"Where are you taking me?"
Monk paused his long strides to answer Mai by looking her up and down. He then gestured to her body. She frowned at him, so he expanded verbally.
"You're what…? Ten? Eleven years old?"
Mai's mouth dropped open in anger.
"So I'm taking you to John since he's in charge of the kids!"
Monk continued walking. Mai shut her mouth before bounding after him.
"I am not ten! I am fifteen years old thank you very much! Fifteen and a half!"
"No way," Monk replied. "But you're so tiny!"
"And you're so loud," a dry voice said.
Mai spun around to see Noll walking towards them.
"He called me tiny!" she complained to Noll, who rolled his eyes.
"She is tiny," Monk pointed out.
"Could you all lower your voices, please?" a soft voice said from behind Noll. A short, blonde haired man stood with his arms crossed and an attempt at a glare on his face. "I just put the young ones down to sleep."
"Sorry," Mai squeaked.
"I'll be off, bye kid!" Monk ruffled Mai's hair, saluted to Noll, and waved at the new man before disappearing.
"You're new. Nice to meet you, I'm John." John held his hand out to Mai, who shook it.
"Your accent is weird."
John smiled graciously.
"Australian."
"And you chose to live here? In the cold?"
"Well, someone has to keep an eye on the young ones."
Mai watched his eyes flicker towards Noll. She frowned, but John did not continue.
"You ditched me!" Mai accused Noll.
"I have more important things to do than keep an eye on you."
"Like what?"
"Like ensuring that the elf children have been put to bed. They need sufficient sleep in order to be well rested for work."
"You make children work?" Mai sounded scandalised.
"Mai," John began, "These children were rescued, like you probably were, from the point of death. They make toys here. They all think they have the best job in the world."
Mai did not look convinced.
"Would you rather they had died?" Noll asked.
"Well no!"
"Would you rather they were unhappy with their situation?"
"Of course not! But kids should be playing! Or at school!"
"They should," John agreed. "But they get some play time and education here ."
Noll pursed his lips.
"Shortages required longer working hours in this last month, we have discussed this."
"Huh?" Mai looked from one man to the other.
"I know, but that doesn't make it right."
"It was well within legal limits. They will all be getting extra time off this month," Noll stated. "They knew this and agreed."
"Because they would never want to disappoint Santa," John said. "Only the Santa they did not want to disappoint was not you, Head Elf."
"I know that."
Mai pouted, annoyed at the lack of explanation.
"Gene would not have—"
"What Gene would have done is neither here nor there. Come on Mai."
"But I want to meet everyone!"
"Yes, good idea. Some of the older children are still awake."
John led Mai and a reluctant Noll into the dormitories.
"Everyone, this is Mai, she's new," John announced in a stage whisper.
About fifty children ranging from ten to thirteen years old rushed over to greet Mai. Children of every creed and colour bowed, shook her hand and told her their names. Mai knew she had no chance of remembering any of them, but she smiled at everyone nonetheless.
What stood out about them was their pointed ears. If these were children rescued like she had been, why were their ears so pointed? Did that mean her own ears would begin to sharpen?
She touched her own ears, relieved that they were small and rounded like they had always been.
"Santa!"
One of the elf children had spotted Noll. Mai watched as several swarmed around him, begging for praise.
"They mistake him for his brother," John told her. "Identical twins you see, except for one small difference."
"Oh…"
Noll's smile looked like it was causing him pain as he thanked the children for their hard work.
"Will you come and play with us tomorrow?" one child asked, her voice permeating above the rest. Mai cocked her head to one side, curious as to how Noll would react.
"Perhaps, if I have time."
"Aw, Santa, don't be like the bad Head Elf! He never plays with us!"
"Yeah, he never plays dollies with us! Won't you play dollies with us?"
"If I have time," Noll repeated, his expression grim.
"But it's Christmas! Next Christmas Eve isn't for almost a year!"
"Well, we'll see."
"He's not good with them, huh," she commented to John.
"No. He's not. Gene was a much better Santa."
"His twin? What happened to him?"
"He… He had an accident."
Mai noted the grave tone of John's voice, it made her reluctant to ask more. But that did not stem her curiosity.
"What—"
"Mai, come on, I need to show you the rest of this place," Noll called.
"Thank you, it was nice meeting you," Mai said quickly to John, pressing a piece of chocolate into his hands.
"No problem," he replied. "Come on kids, you should all be getting to bed. The sooner you sleep, the sooner Santa can come and visit."
"Yes," Noll agreed. "Off to bed, all of you."
"Santa?"
John and Mai looked around to see one of the younger children hugging Noll's leg.
"Yes?"
Noll's face suggested that he wanted to rip the child from his extremity.
"Promise you'll come and play. Even if only for five minutes?"
"I'm sure I can spare five minutes. I'll even bring Mai with me, how about that?" Noll suggested, not bothering to bend down the child's height.
"Thank you Santa!"
The child beamed up at him before sprinting off towards their bed.
"He does care about them," Mai mumbled.
"He does," John said with a sigh. "I just wish he'd show it more."
"I think he shows it in his own way."
"Bye!" Mai smiled at John. She waved as they departed, leaving John to tuck the elf children in.
"You will accompany me tomorrow."
"Okay," Mai said, still smiling. "I don't mind. They're a happy bunch."
"Yes."
"Where are you taking me now?" Mai enquired.
"Well we've just met the people who make the presents," Noll said. "How about we meet the one who mines the coal?"
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