Tracy Tam: Santa Command by Krystalyn Drown

He looked like a statue that was about to crumble. For the first time, Tracy wondered if Santa's place was safe after all. Well, if they were in Alabama, it wasn't really Santa's place, was it? Who owned this operation? Who was in charge here? And if they wiped her mind, how badly would it hurt?
    Beth took over the seat and babbled on about the process of choosing Santas. Tracy only half listened. What was the point if they were going to make her forget anyway? She had worked so hard to save Pim, and now instead of saving her, she'd gotten herself kidnapped. Would she ever see Pim again? And would she remember her if she did?
    Tracy's knees started to shake. She clutched the edge of the desk, and her stomach clenched itself into a little ball. She felt herself sinking to the ground.
    “Um, Beth…” Phil interrupted.
    Beth stopped her monologue long enough to look at Tracy. Her eyes grew wide with horror. “Oh, honey. No.”
    Tracy sat on the floor with her knees folded against her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Her mind felt as vacant as the pretend Santas.
    Beth slid down to the floor beside Tracy and scooped her up into her arms. “Sweetie, no. We didn't mean to scare you. It's just, you've thrown us for a loop here. We're still trying to figure things out.”
    “Are you…” Asking the question meant that she might get an answer she didn't want to hear, but she had to ask it anyway. “Are you going to let me go home, or am I trapped here?”
    “Trapped is such an ugly word,” said a squeaky voice from the doorway, “but I'd say it's accurate.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
     
    Tracy
     
    The elf wasn't as cute as the ones back at the house. Then again, the ones at the house hadn't been so cute either once they turned into wolves. What was this guy going to turn into?
    Phil jumped to attention. “What are you doing here, Erlek?”
    “Walt sent me because you weren't back yet.” A sly smile spread across the elf's face. “I think he will be very interested to know what I found out."
    Beth slipped a hard mask onto her face. Yet, her arms were still gently wrapped around Tracy. “What? That we found Tracy lost and scared? That we were comforting her?”
    “Inside the main computer room?”
    “She didn't see anything.” Beth spoke calmly, as if she hadn't just showed Tracy the biggest secret in the world. Of course, it helped that Beth had put the computer in sleep mode before she slipped to the floor. Once again, it showed nothing but the crackling fireplace. Because of that, Tracy knew that she could trust Beth. “Tracy woke up in a strange place, wandered off, and got lost. When we found her, she was in hysterics because one of your brothers scared her half to death. This was the closest room we could find to get her away and calm her down. Fat lot of good that did. You've gone and freaked her out again.”
    Tracy knew a cue when she heard it. She buried her face in Beth's shoulder and wailed. In truth, the cries were only half-fake. She remembered what those elf things did to her on the roof. Through her tears, she kept one eye on the creature in case he decided to turn into a dragon or a rattlesnake.
    Erlek folded his wrinkly brown arms across his chest.
    “Whatever,” he said with a sneer. “Walt said no more stalling. He wants you in his office, and I have a feeling I know why.” He patted the tiny pouch of dust hanging from his belt.
    Phil dropped his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.
    Tracy guessed what was inside the pouch. They might wipe the Santas’ minds every Christmas Eve, but nobody was coming near her with that stuff. She needed her memory of this night more than she ever needed anything in the world. She had to trust that she had enough evidence to win the fair, because with the elf stepping toward her, she could only think of one out. Tracy let out another wail. “I want to go hooome.”
    “Of course you do.” Beth smoothed Tracy's long black hair, then addressed