Chapter 3
"Ugh," Ivy scowls immediately at the mention of her twin brother.
"Don'tevenget me started.
I literally – ugh.
I don't even want to talk about it."
"Okay," he laughs.
"He just – !
Ugh!" Ivy says articulately, pausing in her biscuit eating to stare at the cookie angrily.
"And he's so...ugh!
You know?"
"Absolutely," Luke nods seriously.
"Icompletelyget you."
"And he's always – and it's always like – and I'm always – !
Ugh.
I don't want to talk about it."
"Okay," Luke's smiling, and she hasnoidea why.
It's not like Hector being a completejerkis something tosmileabout...
"Aside from Hector," Luke cuts through her silent rant.
"How are things going over at – where does Santa Claus live, again?"
"I don't think there's a specific place," Ivy says thoughtfully.
"We kinda like to move around a lot so that people don't find us."
"Oh," Luke frowns.
"But the – "
"Letters?" she finishes with a wry smile.
"We organisedthatalongtime ago."
He gazes at her slack mouthed.
"I still can't believe this is all real," he says.
"Believe it, 'cause it's true!" she chirps, then frowns.
"Wait, is that a song?
I don't think it is.
At least, not here.
Maybe in Dellemont.
Or Iskandor!
Or wait, is it Nysa?
Sometimes I get them mixed up...Dellemont and Iskandor, I mean.
Nysa isn't easy to mix up.
Since it's kind of separate from the rest of them.
Being an island and all..."
"What's it like?" Luke asks her, and Ivy realises he's been watching her intently.
"In those other countries, I mean.
I've only ever been out of state here, and I wish..."
"Oh," Ivy says.
"I don't get to see very much of it, really.
I expect they're all quite different at in the day time."
"But, really – " Luke leans forward, eager.
"Tell me about it.
What it's like in Frostford and Rivertown and Yonderport."
"Okay," her brows furrow in concentration.
"But first, can I ask something?"
"Uh, sure."
"Is it you who smells so good?" Ivy leans closer and sniffs Luke's shoulder.
"Uh..."
"No, seriously – " Ivy's sniffing is approaching dog-like levels now, butreally, Luke smellsgood, like brown sugar and wood smoke.
"Do you always do this?" Luke asks, shifting slightly away from her and watching as she presses her nose to his shoulder with some bemusement.
"What?" Ivy snaps back quickly to look at him.
"Smell people?"
"Oh.
Not really.
Sorry," she can feel her cheeks begin to heat up as she avoids eye contact with Luke.
Somaybethe fifty years of no social interaction with anyone other than her mom and Hector are starting to show...
"I'll take it as a compliment," Luke says breezily, getting up.
"Want some milk?"
"Oh,Godyes," Ivy groans, forgetting her embarrassment in favour of remembering her utter thirst.
"Seriously, all the jumping down those chimneys - "
"Jumping?" Luke repeats innocently, and she can see the glimmer of amusement in his eyes even from where she's sitting.
"Are you sure that's the right verb to use?"
"Oh, shut up," she follows him into the kitchen area, hopping onto the counter without asking permission.
"I'm here in one piece, aren't I?
And so are your presents."
"That's true," Luke concedes, wearing a quiet smile.
"Out of interest, whatismy present this year?"
"I can'ttellyou," Ivy rolls her eyes.
"That defeats the whole point of tomorrow!
Actually," she glances at the clock steadily ticking its way through the early morning hung above the sink, "the whole point of today."
"See?
It's today.
So you can tell me."
"No, I can't," she swats his arm.
"That's not fair.
Plus, I'm not sure how well you'll be able to fake complete surprise for the benefit of your family tomorrow."
"You'd be surprised," Luke says, handing her a tall glass of milk and stirring his own mug of dark brown liquid.
"I've gotten by quite well for the past ten years."
"Ha ha," Ivy deadpans.
"Don't be such a Scrooge!"
"I'm not being a Scrooge!" he protests.
"I was justsaying, they tend to be quite predictable."
"Alright, Mister Fussypants, we get it - "
"Whatdid you just - "
"Not even the most surprising of gifts is enough for your high standards.
Whatisthat, by the way?"
"What, you mean my coffee?" Luke holds up the cup that Ivy is nodding at.
"Oh, is that what it is?
Because it smellsreallygood."
"Gee, you have a thing for smells, don't you?" he asks amusedly, sipping at the coffee.
"Oh, yeah," Ivy nods.
"You don't get many of them around in the freezing cold tundra.
Everything just smells of...snow.
Which doesn't really have a smell.
So when you go out on Christmas Eve, it's like...smelloverload.Which isawesome.
Hey, doesn't that stuff keep you awake?" She pauses to gesture to the coffee cup in Luke's hand once more.
"Well, uh, yeah, it does."
"Then why are you drinking it?"
"Well, for one thing, I don't plan on letting you leave until you tell meeverythingabout all those other countries you see.
And I plan on being fully awake while you do."
"That's not good for you," Ivy warns, and she tries to give him a pointed look down her nose, but it doesn't work, because even while she's sat on the counter Luke is still her height, andughstupid human teenage boys and their tallness.
"I'm a junior in high school, Ivy," he replies, grinning as he takes another gulp of the steaming liquid, and she thinks about how this is the first time he's said her name all night, and how she kind of...likesit.
"Coffee and I areverywell-acquainted."
"Junior in high school?" she parrots.
"Uh huh," Luke nods.
"But we're not talking about that now.
You're telling me about all those other countries you've been to see."
"Alright," Ivy can't resist the urgency of Luke's wanderlust, how badly he wants to know about places and countries and people other than his own.
"Where do you wanna start?"
"Tell me about your favourite country to go to."
"Easy.
Elderwood."
"What?
Why?"
"Because they don't celebrate Christmas," Ivy grins.
"I can just fly straight past..."
"You're funny," Luke rolls his eyes.
"Okay, okay, if we're being honest?
Probably here.
Maybe Nysa."
"Really?"
"You guys are sobigon it, y'know?
Christmas isn't just about Jesus, it's about family and spending time together and giving and receiving and Mariah Carey..."
"Mariah Carey," Luke deadpans, raising a brow.
"Yeah!" she exclaims.
"Everyone loves Mariah Carey - "
"I don't," he interrupts flatly.
"Oh,sure, you don't," Ivy teases, shoving him slightly in the chest.
"That's what they all say, but the minute they've had a little too much eggnog, we all know which song gets cracked out first..."
"Oh myGod- "
"What?
It's true!"
Luke opens his mouth to respond, before shaking his head and closing it again. "You're so..."
"So?"
"I don't know," he murmurs.
"Christmas."
"Well," Ivy finishes off her glass and slides off the counter.
"I have no idea wherethatcould've come from."
"Alright, no need to get all cynical," he follows her back to the couch, still nursing his mug of coffee.
"I'm only cynical when I think it's called for," she points out with a smirk.
"Whatever," Luke huffs, but he can't fool her - she can see that smile even if they're both sat on his couch in the darkness.
"How's Jett?" she asks with genuine interest.
"Oh, he's, you know.
A five year-old."
Ivy lets out a laugh.
"I didn't know that could be a mood," she says.
"Of course it can," Luke tells her seriously.
"Age can always be a mood."
"Is that so?"
"Uh huh," he nods.
"For example, right now, I am feeling seventeen years old."
"Youareseventeen years old."
"True.
But I'm also acting my age.
If I suddenly decided to throw a cushion at you, for example - "
"Don't youdare- "
"- I'd be acting around eight."
"Okay, you got me," Ivy agrees.
"But I have a question."
"Shoot."
"Shoot?
Who's shooting?"
Luke smiles, rolling his eyes.
"It's just an expression, Ivy."
"Oh.
Right.
I knew that."
"Sure."
"I did!"
"Okay."
"Whatever," she shoves him in the arm.
"You're soannoyingsometimes."
"As annoying as Hector?" he asks, draining the last dregs of his drink and setting it down on the coffee table.
"No, but keep doing what you're doing, and you'll be heading in that direction," she sniffs with disdain.
"Ouch," Luke places his palm over his heart in mock anguish.
"That hurts, Ivy.
That really does."
"I still haven't asked my question."
"Go on, then."
"Okay.
But you can't laugh."
Luke raises a brow.
"Okay."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
She takes a deep breath.
"What'sajuniorinhighschool?"
"I'm sorry, you're going to have to repeat that, I don't think I can decipher individual words at the speed of light," he jokes.
Ivy sighs.
"What's a junior in high school?"
"Huh?"
"You said you...you said you were a junior in high school."