Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, it rightfully belongs to DreamWorks. I only own the plot and the OCs.

So yeah... it's kinda late... I blame the lit coursework and the furniture move around. That's my excuse.

So, hello there TheShapeshifter100! It's good to see you (...or rather, hear from you...), and thank you for favouriting, following and reviewing the story! In reply to your review...: I'm not overly surprised about how NaNoWriMo went, to be honest - I've never tried anything like it before, and especially with the increased workload from school... yeah, it was pretty much doomed to fail from the start... The ending of his chapter is less depressing, and not too cliff-hanger-y, as I'm sure you'll be pleased to know (I'm lulling you all into a false sense of security before I introduce the cliff-hangers - MWA HA HA HA HA! *coughs* Oops, I wasn't supposed to reveal my master plan...) As for sixth form... I think I'm keeping up with the work... it's the sleep that's the problem... ;)


Chapter 2 - April Fool

Loki's POV

What comes after death is a mystery as old as humanity itself. Therefore, even as I felt the life drain away from me, I didn't know what to expect. Would I simply cease to exist? Or would my soul be transported to another dimension - to a place we humans call 'heaven'?

I certainly did not expect to wake up, free of pain, in the exact same place as where I died.

But, of course, that is exactly what happened.


When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the moon - it was full, and it shone down brightly upon me. I then saw the dark sky around it, dotted with shining, silver stars.

I sat up, and looked around me. I had been lying in the exact spot where I thought I had died - though given that I was here, I couldn't have died. The men were gone, but sat leaning against the wall not far from me was a girl, who was staring up at the night sky.

Her blonde hair was cut irregularly, some sections cut shorter than others, seemingly at random. She wore a simple, pale blue, wide-necked dress with a pair of black leather boots. To me, she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen - which was impressive, considering the beauty of my sister and my mother.

"Are you an angel?" I asked her.

She turned to look at me, just noticing that I was awake. As she did so, I saw that her eyes were a pretty hazel colour.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"I... I died, or at least I think I did," I explained. "So I thought maybe you were-"

"An angel?" she finished.

I nodded.

She shook her head. "No, I'm not an angel - but given what you've gone through, I guess it's understandable that you might think that."

"What I've... 'gone through'? I don't remember you being there when those men killed me."

"I wasn't," the girl clarified. "But you're an immortal now - we all died and were brought back to life, it's how we're made."

"'Brought back to life'? So I'm alive?!"

"Yes, but-"

I stood. "My family! Mother and Iris must be so worried, I should go to them!"

I turned and ran towards my home, barely hearing the girl as she cried, "Wait!"

I reached the door of my home and flung it open. I shut it behind me, before rushing into the kitchen. Iris was sat at the table, looking pale and worried.

"Iris!" I cried, relieved. "Oh, thank God you're alright!"

She didn't respond. Didn't make any kind of movement. She just sat there, staring blankly into space.

"Iris?" I approached her. "Iris, what's wrong?" I was struck by a terrible thought. "Oh God..." I breathed, appalled. "Those men didn't get to you, did they? They didn't... Please, tell me they didn't rape you..."

Still, she made no sign of having heard.

"Iris..." My voice broke as I spoke. "Iris, please... Say something, speak to me... Tell me what's wrong, tell me how I can help!"

Just then, Mother entered the room.

I turned to her. "Mother, I'm home and I'm okay, but what... what's happened to Iris? Why won't she say anything? What's wrong with her?" Then I noticed Mother's expression. "What's... What's wrong with you?"

But she too ignored me.

Stunned, I could only watch as she walked over to Iris and put a comforting arm around her.

"I... I'm sure he's fine, Iris," Mother murmured. "You know Loki - he'll be fine."

Iris shook her head. "You didn't see those men, Mother, you didn't hear the things they said... They told him that if he didn't let them... let them have their 'own sweet way' with me, then they'd beat him up..."

Mother's eyes widened. "Have their... Oh, Iris... Tell me they didn't..."

She shook her head. "They didn't - Loki wouldn't let them. But I wish he hadn't done that - I wish he'd just stood back and let them have me, instead of being all protective and getting hurt."

"Iris, you don't know that he's been hurt-" Mother started to say.

"Don't I?" Iris demanded. "Mother, one of the men had him. But Loki told me to leave him, that he'd meet me at home, and I believed him. I thought, 'This is Loki - he's always getting out of trouble, he's always fine.' So I did as he said - I ran. It should have occurred to me that he was outnumbered, that he was just putting on a show to persuade me to leave him, but it didn't. And now... He could be dead for all I know, and it's all my fault!"

She burst into tears, and Mother held her close.

"Iris," I said, confused. "Iris, I'm fine, I'm right here! And even if I weren't, it wouldn't be your fault - I wanted you to run, I wanted you to be safe. I wouldn't have cared if I died, just as long as I knew you were okay."

She continued to sob uncontrollably, as though I hadn't said anything, as though I wasn't there.

"Iris," I repeated gently. "I'm fine. I'm here." I went to place my hand comfortingly on hers.

But, to my utmost surprise, I felt a strange, hollow feeling as my hand passed through hers, as though it were nothing but an illusion.

I gasped, and drew back. I examined my hand, touched it, just to make sure that it was real. It felt real, but it had just passed straight through Iris... How could that be possible?

I tried to touch Iris' shoulder, only to find that the same thing happened. I poked my whole arm through, to no effect. I tried to touch Mother, only to fail.

"Why can't I touch you?!" I cried. "Why can't you hear me?! Why can't you see me?! Mother? Iris? Please, I'm right here!"

My knees gave way beneath me, and I collapsed to the floor. I was shaking, and my mind was reeling.

'What's happening to me? Am I dead? Am I alive?'

The way Mother and Isis couldn't see or hear me was almost like I didn't exist. But if that were the case, how could I be here? And then there was the way my hand passed straight through them, almost as though I was a-

Realisation and horror washed over me, and only one comprehensible thought remained:

'I'm a ghost.'

I had to get out of here. I felt cramped, confined, suffocated. I had to get out.

I pulled myself to my feet, staggered out the door and down the street. I started running - I had to get away, had to put as much distance between myself and my family as possible.

I was dead. How could that be? I was still in my body, or so I thought - I didn't remember seeing it lying on the pavement when I got up. But then again, I had been rather distracted at the time... And I definitely remembered dying...

What would my family find? Would the find my broken body, lying lifeless in the street where those men left it? Or would they find nothing, and never know for certain if I was dead or alive?

At that thought, I stumbled and fell to my knees. Sobs wracked my body, as more questions and realisations raced through my mind.

'What do I do now?

'Will I be stuck like this for the rest of eternity?

'If I'm a ghost, and my family can't see me, then that must mean nobody can see me, which means...

'I'm alone.

'I am completely, and utterly, alone.

'Why couldn't I just die and stay dead, instead of being forced to live like this forever?

'What happens if I were to die again? Would this end?

'Can I die again?

'Do I even want to?

'I don't want to be alone...'

I was blinded by tears, which shocked me - I had never cried, not for as long as I could remember. I never really felt the need - my reaction to physical pain was either to grin and bear it, or in extreme cases, such as the beating I had received earlier, cry out or let out a scream. Emotionally... I'd always been able to bottle up my emotions, to hide them. But now, my emotions were so strong and complicated that I had let down my guard.

I remained there, alone and afraid, for quite some time. I struggled to get control of my emotions, but to no avail. I couldn't shut out the memory of the emptiness I had felt, when my hand had gone straight through my sister's, and I couldn't ignore the fact that, if they couldn't see me, that meant I was cut off from them - I had lost my family, quite possibly forever.

Suddenly, I was brought harshly back to the physical world by the sound of some kind of animal. I looked up, and felt my blood run cold.

Stood, not far from me, were four creatures that resembled horses in shape - but they clearly weren't horses. They were made up of some kind of black substance that looked like mist, yet seemed to be more solid. They had glowing amber eyes, and their very presence had some kind of aura that made me feel more afraid than I'd ever felt.

I stood, and backed away, but a whiny from behind me told me that there were more. I turned and saw that, sure enough, there were four more. For the second time that day, I found myself trapped in an alley with enemies on both sides.

What were they? I'd never seen anything like them before, I'd never even heard of anything like them.

I found myself wishing I had my satchel, with the many bottles of chemicals from Dr Garton's laboratory - some of the chemicals would have been useful. I wondered briefly what had happened to the bag - I guessed that the thugs who had beaten me to death probably took it.

The creatures inched forwards, menacingly. They were in no hurry - they knew that I was defenceless.

Why did this have to happen to me? I'd already died, I'd just lost my family, couldn't they find someone else to bother? Someone who had the means and will to fight them?

The nearest one charged at me, and I suddenly felt angry. What had I ever done to deserve this? All right, so I'd played pranks on people, but I'd never hurt anyone.

Empowered by my change in heart, and not really sure of what I was doing, I raised a hand. Just before it could reach me, the ground before it exploded in a flash of flame.

It backed off, and the creatures now regarded me warily.

I gazed at my hand. How the hell had I done that?

Several charged at me at once this time, and I willed the flames, this time, to consume them. I felt no guilt in destroying them - I could sense that they were pure evil.

Suddenly I heard a voice yell, "Duck!"

I did so, and felt a blast of energy shoot over my head and hit a creature that had almost managed to get the jump on me.

I turned to see the girl in the blue dress. Our eyes met for a second, before she leapt into action, dispatching the remaining creatures.

I helped, to what extent I could, but she didn't really need help - she was a swift and skilled fighter.

Once it was over, she turned to me, uncertain as to what to do.

"Thanks," I told her.

She shrugged. "Fighting fearlings is what I do - I was just doing my job."

"Still, you saved my life. Thank you."

"Actually, I didn't save your life - you're an immortal now, like me - very few things can actually kill you."

"Just accept the thanks," I told her, rolling my eyes. "You still saved me in some shape or form, and so I am grateful for that."

She looked uncomfortable. "Maybe, but you wouldn't have been in that situation if I'd explained things properly."

"Well, if that's the case, then... Why not explain it to me now."

She nodded. "But not here. Somewhere we can relax, have a drink. It'll be a lot for you to take in. And I have a feeling you'll want to clean yourself up a bit."

"That's true - but where can we go?"

She gave me a look that I could only describe as sly. "Oh, I know a place. getting there is the fun part."

I regarded her, cautiously. "How do you mean?"

She winked. "Oh nothing dangerous... Just perhaps a little amusing on my part."

"All right then... Show the way?"

She grinned. "All right then."

Her form twisted and changed, until she was no longer humanoid. Before me was a large bird that looked similar to the sketches of eagles I had seen in Dr Garton's books - only this bird seemed much larger.

It took off, flying up into the air, before swooping down behind me and picking me up in its claws, clutching me by the upper arms.

I gave a terrified yell as we swept higher into the night sky, the houses becoming as small as matchboxes.

I looked up at the bird carrying me. It was difficult to tell, as it's beak didn't allow for facial displays of emotion, but I got the feeling it - she? - found the situation funny. I could almost feel her amusement.

"Oh God..." I murmured, as I risked another glance downwards. We were flying fast - the town was swiftly disappearing into the distance.

Why the hell had I trusted this girl? I didn't know who she was, hell, I didn't even know her name. She was clearly some kind of psychopath - albeit a beautiful one with freakishly good fighting skills and the ability to turn into a giant bird, but a psychopath none the less.

This really wasn't a great day for me. First dying, then being attacked by - what had she called them... Fearlings? And now, I was thousands of feet off the ground, probably about to fall to my death - if I could die again. Definitely not a great day.

We broke through the clouds, and then flew a little further, skimming the clouds, before the bird released me.

I let out a terrified scream, which was quickly cut off by my impact with... the cloud.

I gazed at the cloud incredulously. Clouds were not solid. Clouds could not support a person's weight. Yet here I was.

"I'm crazy," I murmured, fingering the mist. "I've finally cracked."

"No, you're not crazy."

I looked up to see the bird had transformed back into a girl. Which was she, really, I wondered. Her lips were pursed, as though trying to hold something in.

Suddenly, she burst out laughing. It wasn't an unkind laughter - but it still made me angry.

"Oh so you think it's funny that I almost fell to my death?!"

She shook her head, still laughing. "You were never in any danger - I wouldn't have let you fall, and even if I had, it wouldn't have killed you. You were perfectly safe - it was just amusing."

"Amusing?!"

She shrugged. "I knew I had to fly you up here some way or another, so I decided to do it the fun way. Sorry, I'm a prankster - it's in my nature."

That, I could relate to. "Ah, right."

She frowned. "You're not angry? I thought you were..."

"I was, but... I'm a bit of a trickster myself, so I can relate."

She raised her eyebrows. "A trickster, huh? Now I see why he sent me and not someone else."

"'He'?"

"The Man in the Moon - the one who chooses us all. Come on inside and get yourself cleaned up - I'll explain in a minute."

It was then that I noticed the large house also stood on the cloud.

"How... How is that possible...?" I gaped at it, amazed.

She shrugged. "I don't know. The place is, ooh about..." She stopped for a moment, calculating. "Eleven thousand eight hundred years old... give or take a few."

I looked to see if she was joking, but she didn't seem to be.

"And, uh... How old are you?"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you it's rude to ask a girl's age," she remarked, eyebrows raised.

I gave her a weak, apologetic smile. "Sorry... I'm just trying to wrap my head round this."

"It's okay. Physically, I'm sixteen. According to my date of birth, I'm... two hundred and fifty seven."

"So you were born in..."

"I was born on the first of April, 1574," she finished.

"You were born on April Fools Day." I smirked. No wonder she was a prankster.

"Well, the day was named after me."

Seeing my confused frown, she held out a hand for me to shake. I took it.

"April Fool, at your service," she smirked, mock curtsying as she did so.

"Loki Green, at yours," I smirked back, mock bowing in return.

She raised her eyebrows. "A bit ironic that a trickster should share a name with the Norse God of mischief, don't you think?"

I shrugged. "No more ironic than you sharing a name with the month you were born."

"Well, what can I say. My father wasn't very creative with names, and since 'April' was a girls' name anyway he decided to name me after the month I was born. My brother, Arthur, was the lucky one - our mother named him." She looked to me. "So what's the story behind your name?"

I shrugged. "My parents figured that Loki - the Norse trickster god - must have been pretty smart, if he ever existed, so they named me after him in the hope that I'd be smart - of course, once I learnt about the god's nature I became determined to truly live up to the name. They named my sister, Iris, after the Ancient Greek goddess of the rainbow, in the hope that she'd be beautiful."

At the thought of Iris, the pain of losing her, and of losing mother, returned. I hung my head, and tried not to appear too upset - I didn't want to make a fool of myself in front of April.

April seemed to sense that was upset. She came over to me and gently placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Come on - let's go inside and get you cleaned up," she suggested. "Then I'll explain everything."


So, what do you think of April? Like her? Dislike her? And what about Loki - what do you think of how he's handling things?

Well, in any case, 'til next time!

MS.