Dark voices hit her ears, calling her name with nothing but ill intent. Only when the silence became too much did she give in and answer. A timid call of, "who's there?" was all the shadows needed to know that she was theirs now, and as one sickly, gray hand reached out towards her, nail as long and sharp as talons and fairly dripping with what looked like blood, they realized their mistake. An ear splitting scream filled the air, but not from the girl. As a blinding light spread out from around the child, the shadows screeched and shrunk back.
Emma Frost shot up in bed with a gasp, breathing sporadic and eyes wide. The Moon shone through the window, bathing the small room in a light blue glow, calming her racing heartbeat. Once she slowed her breath, Emma sighed and swung her legs over the side of her wooden bed. Across the room, she could the sound of Jackson's deep breathing and light snores.
She knew that she should not wake him up; that he had worked all day and that she was a big girl now and should not run to her brother to fix her problems.
But with her nightmare so fresh in her mind, she could not bring herself to find the will to care.
Bare toes touched down on the cold dirt floor and a shiver of both excitement and cold ran down her spine; winter was on its way and Jack had promised that he would teach her how to Ice Skate this year as soon as the ice was thick enough.
Silently, she crept across the room, holding her stuffed lamb, now worn and dirtied with age, close to her thin chest. Emma reached out with a slightly tumbling hand and shook Jack's shoulder. The seventeen year old groaned in his sleep, mumbling something about hiccups and dragons before rolling over and nuzzling his pillow. Emma's brow frowned at this, wasn't the boy that lived on Berk named Hiccup?
Deciding that she would ask about his dream later, she reached out and shook his shoulder again.
This time, one dark brown eye cracked open, squinting at her through a half closed lid.
"What is it, Emma?" Jack mumbled, words thick with sleep and jumbled together.
"I had a bad dream, can I sleep in your bed tonight?"
Jack's eye closed. "Ya know you are getting too old for this, right?"
Tears filled Emma's eyes, she was scared and he was going to make her sleep alone!
"I know," she whispered softly, turning back to her bed with a muffled sniffle. Jack caught her wrist and she turned back to look at him with confused and glassy eyes.
He rolled over and pulled his wool blanket back in invitation. When Emma just stared at him he closed his eyes again. "I said that you were getting too old for this, not that I was turning you away," his voice softened. "I could never say no to you when you are scared, Em. You mean the world to me."
Emma let out a squeal that would have woken their parent had they been home and climbed in to Jack's bed.
As she fell asleep that night, tucked safely under her brother's arm, the sound of his steady heartbeat lulling her to dreamland, she had no way of knowing that the next time she had a nightmare it would be filled with the echoing sound of breaking ice, sloshing water, and tearful cries of her brother's name. Yes, the next time she had a nightmare, there would be no comfort found in the bed across the room.