I swear I was about to go into a panic attack. My heart was beating so rapidly I could hardly breathe. I must be human. What else could I be?! I've lived my life like a human, why suddenly change now?! It didn't make any sense. That was the kind of stuff you would read about in fairy tales and stories! This was real life.
"Look... we're going to find out exactly what's going on! Okay?" North said very sternly. I just nodded and Jack squeezed my hand to comfort me. Taking a deep breath, I was able to compose myself and calm down.
"First though, I think we should tell the others that you're alive," Jack half smiled.
"Good idea," I agreed.
We went off to see the yetis. They were yelling and singing and just generally very, very happy to see me. I got heaps of fluffy hugs. Apparently they all went to my funeral! As well as all of the elves, who were also glad I was okay.
First of the Guardians was Bunny. You should have seen the smile on his face! He got so excited he hopped around the Warren faster than I could see! Scared the hell out of some eggs too. Next was Sandy. He obviously couldn't express his excitement through words, so there were a lot of symbols flashing above his head, getting lost, and a massive hug. The mermaids were happy to see me too. Finally, we went to see Tooth. I was swarmed with happily squealing Baby Tooths. Luckily, Tooth asked them to give me some space before bombarding me with a massive hug herself. Once again, we were back together.
Now to my parents.
During the sleigh ride, I told Jack everything mum had said to me the day I died. All about how my eighteenth birthday was going to set out my future for me. It was about eight thirty at night in Burgess, as it was at the Pole. It was strange to think that I had only been alive for around eight and a half hours. I wonder if anyone else has been able to think that. I was really nervous to pull up in front of my house. I had only been there a couple of hours ago. In the front yard, there were still marks where I had crash landed. Jack noticed them too.
"Landing?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow as he offered me his hand.
"Not my strong point," I giggled, taking his hand and jumping out of the sleigh.
"You'll get used to it," Jack smiled, still holding my hand. Bunny was the one to knock on the door. Thomas opened it. The moment he saw who stood before him, a smile widened his cheeks. I wished that smile was for me, but I knew he couldn't see me. It felt strange to see him though. It had been so long and I had hardly known him when I died, but he was my brother nonetheless.
"Mum! Dad! We have visitors!" he called behind him.
"Please! Come in!" he gestured, standing out of the doorway so we could walk through. That was when Jack let go of my hand. I guess it would look stupid to dad, Ciara, mum and Thomas if Jack held my hand. They would only see Jack's hand, not mine. They had renovated the lounge room and now only had enough room for one, four seater couch and two lounge chairs. Jack, Thomas and I stood. Ciara must have been getting ready for bed.
"So! What brings you all here today?" mum asked.
"This is about Belle," Tooth began.
"It's been one year since she died. She would have turned eighteen today," mum said sadly, her voice and face sinking. There was a momentary pause before Bunny continued, cautiously.
"Somehow... today at, I think it was 12pm, she... rose from the lake," he said. I watched as everyone's face turned to shock with a hint of hope. That made me smile. Hearing that I was alive... I can't even imagine how they were feeling.
"As in she just floated out of the frozen lake we put her in?" Thomas said, amazed. I couldn't ignore the hint of disbelief in his voice. Sandman nodded in confirmation.
"How is that even possible?" dad asked. I could see in his eyes that he was hoping I was alive.
"We don't know. But when she rose from the lake, she came here to see you all," North explained.
"But... wouldn't we have seen her?" Thomas asked, still recovering from the shock that had overtaken him moments before.
"We don't know why you didn't see her, but one of our theories is because you didn't believe she was there," Jack exclaimed calmly.
"Believe? Is she a ghost or something?!" dad sounded scared. Goodness, what if I was a ghost?! That was a possibility, though not one I particularly favoured.
"No! She isn't a ghost," Tooth said.
"It's the same with us. If someone doesn't believe in us, they can't see, hear or touch us, as if we don't even exist," Bunny added.
"So... how can we see her?" mum asked. I wasn't a giant fan of them talking like this. It made them sound like spirit hunters or something, and I was the spirit.
"You have to truly believe Belle's here. Concentrate on her, and you'll be able to see," Jack said.
"You mean; she's in this room right now?" Thomas asked. I just giggled and that made Jack smile.
"Yeah," was all Jack said in reply, still half smiling. Thomas sat there concentrating for a moment before blinking hard. He sat up slightly when he opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times. Mum and dad did the same. Then something seemed to snap in Thomas' eyes as he blinked hard again and shook his head a little, his mouth dropping open slightly. My heart skipped a beat when he stood up and locked eyes with me.
"I... I see you!" he half chuckled, surprised. He then ran over and clasped his arms around my waist, holding me close. At first, I hesitated from shock but eventually, I wrapped my arms around him and closed my eyes. I had always wanted a brother, and to feel this brotherly hug was such a great feeling. He held on tightly from fear of losing me and I squeezed back.
"I thought you were dead," he said, trying to prevent himself from crying. I didn't want to ruin the moment by saying that I was dead before. When I opened my eyes, I saw mum and dad standing with their arms around each other. Dads mouth hung open and mum held her hand to her lips in surprise.
"How is this possible?" dad asked.
"I... I think I know," mum stated. What? Thomas let go of me and took a step back, turning to mum. Everyone turned to mum.
What the hell was she talking about?