My mind is slipping. I know it is. The haze from a lack of sleep. A lack of sleep because of the nightmares. Every single night, I'm plagued with nightmares. They mentally scar me, they physically scar me and they scare me. So I run. I run away from sleep. I have watched my grades drop as I stay awake for longer and longer. I won't let the nightmares take me. Not at [Age]. Not ever. I don't think my father actually cares. Oh no, it's all work, business, money. No love. No care. No family. I look like the living dead. My bags are so dark, the might as well be the night sky. My [Colour] hair is unkempt and wild, as I won't waste the energy on my appearance. My clothing looks like it had a fight with a lion. I never care for the gossip surrounding me. I have no friends to get gossip from, so why should I care. Caffeine is my friend. Caffeine protects me from the fear. I still sleep sometimes though. Nightmares, yes, but I always feel slightly more refreshed after getting any sleep.

I had managed to stumble out of the house one night, running for my life. I was being chased by my nightmares. You may think of me as mad, but the nightmares were mares. Horses. Animals that are faster than me. So yeah, I was running for my life, each sharp cold breath ripping at my lungs and every leap burning my muscles. I had to outrun them. Unlikely, but worth a shot. I pushed myself, hair and skin snagging on sharp branches. I roared with pain but I pressed forward. A shimmer just ahead. The lake! I wondered if they could swim. Only one way to find out.

I took a final gulp of frigid air before plunging into the ice cold water. I treaded water, relieved that the cool black water was soothing my scratches. Turns out, the nightmares could swim, and had followed me into the water. They merged together, into one black cloud. Crap. It pounced. I dived. I swam as fast as my legs could carry me, and as soon as I reached the bank, I leaped to my feet and ran again. The skeletal trees swung their arms at me, their fingers snagging on anything in range. I hopped in-between, desperate to flee.

I could feel my body giving up. First, my vision went blurry. Next, my legs gave way. I was helpless, a perfect meal for those nightmares, all they need was a side salad and some fries. When I though all hope was lost, I saw this golden light stream across the sky. As I heard the nightmares approach, an out-of-focus golden man stepped into the way, golden whips in hand. Someone else, someone with cold hands, supported me from the back. The last I saw was the golden wan whipping away my fears.

I awoke led on a sofa in a large hall with a globe in the centre. Gold specks flickered on and off. I looked down at the state I was in. My left arm was in a sling; my hair was neatly tied back in a ponytail. I was still wearing my ripped and bloody clothing. I let out a low moan as I tried to sit up. A small round man with a bell on the top of this hat shook his head at me and gave me a small cup of something. A sedative. I slept.

I awoke at home, in my bed, and very disorientated. It took me a good few minutes to register where I was. I wasn't wearing the sling anymore, and I was wearing some of my usual lion-fight clothing. The only evidence of the chase happening was my brushed hair. Who were the people that had saved me, and why did they bring me back home? At least I looked fairly decent and was wide-awake for once. I checked my clock. 7.00am. I had only disappeared for a couple of hours.

Then school came. A lot of people were surprised at my improved appearance, and obviously tried talking to me. I ignored them as usual, being as sociable as a rock. I actually did pretty well in Math and English, which surprised everyone. I was just glad at the end of the day when the bell rang. It meant nobody else would try to talk to me.

It was snowing when I stepped out of the school gates. This took me by surprise, as there hadn't been snow all winter so far. This snow was a good inch deep, and some of the kids in my year group were having a snowball fight, while others were making snow creatures and snow men. I just hurried through the thick snow, the bitter air nipping at my nose. As soon as I got home, I had a shower, to wash off the cold. The hot, steamy water relaxed my tensed muscles and felt good on my skin. Then I saw my injuries. I had black scratches all down by back. Scars criss-crossed all over my chest and cuts laced my arms. I grimaced at the shape I was in. If anyone noticed this, I'd probably get put in care and the social services would get my dad. No. I wouldn't let them do that.

Don't let them in, don't let them see, be the good girl I always have to be. Conceal, don't feel, don't let it show. Make one wrong move and everyone will know.

I sighed, stepping out of the bath and pushed the thoughts out of my mind. I dried off and headed downstairs to go eat. I heated up a pizza in the oven and snatched up my laptop from the coffee table. In real life, I shut out everyone, but online I was the real me. Giggly, bubbly and childish. Though I didn't have Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr, I had a deviantART account, where I posted art and silly stuff. Sitting on the sofa, waiting for the pizza, I logged in and checked my messages. I was instantly flocked with wintery images. At least some people were in the spirit of the season. I couldn't care less as the cold hurt my feet and was wet. After clearing my inbox, I closed my laptop and got the pizza out of the oven. It smelled so good. After letting it cool so I didn't burn my tongue, I quickly ate it all up. Well worth the wait. Then, after watching a bit of [Fav Youtuber] and an episode or two of [Fav TV show] I went to bed, knackered. Tonight I was going to sleep, no matter whether I had a nightmare or not.

Turns out, I didn't have a nightmare, but a pleasant dream. What a stroke of luck. I had slept in as it was the weekend. Sluggishly climbing out of bed, I stumbled downstairs to get breakfast. I devoured my toast and bacon. Changing into some winter clothing, I ventured out into the ice and white. The snow as even thicker today, blanketing everything in white. I ended up trekking into the nearby forest and climbing up one of the trees. Though winter was annoying and old, it was beautiful. It was dark when I got home. I ate a small dinner and went to bed. The nightmares were there. I leaped back, scrambled down the stairs and out the door, the horses hot on my trail. I thought that gold guy had dealt with them!

Unlike last time, I wasn't so scared now. I was confident I could outrun them, or at least until the gold guy saved me or whatever. So I ran. I guess I ran a good four miles before I was starting to feel like passing out again. But I kept on running. I tripped, I got scratched, but I kept going until my legs gave way. I grabbed a nearby branch from a tree, to use as protection. I wasn't going to go down without a fight. When the nightmares came, I slashed them in the face with the branch. They didn't appreciate my retaliation. I carried on hitting and screaming, hoping to get help.

The golden man came, and so did a large rabbit and a white haired boy. The gold man didn't speak, but formed floating images above his head. I had no idea whatsoever he was saying. The rabbit had an Australian accent, and told the boy to pick me up, calling him 'Frostbite'. I can't remember much after that, I remember the golden man attacking the nightmares, but then I blacked out.

I woke up, back on the sofa, but this time the white haired boy was sitting crossed-legged on the floor in front of me, a Shepard's staff littered with frost. I blinked a few times, taking in the surroundings. I didn't bother to sit up.

"Am I mad? Are you a therapist or something?"

He shook his head.

"You're one of the most sane teenagers I've ever met, to be honest," he smiled, "I'm Jack."

"[Name]"

"So [Name], do you have any idea why those nightmares were chasing you?"

So I wasn't mad! Jack could see them too! I explained that ever since I turned thirteen I had been tormented with nightmares, and I had tried to not sleep. Then the horse nightmares showed up and gave chase the other night. Then they turned up in my bedroom again. He nodded throughout my explanation.

"[Name], this may sound off topic, but do you believe in any fairy tales, like Santa or the Easter Bunny?"

"Um, Well, I believe in Santa, the tooth fairy and the sandman, but the sandman obviously hates me, seeing as he sends me nightmares. Oh, and I don't believe in the Easter Bunny 'cause he's lame."

"Actually, the bogeyman sends you nightmares, not Sandy."

"Oh, like you'd be an expert."

"Why as a matter of fact, [Name], I am!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah really" jack replied, "Have you heard of anyone called Jack Frost?"

"Well yeah, he… no… no! You couldn't be!"

"What?"

"Prove that you're THE Jack Frost"

Jack formed a giant snowflake in his hand, and scrunched it into a snowball. I sat up, flailing about excitedly. Jack Frost was sitting right in front of me! He laughed at my reaction.

"Are they all-"

"Yes, they're all real; Santa, the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, the sandman, the bogeyman and me. We're all real."

I grinned happily. This night couldn't get better. We chatted into the night, until I drifted off to sleep.

The sound of buzzing wings woke me up. Opening my eyes, I was met with a pair of violet ones. This made me jump.

"Oh, sorry."

The eyes were own by a pretty looking woman who was covered in tropical coloured feathers and had dragonfly wings that looked like pink stained-glass. Mini versions of her hovered around her. They reminded me of hummingbirds. Soon, I discovered that she was the Tooth fairy and her name was Toothina. I also found out she was VERY talkative. When she had finally stopped babbling and sticking her hands in my mouth so she could see my pearly whites, she led me to the other side of the globe, where Jack, the bunny, Sandy (as Jack called him), and a bearded man I presumed was Santa.

"Hi, I'm [Name]…"

"Здравствуйте!" Santa said in a thick Russian accent, "Velcome to the North Pole! I'm am North, you know me as Santa, no?" I nodded. "You already know Tooth and Jack." He gestured his hand towards the large rabbit, "This is Bunny, the Easter Bunny" I regreted calling this badass bunny lame, "And this is Sandman… Sandy vake up!"

The sandman had fallen asleep. After North yelled at him to get him awake, he cheerfully waved over at me. After a short discussion on why the nightmares were attacking me, I brought up that by now I should've left for school by now. North explained that he had sent a message to my school, saying that I was really ill and wouldn't be in school for a while.

Then they inquired why I could see them. Apparently, the believers that could see them were children, not teenagers. I guess I was just very immature and childish. Jack had mentioned last night that they were the guardians of childhood. Childhood. Child.

"I know why the nightmares are attacking me!" I exclaimed, "You're suppost to protect children, but not teenagers. So the Bogeyman is presuambly attacking and doing something to teenagers!"

Genius [Name] strikes again.