DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN RISE OF THE GAURDIANS WILLIAM JOYCE DOES, AND ELLA HENDERSON OWNS THE SONG GHOST WHICH THIS STORY WAS INSPIRED BY.

Based off of Ghost by Ella Henderson and a headcanon that Pitch finds Emma terrified of ice skating on the lake after having witnessed Jack's death and blames herself. And Pitch, being the evil jerk he is, plays with that fear to make Emma seem like she's insane to others in the village. However, she hides it very well and is only found out of her 'illness' by having a mental break down after a scare while playing with the other children.

WARNING: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH, POST TRAUMATIC SYNDROME DISORDER, AND GRAPHIC

For charmed7293 who I told about this earlier on last year that I would do this. Finally finished it. Thank you for your help! And sorry for how long it took…

Chorus
I keep going to the lake to pray,
Cause I need something that can wash out the pain,
And at most I'm playing all these fears away,
But his ghost
The Ghost of him it keeps me awake

Emma knows that her brother is dead. She saw him fall into the watery prison herself. She alone was the only one actually who could prove that he was dead, beings that she alone was with him on the day of the incident itself. If there had been someone else there, if they had chosen a better time, if their friends had come with them, then he would not have needed to die to save her from that horrible fate. So the question to her was, why could she still see Jack's outline? Casually leaning against the tree, a smirk gracing his face as he gazed at her with glowing, malicious eyes? Why was it that when she was outside she would hear his faint voice, the echoes of a scream in her ears, and terror strung throughout it's call? Or other times, when she was playing hide and seek with the other children, their favorite game now that spring melted the snow away; she could hear her brother's laugh and see his wisp of a body fling itself in and out of sight. His calls always carrying the same tone of dysphemism during the games. "Emma, you can't escape me. I know where you are. I know your favorite hiding places. I don't want my little sister to be dragged away from all those mean, cruel children who want to win the game."

It was often times such as this that Emma would run. Changing her location various times throughout the whole ordeal, not, to avoid being be found and lose the game, but to avoid being found by her brother. No. Not her brother, this… this was someone else… something else…

"100! Ready or not! Here I come!" And Emma ran away from the tree that was currently hiding Jack's fickle body from view.

My doubts had you figured out,
Yeah they saw what's inside of you
Trying to hide under another bed
But you evil is coming through,
These fearlings in the wall
They watch every move I make,
Bright light living in the shade
You go hard makes the spirit shake

On the night of Jack's death, she had heard a voice. Sleep ridden and strung throughout with the grogginess that had always accompanied her brother's voice had come a light hearted, "Hey Em, mind if your big brother joins ya a little late tonight?" Under the covers Emma stirred, still sedated with sleep, she heard the voice of her brother, acknowledged the sound that she had been familiar with in all her years of life, and gave a short, slow nod of her head. However, when she had felt the dip in the bed and the clear outline of her brother's body lay next to her, she remembered that her brother had died this morning. The morning she had come home for the first time in tears and alone. Without a hand to hold or anyone carrying her down the winding path to their house. She froze, the body next to her was not it's usual warm comforting temperature, but a freezing, winter substance that slowly infected her bones with cold.

Noticing her stiffen up, the bogeyman, having an abundance of fear to gather from her petitte body, encouraged his puppets to entrap her in their embrace and lure her into the sense of security that was entirely to fraudulent for even himself to believe.

Slim, muscular arms tightened themselves around her as if to give her a comforting reminder. It was anything but. Then, this person, this creature, used Jack's voice again, "Em, everything is fine. I'm right here. Won't you let me see your face? Come out from under the covers? Or at least let me under them-I'm freezing." Emma nodded again to Jack-not Jack. Her body spasmed and she shook her head as the one next to her held her tighter. Not letting go of her even after all her efforts and it replied, "What now? You feel like taking back something that you agreed to? Even after nodding to me? Well Em, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to go under the covers now that you are shivering." Its true, she was shaking, but the cold was not the reason. "I don't care much if I'm cold, you know I'd gladly stay on the floor than bother you if you wanted, but you need this. Body heat to keep each other warm, remember what mom said?" Emma remembered. And she wished desperately that she couldn't because Jack was not home the night Mother had said that. She let herself become a deadweight for the imposter Jack to lift. She tried to kick and punch, but when she had attempted to scream for her mother, she found her voice echoing in the too occupied room, unacknowledged.

I had to go through hell to prove I'm not insane
Had to meet The Nightmare King
Just to know his name
And that's where my love was freezing
Yeah it's still freezing

When she had told her Mother about seeing Jack, an impassioned pain came to the light of her eyes, and her Mother crouched down, now eye-level with her and spoke just above a whisper.

"…J-Jack is g-gone sw-sweetie,"-tears flowing without her Mother even needing to blink- "He will always be in our hearts, you know that. But the villagers… We need to keep up appearances darling. They have gotten suspicious of you. I know you would never do it-that you loved him to pieces, but they have been telling me of your out bursts and believe that you pushed him in.. Its not true of course, its all lies, but if you keep going like this, they will think you have been possessed child." After that, Emma did not tell her Mother about Jack anymore… Not even when the nightmares came and left her waking with a ragged breath, the sheets suffocating the life out of her, and the fading remains of 'Jack's' laughter in her obsurdly dark bedroom… Not even when Jack's laughter was not the only one left in the room anymore…

Chorus 2x
I keep going to the lake to pray,
Cause I need something that can wash out the pain,
And at most I'm playing all these fears away,
But his ghost
The Ghost of him it keeps me awake,

Since that night she could feel his embrace under the sheets. Murmuring soft, vacant words of hate. "You killed me. I died for you. Why did you have to go to the lake that day? Why didn't you listen when you heard that the ice had to be tested first before going on it? Why didn't you save yourself?" …

Emma tossed and turned under her covers, knowing that if she did listen to the voice, if she let it's false reason take over her conciousness, she would be in for worse than she had already endured. Just as the voice knew it was depriving her will to fight through it's concieved way of talk.

Each time that I think you go
I peak my head and and you're creeping in
And I let you into my mind
Cause I love even just seeing him

One night, Emma had enough of her warriness and after hearing Jack's calls of disdain. She lifted the covers from her face, and came to know true terror. It was Jack, but not the Jack she so fondly remembered. The auburn orbs full of warmth and love now held an icy blue that did not possess the vibrant life it once held. However, it did hold a similar glint, mischief. Antigravity locks of chocolate brown were now shimmering crystal white. Though still conveying the wildness in it's disordered aray. Slightly tanned and caloused hands that once held warmth now only excluded cold.

Jack you never told me
This love was going to hurt
This pain that I do deserve
Truth is that I learned to late

Emma had since then fought to get away from Jack. Even in her dreams his face was still the unpigmented shade and his hands still calloused to the cold touch. Continuously reaching and grabbing out of nowhere. However, Jack was now recently joined by a tall, dark man whose dimmed skin remained glowing in the dark. His eyes-she never dared look at. She could sense the cruel knowing stare he was giving her with his golden eyes just fine in her peripheral vision. The man himself never said a word, but when his hand twitched from time to time, the Jack who now haunted her twitched, and she knew the truth. She was terrified all the same, only now it was for the loss of the illusion of having Jack. No matter the fact that he was the one whose hands created the burning lines down her arms, the dried blood that had scabbed over in her dreams and was no more than red lines once she woke. No matter the bruises she had from him holding her so tight the circulation cut off and the rest of her skin turned blue from the chill. He was still her brother. And so she would wait in anticipation and fear of seeing Jack and the man both while despising herself every moment that passed after the two had left.

Chorus 2x
I keep going to the lake to pray,
Cause I need something that can wash out the pain,
And at most I'm playing all these fears away,
But his ghost
The Ghost of him it keeps me awake,

She slowly adapted to the boughts of terror that would string into her soul whenever she saw the two. Whether it be night or day, however, when she would sporadically have breaking points set in the day for herself of allowing the burning sensations of helplessness to overcome her. She would sit in the corner across from where the man appeared, staring into the meager space she called her room since Jack had sacrificed himself for her. Hours could have passed, or minutes. But she made sure to sit in that spot, because of the calming prescience she would have after sitting there that she should have had when she slept and now was no longer was able to attain in her bed. Her stinging eyes incapable of noticing the tears that lined her face. And she sat awaiting the Jack who still she adored.

2x
Give up my brother
Give up my brother
Give up my brother
Stop hurting him please

Emma tried once. She knew the most she would probably get out of the man in her room who controlled Jack, was a hatred that scraped her skin against stone. But that didn't matter anymore because that was what she felt when Jack had started clawing at her many months ago. She turned towards the man, whose gleaming eyes spoke of a ruthlessness that she had feared and still did fear. Only now she was accustomed to it. When she left the warmth of her bed, her covers clung to her reminding her of how her living, breathing, Jack made sure to continuously give her affection no matter the hour. She meticulously stepped near the man, whose expression shifted quickly from that of confidence to astonishment and back to the sneer that she had seen when she first noticed him behind Jack. And then, she pleaded.

"And why would I listen to the likes of you my dear?" The man stated. Apathy wrung in his features.

"You would have killed me by now if you had not needed me for something. And since we have a mutual necessity for something, I think we should attempt for a deal." she replied smoothly.

The man said nothing, and Emma took that as her que to continue on.

"Keep letting me see Jack, but let him free and you can do as you wish with me"

I keep going to the lake to pray

The outcome had the man bent over with silent laughter covering his face and pure sadistic joy strewn throughout his eyes.

He decided not to tell the child that she should have attempted to ask for a different way for Jack to treat her. He decided not to tell her this would only encourage him to terrify her more. He decided not to tell her there was no more she could do for her older brother.

Once he had trained his expression back to one of indifference, he inquired her.

"So the very thing that terrifies you, the very thing that controls you, you love?"

Emma said nothing, a light of determination in her eyes.

The Shade smiled.

Chorus 2x
I keep going to the lake to pray,
Cause I need something that can wash out the pain,
And at most I'm playing all these fears away,
But his ghost
The Ghost of him it keeps me awake

Emma was still enduring the man and his Jack. She had come to the conclusion since the day that the haunted soul she would keep noticing out of the corner of her eyes would now appear and cause havoc even if she begged him not to.

It only seemed to goad on the dark man whose response every time was to smile and reply, "You begged me to let him go, but this is his own doing, and I am just observing the fun."

There was a time when she thought that the Jack he had conjured would not go as low as to grab the blueberries she had picked for breakfast for her mother and throw it to the ground only to spite her. There was a time when she thought that having the man loosen his control over the Jack that he owned would mean reprieve. And the times she shared with her brother when he had her tucked under his arms after a light spring walk would return. Only now she knew.

The jump scares his Jack would create on occasion only left her more annoyed at herself that she was continuously terrified. Until the day she saw the flimsy body hiding in place in what she had assumed was another chance for it to grab at her breakfast.

So she took the knife she had delicately placed inside of her bag earlier that morning and cautiously approached the tree it was hidden behind. The imposter of her brother had the audacity to scream out when her knife slashed it's face.

And then she heard laughing.

When she turned, the man had his arm lovingly wrapped around the cruel Jack she had come to familiarize herself with in her nightmares.

She tried to wipe the blood from her hands, scrambling through the forest as all that was repeated in her head were "Wake up."

Happy Halloween Everyone! I hope you enjoyed!