Hey! Sorry for not putting notes or anything like that last chapter. I'm kinda new at this.
I WILL be continuing this! No need to keep telling me! Most likely, I'll post one chapter each Friday (or sooner, depending on whether or not I want to make you wait XD), since I'm actually finished with all the chapters. There's only seven, and there is absolutely NO consistency in any of them (okay, maybe, like, the first three or so). I love reviews, so keep them coming!
This chapter does contain a little of language, but not much. And some descriptions are a little gory (not really, I'm overreacting).
If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I enjoy making the main character (JACK) suffer. Please forgive me!
I'm gonna lay down some rules:
If you do not enjoy my story, stop reading and move on. Don't post discouraging reviews just because I said something wrong or you got in trouble showing this to your mom. (And ANYTHING else).
Be nice! Do leave a review if you enjoy the story and want to see more in the future! I'm working on a new ROTG story that includes the Seasonal Spirits, so tell me if you want to see more of that. I should have that uploaded by today (July 17th, 2015).
Want me to do a whole lot of one shots? Gimme some ideas! (ROTG ONLY! I don't know if I'm good enough to do any other story... maybe BH6...)
AND THANK YOU, Bribug, TO BE THE FIRST ONE EVER TO WRITE A REVIEW ON MY ACCOUNT! Cookies to you!
Love you all!
Mini
Chapter Two
When the Guardians came to again, they were in a poorly house. The shingles could be seen falling off from the inside. Wooden logs made up the walls, and very well-made paintings hung from them. There were two extremely small bedrooms, an equally so kitchen, and a small loveseat in front of a hearth.
"Where are we?" Bunny asked, as he went to put a hand on the countertop. The furry paw fell through instead, scaring the rabbit half out of his wits.
"Bunny, calm down." Tooth chuckled nervously, but was looking at a photo on a shelf. "We're in a memory."
"But who's?" North said.
Sandy and Tooth both looked at each other in turn, agreeing silently. "Jack's. Look at the portrait," Sandy said quietly.
There, in the beautiful painting, was a family of four. A woman with long, brown hair and green eyes. A man with blonde hair and brown eyes. Two children, a boy that looked twelve, and a girl that looked no older than five, both inheriting traits from their parents.
"Jack looks so… different." Bunny exclaims, seeing the younger version of the annoying teenager he'd come to know so well was, to say the least, unexpected.
"Man in Moon must've changed him so much when he was chosen for guardianship." Tooth said sadly.
Sandy startled them all with the statement, "But why was he chosen so young, is the question."
"Mama, why is Papa being mean to Jackie?" they all heard a young girl cry out.
The Guardians moved toward the room the voice came from, phasing through the door. There sat a slightly older version of the girl and her mother. The older grimaced.
"Now, now, Pippa," she soothed, while trying to drown out the screams coming from the room across the hall. "Please remember that that man isn't your Papa, alright? Remember what happened years ago?"
"Papa was in a horrible fire at a village, and never came home. Jack was with him and got terrible scars on his back." Pippa sniffled. "But why is the man hurting Jackie? What did Jackie do?"
"Nothing, dear." The woman said quietly, bringing her close. "Jack is selfless, and didn't want us to get hurt. So he's taking t-the b-b-blows…." She started weeping.
Pippa frowned. "Mama, why do you cry? Surely Jackie can't be that hurt."
Another scream was heard. It took everything in the Guardians not to plow through the house to the other bedroom.
"Pippa, dear, do you know what vodka is?"
Tooth started crying, leaning into North's arms for comfort. The men stared in horror when they realized what was going on.
Jack's stepdad had a drinking problem, and was abusive. Jack was protecting his family by having the man hit him instead of the women. He's taking the blows.
"Its stuff that makes you tired and… stupid?" Pippa tired, but couldn't seem to grasp the whole term.
"It does much more than that." She takes a pause, wiping her eyes. The redness was all that was left. "If you drink too much of it, they call you a drunk. That's what your stepfather is—a drunk. They can get really violent and—and they d-don't see s-straight."
"Mama?"
"He's hurting Jack real bad right now." The brunette answered with tears in her voice. "But Jack would only be in more pain if we went in there to help him."
Bunny growled, deciding that he needed to go see it for himself. Surely, it can't be that bad?
But boy, was he wrong. He was so, so wrong.
The older had black hair and blue eyes that were red around the rims. His whole body stunk in the worst way possible, fat hung from his body like a horrible disease; his tunic, that was supposedly white, was a dark yellow, with black in some spots.
He was holding yet another beer bottle, shards of past ones scattered across the floor, around a thirteen-year-old Jack.
The boy was bleeding profusely. His brown head of hair was littered with shards, as were his face, neck, chest… his whole body. Scratches were sewn across his face and neck, where most of the pieces had made home base. Jack was huddled in a ball by the lonely wooden bed that took up more than half the room.
"Stupid, stupid boy…." He downed another bottle and raised it over his head. "Stupid, dumbass boy."
When the bottle connected with Jack, a scream shriller than any other could be heard. It left the hut as it echoed out of existence. The victim laid still on the floor, not moving a muscle.
And Aster feared the most. But when he tried to check for a pulse, his paw fell through the boy's neck. He growled in frustration, knowing he couldn't do anything to help; this was a mere memory.
Bunny didn't hear the door open until a clang was heard through the room. The drunk fell to the floor, unconscious. There Pippa stood at the door, frying pan now safely at her side.
She dropped as she ran to Jack, sobbing hysterically. "Jackie, w-wake up. Please, tell me what hurts. We've b-been through this b-before. You have to wake up a-and tell me w-what's wrong."
Silence reigned in all its glory.
"MAMA!" Pippa screamed, jarring. "Mother, he's barely breathing! He won't wake up!"
The woman burst into the room, three small bags in hand. "As soon as we get him bandaged up—don't worry, dear, his chest is rising—we're leaving, got it? I will not let Jack take any more of this."
Sandy's POV
We listened to the rest of what the two women had to say after Bunny left the room to find Jack. And to be frank, it killed us all on the inside.
"Mama, what do you mean, 'they don't see straight'?" she seemed to be too young to understand. But I knew her well; she always had dreamed of her and a boy ice skating, but I could never find the boy….
"I've taught you what 'delusional' means, yes?"
"Yes, Mama."
"Well, honey," she sniffed, eyes hard set. "That's what that stupid man has become. Delusional. There's a chemical in beer and vodka that makes him so, and now he doesn't know what's he's doing."
Then we all heard a scream, and nothing. Quiet.
Pippa got a dangerous twinkle in her eyes, and her and her mother shared a glance. The latter chuckled with a nod, but there was worry in her eyes.
I hope he's alright—ohmysweetgoodness, what if he isn't?
North stumbled back, landing hard on the floor. "Did… did we just hear her thoughts? I saw it, it's M-something…."
"Medina." Sandy finished sadly. "I remember her dreams. And Pippa's. There was always a boy in them, doing something wild."
Pippa ran from the room, grabbing a frying pan off the rack on the bedroom wall.
Medina hastily stuffed clothes, food, and blankets in three separate bags, pausing when she put her hand on Jack's vest. I recognized it instantly.
"That's the vest Jack was wearing when I first met him." I blurted out in a deep and gentle voice.
"Sandy, how many times have you two met?"
I grinned, remembering. "Tons."
"You have to wake up a-and tell me w-what's wrong." We heard a tear-filled voice from the other room.
"Pippa, dear?" Medina said in question, grabbing a small stack of money from a hidden drawer.
"MAMA! Mother, he's barely breathing! He won't wake up!"
All of us tore into the room, only to find Bunny staring in angst at the unconscious boy. Pippa was holding Jack's hand and rubbing his chest.
"As soon as we get him bandaged up—don't worry, dear, his chest is rising—we're leaving, got it? I will not let Jack take any more of this."
I knelt next to Bunny as we watched her lay the gauze carefully on him.
"Sandy… that man," he pointed shakily to the black-haired one on the floor. "That man… he's horrible. Oh Man in Moon, he's horrible. I thought we were supposed to protect the children of the world; but look at Jack! We didn't even know…." Water was filling his eyes at an alarming rate.
"We did all we could," I said softly. "You and North give them retreat to something happy, while Tooth and I help them keep a positive belief for as long as we can. We can't just walk in and knock someone out because they're hurting a child…." But even as I said it, I berated the words. That's what a Guardian was, right? A protector.
"Well, then," Bunny stood angrily, gesturing to Jack madly, "we aren't doing our jobs. Because we're supposed to be guardians, and Guardians protect. But what're we doing here, standing around and picking days to fill them with joy? Jack had three months till Easter, and even more till Christmas. He's most likely lost all his teeth by now, and, honestly, did you really expect your dream sand to make its way to him? And Pippa and Medina. They're probably scared out of their wits in worry constantly."
Oh, why can't there be food? Jack, you need it so badly.
The others had been staring at Bunny as he ranted, but soon were draw toward the source of it. You could count his ribs. One two three four five….
You need to stop giving us all your food. You'll die of starvation, dear.
Medina cradled Jack's broken and bloodied body to hers, rocking it gently back and forth. His head hung limply from his neck.
This is the worst he's ever been—ohmysweetgoodness, Jack… please, stay. I need you… there's a pregnant pause as she stands up with him in her arms. Pippa will need you.
The moon is watching, dear. Make him proud. And she's staring at him through the window.
Tooth stared at me immediately. "She did not just say what I think she said."
"No, she did." I was in shock myself.
"What, it could be their religion." North said calmly. "Might be some Moon-God."
"North. Sandy. Tooth. Oh Man in Moon." Bunny ran his hands through his fur, settling his eyes in me. "His mother is a spirit."
North breathed in. "She can't be. Simply not possible."
"And why not, North?" I said, getting at what Bunny was implying. "She speaks of the moon—and no, it isn't a Moon-God—and she's telling him to make him proud. She was staring at Man in Moon as she said those words. And, have you ever thought to think, why can't hear Pippa's thoughts?"
He huffs. "You know, I liked you better when you couldn't talk."
I chuckle. "I can't forever. I can only do so for two days of the year."
"Pippa, are the horses ready?" Medina asks—we hadn't even seen Pippa leave the room. "And the blankets are cushioned in the back like we usually do at home?"
"Yes, Mama."
"The packs are tied down?"
"Yes, Mama."
"And there's extra food and medical supplies in the hidden compartment?"
"Mama, I swear I got it all." She goes to hug Jack, who was placed down so Medina could wash her hands. "Jackie, just sleep tight. I promise you'll be safe when you wake up. We both promise."
Medina got a sad look in her eye.
"She knows something…" Tooth said warily, staring at the torn mother's face in the candlelight. "Something bad. Really bad."
"Alright, dear," Medina sighs, picking up Jack's body with a gentle touch. "You stay with Jack in the back while I drive. This may be a long drive."
"Mama, where are we going?"
There was hesitation as she smoothed back Jack's hair. "To Aunt Rea and Aunt Willow's, dear. It'll be a long ride, Pippa. You better snuggle close to him." Then she leans close to hug her.
You don't know it yet, but you're his healing touch, Pípere.
