Wow, I should do prizes more often if it'll get you to review. This is my attempt at fluff, so it may or may not work. As for the answer to the question, nope, not telling. You'll just have to wait and see, but it should be obvious. I don't own RoTG and enjoy.
My mind made up, I flew around the room looking for a way out. Pitch's lair was a maze of tunnels, but I was looking for one specific exit. Spotting the under-the-bed tunnel, I rapidly flew down into it. I paused for only a few seconds when Little Sand's glow revealed two swords on the ground. They were sabers, but they weren't like North's. They had curved blades and golden handles. I picked them up and stored them on my dress. You never know when you may need a miscellaneous weapon or two.
That done, I shot up out of the lair and raced faster than I thought possible towards Burgess. Not even when Jack had challenged me to a race around the world did I fly that fast (as much as I hate to admit it, he won). The houses sped underneath me until Caroline's house came into view. I cautiously pushed the already ajar window open. Caroline was sitting on her bed, facing a stuffed animal reindeer. She was wearing pink pajamas, long sleeves, and long pants. She looked sad, but desperate.
"Look, I think we're at what some people would call a crossroads. If last night wasn't a dream, and you are real, you have to prove it now." The reindeer stayed silent, like I knew it would. Caroline was losing her belief fast. What had happened?
"I heard that Santa always comes between eleven and midnight, and when I checked under the tree, there wasn't anything. At first, I thought he was late, but now, I'm not so sure. I've believed for a long time, and now you kinda owe me one. So, please just give me a little sign that you're real. Please…" Caroline picked up the reindeer, sounding like she was pleading with herself. I flew into the room as the light from Caroline's eyes fell.
"I knew it…" she said. The little reindeer fell off her bed onto the floor. Now the lights were down to six, but I wasn't about to give up. Could she really not believe, or was it not too late? Taking my flute, I blew a note that shrouded the room in a light fog, no, a mist. Caroline looked up, a mask of wonder and confusion on her face. Taking my paintbrush, I started to paint. An image of North appeared. It showed him big and strong, but with a youthful glint in his eye. A bag of presents was next to his feet. Caroline's eyes widened.
"He's real…" Caroline whispered. I smiled, but I didn't stop there. I continued to draw pictures. Next, I drew Bunny. Little painted eggs were in a basket with some chocolate in it, and Bunny's boomerangs were drawn. He looked like the cool and calm Australian ranger that we all knew and loved, but he was smiling. A rare occurrence, but one that conveyed a sense of hope.
Then, I drew Tooth. Her iridescent wings were nothing but a blur, but I showed her in all her splendor. Beautiful blue and green feathers, the skirt of blue and purple, and her feathered crown. I threw in some Mini Fairies, just for good measure. Each one was carrying a small tooth.
Sandy was after that. The sculpted sand on his body reminded me of the beach and he looked just like how I though the sandman should, wise, powerful, but kind. Swirls of dreamsand surrounded him and the golden dreamsand sparkled in the moonlight. It was a challenge to get the dreamsand to glow, but it was well worth it.
Finally, I drew Jack. Blue hoodie, brown pants, brown staff, white hair, and bright blue eyes, he should have been the easiest to draw. But for me, he wasn't. I put every little detail into his picture, from the frost that lined his hoodie, to the ice that coated his staff. The wisps of hair that always stuck out, and the mischievous smile that could always be found. I painted the last stroke and stepped back. He honestly looked real. They all did.
While I was painting, Caroline's eyes kept widening. She stared at the pictures mesmerized. Just to show off a little bit, I made the drawings come to life. North started tinkering with a bit of ice, Bunny hopped around Caroline's room, Tooth jabbered to her fairies, Sandy sent out streams of dreamsand, and Jack threw a snowball at Bunny. Bunny brushed Caroline's nose and she laughed. I made the images give Caroline a wave and then they swirled around, turning back to mist. Caroline waved back and I smiled.
I know what you're thinking. Why didn't I draw myself? I could've, but it's sort of a spirit taboo to reveal yourself like that. Belief is a touchy subject around spirits, but we all agree on one thing, plastering your name or image everywhere is a bad idea. Besides, the Guardians needed it more than I did and Caroline's imagination was stronger than most. So I was all right. A little sad that Caroline couldn't see me, but all right.
But then something truly wonderful happened.
Caroline's smile turned into confusion. She looked around at her room, running her hands through the mist. Her eyes lit up and she grabbed a book from off her nightstand and picked up a flashlight. She quickly flipped through the pages and started reading out loud.
"Misty Fog. A spirit of summer that can control fog, mist, rain, and clouds. A bit of a mischievous spirit, she loves nothing more than spreading mist and fog around," Caroline read. I looked on in shock. How could a children's book have my name in it? The cover of the book read Mythological Spirits, the same book she had earlier. I couldn't believe that people had actually heard of me. Caroline looked up, and she looked like she was in deep thought.
"Excuse me, is someone here?" she asked. Deciding that it couldn't hurt to show her, I made the fog thicker. Caroline gasped.
"Misty Fog?" she asked. Her eyes visibly widened and the book fell out of her hands. "Misty Fog!" she whispered, almost if she was shocked. I looked on shocked too.
"That's my name! She said my name!" I said in a loud whisper (you know, when you're trying to speak softly across a room). Caroline's mouth dropped open and I stopped the jubilation. Little Sand's hands flew to her mouth and I could small tears forming in her eyes. She couldn't, could she? I almost didn't want to believe it could be true. After three hundred years, I didn't want to be disappointed again.
"Can you hear me?" I asked. I almost felt like I was tricking myself. Very slowly, Caroline nodded her head. "Can you…can you see me?" I asked. Caroline nodded again and a large smile appeared on her face. A similar smile appeared on my face and I twirled around in joy.
"She sees me! She sees me!" I exclaimed. The winds whipped around me and I felt truly happy. Caroline looked about ready to jump up and start flying herself.
"You just made mist!" she exclaimed.
"I know!" I exclaimed.
"In my room!" she said back.
"I know!"
"I can't believe you're real!" Caroline exclaimed.
"Of course I am! Who else do you think brings mist and fog? You know those shapes you sometimes see in the sky?"
"That's you?" Caroline asked.
"Yes! And remember when you made all of those snow sculptures? I was right there behind you," I said.
"That's so cool! But what about the Tooth Fairy and Jack Frost?" Caroline asked, clearly still conflicted in her belief. I picked up the reindeer and eagerly gave it to Caroline. The Guardians needed a child who believed in all of them, and that child was going to be Caroline.
"Real-real-real! Every one of us is real," I said. Caroline smiled and jumped up and down on her bed in excitement.
"I knew it!" she shouted. I was happy, no, excited, no, I don't even know what the feeling was. Maybe joy? I didn't care at the time because I had a believer. A real, true believer. A knock on the door made both Caroline and I realize we were being too loud.
"Caroline, who are you talking to?" Caroline's mom asked. Caroline looked at me sheepishly and I motioned for her to tell her mom.
"Um, Misty Fog?" she hesitantly said. I heard a small chuckle and the issue was dropped. Caroline gave me a smile and then her eyes traveled to my shoulder. Her eyes widened and Little Sand flew over to Caroline.
"Are you a fairy?" Caroline asked. Little Sand nodded her head. I grinned. Even as a fairy, Little Sand disliked talking.
"This is Little Sand. She's a good friend of mine," I told Caroline. "She doesn't like to talk a whole lot." Little Sand flew around Caroline's head and Caroline laughed a little. I smiled. This was probably the first time she had been seen too.
A rumble of thunder jolted all three of us (most likely four if I could see Acionna). I looked outside at the gathering cloud of nightmare sand. This was bad. Caroline walked over and looked out the window. She looked scared.
"Misty, what's that?" Caroline asked. I racked my brain, trying to come up with an answer that wouldn't scare the living daylights out of her.
"Long story short, the Boogeyman is trying to get kids to stop believing in us, and there aren't many kids that still believe," I said. Caroline nodded and I could almost see the wheels turning in her head.
"So, he's coming after me?" she asked. Wow, smart kid. I slowly nodded my head and Caroline looked back out the window. I could tell she was pushing the fear down.
"What are you going to do?" she asked me. I took a deep breath and placed my hand on her shoulder.
"I'm going to try and stop him, but I'm also going to protect you. I promise," I said. Caroline nodded her head.
"So, let's go!" she said. I blinked in confusion. Did she say what I think she just said?
"You…want to help me?" I asked. Caroline nodded her head and I shrugged my shoulders. Who could say no to the puppy dog eyes she was giving me?
"Okay…you're probably safer with me anyway," I said in defeat. I picked up Caroline and flew out the window. Caroline laughed in delight as I flew down the street.
"This is so cool!" Caroline shouted. I smiled, but that smile faded when I saw nightmares coming directly for us. I held Caroline close and dived down, dodging the onslaught of nightmares. The nightmares came closer and surrounded us, forcing me to land. I touched down on top of a hill, the swarm of nightmares surrounding us. A haunting laugh came from above us and I saw Pitch. I gritted my teeth and Pitch smiled. He turned away and motioned for the nightmares to attack. Caroline clung to my side and a small whimper escaped from her.
"Misty, we're stuck," Caroline whispered. A weird sense of déjà vu skipped through my mind. Where had I seen this before?
Of course! Emily!
My mind raced back to that moment in time. We were in a similar situation now. Surrounded on all sides with no conceivable way out. I held Caroline close as I remembered what I had told Emily all those years ago.
"We're not stuck…we just need to use our imagination! That's it! My center!" I exclaimed. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it sooner. The raindrops, the clouds, and the way I managed to get out of any situation I somehow got myself into. In reality, it was really obvious. Caroline gave me a funny look, but I didn't care, for it just might save us. I grabbed Caroline and started to spin. The wind whipped around me and I spun faster and faster. Eventually, I had picked up enough speed to launch myself through the cloud of nightmares and scatter the sand in every direction. I stopped spinning and looked at Caroline and Little Sand. Both looked a little queasy.
"I guess I should've asked if you like spinny-rides," I apologized.
"No problem," Caroline said. Little Sand didn't comment, but hung onto my dress as we sped through town. Caroline scanned the houses and pointed to one.
"That's my friend Jane's house. She's been having nightmares for the past two days," Caroline said. I grinned. Another believer to help out.
"Then why don't we help her out?" I asked. I flew Caroline over to the window and she banged on it. The little girl from before opened her window and looked out. Her dark hair hung straight down and I realized she looked Asian.
"Caroline, is that you? How are you doing that?" Jane asked.
"Misty Fog is helping me out. Come on!" Caroline shouted. I flicked a raindrop in Jane's direction and her eyes lit up. She gave me a wave and then ran to her closet. In no time at all, she was dressed in a purple coat and boots. Figuring that it would be too difficult to carry two kids, I quickly painted a few flying carpets. Caroline hopped onto one and Jane hopped onto another and we flew off. Caroline pointed me in the direction of another house and we swooped down. Their friend Ian seemed to already be awake, and the second he glanced out the window, he grabbed a jacket and hopped onto Jane's flying carpet. He looked in my direction and his eyes nearly bulged out of his head.
"Hi, I'm Ian," he said, rubbing his messy black hair. I smiled.
"I'm Misty Fog," I replied. We continued to fly on. Caroline pointed to another house. Ian knocked on the windows of two different rooms and two heads popped out.
"What!" James and Sarah exclaimed, their blond hair whipping in the wind. They looked at their floating friends in confusion, but a little raindrop on their heads helped clear things up. I painted another carpet and we flew off. The five kids behind me were laughing their hearts out, and I was pretty happy too. Five believers, my center figured out, and Pitch didn't have me. All in all, I felt pretty good.
See, I told you that you would be seen, Acionna said.
"You were right, again…" I mumbled. Annoying wind spirits that know everything…
Okay, bad ending, but let me clear up a few things first:
1. The swords are going not just a filler thing, they will be important.
2. Those other six lights belonged to six special kids who we all know.
3. I know Misty's center may seem a little off, but if you look at what she likes to do, it makes sense.
Now you may review to your heart's content and stay tuned for the next chapter.
