Epilogue

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We were back at the North Pole.

The workshop had been completely trashed after Pitch apparently made a surprise visit whilst the other Guardians were out. The Yetis and even the Elves were hard at work cleaning up and attempting to get back on track with gift production for the Christmas coming in eight months.

The voices of the other Guardians echoed throughout the globe room as we celebrated the defeat of the Nightmare King, the gramophone playing Tchaikovsky in the background.

Sitting at the head of a ten seater table was North. To his left sat Jack and Tooth, whilst Bunny, Sandy and I sat to his right. Along the middle of the table, sat three plates each holding different flavour cookies; chocolate chip, sugar cookies and oatmeal-raisin cookies. Sitting on the table in front of each of us was a mug of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and mini marshmallows.

Whilst the other Guardians picked at the cookies and sipped at their hot drinks, my hot chocolate remained untouched. I physically couldn't bring myself to do anything other than think. That voice was still fresh in my mind, as was the presence I sensed in the back of my head. The pain I felt in my neck, I swear I'd felt that before. I just couldn't remember where from.

A chill travelled down my spine and I shivered as I sat back in my seat and observed the others.

Willow sat in front of me beside my mug of hot chocolate, shamelessly gobbling down the largest sugar cookie she could find on the table, almost resembling a squirrel shovelling acorns into its mouth.

Sandy sat to my left, his mug of hot chocolate was half-empty and the marshmallows had began melting within the drink. Sandy himself however was fast asleep in his chair, streams of Dream Sand swirling around his head as he created dreams for the children of the world.

Across from Sandy sat Jack, who was observing the others with a fond smile. His hands were wrapped around his mug and a single, untouched sugar cookie sat on the small plate in front of him. This was probably his first time just spending time with friends in a long time.

On Jack's right sat Tooth, who was currently taking a small bite from an oatmeal-raisin cookie. Her gaze was flickering between North and Bunny as their conversation gradually grew louder.

Bunny's voice drew most of the table's attention with how he was raising his voice at North.

"Ya said it to my face, North! Ya said that Easter is more important than Christmas," Bunny pointed a furry finger at an indifferent North.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Bunny. Why would I ever say anything like that?" North stated with a small smirk.

Jack, who was previously watching this argument take place with a fond smile, snickered into his hot chocolate.

Bunny looked over at Jack at the sound of his muffled laugh.

"Don't ya bloody laugh! We all 'eard 'im, including you!" Bunny was getting increasingly riled up.

Jack glanced at North, smiled and then moved his gaze back to Bunny, "I don't know what you're talking about, Bunny."

As Bunny face dropped with disbelief, North let out a hearty laugh.

"You have earned yourself a place on Nice List, my boy!" North cheered as he held his mug of hot chocolate to the air; Jack chuckled.

I couldn't help but smile at the others' shenanigans. They were all so relaxed and at ease. I wish I could feel like that, but after hearing that voice at the lake and feeling an evil presence that I know wasn't the evil we'd just defeated prevented me from being so.

Almost as if someone was playing a cruel joke, the bubble of pressure returned at the base of my skull with no warning. I felt my stomach drop as goosebumps raised on the back of my neck.

I looked over at the others; they showed no sign of distress or fear or confusion or concern. Once again, I was the only one aware of the unknown danger.

This is the second time this has happened now. Should I tell the others this time? No... no. What if they just think I'm being paranoid? I mean, it is a 'feeling' in the back of my head that as far as I can tell only I am aware of...

As I curled my hands into fists and crossed my arms over my chest, I leaned back in my chair and looked up and to my right. The Moon peered into the open window in the ceiling. Surely The Man In The Moon knew that I was feeling some sort of presence, or maybe at the very least he felt the presence himself?

After several seconds and a long but expected silence between myself and The Man In The Moon, I released a sigh and turned back towards the table. Maybe I really was imagining it, it had to be just that: my imagination. There's no other explanation I can think of.

Just as I allowed the tension to leave my shoulders and my jaw to unclench, the bubble of pressure grew stronger and the sound of trumpets reached my ears. It was quiet, it had to be playing on the other side of the Workshop. As I listened to the trumpets, I recognised the song they were playing; it was La Vie En Rose.

It wasn't strange to hear the odd electric guitar or trumpet in the Workshop, seeing how the Yetis had to test them in some way. However, they wouldn't play a whole song. They would just test each note.

As the intro to La Vie En Rose continued, the bubble of pressure in the base of my skull suddenly grew and took over all the space in my head, causing my ears to pop and pins and needles to poke at the walls of my skull.

I had to find who was causing this.

I looked over at the others again; North and Bunny were still arguing about whose respective holiday was better. Tooth was now talking to the Baby Teeth who were relaying messages back and forth between the Tooth Palace and Toothiana herself. Jack was scratching Willow behind the ears, causing her to thump her fluffy feet on the table and Sandy was still sleeping.

No-one would notice if I slipped away for a few minutes.

Making sure to be as quiet as possible, I slowly got up from the table and began walking away, following the sound of the trumpets.

I walked through the entire Workshop, dodging Yetis and wandering elves, twisting and turning through corridors, descending staircases, focusing on the music that gradually grew louder and louder.

As the volume of the trumpets increased, my mind continuously became fuzzier, almost as if it was filled with static.

After what felt like an eternity spent in a maze, I finally came to a dead end.

"Are you kidding me?" I muttered to myself. Just as I was about to turn around and leave, a glint of reflected light caught my eye. I squinted at the glint of light; it was a door knob.

This wasn't a dead end. There was a set of double doors.

Without warning, one of the doors slowly creaked open and the sound of the trumpets spilled out like a tidal wave. Blinding golden light filled the corridor and coated me like a blanket. Warmth and tranquility took over my body. It was the most relaxed and at peace I had felt since North first summoned us to the Workshop almost three days ago.

I could practically feel the golden light dragging me to the door as my feet took steps forward without me consciously doing so.

It was like I was in a trance, and I didn't want to do anything about it.

Before I knew it, the door was right in front of me, cracked open. I hesitantly held my right hand out and pushed against the door. As I walked through the threshold of the door, the brightness of the lights practically blinded me.

After a few seconds, my eyes adjusted to the light. I was in a ballroom. A large window taking up majority of the wall to the left revealed a picturesque view of the sunset, which allowed golden rays of light to fill the room and reflect off of the gold inlay that decorated every inch of the room.

The source of the music came from an old gramophone that sat upon an antique table near the edge of the dance floor.

What caught my attention and stopped me in my tracks was a girl in the centre of the room. She had to be around my physical age: 15. The waves of her long, dark hair was shining in the sunset and met the back of her floor-length lilac dress. The violet, tulle skirt of the dress was flowing around the girl's ankles as she gently swayed and danced to the music.

I continued walking with caution towards the centre of the ballroom. Within a few seconds, I was only four metres away from the mystery girl.

As I halted, my shoe skidded against the flawless tile which caused a sudden, high-pitched squeak to emanate from my shoe and reverberate around the room with the music from the gramophone.

The sound ultimately caught the attention of the mystery girl. She turned around as gracefully as she was dancing. She wore a pair of black, full frame, browline glasses which sat in front of her deep brown eyes. As the late sunlight shone upon her tan skin, it was then that I realised just who was standing before me.

"Teresa?!" I breathed. There's no way... it couldn't be! How could my best friend from before I died be here?! Here of all places?! It's impossible...

"Lily!" Teresa exclaimed. Her brown eyes sparkled as she smiled softly.

I opened my mouth to say something to her, but I didn't even know where to start. There were countless questions that I had for Teresa. So much that I'd been wanting to tell her for the last three years. Despite this, I couldn't physically force myself to say something to her.

Teresa released a gentle chuckle and walked towards me, the shoes on her feet sending a click-clack sound echoing around the room.

Within a few seconds, she was standing directly in front of me. Teresa's hands reached up and cupped my cheeks; she then pressed her forehead against mine, causing my breathing to hitch and sending multiple butterflies fluttering around my stomach. Teresa closed her eyes with a soft smile and let out a sound of content.

As my heart beat against my chest like a hammer, I couldn't help but smile with Teresa.

I hadn't been in contact, let alone even seen Teresa for almost three years now. I was and still am a spirit, invisible to all adults and teenagers. When I first came back, no one could see me or hear me, not even my own mother.

Having my own mother walk through me... It hurt, and it scared me. The mere thought that Teresa would walk straight through me was unbearable, so I avoided her. If seeing her meant that she couldn't see, hear or feel me, then I would never see her again.

Yet, here she is. Seeing me, hearing me, feeling me.

Eventually, the warmth of Teresa's hands slipped from my cheeks and wrapped around my trembling hands. My eyes fluttered open as Teresa pulled away from me.

"Dance with me..." Teresa whispered.

Teresa's voice was sweet like honey; it was so hynotising.

I smiled at Teresa and nodded.

Teresa smiled back and lifted my left hand up to shoulder height with her right hand. Her other hand let go of mine, rose up and rested upon my right shoulder. I lifted my now empty hand, weaved it under Teresa's arm and rested my hand upon her left shoulder blade.

As the trumpet solo of the song began, Teresa took a step back gently pulling me with her in dance. As she took a step forward, I stumbled and tightened my grip on Teresa's hand and her back as I attempted to regain my balance. Teresa let loose a giggle at my clumsiness. I looked up at her, and I couldn't help but to smile. Her laugh was always one of my favourite sounds.

As the song continued to play, we continued to dance. Turning and spinning and swaying together to the melody of the song. The outside world seemed to fade into a blur. I felt so lost in the music and in the company of the friend I love.

There was a thought nagging in the back of my mind, telling me that something wasn't right. As much as I didn't want to listen to it, I had to. As a Guardian of Childhood, I had to question what exactly was happening here.

Teresa couldn't be here. It's 2012. She should be 18 going on 19 now, but she looked almost exactly the same as she did when I last saw her three years ago.

As much as I wanted to cast these thoughts aside and just enjoy this magical moment whilst it lasted, I know I had to question her. This whole scenario... As much as I wanted it to be real, it couldn't be.

The disappointment I felt due to my doubts practically leaked from my mind to the rest of my body, causing my shoulders to sag and my smile to slowly drag down into a frown. My feet slowly halted, causing Teresa to stop too.

It was then as we stood there that Teresa took notice of the uncertainty practically radiating from my body.

"What is it, Lily?" Teresa asked, worry lacing her voice.

Lifting my gaze so that Teresa's face was within my line of sight, I looked over Teresa's features as if I was trying to memorize them. From the golden specks in her brown eyes to the faint freckles adorning her nose and cheeks.

I glanced over at our intertwined hands, which were still held up at shoulder level. As I gently stroked my thumb over hers, I looked back up at Teresa.

"Is this real?" I whispered.

Something changed in Teresa's eyes. Her tranquility, her happiness, her love seemed to melt away and was replaced with sorrow. Her smile dropped briefly before returning, but this time the smile didn't reach her eyes and it seemed more of a forlorn smile than the happy carefree smile it was before.

The lights extinguished and the room was completely dark. The sunset had disappeared and had taken its rays of golden light with it.

The music was silenced, cut off as the trumpet was playing it's final note. Not even the last echoes could be heard bouncing from wall to wall gradually getting quieter.

Teresa was gone. The cold of the air had replaced the warmth of her hand in mine. She had completely disappeared.

"Teresa?" I stretched out into the darkness, hoping to brush my fingers of the fabric of her dress or the soft skin of her hand. There was nothing.

"Teresa?! Where've- Where'd you go?!" I cried out as I whipped my head in all directions, looking for a sign of Teresa.

Tears began to fill my eyes. I hadn't seen Teresa in so long. I'd missed her so much and it took losing her again to realise just how much I'd missed the girl I'd just danced with.

Click.

Clack.

At the sound of slow, yet loud footsteps emanating from the other side of the ballroom, I whipped my body around as a small spark of hope was conjured within me.

As I scanned the dark room, the spark of hope immediately diminished at the sight of a pair of red, glowing eyes.

A chill ran down my spine as I froze in fear.

Was it Pitch? No- No, it couldn't be. He had just been defeated. There is no way he would be able to even conjure up a Nightmare, let alone be here of all places. He is too weak now.

His eyes... his eyes were different as well. They were a more dull, golden colour. These eyes... they weren't Pitch's.

If not his, then whose were they?

I hesitantly squinted my eyes at this mysterious character. Other than their bright, red eyes, the only other thing that could be seen was their silhouette, which somehow was darker than the surrounding darkness of the room.

Click.

It took a step closer.

The sound of it's footstep sent a feeling of dread through my stomach. I took a step back.

Clack.

It took another step forward.

I took two immediate steps back. My heart began racing and breathing suddenly felt more difficult. I side-eyed the door that should be about twenty metres to my left. I need to get out of here. I need the others.

With a sound similar to a train speeding past a platform, the silhouette with glowing, red eyes suddenly sped towards me.

A frightened yell unintentionally escaped my throat as I bolted to the left. I had to leave. Before I could even get five metres away from my previous spot, my shoe skidded across the tile which caused me to trip over my own feet and fall to the ground with a thud and a grunt. I scrambled to try and see where the silhouette was now.

It was a few steps away, it's arms outstretched towards me and it's eyes wide in anticipation and focus.

My knees bent closer to my chest as I brought my arms up to shield my face. A coarse scream ripped from my throat without a second thought nor intention.

Light spilled into the room, but before it could illuminate the deadly figure, it burst into dust and disappeared from sight.

                                   ~🐾~

Lily was left in the middle of the ballroom. It was then that she realised just how irregular her breathing was; it was rapid and shallow and she just couldn't seem to control it. Lily's legs and hands were shaking and her eyes were staring at the area where the red-eyed silhouette was last.

"Lily?!"

Heavy footsteps resounded through the room and gradually grew closer to Lily.

After a few very long seconds, the heavy footsteps were right beside the trembling girl. A pair of big, black boots suddenly appeared within her peripheral vision.

As Lily turned her head towards the sudden change in her vision with a start and additional tension within her shoulders, her fearful and unblinking gaze met North's steady yet uncertain gaze.

"What happened? Are you alright?" North asked, the concern overflowing from his words.

A large and firm yet gentle hand being placed on the back of the younger Guardian's neck grounded her.

Lily looked back at the dark room before her, her terrified yet confused gaze darting between each corner and open space, almost as if she was looking for something or someone.

The Guardian of Wonder followed Lily's gaze and also looked around the room, attempting to find what she was looking for.

He saw nothing but a dark, empty ballroom.

North looked back towards Lily.

"Lily-" He started.

"No, it's- it's nothing. I'm just imagining- I'm just being stupid. It's nothing," Lily uttered as she rose from the floor and began retreating from the room.

Lily's arms were wrapped around herself and her shaking legs could barely stand upright.

"Lily, can you please wait?" North stood up with a look of concern.

Instead of respond, all Lily did was pick up her pace and pull open the door with all her might, causing it to slam against the marble and golden wall.

With that Lily disappeared from view, her footsteps gradually growing quieter and quieter until the sound completely stopped.

North let out an exasperated sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose.

That girl was such a typical teenager; she just couldn't accept help. The Guardian of Wonder would just wish that she saw otherwise.

North's hand dropped from his face and resumed its position by his side. He turned back towards the dark ballroom, his gaze searching each nook and cranny for anything out of place, for anyone out of place.

Lily had to have seen something that spooked her. She was a strong person. She would not be that easily spooked.

Yet despite his search, North discovered nothing. Nothing but darkness. Something that their most recent enemy thrives in.

The Russian man's fists clenched by his side, almost wishing for a fight.

"If that was you, Pitch, don't. You will not win."

With that North rounded on himself and began walking towards the door. As he approached the door handle and placed his hand on the cool metal, he looked over his shoulder once more towards the darkness.

"Stay away from Lily."

The Guardian of Wonder exited the room, pulling the door shut.

As the ballroom was plunged into pure darkness, a woman's cackle echoed and bounced off of the walls and pillars as her sinister voice followed:

"Pathetic."

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