A/N: I don't own Rise of the Guardians, though I do think it's absolutely wonderful.

"Myra!"

I closed my eyes, loving the feeling of the soft evening breeze as it flowed across my face and neck, my gloved fingers wrapped loosely around the guardrail in front of me. I could hear the river flowing far, far below, its sound blending with the wind to create a quiet melody. The night was always so calm, peaceful, comforting.

"Myra!"

I smiled softly. The night was calm—when I didn't have my eight- and eleven-year-old little sisters with me. I turned my face towards the sound, slowly opening my eyes to see them waiting semi-patiently next to me. "Yes, that's my name."

"Myra, you're so weird!" Jenna sighed dramatically, rubbing her temples as if to clear a headache (which I had a sneaking suspicion bore my name). Her short dark hair flew in all directions as she shook her head, disbelieving that she could actually have an older sister as strange as me. "Can we go home now, before Em starts crying?"

I wrinkled my nose at her teasingly before kneeling down to address Emmy, the youngest, who had one small hand fisted in my moss-green sweater. I smoothed her too-long bangs away from her eyes, making a mental note to take her to get a haircut soon. "Hey there, kiddo, how're you holding up?"

Emmy was horribly afraid of the dark, had been since she'd been a toddler and accidentally locked herself in the pantry while we were playing Hide and Go Seek. We couldn't find the key, so she'd been stuck in there until Mom had come home from work, about an hour or so later. Jenna and I were trying to cure her of the phobia by taking her on nighttime walks around our back yard and the park down the street, and it had helped… a little. I think that they'd been doing me more good than her, though. But she loved being near me, and I loved taking walks at night, so I developed a compromise: we'd take long walks together when the moon was full and the sky was clear, that way there'd be plenty of natural night and she wouldn't have an honest-to-god panic attack like she'd had in the past.

She looked at me with her wide gray eyes, offering me a watery smile. "Okay." She offered weakly, her tiny fingers digging in harder.

I placed a gentle kiss on her forehead as the tears began to grow in her eyes. "Hey, none of that now. You're doing great, really."

"I wanna go home. It's scary out here!" she whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut, though I didn't understand how that could possibly be better.

Jenna snorted, earning a special older-sister look from me. "What're you closing your eyes for, Emmy? It's a lot darker with them closed, isn't it?"

She sniffled, and Jenna dug around in her pockets for a bit before offering Emmy a lightly-crumpled tissue. Emmy blew her nose a few times before answering, opening her eyes. "I guess."

I thumbed away a few lingering tears from her cheeks. "Tell you what; when you're scared or lonely, just look up at the night sky, okay? There's always a little bit of light somewhere, so you can never really be fully in the dark."

Jenna nodded in agreement. "No dark, no problem, right?"

Emmy smiled, making my heart squeeze. Nobody smiled like Emmy did. "Right."

"M'kay then." I laughed, straightening to my full height and taking her small hand in mine. Jenna moved on her opposite side to take the other. This was standard procedure for us, Jenna and me swinging Emmy between us every now and then as we headed home.

"I'm telling you, Myra, I saw him!" Emmy insisted, her inky hair an absolute mess around her shoulders. Her enormous eyes were puffy from crying and shimmered with even more tears yet to be shed. She'd woken up about half an hour ago, sobbing and shaking, from a nightmare. Part of her terror was because the night-light next to her bed had gone out, which I'd quickly amended by turning on the little lamp on her bedside table. Jenna stood next to the bed, looking cranky and rumpled in her plaid pajama pants and blue tank top.

"Hold on, I can barely understand you 'cause you're so stuffed up." Jenna offered her a tissue and waited for her to finish calming all the way down. "Now, start again."

Emmy fidgeted with a ribbon on her frilly nightgown. "I had just fallen asleep, and I was having a nice dream, about us and Mommy at the beach. You know, like the one we went to last summer on vacation. We're playing, building a sandcastle. I looked away for a second, and you guys were gone. I looked everywhere, and I couldn't find you!" I rubbed her shoulders as her lower lip started to tremble. "I was so scared. It was dark when I woke up, too!"

"We're here now, aren't we?" Jenna quipped, rubbing one of her eyes in irritation.

I frowned at Jenna's tone, but said nothing on the matter. "You said you saw 'him'? Who's 'him'?"

Emmy's eyes were so wide I could see the whites all around the irises. "The boogeyman!"

Jenna snorted in disbelief. "There's no such thing, stupid."

"There is too!" Emmy yelled, clutching her bunny plushy toy to her chest with one hand and pointing to the shadowed corner by her closet with the other. "He was right there!"

"Calm down, sweetie." I murmured, pressing my lips to the top of her head. "Jenna, I've got this. Why don't you go back to bed?"

Jenna yawned and headed for the door. "If you say so."

"You believe me, don't you Myra?" Emmy plead, her gaze flicking from me to the corner and back anxiously.

I smiled, rubbing soothing circles on her back. "Of course I do."

She sighed, as if it were a great relief. "Why does he like to scare people?" she asked quietly, expression far too serious for a girl her age.

I shook my head. "I'm not sure, Em. Maybe it's his way of helping people face their fears."

She wrinkled her nose, making me smile at seeing the familiar expression. "That doesn't make very much sense."

I shrugged, tucking her back into bed as she snuggled into her mountain of pillows, a few of them jacked from my room and Jenna's, as well as the couch downstairs. "Not a lot of things in this world do. Try to get some sleep, 'kay? We'll get you a new nightlight tomorrow, I promise."

"Goodnight Myra." Em mumbled, already halfway back into Dreamland.

I tucked a stray lock of hair back behind her ear. "Sweet dreams, Emmy."

"It doesn't matter how bad your day was," I snapped, poking Jenna in the shoulder, "you don't take it out on Em!"

Jenna's eyes were like daggers as she glared at me, smacking my hand away. The glare would've been much more effective were it not for her black eye and the purplish bruise blooming on her chin. "Like you even care about how my day went! All you care about is Emmy, Emmy, Emmy!"

It felt like I'd been slapped and punched in the stomach simultaneously. "That's a lie and you know it! I didn't get my hands bloody and bruised for Emmy, did I?!" she winced, looking at something over my shoulder for a moment before returning her gaze to me. "No, I got them that way defending you."

"I didn't ask you to step in!" she snapped, balling her hands into fists.

I took her by her shoulders, shaking her a bit. "You didn't have to! I'm your big sister, and that means the only person who can give you crap is me!"

Jenna worked her jaw, clenching and unclenching it slowly as she processed this. After a moment her shoulders slumped, her expression one of utter exhaustion. She rubbed at her forehead tiredly, and I saw more bruises developing along her swollen knuckles. "I'm sorry, okay? I just—I just don't wanna be seen as weak, you know? Like I have to have my big sister swoop in and save me all the time."

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to." I said quietly, looking meaningfully over to where Emmy sat on the swings, toeing at the woodchips below her with her head hung forlornly. Her newly-turned-amputee bunny toy (courtesy of Jenna) laid discarded a little ways off to the side.

Jenna nodded stiffly before turning and marching towards our little sister, fussing with the hem of her jacket. I watched as she pulled a roll of pink duct tape from her pocket, using it to reattach the stuffed rabbit's arm to its torso, before laying it in Emmy's lap as a peace offering.

Emmy threw her arms around Jenna's neck, and I grinned happily as Jenna gave me a thumbs-up behind Emmy's back.

I jogged along the sidewalk, the cool evening air whipping my hair behind me. The sky was a rich, deep sapphire, and in the distance I could see the moon begin its climb into the heights of the heavens. I'd had a report to finish typing up, so I'd had the girls start our walk together without me. Not exactly the best big-sisterly decision, but I'd really needed them out of my hair.

I started a bit as a shadow entered my peripheral vision, but when I turned to face it, it was gone. With a shrug I continued along, aware of the slight stitch developing in my side. I hoped Jenna was taking good care of Emmy. It was getting closer and closer to winter, which meant the night not only got colder, but darker, much earlier.

I approached the bridge above the ravine and stopped dead in my tracks, horrified. Emmy and Jenna were surrounded at the edge of the forest by the same group of bullies that I'd beaten practically to a pulp about a week ago. Apparently they hadn't learned their lesson the first time—or should I say, the right lesson. They had learned one thing; greater numbers against lesser prey. The larger girl, who I assumed to be the leader, was sitting on a struggling Jenna while her friends teased and pushed Emmy around, tossing her rabbit between them.

"You're so stupid!" One of them said, digging her fingers into Emmy's slim shoulders before shoving her away roughly. "Only babies are scared of the dark!"

"Or carry little bunnies." Another one laughed, ripping the rabbit's duct-taped arm from its body. "Oops, my bad."

"Stop it!" Jenna yelled, writhing to try and get free. "Leave her alone!"

The larger girl stepped on one of Jenna's hands, grinding the heel of her boot into it. "Where's your big sister now, huh?"

I sprinted forwards, between two of the girl's lackeys, and ripped her backwards by one of her meaty shoulders, my blood pounding in my ears. "Get the hell away from my sisters!"

"Myra!" Emmy called, eyes wide with fear. I noticed that her lower lip had a split in it, bruises showing on her arms, and I wanted to scare all of them as bad as they had scared her. "Myra, they took Aria!" she cried, pointing at her beloved bunny with desperation in her large gray eyes.

The boss-girl got to her feet, planting her fists on her hips, Jenna momentarily forgotten. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Here, crybaby, let's go for a walk!" two of the bullies grabbed Emmy by her upper arms, picking her up so that her legs kicked uselessly beneath her and marching her into the dark forest.

"Stop it!" Jenna snarled, lunging towards them as they disappeared into the trees, Emmy screaming. She was caught around the arms by another girl who was built like a linebacker. "You can't do this!"

The larger girl rolled her squinty eyes, a smug grin curling her lips. "Obviously we can!"

I swung a fist at her, a glimmer of fear showing briefly in her eyes before she ducked. The force of the blow carried me forward to trip over her hunched form. She got a fistful of my hair by the scalp and delivered a few punches to my stomach, knocking the breath out of me.

"Myra!" Jenna screamed as the bully girl threw me at the guardrail. The old metal groaned in protest, and I thought I felt it start to give beneath my weight. I dragged my fingernails along the girl's arm and hand, trying to pry her hand out of my hair as she hit me again. The railing made more terrifying sounds that I tried to ignore. I focused instead on the sound of Jenna's shouts and Emmy's bloodcurdling screams. My sisters needed me. Emmy could go into a panic any time now, if she wasn't already; it was time to stop mucking around.

I clenched my jaw, grabbing a fistful of the bully's ratty bob, and decked her in the nose, following it swiftly with a right hook. My knuckles ached from the abuse and my scalp hurt like a mother. The girl stumbled back, releasing my hair to hold her nose to try to stop the blood gushing from it. I turned my attention to the other girls, who had dropped Aria the Amputee Bunny and Jenna and were quickly running away.

I smoothed my hair back from my face, striding forward to check Jenna for damage. Her black eye was making a comeback and she was moving stiffly, but other than that she seemed alright. "Hey, you okay?"

She touched her shiner lightly, wincing, and nodded. "I'll be fine. We need to go get Emmy. She's probably freaking out pretty bad by now."

I nodded, patting her on the back and following her into the dark tree line. Underbrush crackled under our feet and tugged at our jeans, my hands getting scratched by thorns every now and then. Emmy's cries had quieted a bit, but I could still hear her sniffling and sobbing when the wind blew right. I cupped my hands around my mouth, calling out to her. "Emmy! Emmy, where are you?"

Jenna did the same beside me, and we took turns calling out into the night as we followed along the edge of the ravine. The shadows around us shifted and moved as clouds drifted over and away from the moon, making me nervous. If they did this to me, I could only imagine how Emmy was faring.

After several minutes of trekking, we heard her hiccup a weak, "Over here!"

The bully twins were nowhere to be found, but there was Emmy, curled up on the forest floor in the shadow of a fallen tree, dirt and leaves sticking out in her hair. Jenna let out a sigh of relief and wrapped her arms around Emmy, holding her tightly. "What're you doing out here?! Why didn't you try to make your way back?"

Emmy grinned at us as Jenna leaned back, sitting on her haunches. "I got over my fear! See? I was hiding from them here. They couldn't see me because it was too dark."

My heart swelled with pride. "That's wonderful, Emmy! How'd you get away?"

The eight year-old picked at a scab on her elbow. "They pushed me into the trees and told me to run, so I did."

Jenna ruffled Emmy's hair before handing her Aria and Aria's Arm. "Here, we got her back for you."

"Thank you so much!" Emmy gasped, grinning, and pressed the toy to her chest. "Let's go home now."

I nodded, holding out a hand to help her up, and we walked back through the woods to the street, Jenna and I helping her through the thorny bushes and over fallen trees. When we got back to the bridge, the big bully girl was nowhere to be seen, and the night was calm again. I stopped them so that I could step up to the railing, leaning into the soft wind.

"Come on Myra, let's go home!" Jenna groaned, looking exhausted.

"Give me a minute."

Emmy came up to the rail next to me, stepping onto it and mimicking my posture, her eyes wide with wonder. "It feels like flying!"

I grinned at her. "Yeah, I guess it do—!"

I cut off with a yell as the guardrail gave an awful screech, and I shoved Emmy back onto the sidewalk as I fell forward, finding myself looking into the river at the bottom of the ravine as Jenna and Emmy screamed my name. I twisted around in midair, seeing Jenna holding Emmy back from the rail, the full moon high above. I smiled softly, closing my eyes against the sight as the air whooshed around me, buffeting my clothes.

No, this was flying.

I felt a quick stab of true fear right before I hit the river.

When I woke up, the night air was like warm velvet around me, and the moon was enormous, glowing bright enough to rival the sun. I was lying on a rock in the middle of the river, the water tugging at my hair playfully as it rushed past. I sat up, looking down at my hands, pale and healthy, even the knuckles. I felt my face for any bruises, but there were none. My stomach didn't hurt either.

I looked up to the moon, confused. Did I…? Was I a ghost?

Will-o'-the-Wisp.

I jumped, looking around. "Hello? Who's there?" I got to my feet, turning around, peering into the night around me. "What's going on?"

I went to turn back around, and my foot slipped on the wet rock. I shrieked, covering my face with my hands, but the splash never came. I was floating in the air a few feet from the rock, a little above the water. The wind stirred around me, and I closed my eyes, loving the feeling. Guess I couldn't be a ghost, since I was pretty sure ghosts weren't affected by wind. So then, what was I?

I opened my eyes when I bumped against a tree, the wind having carried me there. "Oh," I said lightly, mildly disappointed. I blew a lock of hair out of my face, and the wind gusted from behind me into the same direction, twirling me around the tree and into the forest. I laughed with delight, floating higher, and grabbed onto a branch, perching on it to look out over the ravine.

I dropped down to the forest floor, where the boughs on the trees blocked out any overhead light, plunging everything into darkness. I couldn't see anything, and so found myself bumping into several trees. This would be so much more pleasurable if I could just see—

My hands, which I'd had stretched out before me to feel for the next tree, had white flames lighting up their edges. I let out a scream when I noticed my hair shimmered faintly in some places, silver glowing through the black. Well, I sure as hell could see now!

"My my, you're an interesting one, aren't you?" a velvety voice chuckled in the dark.

I whirled around in the direction the voice had come from, but all I could see were shifting shadows as the wind kicked up around me. I clenched my glowing fists, taking a defensive stance. "Who's there?"

"Now calm down. There's no need to get so deliciously afraid just yet." A tall figure materialized from the shadows, striding closer to me.

I laughed, my hair floating on the breeze, and straightened to my full height, though it was no match for his. "I'm not scared."

There was a flash of white teeth in the dark as he grinned, stopping a few feet from me. I felt my eyes widen as I took him in from the top of his wild black hair to his equally black boots. I could practically feel the fear that followed him like a noxious cloud as it tried to latch onto me, making my heart rate accelerate. "I know you're not—at least, not of me."

"You didn't answer my question; who are you?" I turned to keep up with him as he circled me slowly, strange yellow-gray eyes raking me over.

His unnerving gaze settled on mine. "The name's Pitch, though I must say, I'm much more interested in hearing your name than mine."

"Why?" I scowled.

He clasped his hands behind his back and dissipated, only to reappear behind me, leaning against a tree. "It's not every day we get a new member to our little club." He disappeared again, and I couldn't help the tiny gasp that escaped me when I felt his hand slide down my arm. "What's your name then, hm?"

I frowned, thinking about that. I'd had a name, a real name, once. I just couldn't really remember it now. Now all I could think of as a name was what the moon had told me. "Will-o'-the-Wisp."

His expression was one of curiosity and amusement. "Just wake up, did you?"

"Yeah." I scratched the back of my neck, my light fading to just the barest glow as I sighed, looking up at the trees high above us. "I don't understand what's going on."

He pulled my arm through his, bringing me closer, and guided me towards a shadow so deep it looked practically abyssal. "It's alright. I'll explain it all to you."

A/N: So that's chapter one. Questions, concerns, any form of review really is welcome.