A Karma Girl Christmas Read Free Page A

shoppers on the upper floors look all the way down to the first level. A massive metal Christmas tree had been erected in the middle of the open-air space, stretching all the way up to the store’s top floor. But it wasn’t your traditional Christmas tree, because instead of ornaments, toys dangled from its many branches.
    Trucks, cars, model tanks, board games, baseballs, miniature tea sets, coloring books, action figures, chemistry kits, bikes, skateboards—all that and more had been hung on the tree. Mixed in with the toys, I saw some of the clothes that Fiona and Bella had donated. Underneath the tree, Chief Newman’s boxes of food and school supplies had been wrapped in bright paper and stuffed into red Santa sacks. Sparkling red and silver velvet ribbons had been wound through the toys, tightly securing them to the tree, and crystal stars shimmered here and there on the branches. Another, larger star topped the tree, sending out sparks of rainbow color in every direction. All put together, it was one of the most dazzling displays I’d ever seen.  
    My breath caught in my throat in wonderment, and for a moment, I felt like a kid again, giddy with excitement about what might be under the Christmas tree or hidden in my stocking.
    “Pretty cool, huh?” a soft, feminine voice murmured.
    I turned to find Abby Appleby standing beside me. Abby was a pretty woman, with brown hair and pale green eyes. She also was an event planner known throughout Bigtime for her ability to get things done—no matter what.  
    I liked Abby. She planned lots of the society events that I covered for The Exposé , and I found her to be smart and funny, if a little tightly wound. According to Henry, Abby had been hired to plan the toy drive this year, and it was on track to be the biggest success ever, thanks to her tireless efforts.
    “I thought we’d do something special with the toys this year, instead of just piling them on top of each other or wrapping them up and hiding them from sight,” Abby said. “This way, everyone can enjoy them, especially the kids when they come into the store in the morning.”
    My eyes traced over the tree again, and I realized that it had to be made out of solidium to support the weight of all the toys, clothes, and other items. The metal glistened underneath the red, green, and silver holiday lights wrapped around the branches.  
    I shook my head. “It’s amazing. Absolutely amazing. You’ve outdone yourself again, Abby.”
    She frowned a little. As Abby and Carmen, we were friends, and I realized that I’d spoken to her that way instead of being the mysterious hero with the supersecret identity. She looked at me a second longer, obviously wondering at the familiar tone in my voice, but shrugged it off. Abby was used to dealing with superheroes and their quirks at the events she planned. Besides, she knew as well as I did that more than one well-to-do businesswoman on the society circuit moonlighted as a hero or villain in her spare time.  
    Abby pulled a cell phone out of one of the pockets on the khaki mesh vest she wore over her green sweater and black pants. She tapped a few buttons on her phone. “And you are right on schedule. I like that about you, Karma Girl. I’m glad you’re here tonight and not Fiera. She’s never on time for anything , and she always ends up melting something before the event is over. Her temper’s as fiery as her fists.”
    I hid a grin at Abby’s rather apt description of Fiona.  
    “Anyway, I’m out of here for the night,” Abby said. “We’re locking the doors in five minutes. I don’t think you’ll have any problems, but you never know. Obviously, you can take care of yourself, and of course you can always call in the other members of the Fearless Five if anything happens.”
    “Of course,” I murmured.
    I didn’t tell Abby that everyone else was busy tonight. Sam was away on business, Fiona was spending some time with the Bullucis, and Henry and