Chapter 4

Well here it is… I really had fun writing this chapter and the last so enjoy and tell me what you think. This chapter is basically just a flashback chapter from each character so please enjoy.

As the light faded they saw a human figure step out from the next room. The figure seemed to be about 7 feet tall and looked a bit heavy for his type. As they walked behind the figure he looked strangely familiar but before they got another look they were thrown out of the metal thing. As they were hurtled towards the earth at lightning speed something to the left of Eliza shot passed her as their world was spinning out of control.

The thing that looked like a rock now looked like a sled and they all fell onto it as it swooped beneath them. "What a insane week we have been having!" Debbie shouted. They looked around their new surroundings and it looked very red with a front and a back then they saw this man that looked like the same one earlier. He looked to be 7 ft. tall and was more of a heavy set then they have ever seen. He looked old with a huge white beard and lots of hair on his head.

He wears a red and white suit with buttons. He wears glasses and has a big smile that would brighten thousands of people's day. He has shiny white teeth that could be the whitest teeth you did ever see. He was steering something that looked like deer. "SANTA!" They all shouted at once. He just turned back and smiled at them. Eliza couldn't believe it she had stopped believing in Santa when she was 10 yrs. old. She remembers the day perfectly.

Flashback:

She went to school that day feeling bummed out, she was crying. She was crying because some kids were making fun of her on the bus ride to school. "Why does everybody hate me?" she sobbed as she walked into class The next person to come up to her would get it good. Next to come up was her 5th grade teacher Mrs. Smith and she asked what was wrong. "Leave me alone!" Eliza snapped and she slapped the teacher hard. She was sent to the principal's office in a hurry crying harder. "What has gotten into Eliza Thornberry?" The principal said as she sat there unable to control her emotions. "I'm sorry" she cried, "Some kids were making fun of me." Eliza said through her sobs. "Well I know how hard it is when kids do those kind of things but that is no excuse to slap anyone that was trying to help. I'm sorry but I'm going to have to call your mother." Mr. Smith said. "NO!" she cried "I have to Eliza your behavior is unacceptable." "What are you going to do to me?" she said scared. "I don't know but I will think of something." He said as he picked up the phone and dialed her mothers work number.

As he talked to her mom she thought of ways to escape and just be alone. Before she knew it her mom was right there and she did not look happy. "Mrs. Thornberry, please take a seat." He said. "What's wrong? Its not like Eliza to mess up like this." "I know Mrs. Thornberry and you won't believe what she did to her teacher." As he explained the incident to her mother Eliza thought out more ways to escape. As they talked Eliza sprinted out the door with them yelling back at her. She ran long and hard well to the girls bathroom anyway. She knew it, she was dead meat as soon as mom finds her so she sat in the stall with her feet up and she waited. She heard her mom and Mr. Smith down the hall a ways and the butterflies got stronger as she heard them get closer and closer. Then she heard him tell her mom to go check in the bathroom and the butterflies got stronger yet.

"Eliza Thornberry! Come out this instance, you will not get away with this." She scolded. Then she waited for what seemed like forever. After nearly a half an hour Eliza slipped out of the bathroom stall and found her mom waiting like she was ready to pounce. "Eliza Thornberry! Don't you ever do that to me again. Ever again!" she scolded. Eliza swallowed back a sob and tried not to look scared in front of mom. She knew this wasn't punishment she knew that was to come after they got home. On their way home her mom gave her a strong lecture about how dumb it was to do something like that. Also that now she would be in twice as much trouble as before. "I'm sorry" Eliza repeated over and over but her mom wasn't accepting it. Once she got into the house she was sent to her room for the next 4 hrs. by then she had figured Santa wasn't real because she had gotten into so much trouble.

End of Flashback:

She just sat there in disbelief that who she saw before her was possibly Santa. Debbie had stopped believing in Santa when she was 8 yrs. old. Because of an incident not at school but at a friends house.

Flashback:

It was a Saturday afternoon and one of her friends had invited her over to play. Everything was as normal as ever because she had just been invited to come over and play. As Debbie skipped along the street nothing cold have been better. A sweet spring day with the birds singing and the flowers smelling like roses nothing could go wrong. She skipped on over to her friends house 4 doors down. She rang the doorbell and waited for what seemed like forever then her friend Josephine opened it and so Debbie stepped in. "What took so long?" Debbie asked as they headed to her room. "Oh nothing" Josephine answered back. "But you are usually outside waiting for me when I come over." Debbie said concerned. " Its nothing I was cleaning my room" She said. They got into her room and played for awhile. After awhile Josephine started crying hard and said that Santa isn't real. "What!" Debbie said like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. I heard from my best friend who heard it from some 6th grader." She sobbed "But it just can't be true." Debbie said in disbelief. Josephine and Debbie just cried and cried.

End of Flashback:

Debbie got teary eye again and just stared at this man in disbelief. Marianne has a very different story.

Flashback:

Marianne was 6 yrs. old and Christmas was only days away, she couldn't contain her excitement and she left the house to ride her bike. As she rode around it started snowing so she decided to go back inside to play in the snow. As she walked inside she heard her parents in the backroom. She peeked in and saw they were getting presents ready. She decided to snoop around and look to see where they were hiding them. She finally found them 1 ½ later out in the garage stuffed under a cabinet. When she pulled hers out she saw her parents handwriting from them and Santa. She dropped her gift and ran out crying. She was so upset that her parents would lie to her like that and Christmas was never the same again. She hid in her room and just cried.

End of Flashback:

Now she just looked at him blankly and confused. How were those Santa's gifts to her before Santa came to her house? Nigel just looked at Santa with his big goofy look. He secretly never really stopped believing in Santa Clause. It got colder as they went further north as Santa closed in on the North Pole.

To be continued… Please RR