"Jingle, how many more days will you last like this?" Holly asked the morning of the 11th.

"You don't understand. I only have today left; the rest of the exams are all on the computer. I can go to Joy's tomorrow and hide out the rest of this."

"Jingle, you are rubbing dirt on your face to hide the sparkle and tucking your ears into your hair. All the while, everyone who is near you walks away, remarking on how Jolly they feel, and any time someone sings a Christmas song, you are magically compelled to sing along. This is worse than a normal elf. This is an elf on a sugar high," Holly gestured to Jingle, "and it is leaving you exhausted."

"I am fine. Today is the last day."

"And what about next semester or all our friends? You have avoided them since this whole thing started?"

"I think this is just because Christmas is coming up, and I'll return to normal by the spring term."

"You are an elf. This is your normal." Holly gestured emphatically, getting a bit angry.

"Not anymore!"

"Jingle bells, jingle bell," Holly started singing, and Jingle was compelled to finish, despite that not being a typical affliction for elves.

"Point taken, but what do you want me to do, tell the truth?"

"No, the secret of the North Pole must be kept."

"Then what?"

It may be time for you to go home.

"Go home. Are you giving up on me? I don't belong there, but here they get me. I have friends. Are you really suggesting I leave all that, and for what? I don't even know if they would want me back now."

"But it is where you belong."

"I'm not listening to this," Jingle stormed out in a huff, leaving Holly calling after her. Jingle hoped that the bracelet's magic would last until the next day when she was going. When Jingle woke up the next morning, her transformation was finished, and she was utterly changed back into an elf; even her clothes changed.

"Oh, I have to get out of here," Jingle exclaimed upon seeing herself

"Joy won't be here until this afternoon; she works." Holly rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and then reeled after seeing that the magic had worn off. "You can't leave this dorm."

"I wasn't planning on it." Holly had to leave for her final exam, and Jingle started getting ready to leave this place she wanted to go as smoothly as possible. While she was packing, there was a knock, and the door opened. Jingle dove under the bed.

"Jess, Holly." It was Tommy, but what in the world was he doing here. "I know that one of you is here. The door was unlocked." He glanced around and walked back out, knocking on the neighbor's door. When Jingle heard a conversation start, she made a run for it. Tommy followed playfully at first but then realized something was wrong. Once outside, Jingle had to find somewhere to hide, so in a quick decision, she hid in some bushes and waited for Tommy to pass. Jingle then had to deal with the fact that she couldn't get back in, in her condition, without being seen. So she crossed the street to hide in the back of a parking lot; people usually pay little attention to others who hang out in the back of parking lots. Jingle managed to sneak past everyone, then ran for the back of the parking lot but was immediately grabbed by someone mid-stride. Nicholas had found her.

"Let me go," Jingle screamed in fear. Close enough to hear her screams, Tommy came running to help, but he stopped short of reaching her. "Help me."

"Wha... what happened to you? I mean, last time I saw you, you were and now." Tommy was paling and stumbling back a bit.

"Please, I can explain." Nicholas released her, no longer fearing her escape.

"No," He put his hands out, blocking her progress forward, "you stay away from me."

"Tommy, I'm still me. I'm still your friend."

"You Lied or something, and I thought... oh god, I have to go." Tommy ran off in confusion and fear, leaving Jingle frozen where she stood.

"Jingle, I have to bring you back so that we can protect the secret," Nicholas said, reaching his hand out, hoping that she would now come of her own accord.

"Stop, Stop" Holly yelled, running up to them.

"Father will have many things to say about this when we return, Holly." Nicholas ensured Holly knew she wasn't getting off so quickly.

"No, you don't understand. Chris Just called me. He said he couldn't reach you and asked me to tell you where there is a big problem with some plan, and he wants you to meet him in Tampa," Holly said, pulling Jingle a little further away from Nicholas.

"I only brought enough magic to return to the North Pole," Nicholas lamented. He was very bothered by this news. Whatever Christopher wanted was obviously necessary. "Jingle, you can get us there; elves have innate travel magic. That's how they watch the children of the world."

"No, find your way to Tampa. I won't help you end my life here." Jingle ripped herself from Holly's grasp but stayed close enough to speak to Nicholas.

"I'll leave you alone. I'll stop looking for you completely if you help me get to Tampa." He was out on a limb and could get in real trouble for this. Jingle thought for a moment and then agreed to help. It was worth the risk to her.

"We better get me into Holly's car before someone else sees me, and we need a Tampa snow globe." Holly handed her car keys to Nicholas, but she stayed to finish her exams and help Joy get everything out of the dorm. Jingle and Nicholas went to the airport, figuring it was the best place to look for memorabilia from other cities; he searched so many stores that he was sure this would never work until he found the right store with junk from what looked like every city in the world. After the discovery, Nicholas drove back to give the car to Holly, but she had other plans.

"I took all my exams. Leave the keys in the car unlocked, and let's go," She said, meeting them in the parking lot.

"You have one tomorrow," Jingle mentioned.

"Well, it took a little persuading, but I managed it. Now, let's go. Aunt Joy will be back for the car. Let's go! Let's go!"

"Wait, hole up. You two are not coming," Nicholas said, holding the snow globe out of reach.

"Jingle has to go if she is opening the portal, and I go where Jingle goes to keep her safe from you." Holly tossed her hands on her hips for effect.

"Fine, but you two do not mess with what we are doing." Nicholas handed the snow globe to Jingle. Jingle placed it on the ground and tapped it once. Peppermint filled the air, and snow started to whirl around them. Holly could feel the warm rays of the sun on her skin. Once through, they waited for Christopher to arrive at the boardwalk.

"There he is," Holly said, spotting Christopher parking his car.

"You found the runaway elf, did you," Christopher said, coming up and taking Jingle's hand for a handshake. "Your evasive skills are awe-inspiring, miss."

"Thank you," Jingle answered apprehensively; Jingle didn't know how this clause would respond to seeing her.

"Nicholas, are we including Holly and the elf in the plans?" Christopher asked,

"No, it is still..." Nicholas was abruptly interrupted by Holly stepping in front of him

"Yes, you are because if things are this clandestine and exciting, you cannot keep it from me." Holly fancied herself an adventurer.

"This isn't fun or an adventure, Holly, and it has nothing to do with you." Nicholas pulled Holly out from in front of him.

"I want to stay down here, and I don't want to have Dad's Job. There now, stop your fighting." Holly whipped around, hitting Nicholas in the face with her hair; it would have been funny if it wasn't so shocking.

"Who will be Santa then?" Holly was quiet again, fully understanding the need for secrecy, even if she was slightly afraid of the question.

"Nicholas said he would do it. We have been trying to figure out a way to make that permanent so that Dad can't undo the situation. Still, we haven't been very successful," Christopher explained.

"Well, it is not the first time the younger brother became Santa, so there must be a way." Everyone stared, looking very confused at what Jingle said: "I read a book that followed the succession of Santa, and either the first transition or the second, it was the younger brother that took the mantel while the older brother relinquished his claim."

"Was how to do that in the book you read?" Nicholas asked, "Do you know how?"

"I don't know the exact wording off the top of my head, but yes, it is in the book, which is in the library in the history section.

"If we brought you to the library, could you find that book and help Chris escape being Santa?" Nicholas asked.

"Hold on, I was supposed to get you here, and you would let me go. Now I'm taking you to the North Pole and going to get myself caught. That wasn't the deal." Jingle indignantly whispered at the group.

"Jingle, my dad moved the date of his retirement upon us. We don't have much time, definitely not enough to find one book in that mess of a library that would put Alexandria to shame." Jingle could feel the imploring eyes of everyone. She felt all tied up in knots, knowing that returning meant getting caught. Nicholas reached out, putting a hand on her arm, drawing her from her thoughts. "We will protect you, hid you even." Jingle nodded; Nicholas removed his hand rather abruptly, leaving her arm colder than it should have been.

"Find a Santa snow globe," Jingle said.