Chapter Two: "Beginning"
"My earliest memory is of that Snowy day…"
~Ten Years Later~
"Yuki?" Bernard yelled from the top of the stairs. "Yuki? Where are you?"
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" A shrill scream echoed over the sound of loud machinery and busy working elves.
A silver-haired girl popped into view for only a second between machines, before flailing face first onto the floor.
Her foot catching onto a switch, pulling it downward with her.
Suddenly a red light flickered on overhead, setting off a loud siren. The machine, which normally sewed colorful fur onto teddy bears suddenly, began to malfunction.
The machine quivered violently, Smoke spewing from the top, and finally, began hurling blackened smoked teddy bears across the room.
Ducking between flaming bears and screaming elves, Bernard made his way to the source.
The girl rested awkwardly across the floor behind the machine, her long silver hair flailed out in every direction, with her foot caught in the switch.
Bernard yanked her foot out of the way, pulling the switch upright to its usual position.
The red light above flashed green, and the machine ceased to malfunction.
Yuki?" Bernard demanded, his face reddened, "What on earth are you doing?"
Yuki was off the floor in half a second, brushing off her uniform, and straightening her silver hair back into place.
"The nerve of some elves," she said frowning seriously, shaking her head. Can you believe it? Some snot-nosed little punk thought he could sneak into the workshop.
Well not on my watch! So I yelled "Hey you! Stop right there!" but her ran, so I said "If it's a chase you want, then you got it!"
He ran like a cheetah, clear across the workshop. I was hot on his tail! Then suddenly, he was gone." Yuki explained dramatically, but continued.
"So there I was. Only my footsteps made a sound. All was silent. That's when I came here. Just then, the guy jumps out of nowhere and wrestles me to the floor! But I was too much for him. I had him pinned to the floor. I yelled for you, but that trickster uses the distraction to his advantage, and pulls the switch! He caught me off guard, and slugged me in the gut. That's when I screamed! The he tosses me to the ground, and escaped in all the commotion."
Yuki huffed, holding her side painfully, leaning against the machine.
"Lucky you came when you did. He could have killed me."
Bernard's face remained emotionless, as he rolled his eyes.
"I saw you trip over the switch, Yuki."
Yuki paused, her eyes going wide. She looked him in the eye, smiling guiltily.
"Well, you know. I might have taken out that little detail. But like I said, it wasn't my fault! That guy…,"
"There was no guy, was there, Yuki?" Bernard sighted.
Yuki went on.
"Of course, I might have change a lot of the details just a tinsy tinny bit to make the story more…interesting…but for the most part…,"
"Yuki?"
"Yeah?"
"Stop it."
"Okay."
"Yuki…," Bernard sighs. "You need to pull yourself together. Everyday it's the same. You're always causing some sort of…commotion."
"What do you mean?" Yuki asks quickly.
Bernard leans over and grabs up a teddy bear hanging from a nearby gear. It's fur singed to a crisp. The left ear lit on fire.
"This is what I mean, Yuki."
"This?" Yuki laughed nervously, snatching away the teddy bear, and tossing it over her shoulder. "This is nothing. It was just an accident.
Nothing to worry about. It wont happen again."
"You say that every day… "It won't happen again. It won't happen again," but it does happen again…and again, and again!" Bernard sighed. "This has gone on long enough!
Just look around you?"
Bernard gestured around the room. Every inch littered with burnt teddy bears.
"Every day, something new. Everywhere you go, disaster follows."
"Pssst." Yuki spat, swatting her hand as if to swat away the idea. "Don't be ridiculous. It's just coincidence…maybe…,"
"Yuki…the workers are scared." Bernard added.
She glanced around to see bundles of elves cowering far against the walls. Some shuttered, as they risked coming closer to clean up the mess, avoiding her eyes.
"They are not." Yuki said smiling brightly. "Watch."
She turned to the elf who willed himself to come the closest.
"Hi there."
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!" The poor elf screamed, shuttering terriably. "P-please! Stay back! I have a wife…a-and children…please."
"It's okay. Here. Maybe a hug will help you feel better." Yuki reached out to hug him, but he staggered back.
"No! Don't come any closer! I don't want to die!" He screamed, then turned to flee.
But when he did, he slipped and fell. The poor elf groaned as he sat up right with a bloody nose.
A whisper spread across the other elves.
"They're scared of you, Yuki." Bernard repeated.
"Pure bad luck. That's all it is." Yuki said with her arms crossed. "I did nothing wrong."
"You're the only bad luck around here." Bernard muttered, grabbing her by the sleeve and yanking her across the room. "Okay, don't worry everyone. I've got her. Everyone stand clear. Yuki is exiting the room."
Yuki frowned. "Now you're just being over dramatic."
"I told him." Bernard sighed to himself. "I told him the workshop is no place for a human."
Yuki sighed miserably.
"It wasn't my fault. It was an accident."
"Hello. My name is Yuki Clause.
And if you might have already guessed…
I'm human.
I've worked here in the workshop for as long as I can remember. It isn't exactly easy, but it's alright. And it's what I have to do. The North Pole is my home. The elves have always had the suspicion that I'm sheer bad luck, because coincidently everywhere I go, disaster seems to follow. On top of that I'm kind of a klutz…Okay maybe a major klutz.
But if I keep striving forward, and do my best, thing should turn out soon…I hope."
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