Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians.
Nine Years Later...
It had become a habit- offering to walk Sammy in order to sneak away and head down to the lake that was off in the woods behind our home. Mother and Father, as I had taken to calling them by such names, were both pleased with my willingness to help in taking care of the aging Husky. He was around ten years old now, and I had grown quite attached to the beautiful dog. Dressed in my black jeans, a black sweater, and matching scarf, I carried my ice skates with me down to the lake. It was the middle of January, ice and snow having taken over where I lived. Both of my silver eyes looked around, searching the shadows just in case. Of course Sammy would growl or react if he was anywhere near, but I had to look to make sure. I don't care what people say, I believe in the Boogeyman.
The lake came into my line of sight and I breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be nearing my destination. It was around three in the afternoon, but I wanted to have enough time to skate and get home before the sun even began to set. I didn't have to tie up Sammy, which made me glad because I hated the idea of leaving him alone and/or tying him up. Sitting on a tree that had fallen over some time a few winters ago, I began changing from my boots into the skates. The task was done quickly, having been done several times previously. As I stood from the tree, I sensed a presence and looked up to get nailed in the face with a snow ball. Rolling my eyes, I wiped off the chilling snow and spotted the white haired trouble maker.
He was dressed in his thin, blue hoodie and loose khaki shorts. I always wondered if her just owned multiple pairs or if, perhaps, the Guardians just possessed everlasting articles of clothing so they would never have to change.
"What do you want, Jack?" I asked, growing agitated with his presence already as I skated onto the ice slowly with Sammy padding along beside me. After the first few weeks of skating on the lake, Sammy had learned how to tread carefully on the ice so as not to slip and fall too often. Not to say that he didn't slip and fall several times, just not as often as he used to.
"Ah, so you can still see me?" Jack Frost chuckled, twirling his cane as he grinned at me. I rolled my eyes, not liking the sudden invasion of my private time. Jack and I had met at this very lake. The white haired boy had been surprised by the mere fact that I could see him even back then. Of course if you have dealt with him you would find it possible to believe in anything. Besides, Father was a firm believer in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny- even the Sandman. Jack Frost wasn't much of a stretch in their open minds. Mother, on the other hand, just entertained his thoughts of magic and wonder. I believed, not that people like the boy standing on the other side of the lake from me gave me much of a choice in the matter.
"Of course I can, you dolt," I fought the urge to chuck a snowball at him, knowing how quick it would turn into a World War III level snowball fight within ten minutes. Keeping up my slow pace, I kept my eyes on him. He feigned hurt, placing a hand over his chest as he looked at me with slightly widened eyes. Melodramatic ice prince...
"Why always with the insults, Artie?" he questioned, earning another roll of my silver eyes as I chose to ignore him for as long as possible. Of course, after a few minutes of being ignored, Jack slid across the ice to meet my slow pace easily. Glancing down at his bare feet, I fought the urge to slam the blade of my skate into one of them. Not that I could really hurt him. I doubt I could scratch him. "I was only asking because most adults can't see us."
"You do realize that I came here to be alone, correct?" I picked up my pace slightly, not that he didn't match it just as easily. Magical being or not, I couldn't stand Jack's company on days like today. The reason being that I had a very unpleasant nightmare last night and I did not want to be around anyone today. All he managed to do with his presence was remind me that the object of my nightmares was indeed real- that I wasn't just insane and that no manner of medication or therapy would make the Boogeyman go away.
"Do you really not want my company? I always thought I was awesome company," Jack looked at me curiously, the way he always did when he caught me during one of my 'worse' days. I nodded, raising my eyebrows in a 'well duh' fashion. Holding up his hands in mock surrender, I watched as he kicked off the ice, the wind carrying him off as he did a overly dramatized bow goodbye. Watching him turn into a dot in the sky, I realized more time had passed than I had originally believed while I was travelling to the lake and talking to Jack. Checking my wristwatch, I noticed that it was indeed four thirty. How had I wasted that much time? Frowning, I looked up at the cloudy sky that gave no hint as to when the sun would vanish upon the hills. I should have at least thirty minutes before I need to high tail it home.
Nodding to myself, I proceeded to pick up pace with my skating. I lost myself in the art, as I usually did when I came out here on the ice, twirling and throwing my body into graceful jumps through the air. It was the reason that Mother had taught me how to skate.
"I can't do it!" I whined, giving up after what felt as if it had been the billionth time of me collapsing on the hard whitish blue surface of the ice. Mother looked down at me, warm forest green eyes glowing with laughter at the ridiculous pout on my face as I struggled with tearing off the blue ice skates she and Father had given me for Christmas. Lightly swatting my hands from the laces, she took my small hands in her own.
"It is not that you cannot, it is that you are afraid of falling and getting hurt," she informed me, pulling me up to my feet as she knelt in front of me with that loving smile of hers. I looked at my feet, sniffling as she fixed my new turquoise scarf. Two of her fingers lightly touched the bottom of my chin before lifting my face so that I was again gazing up at her. "I was afraid of the same thing, a lot of things really, when I was your age."
"Really?" I felt my eyes widen at her statement and she smiled and nodded with her signature chiming laugh. I didn't notice that she was moving backwards and, consequently, pulling me forwards.
"Of course. I was terrified. You know what helped me?" she asked, her voice falling to a whisper as she grinned down at me.
"What?" I questioned in an awe-filled voice.
"I closed my eyes and then I thought of the happiest, brightest thing I could think of," she let go of one hand to slide my eyelids shut and I was suddenly highly aware of my feet moving across the ice. My nerves nearly caused me to skid to a halt before Mother repeated the phrase and I found myself picturing the sun peaking through the clouds right after a blizzard, causing the snow to glitter as if it was made of millions of tiny diamonds. I could feel the warmth from its light, comforting my chilled skin. "Now open your eyes."
Her other hand released me and I opened my eyes. She was far ahead of me and I was moving across the ice on my own. I kept going, getting excited, before I slipped and fell. Bitter disappointment filled me and I shook it off.
"Are you alright?" Mother called, looking as if she was about to head back to check on me. I got on to my feet, thought of the sun, and nodded quickly before taking back off on the ice, laughing with glee.
"Such a pretty show," a voice cut through the air like a knife, causing me to falter in my landing and collapse on the ice. Sammy was growling next to me at the shadows and I looked up to see that the sun was sinking. How had I lost myself in the memory for so long? Panicking, I scrambled to my feet and raced across the ice towards my boots. Barely managing to change into them, I cast frightened glances around the slowly darkening woods as I searched for the source of the voice, as I searched for him. It was when I turned on my heel and was ordering Sammy to follow me that his voice met my ears from the shadows once more. "Not afraid of the dark, are you?"
I spotted his sharp featured face and wicked eyes, my heart stuttering in fear at the mere sight of him. My breath caught in my throat and I began running, trying to block out the laughter behind me. Sammy was at my heels, running with me as I darted through the trees in what I knew was the direction of my home.
"Leaving so soon?" a pale hand caught my throat and jerked me back in to the shadows, the same shadows that proceeded to swallow me even as Sammy barked insistently in my direction. I choked on the darkness, struggling to free myself as I felt it consume me."I was so looking forward to playing."
His face appeared, taunting as ever, and I screamed at the sudden fire that lit up my skin. Swatting it away, I tried to remember that it was just a trick, that he couldn't really hurt me.
"Of course it's not a trick. Does a trick feel like this?" a sharp pain filled my chest as if it was filling with water and I was drowning in a sea of black water. Or was it tar? Choking on the unidentified dark liquid, I struggled for the surface only to feel the pain of razor sharp teeth as a shark dragged me beneath the surface. Clawing out at the surrounding area, I prayed for it to end. "It seems your wish may just come true."
My eyes snapping open, I looked up to see the concerned faces of my mother and father. A wet tongue, most likely Sammy's, licked my cheek. My heart was beating faster than should be healthy, reminding me of the vivid nightmare.
"Thank god you are alright!" my mother wrapped her arms around me, holding me close to her and chasing away the sudden freezing chill I felt. "When Sammy arrived without you, your father and I were worried sick! We came looking for you at found you in the lake. It looked as if you took a nasty fall, broke through the ice and everything. I'm so glad we got to you in time!"
Just a nightmare. Another nightmare. Brought to me by my personal greatest fear.
The Boogeyman.
