As Jack hangs his feet felt lost to him. They are held back in the dark void Pitch created. Jack almost looked like an animal being hung like a trophy.
Under his white hair Jack glared at Pitch, who was twirling Jack's staff like a baton.
"What do you want Pitch?" Jack didn't squirm or struggle, he didn't want to give his old enemy the satisfaction of seeing his helplessness.
"Obedience; you are to preform as I say. I will give you a script and you will improvise it with your own quirks while following my lead." The Boogeyman told him, light and smoky.
Jack's smirk was like that of a kid who heard a bad joke. "Give some kids frostbite? Freeze the roads so they crash their bikes, skates etcetera? You can't believe I'd help you torture kids."
"Jack, you are thinking of a past me. In this new life I've made I do not go out of my way to rape young minds and break hearts and hopes." Pitch smiled. "The fear and respect comes to me on a silver platter."
Pitch leveled Jack's staff and gently started nicking crooked shapes in it. Jack started at Pitch for a minute and realized Pitch looked different; on his grayish lips a genuine smile stretched. Also Pitch was a little wider than Jack remembered. If he looked close enough Jack could see a little fat under Pitch's chin.
"How's that?" Jack asked, waiting to hear that Pitch had already enslaved a town and ate it's children whole.
Pitch bent his head and smiled wider, more evilly. "I've brought you to another dimension; a dimension where monsters such as I do not hide. There are no secrets of monsters' existence; we live separately from humans but just over a river and through some woods. Monsters are free to live as citizens of their own cities- we have careers, culture, pride, social recognition. (Pitch begins to look dreamy) We can even settle down and have families."
The 300-year-old boy whom looked 17-years-old could not believe Pitch would live in a suburb and be part of a PTA. "Am I in your dream?"
"You could call it that, I suppose. I have more than could ever ask for here." Pitch's eye twitched as he caught his own false truth. "I take that back. There is one thing I cannot create for myself- something you will do because it is your only good talent."
Jack grimaced. "Whatever it is- No."
"Jack Frost. I need you…" Jack braced himself for something disgusting horrible. "To give my daughter a birthday party."
The snow-boy unclenched his teeth and stared at Pitch. "Daughter? You? I mean of all twisted-science-gone-wrong catastrophes in history you have…?"
"Yes. It is only in this dimension I was found worthy enough to reproduce and raise my own child." Pitch said, his eyes were honest and without a trace of snark.
"Is she the next princess of the underworld?" Jack was expecting Pitch to take out a doll.
"I'd rather she choose to go into the family business than pressure her." Pitch said as he checked the clock on his wall. "Oh, she'll be getting out of school in two hours! We still need to decorate."
"Listen very carefully, Pitch Black." Jack spoke with a grissly edge. "I. Work. For. No one!"
"You live to make children happy, little Guardian. And my child deserves happiness!"
Jack laughed. "You can't force me to be your evil kid's party clown!"
"Actually I can. Your goody-goody guardian friends have no way to contact you- your powers are only accessible through this staff and with the kind help of my neighbor, miss Kindergrubber, you've been cursed to remain in this realm until my rotten apple of my eye has a perfectly happy birthday!"
…
In the Black home, purple and black streamers lined the walls. There were balloons with storm clouds in them and the walls were crowded with giant stuff animals. None of them were smiling and Jack found their bleak black button eyes to be unfriendly.
On Jack's head was a pointy black party hat. The snow-creature sat on Pitch's musty couch, arms crossed with a pouty face.
Pitch looked at his iCoffin. "She's almost here!"
The boogeyman handed Jack a party-popper. He then put a record player on; the record was obviously scratched because the sound form it was ugly and wonky.
Jack didn't hear a door open. He did hear a raspy, feminine voice say "Dad?"
There was a dim light in the middle of the room, creating shadows all around Jack. In front of him crept in a creature with long teal hair.
Pitch pulled a popper, a weak smoke came out and a few spiders fell to the floor. They didn't move after.
"Happy Birthday my little imp!" Pitch said, hold his arms wide and open.
"Thanks, dad." Pitch's daughter said in a dreary tone of patience with a tiny little smile on her light puce lips.
As the girl walked into the light, Jack learned a few things about her. She had thick black rings around violet eyes, wore shoes with heels, wore lipgloss and wasn't a kid; she was a teenager.
When the girl noticed Jack her eyes bulged and she looked at the floor. "Umm, hi." The ghoul said shyly.
"Sup."
"Twyla, this is an old friend; Jack Frost." Pitch explained to his daughter.
"Oh? The same Jack Frost in the stories you use to tell me at bedtime?" Twyla asked, trying to meet Jack's eyes with out actually lifting her head.
"Aww, you use to tell stories about me?" Jack asked, smiling with curiosity.
Pitch gave Jack a warning glance and didn't give a follow-up answer.
"Tonight Jack has come to make your birthday an especially fun one!" Pitch hovered to Twyla to stroke her hair.
Twyla gently looked around her dad to tell Jack. "Thank you. (to her dad) So are we having dinner here or somewhere else?"
"Oh, we're having cake and eye scream tonight, dear. But first, Jack and I have games planned!" Pitch excitedly told her.
"Oh, Dad, you didn't have to do that."
"Can you believe how modest she is?" Pitch gushed over his daughter.
Jack wasn't moved by Pitch's blind adoration. "Yep, modesty and wisdom come in maturity when kids become teenagers. Cause she is one. A teenager."
The boogeyman ignored Jack's comment. During the game of bingo, charades and musical chairs Jack noticed he wasn't the only one who wished he wasn't there.
Twyla was a teenager; she was past his restriction zone. Jack knew this ghoul didn't want to hang out with her dad and his 'friend' all night. He also learned that despite her inherited creepiness, Twyla was a sweet, level-headed ghoul that Jack could respect.
At the Black family's dinning room table, Jack and Twyla were left alone. Pitch was in the kitchen getting her cake ready.
"You don't want to be here, do you?" Jack nonchalantly stated.
"No, I do!" Twyla tried to sound sincere. Jack raised an eyebrow, she sighed.
"It wasn't my first plan. I had intentions of fanging out with my friends tonight."
Teens and their weird slang, Jack thought. "That sounds so much better! How about you tell Pitch that right after cake."
"I can't." Twyla told her dad's friend, who was surprisingly immature.
"Yes you can, let's practice: 'Papa, I'd rather be at a sock hop than pretend to enjoy your old man company.' There. Now you try."
Twyla looked at him with a pity. "My dad has always been amazing. I don't have the heart to tell him I don't want to spend time with him this one night."
Intently, Jack didn't care if Twyla had fun or not. But after hearing her unselfish statement, the winter spirit decided she deserved to have a good birthday.
"Your dad loves you. If brought to his attention correctly, he'll do right by you." Jack stood up and walked to the door.
"Wait!" Twyla softly said with urgency. "Please don't ask him!"
"Twyla, don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
Jack walked through the kitchen door to see Pitch in an apron. The spooky monster was decorating a cake designed by Pisacco.
"You've got a good kid. She gave up a night out with her friends just for you." Jack informed his old enemy.
Pitch looked up from his icing squirting. "Really? Yes! My little ghoul cares for me more than her wicked friends!"
"Whoa, wrong turn, this is the part where you tell her she can go out!" Jack was stunned at the selfishness.
"No, I don't want that. I want my most precious one to stay here with the father who loves her most." Pitch went back to putting the gray icing on his cake.
With the swirling happiness in his ashy soul, Pitch was in a blissful state of ignorance. He did not hear Jack's jaw drop, nor did he hear Jack Frost grab the frying pan hanging on the ceiling.
The pale boy weighted the pan in his hands. His right arm filled with energy as he looked at the despicable grin on from Pitch's distracted profile.
Twyla was texting apologies to her beastie when Jack walked back into the room.
"Your dad is cool with you jumping out." He said with a wide grin on his face.
The light purple creature couldn't believe him. "No way."
"Yes way, you're free!" Jack twirled on his shoeless feet to emphasis his point.
Twyla smiled then frowned. She stood up and said, "I need to tell him that I-"
"Hey, Twyla, he knows. I'll admit it wasn't easy but I knocked some sense into him. He's tender right now so you should check on him after you get home tonight." Jack said, leaning on her table.
"Why did you do that? I didn't ask…"
"Your dad brought me here to give you a fun night. He didn't realize it would take him being out. So go out, be with your same-age friends." Jack motioned his hand to the door.
Without knowing the appropriate thing to say, Twyla said. "Thank you."
"Great, now call your friends and we can be on our way."
"We?" Twyla asked, disbelieving such a dumb statement was said.
"I've hung out with your dad long enough and it's still my job tonight to see you have fun."