She remained with them in the clearing for several minutes longer, enjoying the feel of the sun on her skin as it crept through the trees, ready to start the day. Mystery seemed to fill the air, a variable to unmask, a thread to tug. And Holly was the one to pull it.
* * *
When Holly returnedto the Emerald House for her breakfast, the server she had met the previous day, the one Ash had referred to as his best friend, was working again. Without looking at her tag, Holly remembered that her name was Sofia. She gave her a warm smile.
“Can I get you started with some coffee this morning?” Sofia asked, paper pad in hand and pen tucked behind her ear. She had light-brown skin and curly brown hair with golden highlights. It was pulled back into a loose, chic bun. A few delicate curls sprang from it, and some spirals framed her face as well. A smattering of freckles was scattered across her nose. She was at least a few inches shorter than Holly, but energy radiated from her small frame. Guitar-shaped earrings dangled from her ears.
Holly shook her head. “I’ll take another one of those hot chocolates, if you make them this early.”
“Of course. I’ll bring that right out for you. I’m Sofia, by the way.” She pulled the pen from behind her ear and pointed it lazily toward her name tag.
“I’m Holly. I’d like to check out a few more small businesses in town today. Is there any place you’d recommend?”
Sofia’s eyes lit up. “Oh yes. Just go down to Main Street. There’s a cute little bookstore, a souvenir store, and a local art and jewelry gallery. And some evenings, we have live music here in the café.” She hesitated then arched an eyebrow. “There’s actually a show on tonight. I’m not working this evening, and I was thinking about coming back for it. This week’s group is one of my favorites. Would you like to join me?” Her round brown eyes studied Holly from behind thick, dark lashes.
“Absolutely,” Holly replied, not needing to think about her answer. Concerts were always good for Cheer levels. Even though her Cheer meter was still full, and nothing was causing it to go down, it would be a good opportunity to run some tests with a few more locals if she didn’t have any luck during the day. “What time is the show?”
“It starts at seven.” Sofia’s face brightened, and her warmth radiated from the inside out.
“Okay. I’ll meet you in the lobby?”
“You got it, girl.” Sofia gave one last smile then turned on her heel and disappeared into the kitchen.
Holly was surprised by the anticipation she felt for the evening. She’d been to concerts many times but never via invitation. Sofia, as far as Holly knew, had no other agenda for the evening than enjoying some music with friends.
Holly was still thinking about the concert when Sofia slid her hot chocolate across the table. “Enjoy.” Sofia gave her a quick smile then walked over to seat a couple who had just entered the restaurant. Holly inhaled deeply before taking a sip. The cocoa was just as good as it had been the day before, the whipped cream and peppermint topping a perfect pairing. She was beginning to suspect that Emerald Hollow had some kind of magic of its own.
ChapterNine
Holly took Sofia’s suggestion and visited Main Street. Her Cheer meter held steady as she browsed the shops, playing the role of a tourist in town for the fall festival. Though she was wearing the red sweater from the previous day, she had paired it with a plaid skirt and gray leggings instead of jeans, and she thought she fit in well.
She studied the downtown of Emerald Hollow with practiced care. Some small, incredibly charming shops were obviously doing well, but every few buildings was an empty shop with a For Rent sign in the window. Despite the constant comings and goings of guests at the Emerald House, it seemed that the town might not be doing so well economically.
She kept a close watch on her meter as she chatted with the various small-business owners, but none of the shops or their shopkeepers seemed to cause the incessant heat on her wrist that she’d experienced multiple times at the Emerald House.
After going into five different shops, Holly continued to mill around Main Street, unsure for once what her next step should be. She’d tested her watch on multiple subjects, and she hadn’t come away with any answers for why her Cheer meter wasn’t declining. It seemed as if the detector for negative emotions was broken.How else can I study whatever is going on?
The only path forward that she could think of was to continue to spend time in the town and hope that a revelation would come to her at some point. The idea made her feel antsy. She didn’t know how to stay in one place for very long, especially without the constant stimulation of emotions flying at her from every direction.
When she turned a corner, she spotted an old movie theatre. The name was borne on what appeared to be the original white marquee with red letters jutting out from an old brick building. A sign on the door read “Showing your classic favorites.”
Holly generally avoided movies. Even the happy ones tended to have tense moments that caused a spike in anxiety, sadness, or fear in the viewers. Comedies were a safer bet, but she didn’t always understand the humor, and they sometimes sparked embarrassment in certain viewers, which sent her Cheer levels crashing.
In fact, she could probably count on two hands the number of movies she’d seen, and she’d been able to sit all the way through less than half of them without getting up to escape an onslaught of Cheer-tanking emotions.
But since she didn’t have emotions to chase her away from a movie, she pulled open the glass door and went inside, staring up at the list of showtimes as she approached the counter. A movie was starting in ten minutes.
“I’ll see that one.” Holly pointed at the poster that was taped to the glass display counter. The theater attendant nodded and printed her a ticket.
“That’s one of my all-time favorites. My mom watched it a lot when I was growing up.” The girl, who appeared to be a teenager, handed Holly her ticket. “Theater number three.” Holly hadn’t paid much attention to which movie she was selecting, but she smiled at the girl before passing into the theater.
The seats were red and cushioned, obviously not one of the original components of the theater. So far, the only other attendees were two elderly women who sat together, and Holly took a seat a few rows behind them, settling in toward the center of the large room.
It quickly became apparent that the movie Holly had selected was what humans would call a romantic comedy. A big-city woman returned home to her small town and eventually fell for her first love again. Holly sat in her plush red seat as the story played out, perplexed. The woman had it all. She was accomplishing everything she wanted to in her career, and she was on track for a big promotion, achieving a dream.Why would she leave all that behind? Did she receive a new Dream?
Holly thought about the Dreams she delivered to humans on Christmas Eve. The commercial stories of Santa Claus delivering toys were always good for a laugh at the North Pole because the Clauses and elves knew that the Dreams they crafted and delivered were so much more important than any toy. Everyone received a Dream, no matter their age. For children, the Dreams tended to burn brightly all year round, though the exact focus of them might change from day to day.
Adult Dreams were more challenging. Many adults forgot their gifted Dream by the time they woke up on Christmas morning. Some thought they were undeserving and squashed the Dream immediately. Others turned the Dream into New Year’s resolutions, which were typically either pursued fervently for a short time then cast aside, or occasionally, a human chipped away at the Dream with the small, day-to-day actions that seemed insignificant but were most likely to lead to success. Those led to a Dream fulfilled, and that was what Holly and the elves lived for.
