Katja and Sapphire on the Polar Express

by Sapphire Jacqueline Stone

Not your ordinary Polar Express story, I can tell you. Anyway, two good friends, Kat and Sapphire, are reunited just before the NZ Christmas holidays. On Christmas Eve, they go to bed, not expecting to have noticed much until the next day. However, they both receive genuine tickets to ride on the Polar Express. Reason as to why I'm putting this up now is found in the story.

2. Chapter 2

A Lovely Surprise
A.N. Yeah, another chapter :) Well, I don't own much of the story, apart from my own ideas. Anyway, enough babbling. Let's get on with the show :)

Previously:
This didn't worry her though, so she wrote "Goodnight, Kat." Before turning off her laptop, and fell asleep, dreaming of the coming Christmas Production, in which she had a fair-sized part.

She was to be playing the role of a ghost in Charles' Dickens "A Christmas Carol," but not one of the three ghosts that Scrooge was familiar with. She was playing the Ghost of Understanding Christmas, a character that had been brought to life when she had suggested an idea for the production.

However, wanting it to be a huge surprise for her family, she had said nothing about the play, and only practiced her lines when they weren't home. Speaking of her family, whenever she mentioned "FanFiction" or her friend Kat, from Greece, her parents would smile at each other in a secretive way, as if they knew something about her friend that she didn't. Whenever they did this, Sapphire would simply shake her head in some annoyance, and gaze at the beautiful Christmas Tree with it's very unique decorations.

Most of them, if not all of them, came from Budapest in Hungary, where her grandparents used to live, although when she was younger, Sapphire felt quite certain that they lived at the airport, because that was where she generally saw them.

She also had a golden Eiffle Tower, which her grandmother had given her as her annual Christmas decoration. She generally placed it just below the Christmas Star, because even Paris is lower than Heaven. She now smiled at it, as she ate waffles, checking her phone for messages. There was still nothing from Kat, so the girl assumed that her friend was busy, and right now, she'd be asleep.

Her mum happened to pass by at that moment, carrying dark blue bedsheets, and asked, "Have you made any plans for this evening?"
Sapphire thought for a moment and shook her head. "No, why?"
Her mother just said "Well, we are picking someone up from the airport tonight, who is going to want to spend a lot of time with you these holidays. I think," she added, looking at the clock, "you should be heading to school."
Sapphire just smiled, hugged her mother goodbye, and headed off to school. As it was the second-to-last day of the year, there was a fair bit of leniency given to the students. No wearing uniform, and they were allowed to bring sweets to school, as long as they didn't go hyper.

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Sapphire had had a fantastic day, what with the dress rehearsal going so smoothy, and the backstage crew helping her in her harness at the right time. It was going to be like a real production, where the characters flew with the aid of wires and harnesses.

However, it was now ten past seven in the evening, and she was very bored. She and her parents were waiting for a certain flight to land, and she had been told to not bring anything with her. "Your patience will be well rewarded, Sapphire." They had told her with a grin, and had left their daughter to wonder who they were waiting for.

It hadn't escaped her notice that they had taken the bigger car, with three rows of seats. As she carried on wondering, her mum suddenly glanced over her shoulder and spotted Sapphire's friend Katja standing right behind her, grinning and laden with suitcases.
Sapphire had not noticed this, still wondering about the guest who was going to be spending a bit of time with her. Her mum, deciding on how best to brake the news, said conversationally, "I'm really looking to your production tomorrow night."

Sapphire smiled, just as a familiar voice pipped up, saying, "Can I come too?" The smile vanished from the girl's face, replaced by a huge grin as she turned around, seeing her best friend Katja behind her.

"SURPRISE!" Her parents and guests shouted jovially, and Sapphire happily hugged her friend, saying, "So, that's why you couldn't respond to my message. You were on a plane."

"That's right, my friend." Kat said, as Sapphire introduced herself to her friend's parents, before they all left, heading out of the airport and towards home.