Chapter 9

Echo's POV

I stormed off angrily, nature reflecting my mood with dangerous grey clouds and the ghost of a stiff breeze. If faced with anything else, all hell would be let loose. Seriously. If anyone pissed me off right now, I might accidently wipe out anything in within 1000 acres.

Before my brain could even catch up with my feet, I was already at the Bennett's house and the sky's were considerably lighter- though there was a good bit of lightning a few minutes before. Hope I didn't hurt any birds.

I sighed and was about to vault to fence to Sophie's yard –the gate thingy was just too far. At least seven feet. Seriously- when someone jerked my wrist, causing me to fall into someone's arms *cue blush!* and was carried into the woods. I turned around and was opening my mouth to yell at Pitch- and it wasn't Pitch. It was Jack. And he looked worried about something.

I blinked in confusion, and he grabbed my arm and started bombarding me with questions about if I believed what he –Pitch I'm assuming- said about them and if I would leave them and would I please come to the Pole with him to meet the Guardians thank you and-

I cut him off. "OK, slow down. First, I don't fully believe what Pitch said," the skies darkened considerably when I said his name, " and I'm not leaving my first followers. I definitely am not leaving you. Yes, I will go to the Pole with you, but… did you follow me or something? Why were you at my tree?"

Jack blinked, surprised. "Your… your tree? Do you mean my lake?"

"Whatever but—wait. Your lake? What do you mean by that?"

"OK, so, I died saving my sister from drowning at that lake. So, I call it my lake. Why do you call that willow your willow?"

"Because I woke up there of course." It was so obvious.

"You died at that tree?!" Jack looked a little panicked and I saw a flash of recognition appear on his face, but I wasn't sure if I just imagined it.

"No. I didn't have a life before this," I gestured around aimlessly, "I just woke up, leaning against that tree with my names carved into it. Accalia came to me there. I'm pretty sure she was lying on the ground outside of the branches."

Jack looked like he had been run over by a 16-wheeler. "You just woke up there. What year and did the Man in the Moon talk to you?" Jack inquired.

"1712," Oh! Car backs up and runs over Jack again, "and yeah, the Man in the Moon had this whole speech thing prepared. I might've asked some questions, but back then I could only echo what other people said. Hence the nickname Echo."

"OK…" Jack said softly… "This complicates things a bit, but… let me see your tree and then we can go to the Pole."

I shrugged. "M'kay."

We started to walk into the woods, and once we got about 20 feet into the woods, Jack stopped me. He grinned.

I looked at him skeptically. "I'm scared. Should I be scared? Because I am definitely scared."

"It'll be fun."

"Shit."

He grinned.

"You look like the freaking Cheshire Cat."

He grinned even wider.

I backed up until my back hit the wide trunk of an oak tree.

I followed me and pressed our foreheads together and wrapped his arms around my waist. My breath caught in my throat. Jack grabbed her waist and his staff a little tighter and whispered in her ear huskily, "Hold on tight."

I was mildly confused, and I probably would be more confused –bloody mind fog! - if it weren't for the fact that we shot up into the air at a very fast speed.

I won't lie.

I may have busted Jack's ear with my screaming.

Jack slowed down and he hovered and laughed richly. I had long since hidden my face in his neck, and I slowly started to pull my face out of the crook of his neck and look down… and jack decided to let us freefall 10 feet.

I clutched onto him harder and screamed something.

It wasn't a very nice word.

It started with F.

Jack's POV

I laughed some more as Echo continued cussing. This chick would give sailors a run for their money!

"Dang."

"I can hardly look at you right now."

"Aw, come on, you know you can't resist this." I pulled her closer against me. When she squirmed, I whispered to her, "Fun fact- we are exactly 793 feet above the ground."

Echo looked at me with disgust and stopped squirming. "Why you little-you wouldn't drop me."

I loosened my arms so she had to hold onto me.

"Shit!"

"You say that a lot."

"I hate you."

"If you say so…." I hooked her waist with my staff and nudged her. She yelped "Not funny Jack!"

I think I need stitches.

Pitch's POV

I snarled at the sight of Jack holding Echo in his arms hundreds of feet above the ground. My Echo. I scowled as I realized what I had to do. Jack and Echo will probably go to the lake. So I need to bring the Guardians to the lake with me.

Echo's POV

"Stop it!" I whined. "I don't want to fall to my doom after 317 years of doing pretty much nothing!"

Jack chortled and responded by wrapping his arms around me and flying me to the pond. Of course, we hadn't known that Pitch, Bunny, Tooth, North and Sandy were waiting for us. Just watching us fool around as we neared the lake.

Man in the Moon's POV

I watched worriedly as Echo and Jack made their way over to Jack's lake and Echo's tree. And to some very worried Guardians and an extremely possessive Pitch.

Echo can communicate through moonbeams, shadows, wood, and water, basically every liquid, solid, or gas she can bend and use. She also has power over nature. She knows that to a certain extent- she knows her mood affects nature, but she doesn't know she has complete control over it.

Now, for the second time in over 300 years, I talked to her. I said, "Echo. Echo, be cautious. Do not let your emotions overrule your good morals and heart."

Echo looked confused. She sent out a small thought wave through the moonlight- "Hello? Man in the Moon? Is that you?"

"Yes child. Call me Manny. Be careful and remember- you don't need to choose a side in this battle between your friends. You need to stop it."

Echo nodded and Jack looked at her confusedly, asking if she was alright.

"I wish you two the best of luck."

Echo's cheeks bloomed scarlet.

Echo POV's

I tugged on Jack's hoodie. "Jack. Jack look." Down next to Jack's lake and standing on the roots of my tree was some huge kangaroo, a beautiful fairy (I always thought I wasn't pretty, but now that I've seen her? I feel even more hideous.), a large man dressed in red with two identical swords, a small floating sand man (Literally. He was made of golden sand. Why not…) who made me smile because he smiled at me, and…. Dear God. Pitch. Bloody. Hell. These must be the Guardians (they fit the description) and Pitch brought them here because… Shit.

Pitch and his possessiveness! I can be friends with some new people and still stay friends with him! Does he seriously think I'm going to ditch him after 300 years? No way! Bloody idiot!

Jack and I gently touched down on the ground and the kangaroo (Easter Bunny? No way. That is a kangaroo, people) immediately went over and grabbed Jack and pulled him over to the other Guardians. Pitch stepped forward, but Accalia growled (thank God for Accalia- I gave of trying to find out how she could teleport to me centuries ago.) and he warily stepped back.

Jamie and Sophie walked in from the forest (Shit!) and looked around at the circle and immediately picked up on the invisible dividing line. Sophie ran over to the Kangaroo, hugged him, then ran over to me and grabbed my hand. Jamie came over and hugged me then went straight to Jack.

And then all hell broke loose.

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Songbookk12