AN: Hey everyone! I'm truly sorry for only updating now, but LIFE you know. And omg I'm such a terrible person, I left you all on an awful cliffy! I also realise that it was 'last name' and not 'first name' as I said in the previous chapter. Damn... My exams turned out to be a major pain in the ass, and I think I might have failed my chemistry exam or at least came close to failing. Anyways, back to the story! I hope you all like how it plays out, even though it may not be how you expected or what you wanted. Oh, and there's a very important AN at the bottom. Read!

Chapter 4

As I come to awareness I know that I am dreaming. I must be dreaming, because such darkness can't possibly be real. My body feels weird too, almost as though it is floating. I pinch myself, and gasp in surprise when I feel the stinging sensation in my arm. Is it possible to feel pain in dreams? I look around, but it's so dark that I can't even tell if I'm turning my head or not. Are my eyes even open? I try to remember how I got here, but the last thing I can remember is being in my hidden room and... the black dust! It was The Boogeyman's work, I know it. Ice flows through my veins, and I can't tell if the origin is fear or my unpredictable powers.

Suddenly a sinister laugh breaks the deafening silence, and it seems to echo all around me, acting as a cage.

"It is indeed your delicious fear, little Elsa. I must say, I have never tasted fear as sweet as yours... Oh, how you spoil me!" a familiar, yet unwelcome voice calls.

If I wasn't afraid before, I am most definitely afraid now. I hear that voice every night during my nightmares, but this time it feels different. It's like the invisible barrier of sleep that separates dreams from reality is no longer there, and that terrifies me. In the darkness I see something move, which my brain immediately tells me is impossible. I can't even see my own hand in front of my face, so obviously my mind is playing tricks on me.

The shadows continue their haunted dance, and contort into horrific figures. They seem to creep closer like panthers ready to pounce on their prey. My breathing quickens and I tell myself to run, but my legs do not comply. I feel warm, dry breath ghosting across the back of my neck and a shiver wracks my body. Then a coarse, bony hand wraps around my wrist. I emit a strangled scream: The involuntary product of my throat-constricting fear and sheer horror.

In the distance I see a speck of golden light, and suddenly the creatures draw back. I feel a wave of relief, but something doesn't feel right about it. As the light draws nearer, his voice invades the dark space once more.

"I see you have met my underlings. They seem to be quite fond of your fear, little Elsa. I can see the desire in their eyes, and feel the hunger that burns within them."

"What do you want from me?" I ask, miraculously keeping a quiver from my voice.

"Why, isn't that a good question? Well you see, when you were just a girl all I wanted was to kill you. Your family has an intriguing history, you know. The power of ice and snow: Very uncommon, but extremely powerful. I thought that the blood in your veins was as worthless as that of your parents, but then you revealed your true self to me."

My body goes tense, with jaw and fists clenching, when he mentions my parents. How dare he? After all he did, he has the audacity to speak of them in front of me, not to mention that he just called them worthless! I vaguely notice my veins adopting a faint ice blue glow, but I choose to ignore it. It has happened before, but only on rare occasions when my emotions are unchecked. The speck comes even closer, but I am too distracted by my anger to take notice.

"That night you opened my eyes to new possibilities. Join me, Elsa. Let us form an allegiance and together we will reign over all. The world will bow at our feet in terror. You will own treasures that put all others to shame. You will hold fate in your hands, and get your taste of freedom."

I give a short and mirthless laugh at the mere idea of what he is suggesting.

"Do you really think I'm so stupid that I'd sign on with the homicidal psychopath who killed my parents? Yeah, you know what? Thanks, but I think I'll decline." I sneer in the general direction of his voice.

"I don't think you understand the position your in right now-"

"Yeah, no shit! I can't see a freaking thing and I have no idea where I am, but I'm assuming this is a dream."

As soon as I finish my tiny rant, a large, rough hand grips my throat. The speck is now closer than ever, and there ends up being two of them. Except they're not specks; they're eyes.

"Do not interrupt me, you witless child. Do not give me a reason to punish you, for I will not hesitate to do so." he hisses in my ear, before abruptly releasing my throat.

I fall down and cough as oxygen flows back into my lungs. When I look up, the his golden gaze is still on me, most likely calculating whether I'm on board yet or not. Ha! Like that would ever happen. I see something click in his eyes and his gaze turns significantly colder than before.

"I see you've made your choice."

The figures start moving again and start to circle around me, faster and faster.

" Just remember my promise to you."

I frown in confusion, and sand swirls around me as the wind picks up.

"I always finish what I start." he drawls, before I am hit with a wave of sand and lose consciousness.

xxx

The first thing I notice as I regain consciousness is that I have a pounding headache. I open my eyes and stare at the white ceiling. I'm in my bedroom on top of my bed. Wasn't I just in my hidden room? My feet are bare and my hair is free from its braid, now flowing around me like a pale halo. Then I remember my encounter with The Boogeyman. His last sentence rings through the halls of my mind. He's not gone, he's only in waiting.

A sharp knock on the front door jerks me awake (well as awake as I can be right now). I stumble to the door and pause for a minute to shake some of my dizziness, before looking through the peephole. My sleep addled mind takes a second to figure out that it's a very worried-looking Detective Frost. I open the door. As soon as he sees my face, his features relax with relief.

"Detective, can I help you with something?"

"First of all, I already told you to just call me Jack. And are you seriously asking me that? You're the one who sounded like they were choking to death not even an hour ago!"

"Wait, what?"

That can't be possible! I was in that wretched place for at least three hours. Granted that it was all just a dream, or a nightmare...

"What's this about a nightmare?" Jack asks me, looking slightly more alert at my oblivious mention of it. Shit, I must have been saying my thoughts aloud again then. Jack grins at me.

"Yeah, you kind of were."

I turn my head away to the side to hide my embarrassed blush, when his eyes suddenly dart to my neck. His smile drops immediately.

"Elsa, what happened to your neck?"

"What do you mean?" I ask in confusion.

Before he can say much else, I rush back inside and head for the bathroom mirror. I scoop my hair aside and what I see makes my stomach drop. Long purple and blue bruises blossom across my throat and around my neck. The finger-shaped bruises lie in the exact spot where The Boogeyman gripped me.

I can see myself visibly paling at a sudden thought. What if it wasn't just a nightmare? What if it had been real all along? But it couldn't have been, could it? Then again, I first lost consciousness in my hidden room, but I woke up in my bed. Someone moved me. The mere thought of him touching me makes me shut my eyes and shudder. I feel a hand on my shoulder and give a small startled jump. My eyes fly open and land on a very worried-looking Detec- I mean Jack Frost.

His hand falls from my shoulder to gently take my elbow and guide me to my living room. He seats me on the crisp white sofa, before taking a seat in the matching armchair opposite me. He seems to be waiting for me to speak first.

"Just go ahead and ask." I say.

"Fine, if you insist. What happened?"

"I don't know."

I know that I'm lying, but there's no way that I'm telling him about my encounter with The Boogeyman. I barely know him and, since he's with the police, he might suggest that I be taken into custody or witness protection or even take me off the Boogeyman cases. No, I can't tell him.

"Bullshit. You don't just get strangulation bruises and not notice it. This afternoon when we parted ways you did not have them. So let me rephrase my question: what happened between when I left and right now."

At this moment he sounds every bit the Detective that his badge proclaims him to be. I'm impressed at his efficiency, but I don't appreciate the tone he's using on me. It makes me feel as though I'm being interrogated, which I guess I am in a way. I take a deep calming breath before answering.

"I got home without any incidents. Then you and I started talking on the phone and..."

I trail off, knowing that I can't mention my hidden room either.

"And what?"

I scramble for an answer. If I don't answer him soon he'll know that something's up.

"I was walking to the couch when I started choking on a piece of muffin... I tripped on the rug and fell. My neck hit the side of the table-" I say, motioning to the glass coffee table between us. "and was knocked out. I don't remember much else, only that I somehow got to my bedroom. I woke up when you arrived."

He doesn't buy it; that much is obvious. I can only hope that he'll drop the subject and leave good enough alone. His eyes narrow in suspicion. I can tell that he wants to push the matter, so I cross my arms and stare at him in defiance. I will not back down. He seems to notice this and sighs, running a hand through his snowy hair. When he looks at me again his eyes are softer than before.

"Look, I can't make you tell me the truth. I just want you safe, I don't want to see you get hurt. If you're in danger I need to know. We can help you."

He looks so sincere that I almost consider spilling the beans, but I quickly get myself in check. Nevertheless, I relax my posture.

"I appreciate your concern, Jack, but I can assure you that it is not necessary." I say, and his eyes flick to my throat and back. I give a small cough. "Uhm, I'm sure you still have a busy day ahead of you, so I won't keep you any longer. Call me when your people are done with the witness."

He nods, grabbing his jacket, and we stand and head for the door. Jack is just out of the doorway when he turns to face me.

"Hold on to my card, okay? Don't hesitate to call me for help."

I nod and give him a small smile, which he then returns. His hand reaches up to brush my hair aside. His hand ghosts over the bruised skin of my throat, almost tenderly so. My stomach flutters, but I dismiss the reaction. His smile becomes sad and his eyes find mine once more.

"Stay safe, Elsa." Jack says softly, before lowering his hand and returning to his car.

As I watch him drive off I find myself oddly missing his touch, and the protection that his presence brought me. I'm being ridiculous, of course. Why would I miss him? It's probably because I rarely have company at home. Yeah, that must be it.

Now that I'm alone in my apartment after all that has transpired, I start to feel fear creeping into my heart. I imagine that The Boogeyman must be delighted at this. I can almost hear his psychotic laughter, and shudder at the sound. He's probably watching me at this very moment.

I walk back into my room to lay on the bed, only to stop short. The exact place where my body rested not too long ago is outlined with black sand, leaving only the snowflake-covered ice blue silhouette of my body on the duvet covers.

Well, I guess I'm staying on the couch tonight.

AN: Okay this is a VERY IMPORTANT AN! I know that it's been half a year since my last update, and I have apologised for that. It is my deepest regret to then say that I will more than likely be going on another long hiatus, because of academic reasons. All of my marks this year will be used to apply for university, which I'm sure you can understand is a big deal. My academic performance is of the utmost importance, so do not be surprised if there are little to no updates during the year. I'm not happy about it either, writing is one of my strongest passions. I sincerely ask that you be understanding of my situation and that you be patient with me.

Now that my formal speech is over, let me tell you that I'll miss you all dearly and I hope that you do not lose faith in me. The hiatus also includes my other ongoing Arrow fanfiction, The Bachelorette. Academic achievement is a big deal for me, so yeah, please understand! Happy 2016 everyone, I hope that you all have a great year! And hopefully also stop writing your headings with '2015'... goodness knows how long I'll be doing that for XD

Love you all!

DDxx