Nutcracker [Discontinued]

5 Snow Angels? Pssh More Like Blue Vampires

"Flurries?" I question skeptically.

The Nutcracker clenches its hands. "Snow fairies."

"What's wrong with them?"

"Let's just say they're furious with my family."

"Why?"

Maria gives me a pointed look. "My father decreed that all fairies would be called after their main trait. The light fairies were fine with this. The snow faires on the other hand... they sort of took offense."

"You managed to offend a whole race of fairies?" I can't help it. I laugh. "What are they going to do? Throw snowballs at us?"

Maria frowns. "I'm--" It looks down at its shoulder, which is healing before our eyes.

"How?"

"The Flurries." I'm not sure how it's possible but the Nutcracker's face pales.

"See they can't be that mad. They're healing you."

She shakes her head. "What's the fun in killing a wounded victim?"

The moment those words leave Maria's lips a blue sliver flies over our head. I turn around to see shattered at the base of a tree. I touch it hesitantly. I hank my hand back as the ice burns me. An icicle.

The snow starts falling in torrents. My eye sight becomes clouded. The edge of the forest which was only moments ago sunny and dry has now been enveloped in a full fledge blizzard.

And then I see my first flurry.

Her skin is blue and her hair white. The wings on her back are more like snowflakes. She wears a white dress that billows out around her as she turns. She doesn't seem to glow but she stands out in the blizzard.

And then another one comes into view.

And another.

Soon fifteen or so flurries are spinning in a circle around us. The wind blows against the Nutcracker and me, causing us to smash into each other. As they spin quicker the wind picks up. The ground, covered in blinding white snow added to the fact that it is also falling thickly around us, causes us to become disoriented. The flurries' circle grows tighter. Maria's hand connects with mine. The doll knows our end is here. I'm going to die in some fairytale world without any pride.

The flurries stop, facing to the side. They turn forward slowly, their eyes and face empty of emotion. A flurry steps toward us, her face innocent and timid. She wears an icicle crown--sharp and delicate. "Maria." Her voice holds an unexplainable amount of hatred and distaste.

"Gwyneira," Maria acknowledges with an absurd amount of the same emotion that makes that of the flurry's seem sweet.

"You know you won't make it out of this alive."

"Snow fairies don't scare me."

Gwyneira and the rest of her flurries bare their teeth and hiss.

"Oh, shut it." Maria releases the hold on my hand. I rub my hand, feeling for splinters.

"I will not take being talked back to by a spoiled princess." Gwyneira steps closer.

The Nutcracker crosses its arms. "And I won't be threatened by an overgrown snowflake."

This is getting nowhere. "Please just let us pass." I offer the flurry queen a smile.

"Who is this? Your prince?"

Maria coughs. "This idiot? No."

"That idiot may be the one I allow to live. Some people are more considerate than others."

"And some people throw bigger temper tantrums than others."

The flurries hiss again, and the queen backs away. "You've brought this on yourself," she says as she fades into the storm. The flurries begin twirling around us again, causing the wind to pick up. I grasp onto Maria in order not to blow away.

One of the flurries steps out of the death dance and approaches us, her face regretful. "Get behind me."

Might as well. I do as she says, but I have to pull Maria to my side.

When they see what has happened the flurries stop to hiss before resuming their dance, but this time there is no pattern. The goal: to separate us.

I pull Maria down as an icicle glides over our heads.

"Thanks," she pants.

I nod. Why did I save her? She's not even real. Dolls can't be killed. Unless when you incinerate them, decapitate them, smash them. I've done all of those to Clara's dolls. I wonder if they all walk and talk like the Nutcracker.

We follow the flurry, stumbling left and right in the process. I close my eyes for only a second, but when I open them everyone is gone, including the wind.

"Maria?"

"Fritz?" I hear a faint scream, but I cannot tell which direction it comes from.

My teeth chatter and I rub my hands up and down my arms. The snow is probably about a foot deep, and from constantly lifting my legs up my muscles grow tired quickly.

My eyelids grow heavy and I stumble forward into the snow. In the distance I hear humming. I sigh. I'll just close my eyes for a minute.