Christmas miracle

I wish you a hopeful Christmas,
I wish you a brave New Year,
All anguish pain and sadness;
Leave your heart and let your road be clear.
They said there'll be snow at Christmas,
They said there'll be peace on Earth.
Hallelujah Noel be it Heaven or Hell;
The Christmas you get you deserve.

I believe in Father Christmas, Greg Lake

"Hah, look its Alice, the freak. She says she can see the future, that's why her parents dumped her here."

"I heard it's because they killed themselves because they couldn't put up with her."

"Yeah, that's better. Great gossip, that's what we'll say we heard, right?"

"Right."

They thought Alice didn't hear what they said, but she did.

"Come on Alice, you want to stay here, don't you? Don't you want us to adopt you, so you don't go back to the orphanage?" Alice nodded, looking away from her new father. "This is what people do when they love each other, so why won't you love me?" Alice squirmed away, it wasn't right. She was only 8, but she knew it wasn't right.

"N-No, please."

He didn't listen. Alice ran to the police after that, and her foster father was put into prison on a count of rape. Alice was sent back to the orphanage. The rumours started again.

"She got her foster dad locked up! She said it was rape, but she enjoyed it. She's such a slut. It was actually statutory rape; she made him do it anyway. That's the story, right? That's what we'll spread ok?"

Everyone believed them. One of the girls stuck chewing gum in her hair. Alice loved her hair; it was raven black and went down to her waist. The woman who owned the carehome had to chop it all off from above the shoulder. It now stuck out in spikey tufts from her head. Alice didn't like her new haircut. It made her feel even more like a freak.

"Look, I'm sorry, but we can't keep her. She's scaring our daughter!"

"Please, can't you just give her another chance?"

"No, we've had her for a month, we've given her enough chances, but we cannot cope with her. All her other stuff is in her suitcase. Goodbye."

That was one of the many times that Alice was returned to the carehome.

Hearing her stomach rumble, she got up and made her way over to the fridge, opening it finding only a mouldy hunk of cheese. She closed her eyes and leaned back onto the wall behind her, she decided she needed to go food shopping. Alice liked shopping, but only had real experience with window shopping, as she never had the money to buy real clothes from designer shops, she had the hand-me-downs and charity donations. Being the smallest she always got the clothes the others had grown out of. She also resolved to find a job, she only had £20 left, and that couldn't last her long. Getting a job would be hard; who would hire an 18 year old orphan with no qualifications? She had her GCSE's, they were all A*'s – product of no social life, she had no further education. College was the last thing on Alice's mind. Her biggest struggle at the moment was surviving.

Alice made her way to the tesco value aisle, trying to get as much food for her small budget as possible, she paid, feeling highly embarrassed walking in her oversized old clothes, resulting in her getting sneering looks from snotty teenagers walking with their friends in designer clothes and ridiculously high heels.

Once she reached the other side of the checkout, she noticed a display of vacancies for jobs, she scanned most of them who were looking for managers and other jobs that would require qualifications, and that's when she saw the only job that she could apply for;

"Do you love entertaining and dressing up? Are you happy, friendly, outgoing and a good communicator? Do you enjoy working with children? Would you like to work as an Elf with Father Christmas in his Grotto?

As an Elf your duties would include 'Meeting and Greeting' children and their families, and assisting to ensure each child is photograhed with Santa. You would also be entertaining queues, assisting with the Father Christmas interview, working the Till Point, and refilling Santas sacks!

Experience in Customer Service or working with children, is preferred, however not essential, as full training is given. Great Grottos will provide you with a fabulous costume.

Please note that a CRB or ISA check may be required." [previous job application/advert thing, copyright to "Great Grotto's", I don't take credit or whatever for the application.]

Alice wouldn't exactly call herself happy given the circumstances at this moment in time, but she was sure that she could be happy for the children visiting the grotto if it got food in the fridge and clothes on her back. Alice decided that she had nothing to lose by applying, and so she set off to walk to the Grotto.

"Hello, welcome to Great Grottos how may I help you?" a teenager stated in a bored tone.

"Um, Hi, I was looking for a job; can I speak to the manager? Please?" She huffed and walked off, and Alice stood there for a good ten minutes picking at the threads on her sweatshirt when she finally arrived back with a man, who Alice assumed was the manager.

After a very informal job interview consisting of "You start tomorrow." Alice found out that the hours she was given, combined with the very small pay package, would not suffice to cover small living costs. This brought her to her current situation, begging her boss into giving her more hours, hence, more money.

However behind her stood a tall man who had been listening in to the conversation, despite knowing how rude it was. Unbeknown to Alice, the man knew very well the manager of the mall's Christmas grotto, and strode over to the pair, despite the little voice in his head telling him not to interfere with human affairs.

"-need the money. Please."

"Excuse me," the man said, moving next to Alice, who backed away warily and looking the manager straight in the face. "Mr Jenks?"

"Oh, Mr Cullen. Good afternoon, sir." You could see the amount of discomfort that Mr Jenks was in, caused by the man's presence.

"Yes. Hi. Sorry, it just seems to me that this young lady here is offering to work longer for you, yet you seem to be turning her down? It seems to me that she'd make a fantastic ...elf and you'd be losing out if you denied her."

"Right, of course, Sir. I see where you're coming from. Of course, as you say it that way, how silly of me. Well, if you just..." Mr Jenks started writing on the piece of paper that was Alice's rota, "How does that look?"

"That's great, thanks so much," An unusual smile broke out on Alice's face. "I'll be here tomorrow?" Alice turned round and jumped slightly, not expecting the man to be so close to her. "Erm, thanks as well, I really appreciate that."

"You're very welcome..."

"My name's Alice." She supplied quietly.

"Jasper Whitlock, Ma'am." Alice giggled nervously. "Well, I may just bring my little niece down to bring Santa claus, now I'm on first name terms with one of his elves..." Jasper could see the amount of discomfort she was in. It was probably instinct he thought, humans subconsciously knew he was dangerous. "Well, I'd better go now, Alice. Nice meeting you."

"...You too."

Alice watched Jasper walk away, bewildered by the fact that not only had he spoken to her, he had helped her. She turned around to make her way home offering a shy smile to her new boss, who was watching the strange exchange between his newest employee and Mr Cullen. That reminded him... He beckoned Alice over with a flick of his wrist. Alice quickly scuttled over to him.

"I just wanted to let you know you have free use of the staff showers as soon as your contract begins." Alice thanked him as colour flushed her cheeks, was he trying to suggest that she... "See you tomorrow, eight-thirty. I don't accept lateness."

So, Alice found herself bright and early the next morning, in the staff showers making herself look – and smell, for that matter – as nice as possible. For Santa Claus, of course. Not for Jasper, she should have learnt by now not to hope for such things.

Alice, fully absorbed in her warm shower let herself go for the first time in a long time; she began singing. Alice had always enjoyed singing; she thought she wasn't very good. When she was at the carehome on the rare occasions she did sing, the other girls never failed to let her know how bad her voice was. They were jealous, Alice had a voice like tinkling bells, but she believed the bullies. Even if Alice wasn't indulging so much in her showering and singing, with her human limitations she wouldn't have noticed the person at the other end of the corridor. With the aid of his super sensitive ears, Jasper could hear Alice singing in the showers without being so bold as to enter the women's bathroom. Jasper became so fully indulged in her singing that he immediately noticed the falter and stop to her song mid-verse when she came across him by the double doors.

"Good morning, Alice."

"Hello Jasper." Alice felt the warmth flooding her cheeks.

"I heard you singing in the shower, you have a beautiful voice."

"Thank you," Jasper could feel that she almost believed him, he tried to sound as sincere as he could, whilst also using his gift to send her waves of calm. She was positively the most tense and emotionally raw person – human or other – that he had ever met, and he had been in the Southern Wars. It was due to this that Jasper felt such a connection to her; he wanted to find out why she gave off the emotions she did, why no one noticed and try to intervene. He wanted to be the person to put a smile on her face that would make her look even more beautiful than she already did.

"May I be so bold as to ask why you are using the staff showers this morning?"

"They shut my water off." Jasper could feel the shame and embarrassment flooding off her. He felt her become more uncomfortable, he realised that he had practically trapped her against the wall; his six foot frame towered over her petite, malnourished body. He stepped back immediately. "I-I should go, I don't want to keep Santa Claus w-waiting." He chuckled at her attempt at being light-hearted. As she walked away, Jasper felt some changes in the emotions she was giving off; mixed in with the sadness and self-loathing, there was something else – a sliver of hope.

I just wanted to post this now, there is more; should I write it? Shall I continue? There's not that much left, and I don't really have much plans to turn it into a full on story, more of a three/four-shot. Hopefully I will get a good response and the rest will be up THIS side of Christmas! :)x