Finally, one more day at school, and then winter beak. Two more days, and I'm going to be flying on a plane to Vlad's Point, Antarctica. In five days I'll be speaking in front of thousands of people. To say that I'm anxious beyond measure would be an understatement. Even as we pull into school, this time actually taking a car back and forth, (Matthias and Abigail insisted that we take one because we'd look more normal if we didn't show up to school walking.)

We all got out of the car, and doge snow balls where we can. Everyone seems to be in the holiday spirit. Most kids are wearing some sort of sign that the holidays are upon us, whether it be by wearing a Santa hat, an ugly sweater, or one of those weird Christmas tree light necklaces. The heat of the school is a very welcome thing. Jack Frost is really nipping at our nose.

"Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!" Some guy in a Santa hat declares to his friends, passing around candy canes.

"I love this time of year!" Emma sighs, taking in all of our surroundings. "Some things never change." She adds in a much quieter tone, sending us a wink.

"Happily holidays, Wayward's!" Gayle says, coming down the hallway.

"Hi, Gayle." Emma waves.

"So, you ready for just movies and donuts, all day?" Gayle asks.

I put in the combination of my locker. "So ready."

"Woo!" Gayle says as I pull a bag out of my locker.

"Oh, here, I brought this for you," I hold out the gift bag to him.

"Thank you." Gayle is clearly surprised by the action. "I got you something too, but I left it my locker. I'll give it to you at the end of the day, I swear."

"That's okay."

"So, can I open this now, and assume it won't explode on me?" Gayle asks.

"Go ahead." I say. He pulls out the little box, and takes one, good, solid look at it.

"No way." Gayle says. "You got my an indoor terrarium?!"

"Lame." A passing voice yells through us.

"He's an idiot, trust me." Gayle assures me. "I think it is awesome. I've been wanting on of these for so long."

"I wasn't really sure what to get you."

"It's perfect." Gayle swiftly wraps his arms around me, and holds this position for a second. I'm caught off guard, and my heart starts booming out of my chest. I for back a smile, and slowly start wrapping my arms around him. "Thank you." Gayle whispers in my ear.

"Anytime." We break away from the hug, and stare at each other. The bell interrupts our little staring contest. "Better get to class."

"Yeah. See you in Earth Sci!" Gayle says, before walking off into the crowd that slowly gains traction.

"Don't act like I didn't see that back there." Emma teases.

"Oh, shut it." I say. "I'm getting to class before I have a detention."

"See you after school." David says, waving a little bit away.

Gayle was right about the school day being mostly donuts and movies. It was the end of the day, and I waited by my locker, keeping my eye out for Gayle. Just a few seconds after I started waiting, Gayle comes around the corner, a little gift bag in his hands.

"Sorry, this one probably isn't going to be as cool as yours." Gayle says once he reaches his destination of right next to me.

"I'm sure it's perfect." I say, rustling through the tissue paper until I find a little box that look like it usually holds Air Pods. I open the case slowly, and find a little stick that was bent at lest four times so it could fit inside of the box.

"It's a reusable straw. Perfect for the on-the-go-person." Gayle says.

"I love it so much. Thank you!" I feel a smile start to slow make its way onto my face.

"Don't thank me yet. There's something else in there." Gayle says. "Wow, that sounded really jerky, I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine, don't sweat it." I continue to dig through the tissue paper until I reach the bottom, and feel something. I lift it out of the bag to see that it's a bracelet, with green beads stack in three rows, and a little break to allow a little brown plate to be seen. The brown plate says, 'Be the Change.' I can't help but let out a gasp.

"You like it?"

"It's... It's amazing. Thank you." I bring my arms so they're around his shoulders, and embrace him.

"It's no problem, really." Gayle shrugs his shoulders.

"I know." I say. I brake away from the hug, and smile at him a little bit. "I'll see you after break."

"Same to you." Gayle says. "Good luck at that family reunion."

"Thanks, have fun with the holiday party." I reply back, as I start walk backwards down the hallway. I don't want to turn away from him. I want to look at him for as long as I can.

"I'll text you." Gayle hollers, speaking a little louder so I can hear him from down the hall.

"Likewise!" I call back. "Happy Holidays."

"Happy Holidays!" Gayle says.

I turn the corner, and jump out of my skin seeing two figure staring at me. However, it's just Emma and David, patiently leaning against a set of lockers.

"Hey." David greets, nodding at me.

"Hi." I respond.

"So, what'd you get?" Emma asks.

"I got a reusable straw, and a bracelet."

"A bracelet? Things must be getting serious." David smirks a little bit.

"It's nothing, I swear." I say, brushing my hair back behind my ear.

"I can make you talk." Emma wiggles her fingers ominously as she says this.

"And you don't have to." I stick my hands up a little bit.

"Well, either way, we better get going, try and do some homework, maybe." David suggests.

"That's probably for the best." Emma says. "Are you getting excited?"

"Not quite." I reply.

"There's nothing to be nervous about." Emma soothes.

"There's a lot to be worried about. What if I forget my speech?"

"You've practiced that speech so many time, I'd be worried about your brain if you forgot it." David says.

"I know, but still, it's stressful."

Emma is as calm as her brother. "I know, just remember, you're going to be fine."

"Okay."

"Hello!" Abigail calls out when we walk in through the front door. We all say our greeting back, and put our things in the closet. "How was school?" She asks, coming out of the kitchen, brushing her hands off on her apron.

Tomorrow, we leave for Antarctica. Did I pack enough clothes? Are the clothes that I've selected good enough? Will I be warm enough? Did I remember to pack my toothbrush? Wait, no, I need to use that tonight and tomorrow morning!

"-Anada, what about you?" Abigail cuts me out of my thoughts.

"Hm?"

"How was school?" She repeats.

"Oh, school was fine."

"People who had a fine day at school don't usually get gifts though." Emma says, nudging me.

"Oh! One, who was it, and two, what did Gayle think of his Christmas gift?" Abigail asks.

"One, it was Gayle, and two, he really liked it." I say.

"What'd you get?"

"I got a reusable straw, and a bracelet."

"Let me see!" Madelyn says. I hand her my bag, an she pulls out the reusable straw, and looks at it for a second. She puts it back in the bag, pulls out the bracelet, and lets out a little gasp. "Oh, Canada, this is too cute."

"Thank you."

"You should go get packing, make sure you've got everything." With Abigail's orders, we all nod and go upstairs. I turn on a podcast as I double check things for what feels like the thirtieth time. I hear a knock on my door midway through putting things back in my bag.

"It's open." I call through the wall, making sure that all of my undergarments are successfully hidden.

"Hello." Matthias says, walking through the door way.

"Matthias. Hi."

"How was school?" He questions, walking inside. "Door open or closed?"

"Good, and you can keep it closed."

"That's nice to hear." Matthias keeps a straight face as he closes the door.

"How was the university?"

"Good. There was an exam today, so there was a little extra tension in the room."

"I see." I have no clue how to respond to that.

"But, I hear you're getting nervous."

"Yeah, but who isn't?"

"I know that it's hard based off of Abiail's experience. But you'll kick butt. I'm sure you'll do fine. But I know that you don't quite feel that way."

"Not really." I sheepishly reply.

"And that's okay." Matthias says. "I just want you to know, how proud we all are of you. All of the things that you've done, and all of the things that you will do."

"Thanks."

"Thank you." Matthias says. "Also, dinner is ready when you are."

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's fine, we weren't even waiting at all."

Dinner went by, then came my shower, and then, I lay in bed. I stare at the ceiling, then at he wall, then at my pillow. What is going to happen tomorrow? How is tomorrow going to happen? Who's going to be there? When will things really start to kick off? Will it be at the opening ceremony, or after that? Or, will it start when we arrive? Why am I still thinking about this things? Shouldn't I have just tired myself out? I eventually do fall asleep, though not for very long.

My alarm blares, and I press the button to switch it off. I groan, and sit up quickly. I swing my legs over the bed, and pull out my clothes. I walk out of my room, and see David already out in the hall way.

"'Morning." David stretches his arms in the doorway. "I slept great."

"That makes one of us." I say, trying to wipe the sleepiness out of my face.

"Good morning." Emma says, opening her door and walking down the hallway to greet us.

"Hey."

"Who's getting excited?" Emma tries her best to shove down her rising pitch.

"I am!" David says.

"Canada?" Emma asks, turning her head.

"I guess, yeah. I've never taken a plane before, so there's that."

"Yay! So exciting!" Emma squeals while bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"I'm going to go get ready." I mock salute, and make a turn into the bathroom. From there, I do everything like I would on any other day, except for the fact that I have a higher heart rate, and constant butterflies in my stomach. I put everything that needs to go in my bag, in my bag, and take my luggage downstairs. We put out luggage into the car, and drive.

"It takes around twenty minutes to get to the airport." Matthias announces.

"I'm so excited!" Emma says.

"Me too." Abigail doesn't need to turn around for us to know she's smiling through her words. After a silent twenty minute car ride, we finally pull up to, not quite an airport, but rather a runway with five hangers. We park the car, and walk up to the gate.

"Hello." Matthias greets the man who stands guard at the gate. "We're the Wayward's, we're here for our flight, but I'd like to know, what's the weather like in Antarctica?"

"Every season is, and will always be, colder than the last." The man at the gate replies.

"That's nice to hear." Matthias says. The man opens up the gate, and we walk inside.

"Would you like a ride to the hangar, or will walking do?"

"Walking is just fine." Matthias waves his hand a little.

"Very well." The man nods, and leads us to the hangar farthest in the back. He opens the door, and turns on the lights.

When the lights come on, there isn't one of those commercial planes. Instead, there's a private jet. I've only seen this kind of an aircraft in cinema, never in person, let alone this close. There's steps that lead up into the well lit plane. We walk onto the plane, only to see that it's just like the movies had told me it would be. Leather seats form rows, on one side of the plane, it's two seats next to each other, but on the other side, it's just single seats. Most of them face each other, and I take a seat that faces the back.

"Welcome aboard, Wayward's. My name is Jane, and I will be your flight attendant for today. Can interest you in any refreshments?" A woman asks, stepping through the curtains at the back of the plane.

"No, thank you." We all say, or at least some variation of.

"Very well. I will be back here. Call if any of you need anything." Jane says before walking back behind the curtains.

I lean into my chair, and move a yawn a little bit.

"You didn't sleep well last night, did you?" Emma asks from the seat across from me.

"And what made you think that?"

No sleep because of today, and this week?"

"Yeah."

"I can help you go to sleep." Emma says.

"You don't have to do that." I put my hands up a little bit. Emma's never used her power on me before, and I don't want her to start now. "I'll just sleep really good tonight."

"But you'll also need great sleep right now." Emma says.

"Emma, I'll be fine, that ATP's means we need less sleep, right?"

"Abigail, that right?"

"To an extent, yes, but still, everybody needs to sleep." Abigail replies from her seat next to Matthias. Matthias had already consumed himself in a book.

"Hear that?" Emma quirks her eyebrow. "You need sleep."

"No, I'll be-" A yawn cuts off my protest. An wave of sleepiness rushes over my body. My eyelids start getting heavier and heavier. So this is what Emma's ability feels like. It feels like no one's controlling it, that it's just me doing this.

"Sweet dreams, Canada." Is the last thing I hear, before I'm fast asleep.

When I wake up, the plane has landed, and a blanket covers me up to my neck.

"Welcome to our layover in South America." Matthias says. "We've had another one, too, in Florida."

"Sorry I had to use my ability." Emma seems a little ashamed of herself.

"It's fine, at least I'm well rested." I shrug.

"It's another 12 hour flight."

"Holy heck, I've been out for 6 hours?" I ask, remembering the fact that this was an 18 hour flight.

"Yeah, I may have gotten a little carried away, but at least you're better rested!" Emma says.

"It's fine, don't sweat it."

"Ms. Canada, can I interest you in some fresh fruit? It was served while your were asleep." Jane says.

"Oh, if you wouldn't mind." I say.

"My pleasure." She says before once more going behind the curtain, and comes back with a bowl full of fresh berries.

"I though these were out of season."

"Let's just say, the council is more... advanced, than most human civilizations." Jane smiles a little bit with pride.

"Oh, well, thank you."

"My pleasure." Jane once more goes behind the curtain. I reach into my back pack, and pull out my speech. I read over again, and again. At this point, I have it memorized, but I don't want to forget it. I eat some fruit as I watch the clouds pass. We stay quiet, and beautiful meals are served from the galley.

Eventually, Jane comes out from behind the curtains, hands folded behind her back. "Wayward's, we are beginning our dissent into our final destination of Vlad's Point, Antarctica." I look down the window, and start feeling the plane make subtle, little drops. They're still enough to make me stomach go up and down.

"You're going to be fine, Canada." Emma says.

"Anyone ever tell you that the first and last ten minutes of a flight are always the most dangerous?" I ask, practically clutching the armrests.

"Yeah, I've heard once or twice in my over-a-century life." Emma says.

"You right, you right."

Darkness lays over the skies. A clock on the wall reads 3 AM. I guess the time change must really mean something. I heard at one point that it's 17 hours ahead of us in Michigan. The plane keeps dropping lower and lower. I feel us bounce a little on something hard. Must be the ground. We stop dropping, and we stop stop bouncing. Now, we're just sliding across the terrain.

"Wayward's, might I advise putting on your warm clothes." Jane advises once the plane has stopped. We all oblige, sliding on our boots, hats, and warm coats. It takes longer for vampires to feel extreme weather. The door of the lane opens, and I can hardly see in front of me because of the blizzard out there. "There will be snow mobiles ready to take you to the castle."

When we walk out, there are in fact snow mobiles. "Hello." A voice that's not entirely familiar, but I know it. The voice takes off his helmet to be the face of-

"-Oh my gosh, Mikah?!" Emma asks.

"You know it." Mikah says.

"Mikah and I have been messaging each other since he came back to Antarctica." Emma explains.

"We better get out of the blizzard while we can still see." Mikah says, gesturing us to a group of snow mobiles, with riders all on them. We all choose one, and hop on.

"Remember to hold on tight." The girl on the front of my bike suggests. I do, and she takes off. We drive until off in the distance, a castle emerges. The castle in on a hill top, and covered in snow.

We finally reach the palace, and a row of people are lined up to greet us.

"Welcome, Wayward's." An older voice says as we dismount our vehicles, and the drivers drive back to where they came from.

"Thank you for hosting us." Matthias says.

"It is our pleasure." The man says, and then looks at me. "Ah, Madam Canada, we are looking forward to hearing your speech."

"Thank you."

"My pleasure. Shall I show you to your rooms?"

"If you wouldn't mind, sir."

"Of course." The man says. He opens the big door to reveal a large entry way. A few people are having some sort of a discussion. We walk through, and take the stairs up a few floors. We reach another wood door, and the man opens it.It opens to a large sitting room, and two doors on either side of the room. "I hope these accommodations are up to your standards."

"The room is wonderful, thank you, sir."

"It is our pleasure." The man replies. "Your luggage will be up here shortly. If you should need anything, my name is Harrison. One more thing, the day before it is our time to say goodbye, will be having a full moon. Sadly, this means the days festivities will be cancelled for the entire day. The ball, however, will be pushed to the night before."

"Thank you for telling us this." Matthias takes the liberty, once more, of speaking for the family.

"It is my pleasure, Monsieur." Harrison says before walking out and leaving us, in our ornate room, in an equally ornate castle.