“What is Christmas?” Kalli asked, frowning after I told her there would be no school for two weeks.

“It’s a holiday,” I replied. “Do they have holidays where you come from?”

Kalli frowned. “I think so. Maybe. In Hellquist Village, there was a festival to celebrate the moon. I think it was called the Lunar Solstice.”

“I bet that was fun,” I replied. “What was it like?”

Kalli’s expression fell even more. “I don’t know. I was never allowed to go. Orphans weren’t allowed to do anything that wasn’t considered a chore.”

“We can fix that,” I replied. “This year, I will show you all about Christmas.”

“Are you sure?” Kalli asked, looking nervous. “We won’t get in trouble?”

“Of course not,” I laughed. “We just have to do things a bit differently because we don’t have money. It’s okay though. I’m a summoner.”

Kalli bounced, unable to contain her sudden excitement. “Okay, what do we do first?”

“First, huh?” I replied, rubbing my chin. “Well, first, we should go look at Christmas trees.”

She beamed. “Trees? Are they magic trees?”

“Kind of,” I replied, wondering where to find a fancy Christmas tree in downtown Los Angeles. The truth was, I didn’t know the area at all. I took out the M-Phone to see if it could be of any help on the matter.

The voice assistant, PAA, spoke in its usual metallic voice. “Greetings, how may I be of assistance today?”

“We want to look at Christmas trees,” I announced.

The screen lit up with several tree lots where people could purchase a tree for their home, including a Walmart with a special on fake trees. I shook my head and said, “No, we want to go look at a big tree that’s already decorated. You know, a public tree?”

“Understood,” Paa replied. The list changed and four locations popped up.

Kalli saw one and squealed excitedly. “Look, Mel! They have one at Disneyland.”

“We’re banned from there,” I said, frowning. “I don’t think we should go back. We might be arrested, and I don’t want to go to the police station ever again.”

I cringed at the memory of what happened in the wake of the Griffon incident. Kalli felt my apprehension through our bond and placed a hand on mine. “It’s okay. We don’t have to go to Disneyland. What about these other locations?”

I looked at the list and pointed at one in the distance even though there were a few downtown. “There. Let’s go to Hollywood.”

“That place sounds adorable,” Kalli admitted. “Is it a forest?”

I laughed. “Only if the trees are made of celebrities.”

“What’s a celebrity?” Kalli asked.

“Hmm,” I replied. “Well, I suppose they are famous people.”

“Like nobles,” Kalli asked.

“Not exactly,” I replied. “They aren’t just rich. Everybody knows them and usually pay money to watch them.”

Kalli giggled. “Like bards?”

“Yes,” I sighed. “Hollywood is filled with bards.”

She was a lot more excited about that than I thought she’d be. We walked hand in hand out of The Academy until we were standing on the streets of LA. I consulted with the M-Phone again and asked, “Do you want to take the griffon or do you want to try the subway?”

Kalli gave me her patent deer-in-the-headlights look. “What’s that?”

“Well,” I replied, trying to figure out a good way to explain the underground trains. “It’s like a large metal snake we can ride to get somewhere too far to walk.”

Kalli swallowed hard. “Is it safe?”

“Usually,” I replied, not wanting to tell her that they sometimes crash or break down. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” Kalli said hesitantly before smiling and adding. “If you say so then I’ll trust you.”

“It smells strange down here?” Kalli pointed out as we descended the stairs to the subway platform. “I’m not quite sure what it is. Kind of like Mac’s chariot or that bus thing we used to get to the mall. Only stronger.”

“That would be oil,” I replied. “Cars and trains use this thing called internal combustion. The fuel ignites in the engine and uses the energy to make the vehicle move forward.”

“Oh,” Kalli replied. I wasn’t sure she understood. “Do you think I can do that with my magic?”

I thought about it. “Sure. You might even be able to use your fire to fly.”

“Didn’t you do that with wind?” She asked, remembering my mishap in wind class where I floated away.

I thought about it. “Maybe not quite like that. I became the wind. Do you think you can become fire?”

Kalli frowned, a look of concentration appearing on her face. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

She squeaked and jumped into my arms when the train shot out of the tunnel. I was secretly grateful to it for startling her. Kalli noticed and hit my arm. “That scared me! Don’t be happy about it. If you want a hug, all you have to do is ask.”

“Can I have one more?” I asked hopefully.

Kalli grinned and I was rewarded with a kiss to go along with the second hug. We climbed onto the train and found seats. It wasn’t crowded because of the holiday. She gave me a nervous look. “Do we have to do anything to make it go?”

“No,” I laughed. “Just sit back and enjoy the ride.”

As if in time to my answer, the subway doors closed and the air brakes released with a hiss. Then the train slowly lurched into motion. Kalli held onto my arm for a minute before gradually releasing me to look out the window. “It’s so dark out there.”

“Well, we are underground,” I explained.

“Are we going to go through the dungeon?” Kalli asked, remembering the dungeon we did a few weeks ago.

“I hope not,” I replied. “I’m pretty sure trains aren’t designed to withstand monster attacks.”

We spent the next half an hour talking about trains and monsters until we were interrupted by an announcement. “The next stop is the Hollywood Highland station.”

I stood and walked over to the door. Kalli followed and asked, “How do we make it stop?”

“Magic,” I grinned, quickly correcting myself when she pinched me. “It’ll stop on its own.”

“This isn’t a forest at all,” Kalli ground as we emerged from the subway station. “And why do they need to spell the name of the town on the hill? Do people forget what it’s called otherwise?”

I laughed. “I never thought about it. That sign is famous though. They always blow it up in disaster movies.”

“What’s a movie?” Kalli asked.

I had to remember that Kalli had very little Earth experience. “It’s kind of like the television back at my house. You know, the one where we got the quest to save Eddie.”

“I know about those,” Kalli admitted. “Mrs. Hodgins has one too. She used it to watch a man next to a map tell us what the weather is going to be.”

I laughed. “They also have movies on there. I’ll tell you what, tonight, we can find a movie theatre and watch a real movie. A Christmas movie.”

“Really?” Kalli asked, holding my hand. “What else should we do for Christmas?”

I thought about it. “Well, there’s traditional holiday food. Some people eat turkey, ham, or prime rib. Then there’s dessert. Ooh, we can make a gingerbread house.”

“A house?” Kalli asked, looking at a housing development on a hillside in the distance. “Have you ever made a house before?”

I chuckled. “These houses are a lot smaller, and you can eat them.”

Kalli licked her lips. “I like this already.”

“We can also exchange presents,” I replied, feeling a little down. My mom always struggled to get by. Presents weren’t always a guarantee in our house.

Kalli picked up on it and gave me a reassuring smile. “Presents it is. We can have fun with it.”

“Yes!” I replied, realizing I could edit anything I wanted now.

It didn’t take us long to find the tree. Situated in front of a music store, it towered above the other buildings in the area. We had missed the lighting ceremony so it was already all lit up. Bulbs of every color sparkled in between decorative ornaments and ribbons. Kalli pointed and giggled loudly. “Mel, look at that tree. It’s so pretty.”

“I know,” I replied. Only I wasn’t looking at the tree. Kalli’s excitement made her even more beautiful.

We walked up to the tree where a bunch of decorative boxes rested at its base. “Are these presents for the bards?”

I laughed. “No. I’m sure they have trees of their own at their houses. These are just empty boxes that make the tree look better.”

Kalli reached over to pick one up but an on-the-ball security officer came rushing over. “Please, Miss, don’t touch that.”

Kalli sighed and pulled her hand back. “I just wanted to see if it was empty.”

While the man stopped a few feet away and glared at us, I picked up a pebble and looked at the package under the tree.

Item:

Christmas Decorative Box

Components

Box, Wrapping Paper

Item Rank:

F

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

City of Hollywood

I chuckled and made my own.

Item:

More Impressive Christmas Decorative Box (Edited)

Components

Box, Wrapping Paper, Actual Present

Item Rank:

C

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

Murphy

The guard gaped at me as another box appeared in my hand. It was obvious that it didn’t belong under the tree as it was bright red and sparkled in the sunlight. It also had a green ribbon that slithered around the package like a snake.

I handed it to Kalli, whose mouth fell open. She accepted it and whispered. “Is this for me? Wait, they’re something inside.”

I gave her a thumbs up. The problem was, I had no clue what the actual present was. It should have called itself a mystery box. The guard got over his confusion and walked over to us. “Are you some kind of magician?”

I shrugged. “My girlfriend wanted a present so I gave her one.”

Kalli kissed me on the cheek before giving the guard a shy look. “Sorry for trying to touch the bard’s present.”

“Bard?” The guard asked with a look of confusion on his face.

I tried to explain. “She means celebrities.”

“These presents are empty,” the guard replied.

“I was trying to check to see if they were,” Kalli said matter-of-factly. “Until you stopped me, that is.”

“Are you going to open that one?” The guard asked, eyeing Kalli’s gift longingly.

Kalli looked at me, speaking in mate chat for the first time all day. Should I?

I shrugged.

It’s up to you. I won’t blame you if you don’t want to let him see.

Kalli smiled at the guard and tugged at the ribbon. I don’t mind. He is just doing his job, right?

The ribbon disintegrated as it fell from the package. Kalli opened the lid and looked inside. I did too. Inside was a cake. I’d seen the design before in snack cakes even though I’d never tried one.

Item:

Yule Log

Components

Cake, Cream, Frosting

Item Rank:

C

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

Murphy & Hellquist

Kalli looked at it in surprise. “Is that food?”

The guard, who was also looking at the box, said, “That’s not just food. That cake. A Yule Log. It’s a Christmas tradition. They are delicious.”

“Would you like some?” Kalli offered, flashing the guard her trademark smile.

The man hedged for a moment, looking around to see if anybody else was around. “Well, I suppose I could take a plate. Come with me, I got paper plates back at the guard shack.”

We followed him back to a trailer. Inside he handed us each a paper plate and a plastic fork. I took out the multitool from my fanny pack and carved three slices. The guard was more interested in the knife than the cake. “Where did you get that?”

“Oh, this?” I replied, heaping a large slice of cake on his plate. “I got it from a catalog.”

Kalli giggled. He can’t use magic catalogs, silly.

I grinned at her.

I know.

I waited to eat my cake while I watched Kalli try hers. Her face lit up as she enjoyed the textures of the chocolate cake with the soft cream inside. Once she finished the bite, she announced. “It’s delicious!”

The guard agreed. “This is better than any Yule Log I’ve ever tried. Where did you get this?”

“It’s magic,” I replied, not sure where my magic got it from.

“What next?” Kalli asked as we walked hand in hand down the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “And why are all these stars on the ground.”

I was having a good time reading the names on the stars as I’d never been to Hollywood before. “This is called the Walk of Fame. Famous actors, er bards, get their own star if they are popular enough.”

“I’d love to hear them sing,” Kalli replied.

Thinking about what to do next, I said, “Let’s find a mall to shop for gifts then we can go to dinner and watch a movie.”

“Okay,” she replied. “Don’t we need money for that?”

I shook my head. “I have an idea. Let’s look around first.”

“You aren’t going to steal something, are you?” She asked, looking concerned.

“No,” I replied. “Don’t worry. You’ll see.”

We decided to ride the Phoenix and look for a shopping mall. It didn’t take us long to find one called “Ovation.”

It consisted of a tall building with five floors and an open courtyard in the middle. We landed the Phoenix on top of a nearby parking structure and walked in. Walking through the mall reminded me of the first time I’d taken Kalli to the one by my house. It felt like an eternity ago even though it had only been several months. She wanted to go into every story and asked me about everything she saw. Until we got to a clothing store that was.

“Watch this,” she said as she looked at a designer dress in a display window. The Phoenix dress began to transform until it was a replica of the dress in the window.

Suddenly, a clerk from the store rushed over and screamed at us. “Take that off right now. That dress is for display purposes only. It costs more than…hey. Wait a second. How? What?”

I laughed as the clerk had a meltdown as he looked at Kalli’s cloned dress. The only difference was the Phoenix emblazoned across it. Kalli looked panicked and the dress morphed back into her usual blue dress. She gave the clerk a look of concern and said, “I’m very sorry.”

The clerk gaped at her and asked, “How did you do that?”

“It’s magic,” I replied, quickly ushering Kalli from the store.

We skipped several stores to put some distance between us before stopping at another store. Once inside, I stopped and picked up a purse. “What do you think of this?”

Kalli looked inside. “A bag? Is it magic?”

I replied. “Some women think they are. It’s called a purse. Do you want one?”

She frowned, trying it on. “I don’t know. It’s not very practical, is it?”

I looked at the thing and shrugged. “We can look at other bags if you like.”

She agreed and we found ourselves at a sports store looking at backpacks. Kalli was very interested in a bag with a bunch of zippers and a pocket for a water bottle. She held it up to me. “I like this one.”

I took a close look at it.

Item:

Sportstastic Utility Backpack

Components

Leather, Plastic, Metal

Item Rank:

C

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

Chick’s Sporting Goods

Kalli was somewhat perplexed when we left the store without buying it. That was until I edited another pebble into an exact copy of the backpack. We walked in and out of stores for a while until Kalli asked, “What do you want?”

Thinking of the song, I said, “All I want for Christmas is you.”

Kalli giggled in response. “You already have me. Pick something else.”

In the end, I decided on a video game I’d been meaning to buy. It was on sale and I hadn’t been playing much since I met Kalli. I set it back on the shelf, intending to go outside and edit myself a copy but Kalli picked it back. I stared at her. “What are you doing?”

Kalli reached into a pocket in her dress and pulled out a wad of cash. “I’m going to buy you a present.”

“Where did you get that?” I asked.

She grinned. “Mrs. Hodgens gave me some spending money before I left. It wasn’t much but I can afford this easily.”

While I didn’t want Kalli to waste the money, it gave me a warm feeling inside to know she was spending what little money she had on me. I stuffed it into my fanny pack after she bought it. Once we left the shop, she asked, “What next?”

“I don’t know,” I hedged, trying to remember the plan. “There’s a movie theatre over there, and they are playing Christmas movies all day. Let’s go watch one.”

“Sure,” Kalli chirped, hooking her arm through mine.

I looked up at the display when we got in line. Five movies were being offered.

Miracle of 34th Street

It’s a Wonderful Life

A Christmas Story

Elf

And the one I was hoping to find.

Die Hard

We got to the front of the line and I said, “Two for Die Hard please.”

Kalli raised an eyebrow but said nothing. We walked inside and I bypassed the concession stand. I was going to edit some popcorn and soda once the lights went out in the theatre. Kalli stared wide-eyed at the screen when we entered. “Are you sure this is the same as the quest box? It’s huge.”

“It’s the same but different,” I replied. “This is where you go when you want to experience a movie.”

We climbed the stairs looking for the perfect seats. Not many people occupied the theatre that day so it wasn’t crowded. Kalli sat next to me and I edited a tub of popcorn. She watched me eat a few handfuls before trying some herself. “It’s good but it makes me thirsty.”

I edited a soda for her. She’d had that before so she didn’t say much. Suddenly, the lights went out and the first trailer began. Kalli gasped as we were bathed in sound. The movie theatre sounded far better than my beat-up old television. She switched to mate chat to be heard over the loud sound. This is so cool.

Wait till you see the movie.

***

Kalli frowned when the movie ended and the lights came on. Do that many people die every Christmas? It sounds scary.

People don’t usually die on Christmas.

She stared at me as we exited the theatre. Then how was that a Christmas movie?

I shrugged.

I don’t know. It just is.

We flew back to the dorm and the first thing I did was edit a mini Christmas tree for the common room. Then we used the buff to make a prime rib dinner for the two of us. Once we finished eating, I asked. “So, how did you like Christmas?”

She beamed at me. “It was amazing.”

Getting a burst of inspiration, I edited one final item.

Item:

Mistletoe (Edited)

Components

Plant

Item Rank:

C

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

Murphy

Kalli looked up when I held it over her head. “What is this?”

I grinned. “There’s a tradition that if two people meet under a sprig of mistletoe, they have to kiss.”

“Really?” She asked. “Is it magic or something?”

“The magic is in the kiss,” I replied.

Then she kissed me.

Merry Christmas Everyone!