Minutes after the meeting began, Beck zoned out. After steno pads and pens were passed out and she heard the words "occupation" and "disciplinary measures," she basically let her eyes glaze over.
She examined her nails. She cracked her knuckles. She gazed around the room idly. She rolled her eyes (again) when Bernard glared at her for fidgeting too much.
Idle hands are the devil's handiwork, after all.
Beck noticed Jack staring directly at her from across the table, and made a face of disgust. She tried to ignore him, but he made numerous efforts to gain her attention. He loudly tapped his fingers on the mahogany table. He cleared his throat.
After the third throat-clearing, Mother Nature paused, annoyed. "Would you like to say something, Jack?" He simply shook his head and swatted the air flippantly in response.
He even nudged her foot with his. Beck responded by sharply kicking him in the shins and pointedly looking away. She turned her gaze toward Mother Nature and made an exaggerated attempt to look attentive.
"…as Santa believes that Ms. Adler has potential as a successful Christmas elf, provided she receives the right counseling…"
Jack Frost, fed up, closed his eyes for a moment and made a flicking motion beneath the table. Beck gasped as she felt an icy breeze on her hands. She looked down and a small ice tablet materialized. She grabbed it, glancing around and hiding it under the table. Luckily, Bernard was leaning over the conference table, intently discussing with the Tooth Fairy his lack of time. He was saying something about how he was too busy to babysit a sociopath. Beck looked at Jack, who was looking away.
Beck turned her attention to the tablet. On it, a message was elegantly carved: Let's discuss business. When can I see you?
"What are your thoughts, Ms. Adler?" Mother Nature addressed the distracted redhead. Beck jumped and the ice message instantly evaporated.
"Huh?" Was her eloquent response. She stared blankly at the woman, slack-jawed, as a room full of Legendary Figures stared expectantly at her.
Beck was relieved when Judy chose this moment to glide in with a refreshment cart. "Cocoa and cookies, courtesy of the North Pole. I hope you all enjoy!" She curtsied at the room and shot a smile at Beck, who couldn't help but smile back.
When she left the room, Beck turned to Bernard. "Jeez, by the sound of her voice, you'd think she made a living baking cookies inside a hollow tree." He elbowed her. "Ow!"
"Ms. Adler."
"Can you repeat the question?"
"Are you willing to work on your unresolved issues in order to become a better elf?" She spoke slowly, as if she was speaking to an idiot.
Beck slumped against the back of her chair. "Do I have a choice?"
"Bernard is willing to work with you, but he can only do so much. You need to be willing to change."
"So, Bernard is willing to work with me, now?" Beck looked at her flatly. "After, I don't know, abandoning me in the human world?" She heard him shift uncomfortably beside her.
"He didn't abandon you. Bernard was not responsible for-"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm responsible for my own actions. I was left in the human world for an extra fifty-one years without any powers, but that's all on me. I am so very sorry for that." Beck stared at the statuesque woman, daring her to contradict her words.
Mother Nature faltered, her momentum slowing. "Well – since the forties and increased mass production of toys, the Santas have had a lot on their plates to keep up…" Her voice faded when she realized that Beck was no longer listening, but staring at the opposite wall with a stony expression.
Mother Nature seemed to have given up, and moved on to the next item on the agenda. After another quick look around, Beck grabbed one of the numerous pens on the table and scribbled on her palm: Meet me in the West Corridor. The West Corridor of the workshop was typically deserted, as it consisted mostly of storage rooms. It was a dead-end hallway and she knew that they could meet without interruption.
Beck caught Jack's eye and discreetly flashed the message on her hand, camouflaging the action by fussing with her hair. A subtle chin jut in her direction let her know that they were on the same page. She tuned back into the meeting. It was the Easter Bunny's turn to speak, sharing his experience with disciplining his numerous progeny.
She was annoyed. I'm sitting right here! She wanted to scream, insulted. She checked the time on the grandfather clock across the room and wilted when she saw that it had been forty-five minutes since the meeting had started.
She leaned in towards Bernard. "Are we done yet? She whispered in his ear, making him shiver at the unexpected contact. He shushed her.
"Just be patient and try to act mature."
Beck gave a huffy breath and leaned her elbows on the table, resting her head in her hands and letting her mind drift.
Christmas Eve, 1960
In a women's boarding house in Kansas City, a young red-haired woman lugged two overstuffed suitcases down the last flight of stairs. She rested them by the front door, wiping her forehead with her arm. Then she turned to a mirror on the wall, fixing her hair.
The other residents in the house had noticed a change in her behavior in the past month. She had become more reserved and preoccupied. Even her usual bawdy humor was subdued. And on this night, she had even traded her usual flannel shirt for a blue taffeta dress and heels.
The landlady, a stout, pleasant woman, approached her. "Are you all set, Beck? You know, there's always a place for you here." She fixed her with a motherly gaze.
Beck turned to her and smiled. "Thanks, Ethel, but I have a feeling things are going to be a little different from now on." She hugged the woman.
"I hear she's got a boy coming for her," A girl in the next room gossiped to her friend giddily.
"That's funny," the other girl remarked, "Judging by the way she usually dresses, you'd think she was interested in other things." Her companion looked scandalized.
"Janie!" She giggled. Her friend shushed her. "You are so bad! Besides, she looks very nice tonight. Not at all like a mannish Beatnik." They guffawed.
"Beck," Janie called to Beck. "Why not drink some eggnog with us? We've got an Elvis record on!" She raised her glass in invitation.
Beck's ears perked up at the mention of the singer, but she frowned when she recognized her would-be companions. "No, thanks. My ride will be here any minute."
The night went on and the other women conversed and trimmed a large tree in the center of the room, casting occasional sympathetic glances at Beck and whispering. She was seated on one of her suitcases, staring out the front window with her slender, gloved hands resting folded in her lap. She looked distracted, occasionally glancing down at her watch impatiently.
What time was it? I can't remember. Do they time it down to the minute?
She sighed, and when she turned to look at the entrance of the dining room, the other women quickly turned away, pretending to be preoccupied.
Around midnight, the last women were finally going to bed, trying to avoid eye contact with Beck, who hadn't moved from her spot. She wished them good night and Merry Christmas with a forced smile.
Soon Beck was left sitting alone in the foyer. In the dim light of a single lamp, she looked down at her party dress and allowed her smile to fade.
Things were not going to change tonight. She was just a girl in a pretty dress, waiting for nothing.
She pulled on her coat and switched the lamp off, silently slipping out of the house and pointing her shoes in the direction of the highway.
Beck's hand slipped and she jerked awake when the tabletop made contact with her forehead. She sat up, bewildered. Things seemed to be wrapping up, and the Legendary Figures were beginning to vacate their seats. Beck stood and stretched languidly, scratching the back of her head. Jack quietly took his leave.
"You couldn't pretend to be any more attentive?" Bernard asked disapprovingly.
"Did you say something?"
Bernard gave up trying to converse with her and walked away to mingle with the Legendary Figures.
Beck managed to slip out of Santa's office while Bernard was conversing with Father Time. As she made her way to the West Corridor, her soft footsteps were deafening in her pointed ears. When Beck reached her destination, she addressed Jack's turned back. "Why are you here, Frost?"
"Beck!" Jack greeted her in an overly-chummy tone. "To what do I owe this serendipity-doo-dah?" He strode over to her, arms extended as if expecting an embrace. She stopped him in his tracks.
Bernard caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye. When he turned, he saw a flash of red exit the room. Oh, for the love of… He excused himself and trotted down the hallway after his ward. He struggled to keep up, taking several wrong turns, but stopped when he heard muffled voices around the next corner.
"Leave me alone."
"Why the sudden ferocity?" Jack grinned. "Frankly, I'm hurt. There once was a time when you were much less…" He advanced on her. "icy towards me. Don't you remember? I certainly do."
Beck grimaced and put more space between them. "You're disgusting."
"You didn't think so back then." He leaned in and flashed another smile.
She sneered and stood her ground. "I was young and stupid."
"And yet here you are." Jack gestured to the deserted hallway.
"I'm not here for a God damn quickie, Frost. I'm here to give you a message." It was her turn to advance on Jack. "Stay away from me, and stay away from the North Pole. You can find someone else, because I'm done here." Beck turned on her heel and began to walk away.
"I'm here to deliver a message as well, Beck." Jack told her retreating form. "He is not pleased." Beck stopped.
"If you value your life, you will fall back into line. This is not up to you. It's not up to either of us." He walked closer to her turned back and glanced around them. His voice dropped. "He is more powerful than you realize. There is a force at work here that is over both our heads."
She stood silently for a moment and drew a thoughtful breath. "Call me when you grow a spine." She strode away.
"You made a deal, Beck." Jack called after her. She made a crude gesture over her shoulder. "You can't just walk away from this."
Beck smirked and turned around, opening her mouth for a comeback, but the words died on her lips when she saw that Jack Frost had vanished. She stood there in the silent, empty hallway and ran a hand through her hair. "You can come out, now, you know." Bernard stepped out into the hallway. "How long were you standing there?"
"Long enough." He said harshly, crossing his arms.
Beck held her breath. Her stomach dropped. She tried to mask her panic with a carefree laugh.
He looked at her suspiciously. "In what way are you involved with Jack Frost?"
Way to get to the point. She waved her hand in the air. "Oh, you know. We're pretty on-and-off. Although I hardly think my taste in men is any of your business." She bit the inside of her cheek, hoping that she sounded convincing. Bernard raised an eyebrow. "You look confused." She said.
"Frankly, I am. He's not exactly 'man of the year.'"
"Neither am I," Beck laughed. "It's nice to have stuff in common."
He looked taken aback at her oblique joke. "Don't you think he's a little, I don't know, old for you?"
"I think you gave up any and all say in my love life fifty years ago." Beck breezed past Bernard, leaving him speechless.
And the plot thickens...
So I finally sat my ass down and cranked out this hot mess of a chapter. I expected to have it done within a week of the last chapter, but things have been really crazy and confusing for me lately. My health is not in the best of shape, and I'm likely to end up in the hospital sometime in the near future. So if I disappear, please don't panic! I will deliver!
Don't forget to review, alert, and favorite! Don't be afraid to message me to discuss my story, your story, or just life in general. Love you guys!