I do not own Rise of the Guardians or any of their Characters, Calavera however is mine, so don't steal her! Please enjoy and review.
Recap: I giggled as the cold air whipped my hair around and I tightened my hold around Jack's neck. We were flying around Russia, and having a blast. Jack touched his staff to the ground sending a streak of frost across the street. A young boy got his tongue stuck to a frozen fountain and we scared a boy trying to feed his goldfish. We slid to a stop atop the place tower and served our work.
"Now that was fun!" Jack laughed glancing down at his handy work.
I nodded hugging him, "More fun than the snowball fight you caused in the middle of that poor girls wedding rehearsal." I teased.
Jack straightened, "Hey I made sure that the snow was gone on her actual wedding day."
I giggled and rolled my eyes, "sure and that snow shower during the wedding photos was a coincidence right?" he smirked at shrugged.
He glanced over his shoulder and winked, "Hold on tight Cali," I nodded taking a firm hold of his shoulders as, he could fly and I could not, Jack smiled and called out the air, "Hey wind! Take us home!" Jack let go of the tower and we were whisked away back toward Burgess. I smiled as we soared through the sky. I'd been happier this last couple of decades than I had in as far back as I can remember. Jack and I still were irritated with the moon who'd awakened us and abandoned us to the elements of an invisible existence, but at least we had each other to face against the world. We had so much fun bringing the Day of the Dead and winter to all the world. I glanced up at the snowy sky and smiled.
"I hope we can have this kind of day every day."
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Jack glanced back at me and smile, "We will Cali, and eventually we will be believed in." I smiled, Jack deserved to been seen, believed in. I didn't see how you could get people to believe in someone that is rarely even heard of in stories but Jacks hope was infectious and I couldn't help but believe right along with him.
I let out a shriek as Jack let us freefall towards the streets of Burgess. My cry was dissolved into giggles as he pulls up at the last second and we shoot past pedestrians who clutch their hats and coats as the cold wind blasts past them. As we near the pond where I first met Jack he tried to gently land on the pond and skate across, but with the weight of two people he miss judged the force and we went sprawling forward sending me rolling to the edge of the pond. I rolled to a stop by a fence landing on my back and staring up at the clouded sky.
"Cala! Are you ok?" Jacks concerned face was leaning over me and I smiled, held out my hand, and let him pull me to my feet.
"I'm fine but nice landing Ace!" I said playfully and he shoved my shoulder lightly.
"Oh shut up, I could have just left you in Russia. I know Onyx and Scarlet can help you move quickly like swinging on vines but still would have taken you forever to get back."
I stuck my tongue out at him and turned to see a brown haired boy dusting off a book called, 'They're Out There! – Mysteries, Mythical Creatures and the Unexplained Phenomena' I glanced over his shoulder as he dusted it off and I turned to Jack, "Hey come check out the book this kid's got."
Jack flew over and smiled, "Huh, that looks interesting. Good book?" he asked the kid, who didn't hear him and he suddenly stumbled as his neighbors, the twins Claude and Caleb ran up.
I smiled, Claude and Caleb loved the day of the dead celebration and they always decked out their house in the traditional candy skulls and festive colors. Most of their friends had started celebrating the holiday once Claude and Caleb had explained it to them.
"Alright! Yeah! Waahoo! Snooow daaaay!" Claude shouts as he playfully shoves the boy's shoulder.
"Your welcome!" Jack called happily after them and I smiled sadly, he tried so hard and I just couldn't understand how no one ever saw him. I followed the boys and Jack floats merrily nearby.
"Hey guys, wait up! Are you guys coming to the egg hunt Sunday?" the brown haired boy called out and Caleb turned grinning from ear to ear.
"Yeah, free candy! Almost as much as we get on the Day of the Dead!" he and his brother hi-fived and continued tromping through the snow. I smiled at the mention of my holiday, the twins may act like all they cared about but they really did love the holiday. They had lost their mother a few years back and every Day of the Dead I made sure to visit there and let their mother walk this side of the vale once more. The smiles on their faces when they felt her presence was heart melting.
"I hope we can find the eggs with all this snow!" Claude cries out joyfully. And I shook my head clear of my own thoughts.
As we neared the house they were running toward I notice a little blond girl playing on the stairs with a greyhound. The kids arrive at the fence of the house. The boy I didn't recognize opened up a secret plank, and headed into his yard. Claude and Caleb were still messing with each other. I gently leaped up and landed on the fences letting my legs hang over the edge I glanced at Jack and I saw him walking along the top of the fence.
"Whoa, it says here that they found Big Foot hair samples and DNA, in Michigan. That's like, super close!"
Claude rolled his eyes, "Here we go again." I flinched, as much as the twins loved our holidays they scorned the existence of the creatures behind them.
"You saw the video too Claude, he's out there!"
"That's what you said about aliens" Caleb scoffed
"And the Easter Bunny!" Claude chimed in.
The boy spun and rolled his eyes as if his friends were really stupid. "Wow, the Easter Bunny is real!"
Jack chuckled as he paced, "Oh he's real alright. Real annoying, real grumpy, and really full of himself." I picked up a clump of snow and I tossed it at him. He ducked. And glanced at me and raised a taunting eyebrow. "What?"
I brushed the remaining snow from my hands, "You know I hate it when you make fun of Bunny, and he'd be easier to get along with I you hadn't messed with his holiday."
Jack grinned was full of mischief , "I seem to remember someone who was there with me laughing at shock and giggles of the kids. Now who was that I just can't put my figure on it?" I looked away embarrassed.
"That was before I knew how much trouble it was going to cause him. He's like a father to me Jack."
He shrugged, "I respect you Cala, but I'm still going to mess with him and if I remember correctly so do you."
I blushed, "Yes but I know when the teasing goes to far with him."
Jack waved me off and we turned back to the scene in front of us.
" Easter Bunny! HOP-HOP-HOP!" the little girl was hopping down the steps when the greyhound bolted past and knocked her down, she started crying as the older boy walked past.
"Mom! Sophie fell again!"
His mother came out of the house, "You okay, Soph?"
Caleb called from the gate, "Hey Jamie, Are we sledding or what?"
"Jamie, hat? We don't want Jack Frost nipping at your nose." I froze as Jack's name left her mouth and looked hopefully over at Jack as Jamie's mom plunks the hat on his head, and tweaked his nose.
"Who's Jack Frost?" Jack flinched as if struck but then seemed to shake it off.
"No one, honey. It's just an expression."
"What the hell?" I cried just as Jack called out offended. We glanced at each other and frowned. Mutually disliking his being referred to as an expression. Jack jumps down from the fence as the boys head off. We meet each other's eyes and smiled, Jack bent down and created to snow balls. Handing one to me and I grinned, nodded once and turned. We let them fly Jack's landing on Jamie and mine hitting Caleb square in the back of the head. The boys stumbled and gasped at the sudden cold and I watched as Jack's magic made them giggle and they turned calling out.
"Okay, who threw that?"
I rolled my eyes, "Well, wasn't bigfoot kiddo."
Jamie scanned the horizon for the culprit. His eyes land on a couple kids making snow barricades. I glanced back and grinned, it was Monty and Pippa. Monty stumbled as a snowball sent him sprawling. Pippa stepped forward and another magical snowball from Jack hits her, knocking her back. Pippa's face changed, a mischievous sparkle now light up her eyes.
"Jamie Bennett! No fair!"
Jamie laughed, "You struck first!"
Monty launches one that knocks back Caleb.
"FREE FOR ALL!" Jack and I call out and just like that we found ourselves in a take-no-prisoners snowball fight, the kids pummeling each other mercilessly.
"Alright, who needs ammo?" Jack asked us as he magically created more snowballs.
The mayhem continued as Jamie, using his sled as a shield, was knocked backward into a snowman, crushing it underneath him and the snowball flies overhead and hits Cupcake, a tough third grader as wide as she is tall, in the back of the head. I froze with the rest of the kids, concerned for them.
"Crud, I hit Cupcake." Pippa whimpered
"She hit Cupcake." Monty cried
"You hit Cupcake?" gasped Claude
Jamie was flat on his back, terrified. He looked up to see Cupcake standing over him. Then our of nowhere Jack hit Cupcake, square in the face, with a magical snowball. The kids gasp in horror.
"Did you throw that?"
"Nope!"
"Wasn't me!"
A moment passed, and then Cupcake started laughing as Jack's magic took hold. Cupcake then began to chase the kids down the hill, holding the head of her snowman in her hands. Jack, all the while, ran alongside taking pleasure in the excitement. I stood at the top of the hill watching happily as they had their fun. Jack could always do this. Turn a tense situation into an amazing time, a twinge of guilt tugged at my heart. No matter what I did I was a silent role in this situation. And feared I always would be. Jack created so much joy that I knew someday we would be believed in. but me? I sighed in essence I was death, helping souls pass on, vanquishing wraiths, and allowing the peaceful souls back for a few nights of the year. Death was someone who was better off unseen. I had a sneaking suspicion if children realized that death had a form I would be no better than the boogieman. Whipping a stray tear of regret from my eyes I smiled down at the antics jack had caused now. Jack jumped ahead, blasting a sheet of ice behind him. The kids fell to the ground, except for Jamie, who landed on his sled, and slid head first down the sheet of ice into town. I sighed, so help me if jack gets that boy killed and makes me help a child's soul pass on I would castrate him. Jamie suddenly shot out between the trees and careens past a set of parked cars. Jack's path of ice covered the street. As Jamie turned, his speed only escalated, sending him directly into traffic. Jamie barely misses a moving truck, spinning it out of control, sending furniture out the back, and causing a four car pileup.
Jamie rockets through a pedestrian intersection, narrowly missing those in the crosswalk. Jack flies over to the far side of the street, sending the streak of ice and Jamie up onto the sidewalk. Jamie flies off the sidewalk and back into the middle of the street, almost knocking over a postman. As Jack flies by Jamie's side he sees the look of excitement come into Jamie's face. Jack smiled, knowing he's responsible. I grinned as I saw Jack once again brining joy to a kid's life. Jack quickly jumped ahead, carried by the wind, to divert the ice trail. Jamie's sled suddenly turns, narrowly missing the oncoming truck and barrels toward Jack's newly formed ice ramp... and I could hear his cries of joy from her as he soared through the air. and toward the statue of Thaddeus Burgess, colonial settler - 1680. Jamie's friends stand in awe, mouths wide open, as he sails through the air. Jamie opened his eyes and the look of fear suddenly turns to joy. Jack looked on smiling. Jamie landed safely in a large mound of snow. Jack jumps onto the Statue of Thaddeus Burgess. I rolled my eyes and launched out onyx and scarlet to use the buildings and trees to help me swing down to where they were all at the statues foot. I winched as a moving sofa crashes into Jamie and hurried down. I let out a sigh of relief as Jamie popped back up holding a tooth up triumphantly.
"Cool! A Tooth!"
"Dude, that means cash! Tooth Fairy cash! I love the Tooth Fairy!"
"Oh ..NO!" I glanced up sadly as Jack's face turned down upset. Jack floated after the kids.
"Ah, wait a minute! Come on, hold on, hold on! What about all that fun we just had? That wasn't the Tooth Fairy, that was me!" I sighed and followed after him. Jack lands directly in front of the kids.
"What's a guy gotta do to get a little attention around here!" I winced with him as the kids walked right through him. I despaired look crossed his face as his shoulders slumped. I placed a hand on his shoulder and he sighed at the contact. He placed his hand over mine and squeezed.
"Thanks Cala. Come on lets go it's getting late."
I nodded and took off after him as we headed toward the center of town.
