It didn't take long for Ashley to bring the topper back down. She explained that she was worried it would make the tree fall over again, but I knew she just wanted any excuse to keep Angeline as one of her dolls. The tree looked bare and empty again, but it made her happy, so I didn't say anything. I knew it was like a Christmas present for her, and she probably wouldn't get that many, so I let her have it.

One day, Mom pulled me aside and said she needed my help to wrap the presents she had gotten for Ashley. As I predicted, she had gotten her a doll and a few other toys, but not much.

"Didn't you get me anything?" I asked as I secured the wrapping. "Ashley will probably throw a tantrum that she didn't get as many as she expected."

"I'm sure she wouldn't," Mom assured. "And of course I did. I already wrapped your presents."

"Can I look at them?" I asked eagerly. I was eager to get anything.

Mom shook her head. "Only on Christmas day, remember?"

"Mom, did you know that Ashley took the angel topper from the tree?" I asked.

"Yes, I noticed," Mom admitted. "The tree looks different without it. I'm not sure why, but it just does. But I already have so few presents. I figured I might as well let her."

Just then, I heard crying from Ashley's room. I groaned. She was always crying about something. "What does she want now?"

"You'd better check," Mom shrugged.

As I made my way to my sister's room, I saw Ashley sitting on the floor, clutching her dolls in her hands. One of them had its head torn off, revealing the stuffing inside and loose thread hanging off. They were already falling apart from age, but Ashley took good care of them.

"Ash, what's wrong?" I called. "Did that thing fall apart? Well, it already was..."

Ashley glanced up at me. She held up the doll angrily. "You did this, didn't you, Max?" she accused.

"What? Of course I didn't," I protested. "Why would I mess up one of your dolls?"

Ashley glared at me. "You were getting mad at me for going into your room, and you did the same thing!"

"I did not," I protested. "You probably ripped it off yourself. Those things are falling apart, and you still keep them around. You know Mom is getting you..." I trailed off. That was close. I quickly went on to cover up for my slip. "Don't you think you're too old for them, anyway?"

"I did not," Ashley protested. "I take good care of them. They're safe with me."

"Don't be such a baby," I scolded. "You know they aren't real, right? Actually, maybe it's good that you play with baby dolls. They're just like you."

"I am not!" Ashley exclaimed, tears filling her eyes.

I groaned, knowing I'd be in trouble with Mom. "Come on, Ash, it's not that big a deal if you broke one by accident," I said. "What about that... Angeline? Don't you still have her?"

Ashley glanced around. "Actually, I don't know where she is."

"What?" I groaned. "You said you'd take good care of her."

"I did," Ashley insisted. "Just like with all of my other dolls. Actually, I paid extra special attention to her."

"But she isn't one of your dolls," I snapped. "She's for the tree. I knew I shouldn't have let you have her."

"She's somewhere here. I know it," Ashley insisted, standing up. "I'm sure I can find her."

As Ashley started hunting around her room, I reluctantly helped her. I knew Mom would yell at me if she knew I upset her. I found Angeline at the side of her bed, next to the other items scattered and tossed there.

"Here she is," I announced, holding her up. "She must've fallen by your bed."

Ashley glanced over. Her eyes widened. "No, she couldn't have been there!"

"Why not?" I demanded.

"I put her here." Ashley picked up a chest from the drawers of her nightstand. "It's just big enough to fit her. I even cleared out everything else to keep here in there."

So that was why it was so messy under her bed. "Well, that was good of you. But she could've fallen out," I suggested.

"Well, maybe," Ashley admitted reluctantly. "I kept it open. I was afraid she wouldn't get enough air. And I did take her out a few times."

I rolled my eyes. "You really are a baby." But I was glad I had found Angeline, so Ashley wouldn't throw a fit. "Maybe you should keep the lid closed from now on."

Ashley snatched Angeline from me and placed her into the chest. "Maybe," she muttered, reluctantly shutting the lid. "I guess it's a good thing we didn't put her on the tree. She probably would've fallen off there as well. Or she could've crawled out of here."

"What?" I laughed. "Are you serious, Ash? You think she crawled out of there?"

Ashley scowled. "It was just a thought. Anyway, she won't be able to fall out now." Ashley began to place the chest back in her nightstand, before hesitating. "Since I closed it, I'll keep it outside. I'd hate to keep Angeline separated from everything else."

"Alright, fine. Whatever makes you happy." I rolled my eyes, but I was secretly relieved. Something told me the angel topper should be locked up.

The next day, more strange things happened. Mom announced that my cousins were coming over. They rarely visited, even around Christmas. Mom suggested baking Christmas cookies for them, which Ashley and I were even more excited about. We helped her out, even though we weren't too good at it. Ashley was busier tasting the icing, and I was busier trying not to cut myself on the knife like last time. I still had bad memories of that. The doorbell rang just as Mom put the cookies in the oven.

"They must've come earlier than I expected," she announced. "I'll go to answer it. Try not to make a mess of the kitchen. Even more than you already have, that is."

"I won't," I assured, giving Ashley a look as she put the icing bag down. As Mom left, I added, "You could try cleaning the icing instead of eating it all. There won't be any left for Maya and Eric."

Ashley sheepishly reached for the paper towel and began wiping icing off the counter. "I just wanted to make sure it was good enough for them."

I could hear their voices in the background. Ashley hurried away from the kitchen. "They're here!"

"Hey, wait!" I quickly followed her.

My aunt stood there, speaking with my mom, who was her sister. Maya and Eric were behind her. Maya was taller, while Eric was shorter and scrawnier.

"Hey, Maya!" Ashley called, waving. "I didn't know you were coming. It's so good to see you! Do you have any presents for us?"

"Ashley," I scolded. "You shouldn't say that."

"Why not? I was just asking," Ashley insisted.

"We don't have any presents for them, remember?" I reminded.

"Oh, right," Ashley muttered.

"It's fine," Maya assured. "We wouldn't want any of your lame presents, anyway."

"Not if it was anything like the one you gave me last time," Eric added. "I twisted my ankle on that thing, and I could barely walk."

"Stop being dramatic," Maya scolded.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Mom apologized. "I just put the cookies in the oven. It'll take a while for them to bake. I wasn't expecting you to arrive so early."

"It's quite alright," my aunt assured. "Actually, I brought a movie over. Why don't we put it on?"

"You do have a television, don't you?" Maya added. Her mom gave her a look.

"As long as it isn't scary like the one you showed me last time," Eric added. "It gave me nightmares." He was always scared of something.

"Don't be such a baby," Maya scolded. "You had nightmares just hearing about Santa. You kept worrying he saw you everywhere whenever you slept. It's a good thing he's..."

"Shh!" Mom warned, gesturing to Ashley.

"Good thing he's nice," Maya finished with a sigh.

"Don't worry. It's a Christmas movie," my aunt assured. "You should know that, Eric."

"Good. It'll probably be finishing in time for the cookies," Mom said, brightening.

"Your living room is really small," Maya remarked, glancing around. "I'm surprised you have a Christmas tree."

"Maya!" my aunt scolded.

"Sorry," Maya apologized. "I didn't mean it like that."

"We have more than that," Ashley added. "We had..."

"Why don't we just watch the movie?" Mom suggested.

Soon we were all sitting in the living room, watching the movie. Maya and Eric kept making remarks about the special effects, clearly having seen it before. I had to admit they were right. It was pretty boring, but Ashley seemed to enjoy it. She kept glaring at Maya when she made fun of it. At one point, she reached over and elbowed her in the side. Maya reached over to shove her back. She fell over and bumped into Eric, who spilled his drink from his hand. I groaned.

To my relief, my mom asked me go to go the kitchen to see if the cookies were ready. I was more than glad to leave as I heard the fighting start, drowning out the movie. As I entered the kitchen, I slipped and nearly fell over, before gripping the edge of the counter. I pulled away as I felt the sticky icing on my hands. As I glanced around, I gasped in shock. The entire counter was coated in the pink frosting.

I knew Ashley had left a mess, but she had cleaned up most of it, and it wasn't nearly this bad. The frosting covered the counter like a thin layer of snow. As I glanced down, I realized there was more of it spilled on the ground, and I was sure there hadn't been before. I jumped as I realized there was even frosting smeared on the cupboards above my head. I knew Ashley was too short to reach that.

I backed away, my heart pounding. I didn't know how the kitchen could have ended up like this, but then I remembered the cookies in the oven. I reached down to take them out, before jumping. Angeline was lying on the ground right next to the oven. It was dark in the kitchen, since I hadn't turned the light on, but I could've sworn her smile had disappeared, her lips thin on her pale face. She stared up at me with a blank, lifeless expression in her glassy blue eyes.

I was too afraid to touch her. I shuddered as I took the cookies out, placing them on the opposite counter. Thankfully, that one was clean. I knew I was supposed to put frosting on them now, but there wasn't any left. I knew Mom would be furious if she saw the mess in here, and she'd think for sure that it was Ashley and me. I hurriedly started wiping up the frosting, wincing as I got it over my hands. As I stepped backwards, I slipped on the floor again and stumbled back into the counter. I winced as the tray of cookies clattered and fell off. I tried to catch it, but I was too late. Soon, the cookies were spilled on the ground along with the frosting.

I leaned down to pick them up. At least some of them had landed right on top of the icing, though I didn't think they were edible. I groaned as I heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. I watched as Mom appeared.

"Max! What are you doing?" she exclaimed, her eyes widening as she stared at the kitchen.

I glanced up at her. "Mom, I can explain," I insisted. But I realized I couldn't.

Of course, she was furious with me, and Ashley as well. She pulled her away from the movie, to her annoyance. She was sure we had messed up the kitchen, and I couldn't blame her. But I knew it wasn't either of us. She wouldn't let us leave until we had both finished cleaning every area of the kitchen.

"I never want to see frosting again," Ashley groaned, wiping a glob away from her dark hair. "I can't believe I used to love eating it."

"You did create a mess, didn't you?" I reminded, tossing the paper towel into the bin. I was sick of that sickening scent. Luckily, it was too dark for Mom to see the worst of it.

"But nothing like this!" Ashley protested. "I would never..." She trailed off as she noticed Angeline. I had placed her behind the microwave. "What's Angeline doing here?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I found her lying on the ground. I guess you must've dropped her there."

"I didn't," Ashley protested. "I didn't even bring her in the kitchen."

"But you had to have," I reminded. "I wouldn't put it past you. Remember when you used to take one of your dolls everywhere?"

"I didn't!" Ashley insisted. "Mom would notice if I did. I had her tightly locked up in my room. There's no way she could get out."

"I guess you're right," I admitted. "But then who did?"

"I couldn't care less," Ashley groaned. "I just wish we didn't have to see the frosting."

"Well, we won't if we hurry up," I reminded, handing her a mop. "Get the bits on the floor."

Ashley scowled. "I can't believe Mom is making us do this. It's so unfair." Then she added, "But I guess it's better than being stuck with Maya and Eric. They're already arguing about something else."

"Do they ever stop?" I quipped. Then again, we did the same.

"Hey, Max, guess what Mom said?" Ashley asked more excitedly.

"What?" I asked, reaching up to the cupboards to wipe the frosting away.

"We're going over to their house for Christmas," Ashley explained. "They're having a party, or something, and they said we're invited. Isn't that great?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess," I muttered.

"Do you think we'll have to get presents for them?" Ashley asked.

Usually, I would've been excited, but now, I was distracted, and not just by cleaning. I couldn't help being scared. All of this couldn't happen by itself. I knew somebody had to do this, but I wasn't sure who. I glanced over at Angeline as Ashley got frosting over her. Even with the pink frosting coating her pale face, and the edges of the star in her hands, there was something unnerving about her.

I groaned as I heard yells as Maya and Eric entered the kitchen. They stared at us.

"Hey, what happened here?" Maya demanded. "I thought you were supposed to get the cookies, but it seems you're still making them."

Eric laughed. I glared at them. "We had a bit of an accident," I explained. "No big deal."

"It sure looks like a big deal," Eric added. "I was looking forward to them, after how lame the movie was."

"I didn't think it was lame," Ashley added, glaring at him. "I thought it was good, but you two kept ruining it."

"We're guests here, remember?" Maya reminded. "You should be nice to us."

I scowled. I was considering asking them for help, but now I decided against it.

"Well, when we come over to your house, we'll be your guests," Ashley retorted.

"I'm looking forward to that," I added, trying to avoid another fight. "It's on Christmas, right? Are you two having a party?"

"We are," Eric agreed. "And I bet our house is way nicer than ours. We got a big Christmas tree, with lights and garlands. And there'll be tons of food, that isn't spilled everywhere."

Ashley scowled and flicked a bit of icing at him. He glared at her. I grabbed her arm, not wanting to start another food fight. It looked like there had already been one in here. I wasn't as excited about coming over anymore. The last thing I wanted was for there to be another fight. It seemed being Christmas wasn't enough to prevent that.

The night before Christmas, I lay awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling. I knew I should've been excited for tomorrow, especially since we were going over to my cousins' house, but instead, I was just frustrated. I kept thinking about how I'd barely get any presents. There were barely any under the tree, and most of them were for Ashley. It was much less than what everyone else got. Mom was probably relieved we were going to their house, so we didn't have much time to dwell on our presents.

At least our tree looked nice. Ashley had placed Angeline on top again, but I wasn't sure about that anymore. She didn't look angelic anymore, but eerie, like a real person sitting on top of the tree. Something about her rubbed me the wrong way, but I forced the thoughts out of my mind. It was ridiculous. It was just an ornament like all of Ashley's dolls, only a more detailed and realistic one.

As I tossed and turned in bed, I realized I couldn't take it anymore. I got out of bed, deciding I'd take a look at the presents under the tree. Unlike Ashley, I knew Mom bought them instead of Santa. I knew I should be grateful for that, and I was. But it couldn't hurt to take a peek.

As I made my way to the living room, I jumped as I bumped into someone. I realized it was Ashley.

"Ashley! What are you doing awake?" I hissed.

Ashley stared at me. "I could say the same about you, Max."

"I... uh... I was just getting a glass of water," I said. "You know, because I couldn't sleep." It wasn't entirely a lie. I was planning on doing that as well.

"What a coincidence. So was I," Ashley agreed.

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Ashley nodded. "So could you get out of my way?"

"I know what you were doing," I accused. She had claimed she'd do it last Christmas as well, but she had fallen asleep before she could. "You were trying to catch Santa, weren't you?"

Ashley lowered her head. "So what if I was?"

I rolled my eyes, knowing how determined she had been last time. "Do you really think..." I trailed off, remembering the lecture I'd get from Mom. "Do you really think he has time to show up to our house? He has to check on everyone in the entire town, remember?"

"He might come!" Ashley insisted. "He already came before, didn't he? That's why there's presents under the tree. He might leave more of them for us."

She looked so happy that I felt bad. "Alright, if that's what you want," I agreed, hoping she wouldn't be too disappointed when he didn't show up. "Just don't bother me."

"Well, why were you really awake?" Ashley demanded, following me to the kitchen. "You were heading to the living room like me, not the kitchen. I know. You were going to hurt Angeline, weren't you?"

"What?" I turned to Ashley. "Of course I wasn't. Why would I do that?"

"You did with my dolls," Ashley accused.

"I did not," I protested. Secretly, I thought that wouldn't be a bad idea, but I didn't want to upset Ashley. "I was just going to..." I hesitated. "I was just going to check the presents."

"You were?" Ashley exclaimed.

"I mean, there aren't many," I explained. "It wouldn't hurt if I checked one of them, would it? And it's almost Christmas, anyway."

"I guess you're right," Ashley agreed. "Maybe I should check one of my presents as well."

"Mom might notice that," I warned.

The living room was just as it had been before, to my relief. I still remembered the mess in the kitchen. I crouched down in front of the presents and took a small, round one with my name scrawled on it. It didn't look like Mom's handwriting, but my name was short, so I couldn't be sure. I carefully began to unwrap the colorful paper, hesitating. Then I felt the cold glass in my hand. I kept peeling, thinking it was a mug or something. As I unwrapped it, I peered closely at the round globe. I could see something white falling inside, landing on tiny trees and houses. I realized it was a snow globe. I was about to tell Ashley when I heard her speak.

"Hey, where's Angeline?" I glanced over at Ashley, who was staring at the top of the tree. "She's gone."

I stepped back and noticed she was. The tree was empty again.

I shrugged. "She must've fallen off."

Ashley searched around the tree, but she couldn't find Angeline anywhere. "I'm not surprised. She's always ending up in strange places," she remarked. "It's like she climbed down and jumped off."

"Don't be ridiculous," I scoffed.

"I'm going to find her," Ashley announced, making her way out of the living room. "I'm kind of thirsty, too. I'm going to get a glass of water."

"Wait!" I called. "Don't be too loud. You'll wake Mom."

Ashley ignored me. I turned back to the snow globe, turning it over in my hand. It was very realistic, like a photograph. I could even see little chimneys on the snow-covered roofs and frost on the trees, which weren't pine like the one in our living room but looked like they were made of real leaves. They reminded me of the miniature Christmas trees and gingerbread houses I had seen at the mall. It reminded me of something else as well. It seemed familiar, but I couldn't tell how. I supposed it just reminded me of how the street outside looked right now. Some of the houses were even similar to the ones my friends lived in, only they were on a different street. It must've been my imagination.

It was a very nice snow globe, more intricate than even the ones I had seen at the mall. Mom must've spent a lot of money for it. I reminded myself to thank her. It seemed so fragile, I now felt guilty for opening it. I worried I'd break it.

I was about to try placing it back when I heard a loud crash from the kitchen, followed by a yell. I groaned while getting to my feet. I quickly headed to the kitchen, ready to scold Ashley for making so much noise. I jumped as I heard more thuds and crashes that seemed to echo through the house. I froze in place, hoping Mom wouldn't wake up. I knew she'd have our head after she already thought we had made a mess in the kitchen. Had Ashley really knocked over everything there?

When there was silence, I carefully made my way to the kitchen. I was almost afraid of what I'd find. Ashley was lying on the floor, rubbing her head with one hand and covering her ear with the other. She was surrounded by pots and pans. She looked so terrified that I forgot to be mad at her.

"Ashley?" I called softly.

Ashley glanced up at me, her face filled with terror. "Max, you have to get out of here," she whispered.

"Huh?" I demanded. "Did you knock those over?"

"No, I didn't," Ashley insisted. "One of them hit me in the head..." She winced while rubbing her head.

I walked over and picked up the one of the pans, placing it on the counter. "It's fine, Ash," I assured as calmly as I could. "I know it was an accident. If we clean it all up now, I'm sure Mom won't know."

Ashley shook her head frantically. "No, it wasn't me. It was..."

I was sure she didn't know what she was talking about, but she did look terrified. I reluctantly cleaned them all up by myself while Ashley lay there, curling into a ball and wrapping her arms around her knees.

"You know, you could at least help me clean up," I suggested as I placed the last pot back in the cupboard.

I glanced over at Ashley, who was beginning to shake all over. I walked over to her and helped her up. I could still feel her shaking as I wrapped my arms around her.

"Come on, Ash, it isn't that bad," I insisted. "Look, it's all cleaned up. Your head doesn't still hurt, does it? I could get you something for it."

"No, you don't understand," Ashley muttered. "There really was someone here. Somebody else."

"What do you mean?" I stared at her.

Ashley brushed her black hair out of her face. "I heard someone here," she insisted in a whisper. "I thought it was Mom, but it wasn't. I heard them moving around, bumping into things. Then, the pots and pans started falling..."

I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close. "Don't you think they could've fallen off?" I suggested. "Like Angeline did?"

Ashley pulled away, her eyes widening. "I saw her," she insisted. "It was Angeline. She was up there."

"What?" I glanced up at the cupboard Ashley was pointing at, where I had placed the pots. I had tightly closed it. "She wasn't. I didn't see anything there."

"She really was there," Ashley insisted. "I saw her. Well, only for a moment, but I'm sure it was her. She was right next to one of them, and she threw it..." She raised her hand to her head, wincing. "Then I got knocked to the ground."

I stared at Ashley. "I think you hit your head harder than you thought," I said. "I'll get you a glass of water."

"No! I'm serious, Max," Ashley insisted, tugging my arm.

I ignored her and headed over to the sink. I quickly filled the glass and handed it to her. She reluctantly gulped it down. I headed to the freezer for a bag of ice and gently pressed it against her head.

Ashley placed the glass down while taking the bag. "It doesn't hurt that much, Max," she insisted.

"Do you feel better now?" I asked.

Ashley nodded, glancing around the kitchen. "Actually, maybe you were right. Maybe I did just imagine it. Angeline couldn't have gotten all the way up there."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Don't worry about it, Ash. You're just excited for Christmas. It's no wonder you're imagining things."

"But that means someone else did it," Ashley announced. I groaned. "I know I didn't. I wouldn't throw the pot at my own head, would I?"

"You could've dropped it by accident," I muttered.

Ashley ignored me. "Maybe it was Santa." Her eyes widened with excitement. "He could've been here."

"Don't be stupid," I scolded. "How could he be here? You would've seen him, don't you think?"

"Oh, yeah." Ashley lowered her head. "I guess I would. He is pretty big. He couldn't fit up there like Angeline. But then again, he can fit in chimneys." She gasped in shock. "Oh, no."

"What is it?" I asked.

"We don't have a chimney," Ashley reminded. "I just realized that. So how is he supposed to get here?"

I groaned, getting sick of hearing her talk about Santa. "He can't," I snapped.

"But Mom said he would," Ashley insisted. "He has to come here. Does he come through the door instead?" She frowned. "Actually, most of the other houses on the street don't have chimneys either. How does Santa get to all of them?"

"He doesn't get to any of them," I snapped. "Because he doesn't exist."

Ashley stared at me in shock. I winced, immediately regretting what I said. To my relief, Ashley only glared at me.

"You're lying, Max," she accused. "I know he does. And I'm going to catch him."

I let out a sigh of relief. Mom would never let me hear the end of it if Ashley started wailing. "Alright, if that's what you believe. It's more likely than that thing doing all this."

"Did you find Angeline?" Ashley asked. "Maybe she is under the tree after all."

"Sorry, I didn't," I said. "But I think we should get out of here."

Ashley shuddered. "Yeah, we should. I know there was someone else here."

I still thought she had done it all by accident, but she looked so frightened that I began to feel uneasy as well. I put my arm around her while leading her out of the kitchen. It seemed only disasters happened there around Christmas. I had cut my finger slicing the pudding last year as well.

"Come on, Ash, let's get you to bed," I suggested, leading her to her bedroom. "You need to get some sleep. You'll feel better when you do."

"No!" Ashley protested, pulling away. "I'm going to catch Santa. I am."

I groaned. "But you want to wake up early on Christmas, don't you?"

Ashley shook her head. "I'm not tired at all."

Seeing the look on her face, I realized there was no point in arguing. "Alright, fine," I agreed. "But I wouldn't want you to make even more of a mess and wake up Mom. I'll stay up with you. I'm not tired either."

I followed Ashley to the living room. She quickly flopped down on the sofa while I crouched down in front of the tree, searching for the snow globe. To my surprise, I couldn't find it anywhere, just the torn wrapping paper. I frowned, wondering if it had rolled away. Just then, I heard Ashley cry out.

"There she is!" I raised my head to see Ashley pointing at the tree again. I could see a dim light above me as well. I stood up and backed away. As I raised my head, I jumped as I caught sight of the angel topper on the tree. She was perched there like before, gripping the star in her hand. It was glistening brightly in the darkness, seeming to light up the entire tree.

"She's back!" Ashley exclaimed excitedly.

"But how?" I muttered. "She wasn't there before."

Ashley narrowed her eyes at me. "You did find her, didn't you? And you put her on top of the tree."

"I did not," I protested.

Ashley smiled, clearly not believing me. "I'm glad you did. The tree looks much nicer."

I couldn't help agreeing with her. The star seemed to cast a pale light over the entire tree, making the pines glisten dimly.

"It's like an angel and a star," Ashley remarked. "It must light up. It's a good thing you found her."

I frowned. I knew she hadn't been on the tree before, and Ashley couldn't have put her there. I hadn't believed her before either. I began to think she was telling the truth about not knocking the pots and pans over.

"Ashley, are you sure you don't know what happened in the kitchen?" I asked. "You couldn't have done it by accident? You did cause a mess with the icing, you know."

"I didn't even go near the pots and pans," Ashley insisted. "Well, only when one of them hit me in the head. I guess they might've fallen off, but I can't believe so many would. Most of the doors were shut. And..." She paused. "Oh, right."

"What?" I asked eagerly.

"I tried getting a glass of water," Ashley explained. "But then the pots started falling, and I forgot all about it before you came in. It's probably still in the kitchen."

I sighed. That wasn't much help. But I was beginning to think she was telling the truth. She was honest when she did something, like when she took my robot. "But somebody had to have done it, if it wasn't you," I reminded. "Didn't you see anyone else?"

Ashley shook her head. "Except maybe Angeline. But I'm not sure. I might have imagined her. I only saw her for a moment, before that thing hit me. I was too busy trying to dodge."

My heart sank. I almost wished she had insisted she saw the angel topper.

"Don't worry, Max. I'm going to pay better attention from now on," Ashley assured. "I'll catch Santa."

I rolled my eyes, but I stayed up with her, not wanting her to get hurt again. As I predicted, she started dozing off before long, despite her insistence on staying up late. I watched in relief as she relaxed on the sofa, closing her eyes. I put my arm around her, careful not to wake her. I wondered whether I should leave her there or carry her to her room. As I turned, I jumped as I caught sight of the Christmas tree. I could've sworn Angeline was moving slightly, shifting from side to side on top of the tree. Maybe she was about to fall off. I couldn't care less about that, so I turned back to Ashley. Then I turned my head as I caught sight of something whizzing through the air. It was a glass.

I watched in shock as the glass flew through the air towards the sofa. It was just about to hit Ashley.