A Clause Journey (The Santa Clause story) 🎅🏻

Chapter 5= My room?!?!

Y/n's POV

I followed Bernard down winding hallways and passed rooms that you would never see in a normal factory. The Elf noticed my hands were shaking. "You cold?" The Elf asked me, stopping for me to catch up
"Scared and nervous!" I replied, catching up to the elf.
"Why?!?!" Bernard asked me.
"This is so new to me! I'm just-...really scared!"
"You don't need to be scared!" The Elf put an arm around my shoulder and rubbed it.
"This place is great, Bernard! It's just-.....my uncles not...big on santa clause!"
"You don't have to be BIG on santa! You just have to believe!" The Elf said, smiling at me.
"Thanks Bernard! That's really helpful!"
"No problem y/n! I'm an Elf! It's kinda my thing!"
"Being helpful??" I questioned.
"What else?".
"You've been really nice to Charlie! The snow globe was just a....beautiful gift! And-....Charlie really needed someone like you!" I said, smiling through tears.
I sniffled loudly and Bernard stopped and looked at me.
"Are you crying?? What's wrong?" I lifted my head up and a river of tears were flowing down both of my cheeks.
"Y/n whats wrong?? You can tell me!" The Elf said, wiping my tears away with one flick of his finger.
"I'm sorry, Bernard! It's just....I've never been able to escape from reality in a way like this before!...my dad is on the verge of being fired from his job and my mother died when I was still a baby!....I'm just-....I'm just being stupid I know-"
"NO!! NO!! Your not being stupid!!! Look! Life can be hard, granted! But....you just gotta put one foot infront of the other and just keep walking on!"
I smiled at the elf as he gave a wink. We continued to walk until we came to big curved doors.
Bernard pushed them open and....the room was...massive!!! It had a large fireplace with diamond art of snowflakes on the mirror, a balcony with a view of the whole of the elf village and a huge and I mean...HUGE bed in the centre of it all.
"This is my room?!?!" I questioned.
"Yeah!...of course it is!" The Elf replied.
I turned around and attacked Bernard with a hug, almost causing him to fall over.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Surprised by my sudden action, Bernard hesitantly hugged me back and patted me on the back and said
"Your welcome, snow bunny!" The Elf realised what he called me and pulled away as quick as he could, scratched the back of his neck and said
"I'm sorry! Sooo sorry!"
"What did you call me?" I asked in a soft, nurturing tone.
"I-....I called you snow bunny!...that-...that's what I used to call Annie!"
"Annie?"
"She was an Elf here!" Bernard's eyes started to well up and tears blurred his vision.
"What happened to her?"
The Elf shoved his hands in his pockets and said
"She was my....BESTEST friend in the whole world....and she-....she left the North Pole and said to me that 'There are better people in the world...than you!' And she left and got married and had kids and....never spoke to me again!"
"Oh....Bernard I-...I'm soooo sorry."
The Elf quickly wiped his tears away and said to me "Better get some rest! You'll wake up in your house tomorrow! Don't worry!" The Elf winked at me before leaving the room and locking the doors behind him.
I searched in my massive wardrobe for a night dress and came across a y/f/c one in a heap of house coats. It slid on easily and I climbed into bed.....Then my thoughts ran amok around my head....I think I like Bernard....NOT as a friend!