My Christmas Star ( A Santa Clause Story Ft Bernard x OC)

Chapter 4: The North Pole

There was ice and snow all around us. No houses or signs of anything living around us, except for us and the reindeer of course. I shivered because it was much, much colder than what I was used to.
"Is this okay, Dad?" asked Charlie.
"No, it's not okay!" my dad yelled. "Hey, does this look like home to you guys?"
The reindeer ignored us and moved forward. At first I thought they were going to take us with them but it turned out that they were now detached from the sleigh.
"No, no, no, no, no! Hey, hey, hey! Where you goin'? Come back here! Aww!" my dad yelled in frustration. My dad sat down and buried his face in his hands. Just then, a figure appeared from behind the snow bank. My dad noticed him as soon as Charlie and I did.
"Hey, hey! Hey, buddy!" Dad called out to him. The figure turned out to be a kid. Or an elf, for that matter. The elf ignored my dad.
"You, sir! Hey!" my dad called. The elf ignored him and took off his gloves. He then rubbed them together and blew on them to warm them up. He gave us a quick smile before he placed a hand in the ground.
"Can you hear me?" dad asked the kid. The kid pulled out a pole and it sprouted out from beneath the ground on its own. The top of the pole was made of pure crystal and it shimmered right at us.
"What's that?" dad asked Charlie and I.
"I don't know," Charlie replied.
"Looks like the North Pole to me," I replied.
"That's the North Pole?" dad said in disbelief.
"On second thought dad, I think this might be Canada," I said sarcastically. I then hit the back of my dad's head as something popped out of the pole.
"Ow!" my dad winced, rubbing the back of his head. "Hey, buddy, we need some help. Hello! What are you doing?" my dad called out to the elf once more. The elf then placed his fingers on what seemed to be a keypad. We then started to move downwards.
"Whoa," I said as I grabbed a hold of dad's arm as Charlie held on to mine. We looked down and what I saw astonished me. I couldn't believe it. It seemed like we were in a stable but the stable was flooded with kids, or--elves.
"Sit back," my dad told Charlie who was leaned forward to try and get a better look at everything. The elves were all looking at us, specifically my dad. I don't know why, but I felt
like I was special in that very moment. My eyes then laid themselves on someone. Someone who seemed to be close to my age. He smiled at us as the sleigh landed on the ground.
"Where are all the grown ups?" Dad asked.
"This is so cool," Charlie exclaimed.
"Stay here," Dad told us before he got up and out of the sleigh.
"Yeah, no way in hell am I staying here. I need to stretch my legs," I said as I got up and out of the sleigh.
"Fine. But Stay close to the sleigh. Charlie, you stay put," Dad said. I got out of the sleigh and stretched. Some of the elves stared and gawked at me as I did so, but I didn't care. I needed to stretch my tired and sore legs.
"Stella?"came a voice. I turned around and saw the elf that looked to be my age. He knows my name?
"Yes?" I replied, turning to face him.
"Follow me, please," he said.
"Oh, okay. Yes, sir," I said as I followed behind him. We went over to my dad who was arguing with a little girl elf.
"Hey! Who's causin' all the trouble around here?" the elf asked.
"He is," the girl elf said the same time as my dad said; "She is."
"Excuse me. Are we on a coffee break?" the older elf asked.
"We don't drink coffee," the girl elf replied.
"Then I guess the break is over," the older elf snapped. "Back to work. Thanks."
Oh, damn. He's a little bossy.
"Take it easy on her, will ya? Who are you and why are you with my daughter?" my dad asked.
"I'm Bernard. Nice to meet ya, Santa. And your daughter is now your assistant," Bernard introduced before he started walking again.
"I'm sorry...I'm his what?" I asked
"I'm not Santa!" my dad yelled as he and I trailed after Bernard. "I've had a rough night. There's been dogs barkin', guns goin' off," my dad rambled. "Look, my back's killin' me. Have you ever tried to shove a sea kayak down a chimney? I'm tired of this small talk," my dad ranted on. Some of the elves turned to glare or give disapproving looks to my dad.
"The other Santa disappeared, right?" Bernard asked with a small but amused smile on his face. He snickered, shook his head and continued walking. Dad and I exchanged looks then went to follow Bernard again.
"Wait a minute. Hey, I know where this is goin'. It wasn't my fault. The other guy fell. It was an accident. I've got homeowner's insurance and a good attorney. Not as good as my wife's, but let's not open up that wound. Hold it a minute. Wh-Whoa, whoa, whoa." My dad stopped Bernard as we left the stable and stood in front of a door labeled: Ballroom.
"How did you know the other guy was gone?" my dad asked.
"Dad, he knew my name. Pretty sure he knows about everything else too," I said to him.
"Can I get you a drink?" Bernard asked, pushing our conversation aside.
"Ooh, a drink sounds good," I said as I looked up at Bernard. He smiled a little just as my dad said "No, I don't want a drink."
"--I'm thirsty," came my brother's voice. He was right behind us. "And hungry too."
Bernard looked down at my brother.
"Charlie, I thought I told you to stay in the sleigh," my dad told Charlie.
"Who's this?" Bernard asked as he gestured to my brother who stood in front of me. I had my hands on his shoulders. 
"Wow, Bernard. You know my name but not my little brother's?" I asked, sarcastically. Bernard chuckled. Damn, I just made the bossy elf laugh.
"This-- This is my son, Charlie," my dad introduced. "I'm sorry. Charlie, this is Buh, Beh, Beh–"
"--Bernard," Bernard and I said in unison. The two of us looked at each other and smiled.
"Bernard," my dad repeated.
"Hi, Bernard," Charlie greeted as he put his hand out.
"Hiya, sport," Bernard greeted as he shook my brother's hand.
"Hey, Dad, he called me "sport" just like you," Charlie said to dad.
"Wonderful," my dad said, sarcastically.
"Hey, you know what. I got somethin' for you," Bernard said to my brother. My dad groaned. "Okay, now hold out your hand, all right?" Bernard told my brother as he reached inside his sack. "Now, be very careful. This is very old, just like me," Bernard said as he took out a snowglobe and handed it to Charlie.
"Wow, it's beautiful," I said as I looked  between the snow-globe and Bernard.
"Shake it up, Charlie," Bernard told Charlie. Charlie did so and the ball came to life. The sleigh and Reindeer flew over what seemed to be our own neighborhood.
"Whoa," Charlie and I said in unison as we both admired the snow-globe.
"Why don't you, uh, hold onto it for me for a while. It might come in handy," Bernard told Charlie.
"Thanks. Thanks a lot," Charlie said in a grateful tone. "I promise I'll take real good care of it," Charlie said with a nod.
"Make sure you do," said Bernard.
"I will," Charlie replied.
"Hey, Dad, look!" Charlie said as he went to show dad his new snow-globe.
"Damn, nothing for me?" I asked with fake disappointment.
"Don't worry. I do have something for you. I'll give it to you later," Bernard replied. I nodded.
"Huh. Fabulous ball," Dad said, indifferently before he handed the snow globe back to Charlie.
"Hey, Barabbas–"
"-Bernard," Bernard and I corrected. We looked at each other again.
"Bernard. Can we take a direct flight back to reality, or do we have to change planes in Denver?" my dad asked, sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and facepalmed.
"Uh, Larry, take Charlie here and get him some chow," Bernard said as he ignored my dad and gestured to an elf passing by. Charlie went after him.
"No, Larry, don't do that. Charlie!" my dad called back.
"He'll be okay. You two, follow me. You'll want to get out of those clothes," Bernard said as he started walking forward.