A/N: Sorry for not updating, guys! I've been spending the last two or so weeks moving from my old apartment to my new one. You never really know how much crap you have until you pack it in a box. Seriously, I am borderline hoarder. Also, since I was moving, I had no internet/tv for about a week or two, sans the little data usage available on my iPad. Plus the other few weeks where I haven't updated were due to finished another semester of university. My time management is horrible, and I can't say sorry enough for leaving you guys hanging like this! Honestly, I feel horrible!
Anyways, I am still inspired to keep on writing this story! It's so much fun, literally, to use Sophie like I am; putting in my own traits while keeping the glimpse of ones we see in the movie! Please be sure to review and let me know, good or bad, if Sophie Bennett is realistic enough for you guys! Don't forget that there will be development throughout the story, so, yeah.
And a big thank you goes out to Sapphire-Raindrop, Princess LaLaBlue,tazdeval, and Sorida! I appreciate all of your help with this chapter! Love you guys! Also, let's see which one of you can guess what child movie that the first line in this chapter is from!
Enjoy!
Chapter Three
"I think you broke my nose!"
Sophie was torn from her rage infused trance as the boy cried out, her chest heaving with every dense breath she took. Her fist was throbbing; the painful aftershock reverberating through her entire arm and all the way up to her shoulder and neck.
Quickly, she reached down and snatched the wooden staff off of the ice and held it out, the tip pointing at the boy as if it were the blade of a sword. Sophie then watched on hesitantly, rather curiously, as the white haired boy staggered to his feet, free hand tenderly cupping his nose.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" the boy cried out again, taking a step forward. He then stopped short as those blue eyes saw the staff being brandished in his direction. Sophie raised it higher so that the tip was hovering right between his eyes, the intricately carved staff shaking slightly from her trembling hands. But Sophie swallowed hard, and took a cautious step forward.
"Who are you? And how do you know my name?" she demanded, eyes narrowing into little slits, but failing to retain their shape as the fear and uncertainty continued to wash through her. Sophie's voice quivered a little, and she cleared her throat as she took another shaky step forward. This boy – the only person who could see her – held up his hands in a gesture that depicted that he meant no harm; the glare completely washed away and replaced with genuine confusion, yet his eyebrows were still slightly furrowed.
"Whoa, hang on a second Sophie, just—"
Sophie suddenly swung the staff like a baseball bat, and the boy cried out as he jumped back, just narrowly missing the blow, hands coming up as if to shield himself.
Sophie's anger was momentarily forgotten when her jaw suddenly dropped as she saw the ice protrude from the soles of his bare feet and feathered across the icy surface in an intricate design, much like the lace of a dress. Her mind lapsed, eyes wide.
The ice… I… I remember it…
And then, just as Sophie was about to lower the boy's staff, that same raw anger that had caused her to lash out before came rushing back with full force, stinging at her insides and leaving a hot ache in her chest. Her lips then peeled back into a snarl as her eyebrows turned down into a hard glare. The staff was then poked out again as Sophie prepared to close the gap between them.
He… he knows my name… he…
"How do you know my name?" Her voice was low, but still quivered a little; from fear or hope, Sophie didn't know. But that wasn't what bothered her. What bothered her was how could this boy see her? And how did he know her name?
Sophie looked him up and down, and he appeared to look like a regular human being, just like her, except his hair was a stark shade of white, and his eyes were an unnatural hue of blue. His tattered brown pant legs were cut off at the shins and were tied to his calves with what appeared to be some thick type of yarn or string. Also, he was rather pale, much like the snow that surrounded them.
And yet, however achingly familiar the boy seemed to be to her, Sophie still couldn't figure out the answer.
He… he knows who I am?
Finally, Jack spoke, straightening his stance.
"You mean… you don't remember me?"
Sophie's eyes narrowed, and her answer was quick. "I don't remember anything." It was more of a reflexive response; more hostile than rational.
Jack prepared to take a step forward, but Sophie quickly stepped back and blocked his path with the wooden staff, never letting her aim fail. Honestly, the staff probably wouldn't do much to him – maybe give him a nasty scratch or two, quite possibly a bruise – but it was all she had to defend herself with; to put her point across that she needed answers, and that she needed them now. Blue eyes focused on the staff in an instant, and Sophie held ground once more.
"Not another step," Sophie growled, hands tightening around the staff. "Until you tell me who you are, and why you know my name." She then jabbed the air with the staff. "What do you know?"
Her voice was much more rough and dusty than Jack remembered. She had grown, he quickly noticed. Sophie was now around Jack's height, maybe just an inch shorter. His eyes again fell to his staff in her hands.
Sophie stepped forward, face still twisted into a hard frown. "Talk, or I'll swing this thing again."
"You really don't know who I am, do you?"
"But you do know who I am," Sophie interjected fiercely, hot tears of frustration brimming in her eyes.
Jack sighed. "You got me," he breathed, letting his head fall back so that the tip of his nose pointed up toward the sky. For a moment, the boy looked up at the stars, eyes darting back and forth as if the glittering dots would give him some guidance. When it appeared that they didn't seem to have anything to say, Jack sighed once again, and let his head fall back down so that he was once more looking at her.
"Jack Frost," he said, holding out his hand, chin nodding toward the staff. When Sophie didn't budge, and instead tightened her grip on the staff, Jack let his hand fall back by his side, seemingly irritated with her. "And you, Sophie Bennett," his eyes went hard, "are dead."
Sophie's eyes widened at the brutally blunt tone of his words, and that hot ache in her chest suddenly burned cold.
Dead…?
"So… I really did die?" The frightening question was more to herself than to the boy in front of her, but nevertheless, he heard it, and nodded solemnly.
This… this Frost… what else did he know? Did he know what happened to her? Or, more importantly – and Sophie's heart constricted at the thought when she slowly lifted her eyes to meet his – was he responsible?
"I-I don't… understand," she whimpered, chest heaving. "Why… how can you see me?"
Jack stepped forward. "The same way you're able to see me."
Somehow, that didn't ease Sophie's pain, and her head then snapped up, her green eyes wide.
"You… you're—?"
"That's right."
Sophie then stumbled back; a hand coming up to wrought itself through her hair as she let her wide eyes fall to the ice below her feet, the confusion overwhelming her system like a dark fog – seeping into the cracks of her already fractured armor and spreading dangerously. It was all too much to take in at once; her mind was aflutter, much like a restless hummingbird, never stopping and only increasing in speed and distress.
"But… how can I be…?" The question fell dead upon her lips, and she then looked up to Jack, her voice now barely above a whisper. "Why?"
Jack saw the strain in her eyes, but didn't speak. Although Sophie was without memory, just as he had been when he had risen from the ice, he still pitied her – and maybe, just maybe – he envied her.
"You were chosen."
When Jack had risen from the ice, the Man in the Moon had explained to Jack who he was, what his purpose is, and from that day on, that was everything and anything Jack had ever known. But upon finding his memories with the help of the Guardians, Jack was able to find his centre – to finally discover his real purpose in the world, which was to protect the children.
But if he had woken up with that excruciating feeling of knowing, just like Sophie had now, maybe he could have spent the better years of his immortal life trying to figure out who he was. Maybe he could've found out sooner.
Maybe it would have made things a little easier.
"Chosen?" The words seemed to feel foreign on her lips. Her eyebrows furrowed together as her mind seemed to struggle to process the word. "I was chosen? By who?"
And it was then that Jack saw Sophie's entire body fall still. He could see the gears ticking behind her eyes and watched as they darted back and forth, as if reading something of crucial importance, but their point of gaze was lost, not really focusing on anything around her. Every stitch of anger was then erased from her face and was replaced by sheer elation as her darting eyes came to a screeching halt.
"The Man in the Moon, Sophie. He chose you."
Time seemed to stand still; the snowflakes hovered in the air, the leaves on the trees stopped swaying, and even the wind had stopped flitting its way through the grassy field. Jack stood just as still as the nature that surrounded them both, and waited.
"No…" he heard Sophie breathe. Her head slowly began to move from left to right, and the crease in her eyebrows grew darker as she kept repeating the word over and over like a mantra, as if it would clear the thickness of the fog in her mind.
"No… This… I can't be…" Sophie fumbled out in desperation. Her head then whipped from side to side in four violent shakes. "No, no, no, no!"
The staff was suddenly thrown onto the ice with a loud clatter, and Sophie stormed past Jack, fists clenched by her sides. Picking up his staff, Jack turned around slowly to face Sophie, although, her gaze was not fixed on him. Instead, it was fixed straight ahead of her.
"Why?" Sophie spoke after what seemed like hours. "Why me?"
Jack parted his lips to speak, one hand reached out to offer to her in comfort, when she suddenly screamed out.
"I didn't ask for this!" she yelled into the wind, her voice tight. "I didn't ask to die!" Her head then jerked up to face the moon, its blank face suddenly much brighter than it was moments ago. Jack could see her shoulders quake with every breath she heaved in, and his heart constricted as she fell to her knees, hands plastered out onto the icy surface for stability.
And it was then that Jack found that he did not envy Sophie. He did not envy the pained expression on her face; he didn't envy the anger and frustration behind her eyes, and he didn't envy the way she looked at him with such hatred and sadness. Her hidden memories were a no more than a curse to her. Jack swallowed hard.
Was this was it was like; to really lose your memories? To be thrown in the deep end of life, left to salvage what was left of the life you once lead, left with only your name and that painful ache of knowing?
Pushing the dark thoughts to the side, Jack gripped his staff tightly and took a step forward, and another, and another, until he was standing over Sophie. His hand then reached out to gently rest on her shoulder, but it never made its destination, for Sophie suddenly leapt to her feet, her eyes wide and glassy.
For long a moment, neither of them spoke. Sophie continued to heave in shaky breaths, green eyes darting back and forth as they searched Jack's blue ones. The boy said not a word; after all, what could he say? There was no one to safely guide him through the turbulence that were the first moments of his new life, and so, he was completely at a loss for words that would prove comfortable.
Sophie then shook her head, hands balling into fists as she roughly pushed past Jack. He didn't flinch at the sudden contact.
"You won't find any answers out there."
Jack heard Sophie stop briefly in her tracks before continuing. "I don't need your help."
The boy then turned in his heel, letting his staff swing around through his fingertips until it came to rest upon his shoulder.
"And what makes you think you know what you're doing?" he called after her.
This time, Sophie didn't stop. "I'll manage," was her curt reply.
That didn't stop Jack from whisking himself into the air and landing directly right in front Sophie, who stumbled before she could crash into him. Her features turned down into an angry glare, and she tried to push past him, when Jack's foot would be just that second too quick. After a second and third attempt, Sophie threw her hands up in frustration and turned the other way.
"Leave me alone!" she insisted shrilly when Jack landed in front of her again. When the boy didn't relent, Sophie tried running. It didn't work, much to her dismay, when the ice from the base of the lake's surface crawled around one foot at a time, effectively rooting her to the ground.
Sophie let out a few choked cries, trying to pull her legs out of the icy prison. "What the hell is wrong with you? Let me go! Now!"
"Afraid I can't do that," Jack taunted, slipping a hand into the pouch of his blue hooded jumper. Sophie just gaped at him, both in disbelief and anger. Just who the hell did this kid think he was?
"And why not?"
Jack's answer was simple.
"Because you were chosen." He stepped around to face her. "And now, you're coming with me."
A low growl tore from Sophie's throat. "Stop saying that! I'm not chosen, and I'm not—Ugh!"
Her seventh attempt at trying to free her foot ended in failure, as all of her others had. Once more, Sophie tried again, and Jack Frost clicked his fingers, and the ice instantly melted around her feet in a giant puddle.
Sophie slipped, stumbled forward and fell backwards, just barely catching herself on Jack's arm, which was held out to her. She then hurriedly brushed his arm away from her, and narrowed her eyes at him as she took a few steps back.
"I, am not chosen! You hear me, Frost? I don't care that I was chosen by some Guy in the Sky for whatever it is that you say I am, and I'm as sure as hell not going to come with you!" Her voice began as calm – somewhat collected – but it ended in a shrill cry, thick with fear and anger as the tears began to glisten in her eyes once more.
"Then where are you going to go, Sophie?" Jack suddenly spat, advancing toward her. "Back home? Back to whatever it is you had before this? Take a good, hard look at yourself, Sophie! You're dead! You can't go back! You can never go back!"
Jack's words cut Sophie deep like a jagged piece of glass, violently shredding their way into her fragile soul. Jack then thought he may as well have just rather slapped her instead; he could see the heavy toll of his words crushing her form the inside out, and he suddenly was riddled with guilt.
"Sophie, I—"
"Just stay away from me, Jack," Sophie hissed, glaring at him through the tears. "You just stay the hell away from me! I don't need you, and I don't need your help!" She was operating on pure adrenaline now. The spiteful words tumbled out faster than the fear and anger that thrummed through her veins. "I hate you, Jack Frost!" Jack stiffened at the cold words, heart plummeting into his stomach. "…and you can just go and shove that staff of yours right up y—!"
Sophie was suddenly falling forward, eyes rolling into the back of her head, and Jack's staff clattered to the ice as his arms shot out reflexively, falling to his knees and catching her inches before she could hit the ground.
"Something isn't right."
"Why's that?" an Australian accented voice spoke up.
"He should be back by now."
"North is right," Tooth spoke, hands clasped pensively to her feathered chest as her baby fairies flitted around her. "Jack's been gone all day – he should've been back hours ago."
As if by magic, one of the windows up high on the palace walls shot with a burst of snow, and through it, came the spirit of frost. The four smiles down below suddenly turned to grimaces of worry as they all gazed upon the body he carried in his arms. It was lifeless and limp; the head of blonde hair draped over his shoulder and the slender arms slung over his shoulders as their stomachs pressed together tightly.
Everyone watched as Jack landed silently on the main platform in front of the globe, and placed his staff down beside him. All four magical figures jogged over to the lifeless body in his hands, reaching them just as the wooden staff touched the floors. Tooth was the first to reach them, motherly instincts and all, and she helped Jack lay Sophie down gently onto the wooden floors and laying Sophie's head on Tooth's lap.
"Sophie…" Bunny murmured in astonishment, crouching down next to the pale body with unease. Sandy watched on with sad eyes as North was sternly but quietly mumbling orders to the yetis and elves, the tinkling of the bells echoing throughout the palace as they rushed off to fill their respective orders. Tooth's hands were caressing the girl's pale flesh, turning her head to the side and running a hand through her messy hair, pulling it out of her eyes.
"Jack, what hap—?"
Tooth's words were rudely cut short as Jack suddenly took off, leaping out of the window he came in through moments ago, not looking back as a worried Tooth watched on sadly, gripping the girl's body closer to her green and pink chest.
Also, please let me know if I've properly established the beginnings of a rocky relationship between Jack and Sophie! And if you have any other critiques, please review and let me know, even if they are constructive critiques. I can take it! Again, I am so, so, so, SO sorry for the long time between updates! *dodges knives and chairs*