Bryan’s POV:
“Please, I didn’t do anything wrong,” I pleaded, tears threatening to break my barrier of control. I couldn’t help the tears sometimes, it just pours and I couldn’t stop. I appear weak, which really annoys me, but what can I do? It came naturally.
“Come now, kid. We won’t hurt you, I swear,” the guy that held me by the shoulders soothed as he knelt down and talked to me eye to eye.
“What happened, little one? Why are you out here all alone?” asked the big man who I know as North.
“I’m sorry,” was all I could answer before I curled up to a ball and began crying. I remember everything like it was a while ago. The lullaby, the necklace, the box, the hug, the fire... I couldn’t take it, I couldn’t control it. It was embarrassing to cry in front of these people who I didn’t even know, but I don’t care. Just because I was a guy, doesn’t mean I can’t cry.
Tooth kneeled beside me and soothed me with her soft strokes on my jet black hair.
“There was a fire at their place and judging from the picture he retrieved back from their house, I guess his parents weren’t able to get out of the house in time,” the guy who extinguished the fire said.
“How did you know?” I asked as I tried to wipe away the tears that seem to haunt me for quite some time now.
“You’ve been clutching the picture in your jacket pocket,” the guy answered as he pointed at my hands dug deep inside my front jacket pocket.
I looked down. Honestly, I was embarrassed, ashamed even that I was this weak.
“Cupcake,” Tooth started as she laid me on her lap. “We understand what you’re going through, we know the pain. You shouldn’t be afraid to cry, even though you’re a boy. Only a true man lets his tears fall. There’s nothing wrong with that, sugar. But right now, we need to take you away from here,” she explained as she stroked my hair once more like mother used to.
“Why?” I asked as I looked up to her sparkling violet eyes.
“Well, first of all, you can’t survive here on your own, it’s no place for a kid like you. Second, there are people out there who would want to take you away from us,” Tooth explained, her toothy grin brightening up the gloomy mood.
“Wait, take me away from you? I don’t belong to you. I don’t even know you,” I said as I sat up from her lap, getting scared because she seems to be claiming me.
“Wait, Bryan, don’t over-react, please,” Tooth began as I stood up.
“What do you want from me?” I asked, starting to get nervous.
“We don’t want anything from you. What we want is something for you,” the guy who extinguished the fire said.
“Jack, choose your words wisely. This is a smart kid,” North warned, like he knew my intellectual capacity. How can he?
“How do you guys know anything about me? I haven’t met any one of you ‘till this day,” I said, getting nervous and scared. How did they know anything about me?
“I am Santa Clause, I know how kind each and every kid is, including yours,” North said with a large grin, obviously proud of his reputation.
“I thought your name was North?” I asked Santa Clause, curiosity getting the best of me.
“I am known by that name too,” he simply answered.
“Am I on the naughty list?” I asked with an excited smile starting to creep up my lips.
