Chapter One
"How dare you, you walking Icicle?" The Easter Bunny towered over his adversary. Yes, the Easter Bunny is not small, and, yes, he has adversaries. And yes, he's real.

"What'cha gonna do, Kangaroo?" I joked, grinning mischievously, "Hide a boiled egg in my backyard?"

The Easter Bunny goes by Bunnymund, and he is not fond of jokes about his Australian accent. Bunnymund towered over most people he met, even Mr. North himself, if you count the ears. He has bluish-gray fur, and carries boomerangs and egg-grenades.

And who am I? Jack Frost. I have the ability to wield ice and fly through the skies with my wooden staff. My main goal in life is to have fun, which fits in the job description perfectly. Grinning, I flicked Bunnymund's nose and flew up in the air, just barely out of the rabbit's reach.

"No fighting, boys!" the Tooth Fairy scolded, flitting high over our heads anxiously.

"Where's North? It's odd for him to be late when he's in his own workshop" she muttered. She ducked as one of the elves' failed toy planes launched through the air.

So why are the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and Jack Frost congregated at the North Pole?
We are members of the Guardians; a group that protects the children who still believe in them. Each Guardian protects something essential to children; Tooth guards Memories, Bunnymund guards Hope, and I guard Fun.

"Say, where's Sandy too?" I inquired, ignoring Bunnymund's unrelenting glare.

"We're right here" North announced, entering the workshop. North wore a bright red coat with a fuzzy black hat and thick black boots. Like the stories and songs performed all through December, he has hair as white as snow and cheeks as red as Rudolph's nose. North, a.k.a. Santa Claus, is the Guardian of Wonder and Inspiration. Following behind him is Sandy, also known as Sandman, Guardian of Dreams. If left alone, he can doze off on the spot. Sandy's a pretty quiet guy, and, as far as I know, he's made of golden sand.

"Sorry, I had to run an errand" North announced, "A reindeer escaped during a ride around India. Talk about being stuck in the pickle"

"There's the fat man himself" Bunnymund teased since I was out of reach, literally.

"Why did you call us together so close to Christmas, North?" Tooth Fairy asked, "It's unlike you"

"I know" he replied, "So you all know what I have to say may be more important than Christmas"

Bunnymund stood still with his mouth gaping. Sandy woke from his power nap, completely awake and looking as if he were about to have a heart attack. I would've looked the same way, but I was a bit occupied; Tooth stopped flying, she was so shocked, and fell into my arms.

"Oh calm down, it's nothing terrible!" he assured us, "Man in Moon has good news!"

As if on cue, the skylight opened, revealing the moon, full and bright in the night sky. The moonlight pour down, enveloping everyone in the blue light. Man in Moon, or Mim for short, is sort of our Commander in Chief. He warns us of new dangers to the world and recruits Guardians. No one knows what he looks like, or who he really is. My guess is that he's stuck on the moon, or he could be the actual moon.

In the middle of the ground, a device came out from a trapdoor steadily, whirring and clicking excitedly.

"Oh my!" Tooth flew out of my arms, flitting about excitedly again.

"What's going on?" I inquired. While everyone else looked excited, I felt confused as an odd pang of loneliness struck me, a first in several years.

"Something that hasn't happened since you came" Bunnymund replied, "A new Guardian is coming"
"Wait a second" I said, ducking as Tooth shot past my head, squealing excitedly, "I thought new Guardians only come when the world is in danger or something"

"Yes, that is true" North admitted, stroking his beard worriedly. Sandy frowned at the whirring machine as it began to glow.

"Man in Moon, is there a threat somewhere?" he asked, "Is Pitch back?"

Bunnymund scoffed, twirling his boomerang on one fluffy finger.

"Pitch is not a major threat, not anymore" he said confidently.

"Can you be so sure?" North inquired, glaring at the Easter Bunny.

"Hush, guys, it's starting!" Tooth exclaimed, "Please let it be a girl!"

"Anyone but that Groundhog" Bunnymund begged.

"What do you have against the guy?" I asked.

"First off, it's a lassie, not a lad" Bunnymund said, "And second off it's very complicated"

"Complicated?" I repeated, "Oh, look who's on the naughty list!"

"N-Nothing like that!" Bunnymund argued, his face paled so terribly that he didn't even have a retort.

Suddenly, Tooth squealed, her voice echoing throughout the workshop.

"Finally!" she exclaimed, "Honestly, there's too much testosterone in this group; can't take another fella"

"A girl?" Bunnymund inquired.

"Down, boy" I teased, and stepped forward to get a better look. I paused as she captured my gaze, feeling rooted to the spot.

The New Guardian has skin as brown as cocoa, and fierce green eyes that made her look like an Amazonian warrior. She carried a sheathed sword at her hip, and a bow and quiver slung across her back. The girl wore a white long-sleeved shirt, brown trousers, and black boots. For some odd reason, she felt familiar, but that's not possible. Tooth showed me my past a long time ago.

"Jack, what's wrong?" Tooth asked, "You look paler than normal"

"Huh?" I said, as if waking from a dream.

"You look shocked" Tooth said, placing her tiny hand on my shoulder. Her worried gaze made me strangely feel bad for staring at the hologram.

"It's nothing" I assured her, placing my hand on hers. Tooth blushed and pulled away, studying her fingernails intently.

"Her name is Ciara Ambrose" Mim explained. It's hard to explain how he communicates with us; something to do with the moonlight and telepathy.

"She has incredible power." Mom explained, "Dangerous power if found in the wrong hands"

"Dangerous? How so?" North inquired. The image on the machined changed, and a hologram of a globe appeared, except the world was shrouded in darkness.

"That's got to be Pitch's handiwork" I muttered bitterly. We all have a bad history with Pitch Black. He's the King of Fear; he reigned supreme in the world, until the Guardians were formed. About ten years ago, he tried to wipe us out for good and take the world by force, but he failed. Pitch hasn't been seen since then.

"Let's get that rat before he can even form the idea" Bunnymund said, balling his fists.

"No" Mim warned, "Find the girl, protect her"

As he said this, the moonlight moved to the giant globe in the workshop, the light shrinking until it was on dot.

"He's right, we need to find our new Guardian and train her" North agreed, turning to the globe.

The light hovered just below Florida, in the Pacific. North's face fell almost immediately, and the situation seemed even more grim.

"Where is he pointing?" Tooth inquired, "Does she live in the ocean? Is she a mermaid?"

"Wait, since when do mermaids exist?" I asked.
"No" North replied heavily, "She is trapped"

The mood of the entire room darkened.

Tooth instantly deflated, landing back down onto Earth.

"Can somebody tell me what's going on?" I asked, exasperated.

"She's in the Bermuda Triangle" Bunnymund explained.