Chapter 21: I Have Fun in the Snow

-December 14th, Saturday-

Wally and I were just waking up when Manuel came back from his treasurer duties. He said, "Bad news: there was a blizzard early this morning, so mall trips are cancelled. We can't go shopping for Secret Santa."

Wally cringed, "Do not speak that name, Manuel!"

"Huh? How come?"

"You don't want to know." I said.

I looked out the window. It was a winter wonderland outside. The snow was several inches high, and it was still snowing. Already there were students dressed in their warm clothes and playing outside. Most were throwing snowballs either by hand or magic, but some were building snowmen. In fact, it looked like there were two students making snow animals with the help of Black magic.

I looked at my roommates and said, "Look on the bright side: we have a snow day!"

I went ahead and dressed myself in my robes and winter clothes. Wally also got dressed, but I noticed that Manuel was getting back into bed. I asked, "You're not coming outside?"

"Maybe later." He said. "I just want to stay warm for now."

With that said, he crawled under the blankets. I shrugged and left the room. When I stepped outside of Toad Hall, my face was struck by a cold wind. I rewrapped my scarf so that it covered half of my face.

"Very frigid out there." I heard Wally say.

I turned to face him and saw that he was wearing the moose head. I said, "Gee, thanks for telling me, Captain Obvious."

"I'm Meese."

"It was a joke, Meese."

"Excuse us, but you're blocking the way out." A new voice said.

Standing behind Meese was Big Steve. He was also dressed warmly, but he didn't have anything covering his head. For some reason, he was also carrying a stuffed pink rabbit. Meese and I moved out of his way.

"Thank you." Big Steve said. After he walked past us, he said, "I know you're impatient to see the silly girl. Alright, I'll hurry." He broke into a run.

(Who was he talking to?)

Most of the day was spent looking around to see who was doing what. Most of the Wolves and Horses were doing snowball fights, some Butterflies and Snakes were making snow angels, and then there were the few students who made snowmen and snow sculptures.

I also saw several familiar faces. Virginia and Donald were in a heated snowball fight with the other Horses and Wolves. Meese, Suki, and Corrina were working together to make a snow dragon. Mary was chasing Big Steve, though I couldn't tell if they were doing it for fun or not.

I was about to make a snowman when an idea struck my head. What if I could make the biggest snowball ever? I had tried to do it in the past, but the ball always got too big for me to keep pushing. With the Push spell, though…

I got to work immediately. When I had reached my physical limit, I Pushed the snowball around with magic. It gradually got bigger and bigger, until it was up to my chest. I tried to Push it some more, but I found that I had depleted my energy.

(Dang it.)

I needed help if I wanted this snowball to reach record breaking size. Meese was still helping Suki and Corrina, but as far I know, Manuel was still inside. I went back to Toad Hall and my room.

The lump underneath the covers told me that Manuel was still there. I asked, "Manuel?"

The covers shifted and a head poked out.

"Aaah!" I jumped back.

Instead of Manuel's head, there was a wolf head. The head shook and it morphed into a familiar semi-human head. Manuel looked at me and said, "I'm sorry, I just got so cold that I…well…"

I let out a short laugh, relieved that it was only Manuel and not a real wolf. I remembered what I had read a week ago and said, "I know you said you were a Wulver, but I didn't think you would actually…"

Manuel threw the covers off of him and said, "I don't shapeshift that often, but I did it that time since I was alone and cold. I-I mean, even among other magicians, I can't go out looking like…that."

"Do they not like Wulvers?"

"No, it's not that. Our real forms, well, they make everyone uncomfortable. You…know what werewolves look like, right?"

"I've seen them in books and on TV, but I've never seen a real one before."

"Well, Wulvers are less than that, even if they are half werewolf. We get extra fur, claws, and a wolf head, but that's it. Our limbs don't change and we don't get extra strength. Oh, and we don't become feral monsters."

"That's…good to hear."

Manuel rubbed his nose and said, "It's cold again."

"I don't suppose you want to go out, then." I said.

"Maybe for a little bit."

As Manuel got into his warm clothes, I told him how I was trying to make a giant snowball, but I needed help. He agreed to give the snowball a few Pushes, but he really just wanted to walk around. We went outside and saw that the snowball was not where I had left it. It didn't go far, though, and we saw why it had moved.

Mary and Donald were Pushing it around.

"Hey!" I called out. "What are you doing with my snowball?"

"Helping you out, of course!" Donald called back. "You're trying to make it as big as you can, right?"

"Yeah, but I ran out of energy."

"And that's another reason we're helping out: you were going to run out of energy anyways."

"That's why I brought Manuel, but I didn't think you guys—."

"Why not?" Mary asked. "I've never made a giant snowball before."

"Yeah, so let us help out." Donald said.

I smiled. "Thanks you, guys."

So we got to work on the snowball. We started by pushing it by force together, then when we couldn't push it any further, we resorted to magic. The snowball eventually got as big as me, and even then we didn't stop. As we pushed the ball, other students stopped what they were doing to stare.

"Hey, Mary, Donald!" Virginia shouted. "What are you going to do with that big snowball?"

"We're going to set a record!" I shouted back.

"And then what, throw it?"

"Does it look like we can throw it, Urchin?" Donald asked.

Mary stopped Pushing the snowball and leaned against it. She said, "That's it; I'm out."

Manuel also stopped. "Me too."

"One more push…and I'm also out." Donald said.

We marveled at what we had accomplished. It was certainly taller than any of us, but I had no idea how many feet tall it was. I said, "That looks like a record breaker to me…now what?"

"Huh?" Mary looked at me. "You mean you wanted to make this without knowing what to do with it?"

"I wanted to make it to set a record, but now I don't know what to do with it."

"What is the record, anyways?"

"I have no clue."

Donald rubbed his chin and suggested, "Why not freeze it? This can be our memorial…for as long as winter lasts, anyways."

"Maybe we could hollow it out and make an igloo." Mary suggested.

"That's going to take a lot of work and magic we don't have." Manuel pointed out.

"True," I said, "and I'm pretty beat."

"Um…I want to go back in and warm up."

"I'm with you there, Manuel." I looked at Mary and Donald and told them, "Thanks for helping out."

"No problem." Donald said with a grin.

"It was fun." Mary said.

I looked around. Now that I thought about it, I had not seen Damien all day. I wonder if he had decided to stay in today. I told Manuel that I had something to do real quick and went to Falcon Hall. I at least wanted to show him the snowball.

I had expected to ask someone where his room was, but I found him standing in front of one of the windows in the hall. I approached him and said, "Hey there."

He jumped a little, but he regained his usual composure when he saw that it was me. He said, "I didn't expect you to come find me, Adrian."

"Why not?"

"I figured you would be playing outside with your friends."

"I was, but I got tired. We built this giant snowball and I want you to come see it."

"Oh? I don't like being out in the cold, but I can go ahead and look. Wait here and I'll get my coat."

He walked towards a nearby staircase and ascended it. I looked out the window he was facing earlier. The snow was still falling and it didn't look like it was going to slow down any time soon. I heard footsteps and turned my head towards the staircase. Damien had quickly returned wearing a dark blue coat. I could tell it was a specially designed coat, since his wings were still visible.

We both walked outside and I stopped in my tracks.

In place of the giant snowball was a giant sculpture of a bunny head. It eerily resembled the bunny that Big Steve was carrying around earlier…

"That's pretty cute." Damien smiled.

"N-no!" I said. "Someone carved my giant snowball into a bunny head!"

Damien walked up to the sculpture and examined it closely. He said, "Whoever did this also froze it so that it would last. I could shape it back into a ball, but it would be smaller than it was originally."

I sighed, "Thanks, but it wouldn't be worth it."

"Then maybe we could make another one together?"

"We could, but I don't have enough magic to Push it once it gets big."

"Leave that part to me."

"Well…alright, let's do this."

So we got to work on making another giant snowball. I had not only used up my magic, but most of my strength as well. However, once Damien started Pushing it, I could see that he had a lot more energy than any of the freshmen that made the previous one. In the end, the snowball was almost as big as its predecessor, but I was still happy seeing it.

I grinned at Damien and told him, "You were great."

"We both did this." He reminded me.

"Thanks for helping me out."

He smiled. "That is what friends are for, right?"

-December 16th, Monday-

"Hail, choir of angels!" Professor Potsdam announced.

We were once again called to Assembly, no doubt to talk about Secret Santa.

"I know you were all disappointed that last weekend's weather prevented the usual shopping trips. As such, I've decided on a little change to this year's Secret Santa event. Something to showcase the triumph of goodwill and imagination over money; something I know you can all place your heart and soul in. We're going to make Christmas cards!"

(What is this, elementary school?)

"Behind me are boxes filled with old magazines, construction paper, glue, glitter, and scissors. Of course, they won't match the quality of store bought items, but it's the thought that counts. To help encourage the giving, festive mood, classes will be cancelled! In addition, I've ordered us pizzas for lunch!"

All the freshmen cheered, including me. I mean, pizza and no class? Count me in! Everyone went onto the stage and crowded around the boxes. Over the commotion, I could hear Professor Potsdam reminding us to share the materials.

I didn't really have to think what kind of card I would make for Wally. When I got a chance to get a magazine, I grabbed the first one that had a picture of a dessert on it. I also got white construction paper, glue, and scissors. I wasn't one for glitter, so I avoided it.

I went to my usual corner and started flipping through the magazine. I worked at cutting out every dessert picture I could find. I folded the construction paper and glued the pictures on every available space.

(Wally's gonna love this.)

After lunch, we were told to pass out our Secret Santa cards. It was easy spotting Wally among the crowd of students, since he was wearing his sailor hat. I approached him and said, "Card for you, Jerry."

He took the card and looked at all the pictures. He said, "Ye really know what I like, Adrian. Thank ye."

"Adrian?" I heard a nearby voice ask.

I turned around and saw Manuel. He handed me a card and said, "I'm your Secret…" He glanced at Jerry. "…You-know-what."

I looked at the pictures that were glued onto the card. They were all pictures of mythical monsters. Judging by the art, they looked like they came from a video game magazine. I said, "These are cool. Thanks, Manuel."

"Tis strange how the drawings turned out." Jerry said. "I just so happen to have a card for Manuel."

He handed a card to Manuel. It had pictures of animals on it. He said, "Sorry, I had no idea what ye liked."

"Um…it's okay, Jerry." Manuel gave a kind smile. "Professor Potsdam said that it's the thought that counts."

Now that Jerry said it, I had to wonder if Professor Potsdam had somehow rigged the Secret Santa drawings. If so, then why? This was one question that I never got an answer to.

Next time, present shopping.