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V. THE POLAR EXPRESS

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DECEMBER 14TH

THERE WAS SOME progress being made between the brothers as the days passed by. Of course, Blaise nor Noel hadn't taken notice of the subtle changes, but Sunny and Jack certainly had the more time they spent with the brothers. Eira was happy to hear as well, but she wasn't just about to believe that they were learning to get along as their time on Earth wasn't up just yet ━━━ there was still plenty of time for more damage to be done. She deeply wanted to share the information with Gaia, but she didn't want to get the woman's hopes up only to have to let her down once again. Sunny, on the other hand, fully believed in them and had forgiven the boys for the whole Walmart debacle ━━━ she was never able to stay mad at anyone for very long (unless it was very severe or completely unforgivable). Jack wasn't swayed just yet, but Blaise and Noel were growing on him more than he would've cared to admit out loud. Sunny wasn't sure if it was the spirit of Christmas aiding the brothers or something else entirely, but whatever it was, it was working overtime just for the brothers.

With the days having gone by sooner than they had been expecting, the brothers found themselves relaxing in their suite while Sunny and Jack wrapped presents next door. Blaise and Noel were in their separate bedrooms, but their doors partly opened in order to still hear one another. Neither one knew what to do with their newfound freedom or spare time, trying to find some amusement in examining their bland bedrooms. They hadn't really cared to do so when they first stepped inside the suite, but as they looked around, they began to notice things they'd missed.

They could see Eira had added a few knick-knacks to each room so they weren't extremely bored and had a touch of originality to them, but they didn't feel like messing around with any of the intricate toys or skimming through the strange electronics stacked beside their cozy beds. They didn't know what all of their options were either, but as Noel stared at the small TV across from the bed that was playing some cheesy film set in New York with utter boredom trying to weigh him down, an idea suddenly struck him.

"Hey, hot dog," Noel called out, sitting up on his elbows and leaning towards the side to see out of his opened door.

Blaise rolled his eyes and sat up, just barely able to see Noel through the crack in his door. "What, snowball?"

"Wanna sneak outta here?" Noel asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"And get back on Sunny's bad side?" Blaise countered, cocking a brow. "This place may be terrible, but I don't really want to become more miserable than I already am. Thanks for asking first, at least."

"Seriously? You would rather sit here, bored out of our minds, instead of going to see what's all out there?"

"Have you forgotten that we have no idea how to get around this obnoxious city?"

Noel let out a grunt as he clambered off his bed, making his way into Blaise's room despite his protests for him to stay out and in his own room. Noel simply ignored his brother, making his way towards the wooden desk by the closet. He picked up a small device, holding it up with a wide smirk. "We have this," he said, tossing it to Blaise.

Blaise easily caught it, sitting up some more as he carefully examined it. He'd thought he'd seen it before, but he couldn't have been too sure. "Oh, and this little device is going to guide us through this wonderful city?"

"Yeah, it is."

"I highly doubt that."

"I'll prove it to you, hotcakes," Noel sneered, moving towards the bed. He shoved Blaise's legs aside and sat down on the edge, taking the phone and unlocking it as he did so since there was no password. He slowly glanced over the buttons, trying to find the one he'd seen Jack use the day before when they went to a new café a few blocks away.

Blaise raised a brow, seeing his brothers struggle. "Any day now, icicle," Blaise airily hummed, smugly pursing his lips.

"I'm working on it," Noel grunted in response, "Just. . .give me a second."

Noel skimmed through the dainty phone, finally finding the Maps app. He quickly clicked on it, finding that 'home' was already saved. "Look, this place is saved on here," he stated, showing it to Blaise. Blaise snatched it out of Noel's chilly hand, scrunching up his face in disbelief. "If we get lost, all we have to do is click on that and it will tell us how to get back." Blaise opened his mouth to respond, but Noel cut him off. "Since when have you been one to admit defeat?"

"I am not admitting defeat," Blaise firmly defended, relaxing back into his plush pillow, arms folded under his head. "It's just easier for you to get away with things because you're mother's favorite. You never do anything wrong in her eyes."

Noel forced out a laugh at the false statement. "Her favorite ━━━ were we both not sent here, Blaise? Are both of us not being punished?"

"Shut up," Blaise simply replied, rolling onto his side to face the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. As much as he despised their predicament, he had no desire to make it worse than it already was. At first, he might've been up for it, and even would want to cause trouble as he did so, but now, not so much. Noel wasn't planning on doing anything crazy or dangerous, but he knew just as well as Blaise that they were slowly losing their minds the longer they sat in their beds with nothing to do.

"Fine," Noel eventually said, standing up with a scoff. "Maybe I am mom's favorite. After all, all you do is aid in ruining what she's trying to rebuild just like these puny humans we are surrounded by."

As soon as the harsh words left Noel's mouth, Blaise was up in an instant.

Noel immediately sprinted out of the room, knowing exactly what he was doing by riling up his big brother. He didn't want to do it (for once), but he didn't know any other way to get his brother to follow him out of the stuffy suite.

So, Noel rushed through the living room, flinging the door open and rushing out with Blaise right on his heels (who surprisingly remembered to close the door as he slipped through it). Their feet pounded against the hall floors, a shriek leaving Noel's lips as he barged down the staircase at the end of the hall just when he thought Blaise had grabbed a hold of him. He still didn't slow down, feeling his brother's anger only increasing the longer the chase went on.

Sunny and Jack were completely oblivious to what had just happened next door, wrapped up in wrapping presents and listening to Christmas classics to have heard the running or annoyed grunts that zoomed past their door. A cheesy cartoon was playing on the TV to add more to the 'flow' as Sunny had called it when she convinced Jack to assist her ━━━ only because the presents she got him were already in boxes so he couldn't sneak a peak unless he wanted Sunny to return it ━━━ so they didn't have to rush to do it all on Christmas Eve. They had plans to check on the brothers once they were done, but while they were both busy, they thought it was best to leave Blaise and Noel alone for a little while.

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It wasn't until they'd run through two entire blocks that Blaise realized he'd given Noel exactly what he wanted. Blaise slowed to a stop near a crowded crosswalk, letting out a small sigh and momentarily closing his eyes, puffing out his cheeks while his body attempted to regain control of his breathing. Noel had stopped a few feet away from the redhead, brightly grinning as he held his hands in the air like he was celebrating the winning of a marathon.

Blaise opened his eyes once again, glancing around at the intense city. The sun was no longer shining down on them, the moon in its place and partially hidden behind some clouds that dared to hinder the twinkling stars. More and more people filled the city as the hours ticked on and on, lights from dozens of daunting skyscrapers, honking cars, and enormous signs all meshing together to create vibrant hues throughout the lively streets. Loud chatter and music swirled through the air from almost every direction possible, mixing and making Blaise unable to distinguish what any of it was. Noel cautiously approached his brother, gently patting his arm as a smug grin started to appear on his lips again.

"Let's get to exploring, brother!"

Blaise was truly amazed that Noel managed to trick and drag him through the city, nor how he was actually beginning to enjoy it. It hadn't helped that they'd climbed onto a random bus without knowing where it was headed, leading them deeper and deeper into the city that never slept. They'd met vastly different people along the journey, including an annoying teenage boy who'd been adamant about them explaining how they were brothers when they didn't seem to have anything in common or look alike. It was a tiresome trip, but they'd been given hot chocolate during the ride which was appreciated (though, they didn't drink a lot just in case) and listened to some of the people sing cheerful music. Finally, the bus had come to a stop and the brothers nearly sprinted off while the teenager pleaded for them to stay until they reached some concert that was only a few blocks away.

They quickly carried on with their thrilling adventure, just beginning to see why their mother constantly put so much effort into the world they were exploring. Not all humans were ruthless and hell-bent on ruining the ground they stood on. Some stood tall and shouted for freedom and justice, raised awareness for people, animals, anything possible to overshadow the voices that attempted to silence the truth and hinder those already incapable of speaking for themselves, and they were beginning to understand that; while there were some cruel beings tainting the world, the ones with kind hearts were outweighing the negativity.

Perhaps the humans were worth it after all.

"Look at that place," Noel suddenly said, his grin illuminating his face as he pointed to a sign just down the street. Blaise stepped a little closer to Noel in order to get a better look, squinting as he followed his brother's crooked finger. His eyes fell on the blinking sign moments later, a disappointed look crossing his features.

"Southtown? What the hell is that?" Blaise sharply demanded to know, voice loud in order to overshadow the sounds around him and Noel. "Shouldn't that be the name of a town?"

Noel nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders, starting to walk forward. "You would think. Let's go find out what it is."

Blaise shook his head but followed Noel once again, hands tucked in his pockets while he carefully moved around people, trying to keep warm from the harsh winter winds. A few people entered Southtown just as they were nearing, a short, dark-skinned woman holding the door open for Noel when she saw him heading towards it as well. "Thanks," he said with a small smile.

"No problem," the girl chirped, carefully eying him up and down. She then carried on after her friends, giggling as they all filled in a booth nestled in the far corner.

Noel and Blaise slowly entered the building, carefully examining the inside of the dimly lit room. They still weren't too sure what the place was meant to be, but there were chairs and tables everywhere like in a restaurant. A stage was off to the side with some instruments and microphones hooked up, a rainbow banner strung up on the wall behind it. Bright lights lit up the square stage as it slowly changed from color to color, a screen placed little ways in front of it with extra microphones hooked to the back of it for if a group decided to take to the stage and belt their hearts out whether they were drunk or sober. A few people were milling around the stage, two figures tapping away at the screen with lopsided smiles and hazy eyes. It was incredibly warm inside as the brothers walked further, causing Blaise to cheerfully smile and Noel deeply frown.

"What are we supposed to do exactly?" Noel asked in a brisk voice, eyeing the interesting people.

"I believe we just find a place to sit for now," Blaise answered in uncertainty, slowly making his way towards an empty table near the front. Noel let out a sigh, reluctantly following Blaise. It might've been his idea, but he was expecting something a bit more. . .thrilling based on the vibrant sign outside. "What do you think those people━━━"

The brothers flinched in surprise as they fell into empty chairs, watching with wide eyes as the group that had been near the stage drunkenly clambered onto it, an ear-shattering song beginning to blare from the many speakers strategically placed inside. A few tables nearby cheered with encouragement while Blaise and Noel simply stared in horror, sidedly glancing towards each other to silently check that the other was just as clueless. Their eyes returned to the stage, frowns deepening as the group shared the microphones, belting out the lyrics to a pop song the brothers had never heard before.

'Is this part of our punishment?' Noel thought to himself as the singing dragged on and only worsened, sinking into his chair and placing his chin in his hand. Blaise shook his head in disapproval, slouching in his spot and folding his arms over his chest. 'I don't see why anyone in their right mind would willingly listen to this.'

"Do you think they get some kind of prize for participating in whatever this is?" Blaise questioned across the table. Noel made a face, shaking his head in response. Blaise huffed. "You're the idiot who picked this place. You should know the answer."

"And you're the idiot who didn't object to coming in here," Noel countered in his defense. Blaise opened his mouth to respond to Noel, but he decided to shut it.

The song finally came to an end and the group received mixed reactions from the watchful crowd, but they didn't deter in the slightest and promised they'd return for another song before the end of the night.

A tense silence overcame the two brothers, doing a double-take when a waitress placed two glasses of water on their table. "Would you boys like to order anything? I make a mean bloody mary."

Their eyes widened in pure horror. "You don't mean to tell me you ki━━━"

"We're fine for now, but I'm sure one of them will flag you down if we need something else," Eira sweetly interrupted, her arrival both a blessing and a curse. The waitress's eyes darkened at the sight of the stunning woman, lips pursing together as she nodded in response. Eira continued to grin as the woman walked away, taking a seat in between the brothers. An older man in a cheap brown suit and sunglasses approached the stage, carrying a torn slip of paper in his hands. Eira let out a content breath, snickering at the brothers' expressions. "It's nice to see you boys, too."

"What are you doing here?" Noel asked.

"We thought you had some torture to bestow upon the other realms in Noel's absence," Blaise grumbled, the mere thought of snowmaking his skin crawl; just not as terrible as it would have nearly a week ago.

Eira chuckled, eyes falling on the man standing in front of the microphone. "I was, but I decided I should probably make sure you two haven't killed each other yet, or caused any more trouble for Sunny," she said, bright blue eyes twinkling with something that the brothers didn't like. "And because I couldn't resist this."

"Resist what?"

"Next up is. . .Blaise and. . .Nolan. . ." the man said into the microphone, glancing around the faces. The brothers' faces instantly fell when they heard their names, firmly shaking their heads in unison. "Noel. . .?"

"No," Blaise sneered, determined not to make a fool out of himself. "I will not be subjected to any more of your derogatory schemes, Eira."

"Nor will I," Noel nodded in agreement.

"Blaise and Noel?" the man continued.

"Don't be such babies," Eira huffed, playfully pouting. "All you have to do is sing one song! Surely you two aren't afraid that one of you is better than the other, right?"

At the question, Blaise and Noel locked eyes.

They'd fallen right for Eira's play.

A silent challenge had been made between the brothers with Eira's taunt, eagerly standing up to make their way towards the stage that was patiently awaiting them. The man watched them with skepticism, carefully eying them as they made their way towards him with unsure looks on their faces. "Uh, here you boys go," he slowly said, tucking the paper in his pocket and grabbing two microphones; something told the brothers the man wished to be anywhere but there. "Good luck."

He scurried off after that, leaving the brothers alone on the stage as the lights harshly burned into their flesh, nearly blinding them until they were dimmed down to a more mellow hue. The monitor in front of them was lit up and suddenly had bold letters on the screen, Blue Christmas popping up a few seconds later with snowflakes surrounding the edge of the screen.

"Do you know this song?" Noel wondered, panic-filled orbs meeting Blaise's. One look at Blaise gave Noel his answer. "How are we supposed to━━━"

Music began to play without warning, the title disappearing and being replaced with the lyrics. A line that was labeled as PERSON ONE popped up, but neither brother knew who that should've been. However, when Blaise caught Eira's gaze within the crowd, his mouth opened and the words began to flow out of his mouth almost as if he was born a natural singer. Noel couldn't hide his genuine surprise upon hearing Blaise's voice, eyes growing wide and jaw slacked with just how well his big brother could sing. Noel noted Eira's ever-growing smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling with joy. And before he knew it, PERSON TWO was popping up and it was now his turn.

He could feel his nerves racing up and down his veins, body growing warmer than usual ━━━ which in itself was very uncomfortable and something he hadn't experienced in a long time ━━━ but he pushed through it. His mouth opened and he sang, eyes trailing over the lit-up words, finding it easier to do as the words changed colors to show which word he was meant to be singing. Blaise watched and listened with a small grin on his lips, faintly bobbing his head to the calming beat. Noel began to ease up as he sang, he and Blaise becoming more into it and comfortable with their voices, and before they knew it, they were finishing the song together, voices loud and perfectly in sync. Eira cheered with glee as the song came to a finish, happily clapping her hands together as she got to her feet, encouraging the others to do so.

Noel's cheeks turned a light shade of pink when seeing just how many eyes were pinned to him and his brother, a nervous laugh escaping as he returned his microphone to where the man in a suit had grabbed them. Blaise's smile remained while he did the same, turning his head towards Noel.

It was the first time they'd genuinely smiled at each other.