Stringless Puppeteer (Cape High Series Book 22), page 1
STRINGLESS PUPPETEER
by
R. J. Ross
Stringless Puppeteer
Amazon Edition
Published by Book Candy Publishing
Copyright © 2018 by R. J. Ross
All Rights Reserved
Cover design by Leslie Zielinski
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
~Other works by R.J. Ross~
The Winstead Files Series
Courting the Beast * Snow White, Snow White
Seasons of the Fae Series
Raven's Return * Death of a Dryad * Water Wielder
Cape High Series
Super Villain Dad * America's Grandson * Hello Kitty * Don't Know Jack * Daddy's Girl * Aces Wild * Steampunk Time * Fire Hazard * Ditto Ditto * Sunny Daze * Life Light * Guitar Hero * Super Girls * Shadow Boy * Super Villain Grandpa * Mic Drop * Coyote’s Howl * Rocky Road * Rainbow Rush * Rise and Shine * Burn Out * Stringless Puppeteer
Cape High Side Stories
Cape High Christmas: A Side Story
Cape High Villainy: A Side Story
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
Hi, everyone! R.J. here! This book has a special place in my heart, because it actually started out as last year’s Advent Calendar on my website, https://capehigh.wordpress.com/ I’ve taken what was originally a cute little short story and woven it into the ongoing plot of the series. I will honestly say that I just fell in love with this character the first time I wrote him, him AND his puppet dragon. They’re just such a fun combination to write^_^ I hope you all like him as much as I do!
CHAPTER ONE
*Three Days Ago*
The vault door is gigantic, hidden in the depths of the North Pole. Only a handful of people even know that there IS a vault, much less how to get there, but right now the door is hanging open. Santa looks at Toodles, who lifts a hand, motioning to the two abominable snowmen behind them.
“Guard the door, please,” she says before heading into the vault.
“Who would have done this?” Santa asks as he follows. They look around, seeing most of the things still inside. There are only two stands that are empty, and he lets out a groan as he heads for the larger spot, the one that stands out most.
“Wasn’t that…?” Toodles asks.
“The original Jack Frost cloak,” Santa says. “Had she asked, I would have given it to her. It’s hers by right, after all,” he says.
“That’s not the only thing missing, Santa,” Toodles says, standing in front of the other empty stand. He looks over, seeing the stark expression on her face. “The venom is gone.”
“Oh… that isn’t good.”
***
*The North Pole, Now*
While there are many supers in the world living among the humans, making friends, fitting in, there are also those that just can’t deal with society. They aren’t evil, or violent, they’re just different. They don’t fit in. They will never feel comfortable on a crowded street, or surrounded by so much noise. These are Santa’s elves.
Well, actually, that’s not quite true. There’s a group of elves that are perfectly fine wherever you stick them, but for this story, we’re focusing on the first type.
Well, actually, we’re focusing on me. My name is Barrett, but everyone calls me Bear. I’m fifteen, and the second child of the latest generation of the Toy Box line. Yeah, that means Dollface is my big sister. You’re probably thinking that means I grew up in a dollhouse, right? Not really. I mean as I got older, once in a while, but the real impact it had on me was that up until I was seven, I thought it was perfectly normal for guys to have cartoon characters painted on their fingernails. I even remember several times where my mom would walk in on Dolly practicing makeup… on me. Thankfully, that stopped when puberty kicked in. I shot up taller than Dolly by the time I was thirteen, and she can’t run well in heels.
But other than that, I think I’m pretty normal… nah, I’m just kidding. I’m not normal at all.
“Bear, my boy!” Santa says, stepping into the door of my “office.” I’m one of the few elves that merit an entire workroom to myself, without people complaining, mostly because it’s packed with puppets, wood, and material, leaving me a cubby sized area to work in. I don’t bother looking up from what I’m doing. Instead I send a two-foot-long fluffy white dragon puppet flying over to him, hovering in the air beside him. I’m in the middle of carving right now, and if I look away I could ruin my latest piece.
“What’s the problem, Jolly Man?” the dragon puppet, Snowy D, asks in a raspy voice, his wooden mouth moving perfectly with each syllable.
“Oh, no problem, I just thought I’d check to see how things are coming,” he says, coming into my room. He barely glances at my large display of puppets. “Your teacher said you skipped class again.”
“I didn’t skip it, I was right there in the back,” Snowy D says.
“Sending your dragon puppet to class isn’t quite what she was hoping for, Bear,” he says gently.
“I even took notes,” Snowy D says, holding out a sheet of paper for Santa to see. He takes the sheet, looking it over.
“You drew a picture,” he says. “It was math class.”
“That’s why there was nothing to take notes about,” Snowy D tells him.
“Bear, for a second, could you put the work down?” Santa asks softly, walking over to me. He stops, though, as he sees what I’m carving. “Oh, my… she’s beautiful.” I pull my knife away. I refuse to ruin the carving with a bad cut because I’m embarrassed. I am REALLY embarrassed, actually. I mean, it would be seriously awkward if she saw this… not that she will. “That’s Piper, isn’t it?”
To distract him, I have Snowy D land on his shoulder. It doesn’t work. Instead, Santa reaches up first to pat Snowy D on the head, and then out to place a hand on my shoulder. “Bear, my boy… you can’t just phone your schooling in.”
“Bear sees what I see,” Snowy D says. “And they yelled at him for using sharp objects around his classmates last time. ‘You can’t have that, sharp objects are not allowed in school! Helga’s only eight, and she’s the oldest after you! She might hurt herself,’” he mimics the teacher.
“Yes… I could see how that could be a problem,” Santa says with a frown.
“It’s a two inch long blade. SCISSORS are longer and pointier,” Snowy D says, still ranting.
“But safety scissors are not,” Santa points out, “although I can understand how frustrated you feel.”
“You could let me go to Cape High,” I say quietly, speaking for the first time since he came. I’ve been agonizing over whether I should mention that for months. A part of me is terrified that he’ll say yes. If I go to Cape High, I’ll actually meet her, right? And then I’ll probably get turned down. It’s not like I’m the most charming guy around… “Or not,” I mutter, picking up my carving again.
“Well… that’s an interesting idea,” Santa says. “And there is an open house coming up…”
I look at him in shock, feeling several different emotions all at once. I want to go! Do I want to go? If I go, I won’t be able to carve my puppets all day, right? But I’ll be around other kids! But I’ll also be around norms…
“Well,” he says, “how about we make a little deal?”
I look at him, seeing a familiar expression in his eyes that sends a chill down my spine. “What kind of deal?” Snowy D asks.
“I’ll drop you off near the top of Canada, and if you can make it down to Cape High, through your own ability, by the time the open house starts, I’ll see if I can get you in.”
“Can I bring Snowy D?” I ask. He grins at me.
***
“I appreciate this, Nico,” Santa says over the monitor. “The boy has a good heart, he really does, but he spends far too much time alone. I’m fine with him being an independent spirit, but… well, if he’s going to be one of my top ranking elves, he needs to get over his distrust of norms.”
“Well, rumor has it that Hard Knocks’ oldest son has started to come into his powers. He’ll be coming to the open house, as well. From what you’ve told me, his powers will be pretty similar to Bear’s,” Nico says, leaning back in his chair as pieces of metal float around his head. “Is there a family relation?”
“If I recall, Hard Knocks might be part of a branch family that ventured out a few centuries ago. It was back in my father’s time,” Santa says, thinking about it. “They could easily be considered cousins. Of course, Bear is capable of the size morphing technique. I don’t believe that they have that ability.”
“Size morphing?” Nico asks.
“His little dragon pal is actually ten feet long. It was his first official puppet. He made it when he was thirteen,” Santa says. “He spent two months agonizing over carving the body, only to cover it with fur. It’s pretty much a work of art and engineering, all in one.”
“That little dragon you sent me a picture of?” Nico asks. “The one you gave him permission to bring with him?”
“I can’t send my boy out without a bit of protection, now can I?” Santa says.
“You have some very interesting kids up there, Santa,” Nico says. “I was thinking about sending a drone to tail him, and make sure everything goes smoothly.”
“And you won’t?”
“No, now I definitely will,” Nico says with a grin of anticipation. “Dad should have one up there, already.”
***
Trudging through snow is not really that big of a deal for me. It helps that Snowy D makes a nice snow suit. I actually built him to be worn, where his head fits over my head like a hoodie and has a part that can be pulled down as a mask. His wooden arms wrap around my shoulders like straps while I wear the fur arms like sleeves. The body itself wraps around my body like a coat and has a built-in backpack, holding all of my stuff securely. The back legs fit over my pants and shoes. It’ll probably get me some strange looks when I reach civilization, but right now it’s perfectly fine. He blends in with the snow.
“Not quite a nice day for a walk,” someone says overhead. I look up, peering out from under Snowy D’s head. Superior is floating above. He lands in front of me when I raise a claw covered hand in greeting. “Running away from home?”
“No, sir,” I say, “I’m supposed to get to Cape High on my own before the open house.”
“All on your own?” he asks.
“Yes, sir, it’s a deal,” I say. “If I can make it there, Santa will try to get me into the school for supers.”
“Don’t worry about calling me ‘sir,’ Bear,” he says, reaching out and touching my dragon’s head. “And if you don’t make it, I’d be happy to train you, myself. This puppet of yours is beautifully made.”
“Thank you, sir,” I say, “I mean, thank you.”
“It actually makes me tempted to stop you,” he says, much to my shock. “Nico gets all the fun.”
“Sir—Superior, I really…“ I say, worried. I mean, if anyone can stop me, it’s THE Superior. But I don’t WANT to be stopped! Well, actually, a huge part of me DOES, because I’m worried about meeting people, but—“If I don’t go, I’ll never get to meet her,” I say.
“Ahhh,” he says, “so it’s like that. I’ll be right back, so keep going.” He jumps into the air, flying away, and I shake my head slightly as I start trudging through the snow again. It’s sort of lonely out here. Sure, I could make Snowy D talk, but his talking while I’m wearing him is weird, and his jaw keeps bumping my head. I’ve been thinking about hooking up Bluetooth speakers into the head cavity, lately… I’ve got some in the bag that should work, but I would have to take him off to do it, so that idea’s out. Sure, I COULD take him off and not be too bothered by the cold, but I would get snow on my clothes. The fur I used was shed by the abominable snowmen. Snow literally bounces off of it.
“All right, kid,” I hear him say. I look up, seeing him carrying a large fur-covered bag. “Don’t worry, I didn’t kill an abominable snowman, I’m just good at what I do,” he says, seeing my expression. “This should be enough food to get you through Canada, and it’ll stay warm, even out here. Just remember to thank Tatiana when you get the chance.”
I take it, blinking as I feel the warmth radiating off of the bag. “Thank you,” I say, starting to sling it over my back. He stops me.
“It goes like this,” he says, hooking it over my neck so it hangs in front of me. Surprisingly, it seems to fit perfectly with the dragon snow suit I’m wearing, and doesn’t block my legs from moving. “I didn’t want to ruin the look,” he says with satisfaction.
“Yeah, but…” I say, looking down at the bag, “now I look like a fat snow dragon.”
He starts laughing. “Yeah, you do,” he agrees before flying away. I can levitate things, but only to a certain weight. I weigh more than that, so I’m stuck hoofing it… wearing a big, furry fat dragon snow suit.
I keep walking, running my fingers over the bag until I find a well hidden hole just big enough for my arm. I reach in, grabbing what feels like a chicken leg wrapped in wax paper and pulling it out to eat. You know, if this entire trip goes like this, I don’t think I’ll mind it at all.
***
*Cape High*
“That’s him?” Trent asks as the wall lights up. Half of the school is watching the elf trudging through the snow. “He’s a dragon?”
“He’s a puppeteer,” Nico says, grinning as they see the teen pull something else out to eat. “That dragon he’s wearing seems to double as a puppet and a snowsuit. He’s Dollface’s little brother.”
“That’s a puppet, then?” Emily asks, pointing at his suit.
“That’s a puppet.”
“I want to go up against him!” she says. “Can we talk him into going villain?”
“He’s not up for grabs. Once he’s graduated he’s in line to be one of the leading toy design elves.”
“But why is he walking all the way here?” Ace asks. His eyes are glued to the dragon puppet. “I can go up there and bring him down, if you want. I’d love to get a better look at his work.”
“We can’t,” Nico says, “at least, not unless he’s in danger. This is a bet between him and Santa. If he can come all the way down here on his own power, Santa will ‘try to persuade’ me to let him into the school.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” Ace says, looking at him. “He’s one of the Toy Box line. There’s no chance that you’ll turn him away.”
“I would honestly roll out the red carpet and try to act nice, if it was up to me, but if Santa can change his mind, or if the kid’s fear of people is as big as I think it is, and he doesn’t make it, who knows? He might be better off up there. We have certain requirements here that he’ll probably not like.”
Ace stands, looking at the image on the wall for a moment before turning to Nico. “I’m going to be skipping school for the rest of the week. You can tell my parents, right?”
“You really feel that strongly about it?” Nico asks.
“I do,” Ace says. “We dragons need to stick together, right?”
“But I thought his name was Bear,” Sunny says, making the rest of the group groan.
“I’m not going to stop you, but keep your identity under wraps,” Nico says, “even from him.”
“Yeah, got it,” Ace says, heading out of the school dorms and stepping onto his floating disk to leave the campus.
“You were hoping someone would do that, weren’t you,” Trent says.
“I didn’t say a thing, therefore I’m still playing by the rules,” Nico says with a shameless grin.
***
*Approaching Canada*
There’s a polar bear in the distance. That’s why I’m crouching down behind a large mound of snow, watching it cautiously right now. In theory, I could probably outrun it, but I’ve never tried to outrun a polar bear before, so forgive me if I’m slightly paranoid. I wonder if he can smell the food I’m carrying. I watch as he stops, sniffing the air, and then turns and looks in my direction. Yep, he can smell it.
Well, then, looks like it’s time to test that running theory. I turn, making a break for it. I don’t want to hurt him, but I don’t want to be hurt by him, either. I don’t think he feels the same, though. I dare to glance over my shoulder, speeding up as I see he hasn’t given up. Do polar bears eat dragons? I don’t know, but he sure seems intent on finding out!
