes, the exact shade as Evie's, gazed at her in startled surprise.

Anderson knelt down and pulled open the door to the oven, revealing blobs of misshapen dough. Warmth enlightened them, and Mya's jaw was full *unhinged*. Her wishes were *true*!

"Christmas cookies!"

"Why, it's not Christmas without the cookies," explained Evie's father, and he guided her to a cookbook, propped in the middle next to a set of edible glitter, frosting, and *sprinkles*. Mya was *ooohing* and awing, her fingers flexing back and forth in anticipation of culinary *bliss*: *cinnamon* chocolate chip, and vanilla sugar cookies, a *signature* recipe...

"And, you get to help me *decorate them*, if you want to-"

*Offer instantly accepted*.

"**YES PLEASE**!" Anderson patted her shoulder with a giggle and grabbed a cookie mat, placing it flat on the countertop.

"That's settled. Cookies will be ready in..." He opened a timer app on his phone and gasped. "*Five minutes*?"

"Christ, Anderson, manage your clock or you're going to be setting the house on *fire*," Opal muttered, though she wasn't that cross and only kept a single eye on her husband.

"Mom, that is *not* going to happen!" Evie denied from the living room, her head poking up from the top of the sofa.

Mya, shooting like a bullet, soared to Evie's side and joined her on the sofa, disturbing Holly into standing on her paws. She sunk in, wrapping a blanket around herself, and relaxed. "Until those five minutes pass, I shall be here, slipping away into heaven..."

*Go figure.* Evie butted her shoulder with her own, picking up Holly and placing the slender feline in her lap, where she got *more* deserved scratches on her back and ears. Mya wasn't wrong; resting after *weeks* of work and preparing for break was *definitely* a requirement. And when you're a studious perfectionist, *sleep* was a *virtue*.

Alas, for Evie, her work *never* finished, and today was no exception. This time, she wasn't going to be picking up a pencil and writing sprawling essays or doing testwork or vocal prep or job questing. That was put on the backburner for a while.

She was slowly drifting off, and off, and away... and then a certain *tap tap tap* on her shoulders brought her back to the land of the living, specifically her living room. The cat on her lap had vanished and was now sitting in her catbed ajacent to the tree, her green eyes staring into a human *taller* than Evie... and certainly more *imposing*.

"Mom, what is it?"

"Evie, do you notice something missing in the house?"

*The hell is that supposed to mean?* Evie glanced about, but her dark green eyes saw everything in its regular place. The books in the shelf were in their places, the TV was on and had holiday specials abundant, the wreaths were hung, the floor was clean, Holly's cat toys were neatly stored and organized, and there was the tree with ornaments...

Wait... Evie peered again at the walls, meticulously scanning and searching, but they were kinda *blank*. *Blank*, and the holidays were *upon them*!

"There's not enough decorations!"

"Precisely! That's my intelligent young daughter. Now, if you aren't going to cat nap like Holly, would you mind helping me?" her mother requested, and Evie nodded, leaping to her feet.

Her mother was *oddly* festive, but it was a much-needed improvement from last year's food-poisoning fiasco... one *ardently* spoken about, but one Mya fondly recalled from Evie's more-secret retellings.

Evie yanked out strands of silver and gold tinsel from boxes packed in her mother's supply closet, and with thumbtacks, she strung them up around the living room and hallway walls. Holly took notice, trying to chew and chase strands that Evie and her mother hauled around, even pulling a full strand off the wall with her claws and running off.

"No! Holly! Not food! I'm not having you die of poison!"

Evie was *exhausted* after fifteen minutes of playing tug-of-war with her cat and climbing up, down, to, fro, and all around to hang up Christmas decor and deck (not wreck) the halls with boughs and boughs of joy her mother, as she revealed, purchased from Michaels with a holiday gift card. Holly, plum-tuckered from failing to capture any tinsel or stray object dropping out of her owners' hands, laid under the Christmas tree, stretched-out and belly up.

Evie wanted to do the same thing and flopped down on the couch, wiping sweat off her forehead. Mya bobbled over to join her with a plate of four Christmas cookies, freshly topped and cooled down, but still retaining a warmth that made her mouth *melt*.

"Tinseltown giving you a headache? Have a cookie... two, for good measure."

"Thanks, My." Evie took a cookie, the cinnamon chocolate chip ones reserved for her, made from scratch by the *best father* she'd ever known, and *chomped* down on half of it.

It had the *perfect* dusting of cinnamon, the *perfect* amount of chocolate, and *overwhelming* amount's of a father's love for his daughter. *Yes*! Her father could *never* disappoint when it came to his cooking, and this year, it appeared things wouldn't change.

"Perfection," she murmured, her eyes set on some random object in the distance, but Mya could tell her friend was ascending up the steps to her own imagination. Her father was her preferred parent, especially when it came to the cooking, if Opal's occassional disaster hadn't taught them anything by now.

Hours later, evening came, and it was Opal's turn to prep dinner - thankfully, it was her magnum opus of expertise that she was whipping up.

A magnum opus that made Evie sit eagerly at the dinner table, all ears off their moorings, and even made Mya start to salivate when the vegetables and that brothy aroma filled the kitchen. *Powerful* and *captivating*, a big shocker, but a familiarity for Evie, who delivered the exciting news when the food was finalized and placed before them.

"Egg rolls and soup hot pot!"

"My favorite to make for the holidays!" Opal beamed, taking off her cooking mits and sitting at the table, spooning some of the hot pot on her plate and putting it beside an eggroll. Evie's father, approaching to get two egg rolls, elbowed her. "Ow!"

"It only became your favorite after you made Evie *sick* from last year's *disaster*."

"Oh, shut up, Andy. It's Christmas. Save your saltiness for when we're out of salt."

"Your beef wellington was *undercooked*!"

"That's what the recipe *said*-"

"Opal, beef wellingtons have to be cooked a *specific way*! You said you misinterpreted after Evie started vomiting!"

Evie blushed and ducked down, feeling the soft fur of Holly's head, and she received comforting licks from her companion, her sandpaper tongue rasping against her skin gingerly.

Mya awkwardly leaned over, deflecting out the conversation, and she whispered to her, "They're still not over that?"

"Yeeep," she whispered back, plucking some stray scraps of meat out of her meal and feeding them to Holly, who lapped them out of her fingers and sat by her feet, her thin tail swishing back and forth.

Mealtime always brought around the hot topics in the Ly family, and most of them were from Opal's strict, sometimes pigheaded beliefs in regards to Evie, though it was Christmas time, and all transgressions and disagreements were put to the side. Even if the banter became friendly arguments or embarrassing lobs at one another, it was still *Christmas*. There was spirit among everyone, even those not human, and there was a holiday to be celebrated, shared, and *loved*.

This season was a time of *peace* and *prosperity*. It deserved to be celebrated that way.

Evie's parents finished their argument, giving each other kisses and focusing on their food, eating up the egg rolls and spooning more handfuls of soup into their mouths. Mya finished her soup bowl, shoving it aside and taking a bite of her last egg roll.

"Did you make any dessert, Mrs. Ly?" she asked through a mouthful of egg roll, and Evie shut her mouth, though she didn't bother betraying how much she adored her friend's sense of comedy.

She watched her mother examine Mya's behavior for a second, and saw her shoulders fall as well. "Eh, no. Andy made you dessert, and besides, you're not having any more."

"Aww, but I have room in my stomach!" She pointed to it and motioned in a circle, and Evie, for god knows how many times that season, rolled her eyes. *A bottomless pit is never full.*

"You had your share, Mya. You can have more tomorrow."

"I'll even warm the cookies back up so they'll melt in your mouth," Anderson promised with a subtle wink, and Mya was over the moon, jumping back to the living room and forgetting to put her dishes by the sink. Evie filled that in, and then it was off to watch some late-night Christmas television.

"Mya, do your parents plan on doing anything for the holidays?" Opal questioned, folding up some blankets that Holly tried to sit on, only to get shooed off to the end of the couch where Evie was.

Mya thought, tapping her chin. *What were Mom and Dad getting up to...? Oh, I know!*

"Dad wanted to go Christmas shopping at the mall. Earlier, he'd planned on the long drive to Westfield Southcenter, but Mom, welll... it's *that* time of month and-"

"*Ooookay*, I don't think we need to know *that* information, little tiger." Opal's cheeks were a *bit* pursed, and she eyed Mya oddly, like she just spoke poorly of her ancestors, but overall, Opal couldn't be mad at a girl who *loved* her rambles.

Mya's cheeks were just the faintest of pink. "Whoops, my bad... best friend conversation. Anywho, yeah, we scratched off Westfield Southcenter and settled on going to the mall here. Though, we *will* go when Mom's feeling better. Malls during Christmas time are a sight to *behold*!"

"Amen!" Evie agreed. "Dad, do you remember when I met Santa by the Christmas tree by the fountain and giant ornaments when I was five?"

"That's still one of my favorite memories with you. You got *so* excited that you nearly took a swim in the fountain! You're lucky I caught you, or your mother would have snapped my neck in half."

"I almost did that day," Opal recalled with a glimmering green fondness.

The family and Mya then went on to other Christmas tangents, such as tomorrow's plans, food plans, and other misadventures and Christmas shenanigans that emitted the warmest of glows from each and every person (plus one cat).

Then, when the moon was the highest in the sky, it was time for Evie and Mya to hit the hay for the night, and changing into their pajamas, they slunk into the bedroom and shut the door. Mya flopped on the bed, laying spread-eagle on the sheets.

"I do not want to sleep," she declared. Evie tapped her foot on the ground, one eyebrow raised.

"Is that so, O Great One? You're hogging my space. Take your declaration and *shove it*," she ordered, reaching toward her and pulling her aside by the arm.

"Noooo! I want to playyy!" Mya whined.

"Mya, you are not five years old-"

"Can we play more *Angry Birds Seasons*?"

"I want to *sleep*-"

"Evie, it's not *midnight* yet. I'm not going to force you to stay up past midnight, because someone like you needs *sleep* to function. But I want to go back to some of the other levels and get the Golden Eggs and stars I missed. Please?"

Mya sat up and tucked her knees under herself, putting her hands to her chest and pleading with the *cutest* leaf-colored wide eyes, *yearning* for one last nightly quest to close out the night, of a *fun* that she and Evie sparked to life when no one was around.

And Evie was inflicted with the *magnitude* of the puppy eyes, the sheer cuteness putting her under a spell. She couldn't resist. She couldn't say no.

How could one more game kill her? It was *game on*.

"I surrender," she conceded, sitting beside Mya. "Which levels?"

"*Easter Eggs*."

"...I think you just want me to stay up all night at this point."

**A DAY LATER...**

Christmas Eve was one of the most *electrifying* days in the Pineshadow calendar, and by now, every street, every house, every *building* was decked out in wreaths, tinsel, hanging lights, and all of the Christmas decor to be found. As Evie and Mya personally saw for themselves, running last-minute shopping trips with the Ly parents, people were rocking around the Christmas tree, singing songs and purchasing expensive coats and mittens, swinging cups of hot chocolate and coffee around triumphantly, and being entranced in the light and awe and *experience* of the Christmas season.

Earlier, Evie and Mya had started out the morning with coffee, waffles, bacon, and eggs at Denny's, served with extra holiday flavor, and then it was off to the local Asian hypermarket to get ingredients for wontons and beef wellingtons, part of the cuisine for the night, which the girls were excited for. Fresh tastes compared to the previous nights, and with each of the parents at the helm, dinner was bound to *not* be a complete catastrophe. Anderson wouldn't butcher the beef wellington the way Opal had, but he couldn't cook wontons the way she could.

When they got home, Mya was allowed to wrap Evie's presents in the parent bedroom, while Evie sat out to refill Holly's water bowl and to give her some much-desired attention, letting her play with her favorite mouse toy and tickling her soft belly with her fingers. Not long after, Holly had crawled onto her lap, purred, and rested there, leaving Evie by the glittering light and sparkled, handpainted and hand-crafted ornaments dangling from the tree. She saw her reflection in them and saw a *happy child*.

A child *ready* for Christmas. Joining that reflection was her best friend.

Make that *two* ready for Christmas.

Hours swung by, and silver bells rung with elation as Evie and Mya suited up in coats, mittens, and hats, venturing outside into the snow-covered backyard and romping in the white fluff, making snow angels, tagging each other, and chucking snowballs at each other's faces, most of which missed and hit the trees or the fence.

Warfare was exchanged in favor of snowman building; Evie rounded out the body and head while Mya created with the mouth with slicked, gray pebbles and a carrot she snagged from the kitchen. She put her elf hat on top of him, and he was one *fine*-looking snowman. Hopefully he'd stick around even after Christmas ended.

The afternoon came and went, and it was now evening time, the sun gradually taking its rest behind the distant mountains and fauna. The sky was streaked orange, yellow, and pink, though the colors were darkening, fading out for the blackness of the night that would soon fall.

Evie, Mya, Evie's parents, and Holly took their places at the dining room table, consuming slices of beef wellington and one or two juicy, savory wontons, and all there really was to discuss at the table was how *fantastic* and *terrific* the cooking was. Gone was the childish wisecracks of Opal and Anderson, and in was the joy of the holiday spirit, coming together, family bonding, and two best friends on their way to having the best sleepover in all of mankind.

And a cat once again being spoiled with meat scraps underneath the table, allowing her to walk away with a full belly to rest on the sofa.

"Man, I'm *stuffed* as a *turkey*," mumbled Mya upon putting her plates and silverware in the sink and grabbing just one sugar cookie on the tray, whilst Evie grabbed two. "Stomach ain't stopping me from *devouring* this delectable delicacy, however." With just a single flick, the cookie was in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed. Evie could swear hearts were forming in her eyes.

"You just went Triple D's, Mya," she quipped, sweeping around the sofa and sitting back beside Holly, who didn't stir from her position and only let out a quiet *mrrrp*.

"I know." Mya, sighing, held the remote and eyed Evie with her classic, curious stare. "Could we watch a Christmas movie?"

"*How the Grinch Stole Christmas!* is on channel five right now," commented Opal, who was washing the dishes in the kitchen. "I checked the TV guide earlier."

"Sweet!" Both girls exclaimed, flipping to channel five and resting against each other, watching yet another hallmark of Christmas cinema from its uppity, catchy musical numbers to Chuck Jones animation flourishing in flashes of bright colors and memorable, spellbinding music.

Time slipped by, and by, and by, while night closed in, sheltering Pineshadow with its star-flecked darkness. The movie was near its end, and by now, Mya was lightly sleeping on Evie's shoulder, having drifted off near the movie's climax. Her head lolled like a floppy rabbit's ear, and Evie adjusted, letting her fall deeper into sleep.

Oddly, this was *pretty* comforting... Mya was so *adorable* when she slept, the way her mouth formed an o, the way her hair fell loosely... Christmas was one of the *best* times of the year, for her and for Evie. Snuggles were just part of it.

Even when the movie ended, and even when it was getting near the girls' bedtime, Evie didn't want to move an *inch*. Mya was so comfortable, why disturb her? She deserved all the rest in the world so she'd wake up to Christmas, celebrate with her friend, open presents, have another wonderful breakfast...

*She's probably in her wonky wonderland by now. I don't want to wake her up...*

*Then again, I don't want to carry her to my bedroom. I'd pull a muscle in my back.*

Her father sensed this internal dilemma, and with Opal out of the room, tending to some loose decorations in the hallway, he tapped Evie on the shoulder. She jolted, looking up at him and sheepishly smiling just a *little*.

"Hey, Ev... if you want, you can sleep out here tonight if you don't want to wake Mya. I completely understand."

*Phew*. When in doubt, Evie knew she could rely on her father. In addition, he saw the same amount of cuteness and knew it was best left unperturbed. Mya hadn't heard a wink of the conversation.

"Okay, Dad. *Cảm ơn*."

At that moment, Holly stretched, her claws unsheathed. Seeing that Anderson was there, and that her family was awake, she excitedly meowed and began to spring across the couch. Evie *gasped*.

She shook her head frantically. *Holly, no! Not with your claws! You're going to stab Mya-*

Being a cat, Holly had no opportunity and no idea that her murder mittens were a *painful* alarm clock - a weapon automatically armed to *strike*.

Her claws sunk into Mya's legs. A set of green eyes shot *open*.

"**YOWWWWWWWWWWW**!" Evie and her father leaped back, while Holly, meowing with dilated pupils, *bounced* into the air like a cannot shot and *flew* off the couch entirely, bolting down the hallway in a mad scrabble. There was a *thump* and a *shriek* heard against the walls, and the entire house's eyes were on Opal.

"What in the name of Pineshadow's green earth was *that*??" she questioned, rubbing her temples. Mya blushed, ducking behind the couch and wrapping herself neatly in a blanket. Whoopsie doodles...

"Am I *that* loud when I scream...?" she asked nervously, rocking back and forth, and Evie soothingly patted her on the shoulder, wrapping the blanket fully around her shoulders and ruffling the top hairs of her head.

"You aren't. That's what happens when you live with a cat. Cats do cat things."

"True."

*How the Grinch Stole Christmas!* ended minutes after, and Mya yawned, pawing at her bleary eyes. "Can we go sleep?"

*To think that a day ago you wanted to play Angry Birds until midnight is insane,* Evie thought, though she didn't let the thought slide into reality. Upon changing into their pajamas, they went into Evie's bedroom, the door firmly shut and the lights all but dim. Evie shut off the additional lights in the room, clambered into her bed, and gently set her glasses on her nightstand. She wouldn't be seeing much without them, and sure hoped she wasn't aroused in the dead of night by Holly kneading her sharp claws into her flank. That happened at least once a week.

Mya, hopping right in with a tired *thud*, snuggled up against her and placed her chin by her neck. Her friend acknowledged her with a faint *mmph*.

An additional *thud*, and Holly was on the bed as well, resting by the feet of her favorite human ever. Evie, seeing a blur of the last light, plugged its cord, and the room was met by temporary darkness.

"Goodnight, Mya," Evie said, planting her face into her pillow, and Mya refrained from giggling, knowing damn well she was going to start snoring later.

"Night night, Evie."

The two burrowed close together, buried in blankets with a cat to keep them company. A dreamy stairwell was at their feet, and together, hand-in-hand, they climbed off to the realm of dreams.

Not a creature would stir, not even a mouse... had this all been part of a classic Christmas folktale.

Little did these two girls know that, twas the night before Christmas, a *creature* was *indeed* stirring, bearing no green fuzz or a dog companion... but *she* was *lasered in*.

Her targets were locked on sight. A *night* before Christmas was about to become a night*mare* before Christmas.

Like the Ly house, the Burton Vunquist house was appropriately decorated and spruced-up for the Christmas holiday, with lights sprinkling the snowy bushes and dangling off the edges of the rooftop. The door had a single mistletoe leaf, and on the inside was expected to be warmth, fresh-baked Christmas cookies, and a tree with a twinkling golden star on top.

But on the inside, *everything* was topsy-turvy. There were Christmas decorations and Christmas pride... but any of the physical *emotion* had been harshly replaced with *apathy* and *resentment*.

Daniela, laying in her dreary, unspirited bedroom, finally lifed her head off her pillow. No amount of afternoon and evening napping brought her fantasy and joy, and she couldn't sleep off the silence and ill will littering the house from the ground-up.

She'd been laying here, lifeless, lying to her mother that her eye was still sore and needed rest. She *needed* to spare sparring with her mother for goddamn once over petty *Evie and Mya did x and therefore I am upset* reasoning. She'd been... *useful* today, taking her bait and letting her rest without throwing a hissy fit.

Her eye stung less compared to yesterday, where she had to get an ice pack and (embarrassingly) lie that she poked it on a tree branch. Maybe her mother wasn't *so* horrendeous, but it wouldn't stop Daniela from hating nearly every action she did that contributed to trashing her plans.

*Evie and Mya have done that enough already. This month, this semester, yesterday... let's hope Mother had enough sympathy in her heart to get me some Christmas presents. I worked like a Trojan and made this semester's honor roll, so I sure as HELL earned at least one.*

Daniela, throwing herself together, headed downstairs, and the whiff of enchanted Christmas cookies smashed into her point-blank. *Cookies*? Was her mother *spoiling her*? If so, then the world was *candidly* sick in its *head*.

She ran to the Christmas tree in the living room. How many presents were under the tree? One, two, three? Four? Five? *Thirteen*, because a thirteen-year-old deserved to be gifted until she turned so *moldered* from pride?

Daniela crouched underneath.

*There were literally no presents under the tree*.

"*What*??!" she hissed, definitely loud enough for her mother to hear, but if she did, Rex did not pay attention. Daniela heard the *shirk shirk shirk* of her mother decorating her batch of cookies with sprinkles. She could be forgiven with the cookies, but *not* for neglecting to give her daughter presents.

Irritably, she stomped into the kitchen and tapped her boots impatiently on the floor. Rex *still* didn't respond, her eyes staring *too* intently on those cookies, naturally trained to *deflect* and *deny*. Daniela wouldn't be having this. It was *Christmas Eve*, for Pineshadow's sake!

"*Ahem*," she prompted her mother pointedly, and her boot tapped the tile harder and harder. Her mother, stoic and unfeeling, grabbed a tube of frosting and began to shape the edges of her cookies. Daniela was getting sick of this.

"**Mother**!"

"**WHAT**?! *What* is it that you want, Daniela?" Rex barked, whipping toward her with furious blue eyes, a fire that could combat her own, but Daniela was unflinching. Her mother's disrespect for her was going into *overhours*.

"*Where* are my Christmas *gifts*?" she demanded, pointing her middle finger at the empty rug underneath the Christmas tree. Surely her mother would understand that this was a *monstrosity*? That, after all of her *vociferous efforts* and dedication to school, she'd *obtained* some gifts or presents?

Instead, her mother *huffed* and slapped her forehead, slamming her frosting tube down on the countertop.

"You did not **EARN** *any gift*. You have earned **nothing**. After *all* of the bullying you've done this year? After all of the times where you **attacked** and **scarred** and **viciously mauled** people? Rebelled against staff? *Teachers*? *Me*? No, Daniela. You do not deserve *any nice things* on *Christmas*, a holiday of *peace* and *happiness*, when all you've been is a **spiteful**, **spineless**, **entitled BRAT**!"

Daniela's mouth formed a crooked snarl. Her mother had learned *zero things* from her challenges. Berating her daughter on *Christmas Eve*, treating her no better than *scum* on the bottom of the ocean that could be *scrubbed away*. Treating her like a kid in the slums begging for *scraps*. A bunch of *horsecrap*.

Fine. If she didn't get gifts, she'd get *cookies*. Rex wouldn't be above allowing her own kid to starve.

"I can do *without* gifts, Mother. At least I have your *delicious* cookies for the-"

"**THEY ARE NOT FOR YOU**!" Without warning, Rex, up to her T-Rex form, *slapped* Daniela's hand away from the tray and took a step toward her, each filling in the menacing steps of the very dinosaurs that lived in her blood. "I made these for **myself** and **some of my friends**, who are visiting for *New Years*. You are not *accredited* to these cookies, and you are *certainly* not receiving any presents. Sorry *not sorry*, but you *lost* those *privileges* back in the *spring*. Zip it, or I **can** and **will** lock you in your room for the **rest of the night**."

Daniela *chuckled*. What kind of backwards back-breaking was *that* weak, meager punishment? Locking her in her room? Leaving her to her *own devices*? Her mother was scraping the floorboards of the *house*, and it wouldn't even keep her down. As far as she was concerned, *she had her own rules*.

No one said she had to *break* her own rules - she wasn't the sole occupant of this house.

"I'm sorry, but *I* live here too, have you *forgotten*? This house goes by *my rules*, and your namby-pamby excuse for *whatever punishment you just uttered* has proven to be *ineffective* at this point. I do not **care**; you will *not* deny my right to have *food*!" Daniela retorted, flashing both of her middle fingers shamelessly - they relished in the spotlight and glare of her mother's eyes - and picking up a star-shaped cookie, fitting it in her mouth in one gulp, chewing, and swallowing.

*Delightful*.

Rex, blinking, shook her head and formed two fists, towering ominously over her daughter, who scoffed and looked off to her right. She was so *unbothered* about her misbehavior, the acting out, the fits of *rage*. She didn't *care*.

She didn't give *two foxes*. She gave *none*.

Rex then snatched her by the sweater collar, gripping it with boulder-breaking *force*. "I will ***NOT*** tell you *twice*, **young lady**. *Listen*. If you continue to **defy me**, **whine** about being presentless, and **steal** items that do **not belong in your possession**, I *can* strip you of the remaining autonomy you have left. Here, **AND** at school."

"Seriously? You're going to try to *gaslight me*? Bring up *two pigsties* in *one*?" Daniela remarked contemptfully, blowing a raspberry at her mother. She *loved* pushing buttons. She *loved* this. Her mother was *overwrought* and about to *detonate*. She could, and she wouldn't care about the damage.

Her mother could explode like Mount St. Helens in 1989, and she *still* wouldn't care.

Because what control *did* her mother have on her? *Nothing*. She could fly out of here. She could be *weightless*. She could be a *firework*. Who said she had to obey the rules of vultures? *No one*. She could do *as she pleased*.

"**Daniela Burton Vunquist**, you better *wash out* that damn mouth of yours!"

"You just bought me *Listerine*. Yes, Mother, I'm aware. But etiquette like this wouldn't appease your lord and savior *Santa*. Don't you think he'd sign you down on the naughty list? By the way you're borderline about to *punch* your daughter to the next dimension? Tsk, tsk..."

"You just *ate something* that wasn't your **property**!"

"The Christmas season's *about* sharing and **giving**, you shell-brained excuse of a *mother*!" Daniela spat, wrenching herself free of her mother and walking several steps away from her, while her mother's rage thermometer boiled *well over* one hundred *degrees*.

She was *burning*, her lip trembling, her fists *clenched*, veins *bulging*. Daniela was *pissing her off*, and she wouldn't tolerate any more impudence. She was on *thin ice*.

Daniela was *skating* across that thin ice. She wanted to believe her daughter *had* some purity left in that heart. That she'd rest her malicious agenda and just have a *nice* Christmas, like they *used to*.

The memories were *acid* now. In vats and vats of *acid*. She couldn't gain them back.

Rex, growling, stopped Daniela's pacing and pinned her against the countertop, flattening her against the surface with her weight and presence. Daniela growled back. "Mother, you've *violated* my personal space."

"For **GOOD REASON**!" she countered back with an *enraged*, *crackling* tone. "You are the *Grinch*! You act so much like a *Grinch*, believing you **own** this place. You are a **CHILD**. A nasty, malevolent, *vindictive* child! You are *not* as innocent as you claim to be, and you are **NOT** some stupid **GOD**! Daniela, you are to cease this behavior ***NOW***. Keep insulting me. Keep *whining*. Keep testing me. You **will** be locked out from the outside world. You **will** lose your last freedoms. I **swear with every advance I'll do to stop your measures**! Do you **understand me**?"

*Do I look like I'm five?* Daniela silently pointed out, only waving her hand to dismiss her mother and excuse herself from the mess of a kitchen she was standing in. Her mother could scream and discipline her all she wanted. It wouldn't stop her from sorting out her vendettas, making more plans, and getting revenge where it was due.

Punishments only *strengthened* her. Her resolve was *hardening*. She nudged her mother off and prepared to walk away.

Rex grabbed her wrist, locking it in a death grip. "**DANIELA**! You owe me a **response**. This is your **last chance**, and you **better** accept what I'm offering you. Life is going to **suck ass** for you!"

*It doesn't, you fleshy old boot. I'm already one step ahead of you, so beat it.*

It was so *funny* her mother could prop herself up as a *king*. A *queen*, a *tyrannosaurus rex*, when she wasn't *ferocious*. Rex had no *sovereignty* over her. She couldn't be *controlled*. She lived life *untamed*! She wasn't *sorry* for living her best self! The old her was a *weakling*! For Rex to demand that weakness *return*? Cardinal *sin*.

Disgust lined Daniela's voice, and her mind was fogged over with *humorous wiles*.

"Gee! You freaking *think* you have a hold on me? You think *you* get to decide my every action? My *every thought*? Sorry, *Rex*, but we don't *live* in the 1800s. Times have *changed*, and in *contrast* to you, *everybody loves me for who I am*! I'm **your child**, and you should love me **like any other mother**. I come with my quirks and cracks and *personality*, and I deserve to life my life *the way I want to*! You cannot **pacify me**!"

"**Daniela**. *Apologize* and go *straight* to your room. Go to **bed**. This argument ends **now**."

"Should have ended five minutes ago. You're wasting *my time*."

"'**Daniela Burton Vunquist***!"*

"I'd apologize *if* you got me some gifts *and* let me have **cookies**. It's *Christmas*, you godforsaken, *soggy*, *mothballed* apology of a **mother**! Treat me like your **DAMN DAUGHTER**!"

Suddenly, Rex *lost it*. The T-Rex *screamed* a *battlecry*, her claws growing *sharp* and *unrelenting*, her form at its most intimidating, most *frightening*, most *skull-crushing*. Her blue-eyes had widened, eclipsing with *rage*. Nothing but *rage* and *hatred* and *spite* and *hatred again*.

Daniela was a *disgrace*, a *shameless ghoul* that *fed* off *suffering* and *thrived* off getting her way. Every feature in that bulky face, the angular cheekbones, the swinging strands of dark hair, the *hellfire* that lived in her amber eyes, *wasn't* her daughter.

This being was a *demon*, and that demon needed to be *exercised*.

Rex was done playing *nice*. She charged at Daniela.

"***GET OUT OF THE HOUSE***!"

*Go outside?* Daniela was... *surprised*. That was *new*.

"***Daniela Burton Vunquist***, don't plug your ears with *sand*. You ***HEARD ME***. Go ***OUTSIDE*** AND ***STAY OUT***! I don't want to see that ***ugly face of yours for the rest of tonight***!"

Ugh, her mother's *screeching* was *irritating*. They'd gone back and forth like this since the spring, and Daniela's ears hadn't benefited from the shrill tonage and toxicity trying to worm its way into her cavities. Her mother could have Christmas all to herself. She didn't give a tinker's damn anymore. She'd celebrate her *own* Christmas, *away* from her insult of a mother, *alone* with her thoughts.

"Done **deal**," she spat, voice frigid with ice and loathing. "You're a *migraine* and a *nightmare* rolled up in *one package*. Go on, *Rex*. Party with your *friends* that you **love** more than you **ever loved me**! Merry *Christmas* to you!"

She left Rex with no room to scratch her again. She grabbed a dark beige coat, throwing it over her sweater, and with one last middle finger at her pissed, raving mother, who was about to throw a wooden spoon at her, she slammed the door and traveled out into the starry, but cold Pineshadow night.

The wind chill battered her bare cheeks, and puffs of air from her flaring nostrils and parted mouth formed clouds in front of her as she retreated from her residency.

Daniela didn't even care about the freezing weather or about the abundance of Christmas decorations, music, and light coming from tempting windows. Those people were twisted, docile *freaks* celebrating religious scriptures, birthing of some silly God, and ugly fruitcake that looked like rat droppings under the shelves of a third-rate supermarket.

Christmas *sucked*. Christmas was *awful*. Christmas was the *worst* time of the year. She *never* got listened to, *never* got validated, and was *never loved* by any friends and her *own mother*.

No matter how hard Daniela expressed her alternate views and brash points, she *always* got *bitten in the ass*.

*These past two days have been obnoxious. First, it's Evie and Mya with their clownshow mockshow of me. They had me mocked and clowned and teased all day long! And just when I think I can get vengeance, Heartley nearly takes out my eye! Stooges. They get all the love in the world, and I get NOTHING!*

*And my mother's an ungrateful, apathetic, pristine, so-called angel who does no wrong yet screams at me when I try getting her attention? Try being valued? I put my nose to the grindstone! She saw my grades, my progress, my awards! I got nothing. Not a grain, nada. She's a roach, just like Evie and Mya. Hanging under my boot, not wanting to die...*

She remembered her mother calling her a Grinch earlier, and Daniela thought back to the Grinch himself, how he despised the Christmas holiday, those plastic, fake decorations, those thoughtless gifts, that *ear-grinding* singing... he suddenly felt so *relatable*. *Truer*...

"I fully get behind you, buddy. You just wanted to spend Christmas *secluded*, and those *abominous* townsfolk blew it up in your face... just like everyone around me *has*. They describe you, *stink*, *stank*, *stunk*, but I don't think you're the meanest of them all... you were *right* from the very beginning," she murmured lightly, her words taken up in foggy wisps and reaching the sky.

Christmas was *disruptive*. Daniela stared up at the stars, sharply inhaling. Santa was probably up there tonight with his clown-nose reindeer and his friends, giving presents, waking up people from their beauty sleep, handing people *coal* and *gifts* and-

This was *child's play*! It was *outrageous*! *Why* did humanity cherish something so *childish*?

*Evie and Mya acted like toddlers. They forced me to act like a toddler, clodhopping into my business, trashing my day... and now my mother? Just like them, engaging in this childish nonsense. I hope you're happy, Evie and Mya. Your Christmas deserves to be a waste.*

It wouldn't be a waste. This was *Evie and Mya*. Daniela knew they'd just celebrate and innovate and sleep the night away with innocent smiles.

Christmas wouldn't be stopped... not unless *she got there first*.

A single shooting star *whizzed* across Daniela's face, and she got an idea so *big*, so *naughty*, so *supersized*, so *devious*, so *spine-tingling* that her mouth had curved into a wide, wide, *wide* grin, wide as the green creature himself, and her ears had gone red from *yearning*.

People had screwed her over *enough*. Now she was going to give it right back and do them *dirty*.

Christmas reqired peril. Some *evil*. The Grinch did it long ago, back in 1966, and it was 2011 now. Christmas had gone *too long* without a Grinch...

Daniela had the *idea*. She had *desire*. She had a *motivation*.

*You won't be getting away with your fools and games, Ly and Heartley. I know who you are... you rant so much you practically gave your location to your enemy. I want your Christmas cheer to be cries of despair. I want you to suffer through no gifts and no leftover coddles! It's about time you got on my level and saw how destructive and greedy you pigs can be...*

She was going to *break* that Christmas tree. Tear *down* every decoration. Wreck the *halls*. Dump *out* the leftover food. It was *perfect*! Oh, it was so *perfect*! Why didn't she conceive this from the start?

Best of all, thanks to Evie and Mya's unnecessary ranting, Daniela *knew* that she could strike her enemies at their most vulnerable in *one sitting*. It was *glorious*.

Evie and Mya were going to learn of *real pain*. *Real* degradation. Daniela had her wits and her smarts. She just had to calculate her minutes carefully, and Christmas would be *destroyed* with hours to spare.

*Feeling so devious has never gotten me feelin' so good... on Christmas, of all holidays! I'm back, ladies and gents. Tell me it's petty. But I sure hate letting my rivals off my hooks.*

By now, Daniela had crossed onto the quiet Burlsberry Lane, speeding up her pace across the sidewalk. Evie's place wasn't far from here; just a few turns across three more streets, and she should be on Fallen Log Road - the road which, if she followed up until the centerpoint, would take her right to the *heart* of where the evil *resided*.

It could have been a *stone's throw away*. She was going to cash in tonight. Reprisal had never tasted sweeter than sugar honey ice tea.

*Bang!*

All of a sudden, Daniela clamped down on her lip and jumped behind a *wall*. That sounded like a *gunshot*. Wait a minute, was there someone with a *gun* near to her location? She gulped, flattening her entire body against the brick wall of a house, listening for *what* disturbance could be posing a threat to her.

The noise repeated itself, but quieter, and Daniela relaxed, realizing that it was a fallen trash can, not a gunshot. The trash can rolled, and rolled, and rolled, until it came to a stop. Perhaps it was just a raccoon?

"Arghhh!"

That wasn't a *raccoon*. That was a *girl*! Daniela's heart pounded more now. Someone like her, a *beast* with *razor-sharp* intelligence, shouldn't be frightened of what seemed to be a girl her age. But she hadn't traversed down the beaten paths of Burlsberry Lane before, and that girl, who she hadn't yet glimpsed, could be someone she should *not* mess with. If the girl wasn't Evie or Mya, which she defintely wasn't, Daniela had to ace her game with *caution*.

Making little noise, she peeked around the corner and caught her first glimpse of the young girl - instantly, her heart gave an atyptical *flutter*, and her mind was sent into a *whirlpool*.

The girl was a thin, but short *spitfire* who was angrily in a staring contest with the tipped trash can. Her skin, in the moonlight, was a milky light brown, her hair dark brown, maybe black. She turned, not enough for her thin, brown eyes to observe Daniela spying, but to reveal a *dazzling* purple streak that took up part of her bangs. She was in no more than a gray sweatshirt, black jeans, and mismatched brown boots.

*Why on earth is she out here in that outfit? Isn't she freezing?*

Daniela's hatred seeped out of her bones as her eyes just remained on the girl, who took to pacing. She shivered, but didn't fall to the ground, her *beautiful* eyes finding some value in the pavement.

"Dumb parents," she muttered. "Why do I ever think they're going to change? Of course they'd think I'm the problem and the flaw on Christmas night... I only cause them nothing but pain. I'm never good enough for them! All I wanted for Christmas was a family get-together... I just..."

She trailed off, her voice cracking, and she fell into the snow, burrowing into a ball. Her purple streak glittered in the moonlight, and for the first time in *eons*, Daniela *blushed* not out of embarrassment... but *liking*.

This girl was so *different*. She wasn't like Evie and Mya at all! She got unfairly treated by her parents, forced out into the snow, which was... quite an alarming punishment. But Rex had done the same thing. Daniela had common ground with the girl, and, for once, her shriveled and dead heart held a tiny amount of *pity*.

*She's frustrated. Longing. Despairing. Her parents are douchebags... we'd get along.*

*Get along! Aha!*

It made *perfect sense*. Thinking about the long game, Daniela realized that if she just went in to be the *saboteur* to Evie and Mya's Christmas alone, she'd more than likely get caught, or worse, chucked into a prison cell.

No. This was a job no Grinch should be doing alone. She needed an *ally*. Did this girl meet her requirements? She'd have to keep eavesdropping to know, and so she listened back in.

The girl, still shuddering, stared at the bleak, snowy alleyway, attempting to rest her hands anywhere, only to repeal them from the freezing surfaces she touched.

"I wish someone would just listen to me... actually listen. Ugh... this is what I deserve for always messing it up..."

*No,* Daniela thought. *You don't deserve to be the punching bag at your parents' hands. You deserve something more special in your life... and I think it's time you met real companionship.*

The vexed young girl didn't see or hear her approach. Daniela was calm, her shoulders dipped reasonably low, any rough edge of her patted and slicked badck First impressions were *key* to scoring allies.

She inhaled, steadying herself, and she cleared her throat. "Hey."

Startled, the young girl sprung her to feet, her short but messy dark brown hair swaying against her cheeks. She panted, terrified of Daniela's presence, which only made her cock her head. Yikes, this poor thing...

"I'm not a threat. You can breathe," she assured, rubbing a hand under her ear, cheeks warm. The girl had no reason to be scared of her - they had reason to be *friends*.

"H-How d-do I k-know you're n-not a t-t-threat?" the girl asked, bunching herself against the walls flanking the alleyway and hiding her face with her arms, quavering with the icy conditions. Daniela had to make haste, or she'd freeze face-down in the snow. It was weird that she was feeling *sympathy*. It should have made her feel *icky*. Yet, if she could just snag the girl on her side, she would profit *immensely*.

She sighed, dropping the last traces of her rough, spiked persona. She leaned up against another set of trash cans. "I'm gonna be real honest with ya, partner. I'm pretty much out here in this ass weather for the same reasons you are... it sucks."

The girl's eyes *widened* with *shock*, and then *alarm*. Her legs shook, and Daniela observed that they weren't making any progress. *I keep terrifying her. Play smart, Daniela... you're not speaking to enemies.*

"W-Why? Were you *eavesdropping*?"

Daniela shook her head. Well, she *did* eavesdrop, but she was valid in doing so. She couldn't wave off this girl's *potent* amount of *potential*. They just had to match strides.

She sat next to the girl, who flinched back with a *squeak*. She was *shivering timbers*, her brown eyes, colorful, alive, and *well*, but diluting the more her body was exposed to the harsh elements... oh, this was *weird*.

Daniela felt staggering amounts of sympathy. Hard as nails as she was, she couldn't deny the fact that this girl's parents were *awful*. *Why* would they abandon a kid as young as her *in wintry weather*?

"Sorry. I didn't mean to intrude on your personal venting. I did hear you yelling, though..."

"I've never seen you before."

*No shrimp, Sherlock.* "Neither have I. Haven't walked down Burlsberry in a *long* time."

"Why are you here?" the girl pressed lightly, her tone not demanding, just tired and curious. "You should be at home celebrating the holidays..."

Daniela sighed, crossing her hands on her knees and allowing herself to become galled thinking of Rex. The girl hardly knew a single thing about her, but here she was, about to get the brittle expository. It was *odd* to be this open of a book to a stranger, but Daniela *needed* her companionship. *Needed* her to see she wasn't alone. She wouldn't achieve anything without an ally.

She required *enlightenment*, and she had plenty to offer.

Speaking with unconcealed, stark bitterness, she said, "My mother's a freaking *fool*. She doesn't properly love me, and I got *thrown out* into the snow all because I demanded she *share love*. Gifts, cookies, the Christmas spirit. I worked my ass off, passed all of my exams in school, remained defiant of the norm... but here I am. Rewarded with the cold shoulder and a night in this snowy, frigid weather..."

The girl calmly, but slowly, blinked her brown eyes. Hold on. This was reality, wasn't it? She had been approached by a girl her age, in a beige coat over a sweater, with chilled amber eyes, and she was ranting about how her life *sucked*? It felt too *real* to be true. It was a huge U-turn from the world she had lived in, and that world just being cruel and merciless to her tonight...

She was *genuine*. It was genuine honesty. If this didn't happen, she'd be fully alone, wasting away of hypothermia in the snow, and her parents would find her and *still* manage to find a way to blame her like they always did.

This young girl... could she be *trusted*? Could she prove to be something *merry* on this bare holiday?

She didn't respond, only face the snow-covered alleyway and biting her lip, deliberating between blind trust and existential aching....

Daniela relaxed herself. She was *never* like this, but this girl was *compelling* her to bend, break, and re-mold to get through to her. There was *someone* in there. She *saw* that potential and had to *have it*.

"You wanna talk about what happened?" she suggested, and the girl flinched.

"You can trust me. I promise. I'm not going to reveal your personal troubles to your neighbors and make this night more irksome for you."

A *promise*. The scaredy young girl began to glow, and her mood shifted from downhearted and inwardly frustrated to *eager*. Lighting up with the possibility of a *change*. A *good* change...

Could the stranger she chance-encountered on Christmas Eve prove to be... a *friend*? Self-consciously, she shifted *closer* to her. The stranger gave a reassuring nod. A light smile. Everything was *lining up*.

She was more considerate than her parents ever would be...

"My parents... I'm convinced they don't *like* me all that much. I've been trying to p-prove myself to them for years, make them *see* me... but they never have. I wanted to celebrate Christmas with them, but they had other plans... and when I tried to get involved, just *tried* to get them to love me... it spilled into something out of my control. I lost my nerve. And then..."

"You got kicked out?" Daniela gently questioned, flooded with *overwhelming* amounts of poisonous sympathy; such a dosage would typically be lethal, but the Christmas magic was taking flight, for she felt no underlying animosity.

The girl nodded solemnly, cradling her fingers on her knees and shaking. The cold was biting into her thin frame. When placed next to her, Daniela could tell that the girl was shorter and thinner than most should be at her age...

"Yeah... they kicked me out and slammed the door. I... I haven't seen them. They're on a Christmas vacation and didn't want me to come because I'm a foul-mouthed kid, apparently..." The girl looked away, burrowing into herself, awashed with great shame.

Daniela scoffed. What kind of parents were *those*? *Rex* wasn't even *that* much of a heartless asshole! The girl was too *innocent* to be deemed so naughty...

"What *ungrateful*, *ostentatious*, spoiled *fatuous rats*! *Incomprehensible twats*. Your parents, from my understanding, are a *waste* of the earth's oxygen. But look at the positives: you're *not alone* anymore. Our parents are both *dregs* on this planet..."

The girl nodded, her chin shakily moving, and a shy eye was batted to Daniela. "I... I think I get what you're saying. I'm sorry, but I've learned most of my vocabulary through... means..."

"No worries," Daniela shrugged. "People *sure* love to point that out all the time. Now, back to the main point... you're not *alone*. There are kids in this neighborhood and elsewhere with parents like yours. Like my mother."

"Are there really?" she inquired with a hopeful, inquisitive glare, hands steadily drumming on her thighs, and, once more, Daniela was *blushing*.

*I... I can't deny this girl's cute...*

Oh, crap, was she *falling in love*? No way Jose! Daniela *wasn't* romantic. She certainly didn't have an ex! Love was of no interest to her, it was useless... but she couldn't help it. The short-haired purple-streaked girl with an *alluring*, *bewithcing* charm could not be refused. She needed *worth*... and a *valuable* ally for tonight's plans. So far, so *good*.

Her plan was *working*.

"Uh, are you... uh?" The girl waved her hand in front of Daniela's face, breaking her trance, and she shook herself. *Jesus*, she ought to glue her feet to the moon.

"Ah, yeah, I'm here. I spaced out. *Mmhmm*, anyways... you're not the only one going through the Dark Ages with parents. Trust me on that," she assured with a wink, and the girl was *enamored*.

The stranger was *just like her*. A similar upbringing, with a wisened personality and a desire for companionship... she *could* be trusted. *Could* be counted on. Her words spoken on her parents were *deep*, spoken with hatred, the hatred she felt mixed with the *yearning* of a *better life*. Was Santa a *thing*, and had he gifted her a *friend*?

The stranger was *company* she could *touch*, and it wouldn't fade. She wouldn't wake up in her bed from her nightmares and greet her good-for-nothing parents, who'd just neglect her and leave her to melt into the walls of the house... not tonight. Magic was in the air.

"I... really like your company," she admitted, rising to her feet and tucking her hands behind her back, brown eyes on the snow. Her cheeks warmed with this unfamiliar warmth, a little sting that made her suddenly so *slap happy*.

She had no idea quite yet that what she was about to do was to come with *dangerous consequences*.

Daniela had also risen to her feet, pacing around the girl and letting a fraction of her caution be taken in the stinging blades of the wind. "Is that so?"

"Mhm... thanks. I appreciate you, giving me this... *opportunity* to speak when my parents screeched at me and tossed me out. I wish they didn't act like this. I *wish* they could see how much having *fun* means to me. How much I love our family's diversity... I *want* them to acknowledge that..."

*Diversity*. The bigger picture loomed in Daniela's head, and in full color, it made her think *harder*.

Her new companion definitely had a mixed ancestry. Asian, judging from the eyes, though the other parts were unknown to her. Her parents were... *nutcases*, if anything, and were going to hell when they died, also if anything. But they didn't *see* their kid for who she was. *See* what talent she had, or what she offered... and Daniela saw a *top-tier prospect*.

Deep down, in this girl, was *fire*. *Raw* fire... unlike the fire of her sworn foes, this fire was burning in her *heart*. It had been doused with the cold waters of neglect and apathy, but Daniela wanted it *restarted*. This girl was *quintessential* to her plans - and *definitely* needed a hug. Three of them.

But, first and foremost: it was time to lay out her *plan*. A revised edition, at best, and one that would cater to the girl's kerfuffles.

"You know... why don't you *show your parents up*?" Daniela proposed, a sly, cocky grin slicked across her face, and the girl tilted her head, listening. "Your parents think *only* of themselves. They don't *read* the fine print. They're *snobs*. *You* deserve all of the Christmas goodies and joy! *You* deserve the presents! You deserve to be in *power*!"

*Power...?* Gears were grinding in the girl's head. She hadn't thought of *challenging* her parents directly... or, as the stranger was insinuating, enact *revenge*.

There were times where she acted out to try to get her parents' attention. Show off, dance, *beg* for them to love her and sing to her and lift her up and show her the galaxies beyond their universe, but they'd refuse that with *shallow* glares and beratings *riddled* with unloving toxins they injected into her veins. She hadn't thought for a second about enacting her own *vengeance*.

She *could* have power since they were away. She *could* get her revenge... but was recrimination *really* worth it? She *behaved*. She didn't *harm* others. What was this stranger *believing*?

"I... I'm not sure if I want to do that?" She hesitated, messing with her fingers. Daniela's skin itched with frustration, but she kept herself in order. She was nervous, and persuading her would take more effort.

"Revenge is *hefty* to suggest. Yet, *revenge* is so *sweet*. *Think* of it! You'll be *recognized* by your parents. You'll be seen as *something* more than a *nuisance*! Should you have your parents be *awarded* for being *furnished mongooses* that *steal* and *warp* your perception, or should they come home with *nothing* as a *punishment* for all they've done to you?" she surmirsed, recalling her own experiences with retribution.

It was *honey*. *Sugary*. She was *addicted* to the thrill of retribution, if her many vendettas hadn't been enough evidence for it. Watching people fall under her control, especially the one she hated the most in her life? *Satisfying*. This girl's parents were *abusers*. *Grinches*, who battered a beautiful young girl and threw her out, *abandoning her* when she needed shelter the most...

*Oh, those punks. Evie and Mya are imbeciles, but I can confess that these girls' parents are even higher on my hitlist now...*

Being a *Grinch* this season, Daniela wasn't just going to trash the holidays of her adversaries. She was going to *help* this young girl gain some *thrill* and some *experience* under her wing. She had to prepare that fire and watch it *burn*.

She'd acquire the help she had searched for, and then Christmas would be a *sinful travesty*.

"Getting vengeance on my parents isn't a half-bad idea... but I don't want to get in trouble," the girl then stated, her boots scuffling the snow. She was still hesitant, finger on the trigger, and Daniela, calmly, and patiently, slid over to her.

A hand was placed on her shoulder, on the trigger, and with a nudge, she pulled it back.

"Trouble is *necessary* for revenge. You can't avoid it, you must *roll* with it. Rules are *made* to *shatter*. They're not foolproof, so why listen? I know you're *more* than just the fly on the wall your parents have deduced you to be. Go on, *friend*. You shouldn't be sorry... and if you decide retribution's your answer... I'll *assist* in settling your scores."

"You would?"

"It's my specialty. Enemies have found that out the *hard* way... and, in my opinion, your parents should be humbled with the *embittered* taste of their own medicine!"

The girl thought for a long moment. The stranger was *confident*, blazing *determination*. She'd faced many enemies and triumphed over all. She spoke from *truth*. The *experience*. She wasn't wrong about her parents, either. She'd only known her mother and father to lack the heart, lack strength, lack the *love*... they'd *mistreated* her for so long, and on this night, had left her exposed to the elements in a sweatshirt. She was *freezing* and had no one...

...until the stranger showed up and handed her a *lantern*. She saw *clear*.

She had a *friend*. And her parents were going to learn that she *wasn't* a worthless, unwanted *crybaby*.

"Okay. I'm in," she agreed, and Daniela smiled. *Yes*! Her plan was *advancing*!

"Proud to make your acquaintance. Name's Daniela," she introduced, offering the young girl her hand, which she gratefully took and gingerly shook.

"I'm... I'm Amira. Amira Fleckenshire. I'm also pleased to make your acquaintance tonight." Amira's brown eyes *shined* with gratitude, and her whites had morphed into *stars*. Daniela *chuckled*.

"Out of all of the things I expected you to say, I was *not* expecting you to be *British*."

"Oh, uh, I'm not British," Amira interjected before pausing, rolling her eyes. "Well! I... kinda am? My father had British relatives, and that's how I got my last name. But I'm half Puerto Rican and half Korean."

*Ooooh.*

"Neat. Alright. Let's get you inside, Amira... hypothermia is the *last* thing on my *agenda*, and we got lots to *do*. Just follow my lead... and Mommy and Daddy *Fearest* are going to be spoonfed sweet sweet *karma* up to their puckered lips."

With a spare bobby pin in her pocket, Daniela unlocked the front door to the Fleckenshire house, and the two slunk inside.

The plan was in their hands, and the moon was high. It was time to spin a new tale on what the Grinch had achieved decades ago.

**BACK IN THE PRESENT...**

"Hold *on*. You're telling me that Daniela had an *accomplice* to help her do her bidding?"

Winter was *dumbfounded* by what Mya had just informed her. Her *ex*, a lone wolf that *always* frightened everyone out of their skin, that *always* mauled others who stood in her path, once had an *ally*? An ally in a *troubled* young girl?

It was so *bizarre*.

"When me and Evie learned of this, we were just as shocked. Daniela *never* messed around with accomplices until that night, and she *bullied* people who were *weak*. This girl should have been *waffled out* from the first encounter... but choosing to be the Grinch without the green appeared to have altered Daniela's brain chemistry," Mya stated, tapping on her skull a few times.

"Molecules *were* re-arranged. I mean, if Daniela had a *crush* on her... I see why, Amira *does* sound nice, appearance and personality-wise. Though, if that's the case, why did we never meet Amira at school? Or anywhere?" Winter prompted. That was a bit odd. Pineshadow was a small town, and everyone had a high chance of doing the do-si-do and meeting each other...

"Amira's homeschooled," Mya cut in. "She told us that *way* later, but it's more of a redundant detail."

She stretched her muscles, loosening up her neck and laying back beside her sister, who rolled and nuzzled her with the utmost affection. "How far are we now?"

"About halfway through."

"I figured. I presume things are only about to go downhill from here?"

Mya's eyes deadened. Oh *christ*.

"Winter, I think you might have just earned understatement of the year..."

**DECEMBER 2011**

Inside the Fleckenshire house, there was *silence*, a *roaring* silence that was accompanied by a brightly-lit Christmas tree with an angel on top, tinsel falling around the tree's branches, and blue and gold ornaments hanging on many branches. There was half-eaten food left on the countertops, and other parts of the house had tinsel, wreathes, or hanging ornaments.

Plainly, to Amira, her parents had put *extreme* effort into decorating... and she had fallen to be the *runt* of Christmas priorities. The runt of *everything*, as always.

Because what good was a child who wasn't supposed to be-

"Hey. You second guessing this?" Daniela asked, and the dark, inky thoughts were swept into the night sky. Amira shook her head and puffed out her chest, brown eyes erased of any cowardice.

"No. I don't know where to begin," she said, glancing around. Should she rip the tinsel off the walls? Tip the Christmas tree? Devour the food?

"Hmm. I suppose I'll draw first blood. Follow my lead!" Inviting her to a night of lasting *mayhem*, Daniela pulled the wreath hanging on the door off its hinges, tossing it up into the air like a wedding bouquet. It sailed, down, down, and down, hitting the floor with a leafy *thud*.

It wasn't dead until Daniela *stomped* on it violently, crushing its ornaments and needles. *Crunch*.

The wreath was a sad lump of thistles and cracked ornaments on the floor.

"Never stood a chance. Whatcha waitin for, Amira? Want to put on a *spectacle* for your *absentee simpletons* of parents?"

Amira, seeing the wreath, unwrapped her inner fire, and it took ahold of her. Spunk was in her body composure, and her thin brown eyes were just *glittering* with an expanse of *starlight*.

Revenge *was* sweet as Daniela claimed it to be. Her parents would deny her Christmas, and now she'd *deny* it to them as well.

They were going to *pay*.

"I'm *more* than ready," she declared with a *cackle*. "Let's give them *hell*!"

In a flash of *lightning*, Amira and Daniela were off to the *races*. They *yanked* tinsel off the walls, ripping the paint and waving the tinsel around as if they'd just played Capture the Flag and *won*. Their trophies, wrapped around their necks, itchy scarves that made them smirk and giggle. Oh, the Fleckenshire parents were *unaware* that *mischief* and *naughtiness* were going to be the highlights of their pathetic Christmas!

The food was next to be targeted, and Amira finished off a plate of leftover Cornish game hen (which Daniela microwaved for her), leaving nothing behind of her parents' ideal, seasoned concoction. It shouldn't have belonged to them *anyway*! Chrismas was *her* holiday now!

Once the food was finished and smeared on the countertop, or just flung onto the floor, the Christmas tree, high and mighty, was the next to be felled. While Daniela stripped it of its beautiful, cute ornaments, tossing them into the air and punching them to shatters with unbroken fists, Amira ran off at fox-lengths with the tinsel and bow-making ribbons, throwing it into a supply closet and shutting the door on the no-good decorations.

The angel fell from the top, and Amira stuck it right where it belonged - at the top of the overfilled trash bin.

The rest of the house didn't take long to be impacted by the twin Grinches' vengeance plan. Wreaths were on the floor, stripped off walls, and the house was now a bland, mopey, *hollow* shell of the Christmas keep it had been mere minutes before. It had only taken around fifteen minutes for the entire place to be *trashed*.

Broken ornaments scattered the floor. Liquid frosting dabbled the countertops and floor of the kitchen. Cookies fell to pieces. Vegetables and game hen scraps oozing off the sides of any surface in the kitchen. The fridge magnets on the ground.

A Christmas tree tipped over. A fallen angel discarded in the trash, since no one in the Fleckenshire family had the right to *be* so angelic and heavenly. All of the tinsel, thrown in the dust or left to collect dust, elicit inexpensive stock value when the Fleckenshire parents returned from their makeshift Christmas getaway.

It was a *paradise*... and a *war zone*. A *perfect* setup for Amira and Daniela.

The smoke had cleared, and each *reveled* in the damage they'd *done*. The parents had decked the halls, and now they'd *wrecked* them appropriately. It looked better than what decor job was attempted. It *complimented* well.

Daniela had her back turned to her for a moment, intensely focused on something in her hand, but Amira hadn't seemed to notice. She was fully in *awe* at her own *power*.

This *damage*. This *awakening* of *fire* in her... she felt so *alive*.

*This* was a *reward*. She'd taken so much *back*.

*Revenge... revenge is amazing... Mom, Dad, I hope you're proud of me. I showed you that you shouldn't ignore me... I'm a force to be reckoned with!*

"Daniela... I think we got them *good*," she declared, her heart beating wild at her newfound power. Daniela finally approached her, shaking out of whatever she was doing; Amira didn't see a self-inflicted scar on her wrist, one that was intensifying her confidante's more intimidating side...

"*Excellent*," she hissed in approval, patting Amira's shoulder and waving her to all of the destruction and mess in the house. "See? *Vengeance* is deserved, and it is *vital* to righting *all* injustice in this *sickening* world we live in. It starts with your parents... and then it continues. You feel the high I'm feeling?"

"Totally. I feel *powerful*."

"You have power to be a *queen*! You are *unbreakable*, you hear me? You're my saint. You have your autonomy back. How do you feel, letting out that repressed fury?"

Amira thought, scratching her chin. She felt *dominant*. Like a *queen*. Like a... *god*.

"Like a *god*!" she exclaimed.

"*Exactly*!" Daniela praised.

Amira smiled, blushing. Daniela was her *saint*, the same way she viewed her. She was a *partner*. A true angel on this Christmas night, with black wings that, when dusted of their dark polish, revealed a glowing light that reflected pools of *hallow*.

Her angel had spoken to her sweetly, tempted her into doing revenge, and revenge had become her *magnum opus*. Her parents had been dealt with, and she couldn't *wait* to watch their *horrified* reactions. She *loved this*.

Her mind blanked. Wait, what were they supposed to do *now*? Wait for her parents to come back? Hide here?

"Um, Daniela... what do we do next?" she asked, scratching the purple streak dyed into her bangs. Daniela's devilish grin returned, and her eyebrows *furrowed*.

Step one was *complete*. Now, it was time for step *two*.

*I hope you're ready for a new Christmas adventure, my saint...*

"Tonight's *escapades* don't just end here," she promised, gazing out of the door and thinking of a house so *bubbly*, so *merry*, so *pepperminty*, it made her tastebuds *sour*. She thought of a house with *two sleeping girls* and Christmas decorations galore.

Enemies of the Grinch who had *always* stolen her thunder *and* her dignity. The *biggest targets* on her wishlist.

*Evie and Mya, it's your turn to watch your winter hideaway turn from riches to rags...*

"Before I met you, I had planned on ruining the Christmas of my *thorny rivals*. Your parents having their Christmas be the epitome of buried hopes and dreams was only a *warmup*. An *appetizer*. I want *more*. My rivals have *pushed me down* and *besmirched me* for *long enough*. The clock has ticked *well past midnight*..."

"Daniela, what are you proposing?" Amira canvassed, standing by her side with an anxious shuffle. Daniela turned to her, and for a second, Amira thought she saw her facial features be consumed by an infatuation for *power*.

"I want your help, Amira. Evie and Mya are *carnivorous jackals*. They prey on *my downfall*. I try to show them ethics, and they spit them back out. They **disrespect** me. They publicly **scorn me**! They always get prioritized **OVER ME**! Those *chits*, those fleshy heaps of *rubbish*..." She trailed off from there, remembering Amira's shyness, and she forced her hackles to stand down and relax.

To her shock, Amira wasn't terrified. Her look carried traces of commiseration - and a decision teetering on a *rickety* fence.

"Oh... I'm so sorry! I completely know what that's like..." she confessed. Her eyes clouded over, and the space around her swirled, forming fragments of the childhood she had endured, so foggy she couldn't see them.

A hand waved the dark clouds off into the sky, and she was back in her home that didn't really feel like a home.

"We're both on the same page. Two Grinches, one stone to throw. One last house to *plunder*. So, what do you say? Are you in?" queried Daniela, her hands *itching* to tear and shred and *pound to pieces* what Evie and Mya conceived as their Christmas *dream*.

Amira retreated into her cluttered headspace. Daniela had *helped her* regain her wit. Her confidence. That spunkiness she had, when times were *better*...

She'd done so much to *help*. Her night was *amazing*! And Daniela was now asking for her help in return. Who would she be to turn that down? She had to *repay* her. Much as she was fiery, she was also kindhearted. This night couldn't be cut off from the stem so soon...

"I'm in all the way. Enemies of yours shall be enemies of mine," she declared, patting Daniela on her shoulder. She snickered. *This is the best one of my plans has gone in eons!*

This felt *unreal*.

Amira turned the knob on the door, and it rattled. A sliver of chilly night air stagnated the room, and she quaked.

"Wait a minute there, Amira," Daniela interrupted, motioning for her to close it and stand by her again. Once she positioned herself by her side, she went deeper into the house, where the bedrooms where, and found the room dedicated to Amira's parents. She kicked the door ajar, flicking clothes stashed inside a feminine drawer aside, reaching around for something thick and *fluffy*.

She snagged faux fur and ploofy fabric edges. *Bingo*.

Daniela snatched the coat from its snug imprisonment and ran back out into the living room, launching it in Amira's hands. "I wouldn't want you to freeze. Put it on. We got a *lot* of work left to do."

"Right. Thanks." Amira slid her mother's overcoat on, and although it was a *bit* oversized - more like a detective greatcoat - it was restful and *warm*. The cold wouldn't slash her again that night... or so she thought.

The two, winking, flew out of the door and galloped down the streets, with Daniela pulling ahead with wistful intuition on her side. She *pinpointed* where Evie and Mya where. She knew *everything* about their holiday plans, those quacking blabbermouths.

Amira never lagged behind, and Daniela noticed her speed. She was *agile*, leaping over cracks in the pavement and curbs, dancing between rocks and tree branches without breaking a single sweat. Her short, dark brown hair, sailing over her shoulder, her purple streak dazzled by silvery moonlight, her eyes *beautifully* chasing the thrill of *another* Christmas *stolen*.

Daniela turned back every once in a while, and her companion would nod back, and even *simper*. She *liked her*.

*Likes me?? That way??*

Daniela's cheeks were *hot* with the slow burn of *affection*. Crap, she was *falling in love*.

Maybe love was alright tonight. Amira was finally able to respect her cunning, her smarts, her *strength*... and she hadn't stabbed her in the back.

Having a crush was perfectly fine. Even if Amira didn't reciprocate, it made Daniela's carnal desire for vengeance against her foes *blossom*.

The walk was shorter than expected, and after some rambles about Evie and Mya's foul play and embarrassing victories over her that shouldn't even have been so *easy*, Daniela had marched on up to the front door of the Ly family house. The lights were out, completely out, and nothing stirred in the evening night.

Amira, letting out a *hmm*, studied the door. "How are we getting in? They're not like my parents, so that door is locked."

"Locked it *won't* be," Daniela swore, pulling out a bobby pin from her pocket, stolen from her mother's collection. She placed it in the knob, rattled it, and heard a satisfying *click*.

"Ho ho ho!"

"Great!" Amira celebrated, bouncing up to Daniela, who cracked the door open. She held up a hand, pausing Amira, and trotted in. Were the Lys up? Was Evie? Mya?

The lights were off. No one was awake, snug and drooling in bed. The coast was *clear*. The *perfect* amount of clear. The *green light* of clear.

"Amira... get in. We've found *Atlantis*," she said effervescently, rubbing her hands together.

Amira walked in, her mouth the shape of a small donut. The surroundings were livelier than her interior, and had *life*, *color*. The elements needed to make the dream *home*.

Now they were going to *pillage* Atlantis.

They didn't even have to ask if they were ready, and almost on animal instinct, they *ravaged*. Blindly smashing ornaments, killing the giant Christmas tree and the handpainted ornaments, shattering the glittering star. Ramsacking the leftover Christmas food.

Stripping the tinsel. Stomping it to tatters.

Ripping the wreaths. Sending the bells flying into the wall.

As Amira untied a red ribbon, feeling its silky composition with her fingers, she caught a portrait on the wall. It was of Evie, fellow prodigy and Daniela's stony rival, smiling, with her parents. Like Amira, she was Asian - her mother gave it away.

In her arms, a pet cat.

Evie looked *happy*. She didn't look *spoiled* or *stony* or even *evil*. Just *happy*.

*She doesn't seem like someone who could endanger Daniela's position... but all looks are deceiving. Mom and Dad do this all the time...*

It had to be misleading. She went on her way.

**MEANWHILE...**

*Crash*!

*Wha...?* Mya groggily blinked awake for a moment. Did something fall in the house? Evie hadn't heard anything, for she snored *loudly*, drooling on her bedsheets.

There was no sound following the crash. It was late.

*I should get sleep... I must be hearing nonsense.*

Mya rested her head on the pillow.

*Bang*! *Crash*! *Bang*!

Mya, gasping, sat up. *She was not imagining noises*.

There was *something* in the *house*. *Someone*.

Holly had gotten up, meowing and pawing the door. Her back fur and tail were bushed out, and her ears were as flat as a Scottish Fold.

*Crash*!

Horrified, Mya's mind flashed with the image of someone *spooky*. Tall, with raccoon eyes and brown sacks full of *money* and *jewelry*. Guns in the back pocket. They made houses a *nightmare*...

"Someone's broken in!" she whispered, and frantically, she shook Evie and aroused her. "Evie, wake up! *Wake up*!"

"Wuh..." Evie mumbled, planting her head back on her pillow.

"Evie, **SOMEONE HAS BROKEN INTO THE HOUSE**!" Mya screamed, and Evie, alarmed beyond visible comprehension, yelped and jumped off the bed, blinking her tired green eyes and struggling to see Mya with her limited vision.

"Someone has... **WHAT**?"

"*Broken in*!"

The next *bang* and *crash* solidified Mya's panicked exclaimations. Evie, slapping herself awake, fumbled for her glasses and turned on the light. She saw the room without static and blurry pixels, running to the door and *whamming* it back against the wall. They had to act *fast*. The person who had invaded could be stealing *valuables*, or worse, *harm her family*.

Evie couldn't bear to think of it. It made her *deathly* green in the gills.

"*Go*. We need to stop this before we have anything get taken or before *anyone* gets hurt. But be *quiet*. If the invader has a gun, they're going to shoot at us without second guessing," she instructed.

The two ran out into the living room, and instantaneously, the sight, the *obscenity*, and the *mess* of it all made them *both gasp*.

The Christmas tree was tipped on its side, its ornaments compressed, some avoiding the terrible fate of those who had been fragmented and scattered across the carpet. The tinsel, wreaths, and ornaments were ripped off, destroyed, *flattened*. The spirit had been flat-out *eviscerated*.

Evie felt a *gash* open across her heart, and she clutched it. This was a *nightmare* she was knee-deep in. Everything her family had set up and prepared for, every laugh and joy... *voided*.

"No..."

"The house... oh, Ev, I'm so sorry..." Mya apologized in a hushed whisper, leaning up against her friend and burrowing into the crook of her shoulder blade comfortingly.

Holly, who had hid behind Evie's legs, strutted out to the kitchen and then ran back out, her tail as bushed as a holly shrub. Evie, picking her up, gently placed her on the couch.

She and Mya hid and crouched in the hall for a few more minutes, but the noises had died down. A robber or burgular hadn't shown their face or made more of a racket. Enough had happened. Evie's mind was *spinning*, and Mya was *sick*.

Someone had broken in for *what*? What did they even hope to *achieve*? This was a relatively crime-free neighborhood. Why had anyone gained incentive to try *robbing* the Lys? Or have the idea to *destroy their things*?

It made *no sense* to the girls.

"Why would anyone even do this?" Evie probed, her usually soft, but taut voice a *squeak*. Her family had had so much wonder and excitement for Christmas, and they'd had the perfect dinners, perfect decor, and perfect presents... but all of that was *gone*. Only the presents had narrowly avoided being squished thanks to the direction the tree had fallen, but what ebullience was in them now that the entire house reeked of *despondency*?

"Girls, what the *hell* is going on?"

Evie froze, and Mya propelled herself off her shoulder. Sweat trickled down their necks.

Heavy footsteps stopped from behind them, one belonging to a drousy, stunned father and a mother with raised eyebrows and narrowed, *suspicious eyes*.

Evie *squeaked*, picking up Mya's hand and pinching it.

*The last thing she wanted for Christmas was her mother fuming*.

Did her mother believe *she* had been responsible for this? She couldn't! The evidence that she didn't do it was right in front of her!

Luckily, Mya could erase that real fear from her wishlist, and she turned to Opal, as well as Anderson, who reset his sleep cap to rest above his head.

"S-Someone broke into the house and *destroyed* the Christmas decorations!" she explained. "We heard the noise and went to investigate, but we were- we were too late to stop who was doing it-"

"**Broke in**?" The Ly parents screeched at the same time, eyes stretched alarmingly wide, and Opal sped into the living room, shrieking at *everything*. Her splintered ornaments, her shattered star, her cleaved Christmas tree, her merry decorations... all *corroded* and *killed*.

She picked up the pieces, only to let them slide out of her hands. The deflated look in her face made Evie wince, and she tucked her body behind Mya's.

"*No*! How could this have *happened*? The door was locked! I..."

In the kitchen, Anderson gasped. The fridge was open, and food was leaking through the bars and onto the floor, stains covering the tile. "The fridge! Our food..."

"They took the *food*?!"

"Opal, we lost every Christmas leftover..." Anderson revealed, his tired eyes fogged with disquiet, and his hand fell to his side halfheartedly.

Evie reappeared, her face angled to the floor. Even though she hadn't done this, every part of her body ached with unfathomable abashment. "They took *everything*... we don't know if this was a premeditated theft, but if I had to guess... the person or *persons* that invaded tonight has something *against us*," she somberly divulged, sniffing, and Mya hugged her. She wished she could tell Evie that it'd be alright. That they'd call the cops and see *who* did this. Bring that *who* to justice.

There was just overwhelming shock in the Ly household. No anger. No desire to fix things, no urge to solve the case and uncover *who* had conspired to trash their audacious holiday.

The whole family was frozen over with *shock*.

"We got to clean this up. Girls, help me... I'm afraid I'm not letting you go back to bed tonight," Opal muttered, scraping up the fractured ornaments and gingerly placing them in her palm. Mya went to the kitchen, fetching a broom, while Evie picked the dustpan up and out of the cabinet.

*Crack*!

Her ears twitched, and down the dustpan went. "Something's outside!" she yelled.

"What was that? It sounded like one of Opal's flowerpots falling," Anderson commented.

"Are you freaking *kidding me*?" she snapped-asked, her fist splintering the ornament shards, but she didn't even acknowledge the pain and the scraps biting into her flesh.

Evie ran to the patio door and flicked on the outside light, the blackness driven back by the yellow lanterns mounted on the side, and illluminated by the glow were two *silhouettes*.

One of a short girl with tomboyish-looking hair, and one of the girl with a *bun* and strands of hair hanging off the side.

*What??!* Evie, rubbing her eyes, allowed herself to blink and reopen. The silhouettes remained, and the one with the bun and hair strands didn't turn to her, but kept chatting with the friend. They both laughed.

She recognized one laugh, snooty, overconfident, and *rebellious*.

Dread sank in her stomach. The Christmas culprit wasn't a random crook. Like Evie had feared, *it was premeditated*.

Planned out and authorized by none other than *Daniela Burton Vunquist*. And she had even *gained an accomplice*.

It was absurd. It was *inconceivable*. It seemed like a *hauntingly* bad dream... but this nightmare was a tape playing *in real time*.

Evie's disbelief returned to its molten state, and it hardened into rock-solid fury.

"*Daniela*!" she snarled, causing Mya to gasp, and in seconds, her friend had dashed up to the window. How could it be *Daniela*? How did Daniela know where her friend *lived*?

She glued her eyeballs to the window - *Daniela was laughing with a strange girl on the patio*.

"What the **heck**?!" she demanded, glancing at Evie, who glanced at her, their same thoughts connected by silver chains.

*Why on earth had Daniela ramsacked the house in the middle of the night*?

Although it was a lesser question, it nagged at the girls too: *how on earth did Daniela even gain an accomplice in her good graces*?

"Girls, are you telling me *your school's bully* broke into **our house**???" Opal questioned, incredulous that a *child* had the *gall* to do all of this *destruction*, and dazed, Anderson joined her side, caressing her forehead in an attempt to be reassuring.

"Relax, Opal..."

"Evie, how could she have done this?" Mya worriedly called for an answer, her fingers gripping her shoulder blades, her eyes pleading. She was so confused and scared, and so was Evie. She didn't know how to *explain*.

An event like this was *inexplicable*.

"I-I-I don't know! We know Daniela, but this is so unprecedented of her... the last interaction with her, she did give up..."

"I spat hot chocolate into her eye, to be fair. That surely can't be a motive for *revenge*?"

Evie's eyes dimmed, dilating with a familiar foreboding sensation. "*Mya*, that might have been the straw to break her back."

"*What*?"

"We mocked her that day... she had **every reason** to *come after us*!"

It clicked for the two then. Daniela, first and foremost, had been *humiliated* by Evie and Mya not once, but twice that day. She had it coming for her, and the comeuppance was their playing card to use against her in their never-ending game of Snakes & Ladders. She had been *red as holly berries*, *incensed* throughout the day, and to top it off, she had her eye taken out by *hot cocoa*.

They'd put her in pain. They'd trumped her.

But they had handed to her a *golden motive* to *retaliate violently* - and this time, with the help of a trusty accomplice neither of them recognized.

The two of them hated this, the circumstances, the shock, the depravity. They wanted to go back to bed and wake up to Christmas breakfast and presents.

They had nothing to wake up to but *pain* and *agony*.

All of it was because of *Daniela*. Who couldn't help herself, who *thrived* off revenge... how didn't they plan for this in *advance*?

"We should have predicted this," Evie growled, panting; she clenched a fist and stared at Daniela and her accomplice through the window. "We pushed Daniela over the edge. We should have done more. At least *something*! And now *everything's* ruined! We have to spend our Christmas *fixing* the house, and she gets to have the *fun*!"

"Evie...?" Mya prompted, but her friend's creases of utter *rage* in her face silenced her.

"She targeted *my family*. I can excuse petty bullying of me and my friend. I can excuse petty bullying of *anyone* at school. But if you attack my *family*, if you *hurt* my family, if you *shatter* my *family*... then I dare you to ***CHALLENGE ME***!"

Without warning, Evie lashed out at the window with her fist, and she recoiled from the pain. Mya caught her, and she stewed. Steam could have been trailing out from her ears.

Her fist hurt, but that didn't matter. Suddenly, Daniela and the other person with her *moved*. They'd heard Evie's proclamation of *bloodshed*. They turned and melted into the blackness.

Hissing, Evie sped out of the patio door in no more than her pajamas. "Wait, Evie!" Mya shouted after her, feeling the cold trickle in.

Evie, running on inordinate, *paralyzing* rage, sped to the back of the backyard, all the way to the fence, where Daniela sat with her friend. She waved her a scornful bye-bye, and then, they both disappeared.

The cold nipped at Evie's legs and arms, and begrudgingly, she hissed second-language curses at Daniela before heading back inside and slamming the door.

"Evie, are you okay?" Mya asked, earnestly peeking at her friend. She hardly seemed cold from dashing out into the snowy yard with mere socks and little protection, and it was *dead apparent* that she wasn't terrified of frostbite.

She wanted Daniela to *pay* for harassing her family and damaging their Christmas. She wanted to uncover the motive. She wanted to *punch* that grin right off her rival's face.

She broke her vow to *never* engage in her rivalry for this night *only*. If Daniela was going to stray into her house, *wreck* her belongings, and give her family *heartbreak*, then she'd hand her *hell in a handbasket*.

"That blue-sweatered **Grinch** stole *our* Christmas. *My Christmas*. She's chosen to cross my line into *personal territory*, and I will not let this *stand*. We **must** find her *and* her accomplice before they set their greedy eyes on **anyone else**," she declared, her green eyes *blazing* with a tart mixing of hate and *justice*.

"*Right*! Let's hunt her down and *steal Christmas back*. Daniela Sandiego won't be able to outrun us forever, and neither will her accomplice," Mya added.

"**Absolutely not**!"

The girls clustered together, glancing up at the stern, exhausted face of Evie's mother, her arms firmly crossed. She towered over them, and her power had locked their bones in place.

"*You two* are staying **inside** and helping to *clean*. It's too cold for you to be going on a *wild goose chase*, for crying out *loud*! Evie Ly, don't think I didn't see you running out in *socks and shorts*."

"But Daniela is going to-"

"*No*, Mya," Opal scolded with a brusque shake of her head. "*Here*. I will be calling the police to report what Daniela has done, *and* I will be notifying her mother of her destructive habits at *once*. But I'm **not** having you go out when it's **dangerous** and **below thirties** outside. Children out in the middle of a night is every parent's worst omen."

"She makes a point, girls. You never know what's lurking out at night," concurred Anderson, who swept up soiled tinsel and tossed it in the trash. Evie frowned.

*Seriously*? Her mother was going to act like this *now*?

"True. But Mom, this is **Daniela**. *My* so-called *rival*. *We* know her the best, and we need to get to the bottom of *why* she's done this. We have a concept that could cover for her **motive**, but she needs to be *captured* before she **harms anyone else**! I can't have her ***ruin anyone else's Christmas***!"

"Evie Ly, do you have *clouds* in your brain? Me and your father aren't going to clean this mess up on our own. You are staying **here** and **helping**," her mother ordered, but Evie squared her foot on the ground in defiance.

A tiger's roar was passed on from generation to generation, and Evie bared it proudly. Mya stood beside her loyally, facing Opal with unwavering leaf-colored eyes. This was a battle she wasn't equipped to win.

"*Mom*. I'm *not* arguing with you over something as *insane* as *this*!" her daughter retorted. "*You* don't know Daniela the way **we do**. We *know* this neighborhood. And we're running out of *time* to track her and her accomplice and stop them from **hurting innocent children**! *Anyone* for that matter! I'm *sorry*, okay? She's *crossed my boundaries*. She's *hurt us*. I will get closure and *justice* from this... we are not celebrating in vain. I *promise* I'll be safe."

"And if we get in trouble, I'll protect her *with my life*," Mya chimed in, pulling Evie into a side-hug. The deal was done. Opal couldn't fight, and her shoulders fell. She dipped her head in defeat and stepped away.

"*Very well*. Go on, *get dressed* and go *searching*. But if neither of you two are **back here** by sunrise, you'll find I've called the cops on *you* instead."

"Jesus, Opal, you *know* them. They'll be back," Anderson chided. "She makes another point, though. *Please* be safe, kids."

"We will," Mya promised, and she and Evie went running for their winter gear.

Once they suited up, they were out in the door and into the frigid, acrimonious Pineshadow night.

Daniela and Amira could have been drunk off their *asses* with eggnog and cookies, for the two were Hollywood-swinging down Evie's street and had rounded off Fallen Log Road, crossing onto Fir Knoll Boulevard.

The shelter of fir trees closed over them, and they walked, ringleader and accomplice, along the smooth pavement, stomping through mounds of snow and leaving deep footprints and skiddish markings embedded within the fluffy white.

There were no breaks or handicaps for the two. They'd *achieved* everything. Amira had achieved *surpassing* her parents in strength and power, and Daniela achieved gaining some much-needed *retribution* against Evie and Mya. Holidays had been defaced, and the only high they had was *glee*.

Daniela's victory was even bigger. Amira was left in the dark over the fact that she had been *swayed* onto her side by an unreliable narrator, and that was the way Daniela preferred things to be. It allowed her to admire Amira for *longer*, her beautiful eyes, short hair, tomboy spirit, and an *attitude* that could thaw a frozen heart...

Daniela was blushing like *mad*. This should have been an *embarrassment*, but she *loved it*. She had no idea if Amira would like her back... but she was lowkey tempted to test fate and find out.

*She's so pretty... prettier than my ex. A spark that catches my eye...*

She was silently flirting and could care less. The wild side was a *jungle* of possibilities.

After tonight, if they stuck together... she'd ask her out. She was sure of it.

"We're at the last part of the block," Amira pointed out to her, snapping out of her intoxicating romantic thoughts, and she saw that she was indeed correct. "Where do you want to go next?"

"Let me think..." Daniela and Amira had *accomplished* everything they needed to, each earning their respective amounts of revenge. They had *everything*.

Amira did. She was *smiling* ear to ear, and was no longer the meek, frozen-solid girl she was when Daniela had first met her. She had her missing pieces reconnected, and she was chirpy and chippy as ever.

But Daniela felt like something in her Grinch story was *missing*. She'd gotten her vengeance, and that was *rewarding*, but there was something more *absent*...

Vengeance was one thing... but there were *no physical rewards* for it. Emotional blessings were a treat, but where was a *gift* she had deserved for being the dark horse of the festivities?

Her Grinch smile returned. Turns out there was room for *one more plot*.

"Amira, we're missing the *crème de la crème*. The *flavoring* on top of the *cake*..."

"What? We got revenge. What could we even be missing?" Amira's head leaned onto her shoulder in puzzlement.

Daniela's eyes gleamed with an insatiable hunger. "*Physical gifts*! We *deserve* to be repaid for our efforts. No one *got us gifts*... but that can easily be *amended*!"

Amira nodded, understanding her point. They could use the gifts... and swap them with each other? That actually sounded entertaining.

"Okay, but Daniela, where are we even *getting* the gifts?"

"Speak no more," she said, pointing to the house in front of them. An orange glow poured out the window. Heaven was *calling* for them. They were *chosen*. There were *presents* in that house.

The pin to the inside was in their pocket. In short, this was a *cakewalk*.

Daniela plowed through the snowy lawn and to the window, beckoning for Amira, and she wiped away the fog covering the frosted surface.

"Oh *hell yeah*!"

The house was tinted with soft orange lights, and there was a red-and-white row of tinsel decorating the small Christmas tree. The ornaments, large to tiny, ranging from every color on the rainbow to custom ones that were painted and coated in glitter. There was a sofa on the side of the Christmas tree, and a fireplace crackling with hearty flames.

Under the tree, and warmed by the fire, were *six gifts*. Three evenly divided for Daniela and Amira. They'd walk in, snatch them, unbox them, and *party the night away together*.

If she was lucky, Daniela could even *ask Amira out* with one of them. She was so *close*. So *close* to tasting the sweet cherry on top.

"*Perfect*," she whispered, and Amira nodded. She scanned the house some more while Daniela became lost in her own machinations, thinking of the ideal maneuver to get themselves in.

Amira hadn't really unboxed presents in her life. Her parents hated presents - they only bought them for themselves, never for her. Tonight was the *supreme* opportunity to learn of that childhood sensation... it had come thirteen years late, but it wasn't *too* late...

But then Amira *saw* what Daniela would *never* be able to see on that immoral Christmas night, and she lightly gasped, so lightly that she hadn't stirred Daniela from her thoughts or made her move a muscle.

Sleeping on the sofa, and wrapped in blankets, were two children, a brother and a sister, who, from their sizes, were at least *five years old*. *Five*, thinking of what Santa would give them, hoping they were on the nice list.

*Children* years *younger* than them. Almost *babies*, so innocent to the world's horrors, so beautifully naive... those presents were for *them*. Smiles etched onto their faces.

They were toasty, snug by the cozy fireplace, unknowing of the presents that awaited them in the morning...

Amira's heart *throbbed*. She clutched it, her eyes dawning with the *realization*.

What was she *thinking*? What was *Daniela* thinking? Those were *children*! Children who had behaved and *deserved* presents! They'd be *purely evil* if they stole what made Christmas so special for young ones like them...

*Is Daniela aware that the kids are there??*

"Daniela, there's children in there! We can't take their presents!" she cautioned in a shocked whisper, and Daniela, pressing her face to the window, finally saw the kids.

She smirked. Amira felt *horror* wash up against her body.

"So? That's not a problem. They're asleep. We'll be extra sneaky, and the presents will be *ours*!"

Daniela was *smirking* at the thought of *stealing from children*! Amira couldn't justify *stealing*!

Daniela had acted rationally before... but *here*, she was an *entirely different person*. This *wasn't* the person who convinced her to take a stand against her parents...

This was a person with *no heart*.

And slowly, the puzzle fell into place. Chain reactions boomed.

Amira was a *fool*. She'd been *played*.

Daniela wasn't just in over her head. She had *wanted* Amira to be her loyal supporter. She had showcased *concern* and *value* for her wellbeing, encouraged her to *rebel* and *resist*, and rallied her into helping with a personal vendetta gone off the rails.

She thought Daniela was *helping her*. That she'd done her the *biggest* favor of her life.

But deep down, the red flags were *there*. She should have *seen them*. She was *foolish*! Daniela never truly cared for her. She wanted her as a *pawn* for her Christmas mischief. She vandalized *her own house*, thinking her parents would be defied...

...instead, her parents were going to *murder her*. They already *hated her*! They were *never* going to let her live there *again* after tonight... after all of the reckless *destruction*.

Amira was panting rapidly. She was spiraling, but Daniela was failing to see her or turn an eye to her. She was developing an *ugly stratagem*.

Amira thought back to everything Daniela said, everything she claimed...

*Your parents think only of themselves. They don't read the fine print. They're snobs. You deserve all of the Christmas goodies and joy! You deserve the presents! You deserve to be in power!*

*Your parents having their Christmas be the epitome of buried hopes and dreams was only a warmup. An appetizer. I want more.*

*We deserve to be repaid for our efforts. No one got us gifts... but that can easily be amended!*

One of the fir trees nearby was axed, and it hammered the truth into Amira's bruised noggin.

*Daniela never cared about her in the first place*.

This was *all about her*. She had been roped into business that *she wasn't even involved in*, all because Daniela desired someone that would *assist* her with her dirty work.

*She took advantage of me!* As soon as she had confessed her situation with her parents, Amira had sold her soul to Daniela.

She was *manipulated* into doing *evil deeds*. She was going to be *killed* by her parents, already unbearable assholes to live with, and assholes who had constantly picked on her for her existence.

That photo in Evie's house didn't lie to her. Evie and Mya were *good*. They weren't *jesters* or *frauds* or *lying hacks*. They were *innocent*.

Innocent like the kids in this house.

Daniela was a *heartless Grinch*. Amira was just her accomplice - the *only one* to have a heart.

Those children in that house *deserved* to smile. They had the merit to open presents, eat Christmas cookies and drink milk, meet Santa... they deserved it *more than she ever did*.

She'd never get those luxuries, anyway.

Daniela *couldn't* hurt a hair on their *heads*. She needed this night to *end*.

At the same moment, Daniela rose to her feet, chuckling and angling her head towards the interior of the house. "Got a plan. I'll crack the lock, and we'll proceed from there," she stated, pulling the bobby pin out from her coat pocket.

Amira's heart caught, swollen and lumpy, in her throat. This was her *only* chance to let those gorgeous children retain their innocence. Let them *hold* something she could *never* celebrate.

Wildly, she strode in front of Daniela and *slapped* her hand, sending the pin sailing off into the snow, and Daniela was *aghast*.

"*No*. We are **not invading**!"

Amira had *never* spoken with so much *jarring jurisdiction*. Her face wasn't cute and playful anymore, and the truehearted girl had become a *brute*. Blocking Daniela's way to the gifts.

She forced the dubiety out of her thoughts. *Damn... maybe it's the children in the house.*

"Whoa, Nellie!" she huffed, swatting a hand and taking a breath. "You're a hot one. Okay. We'll go to another house *without* children. That'll be less complicated. How about that house-"

All of a sudden, Amira growled and swung her hand at her sweater collar, gripping it and *impaling* her partner with *ice spikes* in her eyes. Daniela didn't have room to counter or open her mouth before Amira let the firecracker she had in her hand fall to the ground and *explode*.

"Will you freaking stop **SCREWING AROUND** and **LISTEN**?!"

Daniela gasped, holding her hands like Amira had placed her under arrest, and she tried to back away, but Amira's anger was *raw*. It *poured* into her bones, and it *hurt*. This girl had *fire* in her, and it wasn't the fire Daniela *loved* to play with.

She had set off something in Amira, something *grave* - and her entire plan was teetering on the edge of *failure*.

"Amira-"

"**QUIET**! You *will* let me talk, you *manipulative bastard*! You *took advantage* of me so I could *help you* in your **little Grinchy plans**. It was **never** about *me* or you getting *fairness*. Even the odds? *Pah*! You *lied to me* to harm **blameless people**!

"And I *know* you've felt *no shame all night long*. No shame in **ruining people's lives**. Are you *that* selfish? Are you *that* self-centered? You're full of *larceny*, Daniela. Head to *toe*. You **USED ME**!"

Daniela's jaw had fallen to the *snow* with the stoutness of Amira's words. She hadn't held anything back. She just *fired away*. She saw *through* the foil. She had *ripped* the wool covering her eyes.

She *saw* just how *corrupt* she was. Her plan had *backfired*!

"*Amira*," she tried to speak, "I didn't-"

"***Close***. ***Your***. ***MOUTH***!" Amira growled, shoving her face into Daniela's, and she piped down once again. Daniela chastised herself. She had *encouraged* Amira to be open, and now the *leopard* was looking for an additional feast on *Christmas night*.

The shy, beat-down Amira was *gone*. This Amira was a *god*. God was a woman, and it was reincarnated into *her*.

A part of her was growing *terrified*. She was getting *smoked* out of her own *undoing*.

"You may have *tricked me once*, Daniela, but you won't *again*. I *don't* hurt children. I don't *bully* others into getting what I *desire*. All my life I've been treated like *dog water*, and you've done the same thing *again*. Promise me something, give me hope, and *stomp on it like the beetle it represents*. You weren't my salvation. You made me be **a bad guy**!"

*How* had she been *outgained* like *this*? Daniela had gone *pale*. A plan of hers - not even involving Evie and Mya - had *never* gone so awry so *fast*. Amira had *figured her out*.

Amira was *just like* Evie and Mya. There was *always* moral good in her heart, one that could not be swallowed or taken over by *blackness*. She had made the *fatal mistake* of *charging that good*. Amira was *pure*.

It was hallow against *bane*. Amira *owned her*.

Amira was the *first* and *only* one of her victims to *ever* openly defy her. She had been *backstabbed*.

"Let *go* of me!" she shrieked, but Amira gave a brisk shake of her head and yanked *down* on Daniela's sweater collar. She wasn't gonna be letting go.

*What the hell have I done???*

"There's **no heart** in you. It's been eroded away with *darkness*. Darkness does not *live in me*, even though it lives in my family. My relationship with my parents is *dead*, built on *carcasses*. They hate me, but they provide me with the *only home I know*. You made me *destroy* that home! Do you *think* my parents are going to accept me *now*? They'll **kick me out because of your lies**!"

"You like revenge-"

"*Revenge* was *never* necessary tonight," Amira spat, her tone unapologetically frostbitten. She stared Daniela *straight* in her amber eyes, *straight* into her unforgiving soul, *straight* into the toxic foundation and the hard-headed crown she wore on her head.

She had nothing else to describe Daniela as. She was a *demon*. *Worse* than a demon, in fact. She was the *worst* word of them all. Only *she* had the worth of being called the *ugliest* word in the textbook.

She was *ugly* herself. *Ugly*. Amira *never* wanted to see her hideous face again.

"From now on, we part ways. I'm not your Grinch. I'm *not* your accomplice. I'm **not** your puppet on a *string*, and I will **NOT** obey you! You took false pity on me, persuaded me of a dream I couldn't *have*, and made me do the *most vile things* I could ever **do** on a holiday so *storied*. I can't take back my actions, but what I can take back is **meeting you**. Meeting a **demon** that hides behind a vengeful facade. I'm going *home*! You're a **monster**, Daniela!"

*You're a monster, Daniela!*

Daniela *snarled*.

*Why that DEVIL-*

"*Excuse me*?"

Amira turned her back to her and began *walking away*.

Blatant, furious *defiance*.

In a second, Daniela thought of Evie and Mya, who *always did the same thing*.

Now the person she had grown to *love* had chosen to *chop off her head*. She was *complacent*. She was full of *kindness*. *Turgid* kindness. Sappy amounts of *heroism*. Too much *spitfire*.

Her *enemy* was *leaving the scene* - she couldn't let *another plan* fall apart. She couldn't let Amira *go*.

She had been *fooled* once, twice, thrice, and now, for a *fourth* and *final* time.

Her face went *red*, and her fists were red, and she was *steaming hot*.

*Fine! You want me to be the monster, Amira, and I'll show you what a MONSTER IS!*

Screeching a blood-curdling cry, she seized Amira's arm, spun her around, and closed her hand around the flesh of her throat, and Amira was off her guard. She strained and gagged, but she was *trapped*.

"Daniela, *drop me*!" she commanded.

"**Say what you told me ONE MORE TIME**," Daniela ordered, her eyes going *wild* with *mutiny*, and her grip was *lethal*. Yet Amira hadn't even been afflicted, and she spat back with as much mutiny:

"You are a **MONSTER**!"

Daniela heard *explosions*. *Nails* on *chalkboard*.

The *same narrative*. She wouldn't lose on this night, and she wouldn't let her foe's *pretty little mouth* flap open to criticize her, a perfect being. It was *rancid* with *disrespect*.

Daniela had to *set this right*. Amira didn't realize what *horror* she had unleashed from its catch.

She screamed, throwing her body into the air and *flattening* Amira into the damp, freezing snow. She cried out, flailing and scrabbing for the escape, for the direction of home, for *anything*. For a hope, for a *will*.

But Daniela had *sucked it out of her*, imprisoning it between her teeth. She grab the key, tossing it into the chambers of her stomach. Amira was *sinking*.

Sinking into the snow, the cold, and it wove up her spine to her brain, freezing her... her body was going *numb*. Catatonic from the weight and the raging cold... she couldn't *fight*.

Daniela wouldn't *let her speak her mind again*.

"I thought you would be *useful*," she hissed. "That you'd be *unique*. A *needle* in the haystack that would *thread* a *difference*. You lapped up **every word** I said, demonstrated your *potential*. We could have had *it all*, Amira. ***EVERYTHING***! But you're *complacent*. You could have gotten me to play *coy*, have me *swooning*... and, like Evie and Mya, you're *tender* and *weak*. Brittle and thin, a *twig* I could *break* with a *fist*. And you know what I *absolutely can't tolerate*? ***WEAKNESS***!"

"Daniela... let me up..." Amira begged, coughing and fumbling for her coat. It was soaking wet, laced with ice water, and her body temperature *fell*. She had been dunked in the waters of the *Atlantic*, and the night had gone starless, and the houses ahead looked so blurry...

Daniela refused to listen to her.

"I shouldn't listen to anything *you say*. Fool me once, fool me *twice*, Amira. I won't be deceived *thrice*. I made the *mistake* of giving you *power*. And as soon as you entered *the castle*, you pulled out the sword and stabbed me in the *back*. You also hit the gut, tugging it back out... go, *lay there* and *freeze*. Think about what you've *done*... I don't give a *flying foul* about what happens to you, since you proved to be a *cancerous tumor* to my plans..."

Daniela relented, pulling herself upright, and Amira gasped for air, trying to sit up. However, her body was so numbed by the cold, and her mother's overcoat was slicked, iced to her back by the snow. She sank, propping herself up with her hands, which were turning a pinkish shade. In a matter of time, frostbite would set in.

She deserved it. Tears, frozen and enough to deliever whiplash, rested in her eyelids.

She stared at Daniela. *Begging* for forgiveness. *Begging* for help. *Hoping* a bystander could come by and whisk her away, give her a bowl of soup and a blanket...

Dreams never came true for her. They wouldn't come true on *Christmas*. They *never would*. She was a fool, infinitely stupid and bratty like her parents always claimed. She deserved the cold and the pain.

She didn't deserve *anyone*.

Seeing her surrender and sob to herself, Daniela wickedly smiled. She was better off *alone*, anyway. Accomplices were too unpredictable, a waste of *time*.

She wouldn't make the same errors *twice*.

"I'm going to go camp in Hollow Tree Court. The alleys there are the nicest anyway. Go sleep with the *frozen fishies*, Amira. May the cold bother you in your sleep... and *Merry Christmas*!

A witch's cackle filled the air, and then Daniela had ran off, out of Amira's line of view.

Amira had been *deserted*, and the temperature was falling. It was *cold*. So *cold*...

She shivered, trying to wrap the warm parts of her mother's coat around her, but they were soggy with ice water, and every movement made the cold push its knives through her spinal cord.

Her body was *drained* of *energy*. Her fires were doused...

"Someone... help," she feebly called, her body falling into the snowy bank. The warmth died out, and the last thing Amira saw before being knocked unconscious was the yellow and orange lights of the neighborhood going harrowingly *dark*.

**BACK IN THE PRESENT**

"Holy *moses*." Winter was *breathless*.

This story had gotten so *horrifying*, and she should have expected it, but all of the details Mya had spoken about were *chilling* as that Christmas night itself.

A Christmas adventure of revenge and destruction had led to betrayal and abandonment. Her heart welled with genuine condolences for Amira. The poor child had just been through so much, and Daniela, being herself, had dug the hole *deeper* for her.

"So I see I'm not the first abuse victim Daniela has treated like *horsecrap*."

"Shockingly, you weren't," Mya said. "Fortunately, you'll find that you and Amira both had happier endings."

"Jesus, from the way you described *that*, I thought Amira would have lost her life to hypothermia!"

Mya nodded. "She could've... had Evie and I not found her so quickly. Her coat was as cold as *Antarctica*."

"Ooh..." Christmas hadn't sounded so *dreary* until *this story* came in. Winter wasn't even *aware* this was happening! It wasn't in the news, and Rex hadn't even mentioned it to her...

...though Rex had every reason *not* to. The embarrassment she felt was likely immense.

"The Christmas we celebrate won't be like this, *right*, Mya?" she asked. Mya gave her a thumbs-up.

"Your ex is in prison, and Amira's back safely with her parents. Nothing could possibly go wrong. Though, if it does... we can celebrate Hanukkah instead."

*What a wonderful life we live,* Winter thought to herself.

**CHRISTMAS 2011**

The night was pitch-black, and most of the lights of the houses were going dark or had miraculously kept on. Snow was swept into the streets, icy water trickling down into the sewers. Evie and Mya had traveled down the road, scanning the dark snows with flashlights, but they hadn't found traces of Daniela or her accomplice.

They were approaching the end of the street, and from there, faced a two-way turn: travel down Fir Knoll and its mess of fir trees, or go on Spruce Cavern Lane, which would take them through another mess and cluster of houses.

That would waste their time, but what options did they have left to exercise?

"Evie, we have a fork in the road," Mya indicated, surveying the shadowy houses and snowy banks ahead.

"Damn right we do, and we have no clue where Dani and the accomplice went. The more we stand around, the more she's increasing her chances to get away with it all, and we *cannot* let that happen!"

"We *won't*... though, if we lack evidence... we're kinda stuck." Mya held her flashlight steady in her hand, casting its golden light onto the snows of the house they stood next to.

A bunch of the snow was solid and even, with few lumps and twigs making up its mass. The flashlight lightened it with gold, trailing over to lumps and indents shaped like footprints in the snow.

*Indents shaped like footprints!*

"Evie! Tracks!" she exclaimed, shining the flashlight on indents clearly made by boots, one by black boots, one size bigger than the other by inches, trekking a path across the lawn to their left.

Evie snapped her fingers. "Great catch, Mya! And look at where they head! Down Fir Knoll! Let's run - Daniela is never one to stay firmly in one place for long, and she's likely hatching up a brand-new plan for *getting even*!"

Dashing with the speed of a Christmas carol sent from the stars, Evie and Mya galloped down the street, but remained careful enough to observe the lawns and fences, the trees, bushes, and houses. Activity could be *anywhere*. Vigilance was prime.

Each house kept turning up empty, still as the piercing wind, lights out or on. Evie and Mya were in the cat-and-mouse stage. If they messed up, miscalculated even a *move*, Christmas night for someone else was going to be a *limitless incubus*.

"Ev, I'm not seeing anything... I hope we aren't tracking the wrong tracks!" Mya fretted, her eyes distressed, but Evie was resolute and stoic. She gritted her teeth at the thought of a blunder as severe as *that*.

"Those bootprints *don't* lie. We need to be *wise*," she advised, lasering in on the streets, the lawns, for any more signs of tracks. Either the wind had covered them in snow, or Daniela and her accomplice had been more guarded and stuck on the sidewalk.

"Should we get on the lawns?"

Evie nodded. "Yeah. We'll have better leverage, and we can look at the ground for more footprints."

Swiftly, the two shuffled up onto the lawns, their boots crushing the snow underneath them, and they trudged through it. The cold wasn't going to pick bones with them. It was miniscule in comparison to unraveling Daniela's Christmas-wrecking scheme once and for all.

The end of the street was fast approaching, and dread curdled in each of the girls' bellies. Those tracks on the edge of Fallen Log were the only pieces of evidence. Daniela and her friend couldn't have escaped! They couldn't!

*I will get us karma for this, Mom and Dad. I promise,* Evie vowed, taking the lead in the search.

They were three houses away from the street's conclusion, and Evie shined her flashlight against the wall of the last house, revealing nothing. She let it trail onto the snow, where it illuminated the puffy white.

And then, the air was whacked *clean* out of her body, as her flashlight fell upon a cream coat wrapped around an unconscious young girl, light brown in shade, with short, messily-cut dark brown hair identified with a purple streak.

She and Mya gasped at the same time. "Oh my god, the accomplice!" Mya whispered.

"We found her. There's no sign of Daniela, though."

"Evie! Yes there is!" Mya, nudging her shoulder, moved her flashlight onto a trail of footprints leading *across* the street, *away* from the unmoving body.

Evie's green eyes were *wide*, stitching together the mystery. Her eyes, trained to see the finest detail, noticed something more.

"Those are Daniela's footprints! And they're pointed *north*, not *south*. Daniela *headed away* from her accomplice. She *up and left*! *Abandoned her*!"

The epiphany dawned like a Christmas-morning sunrise in them, and they turned to each other, blank-faced with the *gruesome knowledge* that they knew now.

Daniela had swayed an accomplice on her side, and together, they'd gone wrecking Evie's house. But there was *more* to this Grinchy tale than they had even guessed.

The accomplice had done something to *piss Daniela off*. Daniela was a lone wolf; she typically howled alone and frowned on the idea of *teamwork*. It didn't make her dream work. What had spurred her into seeking allies was, at the time, a shrouded mystery.

Either way, the young girl had been *left for dead*. They didn't know how long she had been resting there, but if they let her sit outside and freeze for a longer period, she'd die of hypothermia or get *revolting* frostbite.

Daniela was *repulsive*. She hated Christmas and capitalized on it with *unimaginable purloining*. She had someone else help with her bidding, and once they reached the end of the line, she severed them and went back to relying on *herself*.

It was *sick*. The accomplice had done terrible things that night and so far hadn't shown remorse, but Evie and Mya felt *sympathy*. They were not demons (as Daniela would suggest) - they had *empathy* and *feeling*.

Who this girl was, they didn't know yet, but they had to save her live and uncover what *exactly* this plot to wreck Christmas was.

They ran up to her body, and she didn't move, flinch, or react to them standing over her. Her body was *still*.

Heavy as a stone. *Unmoving*.

Mya hugged her stomach, which bubbled at the sight, and she tucked her face into her coat. It couldn't have come to *death*. The accomplice wasn't *moving*. How long had she *been like this*?

"Is... is she *dead*???" she questioned, beginning to shake. She was always uneasy around the subject of death, dying young, other people dying, murders... Daniela shouldn't even have had the *nerve* to commit a *homicide* on Christmas. Daniela never even *hinted anywhere* that she had an interest in *murder*. She couldn't have done so something so *blood-bending*...

The girl could *not* be dead. Mya was feeling *ill* and *gagged*, yet choked the bile back down. She had to be strong. The clock was ticking faster with every gust of the wind.

Evie slight-footedly squatted down next to the accomplice, waving her hand in front of her face. Nothing. Mya bit her lip and whimpered.

"Breathe," Evie whispered toward her, giving her a smile, and Mya relaxed partially, though her breathing remained tense. Then, facing the unmoving body, Evie pressed two of her fingers against her throat, being sure to act with caution.

*Thump*. *Thump*. *Thump*. Evie sighed in relief, and that was her friend's cue to exhale and pace, ridding herself of the *nightmarish panic* that could've overtaken the scene.

"She has a pulse. She's not dead. But her breathing is shallow," Evie reported. "She's experiencing the onset of hypothermia and is probably too cold to react."

Mya looked petrified. "*Hypothermia*? W-Where can we even t-take her? Warm her up? We don't know where she lives, nor can we take her back to your place..."

Evie, probing around for an idea, suddenly landed on a *solution*. An unusual one, but one that would *save a life*.

"Mya, you have your phone on you, right?"

"M-Mhm," she confirmed nervously, putting her hands in her pockets and quaking.

"Are any of your parents up right now?"

"I think so... Dad should be. He tends to stay up late to watch movies..."

"Emergency call him and tell him *everything*. I have a hunch that Daniela *didn't* inflict her Christmas haunt on your residency."

Mya's body became more rigid than rickety. Evie's idea was *brilliant*! Her parents would have called her had Daniela struck, but they hadn't. Her phone had been silent as the wind in the willows. Her parents would *never* refuse a child in need - *especially* a victim of their daughter's ghastly bully.

The accomplice *was* going to be safe. There would be no death on this Christmas night, and instead, there would be *triumph*.

"Alright. We need to keep her warm in the meantime, but I'm sure my parents won't be long."

Her assumption was correct, and seven minutes after the phone call, her parents had parked their car next to the house.

The accomplice was not going to clasp hands with heaven. She wasn't awake now, but she'd live to fight against Daniela's misanthropic wishes.

**AROUND AN HOUR LATER**

Amira fidgeted, her eyes struggling to win the battle to open. Her body felt... *warm*, shockingly, *toasty*, and she felt *light*, feeling around for her mother's coat, yet it wasn't wrapped around her.

Her eyes blinked faster. *Wait, what time is it... where am I?*

The last time she had breathed air in the land of the living, she was planted into the snow by Daniela and freezing into a cube of ice... but she was *dry*. *Snow* wasn't caking her, and she didn't even feel the chill...

*Daniela*. *Freezing*.

*What happened?? Where's... where's Daniela??*

Amira finally forced her eyes to open. She was in a *house*, a *different* house, fancier, sleek, and *homely*... this *wasn't* her parents' house. She hadn't *gone back*.

The world fell quiet. A pin dropped in her heart.

*I'm in some stranger's house!!!*

She remembered everything. The manipulation, the toying of her shaky emotional stability, taking pride in vengeance, only to see that she'd been played. She was abandoned... left out to *freeze*... and taken here.

Her body had been wrapped in multiple blankets, and she was up against a pillow. What *time* was it? How long had she been *out*? What was even going *on*?

*Oh.. oh my god, someone found me! I'm not dead, but... where am I?*

Amira, gulping, thrashed in panic, and she breathed in rapidly. She shouldn't be here! She was in a *no man's land*. The people in this house saved her, but she didn't know them. How could she trust-

"Whoa! Hey, hey, take it easy," a sweet voice soothed, and Amira craned her head toward a girl her age with shoulder-length black hair and green eyes crouched next to her, grinning. She let out a small gasp, sitting up and pressing herself back against the sofa.

"I... I..."

"Easy," another sweet voice, lined with down feathers, spoke to her, and the black-haired girl's friend also faced her from another angle of the sofa. "You're alright. You're safe..."

These girls were so *gentle*. So *kind*, and their fellow feelings crashed over her in waves. Still, she was terrified and pinned every blanket in grabbing distance to her body, breathing unsteady, heart ballooning to uncomfortable sizes.

These two *were* Evie and Mya, Daniela's "rivals." They didn't *look* like rivals. They were... *tender*.

Tender, with branches of sturdy oak trees in their hair, and flowers in their palms. These two combined weren't a *threat*... how could they *be* a threat when they pulled her out of the snow and brought her back to life?

But, seeing Evie in-person made her *remember*, *remember*, all of the malice she had meted out on her *house*. Tearing off that tinsel and tipping her Christmas tree, with those painted ornaments... that picture wasn't *lying* to her.

She saw the truth, but had scribbled over it to believe a *gluttonous monarch*. She didn't have the right to sympathy...

"You're the people Daniela told me wronged her," she breathed, and the two nodded. Her belly flipped in on itself, and Mya, the other girl, broke the silence.

"She *really* put the truth in a blender, sprinkled it with defamation, and made you drink it..." Evie elbowed her, and it was a light reminder to be careful with her word choices.

Amira's heart *broke*. Her gaze darted to both girls. What Mya said confirmed her worst fear: *Daniela had charmed her with a fictitious charade*. She had turned *rogue*. And now, she'd ruined the Christmas of Evie's family, and *her* parents were pissed at her, and that made for *four* angry parents...

Amira looked at her hands, which began to look like *Daniela's hands*. Hands that held tinsel, begging not to be *crushed*, and out of her control, *possessed* by the demon tugging her controls, she *shattered it*.

A part of her had shattered. Amira mewled, hopeless, and couldn't stop herself from *wailing*. This was madness. This was *hell*. This should have never happened, but because of her, it did.

She would *never* be *forgiven*.

"I'm *sorry*! I-I-I should have n-never d-done it... but I made your holiday *fall to pieces*! I believed a *liar*! A *bully*! *Your bully*! I caused you to *suffer*, I left you in *pain*... what kind of *monster am I*? I just wanted someone to *listen to me* for once! To just pay attention and put a new spin on my boring, pathetic life... but I've given *everyone* a reason to *hate me*!"

"No you haven't," Evie assured, though she felt her own heart fracturing hearing the accomplice's breakdown. She'd been manipulated. She thought what she was doing would *turn her life around*, but instead she had turned it to *more ruin*. There was self-hate in the air. She and Mya pressed close together, generating more sympathy.

Amira didn't feel it. She was going catatonic again from the *agony* of the hours, the actions, the mindless ramsacking... her cheeks and ears were *red*, and tears free-fell from her face. She croaked, and her wails became so distressing that Mya had leaned into Evie. She didn't like seeing people *this* upset.

"I want to go *home*!" Amira wailed then, wanting everything but her body to blur out and vanish. She shouldn't be here. She should have just stayed in her spot outside the house and waited for her parents to come back. She was a feeble-minded *excuse* of a child for not accepting her punishment...

"I just want to go *home*! Please... I'm so *sorry*! You shouldn't forgive me. I'm just as bad as Daniela... I should have caught her bluff, but I *didn't*! I'm stuck on this carousel and I want off, but I *can't*... I can't... I'm so *sorry*... you should just throw me back outside. Why did I think I deserve *kindness* when all I am is an *idiot*? I just wished this night *never existed*!"

Evie and Mya glanced at each other, worried. This poor, poor child... a perfect victim of manipulation, broken down by Daniela's abandonment and believing *she deserved nothing*. This was *cruelty*... and later, they'd make sure Daniela got her just desserts. For now, though, the most they could do was teach this girl that she had something Daniela *didn't* have - *goodness*.

"We don't think you're an idiot," Mya interjected, sitting beside Amira, and Evie did the same thing. The sobbing girl stopped for a minute, but hiccuping, she hid her face from them.

"You don't have to hide. We're not going to harm you," Evie promised.

"B-But you h-have-"

"We're *not* like Daniela. We're not going to beat you to a pulp over this entire crisis. You're *okay*," Evie promised again, tucking in her blankets.

"A-Are you r-really g-gonna let me off the hook? When I did all **that**?"

Mya half-frowned. "Well... um... we can't *entirely* let you off the hook. You did some *appalling* things..."

Amira gulped, squeaking.

"*But*, and the *big* but: you were a *victim*. You got *lied to* and acted *based* on those lies. You couldn't have known Daniela was lying to you until it was too late. While you can't be fully absolved of tonight's chaos, just know that Daniela has the *lion's share* of blame. Not you."

"*And*," added Evie, "you were able to *recognize* your mistakes. We could tell Daniela ditched you, and yeah, we do lack the full story... but we aren't *devils*. We were not going to leave you to succumb to hypothermia out there, and we got your personal testimony. You didn't deflect the blame, but owned up to it wholeheartedly. If you're capable of acknowledgement... then you have *earned* forgiveness."

Amira's ears were *ringing*. She couldn't *believe it*.

After *everything* tonight - the mayhem, the chase, the rampage, the betrayal and recovery... Evie and Mya were willing to *forgive her*? *Forgive*? She had never been told outright that mistakes were *redeemable*... that's what her parents had convinced her of.

However, maybe what they had told her was all *lies*, too. She *had* owned up to her mistakes and was willing to do more. She *was* apologetic. She *never* wanted to ruin a *Christmas* ever again! And the Grinch had realized his mistakes and fixed Whoville, she remembered. Daniela wouldn't reverse her actions... but *she would*.

She *could*.

Her sniffles slowly died down, and after a few minutes of more comfort and relaxation, she finally stopped crying and rubbed her eyes.

"Do you feel better?" Mya asked, and she nodded.

"I... think so. Thanks... but I think I should get home and try to clean things up before my parents-"

"Now hang on there, young one. Who said you had to leave so early?"

Amira, shrinking into the pillows and her blankets, met Mya's father, next to him her mother, who stared at her with concerned, but amused faces. She hadn't seen parents looking like *that* before...

"H-Hi...?" she greeted, voice tentative, and Mya gave her a nod that made her sit up.

"These are my parents. They picked you up as soon as we found you laying outside."

"*You* picked me up?" Amira cross-questioned.

"The girls happened to stumble upon tracks near Fir Knoll when searching for you and Daniela. Quite the obvious find, isn't it?" pointed out Mya's father, who had his loose brown hair tied in a ponytail.

"I guess..." the young girl mumbled, slinking into the sofa before a *beep beep beep* alarmed her and made her sit straight up.

"Ooh, the soup is done!" Mya's mother stated, skipping into the kitchen to retrieve it.

"S-Soup?"

"We kinda thought you'd be a bit hungry after languishing in the cold for a while," Mya surmirsed. "Also, it'd warm you up a *lot*."

"Your body temperature was *low*," Evie remarked. "Astonishes me how you didn't get frostbite."

Amira, squealing, examined her fingers closely, but they didn't bear traces of frostbite. She'd been *extremely* lucky.

"I guess I have some soul in me."

"Some? You have a whole *sapling* of soul! Bit stubby, needs nourishment... but we see *potential* in you. *Good* potential... Daniela thought she could meld your heart into one of blackness - the moral purity in you stifled the chances of that happening."

Amira recalled Daniela's comments about potential. She had the *desire* to do *something*... but had instead been goaded into *evil*. Evil didn't suit her. She didn't *want* to be an evil queen of horror! She wanted to be someone that people would *like*.

Someone that could at least earn someone's *attention*. Hadn't she just earned that? *Proved* she *could* be counted on?

From the way Evie and Mya were keen and passionate about acceptance and showing mercy toward her... Amira had the flint and steel to ignite one *spark* of color in her heart. She nervously chuckled, then made herself smile.

"I'll work on growing my sapling. When you put it that way, it sounds interesting..."

Footsteps approached, and Mya's mother came bearing the sacred gift of Campbell's tomato soup, which made her nostrils flare and her tastebuds *water*. It smelled so *appetizing*...

"For me?"

"Uh-huh, darling. I put some cheese on it too for additional flavoring. Why don't you dig in, and after... we can talk about tonight?"

Mya's mother was *insanely kind*. The most motherly figure she'd ever *seen*. She made her a proper meal, offering it to her without hesitation... Mya's parents in general were *kind*. Everyone here was glowing with *kindness*... and Amira didn't mind being infected by it.

Gratefully, and with a dip of her head, she took the bowl, grabbed the spoon, and lapped it up. It was the most refreshing meal she'd had in *years*... and she felt *fuller*. Was that sapling Mya alluded to *growing*? Was the soup the nourishment? So many questions...

Some time had passed, and Amira tucked herself back in her blankets, comfortably passing the time chatting about small things with Evie and Mya, before Mya's parents sat down on the sofa, and it was time for the interrogation. She shifted, playing with the fabric of her blankets.

"Okay, kiddo. Do you feel ready for this?" Mya's mother prompted, and Amira nodded.

"Mhm."

Evie began the session, clearing her throat. "Where did this all begin, to be exact?"

Amira remembered the fight with her parents and being thrown out in the snow, shuddring in her sweatshirt and watching with hate and frustration as her parents drove away, again ditching her for their own siesta...

"My p-parents and I fought over the holiday... they were neglecting me, and I wanted them to at least show they cared... but they got *really furious* with me. I got kicked out without being able to get anything..."

"You got *kicked out by your own parents*?!" Mya inquired, mortified. *What* on *earth* was in the heads of the girl's *parents*? That was *messed up*.

*What kind of hooligan ditches their kid in the cold??*

"I'm not a stranger to my parents being angry, so I just... took it. I got pissed and sulked... and minutes later, Daniela found me."

"We can assume that she started to manipulate you then?" queried Mya's father, and she nodded.

"She told me all those *horrible things* about the girls, sympathized with me, claimed her mother was outraged at her. She made the plan, and I agreed... I thought it would validate me..."

"Another lie. Daniela's mother is the principal of our middle school, and she acts *nothing* like that. Well, she does have a temper, but when you speak of Daniela, it's fully warranted," Evie explained, and Amira's face paled.

"Oh..."

"Want to take a break?" Mrs. Heartley offered, but Amira shook her head.

"No... I-I b-believe I can continue."

"Okay. What did you do after teaming up with Daniela?"

Amira hesitated, surveying her interrogators nervously. They weren't aware that she'd marred her parents' house. Would their opinions of her *change*?

*Should I even open my mouth?* She didn't want to *lose* these people so early on... she couldn't bear to screw up again.

"I..." She stopped again, her lip beginning to tremble. Evie scooted closer to her, placing a hand close to hers and smiling.

"You got this," she whispered, moving her hand just an *inch* closer, and Amira placed her palm in hers. It was gingerly squeezed.

That was the push she needed to confess fully, and taking a deep breath, she held up the torch and marched through the fog.

"We both trashed my parents' house first. Daniela ranted on and on about why *revenge* was so special and so *sweet*. I thought it was rewarding... and for a while, I felt *vindicated*," she spoke with an even face forthcomingly.

"Hmm," murmured Evie thoughtfully. "Daniela doesn't realize that retribution is only sugary until it backfires. In this case, it was when you realized your mistake. When was this?"

Amira squeezed her palm *hard*, thinking of the exact moment she'd defied gravity, and Daniela had yanked her to the ground and steamrolled her. Abandoned her.

*Left me to die so heartlessly...*

"Daniela and I were headed down Fir Knoll, and she began to yearn for presents. Physical gifts, something *real* instead of just the emotional high from what we did. I was going to go along with it, but..."

"But what?" Mya asked.

"The house had *children* years *younger* than me! They were *five*, or somewhat close to that age. I didn't want to hurt them, or take away what they loved about Christmas... they had innocence I'd *never have*. They didn't need to witness their holiday being *stripped* from them... it was there I saw that Daniela was *wrong* about everything."

Evie and Mya were *astonished*. The accomplice was *honest*. A fully honest apple. She didn't hold back or twist the truth to lessen the damage to her integrity... she had so *much* of a heart. A heart just as big as Mya's, coming to light and healing from the poison it had been fed.

*This* was the *real* accomplice. A *beautiful* young girl with *tenacious will*, hidden behind a shy and trust-sensitive front induced by negative parents, worsened by Daniela's gaslighting and hand-crafted *hate*.

Amira lowered her head, absorbing the shame and regret into the pores of her skin. "I challenged Daniela and *almost* got away unharmed... but she was on me in less than a minute, accusing me of betraying her... and then she left. I don't remember anything else happening other than me blacking out."

"Alright. You did wonderful," Mya's mother praised, and Mya's father gave her a nod.

"Is that all you want to speak about? Or is there more on your mind?"

"There's nothing else, but... I just want to say I'm *sorry*. I'm so *sorry*, for all of this... if I had just taken the hints, taken the red flags at face-value, seen *through*... I wouldn't have *ever* done this. It's too late, and the guilt is something I'm going to live with for a while. I hate myself for this. I honestly do..."

"It's okay to feel that way," Evie encouraged, passing a speaking chance to Mya, who took it gratefully.

"But it's important to *love yourself too*. You're not going to go *harumph harumph* and *ruin someone's day*. Or take pleasure in their pain! Or make them miserable! You have to have a *razorblade gut* like Daniela to be into airing out your grievances that way. And you are not in *heaven's name* any way like Daniela. You're *golden*."

"*Golden*? No one's said I'm *golden* before," the accomplice thought aloud. Mya's eye twitched.

*Do her parents not understand positive reinforcement?*

"You're golden now if Mya says so. Her word is law," Evie teased lightheartedly, and the girl giggled, as did Mya's parents.

"I think that ends the interrogation. Am I right, Marigold?" her father then questioned, and she nodded.

"Yep." She turned to Amira, her yellow-green eyes pleased. "Now we need to draft a plan of action for finding Daniela... and we're going to need your help."

"My help?" Amira pressed. *Help*? How could she *help*?

Evie and Mya were both *positive*. In their eyes were *light*, and by her side, she was beginning to be *urged*. To be compelled to *do* justice and right the *wrongs*. They were confident.

"This is your chance to stand up to Daniela and set Christmas right. She won't be able to tarnish Christmas anymore!" Evie exclaimed.

"As a plus, this would be an *excellent* step towards atonement. It would increase your chances of a softer punishment from your parents, *and* you'd prove you're not the world's next-greatest bully. What do you say? Gonna give Daniela a can of whoop-ass to her face?" Mya proposed, and Amira was *drawn in*.

Daniela was a *monster*. She'd cemented it and hadn't recanted... and she had every reason *not* to. Daniela was *crazy*! She wasn't above hurting *children*!

She had no remorse, no dignity, no *heroism*... she was running from it all, camping out away from society...

...if she got away, Christmas would be *ruined*. The Grinch *had* to learn her lesson.

That *foul one* would not *escape*. She was *in this* to *win*.

"I'm gonna *kick her ass* - I know where she is, actually."

"You do?" Evie prompted.

"Hollow Tree Court. Some alleyway."

"That's not a long drive at all! We'll be onto her in *a jiffy*," Mya's mother noted, going into the kitchen to retrieve her car keys. "Pat, get yours too. We're gonna need an extra car for this."

"Indeed," he said, following his wife into the kitchen. Amira heard the rattling of car keys.

"We're gonna find her right now? It's dark out..."

"Dark *and* cold. My parents are *not* going out... but the car keys will be handy for later. Does daybreak sound reasonable, Ev?"

"*Tôi nghĩ vậy*."

"Wow! You speak a second language!" Amira complimented, and Evie blushed.

"Heh. Vietnamese is my second language."

"Cool! I'm Asian as well. Korean, but I don't speak the lang- *wait*! I, uh- I haven't introduced myself to you yet..."

Amira felt like a chucklehead. These girls *still didn't know her name properly*, and she'd been here for a *while*!

"The world isn't ending... so go ahead. What's your name, friend?" Mya questioned with a humorous wink, and Evie ruffled her hair affectionately. "Mya! Don't freak her out!"

"S'all right. Name's Amira. Amira Fleckenshire."

"You're *British*?" Mya asked, narrowing her eyes, and Evie raised an eyebrow.

"Daniela asked me the same question. Partially. Dad has British ancestry. Mainly, though, I'm Puerto Rican and Korean."

"Ooooh," both girls went. They needn't explain their names; Amira would already know.

For a few more hours, the three talked and watched some early morning cartoons (Amira in particular was enjoying *Tom and Jerry*, getting a good laugh in or two, and the girls laughed along with her). Amira *liked* the two.

Evie was intelligent and strong-willed, tolerating little schemes and earning the highest grades at her middle school, while Mya was the comedian that brought out Evie's tenderness and had quite the amount of silly quips in her word bank. The duo were entertaining, probably the most *fun* she'd ever get in life...

But there was no need to keep dwelling on the negativity. Daybreak came, and the sun peaked through the mountains, breaking up the night and the stars. Christmas was upon Pineshadow.

It would not come, however, until Evie, Mya, and Amira had found the Grinch and brought the green *goblin* back into the limelight.

As predicted, Hollow Tree Court was a short drive in the car of Mya's SUV, primarily used by her mother. Behind them was her father and his truck, which would be the method of capture once Daniela was located.

They had a plan. A plan with some wacky curves and a *ton* of quick intervention. It was bound to stir tempers and evoke the inner *demon* within, but if they were going to capture Daniela, ambushing her when she was off-guard was the best option.

It was five in the morning, but Evie, Mya, and Amira didn't even need coffee to be fully awake. They were *regenerated* and *shining*, and faced the sole alleyway in Hollow Tree Court with *conviction*.

Daniela was *here*. They felt it in their *bones*, with the warmth of the sun cascading down their backs, with the sting of the cold Pineshadow morning. On Christmas day, there would be *peace*.

"Let's approach. Tread *scrupulously*," Evie ordered, and the girls fell into her lead. Their bootsteps were slight, not making a single sound dipping into the snow.

The alleyway was quiet, except for a *snore* that bellowed out of the open mouth of a blue-sweatered *Grinch*, who was laying on some cardboard and a propped-up trash-can.

"Ew, she snores like you, Evie," Mya whispered.

"I. Do. Not. Snore," Evie whispered back, shooting her a friendly, but annoyed, dark green glare.

"Who's going first?" Amira asked, breaking up the crosstalk, and Mya waved her hands, sticking out her tongue. Evie ducked behind the wall of the house.

"Amira! Come here!"

Amira quickly ducked behind her. The plan was in motion, and they gave a thumbs-up to Mya, who stepped forth into the lion's den.

Daniela was her bully. Many times, she'd *feared her*, and *cried* because of her. But she wasn't having those fears today. Her self-esteem was in check, and with friends by her side, she was *bound* to *flare*.

Daniela snored some more, drool leaking out of her mouth and onto her sweater and coat. Disgusted, Mya winced - Daniela slept like a *rock*, and a preposterous one at that.

It was time to wake the *beast*. She took a huge, *huge* breath, making sure her vocal chords were in line, and then, letting everything slide into place...

"**COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO**!"

Mya's impression of the morning rooster made Daniela blink, and she rubbed her head, rolling off her makeshift (and uncomfortable) bed.

"Ugh... is it morning-"

Morning sun drifted on her face. Daniela bloomed like a rose in the concrete and pumped her fist in the air.

"It's *morning*! I wrecked their Christmas! Oooh, Evie and Mya, you're gonna be the most miserable little *puppies*, and you're *never* going to recover from being owned by the school's *premiere* student! Ha! I *win*!"

She took several steps forward and *smacked* directly into a smirking face, one that had graceful auburn hair and leaf-green eyes looking *far* too cocky to be *normal*.

Daniela thought an eyelash or two had fallen into her eyelids. She pawed them, growling, but every time she did so, the image of Mya wouldn't dissipate.

She'd been *busted*.

"**HEARTLEY**!"

"Rise and shine, *Dumbquist*!" she greeted, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. Daniela snarled. She just *had* to imitate her dumb, snotty mother...

"What's that you were saying about *winning*? Sorry, my ears had wax in them."

Daniela bared her teeth, initiating a threat, though Mya didn't step away as she thought she would.

"*Heartley*! You should be *despising* the molecules that *compose* your *wayward* brain, as you *leaked* your entire holiday to me. I *ruined it*! I *destroyed it*. You should be **DEFEATED**!"

"Nah," Mya denied, swatting a hand, and the cockiness in her curled around a euphoric Mount Kilimanjaro in her heart. "Sure, you made cleaning up the Ly house a pain in the ass, but did you forget we have *family and friends*? We're loved, and cherished, and still have presents, *and* we still have a whole day to have Christmas. You can destroy the decorations, but what you can't harm is *spirit*!"

*Yes, Mya! Nail her to the wall by her hair!* Evie cheered.

Amira observed, *amazed* at Mya's willpower. That was something she *wished* to have!

Daniela snorted. "Okay, Cindy Lou. Go on ranting about philosophy and Christmas morals and *blah blah blah*. Your festivity is giving me a *migraine*. Goodness, did you misremember what day it is? Your brain must be full of *air castles*!"

"At least those air castles have *common sense*!"

Daniela groaned. "Out of ***MY WAY***!" she roared, pushing Mya aside. That was one nuisance dealt with. Christmas was still going to go *swimmingly*!

She swam in the ocean's deep, and then bumped right into an *angered* face, eyes that *burned* with personal rivalry.

Superb. Daniela should've assumed that Mya would also bring along *Evie*.

"Bud, you gonna apologize to my family for wasting their efforts to decorate? Make the Christmas food? My mother is *never* going to forgive you for spoiling her wontons," Evie stated matter-of-factly, brows cocked low, and Daniela snorted. The animal in her was *protruding*.

"*Ly*, if you don't move your *ass* over to *your favorite galling prat*, I'm going to *spill your guts* in this alleyway. Tit for tat. It won't even be *close*."

"Really? Go on, then. Swing a punch at my face. Break my jaw. Knock the teeth out. I won't be forgetting the damage you caused to *my family*. Not next Christmas, and certainly not the next. Fight me all you freaking want about it, but you're not escaping the eyes of *justice*. We *want* it."

Amira was *floored*.

*She's such a badass... my turn is next. They said it was my chance to prove myself...*

Evie and Mya made it *flawless*. Amira's heart was *pounding*. Daniela was going to *lose*, and if push came to shove, Mya's parents would intervene. She was *determined*.

*I'm ready now.*

Daniela, scoffing, attempted to push Evie out of her way, but Evie didn't budge.

"Go celebrate your *scrappy Christmas*, Ly!"

"Already did. By *cleaning up the mess you made*," Evie countered, rolling her eyes.

"You're killing my mood! Move!" Daniela instructed, and to her shock, Evie *obliged*.

"M'kay, Daniela. Merry Christmas. By the way, someone's trying to telephone you."

*Telephone me? Who would bother this early in the morning?*

Daniela, shrugging, strutted towards the end of the house, but her sighlines were suddenly overtaken by a *flash* of browns - and a *glittering purple streak*.

*WHAT?!*

No. She was left in that lawn, shouldn't have gotten *here*. This wasn't right. What alternate timeline was this?

Daniela shook her head. "You aren't supposed to *be here*. This is a dream, isn't it? I'll pinch myself, wake up, and *all of you will disappear*. "Just-"

*Pinch*.

"Like-"

*Pinch*.

"*THAT*!"

*Pinch*.

Evie and Mya didn't fade and watched, almost *snickering at her*. And in front of her, the most terrifying of all, was a *strict Amira Fleckenshire*.

And this Amira? She was *done playing games*.

"Merry Christmas, Daniela!"

"**HOW ARE YOU HERE**???" she demanded, her eyes going wide with *disbelief*. There was *no way*. *Amira*? Her ex-accomplice? She should have been *gone*.

Her plan was *acting in reverse*! *Again*!

"I *survived*. Hypothermia didn't wipe me out. I had *friends* who found me!" she declared, pointing to Evie and Mya.

Gears grinded, and Daniela heard *screeching*. Bloody *murder* oozed out of her head. She craned, seeing Evie and Mya winking, and Mya was doing a mocking chicken dance of her.

*Mocking*.

Obviously *mocking* for her shortsightedness. Her stupidity. Of *course* Evie and Mya would go after her and her accomplice. She had *showed off*. *Gloated*.

The blood was trailing out of her, and it led Evie and Mya to *Amira*. She knew of her deception fully. Evie and Mya had *handed it to her*.

Blood was in the water. Blood was on the ground. Blood was *everywhere*. Daniela hated this, hated this bad, hated this so much that she felt her blood literally *boiling*.

She *hissed*, a cry of *war*, and she lunged at Amira, but she sidestepped. She couldn't account for her speed.

"Wanna play cat-and-mouse? Could do this all morning, Daniela!"

"**SHUT UP**!" Daniela chided, reaching for her again, only to find Amira was out of her reach in seconds.

"Maybe check up on yourself in the bathroom mirror. You look worse for wear!"

"**GO BACK HOME**!"

"I will, but not yet! You should go home. Your mother is probably worried sick about you... if Rex still cares!"

*Evie and Mya told Amira about her mother*. Daniela.

Was.

*Livid*.

"***ALL OF YOU NEED TO PISS OFF***!" she bellowed, speeding at Amira with the bull's horns and shoving her back into Evie and Mya, who caught her and immediately set her upright. Cackling, she charged back up and re-sized herself, squaring up against Daniela's chin.

"Finding you can't *knock me down* to the dust? You convinced me of *potential* within me. And I *did* have potential. It's growing in me again. But you *stunted it* and made me *use it* for *misdeeds*. Clam up. You have *no control* over me **or my friends**. We're not going away *as easily* as you *think*!"

Daniela snarled, taking a loose swing at Amira's jaw, but she ducked, rolled between her legs, and rose to her feet behind her.

"You only *empowered me* into making this right. You'd probably think this is my *revenge*. You taught me that it was *sweet*, and *delightful*. That's not all there is, isn't there? 'Cause *these two* taught me that revenge is a luxury that can be afforded *when it's due*. I abused that power. Unlike you, I *recognized* my mistake - and I'm going to do *whatever I can* to set the record **STRAIGHT**!"

"Woo! Amira, get her!" Evie trilled. Mya clapped her hands.

*Your revenge is a faux facade!* Daniela scorned internally, and her stack *blown* by *miles*, she approached Amira and pushed her back into the girls, pointing a finger at their throats but opting not to attack.

"I don't care if I get in trouble for this. I don't care if I'm hated or disciplined. You *deserve* to suffer. You *deserve* the pain for *ruining my reputation*! *My* holiday! Putting me in *hell*! I'm **SICK** of **ALL** of you thinking you're above me. But you've *lost* anyway. You're *done*. I owe you **NOTHING**!"

Flashing them her middle fingers, Daniela turned away and trotted off. No matter. They were inconsequential. They woke her up, and the morning was off to a bad start, but it was nothing she couldn't fix.

*Mother is going to be furious... cannot wait to see her reaction. I pulled it off! I wrecked Christmas! My rivals lost their fun... sorry, Grinch, but I'm the new charming-as-an-eel darling around here!*

She marched out into the open sunlight, closing her eyes and letting the light of Christmas day swallow her. It was going to be *perfect*.

*Perfect*, no cracks *ahead*.

But Daniela hadn't taken care to notice the two cars that had parked outside Hollow Tree Court... cars that were *not there* when she curled up to sleep the prior night.

She bumped into fleshy *lumps*. Two of them, tall, their eyes boring into her cranium from high up. Unforgiving, pissed off, and *sapped* by her antics.

*Uh oh*.

"Gotcha!" chirruped Mya. Evie and Amira were watching the *winning draw* for the *lottery*.

Daniela looked up, and the infuriated stares of Mya's parents stuck her right into the cactus spines of her heart. She had been *penetrated*.

"Um... hey, Mr. and Mrs. Heartley! It's a lovely morning, isn't it?"

"It's a lovely morning for *chastising*!" snapped Mya's father, who seized her by the arm and got up in her face. "Child, what the hell inspired you to *sabotage our daughter's Christmas*? And *another family's* Christmas? Do you only contain *hatred* in that *heart*? You offer **no grace** on *Christmas*. You are a *shameful* participant to this holiday."

"But- they were *bullying me*! Don't you think-"

Mya's father *groaned*. "For the love of God, I am *not* going to hear about you *whining* about revenge! We are *not* on good terms with you, Daniela. You have *bullied our daughter*, and now you could have harmed her *and her best friend*. You *harmed an innocent young girl* with your schemes. You could have **killed her**!"

"That wasn't my intention! You're making up sinful clout about me!" Daniela protested.

"No, we are *not*," Mya's mother spat. "It is **our responsibility** to guard the welfare of *our* children, even those that are *not our own*. Young lady, you *recklessly endangered* a **child**! Someone **your age**! You are *not* getting away with living out your bloody fairytale of a merry season. This saga is **at an end**."

Daniela's eyes radiated with *self-loathing*. Immense *fury* at the situation. Evie and Mya had beaten her with *stones*, and they got Amira as a new ally. She had put the stone in her mouth and made her *swallow it*.

She had used the *wrong type* of revenge on her. It tasted like *curdled milk*.

But she was up against two *fearsome* parents, and the ice was thin. If she slipped, or tried fighting for her honor, they'd do the *worst thing possible*. She had no choice.

She dropped her shoulders and *conceded*. Evie, Mya, and Amira, watching from afar, celebrated, high-fiving in their mittens and fist-bumping.

Mya's father cleared his throat, and Daniela looked up at him, blushing with humiliation at how she was contained so swiftly.

"Listen *up*, because this is the *only* time we're pitching this to you. We will *not* file a police report against you for breaking and entering *if* you agree to be **taken home to your mother** right away. If you don't, Marigold shall call the cops against you, and we'll see to it that your sorry behind will be stuck doing *community service* until you reach *adulthood*. Am I clear as snow, **young lady**?"

Daniela knew which choice she needed the *most*. She didn't want to *lose* the platform she had... it could not *crumble* to Evie and Mya, and now Amira... it *wouldn't*...

She couldn't *lose yet*. While she'd persevere with the embarrassing choice... she'd avoid the hard labor and prying eyes of the unforgiving beings of the earth. It was a sacrifice she made with a bowed head.

"Yes, sir... take me back home."

Daniela had never sounded so *embarrassed* and *dejected* in the same moment. A first for Evie and Mya, and a satisfying ending for Amira, who saw her Grinchy ringleader *fall* to *justice*.

Evie especially was *beaming*. "Justice has prevailed!" she proclaimed.

"And the day's *only* beginning for Daniela. She's going to find it gets even more *fun* at night," Mya added, knowing *damn well* what her parents had planned for tonight.

It would be hours of planning... but it was bound to be a *spectacle*.

The girls watched as Mya's father herded Daniela into his truck, and then, they were off to Rex's residence, where Daniela was all but *destined* to receive a verbal *and* physical fit of rage-lashings from her mother, and a fierce scolding that would be the first *taste* of what was going to come.

"Are you ready for tonight, Amira?" Mya asked, and she nodded.

"I haven't been traveling that much... but you sold me at the first mention."

"Trust us. It's going to be *extraordinary*!"

Bobbing along through the alleyway, the girls rejoined Mya's mother and headed back home. They had hours to prepare for the night.

But they didn't need to sweat buckets anymore. The Grinch had *lost* her battle to ruin Christmas.

The spirit had returned - and tonight, its light would *shine* all *over* Pineshadow's residents - the way it should have always been intended to be.

The day had progressed at the finest pace, and the girls dried off at home, spending the day watching Christmas cartoons and helping Mya open her presents under the Christmas tree. She got multiple plushies, allowing the girls to hold each one, and Amira grew attached to their plushie fur and cuteness.

Rex, as confirmed by Mya's father, dragged Daniela back into her house and berated her with military-like commands and orders. She would definitely bear the scars of that for the next few weeks, but Daniela would be back to her old self in a matter of time. It was only fate she'd shrug it off and continue being the narcissist, toxic, demonic bully that she was.

But she wasn't aware that Rex had supported an additional Christmas-themed punishment for her daughter to "embrace" the spirit.

In the meantime, Mya's mother had sent mail to Amira's parents, advising them that their daughter was in safe hands. Tonight, they were allowed to pick her up and take her back home after the *festival of lights*.

This, and Daniela's consequences for the ill-fated Christmas affair, was why Mya's parents had taken Evie, Mya, and Amira to the Pineshadow Outdoor Mall, where the girls had sat by the fountain with Starbucks in hand; Amira had an American Eagle shopping bag by her hand, which was the result of Mya's parents buying her a proper sweater for the season, dark blue in color.

The Christmas tree was *massive*, even higher than the Barnes & Noble store behind them, and it was decorated with wreathes, giant ornaments, presents, and tinsel. A glowing star was on top, and the lights on the tree twinkled red, green, white, oranges, golds... it was *beautiful*.

Around the stores of the mall, upscale to mid-major, were big ornaments and presents making for the perfect Christmas photo-ops.

And just in *front* of the Christmas tree, Evie, Mya, and Amira got the best view in the house of the *spectacle*. The *festival*, the *spirit*, the *Christmas* they had wanted from the *beginning*.

Christmas carols, being performed by an angelic choir, and among them, out of place, sulking, and humiliated, her face red, was *Daniela*. She was adapting to the Christmas regime, learning what it was like to have *intoxicating* joy. She wanted to jump off a cliff and never come back to the waking world, but alas, it was what she deserved for trying to rob Pineshadow of its happiness and festivities.

Just in case of a riot, Rex supervised. She took a moment to wave at the girls, who waved back.

"Seems like this night is going to close with a high note," Amira calmly noted, watching Daniela struggle to sing along and twitch her shoulders with every time she failed to harmonize with the vocals.

"It'll close once I hear Daniela singing Mariah Carey!" Mya yelped, drumming her fingers on her thighs, and Evie chuckled.

"Mya, if that happens, it'll signal that the end times are upon us!"

"No, I *must* see her sing that blasted Mariah song. She is going to be red as a *radish*!"

"It's what she deserves," Amira chimed with a playful smirk. It was *of unsound mind* how fate had twined in favor of her, for once, and had stopped body-slamming her into the concrete wherever she went. The person who manipulated her had gotten a lethal dosage of *accountability*, and she'd *atoned* for grievous mistakes.

Was her life *actually* improving? Would it really?

She was uncertain, but this was a good start.

"I'm glad this is over and done with," she muttered.

"We can return to having regular lives again. Hell, I haven't even opened my presents!" Evie exclaimed, drawing her finger on her chin. She sure hoped her presents were sorted...

"Ooh, you gotta be quick, Evie... Santa might take them back!" Mya teased.

"Mom is not *that* cynical, My. But I will... *later*."

Amira opened her mouth to laugh, take in the atmosphere and share a peaceful world with Evie and Mya, but then she heard the *enraged clack of footheels*. The *stomping* of *feet*.

She *recognized them* with *dread*.

"***AMIRA FLECKENSHIRE***!"

Amira gasped, her brown eyes shutting, and she whimpered, blocking her face out from the sight of her parents. Evie and Mya jumped into each other - her parents were *stone-cold* and presented little but *raw anger*.

Amira's mother, pale-skinned and definitely the one responsible for Amira's Korean ancestry, had straight brown hair and fatal brown eyes that *glared* circles into her daughter's fragile body, while her father, the one responsible for the Puerto Rican ancestry, was dark skinned and bald, but his goldenrod eyes were *hot* with *outrage*.

They'd found out what their daughter had done, and they were not all in the mood to be *considerate*.

"You **egocentric indolent lackadaisical child**! What have you done to **OUR HOUSE**??" her mother screamed in her face, pointing a finger at her nose and yanking her hands off her of her *forcibly*. Mya gripped Evie's hand anxiously. "You *couldn't* accept your *goddamn punishment*. You **cannot** be **grateful**! You are ***INCAPABLE*** of being anything but a ***REBELLIOUS SWINE***!"

"Mom, please! Let me explain!" Amira wailed, on the verge of crying, but her mother growled, taking a *heavy* step closer to her, breaking the gap. The girls became worried she would try to *drown* her child in the fountain water.

*Her mother has to have sympathy in her heart! She wouldn't hurt her kid... she has to understand the circumstances...* Evie worried.

Mother Fleckenshire pulled back and was replaced by Amira's just-as-pissed father, who gripped her by the sweatshirt collar and snarled, "How **dare** you **conceal** your face from us, you **coward**! We are taking you **home**, and *you* will be cleaning up the slop you *created* in *our house*. You **filthy creature**! Why can't you **APPRECIATE US**??!"

Amira sniffled, gagging on her own words. Her father wasn't holding her flesh, but she was *choking*. Choking on the pressure, the guilt, the ridicule. Her parents *were* going to kill her after all. Nothing would *change*.

Evie and Mya looked to each other once. This conduct was *unacceptable*. Amira's parents *did* have a right to be mad at their daughter, but *not* to this extent. This was a *dangerous* breach of parental power.

One single nod sealed the deal, and they rose to their feet, shielding Amira's parents from her protectively.

Amira sensed a disturbance in the force, and opening one tear-stained eye, she found *angels* in front of her. *Protecting her*. *Saving* her from her parents.

*My friends...?*

"***Stop harassing her***!" Evie commanded, building herself up to be at her most intimidating, and Mya followed suit. The Fleckenshire parents, however, dismissed them, and the mother facepalmed.

"Excuse you? We have a *right* to discipline our daughter. It's **parenting**. Where are your parents, to be exact?"

"Are you blind? *They're over there*!" Mya vehemently retorted, tilting her head to where Evie's parents and Mya's parents were speaking next to each other outside the Chico's store, exchanging positive gossip.

A slow blink from the Fleckenshire parents heeded this new information, and then Mr. Fleckenshire spoke. "Even so, me and Mikayla **will** be collecting Amira and taking her **home**. Move out of the way."

"Fat chance!" Mya spat back, and Amira's mother sneered at her with teeth out, bared and *pissed*.

"Why, are you taking the side of a *child* who's *always* acted out for **attention**? Has **never** been *considerate* of us, or *loving*?"

"Mom! Please stop it!" Amira begged. Evie turned to her, seeing a child who was *none* of the things her mother painted her as. Her fists hardened.

She knew what it was like to never feel good enough... she knew the pain. She knew *everything*.

And so, she spun towards Mikayla Fleckenshire and *growled as mightily as a bear*.

It was Mikayla's turn to meet her *matchmaker*.

"Put a **cork** in your trap right now. What *mother* berates her child, who's been caught up in *terrible affairs*, and tells her that she's *awful* straight to her face? *No mother does*. Amira has spent the last twenty-four hours in *hell*. She got *manipulated* into being someone she *wasn't*! She wasn't the only one in your house; *our school's bully* was as well. She **inspired** Amira to take part in a plot to **ruin your freaking Christmas**!"

"She still took part in it! She has demonstrated *no remorse*, that-"

"**Let my friend talk** ***or ELSE***," Mya warned, and Mikayla took a step back, startled by the young girl's *threatening* aura. Mya tapped Evie on her shoulder, enabling her to *clear the clouds*.

Amira's heart was *lifting*. Finally, her mother was going to see *reason*!

"As I was *saying*, Amira took **part**... but when her supposed friend tried to persuade her to *hurt children*, she *refused*! She **openly defied** her and **stood up for herself**. She is a **bright**, **talented kid**. She has made mistakes, terrible ones, but *atoned for them*. Do you see the girl in the blue sweater in that choir?"

Mikayla turned, and her jaw *fell*. The *bully* that had lied to her daughter and convinced her to partake in evil was *there*. This girl was *not lying* about what happened... she had been *wrong*.

She had been in public... her temper was not curbed. These matters should be private, especially now that her kid had friends...

"I see the girl. You're... being truthful and honest."

"We *pride* ourselves on honesty. Amira does too. But you've only seen the *bad* in her. It's *Christmas*, Mrs. Fleckenshire! Where is your *grace*? Your *empathy*? You've shaken this poor child and have indirectly contributed to this mess by *leaving her out in the freezing cold*."

"In a *sweatshirt*," Mya muttered.

"Mya is right. In a *sweatshirt*. You owe your daughter *an apology* and *grace* tonight. I will not stop you from having a stern talk with her about all of this, as it is your parental duty... but in the future, **none of this should ever happen again**. Amira has been punished *enough* for her mistakes, being abandoned in the cold and saved from the brink of hypothermia and frostbite. She has learned what she has needed to and made amends. We are her friends, and we fully understand the pain she has been through. *I* feel it. How about you?"

Her father nodded, dubious, but relaxed. He turned to Mikayla.

"Honey, we're in a public space... this is a bit unprofessional, is it not?"

"Oh, Braxton," Mikayla sighed. "It's been a long night, coming home to trash and our daughter being with *strangers*... but I'm *glad* that *our daughter* is alive."

"Me too, dear."

Evie nodded, and Mya smiled at her, admiring her brutal nerve to scold *two stranger parents* for their questionable treatment of their own child. But she understood where she was coming from. She'd faced pressure and adversity and always overcame it.

*You're brilliant, Evie.*

The Fleckenshire parents relented then and there, and Amira, brushing away her tears, unfurled in relief. Her parents' eyes caught her though, and she tensed.

"We'll let you hang out with your... *friends* for a few more minutes. But you are coming *home*, Amira, and *explaining* this mess to us *personally*. We are *disappointed* in you..." her father stated.

Amira's face fell.

"...but we will be lenient and considerate, for the sake of the holidays and peace," her mother strictly tacked on. Her brown eyes rested on her daughter for a second, and then, she and Braxton had turned away, leaving the girl to catch her breath.

"Amira, are you alright?" Evie probed, sitting down next to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. She nodded.

"I don't want my parents to hurt me..."

"They won't. Evie grilled grace into their chests," Mya promised. "Everything will be okay."

"Yeah... I hope so..." Amira, for a moment, glanced away. What the girls failed to see, for just that mere moment, was a look of sadness, a sadness that had lived within her for years and wouldn't leave, not as long as her parents were there. The girls could never see beyond the faces, see what was inside... they'd never know, she thought.

Her episode was snapped in two by her friends, who butted her shoulders, and she smiled at them.

"Are we... going to stay friends?"

"Yeah!" Evie and Mya said at the same time, and Amira thought she'd been slapped in the face with the spare fortune of a fortune cookie.

She had... *friends*. It'd been years since she had *friends*, real smiling faces who had comforted her through the good and bad... and although contacting them would have little chance of succeeding after tonight... tonight, for just a *night*, she could stand with *two amazing people* and *be proud* that she had met them.

Evie and Mya. What special names...

"Hey, the night's still young, isn't it?" Mya questioned without warning.

"I mean, it's like... nine?"

"We gotta say the words, guys!"

"What words-" Amira began to ask before Mya cut her off:

"Merry Christmas!"

*Oh!*

"Merry Christmas!" Evie hollered, and Amira joined in at the same time.

They raised their coffees, tapping paper holder against paper holder, and took a sip.

Christmas did have a bittersweet ending after all. The Grinch *stole* Christmas, but it was *stolen back*.

Pineshadow caroled on, and the rest of Christmas went by without disruption, not a creature stirring, not even mice. The night after Christmas would taste *sweet*.

The air around the girls was *sweet*.

And they had brought *happiness* to a girl who had *desperately* needed to smile and feel *love*.

Santa and her trusty elf had saved the day, and they'd even gained a brand-new friend.

There was no telling what would unfold in 2012, but this was a bizarre, yet *thrilling* way to close out 2011.

No regrets were made.

**BACK TO THE PRESENT**

"We haven't seen Amira ever since that day. All I know is that she's back home, and that her parents are likely treating her better. Daniela's rotting in prison, and as for Santa and her elf, we've retired from that profession for now..." Mya closed out her story, and Winter kicked her feet up against the bedsheets.

"You truly did send Daniela to *hell*. Singing *Mariah Carey* as a punishment. Mya, I see where you inherited your creativity..." she murmured thoughtfully.

"Duh, our father is a creative *doofus*. It's part of why we love him."

"Yeah. Also, I'm *glad* Amira got to *moonrock* Daniela! She was a *badass*, from the way you described it. She's been through so much... she deserves to live in peace and mend her relationship with her parents, dealing with all of that morbid stuff..."

"Let's just hope she's well. I'd love for you to meet her... I think she needs more friends."

"Definitely! If you taught me that, you could teach her that too. I'd help."

"You big softie, Winter," Mya teased, tickling her sister under her chin, and she chuckled before flopping back on the bed.

"Next Christmas, we're going back to the mall again. For sure. We can play hide and seek by the giant ornaments."

Winter rolled to her, placing her head on her chest and affectionately snuggling. Oh, life could be a dream...

"You're relying on my love of the mall... but yeah."

Mya was about to rest, pull herself under her bedsheets with her sister, but she remembered the Christmas box was still out and nudged her sibling off, picking through the box's belongings and reaching for something *papery*. She found it almost immediately and pulled it out.

"Before Amira's parents picked her up, we took this photo together." She showed Winter the large photo, which had her, Evie, and Amira all jumbled in with a selfie and Starbucks, with delight, Christmas magic, and mischief aligning with Winter's heart. She had a fondness for memories, the good and the bad, and placed a finger on the photo's edge.

"You look so adorable together... why'd you never hang it up, though?"

"I think we accidentally forgot about it, and I'm shocked we didn't remember it cleaning the house for your arrival. But... I think it deserves to be hung up. Amira would want that... we're her only friends."

Although Winter hadn't met Amira personally, she gave a hard nod in agreement. Friends, whether long-lasting or short-lived, *deserved* remembrance and grace. Amira was *awesome*. She had evolved so much in the story, and, in her heart, could be a *firecracker* taking aim.

She could be anywhere, far away or close to Evie and Mya... but they'd *always* remember her.

"Let's do it. It'd be a great way to honor Amira."

In an hour, the photo hung in the corner of the room, framed by flowers and pine trees, at home among the beauty of nature.

Amira *was* home, wherever she may have been.

A Christmas tale could be many things. It could be merry, a tale of triumph or evil thwarted. Wasn't that this story?

Not exactly. This Christmas story was more than good triumphing over evil.

A friend had been made. A life had been polished.

And just, for once, the world lifted its transgressions to remove the Grinch and let the spirit of the unspoken *sing*.

**THE END**

## Cast

* **Dakota Fanning** as Mya
* **Mae Whitman** as Winter
* **Peyton Elizabeth Lee** as Evie
* **Amber Romero** as Cecilia
* **Eden Riegel** as Daniela
* **Dee Bradley Baker** and **Kari Wahlgren** as additional voices
* **Jim Rash** as Coach Samoski
* **Rob Wiethoff** as Mr. Naecher
* **Nora Dunn** as Rex
* **John Hodgman** as Anderson
* **Lauren Tom** as Opal
* **Zoe Saldaña** as Amira
* **Trent Garrett** as Patrick
* **Wendie Malick** as Nita
* **Matt Chapman** and **Kimberly Brooks** as additional voices
* **Fred Tatasciore** and **Jorge Diaz** as additional voices
* **Margaret Cho** as Mikayla
* **Don Cheadle** as Braxton

## Trivia

* As noted above, this special takes place not long after *Winter Storm Arising* in the present, but before Season 1 in the past.
* This special marks the debut of Amira, who subsequently gains a supporting role in Season 2. She is also the last of the Golden Gays to debut in the series.
	+ This is also the first rewritten installment where her voice headcanon is Zoe Saldaña.
	+ Furthermore, her mother has now been recasted with Margaret Cho instead of Grace Young.
* The original special was the last *Evie and Mya* installment of 2020, while the rewrite is the last *Evie and Mya* installment of 2023 and the only rewrite to be released on a non-Saturday (Monday, for Christmas). It is also the last of Av's 2020 work to be rewritten.
* While Evie does not appear in the present day retelling of the special's premise, she does appear in the past. This makes her the first leading character to not make a single appearance in the present timeline.
* The special is heavily inspired by *How the Grinch Stole Christmas!* and the *Angry Birds Seasons* section *Wreck the Halls*, which also makes a minor appearance in the episode itself. It also gains various inspirations from Christmas music and media, which is apparent throughout the writing.
* The original draft of the chapter had both Evie and Mya's houses ramsacked. However, to streamline the plot, this was changed so that Daniela and Amira solely target Evie's house instead.
	+ Early drafts also had Daniela go straight to vengeance after Mya spat hot chocolate into her eye, which was altered to flesh out Daniela's vendetta more naturally. She also disowned Amira more violently by biting her finger, but Av removed this, finding it too weird.
	+ In addition, Amira's parents also didn't have speaking roles, though in the rewrite, they each get bigger roles due to their importance in the special as well as Season 2.
* The Christmas song in the special is the TwoThirds song *Universal*. While not released as a Christmas song, Av included it because of its bells being very remisicent of the holidays.
	+ The first half of the song plays as Evie and Mya walk out of school for the holidays, stopping briefly when they confront Daniela and continuing once she is defeated. The second half resumes as the girls sit with Amira and watch Daniela sing Christmas carols, pauses again when Amira's parents angrily appear, and continues after Evie wards them off.
* It is revealed that:
	+ Evie purchased Mya's blue jacket for her.
	+ Items pertaining to the Christmas story were kept in Mya's closet and were not a subject of discussion until Winter uncovered the box containing them.
	+ Daniela has a genuine dislike of Christmas, and when Evie and Mya's festive moods drove her insane, she tried to attack them in the middle of the hallway. However, using a Christmas carol to humiliate her, they escaped. The second time they ran into her, Daniela briefly impeded them from heading home, though the two slipped away after Mya spat hot chocolate in her eye. This left Daniela feeling infuriated with them and herself.
	+ Evie has singing capabilities while Daniela does not. Evie is also less festive than Mya, but still enjoys the holidays.
	+ Evie's mother is very festive.
	+ The Lys' Christmas dinner last year ended up in food poisoning that made Evie sick; Opal and Anderson still bicker over it sometimes.
	+ Mya's family had plans to visit Westfield Southcenter.
	+ Daniela's final straw came when she found out that Rex failed to give her cookies and presents despite her hard work and effort. They fought violently, ending with Rex banishing Daniela from the house as the harshest form of punishment possible. Although Daniela was surprised, she accepted it angrily and stormed out, forming her plan to ruin Evie and Mya's Christmas not long afterward.
	+ Thanks to Evie and Mya's ranting, Daniela happened to know of their sleepover at the Ly residence.
	+ Amira has a rocky history with her parents, who are hinted throughout the episode to be abusive and apathetic toward her. They kicked her out of the house for her rebellious behavior, which stemmed from their lack of a desire to celebrate the holidays with her.
	+ Daniela usually doesn't like accomplices, though Amira changed her perception toward them; despite aiming to use Amira for her schemes, she still took pity on her over her being mistreated by her parents. This further suggests that Daniela, as a villain, can draw the line at other forms of cruelty.
	+ Daniela had a crush on Amira, but Amira didn't take the hints and didn't reciprocate her feelings.
	+ Amira is predominantly half-Puerto Rican and half-Korean with a bit of British ancestry on the paternal side, hence her last name.
	+ Amira's residence was entirely trashed by her and Daniela as revenge against her parents. Fueling Amira's pride and rebellious antics, Daniela urged her to attack Evie's house with her, painting her rivals as evil. Amira complied, though began to feel doubt upon staring at a photograph of Evie.
	+ Evie and Mya both believed Daniela would harm other houses, setting out to find her and her accomplice with reluctant permissions from Opal. Evie was especially determined, wanting justice for her family.
	+ Daniela desired more than just revenge and persuaded Amira to help her steal presents for themselves. However, upon realizing that Daniela was perfectly willing to steal from young children, Amira came to see that she had been manipulated and felt intense remorse for her actions. Furiously, she cut ties with Daniela, but Daniela in turn pinned her to the snow and left her to freeze. Amira fell unconscious before she could get help, but was rescued by Evie and Mya and taken to Mya's place.
	+ Amira took accountability for her mistakes and helped Evie and Mya track down and defeat Daniela on Christmas day.
	+ As a punishment for her rampage, Daniela was taken home and later forced to sing Christmas carols to the elderly (as well as *All I Want For Christmas Is You*, albeit off-screen) at the mall.
	+ Mya's parents purchased Amira's blue sweater for her.
	+ Amira's parents were likely going to punish her horrificly, but with intervention from Evie and Mya, they gave her more leniency.
	+ Evie and Mya are Amira's only friends.
	+ A photo of Amira, Evie, and Mya together now hangs in Mya and Winter's bedroom.
* When Evie silently shames Daniela for her treatment of Mya, she demands why she acts so shamefully toward her friend. This is a reference to a quote of Jack Skellington's to Oogie Boogie in *The Nightmare Before Christmas*: "How dare you treat my friends so shamefully?"
	+ Furthermore, the title of the film is quoted later in the special.
* As Mya realizes that she can sing to thwart Daniela, she references a famous scene from *Victorious*. In the scene, Tori reminds Cat that her doctor ordered her not to talk, but in response, Cat sings that he didn't say she couldn't sing.
* Mr. Naecher's advice to avoid avalanches is actually legitimate advice given in the Weather Channel series *So You'd Think You'd Survive?*.
* The Vietnamese spoken in the episode directly translates to the following:
	+ "Tôi đã sẵn sàng!" - "I'm ready!"
	+ "*Nói*. *Cái đó*. *Lần nữa*." - "Say. That thing. Once again."
	+ "*Không*." - "No."
	+ "*Cảm ơn*." - "Thank you."
	+ "*Tôi nghĩ vậy*." - "I think so."
* It is implied that Mya stole Daniela's "son of a snitch" phrase to use for herself in *Stalker*.
* The story of Evie almost falling into the mall fountain when she was little is inspired by something that almost happened to Av herself in her youth. In addition, the giant ornaments mentioned were also featured around the property of the same mall where Av nearly fell into the fountain, The Shops at Highland Village.
* When Daniela gets the idea to ruin Evie and Mya's Christmas, she mimics the famous Grinch smile from *How the Grinch Stole Christmas!*. This smile is also shown on the episode's poster.
* In one of Daniela's thoughts, she references both *Sorry Not Sorry*, a song by Demi Lovato, and *My Lullaby*, a song featured in *The Lion King II: Simba's Pride*; first *Sorry Not Sorry* by expressing how misbehaving makes her feel good, and then *My Lullaby* by referencing Zira's love of petty revenge.
* "Reprisal had never tasted sweeter than sugar honey ice tea," is a reference to a memorable line from *Madagascar*, spoken by Marty when Alex charges at him.
* Mya warning Winter that she has earned "understatement of the year" over guessing the severity of Daniela's plan is ironic considering that later, she makes an understatement towards Amira's relationship with her parents (thinking things are smoothed over, when in reality, Season 2 reveals that quite the opposite happened).
* The Fleckenshire place being referred to as a paradise and war zone at the same time is a reference to *PILLOWTALK* by ZAYN.
* Mya notably compares Daniela's actions to that of Carmen Sandiego, who stole from the rich to give to the poor (Daniela notably does the polar opposite).
* After Amira catches Daniela off guard, the latter notably mumbles a catchphrase of late sports commentator Keith Jackson, "Woah, Nellie!"
* Amira noting that she almost got away unharmed is a reference to the GHOST song *The Things I Deserve*.
* As she accosts Daniela, Amira says that revenge is a luxury which can only be afforded when it's due. This is an allusion to a line spoken by Dutch in the *Red Dead Redemption* franchise: "Revenge is a luxury we can't afford."
* The way Evie and Mya defend Amira from her parents is similar to the way Mya defends Winter from Daniela in *She's Plotting Something*.