Hey-Oh, guys! Here's the next chapter! Hope y'all like it! One more chapter to come next week, enjoy!

Merry Christmas everyone!⛄❄🦌❄🦌💚❤❤💚🎄🎄

Jaidie/Dragon girl

Jo ducked behind a tree as a snowball flew past his head. He bent down and made his own snowball. He peeked out from behind the tree and threw the snowball at Evan. It hit him in the back of the head.

Evan spun around to face him.

“Oh, you’re in for it now,” Evan said with a laugh as he shaped another snowball and threw it at Jo. Jo dunked and ran behind a large rock, gasping for air.

Something hit Jo's arm. He looked up to see his cousins Maggie and Hanna, each of them held a snowball. Jo scowled as he started to make a snowball. The girls giggled as they threw their snowballs at him, before dashing behind a tree.

Jo wiped snow from his face as he stood.

“Okay, that’s it,” he said, walking over to them.

Hanna giggled and hid behind Maggie, who smiled at him.

“You wouldn’t hit a girl would you?” Maggie said, putting on a pouty face.

“I…Uh…” Jo stammered.

“Gotcha!” Maggie shouted as she jumped up and threw a snowball at him before running off with Hanna, laughing.

“Hey!” Jo yelled, running after them.

Jo leaned against a tree to catch his breath. Wow, those two were fast! Jo pushed away from the tree and sprinted after the girls once more. He rounded a corner and spotted them.

He smiled. “Ha, I found you!”

“Shh,” Maggie hissed, pointing at something.

Jo followed her hand and saw Picket, his father, staring at the portrait of Helmer the black, just like he did every year. Jo looked away.

“I wish we could do something to make him happy,” Maggie said.

“Like a Christmas present!” Hanna said, it was the first thing the shy princess had said all day.

“Yeah, a Christmas present for all our parents! something special, that would make them happy,” Maggie said, eagerly.

“But Christmas is tomorrow,” Jo said, “we don’t have time and we don’t even know what we’d get them.”

“I know what we can do!” Evan said, popping up behind them.

Jo and the girls jumped.

“Don’t do that!” Maggie hissed. “You about gave me a panic attack!”

“Oops, sorry,” Evan said, cringing. “But I know what we can do!”

“Even if we know what to do, we still don’t have time,” Jo said.

“Sure we do,” Conner said, popping up beside Evan.

“Goodnight!” Maggie shrieked. “Would y'all please stop doing that!”

Conner winced. “Sorry."

“Okay,” Jo said, surrendering. “So what’s the plan?”

***

Jo and Conner set the present under the tree.

“There,” Jo said, yawning. They had spent all day working on the gift and it had almost been a disaster when Weezie and Heather came into the room to tell them it was time for dinner. But they had managed to keep it a secret all day. It was 11: 30 they should have been in bed hours ago, but they had stayed up until their parents went to bed so they could put their parent under the tree without anyone seeing.

“Perfect,” Maggie whispered.

“Come on, we should go to bed or Santa won’t come,” Evan said.

Jo smiled at his younger brother. “You’re right, let’s go,” he whispered.

Once in their room Jo lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. He couldn’t believe tomorrow was Christmas day! But he was also nervous. What if his parents didn’t like the gift? He shook his head. He guessed he would have to wait until tomorrow to find out.

He closed his eyes and just as drifted off he heard the sound of sleigh bells and footsteps on the roof.