A/N: Thanks so much for all of the reviews, favorites and follows. I honestly didn't expect so many people to like my story! Since I have absolutely no clue with how to respond to the reviews, I'll just do it here. Also, I'm having Jack's family get shifted around a little bit more. You'll see in this chapter. Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes.
AmaraRae: Thanks! I'm updating now
A Natsume Yuujinchou lover: Thanks so much! Phew, I'm really glad that I'm keeping the characters in character. I'm kinda feeling like I'm not giving Tooth too much to say like she normally does or that Jack's personality is all out of whack. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Melancholyblood: hmmm….
Peaceful Dragon Rose: thanks!
SupernaturalCheetahFast: Thanks! I'm glad that you love it! You'll see the memory in this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of The Guardians or any of the familiar occurrences that took place in both the book series and the movie. I only own my OC's and text. This is purely for my entertainment. I also don't own any book or music preferences. The Movie References belong to DreamWorks Corp. and their creators/creations. The Book References of the Guardians of Childhood belong to William Joyce. No copyright infringement intended.
Warning(s): contains language, suggestive violent themes, mentions of starvation/malnourishment, mentions of child abuse, and a mention of a suggestive death threat. Read at your own risk.
Memory
Memory Jack's Thoughts
Guardian's/Burgess kids/Manny
Chapter Two
"Guardians, and Burgess Children," Manny spoke, "Jack is three."
"I wonder what this one is going to be about," Tooth smiled at Jack nervously. Jack shifted uncomfortable on top of his staff. He was still peeved off about people seeing his most private, intimate moments in his past life.
Maybe it's for the best…Jack thought absentmindedly, maybe now they'll finally realize that I truly can't grow up anymore. I'm forever stuck in the body and mind of a fourteen year old—I can't change.
"Maybe it is for the best." He mumbled a loud.
"What was that, Jack?" Jamie looked over at the winter guardian of fun, who simply shrugged his shoulders in response and turned his attention back towards the memories.
Inside of a tiny home, the set of the living room was exquisite. The floors, walls, and furniture were made out of oak wood. The living room décor had a stone-brick fireplace that was lit, an intricately made rug that was placed a foot away from it that was mixed with the colors silver, blue, and white that was obviously hand made. There were two chairs and a sofa that had carved arches from a carving knife.
On the walls, were paintings hung up on them that all represented a season. Lying on their stomach with their feet lifted up a bit and swinging in the air, with their hands propped underneath their chin was a three year old, one that was precisely named Jackson Overland.
Currently, he was staring long and hard at a chopped piece of wood and was looking at it as if it would jump up and start dancing at a moments' notice. After a few more minutes of inspection, Jack started to poke it with a stick.
"Jack?" North was highly amused. "Vat is you doing?"
"Why are yah pokin' it with ah stick?" Bunny raised an eyebrow.
Jack grumbled underneath his breath about how he knew that this was going to happen.
"What did it ever do to you?" Sophie asked.
Jack sighed. He knew that it was going to be a long, long day.
"Come on," Jack whined. "Why aren't you moving?"
Jack glared at the piece of wood as if it would cower underneath his withering gaze. He huffed, before he threw his skinny stick into the fire place, which was already roaring with a crackling flame. "Jack?" A feminine voice called out to him. "Jack?"
"Coming, Apryl!" Jack responded before scrambling to his feet and scurrying past the colonial, wooden-made kitchen/dining room, and made his way outside where he drew back, immediately after feeling the shift in the winds and how freezing cold it was. "Brr,"
"Jack!" Apryl, Jack's twelve year old sister, gave him a reprimanding glare. "Jackson, you know you're not supposed to come outside without your coat!"
Jack gave her a sheepish smile and innocently quipped, "What coat?"
Everyone laughed and Jack cracked a small smile. "Good one, Frostbite." Bunny chuckled.
Apryl stared down Jack before she, too, cracked a smile and said, "I can't stay mad at you. Come on, inside you go."
"Apryl," Jack asked once Apryl shut the back door to their house and shook the snow off of her hand-me-down boots and clothing. "Where is Papa—and Mama, too?"
Apryl hesitated before biting down on her lip as she responded, "They're busy doing…uh…work. Nothing for you to worry about. Now, what would you like for supper?"
"What do we have?" Jack titled his head to the side a bit before staring up at Apryl with wide, innocent like eyes. Apryl's heart cracked at how he looked. Jack wasn't stupid; he was highly intelligent and observant for this age. It was only a matter of time before—Apryl shook those thoughts away from her mind and walked over to the storage area and started to rummage for any scraps for Jack to eat for supper. She'd rather herself starve than him. He needed more nutrients than she did.
As Apryl got out the ingredients to make a simple bouillabaisse (a French family recipe)—with some to spare for breakfast—Jack watched her with fascination and wonder, with a faint smile that painted his lips. Apryl looked at him and chuckled, "What is so interesting about watching me cook?"
Jack shrugged. "I don't know. I just like watching you."
"Well, mister," Apryl playfully ruffled up his hair in which he glared at her playfully. "Since you want to watch me cook, how about you help me?"
"Really?" Jack's face lit up with excitement and hope and Apryl didn't have it in her heart to even think of the word no. Not with that face.
Apryl nodded. "Really,"
"You promise?" Jack held out his pinky with a serious look on his face.
"I promise." Apryl wrapped her pinky around his tiny one with the same expression Jack had on her face.
"Alright," Jack nodded. "What do I do?"
"Aw." All of the females in the room started to coo and "aw" at Jack, who was starting to contemplate his escape route.
"Don't even try it Jack," Manny's voice came unexpectedly. "You can't leave until all of the memories are done."
"This is just peachy." Jack grumbled whilst his male friends laughed at his expense.
"That was just too cute!" Pippa squealed and then looked at Jamie and pouted, "I want one."
Jamie's eyes widened and he looked startled and a little bit squeamish. Jack, however, was confused. "Want what?" Jack asked.
"A baby!" Pippa exclaimed. "Jack, you were just too adorable as a toddler!"
Claude clapped Jamie on the shoulder and whispered, "I feel so sorry for you."
Jamie just glared at his friend in response and grumbled, "Shut up."
Sandy mutely laughed at the scene. "Uh…guys?" Monty said, pointing towards the memories. "Aren't we supposed to be watching this?"
"Oh, you're completely right!" Tooth giggled and they all turned their attention back towards the memory.
Until two in the afternoon came, Jack and Apryl were "slaving" in the kitchen as they prepared supper for the family. "When is Mama and Papa coming home?" Jack asked his older sister.
Apryl shrugged. "Maybe not until later, Jack. I don't know. But, you need to behave today, alright? We don't want to give Mama any more gray hairs than we have to."
"You gave your mother gray hairs!?" Sophie exclaimed right as Caleb shouted, "Good job, man!"
"What can I say?" Jack shrugged, smirking. "I was a very, very stubborn child growing up."
Bunny snorted and muttered, "Stubborn ain't the start 'o it."
Jack furrowed his eyebrows together, confused at his sisters' choice of wording. "What?"
Apryl simply chuckled and ruffled up his messy lop of hair again. "Nothing, Jackie. Nothing at all,"
"Hey!" Jack combed his fingers through his hair, pouting and glaring at his sister. "Don't call me Jackie—and don't mess with the hair! It takes hours to get it perfect!"
Apryl snorted, "Like you know what perfect means!"
Jack rolled his eyes and proceeded to ignore his sister. The grumbling monster in his stomach caused him to wince and flinch with hunger pains as the aroma of the food was becoming too unbearable to beat. "Sissy?" Jack whimpered, clutching his lower abdomen. "When are we allowed to eat? I'm hungry."
Guilt and sorrow flooded Apryl's features as she stared down at the tiny tot. "Sorry bud, it's the rules." She sighed, combing her fingers through her curly hair. "We aren't allowed to eat without Mama and Papa."
"But what if they come home too late and I'm already sleeping?" Jack whined/groaned.
Apryl's shoulders slouched. "You know what Papa would do—," She sucked in a breath, cutting herself off as Jack looked at her curiously. "We just have to wait, Jack. Can you be a big boy and wait?"
Jack nodded and Apryl let out the relieved breath she hadn't known she was keeping in.
"Vat is she speaking of, Jack?" North asked the white-haired boy. Jack harbored a solemn but stoic expression. His hands were curled into fists and his knuckles were turning whiter than his normal skin tone at how hard he was holding them.
"Jack?" Tooth fluttered around Jack nervously while airborne. Sandy patted his knee comfortingly since he was on his dream cloud of sand and in the air as well.
"Frostbite?" Even Bunny was concerned at what his older sister had meant to say.
"It's nothing," Jack whispered even though it was anything but. "Just keep watching, you'll figure it out soon enough."
"Hey Jack," Apryl beamed suddenly, "do you want to go play outside?"
"No." Jack responded, crossing his tiny arms over his chest in defiance. "I want to eat, not play."
"I promise that if we play than you won't be so hungry." Apryl was close to begging.
Jack was stubborn and vehemently refused. "No! No! No! You said that the last time—and you were wrong!"
Apryl cursed underneath her breath, "Damn you for being so vigilant at this age, Jack—damn you!"
"What does that mean?" Jack looked at her curiously.
"What does what mean?" Apryl asked.
"Damn?" Jack titled his head to the side again. "What does damn mean? Is it a bad word?"
Apryl's eyes widened and she face-palmed herself with the frustration of three-year-old Jack. "Jack, don't say that word."
"Why not?" Jack asked.
"Because," Apryl sucked in her teeth. "I said so."
"So?" Jack challenged.
"Jack," Her voice had high warning bells ringing off and smartly, Jack shut his mouth even though he was highly disappointed.
"Only you, Jack." Jamie snickered. "Only you."
Jack huffed and then puffed, and then huffed some more before he said, "Alright. I'll go play outside."
"Oh thank God!" Slipped out of Apryl's mouth before she could stop it and Jack giggled. Apryl rolled her eyes before she responded, "Go and get your winter coat and boots! Hurry along now!"
Jack scurried off to grab his coat and slip his feet inside of the heavy shoes. Once he was all buttoned up and tied, Apryl opened the back door and Jack ran outside to play in the snow. The Overland house was a few good decent miles away from the settlement. It was a pain but sometimes, it was nice to have the peace and quiet that the surrounding area normally did. After all, they had their lake all to themselves and when it was frozen over during the winter, they'd gladly ice skate.
Apryl made a mental note to, somehow, grab some skates for Jack so he could learn how to ice skate. "Apryl!" Jack chirped, "Come help me build a snowman!"
"Alright," Apryl agreed and slowly jogged towards the tot and they began to make a snowman.
After they'd finished their creation, they were both slathered with snow and shivering slightly from the frisky air.
"There." Apryl smiled as she added the last eye decoration.
"I shall call you…" Jack exclaimed and then started to think.
"Mr. Snowman?" Apryl suggested but Jack shook his head.
"Bunny!" Jack smiled and then proceeded to clap his hands excitedly.
"Why a bunny?" Tooth asked.
"It looks nothing like it!" Monty said.
"Well," Cupcake, who was once silent, put in her two cents. "I think that it's a wonderful name."
"Thank you, Cupcake!" Jack smiled at her. "Finally—someone who understands my knowledge!"
"And probably the only person who ever will," Sophie retorted and everyone was laughed. Well, everyone except Jack and Cupcake, whom simple rolled their eyes.
"Bunny?" Apryl repeated and once Jack jubilantly nodded and then questioned again, "You want to name it Bunny?"
"Yes!" Jack nodded before jumping up and down from excitement. "It's the perfect name!"
"Jack…" Apryl started. "It doesn't even look like a bunny!"
"So?" Jack refused to back down from its' given name. "I bet the Easter Bunny looks like a kangaroo but I'm not complaining!"
"Really, mate?" Bunny glared at Jack, who only smiled in response.
"Even back then you called Bunny a kangaroo!" Jamie laughed.
"What? Apryl was starting to contemplate her little brothers' sanity level. "What are you talking about?"
Jack looked at her as if she should've already known this information. "The Easter Bunny…I bet he looks like a Kangaroo."
"How do you even know what one looks like?" Apryl was bewildered.
Jack shrugged. "I have odd dreams at night."
"I bet." Apryl muttered. Apryl looked up to see the sun was starting to set and then she asked Jack, eagerly trying to vie for his attention away from eating supper. "Hey, Jackie, want to have a snowball fight?"
"Yeah!" Jack jumped up and down from excitement but then he stopped and scowled, "Stop calling me Jackie!"
In response, Jack got slapped in the face with a snowball. He sputtered out words that were incoherent and Apryl snickered. Jack wiped away the remainders of the snow that hadn't slipped off his face and he grumbled angrily before scooping up some snow in his hands but then looked at it curiously, wondering why it wasn't shifting into a ball.
Jack groaned, "Ugh…this is just like that piece of wood!"
"What piece of wood—you know what, never mind." Apryl shook her head before crouching down next to her little brother and started to demonstrate how to make a proper snowball. "And that is how you make one."
"Really?" Jack smiled. "Sweet!"
And then, the snowball fight began. Throughout the fight, the both of them used the snowman Bunny as a shield and they were in fistfuls of bright laughter. Apryl looked up at the sky to see that it seemed to be around twilight. She fidgeted nervously; if their parents' were going to be home then Jack would really start complaining about being hungry.
"Apryl?" Jack cried. "I don't wanna be a big boy anymore. I'm hungry!"
Everyone, minus Jack, grew extremely worried and concerned. "Jack?" Tooth asked, placing her hand on his shoulder but he simply shied away before yanking his hood up on his face and looking down. The rest of the group shared looks with one another.
Apryl grew angry at herself, why was she denying her little brother's supper? All because she was scared? Apryl scoffed at herself before turning to look at Jack and she said, "You know what, let's make you a small bowl. Then, we'll get you ready for bed."
"Yes!" Jack cheered before racing towards the house.
"Jack!" Apryl laughed, running after the tiny thing. "Jack, wait! I have to take off your coat and boots! You're all wet, you know!"
"I can do it!" Jack called back. Apryl slipped inside to see Jack struggled with his coat buttons but at least his shoes were off and on the side.
"Jack," Apryl moved closer to help him but he hopped back. "No!" He insisted, "I can do it!"
"Alright," Apryl nodded, respecting his tiny sliver of gained independence just from a tiny coat. "I'll be making your supper. Just call me if you need me." Jack nodded and continued his focus on the buttons. Apryl maneuvered herself through the kitchen, grabbing the spoon, bowl, and napkin out from their cupboards and then walked towards the pot that held the food.
After giving Jack his serving, she let it rest on the wooden oak table in the middle of the kitchen, in front of Jack's respective seat. While wringing her hands nervously, losing herself deep into her thoughts, Apryl kept looking out of the window that was above the kitchen sink, her eyes searching for the silhouettes that were their parents.
She was so lost into her inner monologues that she missed Jack's frantic calls. "Apryl?"
"Apryl!"
"Apryl!"
"APRYL!"
Bunny winced, "Oi, Frostbite, yah have one set of lungs on yah."
"Huh…?" Apryl blinked and then shook herself to attentiveness. She rushed towards Jack, who seemed to be tangled in his coat.
"Sorry…" Jack's bottom lip jutted out and his eyes were damp with unshed tears. "I can't do it."
"That's alright, Jack." Apryl smiled softly at him. With gentle care, Apryl managed to get Jack untangled and safely out of his coat. She hung it up for it to dry and said, "Now, there's no need to cry. Go on and eat your supper."
Jack solemnly nodded before he climbed up on his chair, sitting on his knees, and promptly started to eat his food. It didn't go unnoticed how his older sisters' face sometimes twitched with deep lines of pain and how her stomach growled constantly.
Jack frowned, looking down at the remnants of his food that he had left. Without further decisions, he shoved it towards his sister and demanded, "Eat."
Apryl looked down at the bowl. "Jack, I can't—,"
"Eat!" Jack demanded again, drawing out all of the letters in the word. "Eat! Eat! Eat!"
Apryl scowled, "If I eat the rest of this, will you hush?"
Jack nodded, then briefly thought about it and changed his mind to, "Maybe."
Apryl rolled her eyes before grabbing the bowl and scooping the rest of the food into her system. Suffice to say, she gobbled it down quickly. Hunger would do that to you, make you eat like a wild animal. Apryl looked up to see the outlines to two silhouettes and working quickly, she washed the dishes, wiped them dry and put them back in their places.
She picked Jack up and rushed towards their tiny bed room. Setting him down on their bed, she rummaged through their clothes for suitable night clothes for him to wear. After finding them, she told Jack to change. Whilst he was changing, Apryl explained, "Jack, listen…you can't tell Papa that you ate supper, okay? Or that you gave it to me."
"Why not?" Jack asked innocently, before pulling his shirt over his head.
"Because…" Apryl trailed off, struggling for words. "Because I said so, okay? Can you do that for me? Can you keep a secret?"
"Yes." Jack nodded.
Right then and there, the front door opened and Jack could hear the bickering voices of his mother and father. His pursed his lips and furrowed his eyebrows together, looking up at his sister with confusion. "It's nothing Jack," She soothed. "Let's just get you to bed, alright?"
Jack nodded and allowed Apryl to sweep him inside of their bed. She curled up next to Jack, wrapping her arms around him as the shouting voices got louder and they heard things crashing and breaking. Jack whimpered before shuffling closer into his sisters' embrace.
"Sh…Sh…," She cooed, "It's alright. It's just another disagreement. They'll be fine come morning, I promise."
A few moments of silence came from their parents before it started all over again. Apryl sighed before she slipped out of bed. "No!" Jack sobbed, grabbing her wrist. "Don't leave me alone!"
"I'll be right back, I promise you, Jack." Apryl kissed Jack's forehead tenderly. "I just need to go see if Mama is okay."
"Why wouldn't she be?" Jack asked.
Apryl hesitated before shaking her head. "You'll understand when you're older, alright? I'll be back, I promise."
"Pinky promise?" Jack cried, looking so vulnerable at that moment.
"Pink promise."
Jack nodded and curled himself into a tiny ball as Apryl slipped out of their room and towards the angry voices. Jack clamped his hands around his ears, trying hard to block out the screams. Soon enough, after exhaustion rolled in and golden drifts of sand swept inside of the room and proceeded to take away all of the bad things in Jack's life and filled it with snowball fights and ice skating with Apryl, Jack fell asleep.
But he didn't forget that Apryl broke the sacred pinky promise. She didn't come back.
The memory vanished and everyone sucked in a breath. "Is she dead?" Claude asked before Caleb clapped him upside the head.
"I don't want to watch this anymore." Sophie whimpered as she wrapped her arms around Jamie's torso and promptly dug her face into his side. He patted her hair, looking at Jack.
Jack sighed and kept his hood up, head down. He couldn't look anyone in the eye. Not after what they just found out.
"I am sorry, Jack." North whispered.
"It's not your fault, North." Jack responded.
"It's your bloody fathers' fault!" Bunny growled and the others chirped in their agreements.
Jack sighed again, a long day it will be indeed.