Ruby tilted her head back. It was a couple more paces before she spoke.

“I think she’ll have an amazing time.” She said it slowly, carefully, like she was choosing each word. “Honestly? She lives for Christmas.”

Tell me something I don’t know. I looked at Fred, who still had pastry flakes on his cheek. “What about you, Fred? And I want your honest answer…”

He looked behind him as if there could be another Fred I was talking to.

“Honestly?” I nodded. “Well, when she showed me your profile, all I knew about you was waffles and nails, and…” He did this odd openmouthed, big-eyed smile. “So, when she said you’d signed up for this competition, and that you guys were going to swap lives just so you could win? Well, I thought she was joking. Then I thought she was out of her mind. Or you both were.” O-kaaaaaay. “And one of you would probably end up dead. Or you both would. And…” It was like he only just realized that maybe he didn’t need to be that honest. “…Well…er…yes. I’m sure no one will die. Probably.”

Great to know I wasn’t going to get murdered—probably. A real win.

At least I knew why Fred looked so freaked out whenever he spoke to me—he thought this whole mission, my account, me, was a bit of a joke.

Still, I wasn’t here to make friends, was I? I was here to win. If I laughed it off, then it wouldn’t hurt. That’s exactly what online Elle would do.

“Thanks for the appraisal, Fred. Ridiculous internet person who probably isn’t a threat to life…” I laughed, Ruby mouthed sorry, but I smiled at them both. I guess it wasn’t Fred’s fault—he didn’t really know me. “So why do you think Holly was so up for it? No offense or anything, but from what I know, it seems like she’d be the kind of person to love December at home?”

Ruby shrugged. “Well, that was her plan.” I swear I caught a quick glance to Fred. “But she wanted a perfect Christmas. And she needed a change…from all the change.” Ruby didn’t say anything more.

What change had made Holly shake everything up so much?

But I stopped—I’d spotted something supercute. Mistletoe hanging at the end of the tiny alleyway. I got my camera out.

This time I wasn’t being paranoid. There was definitely a look between Ruby and Fred.

Ruby stopped. “Don’t suppose we could interest you in the pond instead?” She pointed in the opposite direction. “It’s dead nice this time of day and…”

And clearly not a story I was getting. Never mind, I’d seen something that needed even more explanation.