It was almost morning when the nightmare caught up with her. She could hear the howling of the wolf pack and her fathers dying screams. She too wanted to scream but she couldn't. And then someone called her name. She felt a pair of warm hands on her shoulders. Someone was shaking her.
She awoke with a start and looked up into a pair of worried gray eyes.
"Wake up, Melissa. You are having a bad dream!" Katherine said soothingly.
The dark haired girl looked up at her with wide eyes but then she remembered where she was and sighed deeply. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" she whispered.
Katherine shook her head. "You didn't. I was already awake." Her voice was low and soft and tinted with a strange sadness.
Melissa sat up on her bed and wiped tears and perspiration from her face. When she looked up at the small holes in the ceiling, she could see that the sky was not that dark anymore. The sun was probably just about to rise.
Katherine sat down next to her and watched her anxiously. She had not been familiar with the concept of nightmares until the Nightmare King himself had attacked them. She had had a few bad dreams since then but after the battle at the earth's core they had become less frightening and more... bitter.
She knew what it was like to wake up in the middle of the night with an awful vision in her mind. She had not talked about those dreams to anyone. So when she felt the urge to ask Melissa about her nightmare, she just swallowed it and smiled instead.
"Are you still sleepy?" she asked.
Melissa shook her head. She was a lot of things but sleepy was not one of them. She had slept long and deep and only the last few minutes had been disturbing.
"Me neither" Katherine said, her voice almost as low as her new friend's. "Ombric will be up soon. He always rises with the sun, or even earlier but I can't hear him yet. Nicholas usually sleeps in. See?"
She pointed across the room and indeed. There was another bed that Melissa had not even noticed before and that young man was lying in it fast asleep. She could even hear him snoring softly. It was a comforting sound.
"It's strange to see him asleep. He was so chipper last night."
Katherine grinned at this. "Yes, he's the best! He's like an older brother to me. He's family for sure. And so are you now. So, Liz, what do you think? Shall we go downstairs into the kitchen and prepare a surprise breakfast for them?"
Liz?
Melissa was a bit too startled to make a comment on her obvious new nickname. She didn't mind though. It actually sounded nice. It made her feel welcome. Only friends gave each other nicknames. And preparing breakfast for her new family sounded like an awesome idea.
"Sure Kat. Great idea!" she whispered happily.
Katherine's grin became broader. None of the other children had ever called her Kat. But since she had given Melissa a shorter name, she did have the right to do the same with her and Kat sounded pretty good.
She held out a hand to help her friend out of bed. Then she looked her up and down with a frown.
"Are those your only clothes?" she asked disapprovingly and wondering why she hadn't noticed the state of the new girls garments before or the fact, that she had actually slept in them.
Melissa nodded. She used to have another set, but it had been in her fathers backpack and was lost to her now, just like him.
For a moment her face contorted with pain but she quickly shrugged it off. Now was not the time to feel down. "That's all I've got now." She admitted and looked down at her torn and filthy dress. It was a heavy thing, lined with fur. It wasn't pretty but it had done its job out in the cold wastes of Siberia. It had kept her warm and comfortable and still enabled her to move quickly. But it had suffered as much as she had.
Katherine was still frowning. This wouldn't do. But they were about the same height and stature, even though Melissa was perhaps a bit skinnier than her. Her clothes should fit her just fine.
She turned around and opened the small trunk right next to her bed. "I can lend you something" she offered and Melissa came closer to look over her shoulder. She felt no shame for her clothes but the idea of borrowing something like this from her new friend made her feel quite uncomfortable.
"That's very kind of you, Kat. But I could also just ask this place... Big Root, right?"
Katherine looked up at her in surprise. "Er... yes... I never even thought of that option" she admitted but held out a dress, almost similar to the one Melissa was wearing now just in much better condition.
"Where did you get this?" the dark-haired girl asked.
"Ombric made it... somehow. I think he conjured it up or something. At least I have never seen him sewing. I don't know for sure if Big Root can do clothes, but give it a try. All you need to do is believe!"
"This place has been able to provide me with my mothers chicken soup" Melissa pointed out. "I don't see how fixing my clothes could be more difficult."
And with that she closed her eyes and imagined. She believed as hard as she could. She had seen so many unbelievable things here already that it came quite easy to her. Her clothes needed to be whole and clean. She clasped her hands in front of her chest and believed with a smile on her face while Katherine looked on in wonder as her rough, heavy dress mended. The stains on it disappeared and a moment later Melissa opened her eyes and looked down on herself.
"I love this place" she sighed deeply.
Katherine was clearly astonished. "You are a natural!" she cried out and then covered her mouth quickly with her hands. She gazed over to the sleeping Nicholas, but it looked like she had not disturbed his sleep in the least.
Then she grinned at her new friend. "Ombric will be so proud of you. I have never seen the like. I bet you will be awesome in class!"
Melissa's eyes grew quite round at this. "Class? What class?"
"Ombric teaches us many things. He always gives us lessons. We learn how to speak to all kinds of creatures and he teaches us basic magic too. The key to all of it is belief! And you have clearly figured that out already."
"I don't think belief can bring my parents back to life" Melissa sighed.
"It did bring Nicholas back and Ombric..." Katherine pondered.
"They died before? I mean... Ombric too?"
Katherine nodded sadly. "I told you last night, how Pitch once possessed our bear. He devoured Ombric and nearly killed Nicholas. But we all believed as hard as we could and we brought them back. All of them."
Melissa's already large eyes almost widened to the size of dinner plates. She could barely imagine that the wizard, she had met the night before had once been eaten by that bear. It must have been horrible.
She knew exactly what her new friend must have felt when it had happened. But the wizard was alive! That other young man, Nicholas, he was alive and well too. She looked up into Katherine's gray eyes and she saw a little doubt there.
"I don't know, Liz" the auburn-haired girl shrugged. "I don't think our parents can be brought back. I have never asked Ombric, but we can both ask him later. Now... let's go and make them some breakfast, okay?"
Melissa nodded. "Right."
Minutes later they were down in the kitchen and it was not at all what Melissa had expected. This whole place was so full of magic and she had gotten used to it so quickly that she was almost startled by the fact that she was now standing inside a rather small, cozy and perfectly normal kitchen. Well, almost perfectly normal.
There were cupboards that held plates and cups next to an old iron stove. In the center of the room stood a table with chairs around it. But there were also numerous spheres floating in the air, just within arms reach and they held bread and small jars of jam and marmalade as well as eggs, ham and bacon and chunks of cheese.
"What do you like for breakfast?" Katherine asked. "My favorite is porridge with a little sugar and cinnamon on top!"
Melissa was still trying to wrap her mind around the floating orbs but then she nodded almost absentmindedly. "I don't know what that is, but I am always happy to try something new."
Katherine laughed. "You don't know porridge? Okay, let's make some! Nicholas and Ombric both like it too. But North is really more for eggs and bacon. Do you know how to make those?"
The dark-haired girl nodded. "Yes sure" she whispered and started looking for a pan. It materialized just before her eyes and she smiled. "I love this place!" she breathed cheerfully yet again.
She reached out for the eggs and bacon and ham that were hovering above her and started cooking. The regular looking stove only needed a thought to light up and it was hot in an instant.
Katherine beside her was doing the same. She was already bringing a pot of milk to a boil and then added oatmeal to it.
Melissa watched her curiously. "What is that stuff?"
The girl laughed. "This is oat, a grain. It is pressed into flakes and now I will boil them in milk. It becomes a mash that we call porridge. You can add sugar and cinnamon to give it some taste – that's how I like it – but you can also put fruit into it. Like apples or berries or... well whatever you like!"
"I do love cherries" Melissa grinned and instantly another bubble appeared from out of nowhere holding freshly picked cherries.
"You gotta be kidding" she breathed and in her wonder and delight the eggs she was frying currently nearly burnt. But she pulled the pan from the fire quickly enough.
Katherine was laughing even more and nearly let her porridge get burnt too.
"Let's set the table!" she giggled as she pulled the weird looking stuff from the stove and poured it into two bowls.
Barely two minutes later Ombric came down the stairs and saw the two girls laughing and hard at work too. He had smelled the food the moment he had awoken, knowing that Katherine was the one who would treat them today. But when he found not only her inside the kitchen but the new girl as well his heart leaped.
He watched them from the shadows for another few minutes, relishing in the fact that they were not aware of him and he smiled widely. It had been a good thing this girl had come here. Now Katherine had a new fried, another girl her own age. And they were having fun together.
He watched for another minute as plates and dishes were set onto the table. He didn't want to enter the room just yet. He knew the girls were planning a surprise and he wanted it to be ready.
"Morning Ombric. What's going on?" Nicholas St. North stumbled into him, yawning, and then right into the kitchen.
The girls nearly jumped out of their skins as he barged in on their surprise.
The former Cossack stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the two girls and the almost perfectly set breakfast table. "Oh... girls... " he mumbled. "Oh, please don't tell me that I ruined a surprise breakfast just now!"
Melissa tried to hide her grin but Katherine giggled. "You can't ruin a surprise when it is meant for you too!" she laughed but then shrugged. "Just give us a minute."
"We are almost done" Melissa whispered, hoping that the noisy man would hear her. "Would you like some coffee?"
Nicholas actually did hear her and he nodded. "Coffee would be wonderful and I think the peeping Tom here would like one too!" He turned around and then dragged the wizard into the light of the kitchen.
They had breakfast together and for the first time Melissa truly felt at home. She knew Ombric was alright and Nicholas, whom they often just called North too. She really liked Bunnymund, who was not here unfortunately, but Katherine was. And she thought of this girl as her friend. The first real friend she had ever had. And if Ombric really would adopt her as he had adopted Kat they would be sisters! She would have a new family!
Melissa could feel her heart beating quickly inside her chest and her excitement even mounted when they left the kitchen a bit later to go outside to meet the other children of Santoff Claussen. Nicholas and Ombric had hinted at a great adventure to come but they had not told her about the details. They wanted to leave it to the other kids to tell the new arrivals.
So when Katherine and Melissa met the other children, including the ones that had arrived with Melissa the night before, just outside Big Root, the beans were finally spilled.
"We are going to the Lunar Lamadary!" exclaimed a very young boy. "That's in the Himalayas."
"We are going to meet the Lamas!" shouted another.
"We will see the abominable snowmen!" another one cheered.
Melissa could only watch and listen to them in amazement and wonder.
"And perhaps the Man in the Moon!" that young girl, Sascha said with an air of awe in her voice.
"The Himalayas?" she whispered in awe. "How are we supposed to get there?"
But since the other children were all talking amongst each other no one but Katherine heard her whisper.
"Same way we got to the center of the earth. With one of Master Bunnymund's egg trains." she explained. "He is finishing the tunnel as we speak, so be prepared to travel."
Melissa's mouth was hanging slightly open.
Egg-trains? A tunnel to the Himalayas? It all sounded like madness but here, where she was now, anything seemed possible and new excitement moved in where doubt had been a moment before.
"Can I really come with you?"
"Of course you will" Katherine assured her. "You belong with us now. We'd never leave you behind!"
She nodded and then the other new children started asking questions. They wanted to hear about their adventures, about their battles against the Nightmare King.
And the children of Santoff Claussen were only too willing to tell them. Melissa only sat back and watched and listened. It was not just a story that was being told.
Those children, the Williams from the tall to the absolute youngest and all of their friends, Petter, Sascha and Fog - they brought it all to live before her eyes. They told the story of Nicholas St. North and how he had saved them from the Pitch-possessed bear as they all played their parts. Tall William had he honor of playing North and Fog was playing the possessed bear.
All Melissa and the other new arrivals could do was watch and finally clap their hands at the victory but then little Marie dared to ask a question.
"Nicholas and Ombric told us last night that you fought that Nightmare King again in those mountains you mentioned before. And then again at the center of the world. He said you... we... won both times... but how? That man seemed so strong and powerful and he had a whole army shadows to fight for him."
Melissa nodded thoughtfully, she had heard the story too, but had not fully understood everything.
"That's your part, Katherine!" Sascha cheered and made space for her friend on the imaginary stage. "You defeated the Nightmare King. So you must be the one to tell the story!"
But Katherine really didn't want to. She knew that was gifted when it came to storytelling but this one really disturbed her. Then however she saw Melissa looking up at her expectantly and she complied."
"Well, do you guys remember how Ombric traveled back in time using that amazing machine at the Lunar Lamadary? He was there when the great general of the Golden Age, Kozmotis Pitchiner was overwhelmed by the darkness and became the Nightmare King!" she told them gravely. "Ombric only had a moment but he brought something back from this short time travel. A locket! A small silver locket that held the picture of the General's daughter. Pitch's daughter!"
Melissa's mouth was hanging open in wonder and hers was not the only one. Every kid, familiar or not with the story was listening with rapture. But neither of them interrupted Katherine as she continued her tale of woe.
"Ombric and Nicholas went off to the Himalayas in search of a mysterious relic that might hold the power to defeat the evil one. A weapon that held the power of light! But Pitch, ever so cunning, learned of this somehow and infiltrated our village. He came here in the form of a spider unnoticed and he possessed our Djinni. North and Ombric used the Djinni to travel to the great mountains but they noticed that something was not right with the mechanical man. They realized that it was possessed!"
Even the children who knew the story gasped and Sascha grasped her brothers hand for support.
"Pitch had used his wits to possess our Djinni and had gone through Ombrics spellbooks to learn a spell of enslavement. I only noticed the open book by chance. I saw the imprints on the paper and I knew something was up and then the owls told me that North and Ombric were in trouble, in serious trouble."
Katherine told them how she had summoned the giant reindeer that roamed the woods around the village and how Nightlight had made them fly. They had flown at full speed to find their friends. Katherine stopped for a moment and showed everyone the compass North had given her. It would always lead her to him. Everyone nodded at the wonderful bit of magic. The compasses arrow was now pointing at the small workshop inside Big Root, where North was probably working on something new and amazing. Like making little robots like the djinni that would clean up their rooms after playing indoors for hours on a rainy day.
Katherine continued with her story. The other children knew about it already but they were still listening as if they were hearing it for the first time. She told them how Nightlight stunned the Nightmare King after he had already turned Ombric and North into porcelain dolls. She told them about her terrible night in that cave and how she had finally broken the spell just when things were most dire.
The children, even though most of them had heard the story several times already, gasped as Katherine made it all come to life before their minds eye.
Ombric, even as small as a porcelain doll had had the mental and magical power to call for help and soon the Nightmare King's army of shadowy fearlings and nightmare men had been driven away by the abominable snowmen while Katherine had restored Nicholas back to his human self by the mere power of believing.
They had faced the fiend head on but due to the fact that the Djinni, which Pitch was using as some sort of armor against the sunlight, had been constructed by North an had a little something of every one in Santoff Claussen inside, it could not harm them. So even though possessing the mechanical man hadn't done him much good, Pitch had taken it with him as he had fled.
"We thought we would be save after this" Tall William, who Melissa knew now, explained gravely.
"But that monster came back with a vengeance. He turned all of our parents into those porcelain toys while our friends were away and then he took all of us down to the earths core where he locked us up in cages! Even Nightlight! He locked him up inside some super save vault!"
Katherine was glad for the help. It was not an easy story to tell alone.
"We were so afraid but we could see what Pitch was planning. He was arming his fearlings and himself with weapons and armor that would allow him to walk in the light!" Tall William explained with many gestures. But then he pointed at Katherine.
"But we knew that Katherine, North and Ombric would come and save us. And they did!"
"But not just us" the auburn-haired girl continued. "We met Master Bunnymund on the way and he brought his army of warrior eggs to help us!" she told them quite vigorously.
They described the battle, during which Katherine had been captured by the Nightmare King and was tossed into that super save vault, Tall William had mentioned earlier.
Reunited Katherine and Nightlight had combined forces and had come up with a plan which they had set to work instantly. It had been risky but worth a try, they had both agreed. They had not even realized that their dear friend Nicholas had been run through by Pitch's dark sword.
They had broken out of their prison and had flown right at their monstrous enemy. Nightlight had carried Kathrine on is back and brought her just within reach of the Nightmare King's sword. But not to attack him with hateful blades or magic. The moment they were close enough, Katherine had held out that locket. She had opened it and had held it up for him to see. The picture of the great Generals daughter - his own child.
"You should have seen the look on his face when she shoved that locket into his face!" Tall William said with a broad grin. "The man was terrified!"
"No" Katherine whispered but only Melissa heard her while everyone was laughing. "It wasn't just fear... it was pain."
"... Pitch took the locket and then he just vanished into thin air and took all his fearlings with him!" Fog offered. "But you should have heard him howl! It was horrible!"
Yes... horrible... such anguish...
Katherine hated to think about this moment. It made her heart ache and her soul burn and she didn't quite know why it made her feel so sick. All she knew was that this monster, this Nightmare King had gone through the same terrors as herself. And even more. She looked over at Melissa. This girl was an orphan too, she would perhaps understand.
"Let's go and play it!" Petter suggested. Melissa understood now that he was Sascha's brother. But she shook her head almost automatically. She didn't feel like playing.
She watched the children run off. "Tall William, you must play Pitch. You are the tallest!" she heard one of the younger boys shout. They armed themselves with swords and daggers of wood and started acting, replaying the battle at the Earth's core.
Melissa sighed but then she noticed that Katherine was still there right next to her.
"Aren't you going to play?" she whispered with as much force as she could. It made her throat hurt. The other children were making so much noise and she couldn't remember ever talking as much as she had in the last twenty-four hours.
"I don't feel like it" Katherine replied with a sigh of her own. But then she looked up at the dark-haired girl's face with a smile. "Hey, Liz. You want to see my tree house?"
She nodded and followed her away from the cheerful commotion.
Climbing up Big Root was not a difficult thing to do when you believe in magic and so Melissa had little trouble following her friend into the topmost branches of the great tree and within minutes she had joined Katherine in her nest-like hideout and looked at it admiringly.
"You sleep up here?" she whispered in wonder.
"Sometimes" the gray-eyed girl admitted. "I like to see the moon."
Melissa leaned back and enjoyed the view. But her mind was still busy processing that story.
"Kat?" she whispered.
"Yes?"
"Is this … Nightmare King... this Pitch character... really that evil?"
Katherine looked around at her voiceless friend and shrugged. "I think so... he has done terrible things but..."
"He has lost his family... just like we did."
"Ombric told you that?" Katherine gasped and stared at her new friend.
"He mentioned it" Melissa nodded. "Do you know what happened?"
"Not for sure" Katherine mumbled thoughtfully. "Even Ombric doesn't seem to know the whole story. But perhaps Bunnymund does. He is even older than Ombric and he is … not quite from this world. He might know what really happened."
Melissa leaned over the edge of the treehouse and looked around in search of the Pooka, but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead she noticed just how busy everyone seemed. Preparations were being made, for what she wasn't sure. But there seemed to be a lot of cooking and baking going on while men carried heavy tables and benches from their houses only to set them down in a clear space in the middle of the village.
"What is going on?" She wondered. "Is it always like this here?"
Katherine grinned and shook her head. "It is a busy place, but today is special. We are going to have a celebration."
"A celebration?" the dark-haired girl gasped in amazement. "Why?"
"It's been a long time since that battle. And there has been no sign of Pitch ever since. The others are beginning to believe that he is really gone for good."
Melissa nodded thoughtfully. That sounded like a good reason to celebrate, but somehow her new friend didn't look too happy.
"It isn't just for that" she explained when she noticed her inquiring gaze. "I told you that we are going to visit the Lunar Lamas in their Lamadary in the Himalayas tomorrow. That's why we are having something like our own farewell party" she smiled. "We want to consult the Man in the Moon himself. He might know if the coast is really clear."
The dark-haired girl's eyes grew wide as she heard those news. "Tomorrow already?" she whispered in excited anticipation.
Katherine nodded, smiling about her new friend's excitement. "Bunnymund is still working on the transportation now. But he will be at the celebration tonight and then we can ask him if he knows anything more about Pitch's daughter."
Melissa nodded, thoughtfully but then Katherine started telling her what she already knew. Ombric had learned much from his travels through time and so she recited what she remembered about the story of the Golden Age and the fallen General.
Melissa listened to her every word without interrupting but she watched her friend's face carefully and noticed once again this sorrowful look in her eyes, but she understood it now. That wonderful girl was actually feeling sorry for their enemy. But when she told her how those evil creatures had managed to trick the man into opening their prison she gasped.
"They … did … what?" she hissed and couldn't help but clenching her small fists.
"They imitated the voice of his daughter... pleading with him to let her out, telling him how afraid she was. According to Ombric, he endured it for a bit but in the end, he couldn't take any more of it and he opened the prison."
Katherine sighed deeply and looked into her new friends dark blue eyes. She saw the same pain there she felt herself and knowing that they both felt the same made it a lot easier for her to tell the rest of the story.
"They poured out of their prison, the moment the General opened the door. They attacked and overwhelmed him. They were little more than shadows but they were powerful in their own way. They entered him and devoured his soul, they turned it as evil and black as... well pitch. They possess him, I believe until today."
As Melissa tried to take that in, she could feel her stomach twist and turn as if it was something alive that wanted to break out of her. She felt sick and her chest hurt. "Those fiends" she whispered. But then a new thought hit her.
"Kat, if this is true... doesn't that mean, that they control him like... like a puppet?"
The gray-eyed girl shrugged. "I don't know, but I have been wondering about that too. I really hope we won't have to fight him again."
"You don't think that perhaps he could..."
But she was interrupted by a loud honk. Instantly Katherine's eyes lit up and all her sorrow seemed forgotten.
"Ah! Here is someone I want you to meet!" she laughed but Melissa was stumbling backwards and nearly fell out of the nest as the largest, most enormous bird she had ever seen landed right next to them. The goose's giant wings almost created a storm around them and the girl was only just able to keep her balance.
"This is Kailash" Katherine explained as she wrapped her arms around the giant birds slender neck. "She is an Himalayan Snow Goose, come Liz, don't be afraid. She won't hurt you."
Melissa was still a bit nervous but once she had gotten over the shock of seeing a bird of such a majestic size, she could not help but admire the silky, snow white feathers, the elegant neck and her soft, friendly eyes. She came a step closer, timidly and held out a careful hand.
The giant goose's head bent down to her and she patted her gently just above her large beak.
"See" Katherine smiled. "She likes you! She's an orphan too, you know. But I was there when she hatched and now she thinks I'm her mother."
Melissa grinned at this and ran her hand gingerly along the long neck, her shyness of the huge creature gone. "She is beautiful" she admitted.
The auburn-haired girl smiled back at her and all of a sudden there was a glint of fun in her eyes.
"Would you like to go for a ride?"
"A... what?" Melissa promptly stepped back again and stared at her friend and then at the large bird. Kailash sure looked more than large enough to ride, but … She gulped down a lump in her throat but Katherine laughed.
"Don't be afraid. I will be with you. Don't worry. We won't let you fall, come on! You will love it!"
Melissa gasped again as she watched her friend mount the giant goose. She smiled down at her and held out a hand. "Come!"
A part of her was still afraid but she took a deep breath and fought to master her fear. She squared her shoulders and came closer, reaching out for her friend's hand. And before she knew it, she was sitting in front of Katherine on the soft white feathers just beneath Kailash's neck.
"Oh my... " she sighed. "Kat... I am a bit scared. I am only human. I wasn't made to fly..."
"But you will!" Katherine said without much sympathy. "Alright, Kailash! Let's go!" she called happily and the huge wings started beating. Melissa closed her eyes and held on tight to the slender neck before her but she could also feel Katherine's arms around her waist. And then the wind was in her face, buffeting her long hair as it rushed by. She could hear Katherine laughing behind her. All the sadness and sorrow was forgotten when she finally opened her eyes and saw the treetops rushing by below her.
"Oh my gosh..." she gasped and sat up a bit straighter. Kailash's neck was stretched out before her and she actually let go of it and just placed her hands on the silky feathers she was sitting on. She could feel the warmth of the bird's body beneath her. She could actually feel her heartbeat under her hands.
The sky was clear and blue and brilliant and the wind was cold but she didn't mind it one bit. This was wonderful! Katherine had been right. She did love this! She felt so free... as free as … well only a bird could feel.
"This is awesome!" she wanted to shout out but all she could do was whisper. Her friend behind her couldn't hear her through the rushing wind.
"You like it?" Katherine called into her ear and Melissa managed to look back over her shoulder. There was no need to say anything. Her wide grin was telling enough but she nodded anyway.
But then she nearly shrieked when Kailash dived and she held on more tightly again. They circled over the village a few times and Katherine pointed out a few places that she thought important.
"This tree there is where all the Williams live!" she shouted and pointed. "And that over there is Sascha's and Petter's home. And Fog lives over there!"
Melissa took it all in. The splendor of this place was truly amazing. Everyone seemed to live in or on trees or even in caves, but not one bit like cavemen. Everything seemed wonderful. She pointed out to another tree that looked younger than the others around her and she could feel Katherine nod behind her.
"That's where the new family moved in last night. The people who brought you here!"
Melissa nodded and looked around, searching for the other children. They were right there in the clearing still playing and fighting with sticks and stones. She could hear their laughter even through the wind in her ears. She saw the bear who was watching the children at play like a silent Guardian and beside him stood an enormous horse. She had seen plenty of horses but never one as grand and intelligent looking as this one.
"That's Petrov, he belongs to North. He lets me ride him from time to time, but since I have Kailash... I think I've been neglecting him a bit" Katherine said a bit more quietly as if she was feeling guilty.
Then they soared up again and over the forest surrounding the village and Melissa enjoyed the view. She had never been able to see that far. The vast Siberian tundra was just beyond the trees and when they were practically floating over it Melissa could feel Katherine's hands letting go of her torso. She reached for her hands and took them gently.
"Let go, Liz" she said into her ear with her voice full of fun and promise. "Trust me."
And Melissa trusted her. She let go and allowed Katherine to take her hands from behind. A moment later her arms were spread out just like the wings of the giant goose they were riding.
She could feel the adrenaline rushing through her veins as her heart started to beat faster but she felt quite safe. She knew Kailash wouldn't let them fall. And then Katherine let go of her hands but she kept them where they were and laughed... silently... she loved this. She could do this all day.
They soared through a few clouds and she could actually touch them. She could touch the clouds! They felt like the fog that hovered over the plains on an early autumn morning but they had a softness to them that she was not familiar with. Everything was so new and exciting.
She looked ahead into the blue sky and the few fluffy clouds that passed by quickly and then she caught a glimpse of something bright amongst them. For a moment, she was not quite sure if she had really seen it. It dashed in and out of the clouds but then she finally saw it more clearly. It looked like... a boy... she frowned and pointed.
She could feel Katherine leaning over her shoulder as she looked.
"Ohh!" the auburn-haired girl shouted happily. "It's Nightlight!... Nightlight!" she yelled and Melissa felt her ears ring. But the boy turned around and waved when he saw them. Kailash seemed to be reading her friends mind and within moments they had caught up with him.
He flew along beside them, smiling at Katherine and looking curiously at her passenger.
"This is Melissa!" Katherine explained. "She only arrived in Santoff Claussen last night! She's a new friend!"
The strange boy nodded and smiled. Now that she saw him, the name indeed seemed to fit. He really looked as if he was made of light and mist and in the bright sunlight, he seemed almost translucent. But Melissa had seen so many strange things already that she didn't doubt him for a moment. She smiled back at him and nodded.
When they finally turned around, Nightlight accompanied them all the way back to the village. They landed in the clearing but the other children were no longer there. Their parents had called them home to get them washed and dressed for the evening celebration. But everything seemed to be ready.
The two girls carefully climbed down from Kailash's back and the bird took off again to make herself comfortable in Katherine's tree house. They turned around to face the strange spectral boy.
"I am so excited about tomorrow. It will be great to see the Lunar Lamas again" Katherine blurted out, actually clasping her hands happily and bobbing up and down on the balls of her feet. The spectral boy nodded but somehow he didn't seem as bright as before.
Melissa suppressed a frown but couldn't help but notice something strange. There was some sort of sorrow in his pale green eyes too. The same kind of sorrow she had seen in Katherine's eyes earlier. But the auburn-haired girl didn't seem to notice it. She seemed so happy to see her friend.
"Nightlight, do you want to see my... "
But in this same instant the spectral boy nodded his farewell and without saying even one word he jumped up into the sky and was gone.
Katherine stood dumbfounded and Melissa was wondering. "What is wrong with him?" she whispered.
"I wish I knew" the auburn-haired girl mumbled sadly.
Why is Nightlight acting like this? It's not like him! He's always been there for us... for me.. why is he keeping his distance now? Why can't I sense what he's feeling?
"He's been like this for a while now" she sighed and turned to her new friend. She felt somehow close to her. Melissa was like her in so many ways. And she felt that she could probably tell her everything that was on her mind. She was like a twin sister she had never had.
"He always watches over me when I am sleeping... or he used to … a few days ago he just stopped. He is so distant all of a sudden. I don't know what I have done wrong!" she told her sadly and Melissa, who had never been really sociable due to her lack of friends reached out for her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"What was it that you wanted to show him?" she whispered as kindly as she could.
Katherine managed a weak smile pointed to her cheek. "I have a loose tooth."
"Oh... can I see it?" Melissa smiled and Katherine promptly opened her mouth and stuck her finger inside to show her. The dark-haired girl leaned in and looked closely at the wobbly tooth.
"It's your last baby tooth!" she exclaimed and beamed at her friend. But then she frowned thoughtfully, wondering.
"Perhaps Nightlight can feel that you are growing up" she suggested. "Perhaps it scares him a bit?"
She didn't know anything about that glowing boy but she had seen that sorrow in his eyes. It had told her enough to know that he really was Katherine's friend but something was clearly bothering him.
Katherine looked at her with that same expression now but there was also wonder. Melissa could tell that she was mulling her words over in her mind.
"You... you think so?" Katherine mumbled and tapped a finger to the side of her nose as the pondered about this. Her new friend might just be right. As far as she knew, Nightlight had always been like this. Could he even grow up? She would of course, she knew that. There was nothing she could do to prevent it from happening.
It would make sense...
She looked into Melissa's strange eyes and nodded. "That sounds reasonable, but it also makes me a little sad too. We will all grow up... what if he can not?"
"Maybe the two of you should talk about it" Melissa shrugged thoughtfully. She could tell that her new friend and that spectral boy were very close and she didn't want to get in between.
From the surrounding buildings - each of them was unique in it's own way - they could hear the shrieking voices of the other children as they were taking their baths while their parents were fighting a loosing battle trying to wash their backs, hair and scrub their fingernails.
"We should get cleaned up too, don't you think?" Katherine suggested and Melissa had to agree that it would probably be best.
The moment they entered Big Root the tree seemed to sense their intent for when they reached the bathroom, there were two tubs filled with foaming water already waiting for them.
The auburn-haired girl was not even a bit surprised at this but she kept giggling at Melissa's baffled face.
She carefully stuck a hand into the water and actually jumped back in surprise.
"It's... hot..." she breathed in awe.
"Of course it's hot. When was the last time you've taken a bath?" the auburn-haired girl laughed in glee and slight surprise.
Melissa placed a finger on her lower lip and started counting back the weeks.
"Not really that long ago" she admitted thoughtfully. "But I don't think I've had a hot one since I was really little."
Katherine stared at her with such an incredulous expression on her face that the dark-haired girl couldn't help but giggle silently.
A minute later they were both soaking in the their tubs. The water had just the right temperature and Melissa noticed that even after while it was not getting any colder. It was wonderful how she could feel all the tenseness float away.
Katherine had started telling her about the place they would visit the next day. Melissa closed her eyes and tried to imagine it all but could not quite concentrate. It was all too exciting. However she never grew tired of hearing about the holy men, the other snow geese the yeti and the Man in the Moon. She could barely believe that she was allowed to come along on this incredible journey and she also couldn't wait to see all of those wonders with her own eyes.
When they finally joined everyone outside in the clearing, it was already getting dark.
Ombric was very pleased to notice that the new girl seemed to have opened up to his Katherine and he watched the two of them with a benevolent and rather happy smile.
The other new arrivals had already integrated themselves well into the day to day goings-on in the village and had even provided their share for the party. The children had played with their new friends all day and were now quite familiar with everyone.
A little earlier the wizard had met with North and Bunnymund to consult them on the matter of Melissa. Ombric was still a bit worried about her. She had seen things that no child should have to witness. Life had not been kind to her so far, he wanted to make sure that it would from now on.
As he watched the two girls sit down with the rest of the little rascals, he became aware of yet another problem. The child could not take part in the conversations around her. There was way too much noise. All she could do was listen and nod or shrug. Katherine was doing her best to include her in the conversation, but it didn't really work. And Ombric could see that the new girl was still quite nervous and shy around so many strangers.
He watched as Katherine tried to handle the problem. She was such a good girl, always trying to help everyone. He could see her gnawing on her lower lip as the tried to figure out a solution. Melissa was familiar with the situation but now it really bothered her for the first time. She had been looking forward to this celebration but now frustration started to push her new bit of confidence away.
The other children suddenly got up from the table to play a game of tag, or at least that's what they said. It included riding on rather large, egg shaped contraptions with stick-like legs that seemed way too thin to support their weight, or that of their riders.
"Come on, Katherine! You promised!" the young girl called Sascha begged and tugged at her sleeve. But Katherine wasn't so sure. She looked around at Melissa with forced smile.
"Let's play?" she suggested but she knew that her new friend would refuse even before she shook her head. Playing tag was no fun when you could not shout "Got you!" or squeal excitedly with fake fear when someone was chasing you.
Somehow Katherine understood how the girl was feeling but she didn't want to disappoint her other friends yet again. She had been a bit evasive lately, ever since Nightlight had started to act queer and the fact that he was not here to celebrate with them upset her more than she wanted to admit.
"Go on and play with them!" Melissa encouraged her with a grin. She even gave her a slight nudge. "I'll watch you... but I really don't feel like playing."
Katherine could not hear her but she knew what she was saying anyway.
"Are you sure you don't want to? It's easy... please do come... you'll see. It will be fun!" she begged but Melissa shook her head and then looked around at Bunnymund, who was sitting next to Nicholas St. North and they were having some sort of discussion. Then she looked back at Katherine and the girl knew what was on her mind.
"Alright" Katherine sighed. "But I feel bad about this. I don't want you to get left behind. You are my friend now!"
At this Melissa offered her a wide grin. It was true, Katherine was her friend and she wanted her to have as much fun as she could. She needed to get her mind off her troubles for once. She gave her a thumbs up and then popped another grape into her mouth and turned around again to try and hear what North and the Pooka were arguing about.
There was nothing Katherine could do. She turned around and joined the game.
Melissa didn't want her new best friend to feel bad for her. So she forced herself to smile as she watched and listened. She could not hear much of what North and the Pooka were talking about but the topic seemed to be the invention of a new line of confectionaries. Bunnymund looked slightly irritated by North's ideas but after a few more minutes his ears stopped twitching nervously and he actually seemed to agree with his friend on something.
Then Ombric interrupted them. He said something that made North laugh and Bunnymund frown. He had probably told them a joke which the otherworldly Rabbit didn't quite understand. And then... all of a sudden... Bunnymund looked right at her.
She liked the Pooka a lot but when their eyes met, she got a bit nervous. She could see his whiskers vibrate as he looked past her at the other children who were playing wildly and noisily. And then there was suddenly a light in his eyes that had not been there before. He actually smiled back at her and then excused himself.
He got up from his place at the table and for a moment Melissa was disappointed.
He is leaving? Already? But I wanted to talk to him...
She watched him as he hopped around the table but then, to her utter surprise, he came right for her and placed a furry hand on her shoulder.
"Hello kid, will you take a walk with me?"
The girl bit her lip nervously and looked around, but there was no one there to stop her or tell her otherwise. So she looked up into that giant rabbit's face and nodded. This might be her chance to get some more information.
She stood up and allowed Bunnymund to lead her away from all the noise. They walked away from the clearing and out of the village into the forest surrounding it. It was quiet here, very quiet. All the little creatures that usually scurried around here at night had also joined the party. The night was so still you could hear a pin drop.
The Pooka however broke the silence as he said "So, Melissa... how do you like this place so far?"
"It's amazing" she admitted but could not completely hide the sadness from her voice.
Bunnymund nodded. "Humans are a weird species. I still don't know whether I like them or detest them, but it seems that they are as different as one egg to another."
Melissa frowned at this. She could not tell the difference between two eggs as long as the same kind of bird had laid them. She thought that eggs were pretty similar... all the same in fact. Shell, white and yolk. No matter the size or color.
"Eggs are... different?" she whispered and Bunnymund nodded eagerly. This was one of his favorite subjects.
"Of course they are. There is not one egg like the other. Every egg is special in it's own way" he told her and Melissa was quite willing to believe him. It was like peoples personalities and in every egg, there was a creature growing to hatch. That Pooka probably had the ability to see the difference in each of them. But she did not.
The girl nodded anyway.
"We need to talk about this more, dear child. I see you have taken interest! But this is not why I have brought you out here."
Melissa looked up at him in surprise as they walked side by side beneath the majestic oaks that made the first line of defense around the village.
"You haven't?" she whispered. "What is it that you want to talk about?"
"Your problem" Bunnymund simply said.
"My … problem?" the girl stammered.
Which one of my hundred-and-fifty-three problems is he talking about?
"Your vocal chords are broke, out of Service, kaput!" he said and with one hand he forced her to stop walking and turn around to face him.
She gasped silently and stared up into his spring-green eyes. To her surprise she saw hope there.
"I think I can fix that for you" he said and grinned.
Melissa just stared.
Fix that? How?
"I am sure, Katherine, Ombric or North have told you about the battle at he Earth's core where we defeated that … that fiend."
"Pitch" Melissa offered.
"That's his name, don't wear it out. That old ghoul doesn't even like chocolate or eggs!"
She nodded and reminded herself that Bunnymund would hold a grudge against anyone who didn't appreciate either.
"Then he must be awful indeed" she nodded as seriously as she could.
"He's a monster!" Bunnymund agreed with little sympathy. "But did Katherine not tell you what happened to North down there?"
The girl shrugged. "Ombric told us last night, remember?"
"Pitch ran him through with his sword!"
She nodded but could still not really believe it. Nicholas was there, perfectly alive and fine. How could that be?
"I gave him a chocolate egg" Bunnymund said as if this explained everything. But as he saw the girls baffled face he knew he needed to explain what happened more clearly.
"I can whip up confectioneries that can cure about anything. North had been down with a mortal wound but after he ate my very special chocolate, he was whole again."
"That is a truly wonderful gift you have there, Master Bunnymund" Melissa whispered sadly, wishing that the Pooka had been there to save her father with one of those chocolates. If he had, she would not be alone amongst strangers. Her father could have been here too!
"I am sorry about your father" the Pooka said and squeezed her shoulder more tightly. He didn't feel like humans did but he knew the special sentiment of loss. It was like a broken egg. Or like the pain he had felt when his own race had been brought to extinction by the monster that was the Nightmare King.
"But death is one of natures mysteries. He's gone to a better place now. That is what I believe. But you are still here."
"I am" Melissa admitted, not quite able to follow him. But she was beginning to wonder if the Pooka could actually read her mind.
"And you will have a fabulous life here with your new friends." Bunnymund promised. "And that's where my skills come into Play. I am sure I can whip up a bit of something that will fix your voice in an instant!"
For a moment the girl frowned but then as she finally understood her face lit up with a hopeful smile. "A chocolate egg? An magical one that will fix my voice? You …you could do that?"
"With little effort" the Pooka almost yawned. "It will take a day or two and with our trip to the Lamadary coming up it will have to wait a bit. But it will be on the top of my to do list when we get back. You alright with that?"
Melissa's heart nearly burst out of her chest with joy.
"Yes... oh yes! Please Master Bunnymund. I would be ever so grateful! But take your time" she tried to get a grip on her own excitement. "I am used to having no voice. It is annoying but I can handle it. A few more days really don't count."
"Good girl" Bunnymund said and patted her shoulder. The child was willing to endure her handicap. She was strong enough to deal with it. He appreciated that feat. "Very good. I can sense that you are quite a promising human creature. Now let's get back to the others."
But Melissa didn't want to go back just yet.
"Master Bunnymund?" she whispered with as much power in her voice as she could muster.
The Pooka turned around and looked down on her. Yes, there was something else on her mind. Something that troubled her. "Yes, child?"
She gulped down that lump in her throat and summoned all of her her courage.
I want to know... and Kat is counting on me to ask him that!
"Master Bunnymund, I've heard you are even older and wiser than Ombric... do you know what exactly happened... to Pitch's family?"
Now of all the questions Bunnymund had anticipated this was the last one he had expected. He had heard about it of course, but he didn't know the details.
"As far as I know, they were all killed by fearlings and dream pirates."
"How awful" Melissa sighed.
"Yes, awful business indeed. Pitch - or rather the General of the golden Army, Kozmotis Pitchiner had hunted them down afterwords and killed them one by one. It had not been like him for he had been a forgiving man back then. But this deed changed him. He became bitter and hateful. But then he still volunteered to guard that prison. I believe you know the rest of the story."
"I do" Melissa sighed. "Ombric told us a bit of the story and Kat told me the rest of it." She sighed deeply but then looked up again, slightly confused. "So this Nightmare King - this Pitch... he lost his family to the same creatures that now serve him?"
Bunnymund looked down at her tense face almost pitifully. "Yes child. They consumed him. They devoured his soul and tainted him until he was one of them, their leader, their King of Nightmares."
"How sad" she sighed almost mournfully. " Do you think he remembers any of that?"
"I doubt it." Bunnymund huffed. "If he did, there would have been at least a shred of goodness left in him. But there wasn't. He was nothing but another fearling. The only difference is that he was much more powerful than the others. But however... He is gone now, at least we hope so."
Melissa nodded in agreement at first but then, when Bunnymund started to walk back toward the village she didn't follow but kept pondering. "He remembered his daughter" she whispered more to herself than to her companion.
The Pooka stopped dead in his tracks. "The locket did have a powerful effect on him. It broke him, made him go away. But that does not make him any better!"
All she could do was shrug and follow the tall rabbit's lead back to the clearing and the party. But her mind was busy with the things she had just learned.
They rejoined the party but as before, she was not able to talk to anyone. It didn't matter to her now. She did not feel like chatting but with the thought of Bunnymund's promise in mind, she was looking forward to doing so soon enough.
It was just a bit before midnight when she followed Katherine back into Big Root for some sleep. And the auburn-haired girl couldn't wait to ask her about her conversation with the Pooka.
"He thinks that they had been killed by fearlings." Melissa told her as they were changing into their night dresses (North had left a newly fashioned one for her on her bed and Melissa loved it. It was soft and silky and as white as Kailash's feathers).
"How nasty" Katherine sighed as she slipped under her blankets. "I wonder... does Pitch know about this?"
Melissa suppressed a yawn as she climbed into her bed and covered herself. "It doesn't matter if he's gone" she sighed and rubbed her eyes. She was so tired after all of this.
"Yeah... right" Katherine yawned as well. "Good night Liz."
"Good night Kat" she breathed and felt sleep quickly getting a hold of her.
But a soft sound woke her up about three o'clock in the morning. Everything was still and quiet but her ears were as sharp as her mind. She sat up straight inside her bed. She knew she had heard something.
And then she heard it again. A very soft sound from not far away. She looked up and saw Katherine's bed in the gloom. Her blankets were shifting about as if her friend was having a bad dream.
"Bad dreams are usually mine" she whispered and flung her legs out of her bed. She walked over to her friend without making a sound.
And then she froze when she saw the other girl's face, pale in the soft moonlight that was flooding in from above. The girl was crying in her sleep. There were tears on her face. The sight made Melissa's heart ache.
She didn't want her best friend to have a nightmare, or whatever it was, it had to stop!
She grasped her shoulder which was warm and limp with sleep but she shook it until Katherine's eyes finally opened.
"Kat! Kat! Wake up!" she whispered, wishing she could shout but her shaking did the trick.
"Eh... what .. North? … We under attack?"
"No! Kat! Look at me! It's me... Liz.. you had a bad dream!"
Katherine rubbed her eyes and felt the wetness, she remembered her dream.
"Liz?" she groaned and opened her eyes again. "Oh, why can't I stop dreaming about this?"
All Melissa could do was hold on to her friend's shoulders and shrug. "No idea" she whispered. "Care to tell me about it?"
Katherine had managed to wipe her eyes but was still half asleep. It was strange. She was used to seeing Nightlight when she woke up in the middle of the night. And right now she missed the glow of her dearest friend more than ever.
"Kat?" she whispered nervously and then Katherine saw the outline of her face against the moonlight.
"Oh Liz!" she sighed.
"You alright?"
"Yes, I guess so."
"You had a bad dream!"
"You woke me up?"
"Of course!"
"Thanks Liz."
"That's what friends do, right?"
Katherine looked up at Melissa's pale face, her large dark eyes and nearly black tangle of her bangs that framed her face. "I guess so, thanks for waking me. You are a dear friend."
For a moment Melissa was not quite sure what to say. She patted Katherine's shoulders soothingly. And then sat down next to her.
"Care to tell me about it?" she asked again. She really wanted to know what was making her new best friend so unhappy.
"Huh?" Katherine asked blankly.
"Your dream" Melissa prompted her. "You want to talk about it?"
Katherine moaned audibly but then she took a deep breath. She had wanted to tell Nightlight, but he was not there. Her new friend would have to do and she knew the girl would understand, probably better than anyone else. She nodded and started to talk but her voice was quite shaky.
"I keep dreaming about him... about Pitch.. that last battle and all that pain... that anguish ... I can't help it... it's been haunting me ever since."
Melissa just listened and put an arm around her friends shoulder.
She is dreaming about this... who can blame her?
And then her eyes grew wider.
Pain? Anguish?... His feelings?
She almost froze in shock but didn't let go of her friend's shoulder. She could feel that Katherine needed all the support she could get.
"I'm so sorry, Kat. It must have been terrible" she breathed and the auburn-haired girl looked up into her eyes.
"I keep having this dream" Katherine sighed mournfully. "I am having it almost every night now. I can't forget him. I can't forget Pitch. No matter how hard I try, I just can't forget!
Melissa felt so helpless but also so in charge at the same time. There was no one else around, no one who could share that feeling.
"Why on earth would you want to forget?" she whispered. "I understand that it is not a happy memory for anyone, but do you really want to forget him and with him the memories of all those battles... everything you and your friends have been through? Don't you think that even these memories, no matter how awful they are, are something precious? Don't you think that those memories are a part of you? Something that defines just who you are?"
At this, Melissa felt a finger on her lips and she promptly closed her mouth.
Katherine was wide awake now and staring at her.
"Liz..." she sighed and lowered her hand looking as if she had a severe tooth-ache. "Liz, what if he really is gone? I mean not just defeated but gone-gone? Do you know what this would mean for me?"
For a moment all she could do was shrug but then her strange blue eyes widened and she suddenly had a pretty good idea where Katherine was going with this. It made her feel as if she had eaten something terribly rotten.
"It would mean that we... no - that I killed him!" the auburn-haired girl whispered in plain horror. "It would make me a murderer! The others would probably call me a hero or something, but I would always think of myself as some wicked, cold-hearted killer!"
Only for a moment did Melissa hesitate. She felt shy and awkward but she so wanted to comfort her unhappy friend. And then she remembered that wonderful flight on Kailash earlier. The girl had given her something she had not had in what seemed like a lifetime. Pure joy!
She forgot instantly that she had ever felt shy or afraid of letting people get close to her. She stepped forward and embraced the girl. It was a rather gentle hug, but a hug all the same.
"You are not a killer, Kat" she whispered into her ear. "To be one, you would have to attack with the intention to kill. But you acted with the intention to safe your friends. And perhaps with the intention to make that Nightmare guy remember who he once was. You are not a killer! You are the kindest person I have ever met!"
As Katherine returned the embrace a few tears trickled down her cheek but she nodded. She knew her friend was right. It was so good to have her here. She finally had someone who understood how she felt. There were of course Ombric and North and now Bunnymund but most importantly Nightlight. She could always share her thoughts and feelings with them before. She usually didn't even need to say a word, they would just know.
But this was something, she had been holding back out of fear it would worry them. She had hidden her feelings and closed up to them somehow and now, all of a sudden she realized what was wrong with the spectral boy. He had felt it. He must have felt that she was hiding something from him. As if she didn't trust him anymore!
She slowly let go of her new friend and managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Liz. Thanks for everything. I've been stupid. You are right" she sniffled and wiped her face with the sleeve of her nightdress.
"Feeling better?" Melissa asked carefully and saw the other girl nod.
"Much better, really" she assured her. "But I think we should both try and get some more sleep. In only a few hours we will be on our way to the Lunar Lamadary! It would be a shame if we fell asleep on the trip. And I want to show you everything there. You will love it!"
Melissa smiled at her, happy that she had been able to help. Then she nodded and returned to her bed. She watched as Katherine slipped back under her blankets before she did the same. The day had been ever so exciting and the one to come would be even more so. She would need to be well rested.
She forced herself to stay awake though, for just another few minutes until she could hear Katherine breathing softly. Only when she was sure that her friend had fallen asleep again, she too closed her eyes.