Hi! Okay, this one will be kinda long and kinda overdone by so many people, but I enjoyed writing it. And this kind of will eventually involve pairing Ava with a certain somebody, but not for many chapters to come. With that said, please enjoy Human.

Human

It was only a few days after the horrible lunar eclipse incident. North had been discussing the incident with Manny and they had come to an agreement. It wasn't the best arrangement, but it was the only conclusion they could come to. And so, with their plan devised, it was time to set it in motion.

Ava had been summoned to the pole, which normally wouldn't have been too bad, but this time she was wary. She knew it had something to do with her dark side, though she couldn't be sure what. Maybe they wanted an apology? If so, she would gladly offer one. Even though Ava hadn't been completely responsible for the disaster, she knew when to admit guilt.

Still, she knew that they would blame her for everything, even knowing that it was Manny's fault for her change. If only that shiny moron hadn't decided he needed a vacation! But Ava went to the pole anyway, ready to –literally –meet her maker.

Imagine her surprise when the only one really waiting on her was North.

"Hey North, what's up?" the fallen angel asked, twirling her pitchfork in her grasp.

"You caused trouble last time you were here, Ava," the huge Russian answered in a grim tone. "Manny and I talked and decided you should be punished for attack."

Ava felt a surge of anger fill her. "Seriously?!" she spat. "It was Manny's fault!" Okay, so maybe she wasn't willing to accept punishment. Who could blame her?

"Still, was you who made elves and yetis attack," North reminded her. "Manny has decided you will not be a spirit any longer."

Ava honestly couldn't believe what she had heard. Manny was . . . making her human? He couldn't do that, could he?

"Forever?" she squeaked.

"No," the Russian Santa said, shaking his head. "Just for four weeks. But this is punishment, so you will be going to human school in Burgess."

"He can't do this to me!" Ava protested. "He made me this way!"

"I am sorry, child. Is not my fault."

A bright beam of moonlight blasted through the window, enveloping Ava in its light. She felt a searing pain between her shoulder blades as everything went dark.

When the spirit awoke, she found herself lying in her bed in the lair she shared with Pitch. Huh. Maybe it was all just a nightmare. Pitch must've been sending her bad dreams again. Ava stood up, stretched, and tried to fly up to her hammock. She didn't get very far though, as she fell right to the ground when she tried to take off. Looking behind her, she saw the scariest sight she had ever seen.

Her wings were missing.

Panicking, she looked around for her halo and her pitchfork. Both were gone as well. Her symbols of power, gone. It hadn't been a nightmare. It was real.

"PITCH!"

Within seconds, the boogieman stepped out of the shadows and faced his housemate. He observed her with a curious expression before speaking.

"So that is why a book bag and instructions on how to get to Burgess High School are sitting on our kitchen table," he mused, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"This isn't funny!" Ava snapped. "I'm human!"

"I can see that, but there is nothing I can do about it. I suggest going to this ridiculous mortal school and staying off the Guardians' radar for as long as possible. Darkness knows that's what I had to do."

Ava gave him a cold stare before shooing him out of her room. If she had to go to human high school, she might as well get dressed.

After donning the grey dress Pitch had given her for Christmas a decade or so ago, Ava gathered her new book bag from the kitchen –a black bag with a heart that had angel wings and a devil's tail on the front –before climbing up the ladder Pitch had installed in the entrance when she hurt her wing. It was time for her first day of school.

When she arrived at something called a bus stop, she waited as the instructions given to her by North said to. Maybe someone was coming to pick her up? She didn't know anything about mortal high school! Before she could freak out too much, a huge yellow vehicle came barreling down the road, stopping in front of her with breaks screeching. This must've been the bus she was supposed to get on.

After getting on the bus, Ava sat down in an empty seat across the aisle from a rather scary-looking girl wearing bright pink. She looked oddly familiar, but the ex-fallen angel couldn't determine when she'd seen her before. Maybe when she caused that mini-riot a few years back? No, this girl was too young.

Once the bus arrived at the local high school, Ava made her way to the office, where a kind woman with an impressive hairstyle –who knew hair could be pulled that tight? –handed her a schedule and got the attention of a passing freshman to help her out.

"Hi!" the brunet boy greeted cheerfully. "I'm Jamie Bennet."

"Ava Black," the ex-fallen angel replied. His name sounded familiar. Where had she heard it before? Maybe Jack had mentioned it. He seemed familiar with a lot of the kids in Burgess. Ugh, why was he so excited that he had believers? Ava didn't have any believers, and she was just fine!

While Jamie led her to her first class, which apparently they both shared –upon closer inspection, they had nearly the same schedule –Ava learned a bit about the boy. He had a younger sister named Sophie, who also sounded a bit familiar, and a best friend who wasn't around much named Jack. What a weird coincidence.

By the end of her first day, Ava had met all of Jamie's friends: Cupcake –whom Ava had seen on the bus –Pippa, Monty, Claude, and Caleb. Seriously, these kids looked so familiar! Where had she seen them before? Maybe she flew over them on the way to Bunny's place one day or something. Yeah, that was probably it.

At least they were nice. They didn't freak out when Ava asked them what unfamiliar things were. They just chuckled and explained, though with no malice in their voices. Ava knew that, had the situation been reversed, she probably would have made fun of them endlessly, but she was grateful for their understanding. They were pure-hearted souls, a complete 180 from the person Ava trusted most. Funny, how that worked out.

Perhaps that was the lesson Manny and North were trying to teach her: Ava just needed some good in her life. After all, everything couldn't be cold and dark all the time.

This was definitely not how I wanted it to turn out, but I think it's a good way to bridge it to the next chapter. There will be four chapters of Human!Ava, ending with her turning back into a spirit. Will Ava ever figure out who the Burgess Six –as I'm going to refer to them from now on –are? Keep reading to find out. Thanks for reading!

~C