I slammed down in a vast field in Oklahoma. The trees groaned and the grass whipped around as I screamed, digging my nails into the ground. I rose in the eye of my twister and slashed down, tearing into the ground.
"Whisty, what's wrong?" Apollo called.
"Sandy's dead and it's my fault!" I sobbed, lashing out again, attacking the ground. "I knew this would happen! I knew they'd get hurt if I was around! I knew it!"
"This isn't your fault!"
-T-
"Jack?" I said, nearing the window ledge where Jack sat. He didn't move, just held the golden box Pitch had thrown him. They were Whisty's memories. "Jack, are you alright?"
"No. I can't believe I let him die! I... I should've done something. And Whisty..." He grew angry, glaring at her memory box. "How could she just leave him to die?"
"She did her best. She was protecting everything at once, and there's nothing she could've done anyways." I reasoned.
"No, that's not what I mean! Why did she just leave?" He asked. I sighed and sat by his feet.
"Jack, Whisty is... a complicated girl, with an even more complicated past. See, she believes that if she gets close to someone, they get hurt or die."
"Why would she think that?" Jack asked. I shrugged.
"Apparently something happened to her father." I said. I eyed the golden memory box in Jack's hands. "Usually I'd be against viewing someone else's memories, but... I think it's time we met our Whisty."
I have never seen someone's memories like this. There was a series of images, depicting Whisty as a young girl with her friends. Half the time, they were near an infirmary. There was one where Whisty was sitting in a small schoolhouse, under a desk, while her classmates and teacher laid dead around her while the schoolhouse collapsed. And then there was music. I had never seen someone's memories play out like some sort of music video.
Dry lightning cracks across the skies
Those storm clouds gather in her eyes
Her daddy was a mean old mister
Mama was an angel in the ground
A human Whisty stood outside, her steely grey eyes reflecting the lightning that raced across the greying sky. A man approached her and began to yell at her. She fell onto a gravestone as the man roundhouse punched her.
The weather man called for a twister
She prayed blow it down
Whisteria stood at the window, lips quirking as the tv played beside her.
There's not enough rain in Oklahoma
To wash the sins out of that house
There's not enough wind in Oklahoma
To rip the nails out of the past
Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away,
Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away
'Til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday
Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,
Blown away
She heard those sirens screaming out
Her daddy laid there passed out on the couch
Whisty looked between her father, who had had too many beers, and the door.
She locked herself in the cellar
Listened to the screaming of the wind
She ran outside and into the storm cellar, making sure the door would hold.
Some people call it taking shelter
She called it sweet revenge
Whisty turned from the door with a victorious sigh.
Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away,
Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away
'Til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday
Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,
Blown away
There's not enough rain in Oklahoma
To wash the sins out of that house
There's not enough wind in Oklahoma
To rip the nails out of the past
Whisty sat on a pillow in the storm cellar, a worried frown twisting her face. She shot to her feet and threw open the door.
Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away (blown away)
Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away (blown away)
'Til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday (blown away)
Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,
"Dad!" Whisty screamed, running into the falling house. The storm was raging and everything was breaking. Her father laid under a pile of rubble. Her eyes widened. Whisty ran to her father's side, but it was no use. She couldn't pull the rubble off in time. The house groaned as it began to collapse. In a surge of panicked strength, Whisty ripped her father from the rubble and pulled him out of the house. She shoved him into the storm cellar and closed the door. She turned to face the storm, eyes closed.
Blown away, blown away, blown away, blown away, blown away
-J-
"We need to find Whisty." I said, rubbing at my eyes as I stood. Tooth sucked in a breath, pinching the bridge of her nose. Her cheeks were wet with tears.
"I'm sure Northern will help you find her." She said, standing and walking away. I furrowed my eyebrows.
"How am I supposed to find Northern?" I wondered aloud. I felt a tug on my staff and grinned. "I see. Northern, get me to Whisty.
"Whisty, you'll hurt someone!" Apollo called.
"I'm in the middle of an effing field in the middle of effing nowhere!" She yelled back, the storm raging around her.
"Whisty!" I yelled. She turned in the eye and saw me.
"Jack? What the hell are you doing in Oklahoma?"
"I could ask you the same!" I yelled. Whisty shook her head and stepped back.
"Go away! I'll get you hurt!" she said.
"Whisteria, none of this is your fault!" I called. Whisty hesitated.
"What are you talking about?"
"Your friends, your teacher, your dad, Sandy... It's not your fault that they got hurt!" I said. She frowned.
"How did you know about them?" She asked.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have watched your memories! But Whisty, I want to help."
"Help me what? Help me hurt you? And the Tooth? And Bunny and North? And anyone else who gets too close?" Whisty snapped.
"I want to help you heal." I said.
"W-what?" Whisty said.
"You're tearing yourself up inside!" I said.
"You think I don't know that?!"
"Whisty, you need to stop this! You'll hurt someone and hurt yourself!" I called. She rubbed at her eyes.
"How can you possibly help me?" She snapped.
"I don't know yet. We'll figure it out, alright? Just... you need to stop this." I said 'this' sharply as I grunted and landed on the ground, hard. I heard Whisty gasp and the storm stopped. I sprawled on my back and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Ow."
"Jack, are you alright?" Whisty asked. She sat on my waist as I sat up and placed her hands on my shoulders as she examined my face.
"I-I'm fine?" I said, blushing at the closeness. She pursed her lips.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm fine, really." I insisted. My hand hovered over her back, unsure whether or not to touch her. Her hand pushed my hair away from my face and she pressed her free hand to my forehead. She then sighed, dropping the hand from my forehead to my shoulder. Her head bowed and her eyes closed, she rested her forehead against mine.
"I'm really sorry, Jack." Whisty said. My hovering hand found its way onto her back and I sat up straighter. Whisty sat back, sniffled, and smiled with a watery laugh. I dully noted that her inky black hair had fallen out of her braids as I reached up to brush a flyaway from her face. Whisty blushed and we locked eyes. At the moment, her eyes were like clear skies with clouds dotting them.
"You think that getting close to someone will hurt them. But you've been with me for 300 years, and I'm fine." I said. Whisty shook her head.
"You've attempted suicide Jack, you obviously aren't." She said. I cupped her face with my hand so that she'd look at me.
"That isn't your fault." I said firmly.
"But I wasn't there for you."
"And that wasn't your fault either. That was MiM's fault." I said. Whisty looked surprised. "Your friends got hurt because they were clumsy. Your teacher was hurt because she protected the others who weren't smart enough to take cover in that twister. Your father got hurt because the bastard deserved it. Sandy... well, he sacrificed himself. It's not your fault."
"But..." She looked baffled. "Are the others okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine. Emotionally, not so much." I said. She sighed.
"I'm sorry for abandoning you guys." She said. I smirked.
"It's fine." I said. Our eyes met again, and we stayed frozen for a moment. Whisty cleared her throat.
"Well, we better go then." She said. She stood and pulled me to my feet. Whisty went to become Wind, but I said, "Wait, Whisty."
"Yeah?" She asked. I shook my head, grabbing my staff.
"Nevermind, let's go."
Disclaimer : The picture isn't mine, neither is ROTG.
