Believe Read Online Free Page A

me. We share a stiff embrace before they all but shove me outside with my suitcase. Elwyn is waiting for me on a sleek snowmobile. I climb on behind him, and we take off across the snow-covered plain that stretches around us in all directions.
    A strong wind whips up around us and I bury my face deeper into my hood. I don't want to see where we’re going anyway.
    I’ve been away from the North Pole exactly four times in my life. The trips were always during the off-season and involved visiting other mythical figures in their homelands. Not exactly the normal holiday vacation most girls my age have.
    A wave of nostalgia bottles up inside me. I force down tears past the welling lump in my throat and sneak a look back at the village rapidly fading from view. Okay, village might be a misnomer. The place is more like a small city with our house and the workshop in the center. The crowning glory. I turn back around so I don't fall off the snowmobile, which seems to have entered more rugged terrain from the way its bouncing everywhere. Either that or Elwyn has decided to do some fancy driving to distract me.
    I resume my previous position of face buried in hood, trying desperately not to think about what comes next. Soon enough we will reach the town where Nick resides and I’ll have to meet him face to face. Somehow I’ll have to convince him he wants to marry me and become the next Santa Claus. How much more ridiculous and impossible could all of this be? I swear the elf elders and my parents are just setting me up to fail. Miserably.
    Suddenly the rush of wind around me stills and I know we have entered The Tunnel, a place that connects our world to the human world. I’ve never been here before and get ready to take a peek when Elwyn says, "Keep your eyes hidden. Look once, be blind forever."
    The sternness, the seriousness in his voice keeps me from looking around. He could be lying to me. I realize that. The elves guard their secrets well, but I also know better than to mess around with things like this. If Elwyn says I'll go blind from peeking, chances are I will.
    Soon enough this part of the ride is over and we have emerged into brilliant sunlight. I can feel the glare through the fabric of my hood. Easing the material off my head I look around. We are in a remote field surrounded by trees in all directions. Maybe if I had paid better attention during my schooling I’d be able to identify them, but sadly I can't.
    Elwyn hops off the snowmobile, surprisingly nimble for someone under three feet tall, and strides across the field. When he looks back at me with impatience written across his face, I realize I'm meant to follow. I grumble to myself. It sure would be nice if he'd give me some idea of how all of this works. Grabbing my suitcase, I stumble across the field, my boots tangling with the brown stalks of something.
    When I reach the place Elwyn stands I notice a small opening in the trees, sort of like a road, but most likely just a dirt path. Elwyn gestures to the road and begins walking. I get he’s an elf elder and all, but why can't he just talk to me. This is getting infuriating. I kick a tree root for good measure, wincing as pain ricochets through my foot. Elwyn smirks before turning away again.
    As I follow him into the woods, I realize I'm not as cold here as I was at home. Certainly that's only partly because there is no snow here. I know that winter has begun though, maybe because the season is programmed into me.
    "Where are we going? How far until we get to Nick's house? Can't you tell me anything?" The stream of questions flows freely, unstemmed by any response from Elwyn, who just keeps walking. My feet are getting tired, and my suitcase is too heavy. What did Ebrillwen pack in here? Rocks? The questions begin to come out in a whine. I can tell that Elwyn's annoyed, but since he still won't answer me, I keep it up.
    The path suddenly opens onto a road. Gravel causes me to skid a