Disclaimer: I do not own the book The Giver, Jonas, or Gabriel. Though I do own Maria Christiansen.

Chapter 24

Jonas's sled came to a stop at the bottom of the hill. Was what he had heard really just an echo? Or, could it be that as the community he had left got the memories back, had somehow discovered music? And somehow, that sound carried over to him, to show him that his efforts weren't in vain? He smiled to himself. Whether the sound was an echo or not, he knew it was music. Despite never hearing it, he knew in his heart that it was what the Giver was talking about. The sound was just so, so… beautiful.

His thoughts were soon disturbed by the sound of an unfamiliar voice. "Hey, you over there! What are you doing here? Who are you?"

Jonas looked up so he could face the person whom he thought was talking to him. It was a female. She looked to be just about his height, and had long, silky black hair that seemed to end around her mid-back. The bangs that hung in front of her face covered about half of her eyes, and most of her forehead. The expression on her face told him that she was confused. "I'm Jonas, and this is Gabriel," he answered her second question. The first one, he thought, would be hard to answer.

"Jonas and Gabriel…?" The girl appeared to be waiting for a longer answer, what was he supposed to say? He didn't reply. He just cocked his head to the side, looking as confused as she did. She sighed in response, seeming to be irritated. "What are your last names?"

"My… last name?" Jonas didn't know what the strange girl was talking about.

"Yes, your last name. What is it?"

"I… Don't have one." He said slowly, hoping that his answer would be sufficient enough. How was he supposed to give an answer to a question that required information Jonas didn't have? Jonas was Jonas. He didn't have a 'last name'. Didn't the girl know that? Or, did the girl have a 'last name'?

The girl just seemed to get more irritated with Jonas after she heard his answer. "How can you not have one? Everyone has a last name! You can't have just a first name!" She scanned his face for any sign of him lying. She didn't find anything, and looked very unsatisfied.

"Where I come from, we don't have 'last names.' We don't need them… or… maybe now I should say that we didn't need them." He looked thoughtful. "What is a 'last name', anyway?" Jonas added as an afterthought.

The girl looked bewildered, "You don't have last names where you come from? How's that possible? Everyone needs last names. If you don't have them, you'll confuse people if they have the same first name. Like I'm Maria Christiansen; 'Christiansen' is my last name, and it's there so I won't get confused with someone else name Maria." She smiled as she spoke this time, it seemed like she was getting used to the strange boy. But, after a few moments, her smile turned into a frown as she repeated one of her earlier questions. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your family? It's Christmas Eve!"

"Christmas…" He said the word slowly; it was unfamiliar to him, too.

"Don't tell me you don't know what Christmas is!" Maria almost wailed, looking at him hopelessly.

"I'm, sorry." Jonas looked at her apologetically. "Where I come from, there's no such thing as Christmas. What is it?"

"No Christmas? How can there be no Christmas where you come from? It's the best holiday ever!"

His eyes widened with realization as she said the word 'holiday.' "Christmas… It's a holiday? The Giver told me of many holidays from the past! Well, he gave me the memories of them, so, that can't really be called 'telling'… still…" Jonas seemed excited to finally know about something the girl was talking about.

"The Giver?" For the first time during the conversation, Maria was in the dark.

"My… mentor. He held all the memories of the past, and made it so the Community couldn't remember. I was selected as the new Receiver of Memory, so I got the memories of the past. I got many of holidays. I never quite got their names… But I can sort of remember what they were like. Two were held during snowy times. One with presents, and one with fireworks."

"Christmas and New Years," Maria interrupted, smiling. Jonas seemed to know something, "The one with presents is Christmas. Right now it's Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas." She stopped for a moment, as the rest of what Jonas had said finally sunk in. "… Selected?"

Jonas realized that here, in Elsewhere, nothing was the same. This girl knew nothing of his community. He smiled at her, and told her his story. Told her of his life; his controlled, colorless, feeling-free life in the community. She watched him with interest as she spoke, and sometimes a look of horror crossed Maria's face as she listened. The idea of the community obviously disgusted, and terrified her. She'd grown up in a place with colors, love, freedom; she struggled as she tried to imagine the place Jonas had grown up in.

"Wow…" Was all she could say after he finished speaking. "That sounds horrible. How could you stand it?"

"It was… easy, until I got the memories. Once I discovered what was I couldn't stand how things were. So, I escaped here. And gave everyone back the memories they didn't have."

"And you saved this little guy from a death he didn't deserve." Maria whispered, as she stroked her index finger against Gabriel's cheek. "Oh!" She turned around to look back at her house. "They're probably wondering what I've been doing out here so long… I have to go…" She looked back at Jonas, thinking for a bit. "You don't have anywhere to go, do you?"

Jonas looked at her quizzically. "No, this place is alien to me. Of course I have no where to go."

"How about I ask my parents if you can stay at my house, until you find somewhere else?"

Jonas smiled as he accepted her offer, "I'd like that, a lot."

"Great! Come on!" She held out her hand to him, and he took it.

Carrying Gabriel, Jonas followed Maria as she led him to her house. He was grinning from ear to ear. He hadn't even been in Elsewhere a day, and already he had made a friend; a really nice one, too.

"Mother, father! Can a friend stay over for a few days?" Maria called as she opened the door to her house, pulling Jonas into what appeared to be the living room. Immediately, he recognized something vaguely familiar: a sweet-smelling tree decorate with ornaments, beautifully wrapped presents, a warm fireplace, candles… and… a family; all sitting on chairs and couches, apparently happy to be together.