A.N.) I hope you all like this. I worked hard on it, and I think it doesn't look very well. So……
Disclaimer: I don't own The Night World Series
Circle Daybreak's Christmas Curses
Chapter 2: Second Curse- A Christmas Carol
Iliana and Keller were sitting on one of the sofas, in the main living room. Despite all the Christmas decorations that gave off warm feelings, Keller was still being the Christmas Scrooge. To Keller, the good feelings and decorations were a complete eyesore. Iliana took it upon herself to try to get her in the Christmas spirit.
Iliana turned on the boom box on the mantel. She tried to make Keller more Christmassy by making her listen to the song "Last Christmas".
"What do you think that song is about Keller?" Iliana asked when the song concluded. She gave Keller an openhearted smile. She had high hopes that that made Keller feel better. But instead, Keller looked blunt and bored. She sighed.
"That life is cruel, and builds somebody up just to be knocked down harshly; as to the song, loving somebody only to be heartbroken?" Keller answered. Iliana didn't answer. She knew that that song wasn't going to get Keller to realize Christmas was to be happy about.
Iliana turned off the music, and turned on the television and DVD player. She had resorted to making Keller watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". It was to the part where the Grinch ruined the Christmas festival. Still staring at the screen, Iliana asked, "Does the Grinch's bad temper remind you of something, Keller?" Iliana received no answer. "Keller?" she asked again. She turned to see Keller had fallen asleep. Keller had curled into a ball and rested her head on the armrest. And by the looks of it, she had been asleep for a while.
Iliana sighed. "Keller, wake up." she said and shook Keller's shoulder. Keller opened her eyes and moaned. "What now, Iliana. What are you gonna make me do now?!" Iliana frowned.
"Sorry. Maybe now we should try--" Iliana said. Keller immediately sat up and glared. Without the girls noticing, Galen had entered the room, but remained undetected. He was curious to know why his soulmate was so mad lately. He thought he figure it out now.
"In case you haven't noticed, I HATE THE HOLIDAYS!" Keller yelled in a spooky tone. Galen was caught when he let out a gasp. Iliana mimicked Galen's action; she gasped too. Keller tried to hold in from telling people that for Galen's sake, but she couldn't take Iliana badgering her anymore. She had no reason to like Christmas at all! Every single Christmas she has endured was either in an orphanage, with foster family she barely knew nor cared for, or was gone on a mission where she tensed up and watched for Winnie and Nissa's asses. She never had her parents there to care for her on Christmas. It irritated her greatly that people just couldn't understand that. She was so mad she needed to scream. To do something!
Galen was able to understand that Keller had some issues with Christmas, and didn't blame her, he could never. However, Galen didn't think she actually hated Christmas. He could tell she was very unhappy about what she was grown to know about Christmas. And that was killing him inside. He was going to do anything to make her happy. He walked up to her with nothing, but golden-green warmth in his eyes and protective, open arms just waiting for Keller to allow him to rap his arms around her. But she didn't.
"Leave me alone, Galen!" Keller yelled at him. Galen winced; that sentence really hurt his heart.
Then, Keller just ran past him. Without another word to her friend and soulmate, she ran to her own room. She put on just a thin jacket, and ran deep into the forest. She didn't care where she was going, she needed to get away. She felt so ashamed. She truly hated Christmas. She needed to cool off before she could face Galen about it.
Keller stopped running. She was now limping. Her chest felt hollow, her face was numb. It became more difficult to gain enough control in her legs just to take one more step. Limbs were jelly, but felt stiff and numb. She was freezing to death. Shapeshifters can have immortality, but they weren't resistant to the cold like vampires. She looked at her hands. They were currently red, but on their way to being cold blue. She wasn't frozen, but so cold that she would be getting there, if she didn't warm up.
Feeling so tired, she collapsed. She was now lying on her back in a pile of snow, under a worn out tree with no leaves, in the middle of nowhere.
* But then she felt light, and at a reasonable temperature. She sat up, but looked down and saw that her frozen body was still lying in the snow. She had been detached from her body. The sunset wasn't even close to coming. The sun was still out.
"Raksha Keller!" a booming voice shouted above her. She looked up to see a figure, but looked like a ghost. She could be identified, but at the same time, translucent. She was see-through. And she had a gray, ghostlike aura around her. Who this figure was, was obvious to Keller. She knew this person well.
"……" Keller blinked in confusion. "Rashel?" Yes, the ghost was Rashel. She floated off the floor, and had her arms crossed and a hard look. But when Rashel had been addressed, she immediately lost her balance, and looked shocked.
"Yes! Uh- NO! Umm… aw forget it! I'm just here to give you a warning."
"Warning?" Keller asked. She though Rashel meant a fight was coming. And Keller could really use a living punching bag to let off steam.
"Yes. Heed this warning, for it may help you greatly!" Rashel said returning to her load, but superior, voice. Keller just watched. "After I leave, you will be visited by three spirits. Listen to them and do as they say, or you shall suffer a fate worse then you can imagine! Even worse than Ash's jokes!"
Keller winced. Even worse than Ash's jokes? That had to be pretty bad. And with that done, Rashel was faded into thin air. Keller stood up and waited for these so-called spirits. And soon enough, the first one came.
* A person, literally glowing with white light, levitated before the panther. A person made of white, but still, the person's feature where molded onto him. He was like white playdough. When Keller recognized the ghost's face, even though his hair was black and his eyes weren't gold anymore, her shoulders slouched and put on her this-is-pointless face.
"I am the Ghost of Christmas Past!" the ghost said.
"No you're not. You're Delos." Keller replied annoyed.
"Hey! I've lived in medieval times all my life! You'd think I'd know a thing or two about Past?" Delos questioned. "It's time to visit your past, Raksha Keller!" he announced. Then, the whole scenery changed.
Keller and Delos stood in front of a red brick building. It was very old and children in proper winter gear sat on the front step. The building had banning hanging. It read "Daybreak Orphanage". It was snowing. The evening was young and stars were dancing in the sky.
"Look at this place, Keller. What is this place?" Delos asked, even though he knew. Keller looked dazed.
"This is the orphanage I lived at when I was 4. It's Christmas Eve. And I didn't quite understand the meaning of my father's poem yet……" she clarified. Delos grabbed Keller's forearm and flew to a window on the third floor. They looked in the window and saw a little girl sitting on her bed, or soon-to-be old bed. She had made her bunk. Her roommates were out playing. She had her suitcase packed with her cloths and other belongings.
Her gray eyes were big and innocent. Her wavy, black hair barely touched her shoulders. The only thing that distinguished her from any other human girl was her cat ears and tail. She was ready to go outside, wearing her snow gear. A supervisor walked in the room. "Raksha, your new foster family with be here to pick you up in a few minutes, so be ready." With no more to say, the supervisor left. This girl was going to a family. She should be happy, but she wasn't. She was crying.
She got off her bed and walked to the window. She stared out at the sky. "It doesn't mattew (matter). They'ww (they'll) just send me off in wess (less) than a yeaw (year). They'ww nevew wove me. (They'll never love me.)"
When she saw a shooting star, she made a wish. "I wish someone wiww (will) reawwy, reawwy wove (really, really love) me one day."
Back with Keller and Delos, Keller wanted to cry but didn't. Delos continued with his mission. "And you had got your wish, Keller." Keller looked at Delos with surprised eyes. I did? she thought. Delos waved his hand and their surrounding changed again.
They were now in a party of some sort. They were at the Charlotte. It was the promising ceremony; back when Keller was hired to bring the Witch Child to the ceremony, to tie the shapeshifters to the witches. Iliana had already done the blood bond with Keller. Delos guided Keller to a side of the room and the sight there could have made Keller bawl. She saw herself and Galen hugging and kissing. Keller remembered how happy they were when they were allowed to be together.
"I love you. I'll love you forever." Galen whispered to the Keller in the flashback.
Delos turned to Keller of the present. "Someone does love you Keller," he said. Keller looked guilty. Delos waved his hand again. Before her eyes, Keller was back in the forest with her cold body. Delos was gone. Keller turned and looked around her.
"Delos? Delos, where did you go?!"
* "The Ghost of Christmas Past has done his work. Now it's my turn." a random voice said. Keller looked at, yet another familiar face. It was just like Delos. The ghost's face features had shown, but was still glowing white. Keller knew this spirit as Mary-Lynnette Carter. "I'm the Ghost of Christmas Present!"
"Mary-Lynnette--"
"SILENCE." Mare demanded.
"Silence me. I'll kick your ass." Keller grumbled and crossed her arms, pouting like a child. "What are you suppose to do?" she asked.
"I'm going to show you what you cause in the present." Mare explained. Mary-Lynnette floated to Keller and grabbed her hand. "Hold on." Mare warned. She flew up to the sky, taking Keller with her. Keller was dangling, but she took more notice that they were high enough to see the whole forest. The mansion was also in sight. Without cautioning Keller, Mare flew to the mansion. The wind ruffled Keller's hair in the process, but it was like it wasn't even touching Mare.
Mare flew straight into a wall. Keller closed her eyes and waiting for the impact of the wall, but they went through like it the wall was water. The girls then made their landing. They stood in one of the hallways, but they were not alone.
Galen ran down the hallway, looking left and right. He was searching for someone. Nissa walked in too, but was more calm and collected. Galen instantly stopped to ask for assistance.
"Nissa! Have you seen Keller?! I've searched this whole damn mansion, and have come up clueless!" Galen asked. He was hysterical. He looked frustrated and worried at the same time.
Keller looked away from the scene and at Mary-Lynnette. "How come they can't see us?" she asked.
"They are not in the right conscious to see or hear us," Mare answered. Then, they went back to watching Galen and Nissa.
Nissa also looked alarmed; like she did know something and she screwed up. "…… Yeah, I did."
"WHERE?!!" Galen asked so fast in made Nissa, Keller, and Mare fall back. Nissa started fiddling with her fingers.
"I saw her run into the forest…" Nissa answered. Galen couldn't help but be slightly mad, but he'd get over it. Right now, his mean priority was to find Keller.
"Ok! Thanks!" Galen said quickly and ran back from where he came. But Nissa knew what he was going to do, so she stopped him.
"You can't go out there! You'll freeze to death!" she shouted to him.
"I don't give a damn! I just want to find Keller!" Galen yelled back with fierce protectiveness, but to Keller's surprise, he also sounded violent. Like he was going to slaughter anyone who tired to stop him. Keller felt more remorseful. She hated that she caused him to worry so much. She was so guilty and ashamed that she couldn't control her anger, and yelled at him.
Nissa shook her head. "Hope Keller knows how lucky she to have him. With Galen in that state, I know for sure he'll find her," she said and walked away. Keller was even more remorseful.
"He loves you a lot, BUT YOU SHUN HIM!" Mare said in a high-mighty, booming, superior tone. "You have to control your anger. I mean, come on! My boyfriend has no common sense or sense of responsibility to speak of! How do you think I get?" Keller sighed.
"So you finally came to terms that Ash is irresponsible? Quinn owes me 100 bucks." Keller said dully.
"Stop kidding around." Mare said.
"It wasn't a joke." Keller said in a tone that proved she was really serious. Mare just shrugged it off, grabbed Keller's hand again, and pulled her down to the floor. Of course, they went straight through like the floor was water. It was just the doing a head dive into the mansion's pool.
They went to the main living room, where Iliana had tried to get Keller in the Christmas spirit. Iliana was still sitting on the sofa, but Alex Harman, the witch baby, was also there. He was sitting under the Christmas tree, trying to reach the ornaments. Iliana sighed.
"Kee-kee?" the baby asked. Iliana shook her head.
"Galen's looking for Kee-kee right now, Alex." Iliana said to him. Keller and Mare watched as Alex finally caught a decoration. He pulled down a candy cane. Iliana mistook Alex; she thought he was going to try to eat it. "Alex, no." she said. She went up to him and tried to pull it out of his hand. But Alex wouldn't let go.
"Toe Kee-kee!" Alex whined and was going to cry if the candy cane left his hand. Iliana let go of the candy cane and raised an eyebrow at him.
"To Kee-kee?" she asked, correcting him. He nodded zealously. "Kee-kee's missing right now, so you're going to have to wait a little bit." Iliana soon learned using the words Kee-kee and missing in the same sentence, with Alex, was bad. Alex started crying and waving his arms in the air.
"Kee-kee no bye-bye! Kee-kee no bye-bye!" he chanted over and over.
Back with Keller and Mare, Keller started at the floor. "You know Mare, I thought I was sorry enough before, but now I really, really am." she said.
"What ever you do, mostly likely will stick on that kid, and become his personality. Do you want that child holding such anger? So much, he shall soon be miserable at Christmas as you are?" Mare asked, but it sounded more like a lecture. Keller shook her head.
"You have one last spirit to encounter! He shall show the consequences for hatred!" Mare shouted out of nowhere back to the authority, superior, high mighty voice. Mare clapped her hands three times and a sweep of white snow circled Keller.
* Keller assumed it would take her back to the forest with her body. Instead, when then snow dispersed, Keller stood in a graveyard. It was like in a Halloween cartoon special; trees with crooked twigs and no leafs, a black sky, and lighting. Even though there were a lot of corpses' lying 6-feet under Keller's feet, she wasn't the only soul in the cemetery.
Yet another figure was there waiting for Keller. A man in a Grim Reaper costume was leaning on a tombstone. His hood eclipsed a shadow where his face should have been. "I am the Ghost of Christmas Future. And I gotta say, it's about damn time!" he said, purposely adjusting his voice to sound evil and raspy. Keller approached him.
"Well wha--" Keller started, but then got a glance under his hood, thus seeing his face. "What? Wait a minute. Phil?" The Reaper grunted and pulled his hood back to prove that Keller's accusation was true. The Ghost of Christmas Future was Phillip North.
"Why do you gotta ruin the mood, Keller? Huh? Why?" he asked irritated. His voice was back to normal though.
"Stop being a baby, Phil. Now what is your job here?" Keller asked.
"Hn." Phil grunted and pulled his hood back over his head. "Follow." he commanded and walked to another headstone. Keller obeyed Phil and followed. He came to a halt.
"Why'd you stop?" Keller asked. Phil pointed up to tombstone. It was just a tombstone. Keller didn't see what that had to do with her though. They came closer to the headstone; Phil stood on the right, while Keller on the left.
"Who's supposed to take a dirt-nap?" she asked Phil with no sensitivity in her voice. Phil shook his head and sighed. When lightning stuck, Keller had light to see name for a second. "…I-…. Phil you have a light?" she asked, she wanted to check again. Phil scraped his pointing finger against the stone; out of causes Keller didn't care about, the friction made light on Phil's finger. Keller read the tombstone and went cold.
Here lies Raksha Keller.
"Sorry Keller. Believe me, I really wish James was the one down there." Phil said in an apologetic tone.
"I know Phil. I know." she said back with no emotion. They stood there staring at Keller's future grave. She fell to her knees and cried. "But I want to change! I really do! I'll be more open, trusting, and loving for Galen! I'll be more…" she gulped. "In the Christmas Spirit." she spat like after swallowing cough syrup. Phil pulled his hood back, laughed, and grinned.
* "That's all I need to hear." he stated and snapped his fingers. Everything went black for Keller. Pitch black. Keller felt cold and stiff again. She didn't know where Phil put her, but she knew she was sleeping. She knew she was lying down. She could feel something soft under her. "Do you want another blanket?" a voice asked from deep in the dark. She knew that voice anywhere, and it pursued her to open her eyes. She complied.
"Ga-Gal-Galen?" she asked for. Her voice was groggy and raspy, but that made her no never mind. Sure enough, there he was. He stood next to her bedside, holding her hand. He stared down at her with a welcoming smile, yet worried eyes. However, when she called him, his eyes changed to hopeful and enthusiastic.
"That's it, Baby! That's it!" he exclaimed, urging her to try to stay awake. They were in their bedroom. Galen had piled three thick blankets over Keller, attempting to try to reheat her. Galen had been holding her hand so long, it was warm again. "I'm so glad you okay." Galen said in a soft, loving voice. Keller was grateful for that, but something then occurred to her. She grinned and jumped off the bed.
"I'm alive!!!" she shouted; followed by a victorious, giddy laugh.
Galen looked shocked and confused. "Keller, are you ok?"
"More then ok!" she exclaimed. In a bold maneuver, Keller grabbed Galen's collar and gave him a big kiss. She broke the kiss, and gave him a big hug. "I gotta do something right now, but I'll see you in a bit!" she said quickly and left before Galen could protest.
Keller ran all the way to the room where our story began, the main living room. Iliana was still there. Alex was sitting on her lap watching "Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas". Of course, Iliana was bored with it, but Alex was enjoying it. The tiny baby was still holding on to the candy cane; holding it as reserved for Keller. Said panther ran into the room.
"Hey Iliana!" Keller called. As soon as Alex spotted Keller, he reached for her with his chubby baby arms. Keller walked up to Iliana. This was it. She gulped; like had just, literally, swallowed her pride. "I'm sorry I was a scrooge." she apologized through her teeth, but she meant it. Iliana's face instantly brightened.
"Really!? You don't hate Christmas as much?!" she asked. Keller had thought about it. Even though all her life's Christmases sucked big-time, she had every reason to enjoy this one. She had found her long-lost twin sister; she gained her soulmate, and lots of friends. She wasn't alone this Christmas. She smiled at Iliana. Galen had final caught up to Keller and came in the room. But this time, he didn't hear a hateful outburst.
"Nope. I don't hate the holidays anymore." she said. Galen smiled.
"Kee-kee!" Alex yelled out for Keller's attention. He held out the candy cane he was holding to Keller. Keller gladly accepted it.
"Thank you, Alex." she said. Galen hugged Keller from behind.
"Merry Christmas Keller and everyone!" Galen exclaimed with happiness.
Alex was so excited he said something too.
"Bah Gah bow Quay Poi!" (Translation: God Bless Us, Everyone!)
A.N.) I know this story isn't funny, but I hope you liked it anyway. Please Review!
