After a Thousand Years
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"I'm glad you're home," Mindy heard her aunt say when she came home.

"Um, yes," Mindy said, entering the kitchen where her aunt made cookies. Her eyes widened, only for her aunt to send her a look. "What did I do?"

"Well, these cookies are for the Healer Elves that are taking care of your older brother," her aunt said. "And I'm not sure a young elf who took off as she did deserves a cookie right now."

"Yeah, but," Mindy said, her hands folding behind her back as she cleared her throat, eyes still on the ground. "You did say he didn't need to be so blunt."

"Yes, well, I actually found out why he was so blunt with you," his aunt said. She then took a deep breath. "And, I also asked him if he could see that you're not made a toy maker elf, at least…."

"Why would you do that!"

"…right away," her aunt said. She shook her head. "Because you need to understand that every job at the North Pole is important, something your older brother very much understands."

"You mean the Janitor Christmas Elf," Mindy said, shaking her head, wondering what Pepper and Mint would say if they discovered more about her older brother.

"He's not a janitor, but to be honest, he's quite capable of doing any job at the North Pole," his aunt said.

"Then why is he not a toy maker elf!" Mindy protested.

"Because he knows how important all the jobs are," her aunt said. "But, I think it will do you some good because you shouldn't feel like you have to become a toy maker elf."

"But I love making toys," Mindy said. "I can make them really fast, and I'm like an assembly line when I do."

"Well, that's great, but have you ever made a unique, one-of-a-kind toy?"

Mindy frowned. "Well, no. That's something older toy maker elves do, right? And Santa, of course."

"Not always," her aunt said.

"Not always?" Mindy asked. "Name me one elf who made a unique, one-of-a-kind toy at my age or younger. Bet you can't."

"Bet I can," her aunt said. "And you actually know them."

"I do?" Mindy frowned. "Who?"

"Why, your older brother Bernard. There's a reason," her aunt started saying but then frowned as if she almost let something slip. "Anyways, the issue isn't that he's not gifted. He's always had a surplus of talent and just didn't use the talents everyone expects or family to inherit because they're not his only talents. Does that make sense?"

"Not really?" Mindy let out a sigh, rolling her eyes.

"Don't do that," her aunt said.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Anyways, I'll be taking these cookies to the Healer Elves, but I'll be making a batch in a few days that you can take with you when you visit your older brother."

"But I don't want to!"

"I'll be letting the Healer Elves know when to expect you, but if they don't see you, they'll let me know."

Mindy let out a sigh. "Fine."

She wasn't looking forward to the visit, particularly with having to actively avoid Pepper and Mint at the academy as they continued to ask who Bernard Elfbright was, which started the other young elves asking who he was as well.

Only her friends didn't ask, which was a relief.

At least until the weekend, when Cam started following her to the elf hospital simply because Mindy had a tray of her aunt's Christmas cookies while Sammy told Cam he shouldn't be following Mindy like that, but then—Cam was Cam.

"Guys," Mindy finally said, arriving at the elf hospital, rolling her eyes, and turning to them. "I'm just visiting someone."

"Who?" Cam asked.

Sammy pushed her lips together, tugging at Cam's sleeve. "Cam, I don't think…."

"Oh! Mindy Elfbright! You're here to see your older brother, aren't you?"

Mindy tensed, turning to see the Healer Elf, who caught her attempt to run in a no-magic zone. "Oh. Hi."

"Your brother?" Cam said, suddenly reaching out to grab her arm, smiling ear-to-ear. "Let's go."

"Cam," Sammy said, shaking her head. "We shouldn't…."

"Actually, he's that way," the Healer Elf said, pointing. "And I really shouldn't let someone other than family in, but you got Mindy here, right?"

Mindy's eyes widened, her head shaking as her mouth formed a no. She never got the chance to say no, to let the older elf know she'd been coming off her own free will, although there was a threat of her aunt finding out that was a driving force. Cam pulled her through the halls, Sammy hot on their heels, getting lost for a bit.

Sammy frowned. "Mindy?"

"What?"

"Why didn't you ever tell us you have an older brother?"

Mindy remained silent.

"That's who Bernard Elfbright is, isn't it?"

"It is?" Cam said. "Wait? What room is he in?"

Mindy frowned, looking at the door in front of her, sighing. "I don't know how you did it, but you managed to find your way here."

"Alright!" Cam said, pushing the door open, Mindy and Sammy following behind. He lifted both hands in the air and waved. "Hi, Mindy's older brother! I'm her friend Cam!"

There came no response. Cam continued standing there, smiling with his hands in his face while Sammy turned to her. "Mindy?"

"Bernie got caught in a magical boiler explosion, so he currently can't hear out of his left ear. Or see us."

Cam hurried over and repeated what he said, yelling it into Bernard's ear.

And Bernard didn't react.

Mindy hurried over, breathing deeply, worried he'd gone deaf in the other ear, only to see an earbud attached to a cord leading to a device. She reached out, tugged the earpiece, and said, "What are you doing?"

Her brother reached out, frowning as he pushed buttons on the device. "Listening to music. There's not much I can do in the hospital right now when I'm awake. I mean, reading isn't an option."

And then Cam repeated what he'd done before a third time, making Bernard flinch.

"Uh, hello to you as well," Bernard said. "You don't have to yell into my good ear, though."

Sammy hurried over. "Sorry. Cam can be quite exuberant."

"Ah," Bernard said, tilting his head. "Question. Are all of you planning on becoming Christmas Elves?"

"Yes," Sammy said.

"Sammy wants to do administration," Mindy said, only to cringe upon seeing Sammy's face falter.

"There's nothing wrong with administration, Sammy, but goodness knows we could use more elves in that department."

"Can I be in the department that cares for the puppies?"

And then came the laugh, her brother lifting a hand to his mouth as he tried holding back a laugh. "Uh, no."

"No?" Mindy said. "That's mean."

"Yes, well, I think it's best to be upfront that wouldn't be a good fit?"

"Why? Because he's too exuberant? Or is it for the same reason I'm not to be a toy maker elf right away?"

Bernard let out a sigh. "I see our aunt let you know what she asked of me."

"Well, it's not as if you know Santa and can make it happen," Mindy said.

Bernard let out a chuckle. "Mindy, all Christmas Elves know Santa, but he knows every one of us." He then pointed to Cam. "As for you…."

Mindy quickly unwrapped the cookies and shoved one into her brother's mouth. "Stop being mean to my friends!"

He bit down and swallowed. "I'm not being mean, but he needs to know he's allergic to dogs, so him being in the department that handles pets as Christmas gifts would be a terrible idea."

Sammy frowned. "Wait. You can't possibly know that."

Bernard tilted his head. "No?" He then said. "So my magic isn't picking up on that correctly?"

"Yeah, no," Mindy said. "I can't use my speed magic here, so you can't use your magic."

Bernard let out a sigh. "Ah. Speed magic is your forte?"

"You'd know that if you visited more often," Mindy said.

"I didn't exactly," Bernard stared, saying, then shook his head. "Never mind that. What you said about magic isn't quite right. While it does stop most magic, there are things like healing magic that it doesn't, but precog abilities fall into it."

"You're a precog?" Sammy asked.

"I thought you're magic ability was," Mindy started saying.

"Sort of," Bernard said. "It's one of the Christmas magic abilities some Christmas elves develop while others never do, but it's good to know if a child is allergic to something and can't have something."

"Do you work in the allergy department?" Mindy asked.

"There's no allergy department," Sammy said. "And you don't know what your older brother's job is at the North Pole?"

Mindy tensed. Cam raised his hand. Mindy sighed, pushing the needle down. "He can't see your hand, Cam?"

Bernard pointed, and Cam said, "The puppy department?"

"No," Bernard said, only to have a cookie shoved into his mouth again.

Mindy let out a sigh. "Fine. Whatever." She then paused. "Speaking of friends. Patty Lusleaf said you were at the academy with her and Egan Aegnor."

"Really?" Sammy asked as Bernard's mouth opened, nothing coming out.

Mindy sighed. "You know, they were Christmas Elves, right?" There still came no response, or more if she didn't let him have time to answer. "You might have noticed Patty has a thing for Egan Aegnor?"

"She," Bernard said. "Wait. What?"

Sammy's eyes widened, then she grabbed a few cookies Cam had already gotten into. "You know. We should go. Let you rest."

"Yeah," Mindy said, grabbing Cam, glad for the chance to get away.

"Yeah. See you three later. Hopefully," Bernard muttered, although she wasn't sure if he was unsure of meeting up with them again or seeing them.

Sammy tugged on Mindy's arm when they got a little ways away. "Why did you do that?"

"What?"

"Tell your brother about Patty Lusleaf and Egan Aegnor?"

"Are you worried it's not true?"

"Even more shame on you, Mindy Elfbright, if it's not true!" Sammy said.

"I'm not trying to spread rumors. I just wanted to confirm what Patty said."

"And you didn't notice how your brother reacted? That he may have a thing for Patty?"

Mindy frowned. "Uh, no. No way. He's…." She then frowned, looking at the ground. "So, unrequited? Wouldn't that make it being true worse?"

"Mindy!" Sammy said, not explaining what she meant.