A few Christmases ago, we were attacked by Santa Claus. I'm not kidding. It was kind of like a remake of "A Christmas Story." Horror edition. Anyways, so me and Bianca were pretty young...age seven and nine. So we desperately wanted to see Santa Claus at the local mall.
"Nico, c'mon! We gotta get there before the other kids do!" Bianca had a strong grip on my shirt sleeve as she yanked me through the mall. Our foster mom at the time had given us permission to go see Santa while she did last minute Christmas shopping. I was already tired as is, and running through a mall wasn't on my top priority list.
"Bianca! Slow down!" I complained.
"I will once we get there, now come on!" She raced through the large crowds of shoppers as I followed her. I tried hard to keep in contact with Bianca's arm. Running along with my sister, I felt her grip loosen and her pace slow down. I looked around. We were standing in a long line towards a big red chair.
"Is this where we're supposed to wait?" I asked Bianca.
"Yeah, I think so. I see a sign up there..." I saw Bianca lean over to see a sign on a small gate. It read, SNAAT WLIL EB BCAK NI 5 MUINETS.
"Whatsit say?"
"I don't know." We waited for a while. The line was decorated brightly with paper streamers and cotton ball snow. The chair Santa was supposed to sit at was covered in a canopy of cheap red and green fabric and fake cotton snow. Being so young, I was amazed at the decorations. It got me into the spirit of Christmas. We were pushed up against a bunch of other kids with there parents in line to see the man in the red suit.
"Bianca, aren't you excited?" I asked, my anticipation growing by the seconds. She looked down at me and smiled.
"You bet I am!"
"What are you going to ask for?" I asked. She thought about this for a while, then said,
"I'm gonna ask for our Daddy or Mommy to come back." She said, happily. We had been living on our own for as long as I could remember, but that wish still hung around in Bianca's mind like bacon hangs around a dogs mind. As for me, I liked it the way it was. Just me and Bianca. We were fine on our own.
After what seemed like years of waiting, a man in a red jumpsuit and flaunting a long white beard came out from a side door in the mall. Kids cheered. Santa was finally here.
"Santa..." I heard Bianca say dreamily. I just giggled in excitement. I knew exactly what I was going to ask for. Biting my lip in anticipation, I waited patiently while Santa started to talk with the kids. I saw two kids run up to him, tell them what they wanted, then leave. Another kid in line went up to him, spoke for a bit, then left. Every time someone left, the line would move up. I was starting to get impatient. It wasn't long before we were next to go.
"Bianca! I can't wait!" I said, jumping up and down. Two people dressed in green and red elf costumes stood at Santa's side. "Santa's helpers!" I said, a bit too loud. One of them looked up, but then looked away as they lead a kid out the back gate.
"Our turn!" Bianca said, getting jumpy. One of Santa's helpers walked over to the gate, opening it up. I smiled. Bianca grabbed my hand. The elf smiled back and led us to the man in the red suit. "Santa! It's really you!" Bianca shouted, her eyes wide with surprise. I replied with the usual smile and wave.
"Ho, ho, ho! MERRY Christmas!" He said in a hearty voice. We weren't even in his lap yet, and I was already saying what I wanted for Christmas.
"Santa! Santa! I want...I want..." Before I could start, Santa patted his hands on both of his knees.
"Hey, my boy! Why don't you come sit on Santa's lap and tell me, ay?" I smiled and climbed on his lap. Bianca did the same. Santa looked at both of us, then took a deep breath. Then...something changed. Something changed in his emotion. When he opened his eyes to talk, they seemed to be beady. His noes now seemed pointed up, and his voice seemed rougher. "So, what do you want for Christmas, young one?" He said, in a creepy sounding voice. Bianca, unable to notice the change, began first. (Sometimes I think the childhood A.D.H.D. affected her more so then me. Then again, dyslexia always seemed to get the worst of me.)
"Santa, can you bring our parents back? They're gone, but I want them back! Can you do that for me? Please!" Santa just stared, but then stood up, knocking both of us off of his lap.
"Ouch!" I grunted as I hit the floor.
"Santa?" I heard Bianca mutter. I blinked a few times. Before I knew it, the two elves were surrounding us. They had magically grown thin sharp nails and teeth.
"Woah." I said, rubbing my head.
"N-Nico..." Bianca's voice quavered.
"Run?" I asked.
"Y-yeah." I stood up, but I felt a large hand grab my shoulder.
"Oh, ho, ho, you're not going anywhere young dead." What? Had I heard him right? 'Young dead?'
Bianca was clear out of there. I knew this because when I looked over, I saw one elf running, and Bianca was no where in sight. I didn't know what else to do. I thought quick. I had always learned that whenever you are approached by a stranger, you kick and scream and get attention so you can run away. But was Santa a stranger? I decided that if he was attacking you, he was.
"AHH! HELP ME! AH!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I waved my arms and kicked my legs frantically. Santa held me tight, and cupped is hand over my mouth. I bit it. Hard.
"GAH! Blasted kid!" He let go of me. I ran out. I ran through the frantic crowds of people bustling to get there kids away from the mean Santa.
"Bianca!" I shouted over the crowd of people. "Bianca!"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
So, eventually I found Bianca in the back of Children's Place, a kids clothing store, crying. I had seen one of the elves walk out of the store, so I suspected she was in there. As I pushed back racks of clothes, I found her with tears running down her face.
"Bianca, whats wrong?" I asked, sitting down next to her. She sobbed.
"I-I don't think Santa Claus is bringing our Mommy or Daddy back, Nico." She sniffled. I shook my head.
"Bianca! Don't say that! That Santa was evil! He can't be the real Santa!" I was starting to tear up myself. Bianca wiped her eyes.
"Nico, I don't think Santa is real."
I thought about this for a second, then put my head down. "M-maybe your right."
We sat silently for a few minutes until a security guard suddenly showed up in front of us. "Hey kids, you okay? Where's your parents?"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Well, lets just say that day scarred me for life. Yeah, that's how Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, learned that Santa Claus isn't real.
A/N- Okay, I know it's a little dull for a Christmas chapter, but hey- Merry Christmas!
Anyways, disregarding this chapter YES VIRGINIA, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS! HE EXISTS JUST AS HAPPINESS EXISTS!
Sorry, I'm on sugar ;)
I have website, for those who haven't heard. The link is on my profile.
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~Rainy