Beyond Christmas : World War Elf (A Santa Clause Fan fiction)

Chapter 5: Duty calls

WARNING: extensive vulgar language, mention of suicide

19 November, 2002

Carbon woke with a start. A small one, but a start nonetheless. She was automatically forced into a sitting position beneath her blankets, and she couldn't help but huff and puff quietly as she wondered why she had the tiny scare. It was most likely the horrid memories that conjured into nightmares that had caused her to jolt awake, but she didn't like thinking of her time in war, so she decided to blame it on the cold.

Her icy blue eyes wondered  to the analog clock that sat upon the wall across the room from her and Bernard's bunk bed. 5:03 am. She had an hour before she and Bernard had to be out for breakfast with all of the other elves, and she didn't intend on wasting that hour.

With a short, quiet sigh, Carbon kicked her blankets off and shimmied against the mattress so that her legs hung over the ladder that lead to the ground. She jumped down, being skilled enough to do so quietly, and looked over Bernard's bed. She couldn't help but smile sweetly at the scene. The elf boy look very much comfortable under his blankets, limbs wrapped around one of his pillows like a possum clinging to a branch, drool leaking from the corner of his mouth, and his bundles of curly black hair falling over his face and all over the place. She didn't want to wake him, considering how peaceful he looked.

But, duty calls.

Carbon placed a hand on his shoulder and gently shook him awake. He wasn't quick to come to, but he managed with time. His chocolate eyes fluttered open, and he too seemed startled to be awake, but his reasoning was that the face who woke him was scary.

"Rise n' shine, Tiger. We got a big day ahead of us," Carbon said in a slightly hushed voice as she turned around and headed for the small kitchen they were provided with, Bernard removing the blanket from himself as he sat on the edge of his bed and stretched his arms, yawning.
"Would you like some coffee?" The lady asked just as the boy finished stretching.
"If you could do cocoa, that'd be great," he said, wiping the dried up drool from the corner of his mouth.

Carbon took the request with a silent nod as she got all the supplies from the little wall cabinets that were above the other appliances. The one that had the coffee, sugar and cocoa was just above the oven, and the one that had the ceramic mugs they'd need was just beside the fridge. She grabbed everything and placed it all onto the free counter space, beginning to make the drinks while Bernard got up from his bed, blanket still wrapped around his body, and he waddled over to the little lounge area that had two cushioned arm chairs with a birch wood coffee table in between the two. He sat the arm chair closest to the beds and curled up with his feet upon the chair.

It had been a few minutes before Carbon had finished the drinks, but when she did, she brought them over carefully, being sure not to spill either of them. She handed Bernard his cocoa and she took a seat across from him. The two sipped their drinks, and Bernard couldn't help but be surprised at how nice it was. He didn't expect the girl to know how to make cocoa correctly, considering from what she'd told him, she had only been exposed to alcohol and Soda most of her life. But things aren't always what they seem, I suppose.

"How are you feelin' bout all this?"
Bernard was snapped out of his momentary surprise by the sound of the female's voice.
He took in the way she was sitting. Her legs were in the position of that of 'man-spreading', her elbows on either knee and her cup joining her two arms at the hands. It was clear from the get-go that she wasn't exactly the most feminine woman, but then again, he'd only met her very recently.