Chapter 4

~swallowed by darkness and confusion and the chase begins~

Blackness and a strong smell of decay mold mildew and rot welcomed her when she woke from her nightmare. Grace wrinkled her nose raised her head then looked around the cell. It was proximity 10 feet by 8 and a small window was near the top but it was not big enough to get through. There was iron bars from floor to ceiling with a lock across from where she was laying on a rough blanket.

"Yes, so now that you have woken will you ever so nicely tell me your name?" Pitch peered with interest at Grace from far off in the shadows his eyes sparking like flame. Grace stood and strides over silently to the bars that imprisoned her, and then she kicked them with a thud.

"How about you let me out first." Grace said determination in her voice. Not letting the weirdo placate her.

"Well if you cooperate I might now tell me what your name is." The boogey man said stepping closer to her. She was a wild one he said to himself.

"Tell me yours first and I will think about telling you mine. It would be kind of polite since you have me locked in a cage!" Her voice rising, anger clearly raging in the teen.

"You really don't know who I am", the Boogie man pondered, "I am Pitch Black. Also known as the Boogie Man", Pitch said with finality looking closer at the girl to see if that struck a chord in her.

"Huh never heard of you…" Grace said making the eyebrow less man hiss and continued." My name is Grace Grey and I would like to know why I am here!" Grace demanded. The man did not frighten her at all, why should she be? Why would she be frightened of a guy who lives in such a dump like this it was a pigsty. Pitch walks right up to the bars of the cage staring straight at the girl, night mares forming around him surrounding the cage…. Ok he was a little creepy but she did not let her unease and bit of fear show. Pitch leans in and whispers but his voice growing in volume with each word,

"I have heard from all over the world that of a new spirit that has been created and that you are that spirit, you are a neutral soul and your powers are great," Pitch tossed her wand into the cage and she hesitantly picked it up looking with curiosity at the man now. "Show me what you can do, I wish to know what you care capable of." Pitch backed away a bit and forming more night mares a precaution to make sure the girl would not harm him or escape. Grace crossed her arms and looked at the man with a smirk.

"What makes you think I would show you my powers?" she asked in a sarcastic tone rolling her eyes at the Boogie man who was clearly frustrated.

"Because if you don't you'll be stuck here for a very long time." Now it was Graces turn to be frustrated she unfolded her arms briskly and sneered at the man but not having any control over her powers a Trail of fog raced out of the end of her wand dissipating into the air. Pitch's mouth opened showing his teeth at the girl who noticed was she did trying to blow away the fog briskly with the wind. But it was too late he saw what she could do. Pitch pointed at her and a night mare raced into the cage to retrieve her wand but before it got close, she closed her eyes and concentrated with all her might and twirled the wand around creating a thick fog filling the cell. The night mare could not see her or Pitch and it slammed into the wall with a crunch the black sand falling to the floor. Pitch cautiously opened the cage and walked in the cloudy substance leaving it open on purpose. She hopped to the corner of the confined space and curled up into herself waiting till he got close enough to swing a blow to the head and get out ta there.

"Grace?" he called sweetly which caught her off guard, looking at the Boogie man with ease through the fog. Why is she still here she could easily walk out of the cell with no problem getting out of that place locking him inside. "Grace …" Pitch called again and continued, "We are the same Grace, you and I. We could do amazing things together, I could teach you how to control your powers Grace Grey, and we could be allies, friends even, WE COULD DO AMAZING THINGS!" he bellowed in a persuasive tone lifting his arms in the space a hopeful look on his face. In his mind he was happy she was still there he could easily recapture her if she left the cell but she was listening to him which was perfect it was all acting now. It is truly easy to lie to a child who was new to the world and did not know who he was yet. Grace thought of an idea to get herself out she did not like this but she did not want to be alone she needed time to think. Wind blew through the window scattering the misty air around the room till it was clear again. Pitch looked at the down cast girl her confusion and sadness plain on her face standing a foot in front of him.

"I will consider your offer I need time to decide will you let me leave? I want to think on this." she said in a voice on the verge of tears her confusion was so great not looking at Pitch. Grace remembered the boy with silver hair Jack Frost who had been struck by the man and wondered what side was good and what was bad she head ached from her thoughts and she felt dizzy and sick she had not thought of that. There was so much to learn and she was so ignorant of what was happening around her. Pitch looked at the girl Turning his head slightly yes he would let her go she would get to think but she would not be alone he would follow her, without her knowing too make sure those blasted guardians would not mess up what he was planning. His eye refocused looking at the girl swaying like she was going to topple over and her face with a tear slowly slipping down her cheek to turn into a puff of smoke. He really did feel for the girl just a bit… it reminded the boogie man of when he had first awoken and how he didn't understand the world completely. He nodded looking at her.

"You may go to consider my offer," he said in a gentle voice, "but I will come to you in one day to ask you what you have decided". Lightly clasping the Graces shoulders 'ew he's touching me' she thought as he showed her the way out of his new lair and into the bright day. She breathed in the fresh air glad to be outside and looked back as Pitch as he sinks back into the entrance of the half buried castle with a bed frame over the stone arch flat on the muddy ground like a door. Grace turned and ran with the wind propelling her faster wanting to be far away from that desolate place not knowing where she was going and not noticing the shadow trailing her.

"We need to find Grace and I need to get my staff back." Jack said venom in his voice.

"Yes of course but we have to find his new lair, he surly moved it since we last saw him and since you believe he stole your staff Jack we will get it for you". Tooth said looking at Jack who was still bandaged up.

"And you're not much help now with not having your staff and all banged up snowball and the girl may be banged up as well if we know Pitch." Bunnymund said. Jack glared at the Pooka.

"I am fine and I am going to find her, she WILL be fine and her name is Grace! Plus I don't need any nagging from a giant kangaroo!" Jack said defensively crossing his arms and standing back turned to the Easter bunny who was fuming as well. Sandy face palmed, this was not helping anything.

"You two stop your bickering and focus", North called over from where he was taking a green box down from a self.

"What's that North?" Tooth called over to the toy maker who was opening the lid to the box revealing a special snow globe that had a golden tint to it.

"This is how we will find Grace." North said looking at the confused guardians. "I have had this for a while, it was a gift from Manny and I think this is a circumstance where it is needed "lifting up the globe carefully the turns it in his hands to show them. It was larger than the other globes and looked strange like it was more oval than round. "This globe can only be used once, it transports you to a person not a place all you do is just think of the person you wish to go see and you throw it and your there but it has a down fall only 2 people can go through so I believe me and Sandy should go to get Grace and bring her back since I can transport us back here and Sandy can deal with anything Pitch throws at us." North concludes.

"Sounds like a plan" Bunnymund said nodding we will wait here for you to return Sandy put his thumbs up and stepped forward.

"Jack if your staff it there we will get it back for you as well." North said looking at the distraught teen. He was being left behind and he didn't like it. Jack pulled up his hood having a plan. North shook the glob focusing on the image of the girl that he had only seen once and threw it in front of himself and it formed a gold purple portal. North jumped through and Sandy walked towards it but Jack lunged and jumped through the swirling portal and it disappeared leaving a dumbfounded Tooth Bunny and Sandy in his wake.

"DAMMIT FROSTBITE!" Bunnymund roared and kicked a chair across the room. Tooth shook her head concern radiating from her form; Sandy face palmed again thinking about the stubborn injured powerless teen and what he was getting himself into.

Author note: Yes so I'm posting again i have lots of free time this weekend but when school starts up again i won't be able to post till Tuesday Wednesday or Thursday but I will try for Tuesday... so now there's pitch wanting to persuade Grace to join him and not wanting her to feel like she has no choice but she isn't very interested and Jack jumping through the portal after North to get Grace back because he feels guilty for letting her slip out his fingers and he wants his staff back. an yeah it is a bit shorter than the last one...

Review and Favourite if you enjoyed and I will write again soon... :)