Nonexistent (Rise of the Guardians)

1. I Accidentally Assault My New Best Friend

50 years later

I swooped through the air, my powers over the winds moving me along and creating updrafts to keep me aloft. The crisp winter air flowed across my face, making my cheeks and nose red and my golden eyes water as the air rushed past. My black hair, braided down my back, snapped through the sky like a whip as the wind caught it and played with it, like the way a cat would toy with a piece of string. I had long since rid myself of my dress, instead choosing a pair of brown trousers and a black shirt that fit me a little tightly, but not uncomfortably. My boots were brown leather, laced all the way up and ending just below my knees. There was no way those things were coming off mid flight.

I looped through the air, but a cold gust of wind caught me at unawares as I was suspended upside down in the sky, shoving me downwards in a steep spiral. A let out a shout of surprise and exhilaration before stretching my arms wide and creating a pillow of wind to catch me only moments before I reached the treetops, the scuffed toes of my boots skimming over the branches as I leveled out.

I caught another updraft and soared upwards, the frigid winds blowing in from the north barely noticeable even as I gained altitude and the temperature dropped. I laughed with excitement as more furious wind kicked up, blasting me upwards with immeasurable force. I scooped through the sky, the wind propelling me forward so fast that the world below me became a blur of colors, moving so fast that even my hawklike vision couldn't make out the snowy landscape below.

I closed my eyes, relishing in the freedom of flight. It was so peaceful.

At least until a boy plummeted past me.

I stopped in midair, holding my arms out at my sides slightly to keep me hovering in one place. The boy was whooping and flipping in the air, held aloft only by the winds that swirled wildly around him. He laughed giddily and spun in the air, but came to a screeching halt as soon as he spotted me, hovering high above him, a cushion of air keeping me aloft as I looked down at him.

His mouth gaped wide as he stared, and I saw his white hair rustle in the winds as it kept him aloft. He was wearing an outfit similar to mine, except he was barefoot and wearing a brown long sleeved shirt with frost covering the top. He clutched in his hand a long wooden staff, it's top curled at the top in a large spiral shape. Small snowflakes flittered around his ankles as he hovered, and they began to swirl wildly around his bare feet as he ascended towards me, his ice blue eyes coming into focus as he rose.

"Who are you?" I watched him yell. The rush of wind obscured his words though, snatching them and sending them far away before they reached my ears. I pointed down towards the ground, trying not to let my hands shake. I was not only cold, but nervous too; I had never met another spirit like me, someone with strange powers. Maybe he was invisible to normal people, too.

He nodded and dove, shooting down towards the ground at a blinding speed. I could do better than that.

I dove straight down, tucking my arms against my body tightly so the wind would pass right over them, and I would go into a freefall. I straightened myself into a thin line as I careened through the air, faster than a bullet from a musket. I overtook the boy as he plummeted as well, and we raced toward the ground at an amazing speed. We were only a hundred yards above the ground when the two of us pulled up, the boy swooping upwards to avoid the treetops and me spreading my arms and using the wind to catch me to slow my descent enough to stop me from breaking my everything when I hit the ground.

We both alighted in a large sycamore tree on the bank of a frozen pond, the huge branches supporting both of us with ease. I tension in the atmosphere was so palpable I could probably cut through it with a knife, so I broke the silence.