In the balmy realm of the Tooth Palace, Tooth was supervising the evening rush as usual from a perch high above the golden towers.
She had no real need to do so: her fairies knew what they were doing but ever since Pitch's invasion, she had resolved to be more hands on with things.
She had even had this perch set up because it offered an excellent view of each and every continent tower. So it was an unpleasant surprise to her when she noticed a build-up of traffic starting in the North America division.
She flew down to the relevant level and found her fairies warily eyeing the drawers containing the tooth boxes.
'What's wrong?' she asked her workforce, each laden with a tooth destined to join its fellows waiting inside one of the multiple compartments.
As she examined the compartments, she noticed what had made her fairies so nervous.
A barely visible layer of twinkling particles was covering the drawers.
Reaching out to touch it, Tooth cried out in pain as she felt an electric shock.
She tried again and suffered the same result.
She couldn't touch the teeth!
'This isn't possible', she gasped, staring disbelievingly at her rapidly healing scorched fingers.
She looked around at the other towers only to have her fears confirmed.
Her mini fairies were squeaking in pain as they threw themselves desperately at the barrier only to suffer singed feathers and bent noses. In the distance, she could see the clouds of incoming fairies that had been dispatched on their usual nocturnal tooth gathering missions getting closer as well as the terrified fairies from the other towers approaching her for answers.
'Stop!' she yelled imperiously and there was a sudden vacuum of sound as every mini fairy halted their attempts and frantic squeaking.
Tooth took a deep breath.
She couldn't afford a panic despite the rate her heart was beating.
In her head, the fear of the teeth piling up and the memories within fading away threatened to dominate her business like mind.
The thought of all the little voices within silenced forever was almost too much to bear!
She couldn't let that happen.
It was her duty to not let that happen.
And she wasn't about to let her panic get the better of her and consume bodies too small to handle the enormous implications.
She flew up high, conscious of the thousands of anxious little faces looking up at her.
It was a good thing the ever prepared Tooth had placed numerous safeguards in place in case Pitch ever decided to have another crack at world domination.

'Okay girls. Don't panic. We trained for this remember? Begin Operation Pearly Whites! Go go go!'

The mini fairies hastened to obey, panic fading as they utterly focused on their assigned jobs.
Some grabbed red flags from compartments beneath the teeth and began guiding any more incoming fairies laden with new teeth away from the barrier. Others flew to meet the newcomers, making notes on miniscule note pads and setting up new piles of teeth on the tower floors according to Tooth's stringent filing system.
Tooth lowered her hovering height and beckoned over her senior fore-fairy. The fairy saluted, its eyebrow set determinedly beneath its golden crest feather.

'Baby Tooth, you're in charge. I'm going to get some backup'.

She flew to a compartment high above the tooth catalogue and retrieved a snowglobe from a hidden drawer.
Even though she knew she could hit speeds of up to Mach Two (if she concentrated, had a favourable wind and didn't eat anything beforehand) North had given her a globe in case of emergencies.
As she threw it and watched the portal to the North Pole take shape, her mind raced with possibilities.
It had to be Pitch again!
She had stepped up security since he had invaded her realm but maybe there was a weak point somewhere. The devil had always had a talent for exploiting any cracks he could find room to wriggle through!
She knew she would've sensed his presence if he had come in person but maybe he had discovered another way to get in. Or more likely, sent one of his Nightmares to do the dirty work.
As the portal solidified, she tightened her fists, anger causing her feathers to stick up spikily.
She'd punched out a tooth for what he did to her fairies. This time, she'd make sure he ate soup the rest of his life.

She sensed something was wrong as soon as she entered the warmth of North's workshop.
The conveyor belts and production lines were unused. An eerie quiet pervaded the large space and there was no sign of the usual welcoming fire in the fireplace.
The Christmas toys that habitually swooped and danced in the workshop lay on the floor, covered in a thin layer of dust.
The yeti workforce, unfamiliar with standing idle shuffled from one foot to another and grumbled to each other in their animal like language. The elves were coping much better: they either napped or played with the unfinished toys, adding their own 'unique' modifications.
As Tooth swerved to avoid a yelping elf with its hat on fire, she spotted North on the ground floor, surrounded by numerous boxes of many different sizes.

'North, we have a problem', she said as she flew down to him.

'I know', North grumbled, 'Just cannot get this carriage to work correctly'.

'Kid's presents really are getting bigger', Tooth thought, eyes wide at the glittering carriage North was making adjustments to.

'Also, do you know where I could find six white horses this time of day?' North asked with no hint of humour.

'We have bigger problems than that North. Have you noticed anything odd?'

'No, just a big order to fill'.

'Yes I know Christmas is important but I really think-'

'Is not for Christmas. Is for something far sooner'.

Tooth lost patience. This was no time for North's jokes or pet projects!

'North, my palace is under attack! Some kind of barrier is stopping me from accessing the teeth! They're piling up and if we don't do something, their magic is going to fade away!'

'I know!' North cried, slamming a fist into the palm of his other hand.

'You do?' Tooth asked.

'I will simply make clockwork horses!' he said, smiling at Tooth, 'Save money on feed and stables eh?'

Tooth's jaw dropped as North went to a pile of pieces waiting to be placed onto the carriage. She looked at one of the yetis carving intricate swirling designs into the carriage. He lowered his gaze and kept working. The yeti beside him suddenly became very interested in the bristles of his paint brush.

'North?' Tooth flew in front of him, blocking his path, 'Didn't you hear me?!'

'I am sorry Tooth but as you can see I have my hands full right now', North said, moving around her to fix a large wooden wheel to the carriage, 'No time for chat chitting'.

Was North trying to get rid of her?
The same jolly man who always had time for a friendly chat and eggnog, even on Christmas Eve? The manager who insisted on personally checking every one of the hundreds of toylines being made for the slightest flaws?
She examined the symbol one of the yetis was painting on the carriage.
A pink heart flanked with two white wings and an arrow protruded through its centre.
Well that ruled Pitch out.
The boogeyman was nothing if not a traditionalist and would never have been associated with such a symbol: not even for the purposes of sarcasm or irony.
As she hovered, unsure of her next move and bewildered by North's ignorance of her plight, she noticed the music.
Instead of the usual ballet suites or orchestral pieces, a new record was playing nearby on North's antique yet well used phonograph. It was a big band number with a powerful female voice singing easily over the heavy brass sounds. Tooth had to stop herself tapping her foot along.

'What's that music? I didn't know you listened to modern stuff'.

North finally granted her eye contact.

'Thought it was time for a change. Is called 'From the Heart'. You should give it a listen. And I am so sorry but it is time for you to go. Forgive me for not showing you out Tooth'.

That settled it. North was kicking her out.
The yetis looked at Tooth, utterly befuddled and mortified by their master's strange behaviour. Even the elves were standing quietly, sensing the unpleasant atmosphere.

'No, it's fine', Tooth said, smiling in an attempt to alleviate the tense mood and absolve the yetis and elves of any misplaced guilt, 'Got my own work to take care of anyway. Busy busy busy'.

She beckoned one yeti over.

'Do you mind if Phil shows me out?' she asked North.

The response was an impatient wave of a large hand as North resumed his work.

'Let me know the minute anything changes', Tooth instructed the yeti in a low voice as he escorted her to the balcony, 'I'm going to find out what's going on'.

Phil gave a sad grunt. Tooth smiled comfortingly.

'It's okay Phil. You just take care of him. I'll take care of the rest'.

Phil quietly handed Tooth a label from one of the crates along with a snowglobe, as if fearful he would be seen doing so.
She examined the label.
Candy Heart, the intended recipient, lived in Burgess.
'Who's Candy Heart?' Tooth asked the yeti.
The yeti picked up a nearby toy microphone and pretended to sing into it, giving an impromptu wobbly dance.
It would've been comical if not for Phil's intense stare when he finished his routine.

'A singer?' Tooth guessed.

Phil nodded and held up one finger.

'A number one singer?'

Phil grunted happily and clapped.

'Okay, thanks Phil', Tooth said, throwing the snowglobe as she visualized Burgess in her head.
Once she was sure she could see Main Street through the cloudy swirling colours, she gave Phil's arm a final reassuring pat and leapt into the portal.

If Candy Heart was a singer and based in Burgess, there was only one person to ask.
Jack Frost would know about Candy Heart.
Despite being hundreds of years old, Jack had always retained a child-like interest in trends.
In the years he had been invisible, he had found them a welcome distraction as well as a way of subliminally reaching out to kids.
Skateboards, pogs, trading cards, the latest monster collecting craze from Japan: Jack knew about and dabbled in them all.
He also always knew about who was number one in the charts and from the looks of the posters Tooth could see stuck up on each alternating lamppost, there was no doubt who that was.
Tooth alighted on Burgess' main street and examined a larger poster hanging in a music shop window.
It was advertising an upcoming concert for one night only.
Candy Heart was the central figure, beaming on an artist's representation of a well-lit, colourful stage.
She was a pretty young woman with long, natural looking blonde hair, vivid green eyes and a set of perfect, straight teeth. White wings were stuck to her back, she wore a voluminous pale pink dress and a golden tiara was perched on top of her head.
She was also strangely familiar to Tooth.
This bothered her: how could the Guardian of Memories not recall how she knew someone?
The carriage behind Candy on the poster was much easier to place and all the boxes at North's workshop suddenly made sense.
The more Tooth learned about Candy Heart, the more this 'everygirl' (as the poster called her) unnerved her.
Taking flight again, she hopped the nearby wall into Burgess park and headed for Jack's cabin.

Jack was sitting on the windowsill and waved when he saw her approach. A CD player was sitting beside him, playing a gentle tune.

'Hey Tooth', he smiled, 'How's it going? Like the music?'

Tooth scaled the ladder leading to the cabin and sat on one of the donated beanbags inside. Jack had made it quite homely for himself since the kids had banded together to build it for their the adults of the neighbourhood it was their clubhouse. For Jack and the kids, it was his new home.
Beanbags rested on the floor and a small bookshelf held well-thumbed paperbacks. To Tooth's discomfort, Jack's usual posters of popular music bands and sports stars appeared to have become eclipsed by numerous Candy Heart posters and magazine clippings. More magazines featuring the singer were stockpiled in a corner.

''Where did you get a stereo?' Tooth asked.

Jack stepped into the cabin, setting the stereo down inside.

'Jamie let me borrow it. Candy Heart's all the rage now. Check out the magazines'.

Tooth picked up a couple from the top of the pile and speed read the relevant articles. There was a lot of text and attractive pictures of the singer but they still somehow managed to tell her nothing about the subject of the piece.
The little information included was patchy and the song on the stereo was giving her a headache.
It was a very different song from the one she had heard at North's workshop but it was definitely the same singer.
This one relied on a central guitar melody and seemed to have been based on old American ballads. It wasn't unpleasant to listen to but Jack had the short song on repeat.

'Who exactly is Candy Heart?'

'You don't know about Candy Heart?!' Jack asked incredulously.

'She's a singer obviously', Tooth replied, waving a hand at the posters on the wall.

'She's only been number one for the last four weeks!' Jack said happily, 'She's the best singer around. Not to mention the prettiest'.

Tooth's eyes narrowed.
It wasn't like Jack to gush.

'What's this song called?' she asked, indicating the stereo.

'She's only released one song. That's 'From the Heart''.

Alarm bells started clanging in Tooth's head.

'But it doesn't sound like that', she said, 'North was playing it in his workshop'.

'North's probably playing it on that old phonograph', Jack said dismissively, 'Doesn't do it justice. Though Candy's gonna be releasing new material at Friday night's concert here in town. Just announced it today'.

'Who is she Jack?' Tooth said, uneasy about Jack's seemingly innocent enthusiasm.

'What do you mean?' he asked, flopping down onto another beanbag.

'I mean did you know her when she was little?'

'How would I know that?' he shrugged.

'Because in these articles it says she's from Burgess Jack', Tooth explained, pointing to the sentence, 'You know pretty much every kid and former kid in this town. She can't be more than seventeen. What street did she live on? Who was she friends with?'

'Can't remember every kid I ever saw Tooth', Jack said, crossing his arms.

'Defensive', Tooth noted mentally as Jack's eyes looked away.
She had to push him further.

'I think it's because she's not human at all Jack. Don't you think it's weird that everybody and I mean everybody seems to love this song? Nobody's asking for anything new from her?'

'Well that's just the way music works nowadays Tooth', Jack protested, 'You ever heard 'Defying Gravity' or 'Let It Go'? It's practically the same song but people love them'.

'Okay then: how about each review in these magazines saying something different about what kind of song it is? This one says it's hiphop but this one says it's a 'heavy, mostly instrumental' piece! And the one you're playing sounds country and western!'

'I…think…' Jack said hesitantly, shaking his head uncomfortably.
His natural curiosity was being visibly overpowered by something else.
Tooth didn't know what it was but knew it had to be gotten rid of.

'Nearly there', Tooth thought, 'He's starting to doubt. Go in for the finish!'

'What's her real name?' she pressed, 'These all say 'Candy Heart' is a stage name. Does anybody know anything about this girl at all?'

'So what?!' Jack suddenly snapped, snatching the magazine out of Tooth's hand, 'I still don't know Lady Gaga's real name! It's not about the singer Tooth! It's about people being happy! What's your problem?!'

'No problem. Just curious that's all,' Tooth said diplomatically, alarmed at Jack's sudden aggressive behaviour.
She had pushed too far.
Whatever had gotten into Jack wasn't going to be dislodged this way.

'Oh. Okay then!' Jack said, suddenly all smiles again, 'Look I gotta go. Jamie and the guys are queueing up to get tickets for the concert and I said I'd meet them there'.

'Sure. Do you mind if I read a few more of these?'

'No problem. See ya!'

Jack leapt out the cabin door and was gone.
Alone with her troubled thoughts, Tooth systematically read every magazine.
As she finished the final article as the sun set, she noticed there was something else odd about every article.
Not once was the name of the song mentioned.
Tooth reasoned it was because Candy Heart had only released one song but the more she read the more suspicious it seemed. When she compared the three pages long interview with Candy with the other (much shorter) interviews with other artists in the same magazine, there was a key piece of information missing. Under each one of the shorter interviews was the album or single name along with the release date or an 'OUT NOW!'
Closing the glossy magazine, she turned her attention to the stereo. Ejecting the CD, she put it in backwards. She wasn't sure if it would work the same as records and their infamous hidden messages.
Surprisingly there was no sound at all when she pressed play, not even disapproving static to indicate the CD was being played incorrectly.
Eyes narrowing, he returned the CD to its proper position and pressed play.
This time she listened properly to the song rather than tolerating it as ambient noise.
A supernatural lifetime of listening for waking children and alert parents had honed Tooth's hearing to such a point that if someone dropped a pin while she was actively listening, it would set her ears ringing.
Meditation with Sandy had helped her learn how to filter out any other distractions while listening to one particular sound and she made use of it now, shutting out nearby park goer voices and the car horns from the road beyond its walls.
She couldn't deny it was a nice song.
But it wasn't country or hip hop.
And just as with North, it sounded totally different from the one Jack had been playing despite the fact that there was only one track on the CD.
It was an Indian inspired melody with a quiet sitar playing beneath the sweet voice of Candy Heart.
Tooth liked how it sounded, the tune bringing to mind her childhood from long ago but was objective enough to realise the sitar was definitely an acquired taste.
It was rarely found in number one chart toppers.
As the song ended, Tooth realised she couldn't recall a single lyric.
That clinched it.
She was the Guardian of Memories.
If she couldn't remember a single memorable lyric, there was no way the average human listener would.
It wasn't a song. It was a spell.
Jabbing the stop button, Tooth realised how late it was.
Prime opportunity for another test.
She poked her head out of the cabin's entrance and scanned the star filled sky above.
The park clock struck the time: nine o'clock.
Tooth knew Sandy's schedule off by heart and had often encountered the Sandman while completing her own duties.
But tonight, there was a lack of golden grains amongst the stars.
Sandy was out of commission too.
This was bad.
North halting production of Christmas toys. Jack Frost not knowing a local kid's name. Sandy shirking his duty.
The silver lining was they weren't being weakened by the song: people still believed in the Guardians. If they didn't, Tooth wouldn't have been able to glide down from Jack's treehouse.
Tooth considered her limited options.
As Guardian of Memories, she was impervious to mind control: nobody could alter something she had complete mastery over but she was unsure of her mini fairies. She didn't like the idea of having thousands of little swarming creatures attacking her once the being calling itself Candy Heart knew she was investigating.
She hadn't a clue how to contact Bunnymund but had an increasingly nasty feeling he would also be otherwise engaged. Those large, sensitive ears wouldn't stand a chance.
If the Guardians were out of commission that only left one, distinctly unreliable source of backup and Tooth didn't like it one bit.
Still, what was that old adage?

'Better the devil you know, than the devil you don't'?