A/N Wow, guys, I'm blown away at the number of reviews, followers, and favorites this story has gotten! You guys ROCK! I hope you enjoy this chapter! And on a totally unrelated subject, any of you ppl watch Once Upon a Time? It's on tonight, Winter Finale, I'm so excited! :D

I wake up slowly, stretching each limb with care. The sky above is still black, with tiny white stars providing the only light. I love the peace and stillness all around me, it makes all my cares and worries from last night seem to vanish. I feel much more joyful this morning.

I sit up and glance over at the clock on top of the small bedside table. 3:04 am Thailand time. I slept for three hours and twenty two minutes, a good restful nap in my book. I wish that I didn't have so much to do, that I could just sleep for another seven hours without having any responsibly to look after.

I would love to sleep the whole night through, just once, just to be able to know what it feels like to be completely rested. To be able to lie in bed and enjoy the warm, comfortable nest while awake without having to get up. To just be lazy for one day in my existence! Was that too much to ask?

I know though, that I can't. Mortals depend on me even if they don't realize they do. Without the Caladium and me, they would have nothing but sadness and depression in their lives. They would have nothing to live for, nothing to cling too in the hard times. My job is very, very important and I vowed to do it to the utmost of my ability.

No sleeping in and skimping on my duty for me.

I crawl out of bed and made my way over to the shower where my clothes are hanging. I grab them and make sure they're dry, they are. I take off the nightgown and throw it onto the bed. I pull on the leggings first then the tunic after; I look around for my belt and spot it lying on the floor next to my boots. I walk over to where they lay and pick up the belt, wrapping it around my waist.

The familiar buzz of joy inside me strengthens now that my symbol of power is on me again. I sigh happily; the belt always makes me feel a million times better. I tend to let my worries bother me at night when I'm not wearing the belt, when my joy levels aren't as strong. It's a relief to have it back in place.

I grab my boots and go sit down on the bed before I put them on. I'm clumsy enough without adding the one foot factor. I'd much rather be sitting down while I put on my shoes then standing up only to fall over when I try.

After the boots are on I reach over and grab the hairbrush that's sitting on top of the dresser. I start to work on the crazy curly mess my hair has become. I wince about every five seconds but it's soon tame enough to braid to keep it out of my way while I work.

I've tried leaving it down but that has only caused issues. It's actually really hard to fly with hair slapping you in the face and blocking your view every couple of seconds. Braids might not be the most attractive, but hey, it's not like anyone can see me anyway. Since I'm invisible to every guy, I go with efficacy over looking nice.

I lean over and kiss my pillow.

"See you in a week," I promise it.

I stand up and toss the brush on to the bed where my nightgown is. It's time to head to work. I back up till I'm standing on the edge of the platform. I take off running towards the other side and when I reach it, I launch myself off and into the air.

The feeling of free falling through the night air is unbelievable. There is nothing quite like it in the world. Warm air rushes by me as I fall towards the jungle, the trees getting closer and closer. I close my eyes, grinning from ear to ear and just enjoying the moment to the fullest before pulling up and stopping in midair, about ten feet before hitting the trees.

I lower myself into the jungle and look around for a banana tree. When I spot one, I float over to it and lay my hand on it, green dust coming from my fingers and soaking into the tree. The tree shakes then a whole bunch of bananas quickly start to grow. I pick a few once they're ripe and take my hand away, the tree going back to what it used to be.

When it comes to getting food, my springtime gifts are pretty useful. I can make any kind of fruit or vegetable grow, I just have to be sure to reverse the process or else it might damage the plant. Plants shouldn't be growing fruit in January and to leave them like that would destroy them because they wouldn't be able to get the nutrients they need.

I stick two bananas in my belt and start to peel the other one, revealing the light yellow fruit inside. The wind pulls at me, desperate to take me where I'm needed and I allow it to carry me away from the jungle. I bite into the banana as I fly, relishing the sweet flavor. As mortals say, it tastes better if you grew it yourself.

I quickly finished the first one and start on the second one. This is pretty much all that I eat, fruit and veggies that I pick up while on my way to bring joy to mortals. I've never had any kind of mortal food, nothing that wasn't fresh and grown from the ground. I hear mortal food tastes much better; it's just not as healthy. I like being fit and healthy, but sometimes I want just a taste of what mortals eat.

Finishing the last banana, I drop the peels. It's not littering because those peels will be used to fertilize other plants, making them stronger. I let the wind pull me away from Thailand; towards whomever it is that needs me at the moment. I don't try to fight it, I trust that it knows who needs me the most and will get me there in time to help them.

The wind starts to slow down and I glance around at where it's brought me. It's a small American town, its streets and houses covered with a fine layer of pristine white snow that sparkles in the late afternoon sun. The sharp scent of the pine trees that surround the town add to its charm, making me think of Christmas.

I stop, right above the town, and listen for the person who needs me, opening my heart for feelings of sadness and depression. There are quite a few small prinks but I'm looking for something bigger, something the wind wanted me to find. Then I feel it, a sharp ache that grabs my heart and squeezes it, choking it in a cloud of sorrow.

I follow where it leads, the closer I get, the stronger the feeling becomes. It takes me through the town and into a small neighborhood where kids are playing in the snow. I pass by snowball fights, snowmen with carrot noses, and perfect snow angles. Kids seem to be everywhere, laughing and having a great time in the freezing weather.

I don't understand what mortals see in winter, I don't see what they see. To me winter is miserable and cold, a heartless monster that is bent on wiping out any kind of life. It doesn't seem very joyful to me, but mortals somehow find ways to make winter a joyful occasion.

They really hit the jackpot with Christmas; the one thing about winter I like. I adore it. It's all about joy; it's basically the joy holiday. Mortals sing songs about joy, joyfully give each other gifts, and decorate everything! It's always sad for me when Christmas is over and I'm left with just plain old nasty winter.

The feeling intensifies when I come to a small brink house towards the end of the street. I land carefully on the porch then walk over to the door and turn the knob. It's unlocked. I glance around to make sure no one's looking, don't need anyone to see a door open and close by itself, before opening it and quickly going inside.

The house is quiet but I knew there is someone here, someone who needed a touch of joy to keep them from falling into despair. I make my way down the hallway, passing pictures of a family of three that lines the walls. Father, mother, and daughter who should be in her mid-teens about now.

I stop when I hear the sound of sobs, muffled and only slightly audible. They're coming from the room on my left, the door only half closed. I peek in and see the daughter of the family sitting on a window seat with something in her hand.

I slip into the room and walk over to the seat, looking over her should to see what she's holding. It's a small picture of her mother, creased with use. I touch her forehead, searching through her memories to find out what happened. Images and conversations from the girl's life pass before my eyes and I wince as I watch her mother die slowly of cancer.

"I'm so sorry," I whisper, even though I know she can't hear me, "I'm here to help you."

I shuffle through her memories again for any happy memories of her and her mother, things that they did together that holds a special place in her heart. I see both the daughter and mother laughing as they skate across a frozen pond two winters ago, right before the mother got sick. But before I can do anything with it, a knock sounds on the door and the girl freezes.

I follow her as she gets up and heads out of the room and down the hall, a bit irritated at whoever it was that interrupted me from doing my job. The girl answers the door and standing there is a boy a little older than her whose smile could put the sun to shame. The girl's eyes widen and she quickly bushes away her tears.

"Hey," she whispers.

"Hey yourself," he says back.

I'm surprised by the feeling of love that's coming off of both of them and reach over to touch the girl's forehead again to see who this boy is. Sifting through her memories, I discover he's been her best friend since they were eight. She has a crush on him but is afraid to tell him and when I touch the boy's head, I discover he feels the same.

I'd love to do something about that but love isn't my forte. However, I do see that he wants to cheer the girl up and decide to use that to my advantage.

"Tell her you're here to take her somewhere," I tell the boy.

"I'm here to take you somewhere," the boys says.

"Where are you going to take me?" The girl frowns.

"Don't tell her, it's a surprise," I say.

"It's a surprise," the boy says, smiling bigger, "Come on."

The girl isn't sure; she isn't in the mood to go trample though the snow. But deep down I sense the longing to do something fun, something to help her forget the troubles she's had to deal with lately.

"Go on," I urge her, "You can do it."

"Ok," the girl relents, "But it better not be anywhere stupid."

The boy grabs her hand and pulls her away from the house. I touch his forehead to put an image of the pond into his mind so he knows where he's going. They set off down the street and I follow them just to make sure that this turns out the way I want it to.

Ik, no Jack. I was going to put him in this chapter, I really was, but then it got too long. I PROMISE *crosses my heart* that he'll be in the next one. Honest. Anyway, review and let me know what you think of this chapter! Ciao!

~Sunshine