James arrived at the stables the next morning with red eyes and a runny nose.

"You sure you're alright to start today?" Gabe asked. "You seem a bit under the weather."

"Just had a hard time sleeping. Too excited!" James forced himself to smile. After what had happened with Nick, he was extra determined to prove he was actually good for something. "Thanks for letting me work here."

"I was the same way on my first day. Just about collapsed into the first pile of hay I saw! Now, let's get you better acquainted with the stables, shall we?"

First, he showed James the greenhouse. The massive structure stood behind the stables, practically radiating warmth. "We grow a lot of vegetables," Gabe said, "but we do have poinsettias in there, too. Reindeer appreciate some nice flowers as much as anyone, even if they can't eat them."

Next came the snow melting facility where solar panels used the sun's rays to provide the reindeer with plenty of fresh water. "We mostly rely on the power we store in summer," Gabe said.

Inside the stables, he showed James where they stored the seemingly endless bales of hay, which made both of them sneeze, and countless rooms filled with all sorts of equipment. The smell of old leather filled that section of the stables along with the metallic tang of sleigh bells.

Lastly, tucked away in a hidden corner of the stables, they came to a massive door engraved with a reindeer soaring through a sea of snowflakes. The door had no handle, only a device shaped like a snowman's head. Pitch black eyes stared down at James from above a bright orange lever.

"Only our most experienced folks go in there," Gabe said gravely. "If I catch you putting so much as a toe inside without my permission, I'll kick you out of here faster than you can say frostbite. Understand?"

James nodded.

"I need to hear you say it."

"I understand." But he didn't, not really. What could possibly be hidden behind that door? Super secret reindeer jetpacks? His dad's bottomless toy bag?

"Good." Gabe's face brightened up as he led James away from the forbidden door. "Now that you've gotten the tour, it's time to pick your reindeer! I always let new folks pick one to focus on so they don't get too overwhelmed while they learn the ropes. I have a feeling I know which one you'll go for. Am I right?"

"I pick Ruby!"

"Right as snow is cold," Gabe said with a chuckle. "Alright, let's go tell Gloria."

The Grinchy lady from the day before was brushing knots out of Tango's fur. Her icicle-sharp gaze stung James like frostbite. "So, you actually made it back." She nodded at Gabe. "He staying?"

"Yup. Would you mind keeping him busy with Ruby?" He patted James on the back to make it clear he wasn't just trying to ditch him. "I've gotta make sure his uniform will be ready for the Games. Can't exactly have the crowd seeing him looking like a Christmas tree."

Why would it matter if the crowd saw him in his favorite sweater? He wore it every year when he and his family all got to watch the Games. Unless...

"You mean I get to be in the Reindeer Games? Like, in them? Not just watching?"

"Of course! The reindeer do a lot of the events on their own, but we can't exactly check how well they work with a driver if nobody ever goes out there with them."

This couldn't be real. James pinched himself to make sure, but no, he wasn't dreaming. He'd be out there in Donner Stadium tomorrow not as part of the audience but alongside the reindeer themselves, just like in his favorite video game. News crews from around the world would film him while the entire North Pole watched.

While his dad watched.

James hugged Gabe so tightly his arms ached. "Holy snowballs, this is so cool!"

Gabe eased James off of him with a laugh. "Yup, and it's a lot different than being a spectator. I'll teach you more about what we do tomorrow. For now, do whatever Gloria tells you to."

Gloria's crimson lipstick curled into a grimace. "Thanks for getting him hyper!" she yelled as Gabe retreated to check on James's uniform. "I'm going to need some eggnog after this."

"So, what do I have to do?" James asked.

"We'll stick to basic stuff today. First, we'll go to the greenhouse and harvest some vegetables. Then, we'll help Ruby do some stretching and give her a nice, hot bath. We need to make sure her muscles are ready for her flight tomorrow."

"Does that mean I'll get to fly her tomorrow?" Just thinking about it made him feel like he could zoom clear out of the stratosphere.

Gloria snorted. "Easy there, kid. Just because you've ridden a sleigh doesn't mean you're ready to fly. You'll be judging."

She certainly seemed to have a lot of experience with judging considering she was looking at him as if he'd sprouted antlers. "Neat. So how will I—"

"Do you have hay stuffed up your ears?" Gloria rolled her eyes. "Gabe said he'll tell you tomorrow. Now let's get going. We don't have all day."

James knocked on the door to Ruby's stall. "Come on, Ruby! We're going to the greenhouse."

Hay shot into the air as Ruby bolted to her feet. "Finally!"

Her nose flashed periodically as Gloria led them to the greenhouse. "I swear," Gloria said, "it's like one of those low battery warning lights, complete with irritating noises."

"My nose doesn't make any noise," Ruby said.

"I never said it came from your nose."

"Or from you," James whispered.

Ruby chuckled. She puffed out her chest and imitated Gloria's stiff, stomping walk.

A blast of warmth greeted them as they entered the greenhouse. Gloria passed James a pair of gardening gloves and a bucket before grabbing her own. "You'll be harvesting radishes today since that's so easy even a walrus could do it. Remember," she said as she poked Ruby's nose, "no snacking."

She led them to rows of dark brown soil where only tiny green leaves broke the surface. The mulch's stench burned James's nose as he crouched next to Gloria.

"All you've gotta do is give 'em a good tug and toss 'em in your bucket," Gloria said. She demonstrated, sending up a spray of dirt as she pulled up a radish. "Think you can handle that?"

"Like this?" James looked her straight in the eye as he bent down as slowly as possible and pulled up a radish one millimeter at a time.

"Yes," Gloria deadpanned. "But preferably faster than lichen grows."

The three of them worked side by side for a while, with Ruby sneaking a few leaves as she picked. Dirt caked James's gloves like a second layer of skin. The work was as monotonous as slapping on bows in the Wrapping Department, yet he couldn't complain. There was something satisfying about yanking vegetables straight out of the ground.

"I'm going to see if they could use a hand with the corn," Gloria said. "If you both behave yourselves, I'll see if they can spare an ear or two for you."

James rolled his eyes. "It's like she thinks we need a bribe."

"Yeah, and corn isn't even that good." A plump, pink radish crunched between Ruby's teeth. "Radishes are much tastier! Trust me, you haven't lived until you've tried one of these."

"They're just vegetables," James said. He'd been betrayed by enough Brussels sprouts to know that not even bacon could make anything like that even remotely edible.

"Aw, c'mon. Don't you need a break?"

James peeled the gloves off his hands, wincing as the rough fabric scraped against the beginnings of blisters. Even if he stopped now, his skin would be a raw, achy mess tomorrow.

But he'd already let his family down so many times. What would his dad think if all it took for him to screw up was a couple radishes? What would Nick think?

He had to keep going.

"Nah, I'm fine." James wiped his sweaty hands on his pants before pulling his gloves back on.

Ruby shrugged. "Suit yourself." She kept yanking out radishes, eating at least half as many as she tossed into her bucket. With how quickly she was inhaling them, they must have been the reindeer equivalent of chocolate.

As morning warmed into midday, James ached to join her. Literally. With each radish he pulled out of the ground, his arms and hands ached a little more. Blisters opened his skin until even the sensation of the gloves chafing against his hands made him want to cry.

But he didn't pause for even a moment, bending up and down until his knees ached as badly as his hands.

He kept at it until boots squelching through damp mulch announced Gloria's return.

"You two having fun?" she asked. She set down buckets full of corn beside the radishes they had harvested and wiped sweat from her forehead.

"Yup," James said, forcing himself to smile despite his aching hands. "We picked a bunch of radishes."

"Totally didn't snack on them or anything," Ruby said. She let out a loud, spicy-smelling burp. "Excuse me."

Gloria rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Now's as good a time as any to get her stretches done anyway."

They emptied their buckets into wheelbarrows on their way out, and, at Gloria's insistence, James mopped all of the sweat off his face with a rag that stank of broccoli. "Trust me," she said, "you don't want that stuff freezing to your face."

She led them to a barren field where only the occasional rock covered in lichen dared to break through the whiteness. "The big day's tomorrow," she said, "so we won't do too much. Some stretches, a light trot, maybe a couple practice takeoffs."

"Maybe?" James looked at her as if she'd suggested replacing all of that year's presents with used underwear. "How is she supposed to do well if she doesn't practice?"

"She has been practicing," Gloria said. "In case you forgot, Ruby was here before you. We don't just let the reindeer lay around eating carrots all day."

"I still need practice though," Ruby said sheepishly.

Gloria sighed. "You're in the junior division. Almost nobody's even had their antlers for more than a year or two. If you can get your butt off the ground and stay airborne long enough to do a couple laps around the stadium, no one will care how badly you mess up."

"That... actually makes me feel a little better," Ruby said. "Thanks."

James silently agreed. It was nice to have something expected of him for once, but people wanting them to absolutely nail everything right out the gate would be too much.

Gloria started them off with basic stretches, giving James a few of his own to practice so he could get in better shape for all the physical labor he'd be doing around the stable. The pair of them did everything from squats to yoga.

After rubbing his fingers raw in the greenhouse, the stretches were a welcome relief. Unfortunately, that didn't make them any less awkward. James bent into a downward dog, wincing as his muscles protested. "Why is this so hard?" he asked as he panted for breath.

Ruby's legs trembled as she held what could best be described as the reindeer equivalent of the splits. "I don't know, but you look ridiculous!" She wiggled her butt back and forth with her tail held high in the air.

James struggled to hold back a laugh. "You're one to talk. You look just like Bambi!"

"Pfft, I don't look that silly." Ruby attempted to pull herself back into a standing position, only for her legs to wobble and send her falling face first into the snow. "Okay, we both look dumb," she said as she shook the powder off her antlers.

A clump of it smacked James's neck. "Holy chestnuts that's cold," he said with a shudder that sent him crashing into the coldness himself.

Gloria interrupted their giggling by clearing her throat. "I assume you can handle getting her to trot, right? A couple laps around the field should be plenty."

"Of course."

Before he could tell Ruby to go for it, Gloria added, "Get on her first."

"Without a saddle?"

"You're not afraid of a rough ride, are you?" She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Maybe Santa should have you go help the Easter Bunny instead. I've heard he likes chickens."

James practically threw himself over Ruby's back. "Not so tight," she said as he gripped her shoulders.

"Sorry," he said. He loosened his hold on her soft fur and flashed Gloria a grin.

"Have at it," she said. "Four laps should be good, but stop if she starts getting too worn out."

Ruby trotted to the other side of the field without bothering to wait for James's go-ahead. Her muscles twitched underneath him, itching to go all out. "Don't even think about it," he said as much to himself as her.

"You nervous?" Ruby asked.

"No," he said defensively. "I'm just not used to riding anything but a sleigh."

"You'd think your dad would have had you guys spend more time here," she said. "Toys are great and all, but it's not like you guys will be the ones carrying them."

"Yeah, it is pretty weird," James said. He squinted, half remembering sitting on something that must have been at least three times as tall as Ruby. Something warm with a laugh as merry as jingle bells. Riding Ruby was just as comforting, with the thumping of her hooves against the snow lulling him into a sort of trance. He stroked her neck. "This is really nice."

"Are you up for going a little faster?" She flicked her head toward Gloria as they circled back toward her. Instead of watching them exercise, she was staring intently at her phone. "I doubt she'll care."

"Okay, let's— WOAH!"

Icy wind lashed James's face as Ruby shot forward. His fingers became almost as red as her nose as he gripped her with all his strength, sending sticky wetness running into her fur as his blisters burst. He couldn't hear himself well enough over Ruby's laughter to tell if he was screaming from pain, terror, or excitement.

As they entered a turn, Ruby sent them into the air with a firm kick. Once. Twice. Three times she thrust out her legs until the snow below them looked like an endless sheet of clouds.

Clouds that were coming closer by the second.

"Get back up!" James yelled, yanking at the fur on Ruby's shoulders.

"I'm trying!" But her movements were no longer the practiced kicks of a talented flier but frantic flailing. For every thrust that got them more altitude, half a dozen others jolted James from side to side as they fell.

BOOM!

Ruby's hooves hit the ground so hard her whole body shook. James slid himself off her back, covering his mouth with his hand. "You okay?" he asked as soon as he was sure he could open his mouth without puking.

"Legs hurt real bad," Ruby said with a wince. She trembled like a newborn fawn. "I suck at landing."

Gloria sauntered over to them with a knowing look on her face. "You two have no self-restraint, do you?" She sighed and worked her hands over Ruby's legs, gently massaging her muscles.

"Is she gonna be okay?" James's eyes burned with tears. One day. One day was all it had taken for him to hurt Ruby.

Nick was right. He really did screw up everything he touched.

"Nothing feels broken, but we'd better get her inside for a nice, warm bath."

Ruby nuzzled James's hand as she limped back to the stables.