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"Is he okay?" Tooth asked North.
North sighed, "I'm not sure. This morning he told me he woke up at the lake."
"How did he get there?" Bunnymund asked.
"I said he could be sleep walking, but now I'm not convinced myself."
Suddenly everyone felt a cold wind. They turned to the source and saw Jack not to far away from them with his hood over his head. His eyes were shut and he just stood there with his staff by his side.
"Jack?" North cautiously asked.
All the windows were harshly thrown open by the howling wind. The cold wind began whirling around the room. Jack lifted his staff and slammed it on the ground, ice covered the ground in seconds much to the surprise of the guardian's as the ice was now below their feet.
Bunnymund tried to take a step forward but he slipped on the ice covered ground. When the guardian's took a quick look at Bunny when they looked again to where Jack was, he was gone.
"This isn't funny frostbite." Bunnymund grumbled as he struggled to stand on the slippery ice, but he eventually got more stable on the ice. The guardian's looked around trying to spot Jack. They all heard a crack above them and when they looked up to see the ceiling was now covered in ice.
As they were looking up Jack was back on the ground and shot out of his staff winter magic at them. But Sandy saw and managed to deflect it with his sand. It went back at Jack, he looked like he was flung to the right and dodged it.
"Something is wrong with him." North stated as Jack tried shooting at them again. Sandy deflected most of them but the ones he missed, they dodged. Sandy tried to throw his dream sand at Jack, but he dodged easily on the ice.
"You think?" Bunnymund replied while slipping over dodging.
"His eyes are shut and he's showing no expression." Tooth said as she finally noticed Jack's face.
"So he's asleep?" North suggested quickly ducking.
"Then we'll have to wake him up." Bunny replied as he got his boomerang out and threw it at Jack. It looked again that Jack was flung to his right to dodge. This time he slipped and was trying to get up. Bunnymund caught the boomerang when it came back.
"Don't hurt him!" Tooth scolded at Bunny.
"He dodged it anyway." Bunnymund defended.
Sandy noticed the sloppy movements Jack was doing and something popped in his head. He hovered an image of a puppet over his head.
"A puppet?" Tooth asked.
And then Sandy hover Pitch controlling the puppet. That's when they understood.
"Pitch is controlling Jack while he's asleep like a puppet." North said out loud.
This is when a powerful gust blew them to the ceiling and ice locked them into place up there, slowly covering them.
Jack's staff was held up to the ceiling controlling the ice, but his head was down.
"This would be a good time for you to wake up Jack." Bunny yelled down in hope to wake him up. The ice was nearing their chests. Sandy tried using his sand, but the ice stopped it.
"Jack, wake up." Tooth called down. The ice was now near their necks.
"Wake up!" North exclaimed, with the ice crawling to their heads.
Jack was sinking, he couldn't move. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't do anything but sink.
The water pushed him down lower and lower down the lake, like something telling him to stay. He felt like he was going to die but something seemed off. He needed to do something but it slipped his mind. It didn't feel right.
"This would be a good time for you to wake up Jack."
But he was awake and that voice, it was familiar. A word floated in his head, kangaroo. He didn't remember why though.
"Jack, wake up."
He felt like everything around him was getting weaker and lighter. He felt stronger.
"Wake up!"
The final voice pierced through everything and it felt like someone pulled him out of the water so quickly, it felt as if he was falling in reverse. The moment he broke out to the surface, he could of swore he heard a voice yell, "NO!"
His eyes snapped open.
Jack's head shot up awake and his arm dropped down, but he was still holding his staff. It took a moment for himself to remember what happened. As soon as he awoke the ice stopped growing and their heads were fine.
"Huh?" Jack asked as he was in the workshop room. This time he remembered the dream, but he was in his room when he fell asleep. He actually didn't remember falling asleep though.
He noticed the ground was completely covered in ice. Tooth sighed in relief, "He woke up." It was heard by the other guardian's but not loud enough that Jack could hear it.
"Oi frostbite!" Bunnymund called down. Jack looked up and saw the guardian's pinned to the ceiling with ice much like when he did with the elves. Every part of them was frozen, except their heads.
"How did you get up there?" Jack asked, did he do this?
"Can you just get us down first." Bunny replied.
Jack got them down like the elves, and caught them with wind and set them down.
"Are you guys okay?" Jack asked, he knew that he did this. Tooth sneezed and nodded, "I'm fine. Guys?"
The others muttered a yes while Sandy nodded.
"What did I do?" Jack asked. The guardian's exchanged looks and they explained what happened to him. Jack was shocked.
Jack decided to sum it up, "So Pitch was controlling me while I was asleep to hurt you guys? Well at least I'm not sleep walking, that would be kinda creepy."
His attempt to lighten the mood failed. He tried his best to hide the fact he felt terrible regardless of Pitch controlling him. The guardian's had this look in their eyes that Jack didn't really understand. He assumed it was disappointment or annoyance. But what their eyes really said was, 'we don't blame you.'
"Jack we got lucky waking you up this time. It's obvious that Pitch wants to use you." Tooth frowned.
"He controlled me like a puppet?"
Bunny answered, "Basically yes."
"Just when I thought he couldn't creepier." Jack muttered. If he was like a puppet, what were the strings. That's when he remembered when the images were flashing at him and the muffled hearing.
"Of course!" Jack said out loud and the guardian's looked at him strange. Jack began hitting his head on one side and shook it, like he was trying to get something out of his ear.
"What are you doing?" Bunnymund asked as he looked at him with confusion. The other guardian's just watched as Jack hit his head.
Jack felt something come out and put brushed it out with his fingers and what he thought was there on his fingers.
"Nightmare dust." Jack growled to himself. The guardian's didn't hear him. Sandy hovered a question mark over his head.
"Nightmare dust." Jack repeated louder and he showed them.
"Well that explains why you hit head." North said.
"It's in my head." Jack stated with visible annoyance.
All the guardians grew visibly tense with the growing need to find Pitch after what he did to Jack. Even though he was hiding it well, they could see he was blaming himself, but they all knew if they said 'don't blame yourself' it would lead him to further blame himself.
"What did you have a nightmare about?" Tooth asked, which made all the guardians curious. Nightmare dust meant nightmares and nightmares meant fear.
Jack didn't really want to tell them, admitting it would mean weakness and he was not going to do that. Jack remained silent.
Bunny sighed at Jack's silence and Tooth said, "It's nothing to be ashamed about Jack, we all have fears. And you're just telling us."
Jack looked up a bit puzzled but before he knew it, words just spat out, "Drowning in the lake."
"Drowning?" Tooth repeated.
"Past issues that I would rather not get into now." Jack really didn't want to tell them. Ever.
"Well it's obvious he's using that fear to trap you so he can control you." Bunny said. The guardians knew they shouldn't push Jack about his past.
"For now Sandy and Tooth, you should get job's done and comeback after then we'll start looking for Pitch. Bunny you stay here." North announced. They would have to find Pitch soon before he could try and control Jack again.
Bunnymund smirked, "What about Jack's nightmare sand? There's only one way to get rid of it mate. Sandy."
Sandy conjured a dream dust ball with a small smile.
"Wait a minute." Jack said as he realized. Sandy threw it and he was knocked out. But this time their was no golden dolphins around his head or anything. It sunk into him to attack the nightmare dust within.
"We'll be back in about an hour, hopefully." Tooth said as she fluttered out and Sandy left on a cloud.
"So what are we gonna do with the little bugga?" Bunny asked as North scooped Jack up while Bunnymund grabbed his staff.
"We watch over him." North replied as he took him to his workshop room and put him down near the window sill where Jack would normally sit.
"Come Bunny I'll show you new models."
Bunnymund let out a breath and replied, "Okay."
It was going to be a long night and no one noticed the inner conflict in Jack.
"I'm not afraid." Jack's voice echoed through the emptiness.
"Nor do you have a reason to." Pitch appeared from the shadows face to face with him, but Pitch was transparent and fading fast because of Sandy's dream dust obliterating the nightmare.
Jack pointed his staff at him in defense, "Using me as a puppet? Pretty low don't you think? It didn't last long."
Pitch darkly chuckled, "I don't think you understand why do you? I wanted to test your power and I have everything I want to know."
Jack sneered, "And what is that?"
"Join me, Jack. I've asked before and I'm asking again."
Jack wanted to laugh, "My answer hasn't changed from that day."
Pitch fading more, chuckled and grinned, "What was that boys name, your first believer? Jamie was it? Well we wouldn't want anything to happen to him now do we?"
"Leave him out of this!" Jack yelled.
"Too late Frost, I'm going after him now. This will be a nice game of capture the flag, but with the boy. Catch me if you can. You will be mine to control regardless Jack Frost." Pitch then completely faded.
Jack shot up from his sleep and he yelled making Bunny and North jump,
"Jamie!"
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