I do not own ROTG
Sorry this chapter would have been out earlier but it didn't save the first time I wrote it. Grrrrr!
Thank you all who reviewed, favourited, followed or even who just reads this story.
It was night in the small village like town of Burgess. They weren't too far from the lake. Around a large bonfire children were gathered, listening to Jack as he danced around the flame emphasizing the story.
"The boy held his candle as he slowly went to check the mysterious hole. When suddenly!" The children gasped as Jack paused dramatically.
"Something dragged him in!" The children gasped again.
"But the boy wasn't scared because he knew it would be the next great adventure."
"Please continue, Jack!"
"Yes please!"
The children started to plea, they loved to hear his stories.
Jack chuckled, "You know the rules. One story a night."
The children let out a disappointed sigh and left for their homes with their parents who were also listening from a far. Jack's younger sister was part of the group listening and their mother was with the other parents.
"We should get home now you two. Come on." She held a torch beckoning her children.
Jack's little sister asked her brother, "How do you come up with a new story every night?"
He smiled back a reply, "There is nothing I can't do."
She giggled at the statement. Jack poured water over the fire. As it sizzled Jack could sense something. He turned his head to the woods.
"Is something wrong?" His sister asked.
He shook his head, "No, I just thought...Never mind let's go home."
North called the others using the aurora. He hoped that Jack would see it and return. It was only a few minutes until they all arrived, except Jack.
"What's wrong North?" Tooth asked with concern.
North showed and told them about the lights. All of them had a growing concern.
"And Jack went to investigate. Alone?" Tooth asked.
North answered, "Yes." He sounded slightly hesitant to answer.
"When it could be Pitch?" Bunny asked. North knew what he was implying.
"Jack is convinced it is not him. He went to check on Pitch before I told him. And we don't know what it is so it may be not a big threat."
That fact gave no comfort to Bunnymund.
Sandy had a concerned look, but it wasn't about what was happening. It was for Jack. He knew something the other guardians didn't. And Jack made him promise not to tell.
He just hoped Jack would return back soon.
"Jack would have seen the aurora wouldn't he? Why isn't he back?" Tooth asked.
North then realized something. They had never told Jack the aurora was a signal to the other guardians.
"I never told Jack about the signal." North admitted.
"Great." Bunnymund rolled his eyes. Before anyone could protest Bunnymund left in his tunnel to get Jack.
The dark figure was watching Jack for some time, as if examining him. It touched Jack's face in his comatose like state, it stroked past his cheek. Nothing happened. It then retreated back into the shadows.
As it hid Jack blinked rapidly. His vision returned to reality. He pulled himself up using his staff for support. He held his head with his free hand. He had a massive headache that was slowly fading.
Jack shook his head, how long was he out?
He felt his cheek, it felt like something touched him.
Suddenly he could feel a presence behind him. Jack could see something running behind him. He turned back around trying to chase it regardless of the headache.
Jack ran and found himself back near the lake. Jack could hear something behind him. He quickly turned and pointed his staff like a blade. He then realized who it was.
"Bunny?"
The pooka put his hands up in defense and leaned back from the staff. "Yeah, the one and only. I came lookin' for you. And by the way, the aurora that was in the air a while ago. That's the guardian signal."
Jack sighed and lowered his staff. "I must have been in the woods when it was out. I didn't see it."
It was half of the truth. Jack just left out that he was most likely in the memory when it appeared
"What were you doin'?" Bunny asked.
Jack looked back into the woods, "I thought I saw something."
Bunnymund looked at the woods with Jack, "Well right now we should get back."
He was about to tap his foot when he saw as Jack grimaced. He felt a massive wave of throbbing at that moment.
Bunny let his concern slip, "Are you okay mate?"
Jack did his best to push it back and hide it, "Yeah, I'll fly back to workshop to tell all of you at once whats going on. I'll meet you there, kangaroo."
Bunnymund shook it off, "It'll be quicker through my tunnels."
"Aww does somebody want some company?" Jack remarked.
"No!" Bunnymund responded. "I'll just meet you there then frostbite and no delays."
Jack knew exactly how to push Bunny's buttons. Jack smirked, "When have I ever been late?"
Bunnymund left in a tunnel at that moment, in the back of his mind he was suspicious.
Bunnymund returned and told them that Jack was on his way. The guardians were slightly relieved that Jack was okay, to their knowledge at least.
A large thud was heard from the closed window next to the open one. All eyes were on the window to see Jack recovering from the hit.
Jack hoped that flying in some fresh air would help clear his head, but it didn't help or make it worse.
Jack's vision doubled when he was flying and he rammed into the wrong window because of his headache. Jack ignored his headache. It was getting better, but the window just made it worse. Jack called down as he flew down from the open window,"I'm fine."
"It didn't look like it." Bunnymund stated with a huff of laughter.
Jack winced at his headache and he held his head with one hand.
"Are you okay?" Tooth asked. Bunny noticed it was like before.
"Not now. Not now." The answer made them more concerned. Jack had to focus. The headache was making it hard to think after hitting the window.
He took a deep breath, "Children in Burgess have been having nightmares of a dark figure telling them not to believe in us or they'll get hurt and we'll get hurt."
Jack saw Bunny was about to say something but continued before he had a chance,
"Jamie had the nightmare and told me it felt darker and more powerful than Pitch. So it is not Pitch, but it's something else."
"That's terrible." Tooth said in worry for the children.
"Who else has power over dreams?" North asked. Sandy shrugged. Besides Pitch they didn't know.
Jack was about to hold his head again, but just as he touched it he tried to pass it off by brushing hair out of his face.
Sandy was the only one that really noticed and at that moment he knew why, the window was only part of the reason.
Jack saw Sandy looking at him and Sandy was telling him through eye contact to tell them. Jack slightly shook his head, it barely looked like he shook it. Sandy was the only one that saw.
"There's something else as well." Jack began. All eyes were on him again. Sandy did a hand motion as if to say, 'Go on. Do it.'
Jack completely ignored Sandy, "Okay I don't know if it was just me or if it was real, but when I was in the woods in Burgess. Something was there."
"What was it?" Bunnymund asked. He didn't see anything when he arrived. Then again when he popped out of his hole Jack automatically pointed his staff at him, so he didn't really have a look around.
"Familiar." Was all Jack could say. For him it was a familiar presence. Could have it been from his memory?
"Familiar?" Tooth asked. "Where have you felt this before?"
Jack replied, "To be honest I don't know."
Bunnymund let out a frustrated sigh, "Great. Just great."
Suddenly they all noticed Sandy hovering multiple images above his head.
North translated upon seeing them, "Jack you must tell them or I will...Tell us what?"
Jack looked at Sandy annoyed and ignored North, "Sandy it's fine."
Sandy hovered images of a clock, woods and a question mark to say, 'What happened in the woods then?'
"I handled it."
The other guardians watched the two in confusion. Sandy had another montage of images that North translated, "I warned you it would happen. It could get dangerous for you when we hunt this new enemy...Jack what does he mean?"
Jack sighed. There would be no escaping it now.
"I...have been...sorta...kinda."
"Spit it out." Bunnymund groaned.
"I have just been experiencing memories of my past. It's really no big deal."
First there was silence.
"Why didn't you tell us?" North asked in a half happy yell.
"Jack that's great news." Tooth chimed.
"That's not the end of it. I sorta passed out in the woods."
"Wait what?" North asked realizing what Jack had said.
"Well my eyes were open, so I guess I didn't really pass out." Jack thought aloud, acting oblivious to North's worry.
"And that just happened to slip your mind when I came?" Bunnymund asked sarcastically.
"The reason I didn't tell any of you was because of what you're doing now." Jack responded.
"And what would that be?" Tooth asked.
"Worrying."
That made them silent.
"You guys have nothing to worry about. You worry too much. Especially after what happened a few months ago, this is so minor compared to that and sometimes you tend to over react. If you want me to explain I will."
Jack's rant made everyone go silent. Even Bunnymund was silent. He just thought to himself, 'I knew somethin' was up with him.'
"Okay. A few nights ago I had a dream. It felt familiar and it was extremely vivid. I shook it off. The night after that I had another dream. Same feeling and same concept. I got confused, so that's why I went to Sandy."
Sandy gave a short nod.
"I wanted to make sure they weren't nightmares so that's why I went to see him the other night."
"That explains that." North muttered.
Jack continued, "He confirmed that they weren't dreams or nightmares and they were actually memories. He also warned me that the way my memories were going that I might begin having flashbacks while I'm awake. But he said the first time is meant to be the most intense and I was in Burgess,so that must have triggered it. So I guess that's out of the way. Another note would be that I have no idea why I've been remembering."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Bunnymund asked Sandy.
Sandy conjured a golden thread and tried to break it, but failed to. This was his way of saying he made a promise he couldn't break.
"Jack you could have come to me. I know a thing or two about these things. I am the guardian of memories. Plus you could have given us a heads up."
Jack smiled, "I know, but if I told you guys. You wouldn't have let me leave your sight."
He was right. Even though they would hate to admit it.
"I get it. You were worried. You guys are my family, but there are somethings that I need to handle by myself still."
Silence.
Jack began to walk off.
"And where do you think your going?" Bunny asked.
"I'm not leaving the workshop." Jack reassured. "I'll be in my room lying down because I still have a killer headache. Just come and get me when you need me."
They let him leave, they thought that Jack was trying to retreat away from them after all that information.
There was silence after Jack had left the room.
"He called us family." Tooth happily sang, regardless of the situation.
"He did." North confirmed with slight shock.
That was the first time he had called them a family since the group hug after Pitch. It caught them all off guard.
Voices in the darkness of Pitch's old lair began to speak again.
"He is perfect."
"Yes. But we must test his powers."
"A test?"
"Yes we must test him."
"When will we test him?"
Again there was nothing but silence for a moment.
"Now."
The guardians need to know early on. But don't worry Jack will have darker secrets to carry around. (shifty eyes) Sorry if it wasn't actiony enough, but the next chapter I'm going all out.
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