Here you go! The longest f*cking chapter in this whole story!
cArrY oN...
Chapter 6
A short, humble man stood at the edge of a cliff, watching below.
He sported long, thick, and black-feathered wings. His shirt was gray, pants blue, and shoes polished. A white cape fell behind him in a royal manner, as did the obsidian crown that sat upon his head.
Sighing, the brown-haired wonder flicked his hand, and appeared a near-duplicate of him with golden eyes.
"How dare you do that."
"Do what, may I ask?"
"Do what?" the younger screams, happy to have his voice back. "Do what! You literally gave Jack every single one of your problems. Does he still have them?"
"Sandman, you're so dramatic." He starts pacing around the room, not a guilty look in sight.
"Dramatic." Sandy replies, furious. "You're the one barely keeping Jack alive in the real world. Do you realize how much this is all devastating him?"
"Yes."
"That's all you're going to say."
"Is there something else you want me to say?"
"Let us out of the memory."
"I can't do that. You need to see it all to understand how he feels."
"Manny," Sandy growls, "does he still have them?"
For once he hesitated. A look of shame returned to his eyes, one that was there just minutes before Sandy had arrived.
"Does he still have them?" he yells.
"Yes. Yes!" Manny says in a low grumble. "There is nothing I can do. He was unlucky the moment he was born. He's selfless and erratic. He doesn't know what's he's doing half the time, and the danger it puts himself and others in. He doesn't have a pattern I can follow, and he is stupid!"
They're both quiet as the words sink in. Sandman looks up horrified, as does Manny.
"That's not what I meant!" he scrambles around for the right words. "I swear, I didn't mean any of that. This was supposed to be a learning experience, all this. The memories, everything."
"Stupid, you say?" he golden-eyed man replies sadly. "You're grandson has called himself that tenfold. You've just added to his guilt, despite him having nothing to be guilty about. My nephew is dying the real world, but neither of us can do a damn thing about it. Because I'm stuck in a memory, and you never dare to interfere."
"I sent his mother and sister to help him."
"They can't do a thing, and you know it." Sandy walks up to the grey-eyed, fists balled. "The most they will ever be able to do is comfort him."
"His sister is the daughter of healing. Her powers are infinite."
"Not to nightmare sand, they aren't. You already know all this, Manny. But I have one more question for you." Sandy looks him dead in the eyes.
"Do you know how much time does he have left? Or are you making a guess, like you always do?"
And with that, the man is back in the memory, silencing his companion's questions.
Manny collapses, sobbing.
Waves become tsunamis of emotions around the world, filling everyone with the same depression he was facing. Yet no one knew why.
Pippa and Medina stared in wonder at the Pole.
Toys of all types were being produced in quiet alignment. Stairs led up to the many doors on the second, third, fourth floor. Flying turtles, butterflies, and planes soared over them in a straight line, missing their usual happiness and curiosity. It was a sad sight to behold.
"Manny said that we need to meet with the Healing Yeti… what was her name?" the older woman asked.
"Joy. She's on the top floor, waiting for us." Despite the Pole's condition, Pippa was still excited. She had no idea what she was getting herself into, or what she was about to see.
The pair made their ways up the stairs, becoming less and less enchanted as they ascended. The lights had been dimmed for Jack, since his eyes had become sensitive to light. Every yeti they saw either had a rag or medical supplies in their large hands. One was even spotted with a small vial of dream sand.
When they arrived at the door, an elderly beast answered it for them. Her fur was completely white, save for what seemed to be black tribal markings that went across her back. Her eyes were a bright, but slightly dulled, green that seemed to pierce through their greatest barriers.
"Hello, Joy." Medina greeted.
"Hello, Knight." Joy was the first and only yeti to learn and speak every language fluently.
Pippa was kneeled beside Jack's bed, eyes wide. His face was deathly pale (even more than usual) and sweat hung on him in sheets, despite both the yeti's and elves' best intentions with the use of rags. His breathing was rapid and held no healthy pattern within it. The life seemed to have left him over the week the Guardians had been asleep.
"Joy… what's wrong with him, exactly?" the young girl's voice broke towards the end.
"One of the yeti's told me of the fight, for the latter half of it, and nothing happened to him during that time." She rubbed her head, sighing. "The most I can gather is that it's from before the fight, when Sandy was destroyed."
"But Sandy came back, right?" Manny had not filled her or Pippa in on the details of the fight that had gone on a week before.
"Yes, he did. But I'm talking right after he'd been taken over by the sand."
"What did Pitch do?" Pippa growled surprising them both by her anger.
"From what I've heard, Jack lost his temper and flew forward, toward Pitch at an alarming speed. He stopped, thankfully, but Pitch gathered his nightmare sand and forced it to him." She stopped, putting a hand on her chin. "I know there's more to it…."
"You forgot the part where I kicked his ass."
Everybody jumped in surprise, including the poor old yeti that was the most wide-eyed anyone had ever seen her. And she was the most immune to surprises, too.
"Jack?" she wondered, going to check his pulse. "How… how are you awake? The nightmares…"
"Oh, they're definitely still… there." He grimaced, sitting up slightly. "But, may I ask… who're they?" he nodded over to the other women in the room. Medina looked down sadly, while Pippa looked up in question.
"It's true?" she asked, walking closer to him. He looked up with a look in his eyes, like he was looking for something. "He really took away all your memories?"
"Uh… yeah."
"Well, I'm Angelic Knight," Medina said, smiling warmly, "And that's Daughter Silveric, the healing spirit."
"He's probably never heard of us, mother," she rolled her eyes. "In other words, we're Pippa and Medina Overland."
He froze, staring up at her. Eye wide and heart beating, he sat up straighter. "I know you, I know I do…"
Medina looked at Pippa in surprise, excitement in her eyes. "Do… do you remember us? We…." She tried searching for memories, but couldn't seem to reach any happy ones.
"Wait." He looked up, disbelief clear in his eyes. "Pippa?"
She smiled. "Yes."
To say that Jack was unprepared for this information would be an understatement. He had been completely in the black about the whole "my whole family are the most important spirits". And then, of all things to notice, he questions, "You, uh, look really young…?"
Her smile disappeared. "Well, looks like we have something other than genes in common." She cringed when she saw his sad expression.
"Pípere!" Medina whispered fiercely.
"Jack… do you remember Medina?" Joy questioned.
He looked at her intensely for a moment. "No… I probably do, somewhere, but all the memories I keep seeing are when Pippa and I were in this really nice mansion. She was never there."
A tear ran down her face. "Are… are your memories in color, Jack?" there was a slight hope that the condition he'd been born with had dissipated when he had been made a spirit.
"No. Why?" his eyes widened. "Should they be?"
"Jack…." Medina tried.
"All I see is gray," he grasped his head with his hands, breathing hard. "I… I'm colorblind. I thought the world was gray… my head hurts really bad…."
Silence filled the room, and it took everyone a minute to realize that Jack was unconscious. Joy was the first, gasping loudly enough to alarm everyone else. She scurried over to him, eyes flaring at the sight of blood coming from his ears. She started rubbing his temples with her index fingers, glowing slightly.
"This is the only reason he isn't dead yet," she sighed, removing her fingers and fetching a cloth. She wiped the blood from his cheeks and neck carefully. "He has episodes like this nearly every day, but it's never been this bad. And usually, he throws it up and he's over with it."
"I didn't know nightmare sand could do such a thing." Pippa said shakily, still feeling guilty for pushing Jack too hard.
"It can't. That's what I'm so confused about. From the information I was given, nightmare sand was the only thing that made contact and entered his skin. Although, I do have one theory." The yeti twiddled her thumbs nervously. "For what could be causing the internal bleeding."
Medina looked up. "What's that?"
"He would have had to hit something with extreme force."
"What… so he fell?"
Joy looked to Pippa. "There is bruising along his back, but nothing that should cause the bleeding. Although, it might have done something internally…."
Pippa suddenly looked up, like a light bulb had gone off over her head. "Hold up—let me see if I can find the source."
She knelt down next to his bed, laying his hands on his chest. A bright, blinding light shone through the room, and everyone closed their eyes. When it ended, Pippa was left staring in red-hot anger.
"Pip—"
"I was somehow able to access a memory," she breathed, standing up and shaping her wings, "of Jack and Pitch. I have no idea why, but Jack was in Antarctica. He had this golden capsule in his hands, and seemed to be trying to throw it off the cliff. Pitch appeared, and tried to get Jack to his side, but thank the moon, he refused. Then—"
They were whisked away from the scene and into another. Glaciers, snow, and freezing cold water surrounded the area of land they were on.
"We're in a memory," Joy said. Then looked to her left. "And there's a pause button?"
"Looks like we can control what we see." Pippa replied. "Oh, and this is the memory I was talking about."
They saw Jack run up the cliff and attempt to throw the golden capsule into the fog below, but seemed to rethink his actions at the last minute.
"I thought this might happen."
Jack's eyes widened, as did the rest of the spirits (besides Joy).
"They never really believed in you, I was just trying to show you that." He paused. "But I understand."
The reaction was instantaneous. "You don't understand anything!" a wave of ice rained down upon Pitch.
He blocked the attack, following up with his own. "I don't know what it's like to be cast out?" their elements collided, leaving dust and ice particles hanging in the air. "To not be believed in? To long for… a family?"
Jack's raised staff lowered a little as he took in Pitch's confession.
"All those years in the shadows, I thought—no one else knows what this feels like. But now I see I was wrong."
"Don't do it, Jack." The group looked on in anticipation. The staff was now lowered completely.
"We don't have to be alone, Jack. I believe in you, and I know children will too."
"In me?" his voice was tight and unconvinced.
"Yes! Look at what we can do!" he gestured up to the spiked ice that was stained black, like some sort of sculpture. "What goes together better than cold and dark? We can make them believe. We'll give them a world where everything, everything is—"
"Pitch black?"
"Wow, he just screwed up." Medina smirked with Joy. Pippa's face was hard set as stone, a worried expression on her face, like she knew the future. Well, she kind of did.
"And Jack Frost, too." Pitch tried. "They'll believe in both of us."
"No, they'll fear both of us. And that's not what I want." He turned and started walking away. "Now for the last time, leave me alone."
Pitch looked at him with a menacing look. "Very well, you want to be left alone? Done. But first…."
Jack looked back just in time to see him pull out Baby Tooth, nearly crushing her with his tight grip. Joy knew the fight had just left him then, despite the staff that was now, once again, in the air and pointed at the dark man.
"Baby Tooth!"
"The staff, Jack!" Pitch yelled, and the boy looked down at it. "You have a bad habit of interfering. Now hand it over, and I'll let her go." Baby Tooth made a valiant effort to convince him the man was lying, ending up not very successful.
Jack flipped the staff and handed it to Pitch, who took it effortlessly. "Alright, now let her go."
His face turned smug. "No."
"Oh, low blow." Joy growled.
"You said you wanted to be alone," an evil expression covered his face, "so be alone!"
Baby Tooth decided now was the best time to stand up for them both and stab Pitch's thumb. The Boogeyman cried out and flung her across the field (of snow) relentlessly.
Jack looked on in horror. "No…."
Pippa sat down, closing her eyes.
And then Pitch broke the staff in half. Jack cried out, groaning from the connection he had with the object. Pitch took this moment to fling Jack into the same chasm Baby Tooth had landed in. His back hit the side of it with inhuman force, and he was pulled under consciousness for a short three minutes.
"That explains the bruising… but the bleeding?"
"The staff." The memory had paused, but she chose to fast-forward to the end of the memory, where Jack and Baby Tooth flew off. Then she zoomed in. "He may have been able to fix it, but damaging your Harlond brings more damage to the owner than you think."
"Harlond?"
"Like a mental block." Pippa explained. "All focus and power goes into it. Usually, no one knows what theirs is, but it was essential to Jack's health. Manny must've realized he had so much power, and had to put it all into something he could use but not excessively. When it broke… Jack was damaged. But so much was in his Harlond that when it broke…."
"It impacted Jack." Joy finished, a horrified look on her face.
"That staff was his weak spot." Medina said, catching on. "And we have no idea how many times it broke."
"Oh, don't worry," Pippa waved that off, "this was the first time. That crack you see? That will always be noticeable to Jack, but someone else might totally miss it, for the sole reason that they weren't meant to."
"Then how are we seeing?"
Pippa hesitated. "I honestly don't know. Heck, I don't know my own Harlond, and somehow, I just knew what Jack's was and where the damage is."
"Must be because you're Daughter Silveric." Medina said.
"Yeah, well, I think it's because we actually care about him. He was left alone for—how many years?—yes, 300, and he never had contact with another spirit." But she was upset.
They appeared back in the room, Pippa took off, out of one of the windows, taking note of the rain that was falling and the rising of the tides. But she was one pissed-off spirit on a mission.
The Guardians had given up asking Sandy questions, since whenever he did answer, the symbols were so fast that even Tooth couldn't decipher them.
Ten days had passed in the memory, and Jack was good as new. The stitches had been redone, thanks to a nightmare on the fourth night at the mansion had caused him to rip them out. The worst part of the whole ordeal… was the whole ordeal. There had been no sedatives left, and the nearest village that had some in stock was at least three nights away by horse.
So, the whole ordeal. Was. Painful. As. Hell.
It went kind of like this:
"You're sure as hell that we don't have anything that could out him to sleep?" Radella yelled over Jack's screaming, which had grown more and more intense each time the needle pierced his skin. The man everyone had come to know as Uncle (great-great) Walter. He had the steadiest hands and most medical knowledge in the whole family (despite Bunny—he was a magician when it came to stitches). He yelled back:
"You know, Radella, I'm pretty sure I would've used them if we had any! Edmond and George still aren't back from their ride to Havard, and we ran out of medical supplies days before the two of them got here."
Jack cried out once again when the needle made its way in. "Stop! P-please s-stop!"
"Honey," Radella soothed, running her hand along his hair. "You're fine, we're just fixing you up, you're fine…."
"S-stop!" he screeched, arching. Walter cursed.
"We need to do this now, but there's no way I'll be able to complete it without seriously injuring him. He's too sensitive to pain right now."
"Well, what're we supposed to do?" Radella said with a panicked look. Jack was still screaming, but his eyes were fluttering and his breathing was shortening.
"Radella, you know exactly what you're supposed to do."
Her eyes shut. "Uncle—"
"Radella, I'd prefer not to kill Jack right now. And you don't want to cause him pain." He shouted. "So, Radella, knock him out! He still has five more injuries that require stitching, dammit!"
"Fine! Fine!" she thrust her hands onto Jack's chest, where in response, he shuttered, then became still.
"You're sure you didn't kill him?" Walter asked, skeptical and worried as he checked Jack's pulse.
"Oh, yeah, I'm sure. Now get the stitches done. He's gonna be out for a while, but that doesn't mean you get to take a break." She stormed out, tears in her eyes.
Walter sighed, knowing he'd pushed her too far, and continued with the stitches, stroking Jack's head every time he whimpered.
"I know, Jack. Her magic doesn't do good." He looked up, out of the window. "It never does."
The Guardians were sitting in the new room that Jack had been put in, watching him and Pippa sleep soundly, aside from the whimpers that came from Jack every once in a while.
"So, does anyone actually know what she did back there?" Tooth asked, wide-eyed. They'd been avoiding this conversation the whole day.
North shook his head. "I have no clue. But what did Walter mean by 'her magic doesn't do good'?"
"Well, she seemed to be pissed." Bunny pointed out. "Like she didn't want to use it."
"But what did it do?" Tooth wondered. "I mean, it knocked Jack out, but it was for his own good. She didn't want him to be in pain…."
"But she was acting like it would kill him or something." North said.
"Well, it didn't."
"I know that, Bunny."
"Just pointing it out, mate."
Tooth looked to Sandy, desperation written all over her face. "Sandy, please? Talk to us. Or at least tell us that you don't know."
He crossed his arms, turning away. He knew it was wrong to be taking out his anger on his friends, but he was still mad at Manny. He sighed, knowing he'd have to tell them one day.
He symbolized, talking to Tooth. She gasped.
"You talked to Manny?" she got the others' attention.
Nodding. Symbols.
"He sent Daughter Silveric and Angelic Knight to help heal him?" she smiled, as did the others.
He shook his head, a sad look in his eyes. Symbols.
"But they can't help him." Her face dropped. "And Jack doesn't have much time left. No more than a week."
"Daughter Silveric can heal anything." North said, confused.
"If it was just nightmares, then yes, she could." Tooth replied. "But this is nightmare sand, and we need to transform it back into dream sand, like it was in the first place."
"Sandy." Bunny realized, groaning. "Was there anything else he had to say?"
Sandy bit his lip, debating whether or not to tell them. He relayed to whole statement to Tooth, whose eyes turned ice cold, scaring the other two.
"Uh, Tooth?" Bunny started. "Are, you, um—"
"How the hell could he say that?" She screamed, alarming everyone. She was never like this. "How could he say that about his own grandson? Jack is fucking dying out there, and he says that!"
North gaped (oh my Moon, she cursed). "Can we, um, know?"
Tooth stormed out, screaming bloody murder and trying to punch things in the front field.
Sandy shrugged, holding his hands up in a "not my fault" motion. Bunny sighed, rubbing his head. "It must've been really bad if shelia is, well, that." He gestured out the window, chuckling nervously.
They were shaken from the fuming Toothania when they heard a rustle in one of the beds. They turned around to find Pippa sneaking out of the bed, towards the door.
"You aren't even going to try to do anything." They heard a harsh whisper. Radella.
Pippa opened the door quietly, tip-toeing down the hall to the cracked door. The Guardians peaked through with her to find a lady with brown hair and green eyes waving wildly in the air.
Pippa gaped. "Mama."
"Della, there's nothing I can do."
"Medina, do you hear yourself?" she growled. "You're just going to let him be alone for three hundred years? He won't know a thing—a damn thing! You aren't going to tell anyone, even the Guardians."
"Well, yes."
"What is that supposed to mean? And why just him? You and Pippa are going to have the time of your lives."
"No, we won't." she glared. "Manny said we aren't allowed to interfere. Jack—"
"Do you realize that he'll resent him?" Radella countered, infuriating her even more. "Manny. He won't know that he's his grandfather, but how is this all supposed to work out?"
"He'll become a Guardian."
"After three-hundred bloody years!" she nearly yelled. "He won't want to be a Guardian, Medina. Why are you telling me all this? They're down the hallway, why don't you just tell them. I'm so sure they'll understand."
Her eyes widened. "They won't understand, and you know it."
"You know what I also know? That Jeván won't understand for the whole three-hundred years that Manny decided that he needed alone. What the hell did Jack even do?"
"Nothing. It's just that after saving her—"
"He'll need time find out his center, blah blah blah." Radella cursed loudly. "He isn't going to. He won't even know that he has a damned center to begin with. How is he supposed to find it?"
"It's a feeling."
"That he won't have because he'll have all his memories wiped clean."
"That's not my fault."
"No, it is." Radella screamed. "Because you aren't even going to try to change Manny's mind. You're just going to be a submissive bastard."
Medina stood up, as did her sister. "Quiet down, idiot! We don't want them to hear this."
"And they won't. I knocked Jack out."
"I heard about that."
"No, you probably saw it when you were staring into Manny's shoes."
"Shut up, Radella." Her eyes widened. "Oh, God, Pippa."
Pippa had been silent the whole time while she digested the information. When she found out that she'd been discovered, she leaped up and bounded silently down the hallway and crashed into her bed, pretending to fall asleep.
Medina and Radella stormed into the room, staring her "sleeping" form down until sighing deeply.
"Well, at least she's a deep sleeper." Radella smiled in relief, until she looked behind herself to find that she was the only one standing in the room. "Bloody bastard."
Bunny turned to Sandy immediately. "Is this what Tooth is pissed about?"
Sandy shook his head, breathing deeply.
North groaned. "I am so going to kill Manny."
Pippa landed at the hole near Jack's lake, memories flooding her. She shook them off, plunging into the hole, eyes cold and unforgiving.
Pitch was sitting at a desk made of black sand, where he bowed his head. It took Pippa a few minutes because of the confusing hallways, but when she made it to the room, she stomped her foot.
He turned around in surprise. "Pippa?"
"Don't you dare call me that, devil." She yelled, storming up to him and slapping him. He spun around, now out of the chair, before getting back up and cradling his cheek.
"What was that for?" his eyes held fear.
"How could you dare hurt him? Especially in his weak spot? And nightmare sand, seriously?"
Pitch was confused. "I really have no idea what you're talking about."
"Jack, asshole. I'm talking about Jack."
"I never hurt him." But he had a suspicion that was a lie.
"Oh, so the bed-ridden, nightmare sand-filled boy that's sweating to death and barely breathing wasn't your fault?" she asked, deadly sarcasm dripping from her voice.
"He's hurt?"
"Don't you fucking dare sound so innocent. How did you know?"
Pitch stared, clueless. "Know what?"
"His staff, Black. How did you know that was it?"
"Wait wait wait—" he held his hands up, realization dawning over his face. "His staff is his Harlond?"
"You didn't know." Skepticism.
"No, I had no clue. And even that shouldn't be causing him the amount of pain it is. It's just a staff."
"Tell me, what happened after you decimated Sandy?"
"Oh, Moon." He gasped, remembering. "What did Manny—"
"Manny gave Jack power." Pippa held a shining sliver knife to Pitch's throat, emitting a gulp. "Too much power to just be put in a necklace or a tattoo. That staff holds memories only him and I know about, and you broke them."
"I had no idea. But he fixed it."
"There's lasting damage, idiot." They were quiet for a while. She lowered her knife, staring into his unforgiving cat eyes. "I'm leaving now, but I swear, if you take advantage of him in this state, I will kill you. Because despite what you believe, fear can be killed, and Manny can assign someone much more fit for the job."
She turned to leave.
"Don't you dare doubt me. Siblings are worth protecting, especially when you've never had the chance to do so."
Three days had passed since Pippa and Medina had arrived. The workshop's condition had worsened, Jack's health deteriorating, combined with the mess Pitch had made, brought everyone's spirits, along with the toy production, downhill. Even Phil didn't have the heart to argue whenever someone told him to paint a whole set of toys the opposite color. Jingle didn't jingle, and both of them came to see Jack whenever they had the chance. Cookies weren't made anymore because of the absence of their boss.
Tooth's fairies barely made it by, often too preoccupied with the troubles at hand. The only real emergency suitable leader, Baby Tooth, was an emotional mess, never leaving the sick room and always seated on the bedside table, wings forgotten.
Mother and daughter watched in harmony as the small friends of Jack and the Guardians talked about the situation.
"Jack told me," Jamie whispered in a hoarse voice. "He told me he would make it snow. He said that this would be the longest, most beautiful and fun-filled winter that I had ever imagined. It's not just him, either. Bunny's eggs are cracking without being dropped. They never move anymore, and the belated Easter that he promised never happened. Sophie won't stop crying, and when she thinks I can't hear her, she says stuff like 'they're hurt' and 'I never dream anymore'. She sounds my age, which is way too mature."
Pippa bit her lip. "Jamie…."
"Tooth's fairies move so slowly whenever they come through the night. When I say hello, they start crying and run off, like I was going to hurt their grandma."
"Jamie." Medina said, attempting to rub her headache away. She hasn't had to deal with an eleven-year-old in….
Oh, yeah.
"Silveric, Knight, look at the Pole! The yetis aren't loud enough, and—" his breathing halts. "Where are the Guardians?"
"That's what we're trying to tell you." Pippa stands up, wings forming. "I'm coming to get you. This is the kind of situation you have to see for yourself."
"What about Sophie?"
"Do you want your sister to be traumatized for the rest of her life?"
"It's that serious?"
"Jamie," Medina said softly, "let's just say that, around here, nothing is going right."
A few minutes later, Pippa and Jamie were flying back to the Pole, rain falling around them. She rolled her eyes. "You have questions."
"Yeah," he rubbed his neck. "Like, who're you?"
"Daughter Silveric."
"No, no, I mean, who are you."
"I'm afraid I'm confused."
"Well, like, Jack." She stiffened. "He was obviously someone before he was Jack Frost. I searched up some stuff in the library with my friends. There're a lot of mythical stories about 'Jack Frost', but none of them fit the description."
"Where're you going with this?" There's no way he found out the truth. That was three hundred years ago!
"I don't know. When Jack was here, when I couldn't see him, the lake was always frozen."
Oh, shit sticks.
"And now that he's gone, it thawed. And it's always cold in Burgess, even in March. And I've noticed that even through the summer, that lake is cold and frozen over. So, obviously, no one could've drowned in it, right?"
Definitely shit sticks.
"But, there was an incident back in 1712, a guy named Jeván Overland, also known as Jack, saved his sister sometime during the month of March, drowning himself in the process."
How the hell is this stuff even on the Internet to begin with?
"His body were never found, but researchers predict that it was the body of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old. I couldn't even find the date it happened, but my best guess—"
"March fifteenth, 1712." Pippa mumbled as he clambered off her back and onto the soaked stone, shivering but gaping.
"Did you just say...?"
"We're going to talk about this later, you and I." She pointed at him, making him step back. Pippa rubbed my temples, walking into the Pole and up the stairs, Jamie following close behind with a surprised look on his face. "Maybe even with my mother. It's just too complicated to deal with right now. We have a long history, and we're going to leave it at that."
"But—"
"Jamie!" I yelled, wincing at his hurt expression. "I can't deal with telling you all this right now, okay? I can't possibly explain to you that Jack, the spirit you believed in, is my brother, and did in fact save me when I was ten. I was stupid and went on the thin ice even after he told me not to. Our family has a long history with Manny, and his best Guardians are watching his memories. Sandy is asleep, and he's the only one who can remove the nightmare sand still in Jacks body."
Breathing. Gasps. Silence.
"Oh, hello, Jamie." Medina pokes through the door, brows furrowing in confusion. They lifted. "Pípere, you just told him everything, didn't you?"
"Well, not everything."
"The situation, that is." Pippa corrected.
And so they went in. The two winged women made way for Jamie, who stood horrified in the middle of the room, a fixed stare on the bedridden sprite he'd come to know so well.
He ran to his side, kneeling and laying his hand over Jack's. They both shivered simultaneously, raising brows from both the spirits watching. Jamie turned around after patting Baby Tooth on the head, who squeaked in sympathy.
"What the heck is wrong with him?" his eyes were downright scary.
"Like I said," Pippa replied, "there's nightmare sand in him."
"But how?"
"Well," the yeti responded this time around. "He was hit with the black stuff before you actually met him. Then, his staff was broken."
"What's so important about his staff?"
"A Harlond is a spirit or sprite's power and energy source. Jack had so much of it, it couldn't be put into something small. So he has to work side-by-side with it in harmony, because if he doesn't have his staff, two very bad things could happen."
"Like?"
Medina continued. "One, he could lose control of the energy stored within it. Blizzards unlike anyone's ever seen would rake through the world, killing everything in its path. Or, even worse, he could lose his powers."
Jamie rubbed his neck. "How is that bad?"
Pippa piped up. "Jack has so much power that most of his bodily energy is stored in his staff. It's basically his life force. If it was destroyed…."
"Jack… would die." Jamie croaked out. "But… he already died… and isn't he immortal?"
"Technically. But Manny could take pity on him… and he's never had good luck, either." Medina said, looking at Pippa, who chuckled nervously.
"Yeah… rough childhood."
"Bad luck?" the small boy questioned further.
Pippa groaned. "He had some minor conditions…."
"Tell the boy." Joy was just as intrigued.
Silveric hesitated, before sighing. "Lactose-intolerant, vegetarian, allergic to blueberries… and colorblind."
Silence filled the room. Medina couldn't remember half of those, knowing she hadn't seen him in centuries.
"He's colorblind?" Jamie asked in a small voice, a sad look in his eyes.
"Born with it. Although, he can see bright colors, like orange and yellow."
He bowed his head. "This is so sad."
"Tell me about it." They all bowed their heads in a prayer.
Save him. Spare him, Lord. Let him survive through this all.
Bunny was fuming.
North was fuming.
Tooth and Sandy were attempting to calm them down. They haven't been successful for the last five hours. Five freaking hours.
After Tooth had calmed down and apologized for her reaction (no, no, you're fine—anyone would've reacted that way), she told the clueless Guardians that stood expectantly.
And now they're fuming.
"Why would he say such a thing?" North boomed.
"He's off his wacker! Stupid good-for-nothing." Bunny yelled.
Tooth raised her hands. "Now, now, I thought the same thing—"
"Thought!"
"Think." She corrected with a roll of her eyes. "But I calmed down, right? You guys need to do the same thing."
"What Manny said was unacceptable!" North's eyes narrowed. "And you're agreeing with him?"
"What?" she took a step back. "No!"
"Sure you aren't." Bunny challenged. "But you aren't doing anything to prove him wrong. You're just standing there, acting like it didn't affect you."
"No I'm not." She countered.
"Tell me what you've done."
"Well… I—"
"Nothing!" North interrupted. "You've done nothing."
Sandy stood up, furious and tired of their behavior. They were Guardians, for Moon's sake. Arguing and accusing wasn't and still isn't on the schedule.
He simply walked up to them both and slapped them. Hard. So hard, that it left a small, gold handprint on their surprised faces.
"You two need to stop!" Tooth screeched for Sandy. "I haven't done shit, you're right! But have you, North? Bunny, tell me what you've fucking done to change Manny's mind?"
He stuttered, caught. "Uh…."
"That's damn right! Nothing! All we've all done is scream and shout at each other while Manny cries his ass off up there!" she pointed up, through a skylight in the main entrance. "I am tired of you two teaming up on me and accusing me of not helping, because for God's sake, I screamed and shouted and cried while you guys found out information about Jack. And you even found out that Manny set Jack up. You found out valuable information, that we're doing absolutely nothing with, because you two can't control your bloody temper like I could. You couldn't take it outside, scream at the moon like we always do, and cry yourself dry of tears.
"You couldn't pull your asses together and listen to me! Because, according to Sandy, it was the heat of the moment, and Manny had no idea what he was saying! I can feel through memories, remember? There're tsunamis and earthquakes and blizzards appearing all over the globe. The rain never stops. High tide never ends. Manny is killing himself up there, because he still isn't confident enough to go down into the world and heal Jack himself. He is guilty as hell and won't sleep. He hates himself for everything he said about his grandson. His own grandson is dying and he knows it."
Sandy's mouth turned up in a smile, happy to finally have the old, short-tempered Toothania back, even if it was only temporary. She can simply put them in their places.
Bunny and North stood in shame, looking down at their feet. They hadn't been yelled at in years—not like that, at least.
"Uh… sorry, shelia." Bunny rubbed the back of his neck, his accent coming in strong in guilt.
"Yeah. I apologize." The Russian man mumbled.
All of a sudden, a bright light engulfed them. They shared shocked glances, and when the world came back, a boy ran through them.
That boy was Jack Overland.
"I think this is another memory." Tooth said.
"He looks so much older." Bunny inquired, eyes narrowed. "How old was he before?"
"Thirteen."
"At least fifteen, then." Tooth guessed. Little did she know, that was his exact age.
"Jack!" a girl with blonde hair squealed. When the Guardians saw her, she was a young girl of nine. "I'm gonna get you!"
"You forget that I'm the fastest in the village!"
"You're never at the village, dummy." A boy the age of the girl with brown hair shoots back, catching up rapidly. "You only go to the school."
"He works at the bakery, too." Pippa appears behind them, panting profusely. "And the library."
"Whatever. You guys live in that awesome mansion. What reason would you have to be here, anyways?" the blonde said.
Jack halted. "To be with you guys, of course!" he picked her up, earning squeals.
"That's not the only reason."
His face turns serious. "Don't even start, Pippa."
"You like Widow."
He becomes red. "Pippa, shut up."
"You're not even denying it!" the brown-haired boy screeches. "Jack likes Widow! Jack's in love!"
"I'm gonna kill you later."
Pippa smiled. "I know."
"What's all the fuss about?" a red-haired girl with sparkling green eyes walked up to them, smacking the small boy. "Has Edward been bothering you again?"
Jack smiled. "Yeah, they all have."
"Hey!" the blonde said.
"Except you, Nicole."
Jack looks at the time on the large clock in a nearby tailors shop. "It's time to go home, Pip. Aunt Radella would be upset if we skipped curfew."
"Again." Pippa added thoughtfully. She turned to Nicole. "Will you be able to get home safely on your own? It's really dark out. Widow could take you with her and Edward."
"No, Pips, I'm good. I have a lantern too, remember?" she pulled one out.
"Are you two sure you can get home safe?" Jack asked Widow, who laughed.
"Of course we can. You guys should worry about yourselves for a change." She punches him slightly. Then her face transforms. "I mean, not that you don't —"
"You're fine, Wid." He hugged her and Edward, then ruffled Nicole's hair. "Remember, scream if you're in trouble. That goes for all of you."
"You too, Jeván." Widow replies, a hard look in her eyes.
He stiffens. "That was one time."
"And what did that one time cost?"
He sighed. "I know. I know. It… it won't happen again."
"I don't like the hesitation."
"What hesitation?"
"Jack." She gives him a sympathetic look. "I know you took that hard."
"I don't want to talk about her."
"Talking about Gwen might be exactly what you need."
"Widow. Don't." he lets out a breath, tears forming. "Please."
She sighed. "Alright. See you all tomorrow?"
"Yep. Remember your half of the project, Edward." Pippa said with a laugh. "Wouldn't want to get a failing grade again, would we?"
"Shush. I forgot."
"Oh, yeah, that's what you say every time you don't finish home—"
"Okay! Let's go, Pip." Jack laughed, tugging her along.
Both groups go their separate ways, laughing or talking or being quiet. The sky darkened quickly after that, the moon shining with the most ferocity any of the Guardians had ever seen.
7,000 words! OMG!
I almost posted the last chapter just now XD I got it confused with this one.
TOOTH F*CKING SNAAAAAPED THAT WAS SO F*CKING FUN TO WRITE! YOU DONT EVEN KNOW. IT WAS SUCH AN AMAZING FEELING, LIKE, MY BRAIN EXPLODED.
I know, that was an overreaction. But oh, well, I loved writing those two paragraphs. In case you didn't already know.
one more chappy! It's getting close, guys!
Love you all!
Mini
