Chapter 7V: Weaving Dreams.
'Jack's here," the thought popped into her head long before Jack Frost swopped into the Pole in a flurry of snowflakes. She could almost sense the winter spirit walking toward her. Over the past few days after they named her, the Guardians have been trying to figure out what were her gifts and henceforth why she was made. So far they have come up with precious little. Well the precious little that she let them get out of her. A gift of carving ice sculptures like North; not to his specifications of course but you could tell what she was trying to make. She had a bit of the artistic temperament like Bunny, but she couldn't keep staring at those colors all the time. They already knew of her ability to manipulate snow and leapt large distances, but how little did they really know. Ashia sighed in herself. The real truth behind all her gifts; she was really bit of a Jack of all trades. A person that can simply fit in anywhere, like a shadow can bend and move over any surface. But also like a shadow, she was darkness as well. And like the shadow, she would stand out even when she fit in. But she couldn't let them see it. Not yet. It wasn't time. She still had a few more contacts to make. A few more revelations to show them. A few signs to wait for before her true purpose here could be revealed. Because she didn't actually lie when she told Jack that she could not remember her name. She really couldn't. But she remembered everything else. She knew why she died and how. She knew the reason she was brought back. The Man in Moon told her why she was here. She just had to bid her time and wait for her enemy to appear.
"Hey Ashia," Jack said plopping down beside her, "What you up too?" She registered the slight blur as her eyes changed colour to match Jack's. She was surprised no one noticed after all this time. It was such an obvious thing.
"Carving away as usual," she replied with a smile. Smiles. They brought her such joy and yet such anguish. Because they never could quite reach to the depth of her soul. Fear still tainted her, even in her rise from the grave. "What do you think?"
She held up what was supposed to be a doll wearing a frilly dress. Frills were giving her hell to carve. North had been kind enough to supply her with a vast array of tiny tools and never ending stream of advice on how to carve frills. Nothing really works.
Jack squinted at it then rubbed the back of his neck. "A doll with…something?" he asked sheepishly. Ashia laugh. She was beginning to get quite attached to this boy. He was so genuine and so untouched by Fear that every experience she had with him felt like breathing in fresh cold air. It almost felt like if she stayed long enough with these people she could be changed. That she could remove the taint from inside her. Reality slipped in and reminded her that it was the taint that was the reason from her being here.
"It is a frill," she said shoving him lightly, "I am still working on it ok."
"For how long now?" Jack asked with that mischievous teasing smile.
"Oh about five dolls now," she mockingly sighed. Jack reached over and touched the doll. A light frost raced over the supposed frill and formed a sort of lacy covering. It actually looked like a frill now. Jack raises his eyebrows at her, to see if she agreed or not. Ashia shook her head in amazement; how could she not agree? It is beautiful.
"It's a masterpiece," she declared and set it down proudly. The yeti clapped and grunted their approval. Jack and Ashia laughed again. She looked at the happy scene and wished it could stay like this forever.
"Ashia!" North booming voice rolled over her, "It is good." She pointed at Jack.
"He made the frill Santa, not me. I still have to try harder," she said. She insisted on calling North; Santa. It helps her to hold onto a bit of hope. Helped to keep her happy and not let the darkness within crowd her So far it had been working. No one has seen her happy side slip up and reveal the taint inside her. Suddenly the Yeti started yelling and North's face turned anxious. He strides over to the globe. Jack and Ashia throw each other a glance and followed after him.
"What is it?" Ashia asked. But even as Ashia asked she sees what is wrong. A light on the globe has gone out. In its place a black dot has appeared. She felt her heart sink then begin to beat faster. The time has come. Her enemy was beginning to show his face. She could feel the tendrils of Fear reaching out to her from that dot on the globe.
"A light has gone out," North echoed her thoughts, "Jack!" he ordered. Ashia looked to see Jack already hovering.
"I'm on it. I'll get Sandy to meet me on the way," Jack said.
"Take Ashia with you," North said, "It may help her to understand more of what we do and may even bring out a sign of why she is here." Jack nods. Ashia laughed grimly to herself. North had no idea of how true his words have rung.
They arrived at the child's house not very long after. Sandy's golden cloud wasn't far behind them. They had stopped to tell him what was going on then went ahead to scout out the situation. The window to the child's bedroom was open. Ashia and Jack exchanged glances. She could see the fear in his eyes. Then they slipped in and the presence of fear that filled the room causes her to stagger. She frowned and forced herself to walk over to the child's bed. Ashia shakes herself trying to physically shake off the fear aura. 'If just being near it is making me feel this way then I have grown too weak by staying with the guardians;' she said to herself. She glanced back to see Jack almost panting; the fear was seeping into him already and had all but paralyzed him.
"What is that?" he asked chokingly. Ashia looked back to the child's bed and She saw what he was pointing too. A thick black mass swirled slowly over the child's head. She turned fully to face it. The feeling of helplessness and despair flooded over her. But she had already steeled herself paid no mind to it. She had lived in feelings like that for so long it barely bothered her. In fact it felt almost homely. She reached out to touch it.
"Stop!" jack cried out and a blast of ice flew past her making her hiss in surprise. The ice hits the mass, but instead of stopping and shattering. The mass begin to bubble and then without warning dark tendrils lash out. Ashia grunts and leapt back out of reach. The tendrils lash out a while longer then slid back into the bubbling mass. Ashia saw the disbelief and despair on Jack's face.
"I couldn't stop it," Jack said his voice mirroring his feelings. Ashia laid a hand on his shoulder.
"I know you can't. But maybe I can," She said. Jack looks at her then at the mass. "Believe in me Jack." He looked back to her then nodded. Ashia stepped forward again moving close to the bed. "Call Sandy," She said reaching forward, "I will need him to help me."
Ashia heard Jack move to window, heard him call to Sandy. Then her fingers slipped into the dark mass and her mind went numb. The sensation was like dipping her hand into liquid sand. The same gritty texture of sand, but every time she tried to hold it; it would slip out through her fingers like water. Every conceivable feeling of darkness, despair, and hatred began coursing through her mind like a flood. She felt herself scream but she could not hear the sound. She forced her mouth shut and looked down at the sleeping child; she could only imagine what the child must be seeing in her dreams. The child's face was a still mask of horror. She began to try and tear the mass apart with her hands but then she felt the mass begin to bubble harder and the texture began to change. Into something thick and malleable. She suddenly realized that it was getting ready. It had poisoned the child's mind enough for it to find purchase in it. It would enter the child and taint her. Leaving a part of itself inside, then it would feed from the child's fear until the child was hollow and grew up to be a hollow adult which would live a life that would feed Fear till she grew old and miserable and then die. Ashia thought she would feel hatred for Fear but instead she suddenly felt a complete calm. She knew what she was up against. She knew what she had to do to make this go away.
"Jack!" she yelled, "Is Sandy here?" She heard her voice this time. She say jack blurrily nod. "Tell him I need some sand in here. And keep it coming."
A thick tendril of golden sand coursed into the room. Ashia watched as it came to rest above the black mass. She reached one hand out and grabbed hold of the sand. She felt the power of the dream sand course through her. 'Believe in me Sandy,' she sent the thought through the sand. Then she took a breath and began to weave.
Her fingers followed the course of her thoughts without her barely being aware of it. She began to weave a story, with golden figures of DreamSand battling the Dark Mass of Fear. Every time the dreamsand touched the mass it would blacken and add to the mass, but with each change the mass began to change back to the gritty texture of sand. The slowly but surely she began to see streaks of gold in the black mass of now dark sand. Then like a flower bursting open, the mass gave a shudder and golden sand erupted and consumed it. Ashia heard the long dying wail of Fear as the child began to cry with joy in her dreams. She stepped back, her arms falling heavily to her side. IT was only when Jack caught her, did she realize she was falling. She tried to say something but the words wouldn't come out. Jack's awed but scared face loomed before her. He was saying words, but she couldn't hear them. Her last thoughts were that she needed to find Pitch Black and have a long talk with him.