Free Cape High Christmas: A Side Story (Cape High Series) by R.J. Ross

Have the bus and your classmates ready by six tonight, please."
    "Yeah, I can do that, too," Brandon says. "Thanks for this, Mastermental--I really appreciate it," he says as he hangs up. "Okay, now I've got to get everyone together," he says, heading for the door.
    At six on the dot, every single kid in the school is waiting outside the school campus, looking both nervous and excited. The bus Nico made them is parked in front of them, flashing Brandon's name and lit up with Christmas lights. Nico, though, is nowhere to be seen. Brandon is starting to get nervous--it shows when he keeps fading in and out of sight as he looks around.
    "Do you think they couldn't get it?" he asks, looking at Freddy. Just as he says that, a giant truck pulls to a stop in front of the school.
    "Merry Christmas everyone!" Firefly declares, appearing on top of the truck.
    "Unfortunately, we had a bit more trouble getting into the Christmas in the Park setting," Mastermental says, landing beside her. "They aren't ready for the midnight ride tonight, and I didn't want to put Brandon off, so I called in a few favors of my own. Don't worry, Brandon, I'll be the one owing on this. If you'd all board your bus, we'll lead you to our special treat," he says. The school rushes onto their bus, eagerly watching as the truck heads off in front of them. Liz hops into the bus as well, taking the driver's seat with a wide grin.
    "Let's get going, guys, this is going to be a blast," she announces as she starts the bus and takes off. They drive for a while, crossing over into Kansas. They head deep into the country, finally stopping at a farm. "We're here," Liz says, parking. "Everyone out, please!"
    They pile out, heading for the truck as the back slides open. Black suits come out, wheeling glowing bicycles of various sizes, some with logos on the wheels. Two of them are built more like motorcycles than bikes--the logos for the Liberty boys on their wheels explain why. ALL of the bikes have some sort of symbol on them, actually. Even the smallest has a raindrop theme. Malina heads straight for it.
    "This is just an empty field," Brandon says as Mastermental heads over. "I thought, you know, there'd be lights?"
    "We got a little creative," Mastermental says. "Don't worry, it'll be just fine. Go get your bike," he encourages him. Brandon looks around, seeing all the bikes already claimed.
    "What bike?" he asks finally.
    "It's right here," Liz says, waving to an empty spot. "But you might want to turn this off if you're going for a leisurely ride," she adds, leaning down and flipping a switch. The bike appears. The crowd cheers. "The path's been marked out by reflective lights, and your bikes will glow with the little red button. I'm not going to brag, I'm not in Nico's league, but I can put together a really cool bike or twenty--well, with a lot of parts and a handful of black suits," she adds, posing proudly. "So everyone mount up and stick to the path!"
    Brandon gets on his bike, glancing around to make sure everyone seems stable, and then takes off slowly down the path. A light flashes over him and the world changes. The field is now covered in snow, with snowmen scattering the area. As they go further down the path, the Christmas lights come on.
    More and more displays light up as the group rides past, snowmen with top hats, elves with presents, snowflakes, everything one could imagine in a light display. The fake snow underneath them reflects the colorful lights beautifully. Brandon even glances back at Ace to make sure he's not creating the snow. The illusionist looks as surprised as the rest of them. Brandon gives up trying to figure it out and just enjoys the show.  It's no time at all before they're pulling to the end of the path and the world they just traveled flickers once before going dark again.
    "That was so pretty!" Emily says. "You did great, Brandon!"
    "Um..." Brandon says, barely stopping himself from going invisible. "All I really wanted to do