A/N: Hey, guys. :) So, I came up with this back in November. I need to post the next chapter, since it's already week one, and I'll get right to that. I think. :P Anyways, since I know that some of us Forumers are doing SS, I was inspired. I can't wait to get my SS prompt. (Hint-hint, Teddy! Kidding.)
Dedication: I thought I'd dedicate this whole story to my virtual bit sister, Bekah. I miss you! Although, I'm so glad you got a job you liked! I hope you like this- you helped me come up with some of the gifts, so I saw it only fitting. :) Love you, Bekah-goose!
Sonny pulled her black wool coat tighter around herself, lightly shivering as she and Tawni approached the bright, buzzing Condor Studios. Despite the time of evening, the studio was still alight with excitement and holiday spirit. It was beautifully decorated in gold, green and red, with lights glowing in the night and tinsel draped under the lights and over doorways gracefully. It brought a generous amount of holiday spirit to everyone who saw the vibrant studio.
Smiling, Sonny entered the surprisingly even brighter Commons of the studio. The room was full of the buzz of chatter, the different casts mingling around a large pine tree with needles dyed white, decorated merrily in tinsel and gold, green, and red delicate glass spheres. Piles of fake presents were crowded around the tree, sitting on top of mounds of cotton meant to look like snow. Chairs, with names of Condor Studios TV show on each of them, were placed behind the tree.
Sonny grinned as she looked around the room. There were people dressed up as elves, passing out mugs of hot chocolate with small marshmallows melting in them. A boy, looking to be a few years older than Sonny and Tawni, offered the girls both mugs. They took them happily, sipping the drink, thankful for the warmth. It burned Sonny's tongue, but she accepted the scalding cheerfully.
On the other side of the room, there was a table with various kinds of cookies, varying from oatmeal to M&M and marshmallows. Sonny felt her mouth water, and she began walking towards the back of the room. Grady and Nico were there, no surprise, stuffing there faces with cookies and taking long gulps of the toasty drinks. Spirits were high in the room, an aura of excitement filling empty space.
A screech came over the large speakers, set in the corners of the room, causing some to wince and flinch. Tawni, instead, sighed and said, "Mr. Condor's trying to work the speakers again." Sonny shot her a confused look, but before Tawni could reply, the big boss man himself voice came over the speakers.
"Attention, Condor Studio casts," he spoke clearly into the microphone. "Please take your seats in the chairs assigned to your respective shows, immediately." The teenagers scrambled to find their seats. Tawni and Sonny found Zora already sitting in one of the seats. Grady and Nico grabbed a few more cookies, then joined them.
As soon as everyone was settled, Mr. Condor began. "Hello, boys and girls. It's that time of the year again." Whoops filled the commons, but the few newbie's looked around, confused. "For those who are new here at Condor Studios, welcome to the twelfth annual Secret Santa! Some of you may not know what that is; let me explain. Every year around the Holidays, Condor Studios does a Secret Santa program. Each cast member will select a name from a hat, and they will get that person a gift each week up until Christmas. This person will not know who they are receiving gifts from. Now, If you will make an orderly line, we will start picking the names."
The line was anything but orderly; more like a scramble to get to the hat first. Sonny waited in her seat until the line was gone, then stood up excitedly. When she reached the hat, she grabbed the last little slip of paper.
"Carrie Deen," she read off of the paper. "Never heard of them." She silently thanked God for the internet, before going to find Tawni and her other cast mates.
"Sonny, who'd you get?" asked Grady as soon as she joined them, once again, at the cookie table. He tried to grab the small piece of paper out of her hand, but Sonny yanked it away.
"I'm not telling. The whole point is to be secret," she pointed out, sticking the paper into her pocket. Nico snorted.
"Very few people actually keep it a secret," he looked bemused.
"Well," Sonny pursed her lips, "I'm going too."
Later on that night, when she was in her pajamas and sitting on her bed with her laptop on her knees, she went onto Google. Carrie Deens, she typed into the computer. She clicked on the Wikipedia page first. Hmmm. Turned out Carrie was a model on Meal or No Meal, as well as a guest star on Teen Gladiators.
Biting her lip, she wondered idly who got her name out of the hat.