Sandy's POV:
To say I was angry would be a major understatement! I'm practically furious! First, Jack's disappearance and then the multiple nightmares running around. If Pitch was trying to keep a low profile with this, he wasn't doing a very good job. Everyone is headed down to his lair with weapons ready and alert. It's one thing to let nightmares on the loose but, when you mess with one of our own, things don't end pretty. North and I have already agreed that we will stay and fight Pitch while Bunny and Tooth search for Jack, if necessary. Pitch will regret ever having taken him in the first place. We hadn't expected him to strike so soon, but, with that, we're also assuming he is still rather weak. He must have been awfully desperate to mess with us this early and assume he could get away with it, but there is also the idea that he is just trying to irritate us. He would be that crazy.
I looked over sympathetically at Bunny; despite the situation at hand, he still looks like a sick dog leaning over the sleigh. No matter how hard he'd tried to convince North that his tunnels would be better, North insisted that the sleigh would be faster as a group. Bunny never was one for heights in the first place but the speed of the high powered sleigh made it much worse for him.
We finally descended onto the lake near Pitch's hideout and walked forward to it. Just as suspected, a new hole was dug out where it had closed in before and, without hesitation, we jumped in to the hole with all our senses ten times more alert than usual. The dark chasm extended several miles with several different paths stretching out to unknown places. Either one of them could be anywhere and that was unnerving. I extended tendrils of my dream sand to provide enough light to walk without bumping into things or getting lost. My eyes scoured the area carefully; this place could definitely use some fixing up. I laughed in my head; that was probably what Jack would have said. Jack; if he is injured in any way, the Nightmare King won't live to regret it. Just to my side was Tooth; I'd never seen her so angry before. For some reason, people assume that, just because she's a girl, she cries a lot or is weaker than the rest of us. This is not the case. The Warrior Queen looked like she could easily rip Pitch to shreds right now.
"YOU!?" An unmistakably familiar voice practically screeched through the darkness and sent all of us on a higher alert, if that's even possible, but there was something about the way he sounded that seemed almost as if he hadn't expected us at all.
"That's right ya bloody rat bag! Show yer self!" Bunny shouted in the direction we assumed the voice to be coming from but our senses were deceived when the man of shadows appeared behind us with ease.
"Now what do I owe the displeasure of your company?! As if turning my own army against me wasn't enough; now you come to boast your victory in front of me?!" He hissed. Something wasn't right; normally he would be ridiculing us about being able to kidnap one of our own but, right now, our visit seemed to have only angered him.
"Vat have you done with him?!" North pointed his blades as a warning.
"Done with who?" Pitch asked in a rather irritated manner.
"You know exactly who! Where's Jack?!" Bunny was growing impatient.
We'd all half expected him to do some sort of creepy laugh or mock us in our anger; instead, he turned with anger and distaste but most of all, though it was hidden, confusion. Did he really have nothing to do with our new member's disappearance? It seemed highly implausible; all the evidence pointed right at him, but at the same time, he didn't seem to have a clue what we're talking about.
"Ah, I see. The moment your winter brat decides he doesn't want to be near you bunch of fools, you come to blame it on the one person who, for once, has nothing to do with it. Real smooth, Guardians. How are you doing your job if you can't even protect Frost?" He chuckled with amusement.
The comment struck me like I'd just been slapped in the face; not because it was a lie but because it was true. We'd only started to acknowledge him recently. We were supposed to be protecting children and, even if he was a spirit and a teenager, he still fell under our responsibility. Shame filled my heart but I dared not let it show in the face of my age old enemy. Giving him the satisfaction was the last thing I wanted to do. Looking around, I could tell the others were just as effected by the remark as I was.
"You expect us to believe that the nightmares you sent out and Jack's sudden disappearance happening at the same times are just a coincidence?" Tooth questioned with her arms crossed.
The Nightmare King turned with a very bewildered look and it became rather clear that he hadn't had any idea what we were talking about.
"What?" He asked in a low tone. "What do you mean my nightmares are out?!"
Despite how sly and evil he can be, Pitch never played stupid with anything. It was more a matter of pride on his part. More importantly, he would never deny his own actions for fear of making himself look desperate. We all stood silent for a moment in thought. The Nightmare King really didn't know anything so this trip was basically all for nothing. We were only wasting valuable time searching for our winter guardian in a place he never was, but then why was all evidence pointing to Pitch? This only made our seemingly rude entrance more awkward than it was originally supposed to be. We were awfully quick to judge, based off of the little evidence; more than likely because of our history and dislike for him. What were we supposed to do now? Here we were in his lair, falsely accusing his actions. This was more than enough to start up an unwanted and unnecessary war. After our opponent's long pause of thought, he glared at us.
"Get out!" He hissed.
"Make us!" Bunny shouted in a childish manner, and stepped forward, but Tooth put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.
"Bunny; he doesn't know anything." She said sternly.
We all cautiously turned around but I never took my eyes off the enemy and neither did Pitch. He didn't seem all that angry if he was letting us go without a fight but it was more than likely the fact that he never wanted to see us again. North opened a portal to make our departure quicker and each person stepped in before me. I was last and, as I stepped up to the portal, I looked at him one more time with a stern look and tipped a cap in farewell. He narrowed his eyes at the unexpected gesture, as if he was missing something in my message, and I stepped through the portal.
Jack's POV:
Do you want to know what you get when you throw a snowball at a girl with a short fused temper and similar, if not identical, powers to you? If you guessed getting buried in a seemingly endless heap of snow, you are correct! Ok, so maybe a snowball wasn't my best choice of weaponry but it was all I had! Even with her kidnapping me, I still have this weird feeling about the idea of hitting a girl, which Tooth would be likely to punch my tooth out if she heard me say that aloud. The one thing that makes me, dare I say it, jealous of her powers is that she doesn't need a conductor for them. I cant do much without my staff and there she is, effortlessly piling countless feet of snow over me. Something that makes her a bit more dangerous is how easily her moods change. She can go from releasing you from a cage with calmness, to an all out rage that would send the Nightmare King himself shaking in a corner. Or…maybe that's an advantage! Maybe I could just get on her good side and persuade her to let me go! As soon as this thought went through my mind, I frowned. Since when did I sound so desperate? The thought in and of itself sounded more pathetic in my head than I'd meant it to. I groaned and fought my way through another pile of snow that had collapsed over me. Being a winter spirit, you would think that I might at least have some sort of ease trying to dig myself out of here, and yet, I seem to have no such luck. I can't even tell where I am anymore! For all I know I might have dug myself all the way to the other side of the mountain by now! My arms have long since grown tired of digging and the worst part is that I could end it all with just three words; 'I give up'. I won't deny that I have more than once considered uttering those horrible words but being, well, me, I haven't said them yet out of stubbornness and pride. I won't give her the satisfaction if it's the last thing I do! Which…it might be. I never thought I'd be so sick of seeing snow! The one thing that has kept my anger under control is the occasional cuss word that would slip past me and other words that Tooth, under normal circumstances, would have washed my mouth out with soap for saying but I didn't care; I was practically choking on my own element by now! Almost every time I gasped for breath because of how fatigue I was, some snow would fall into my mouth and cause a coughing fit. I can't even see anything but the color white, white, and more white in front of me! At least the cold isn't the problem in this situation. If I could feel the cold, I would have undoubtedly died by now. I could hear laughing and I could tell she was close, if not right above me right now; I just couldn't see her and that was irritating.
"Oh yes, cause this is so amusing!" I spat through the snow.
"Yes, actually it is." She confirmed in a suspiciously cheery manner.
"Glad I could entertain you!" I yelled but was careful not to yell too loud in an effort not to repeat the events of earlier when the mountain felt like it would collapse, rock, snow, and all.
"It could all end with just three words." She said in a sing song voice.
"I'll collapse of exhaustion before I say any such thing!" I answered though my gut seemed to say something more like 'Why can't you just swallow your stupid pride and say it you moron?!'
She sighed dramatically and, though I couldn't see her, I could tell she was looking down at the snow with a look of 'disappointment' on her face.
"Fine. I'll come for you tomorrow." She said casually and, before I knew it, my mouth was speaking before my brain could process what it was saying.
"W-Wait! No…fine, I-I give up!" I said through gritted teeth.
Wow, that sounded even more pathetic aloud than it did in my head. Why, why does she take pleasure in others negative emotions!? I could practically feel her smile through the snow and it angered me more than Bunny had with his insults when he confronted me about the blizzard of sixty eight that just so happened to fall on his holiday. I felt the snow around me melt into water. Note: another thing she can do that I can't. As soon as it was all gone, I looked around me. I was in some sort of throne room and she was sitting in her throne, with her feet hanging over the edge of the side, and had a smirk that was so similar to mine, it made me want to slap it right off her face. The only reason I didn't was the fact that I was way too tired at the moment. If a meager snowball to the face made her snap, I would hate to see what she'd do to me if I slapped her.
"So, what do you think of my home?" She asked while twirling a snowflake around her hand.
"Simply fascinating." I stated dully.
I looked over to see a bunch of windows to the right and left of me. They were definitely too small for me to try and escape out of but large enough to see that it was already night time wherever I am. Its not like I could fly out anyway if this…girl didn't show me where my staff was. She seemed like any normal human being on the outside but she had a monstrous side to her that could be brought out at any moment. When I looked back she was right in front of my face with a very serious look. I jumped back in shock at how close she was able to get in such a short glance without me noticing or hearing her. She continued to stare at me with cold and empty eyes boring into my soul.
"Why you?" She said in a voice barely audible enough for me to hear her.
"What?" I asked but she didn't answer; only continued to stare at me.
Her stare was as unnerving as the idea of Pitch defeating us and taking over the world and that's really saying something. Finally I grew irritated at the silence and asked again.
"What do you mean 'why me' ?" I asked louder.
"Why were you asked to become what you are?" She replied dryly.
Wait? Is this what she meant when she said she wanted attention? Is she doing this for the exact same reasons as Pitch? Great, we have to deal with this again. Only problem is that she took a different approach on it. Does she seriously expect that the Guardians will give her what she wants for my sake? I never saw it; she's actually jealous of what I have now. I started laughing, which was a bold move on my part but I couldn't hold it in and she narrowed her eyes at my response.
"You're jealous of me?!" I laughed. "I'm like a third wheel, I died and rose without my memories, and I can never live a normal life! Bunny probably hates me, North and Sandy don't know me, and the only thing Tooth cares about is my teeth. I rose from a lake with nothing, no memories, no family, nothing! You seriously want to have what I do?" I asked laughing more than I was before but it was cut short when I felt a hand slap me straight across the face mercilessly. I stumbled back a few steps rubbing my cheek which was stinging like it had been electrocuted.
"You're so ungrateful!" She hissed.
Un-ungrateful?! I wanted to question her on her meaning of the word 'ungrateful' but she continued to speak before I got a chance to even open my mouth.
"You had something that I would have cherished if I got! You had a name! You had so much more than me just by having your name! I had to make one up just to feel like I was real! As for the spirits…you're the only spirit that's ever been able to see me! I don't care about harming the kids, I just want someone else to see me; I want to know that I'm real!-"
I felt the wind pick up around us and sharp icicles that could easily impale us extended from the ceiling and walls. My breathing quickened as I watched her eyes bleed a dangerous glowing red, which I took as a sign that it meant she was really pissed off.
"-I'M TIRED OF BEING TREATED LIKE I DON'T EXIST, AND IF SENDING THE WORLD INTO THE NEXT ICE AGE IS WHAT ITS GOING TO TAKE, THEN SO BE IT!" She screamed and I was about to say something when a rumbling sound echoed above us. The snow that was cascading down the mountain was causing ice to shatter and fall to the ground around us. I was about to panic but when I looked over at her, she seemed as calm as a turtle and rolled her eyes. Shooting her hand out behind her, the snow grew closer and I closed my eyes, bracing for the impact. After a moment I opened one eye followed by the other and watched in amazement. I looked out the windows to see the snow splitting in two and going around us. As the last bit of snow fell, she lowered her hand.
"Don't worry, I won't let the snow fall on us if I don't want to." She reassured me, but that great and wonderful 'if' didn't help me much.
I watched her, wide-eyed with a large mixture of feelings. She wasn't as much like Pitch as she was like me. How could other spirits not see her? Is this what I would have become if I was left alone for more time? I just felt so…guilty now, or am I just feeling sorry for her!? She didn't even have a name; she wasn't a threat to the kids(of course unless she started the next Ice Age), she was just desperate. All at once I understood.
"Look, I-I understand how you feel but kidnapping me won't get them to like you." I stated calmly, unsure of how to handle the situation at hand.
Her eyes dimmed but still glowed red. "I don't care if they like or hate me as long as they know I exist." She stated quietly. "You don't understand anything!" She hissed, but her eyes seemed to be returning to their natural color. Her words made me flash back to the day I was in Antarctica with Pitch.
Flashback…
"-But I understand."
I turned with anger, striking out with my staff.
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!" I screamed as the blue energy shot out at him.
End of flashback…
This definitely was a problem. She didn't even care if anyone liked her; she was so desperate for attention that she didn't care what kind it even was. All I could see before was someone who was heartless and overcome by greed; how could I have been so blind that I didn't even attempt to look closer? It was distant, and hidden by her anger, but sadness definitely clouded her voice. She was just like me. We both stood in silence and, though she never lost her intimidating appearance, she did noticeably calm down great levels.
"You-you know…maybe if I just helped you…we could forget this whole thing. I know the Guardians would be happy to help you." I offered slowly.
She first looked at me with a hidden hopeful look in her eyes but it was quickly replaced by a scoff and a look like it was the craziest thing she'd ever heard someone say.
"Why would you even offer something like that?!" She scowled.
I had to be very careful not to push any of the wrong buttons so I thought my words through carefully. Why was I offering my help after she kidnapped me and kept me from doing my job for three whole days? It could just be my hopes of persuading her…no, this was something more. I want to give her the chance to be remotely cared about and what if I did leave her? I know better than most what it feels like to be lonely; even though the idea scares me, if I was left alone for just a little more time, I would have become just like the Nightmare King. It appears that she has been here longer than I and without the ability to be seen by other spirits, which I still can't explain.
"Because…now that I know what this is about I…care." I answered.
Wrong answer.
"Did they brain wash you or something?" She laughed. "Wow, you are the exact opposite of who you used to be."
Ok, now I was confused. How would she know? Has she been there watching me since the day I rose from the lake or something? The idea made me shudder a bit.
"Have we met?" I asked with uncertainty. "-or are you my personal stalker?"
"We did once actually. I guess now would be a good time as any to thank you for that fateful night."
What? We have met but…when and thank me for what?
"Thank me? For what?" I asked and she turned to me.
"You probably wouldn't remember but I do. After all it was the first time I'd ever physically touched a living being. I have to admit, when you didn't pass through me I was at a loss for words but you definitely weren't. Your words that day actually helped me through all the time I'd wasted hoping that maybe someone would see me one day and I'd be loved." She laughed at the idea of being loved.
"I-I would have said no such thing! When was this?!" I asked in protest. What day could I have been selfish enough to destroy someone else's hopes?!
"The blizzard of '68'." She answered casually.
Oh…that day.
I was literally at a loss for words. Oh yes, I remembered that day quite clearly; in fact, I still wish I could have gone back and changed it. I even tried; I searched all over to try and find the person that I'd spoken to and apologize for my harsh and stupid words but, no matter how hard I searched, I just couldn't seem to find her and here she was, right in front of me. She looked much different in comparison to the day I practically shoved her into the ground, though, in my anger, I was more than happy to blame it on her. She had long brown hair in a ponytail and a thin blue jacket on and an innocent, scared, and confused look on her face. Now, her hair was white, hanging freely down her back, a blood red cloak over a plain white dress and a heartless, careless, and vengeful look on her face. The death-bringing girl that stood before me was a product of my doing. I felt like I was going to be sick.
"I-I…" I started but I couldn't find the right thing to say.
"I actually am being sincere about this 'thank you', as hard as you might find that to believe. It really did save me a lot of heartache. I'm just wondering why your opinion is so different now when you were right about what you said in the first place." She asked and all I could do was chastise myself about that day and try to come up with some sort of sentence that would be appropriate for this situation.
"What could have possibly changed your mind when-"
"I'm sorry." I interrupted quietly but judging by her expression she had still heard me.
She stared at me. I couldn't read her expression and, at the moment, I didn't want to even try. The night that this had happened, I'd accidentally ruined Easter and Bunnymund was more than happy to come and practically yell his lungs out at me. I hadn't meant to, I just…lost control of my emotions. Unfortunately, Bunny didn't help much in the way of lowering my guilt and anger. I hadn't wanted to take that out on anybody but I was blind with so many different emotions myself that I had this desire to make someone else feel what I did. I succeeded but now karma seems to have made a really good come back.
"I wasn't chastising you, I was thanking you for what you said-" She started.
"What I said was wrong!" I intervened. "I was blinded by my own emotions and I took that out on you. "I…was…wrong."
I'm not sure why I had more trouble saying it slower. This time, I actually looked up and into her eyes. She wasn't even looking at me anymore; it was as if she was still trying to process what I'd said. After a moment she narrowed her eyes and looked up at me.
"I'm willing to believe two things. Either becoming a Guardian has gotten to your head and you've forgotten about the fact that they left you for three hundred years until that clump of dirt in the sky said you had to become one of them, or you're just trying to con me into giving your weapon and freedom back. Which one is it?" She asked in a threatening tone.
She, to my surprise, raised her hand straight forward, causing a blue glow to erupt from her hand. Ice started to spread out from her hand, causing a handle to form and, from the handle, a long thin ice blade reached out from the edge. It looked like a fencing sword that the French used to use. Beautiful frost patterns swirled all around it and I was so caught up in awe that I seemed to forget she might just harm me with it. In a moments notice, she snapped the blade out and I leaned back in an effort to avoid it. The blade came within centimeters of my neck and I put my hands up as a sign of peace in hopes she would lower her weapon. She didn't. Of course.
"Well?" She asked again, lifting my chin up with the blade so that I met her eyes. I stood deathly still so it wouldn't be my fault if the blade pierced my skin.
"Neither of those. I'm trying to help!" I stated defiantly.
"Somehow I find that awfully hard to believe." She said and, before I could answer back, she lowered her blade and turned back in the direction of her throne.
I stood there waiting. "Well?" I asked, getting bored with the awkward silence.
She turned to me and, losing all traces of anger and other emotions, smirked at me. Why did I get the feeling that I was going to be experiencing the exact opposite of fun? Just as the thought ran through my head, I started to really hate my luck. I glanced down as ice formed into a shackle around my ankle and slithered into a long chain until connecting itself to the floor. Great. Karma hates me now!
"Whoa! WHY?!" I demanded.
"For lying to me. Pretending to care, for your own benefit, is a really low blow, dude. Even for you." She smiled, knowing that I had quickly caught on to the last part of her sentence and glared in response.
"I'm not lying!"
"And I'm not stupid." She quickly changed the subject. "I do hope you enjoy my household. Made it myself." She replied with a wink.
"Well congratulations, You have a simply captivated audience, don't you?" I said with sarcasm dripping through each word.
"Careful, I might just make you wash the floor." She smiled.
I shuddered at the thought of having to do actual work. Sure, bringing winter and performing my duties as a Guardian was technically work but it's fun work. The idea of sitting there scrubbing the huge floor area was definitely not appealing.
"Yeah, well you just wait. My friends are going to come for me. You're making a huge mistake with what you're doing and they won't be nice about it." I said confidently.
She glared at me. "Right now they're on a wild goose chase and have blamed your disappearance on that pathetic moron you call the Nightmare King. I think that could be a while."
Her glare was quickly wiped off by another smirk. What was she planning now? "I'm a little tired; I think I'll retire for the night. Sweet dreams Jack." She said sweetly.
My eyes widened the moment she said it and I saw a smoky black figure come forward and stand in front of me. What?! Since when could anyone other than Pitch control Nightmares?!
"No, wait! Don't you dare!" I called after her but she was already gone.
I stared into the eyes of the same creatures I kill each day with ease and, for the first time, there was nothing I could do to fight it. Only stand and wait for it to send me into a dark dreamless sleep. I stared into the golden abyss of the eyes, praying that it wouldn't be that bad. It stepped forward and I felt my eyes drop as darkness surround my mind and thoughts.
Author's note: Hey guys, I hope you're all enjoying yourselves. I finally got some inspiration for this chapter. I'm so happy!
Jack: Ok, maybe this is a better story than I thought.
Me:*narrows eyes suspiciously* Is that your actual opinion or did Ella make you say that?
Jack: Mine. I'm sorry for what I said earlier. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?
Me:*still suspicious* Okay, well while you're here, there is one fun task you could do.
Jack:*eyes light up* Really, what?
Me:*evil grin* *places scrubbing brush in hand*
Jack:*smile fades* Now you're just being mean.
Me: Ella's idea *Skips away*