The Explanation

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We went through the tunnel and ended up in a large room. "Oww," I whined. I was probably going to be bruised all over. I know it wasn't Bunnymund's fault, but because of Pitch, Easters had always been horrible for me: and because I dreaded Easter (and Christmas), the dislike for Bunnymund and North was partially inevitable.

"You okay, sheila?" Bunnymund asked me. I winced as I stood and stretched out my wings.

"Not thanks to that tunnel," I sneered. He was taken aback.
A short man with sun-looking hair and warm, golden clothes and skin approached me: he knew why Easters and Christmases were hard for me. I guessed he hadn't managed to tell the others. A few symbols appeared above his head: I knew I had to explain.
"Look, I'm sorry, but I've always struggled with Easters and Christmases because of my dad. He would put a black egg or box in my garden on those days and they wouldn't disappear unless I looked at them."

"What's problem with that?" North asked. I nearly jumped, not expecting the thick Russian accent. I'd never actually met him or heard his voice before - but it was more than obvious who he was.

"Let me finish," I growled, stretching my wings. "As soon as I look at the item Pitch leaves, I get a nightmare that night. Easter was a few days ago, right? It was awful for me. I won't go into the details of the nightmares I get but that's why I struggle with it. Not only that, but I couldn't go egg-hunting with the other children when I was younger because none of them could see me: I was visible until the age of two; my powers came through and my wings started growing. Everyone calls my mum crazy for buying clothes and stuff for me because I'm apparently dead or my dad took me and left. I don't remember getting any presents from you either, North. Every Christmas I would wait. I'd put out cookies and milk: nothing. My mum couldn't afford presents, and I knew you were real, it was obvious." My voice was getting more fast-paced and tears were stinging my yellow eyes. I was hurting so much and I'd never released my anger until now.
"My neighbours would never let some big guy in a suit take credit for presents they bought, so where were mine? Why am I even here? There's nothing else for you to tell me, Tooth didn't even talk to me on the flight over like she said she would so I'm leaving." I turned to leave, but realised I was trapped in the room. It was a beautifully-decorated room, but I couldn't focus on that. I sat down and covered myself with my wings, tucking my head against my knees.

"But I did send presents," North said quietly. Perhaps Pitch had blocked them or destroyed them before I could see them?

"I didn't talk to you because I wanted to give you some time to get to know Jack," Tooth explained. I could feel the hurt in her voice. I felt instant guilt.

"I had no idea," Bunnymund breathed, which made me feel even more upset: the Guardians' sole duty was to protect children, was I not one of them?
I felt someone sit next to me and tap on the top of my left wing:

"Room for one more?" The voice asked: Jack. I opened my wing out and he shuffled closer. I closed it around him, feeling shocked that he gave off no body heat. Did he radiate cold? "It's okay, it's okay," he whispered in a soft, soothing voice. "Because of my powers, all I can do is make you cold." He paused but I didn't reply. "When I came here for the first time, I was angry, too." I looked up at him in disbelief. "Yeah, they wanted me to become a Guardian - it was only last week. I sniffed, realising that I was still holding his staff - I passed it to him:

"What do they want with me, then?" I asked. Tooth flew over and kneeled in front of us. I retracted the wing that was around him.

"The whole purpose of today was to check on you, _____." She began, sorrow in her eyes. She put her hand on my shoulder, "we knew something was wrong because you weren't one of the lights on the globe."

"The huh?" I asked, cocking my head to one side. I could've sworn I heard Jack chuckle and say 'cute'. I was probably mistaken.

~

I followed North and Jack through to the 'globe' (Tooth, Bunny and Sandy had to leave for work (apparently), though I was sure I'd offended them).
There were flying toys whizzing about everywhere, and my wings nearly knocked over several things on tables as I tried not to walk into big, furry yetis and trip over stupid-looking mini-elves. I saw a yeti painting a stack of robot toys: one side was blue, the other was red, and in the middle was purple. "They look beautiful," I said as we passed. Suddenly, he began running towards me. I backed myself up against the railing, terrified, until he picked me up in a hug and spun me around. "Whoa, I guess people don't compliment you enough, huh?" I asked, throwing an accusatory glare at North, who extended his arms in resignation. Jack chuckled as the yeti gently put me down. "What's your name?" I asked.

"That's Phil," Jack said, before taking my arm and jogging with me until we caught up with North, who was already standing at the largest globe I'd ever seen, covered with bright yellow lights. "Every one of those lights is a child who believes," Jack began, leaping to the top of the globe. I flew up to join him. "You're supposed to be here," he pointed at the Arctic, "but you don't show up even though you believe, which means you're like us and you would see us whether you believed or not."

"Oh," I replied, pulling at some pinfeathers in my eings nervously. "Did only Tooth and Sandy know I existed until recently, then?" I asked.

"Not exactly," North replied from the ground. "Jack, get off globe, you will break axis." Jack leapt off to join him. "We did not even know Pitch had a daughter until few days ago."

"He told me that 'sometimes people have potential to be great, and others prove to be disappointing'," Jack began. "He said that when he was trying to get me to join him." That sounded like something my father would say. I sighed, apologising. North said my name and when I looked over, he put his great hands on my shoulders and told me I had nothing to apologise for.

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