Finne Min Senter
Chapter Nine
Dependency
-',-
In the darkest spot of the Earth where the shadows rule and light was but a speck; Pitch Black breathed in the bountiful fright and misery the children had provided him but their fear was nothing compared to that of their parents'. Oh those adults who were running around like headless chickens, frantically searching for their missing children gave him unbelievable strength. He felt even more powerful than in the Dark Ages. He began to experiment and fiddled with his Fearlings and Nightmares. Shadows were now an instrument he could use in broad daylight. Everyone suspects everyone else and to see a dark corner in a street or alley, oh this was too good to pass!
When he managed to get a glimpse of the moon, its light was waning and he longed to gloat at his 'old friend' but there was still much to be done. He had succeeded in getting the instruments he needed and now, it was only the matter of time before he could secure the Snow Queen in his grasp.
Strange though, he had left a tiny fleck of shadow on her mirror to feed off her fear and it momentarily stopped before it began to absorbed fear in a single glorious moment then it halted completely. He first thought that she had left and changed her location but the shadow didn't return to him. How odd...
"I think it's time for a little visit, don't you think so Onyx?" he asked over his shoulder to a large Nightmare who stood guard in one of the many cages that was filled with children whose dreams were plagued by never ending nightmares and hopelessness.
-',-
"One more time. Take a deep breath and let the ice flow out steadily" Jack instructed as she lifted her hands up and did what she was told. He called this training, 'Breathing Exercises' and it certainly did help her to calm down somewhat. He would purposely do things to annoy and anger her but he never pushed it. Because she might accidentally impale him if he did but on the other hand, it was to really help sort out her emotions and channel her ice to react differently.
Beneath that irresponsible and immature image was an intelligent and rather insightful young man. Who knew? He watched over her like a hawk during her lessons and was not shy to point out an error.
She had longed to share him the world she used to live but she decided against it; the less he knew the better and less complicated it would be. If he had known her previous life the way Pitch did, he'd be disgusted with her. But he wasn't without his own secrets as well. There were days where he didn't come to their meeting place and he looked at the horizon with alert eyes. Sometimes she caught him leaning against a tree with his staff on his forehead and mumbled words that she couldn't comprehend.
Right after she finished the exercise, she turned her head to Jack who nodded and raised his staff to level his chest. Without warning, her ice spilled from her feet and from the air which formed into spikes. He held his hand up and lowered his staff with the other as she frantically tried to call her ice back. She assumed that it would be easier but it proved to be a problem every time he did that.
Thoughts over emotions were the key for her to control it but her instincts won in almost every battle against her mind. Every time he moved, she reacted especially when he held the staff in his hands. She felt threatened, a beast that was backed up to a corner, forced to bring out its claws and fangs just to escape.
This was useless, she thought. For days they did this and there was no progress whatsoever. He kept encouraging her and was unnaturally tolerant. Although she was grateful, it didn't help one bit. Her hopes of continuing to exist without any fear diminished little by little and it showed in her performance and his patience had already reached its limit.
"You're not even holding it back" he accused, "If you're not trying with all you've got then why bother doing it in the first place?"
She stared at him. His normally playful tone was gone, his face was set into an annoyed expression. There were numerous occasions where she questioned about why he was happy all the time and he cheekily answered that she wouldn't want to see him get angry. Now that he exposed that side of him she'd never seen before; she didn't know what to expect. His normal personality was already a handful and for him to act this way towards her, it did offend her a bit.
-',-
Jack exhaled slowly from his mouth and ran a hand through his hair. Irritation and impatience had drilled into his chest and head. The lack of clues from the places he went to and the most recent news that a little girl from Mexico was taken had gnawed into his mind. Guilt and helplessness was a dangerous mix that swirled into his psyche.
He visited Jamie two days ago and according to him; everything was the same old boring stuff but that energetic vibe that radiated from him gave it away. Jack thought and secretly expected that Jamie will be sulking and angry about his recent absence but Jamie hadn't said anything about it so he didn't pry. It's not that he wasn't worried or interested but North's words forced him to take a step back.
He didn't want to admit it but the thought of Jamie moving on with his life without him was hurtful. He was being outgrown by his best friend. Okay, maybe he was overreacting, overthinking things because of the kidnappings. So if he was imagining it, why did it felt so real?
Jack's eyes widened and chased the thoughts out of his head. This feeling, this fear; it pulled him down to the pit where he once was. The spirit who so desperately wanted, craved, for someone to believe him. North was telling the truth; he unconsciously branded Jamie as his sole believer.
What will Jamie think about all this?
He stopped himself from lingering too much in that thought and snapped his attention back to Sunshine. She was frowning, 'When was she not?', he thought. Her arms were crossed against her chest and her gaze remained on the ground. He heard her breathe in deeply and slump her shoulders. This wasn't good; she was giving up already and when he replayed the moments that transpired minutes ago, he groaned again.
It looks like Sunshine wasn't the only one who needed to control their feelings. But on a darker, secretive side of him; he was smug about her reaction. Now she knows what it felt whenever she did that to him. Still, his friendliness and big brother-role dominated so he took a step back.
He closed his eyes for a bit and rubbed the side of his cheek; things were not going so well for the both of them. He heard Sunshine clear her throat and the rustle of her transparent cape against the snow-covered ground.
"Is there... something wrong?" she was hesitant, cautious about how she would approach him and it was alright because he wasn't himself. But he didn't want her to be wary of him since they were past that stage. The sight of her gloves curved his brooding thoughts from the kidnappings and his impatience to a series of more questions that now regarded her side.
Sunshine hasn't noticed but she developed a habit of pulling on her wrists just to make sure the gloves were still intact. A self-defence mechanism to be exact; the gloves gave her some sort of anchor, kept her grounded otherwise; she'd lose herself in a whirlwind of anger, fear and sorrow. At least, that's what he pretty much summed up.
He realized that she was waiting for him to answer her and picked on his thumbnail, "Yeah, thinking about something important."
Then, there it was. A very much unlady-like sound that came from her lips. Sunshine snorted. She was aware about her actions because she was quick to hide it behind her hand and a tinge of pink peppered her exposed cheeks.
"I never thought I would hear you say something like that"
Her statement was intentionally mocking but he found it amusing, funny even. He didn't think he'll say something like that either.
She finished with another throat-clearing and said; "It sounds serious"
He nodded. An idea had been playing in his mind but he wasn't sure if doing it will be a good choice. This was classified Guardians business and the Big Four will have his head and mount it on the wall by North's fireplace if they ever caught wind of this. But he was desperate; he can't stay silent and he needed to release this stress by talking to someone. Jamie was obviously out of the question. He was too young, even with his intelligence, he was still a kid. And it will raise some alarms and causing a widespread panic was the last thing Jack wanted to do. Except if the results will be funny or just plain awesome and the circumstances wasn't grave.
"Hey, remember our jobs as Guardians?" he asked.
Sunshine nodded and cocked her head to her right to show that he has her full attention (so that's what it meant) and bore her eyes at him. Was it just him or did her blue eyes turn a shade darker? But that wasn't important, he needed her to understand the severity of their, actually his, situation.
As he told her the same thing North had reported to them, she showed twice as many emotions than he had ever seen from her. From seriousness to shock, all she said in the end was,
"Those poor children"
"Yeah. I don't get it, what kind of psycho kidnap children? I mean- what do they do to them?"
He didn't want an answer to that one. The lesson was now forgotten, neither of them were in the mood of continuing anyway. Snow slowly dropped from the sky and froze in midair. Jack looked around and the scene around him was like he was pulled in a freaking snow globe. This wasn't natural snow and he knew that they were the only ones who can bend the very fabric of natural order within the elements. Obviously Sunshine was distressed and her snow mirrored her current feelings.
The Man in the Moon was no help, as usual. He can see everything from where he was but he won't tell them who? That's complete bull, was he playing some sort of sadistic game where he will send them into a crazy round-about chase where they didn't even know who or what they're trying to get?
With unbridled anger, he struck his staff on the ground hard and cursed, "God damn it!" The ground froze instantly and a bolt of light frizzled on the air, popping few of the floating snowflakes.
A 'tsk' of disapproval broke through the sound and he saw Sunshine with a strict frown on her face and her fingers drummed against her forearms. "Mind your language" she simply hissed.
One thing he hated the most, aside from being told what to do and being ignored; it was lectures. It made him feel like a child and it pushed him even further from the boundaries of his temper. He scowled and tapped his staff on the ground. Frost swept the snow from its perch and frozen the ground and every tree in came in contact with. Sunshine glowered at him and stomped her right foot in retaliation.
Her own ice erupted from the ground and mingled with his frost. It was the battle of wills and both were too stubborn on their own right. Jack moved his staff with the flick of his right wrist and his frost trudged forth to her space. He was challenging her but at the same time, it's to help with her 'little problem'. It's tricky and even suicidal but it was always like that every time he approached her.
-',-
Elsa never saw herself as an impatient woman. If anything, she was sweet-tempered and consenting enough for childish nonsense but with that brutish attitude? She won't hesitate from ripping the gloves from her hands and let him get a taste of her wrath.
His body stiffened as her ice ate through his own and drew a line between them. Her ice crystals furled under his frost and continued to grow underneath like a shadow. Elsa felt her anger echo in every shard and snow that she conjured and his frost reacted by crawling around and contained it into random patterns.
She swept her hands across the landscape and through his feet but when he traced her ice with his staff; his frost came forth and blocked hers.
Had she looked at his face, she would have seen the smug look on him and the mischievous light in his eyes. Her flight reflex was off and stood her ground; unaware that she was doing what Jack wanted. Irritation ate her rational thoughts and her sole objective was to knock some manners into him and remind Jack who he was dealing with.
She struck the ground with her magic and a wall of ice appeared just below him. He nimbly jumped out of its way and threw a snowball right to her. She gasped shielded her face with her arms. When it hit her, she gestured a scooping motion and threw a ball right back at him. He dodged it and threw another one that hit her squarely on the face.
Bit by bit the snow crumbled down to reveal her expression. But it didn't reflect rage or furiousness but more of an infectious mock anger; identical to Anna's face when Elsa tricked her to dance with the Duke of Whestleton at the Coronation party. What was in that snowball? Her chest felt lighter and the need to play and have fun coursed through her being.
Everything around her was so bright and so beautiful; it was amazing how she had been here dozens of times whereas she felt like she'd never stumbled upon this place. Something bubbled in her chest and her lips opened to let out a breathless and almost inaudible laugh. Jack laughed as well and yelled out,
"Snowball fight, Round Two!"
This was not the right time to fool around for the both of them but Elsa purposely ignored that, she wanted to be a child again. Ever since that horrible incident with Anna, she was kept away from other people. The only ones allowed to visit her was her parents and her nanny, Gerda. She couldn't help but think that her childhood was taken from her. Forced to take private lessons and control her magic, playtime and laughter was but a sweet dream that had dashed off as years went by.
The past melted from her sight and the present rolled in like a storm as Jack swooped down with a snowball at hand. Corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly before she pushed her hands up high and sent powdery ice crystals that temporarily blinded him. He raised his staff in self-defence when he dusted the slowly growing frost on his face. At first, she thought he was stalling because he kept wiping his face with his hands but the ice crawled on his face and down to his neck.
Elsa stopped her advances and stared at horror as her geometrically-patterned frost embedded itself to his skin and his scratching was useless.
Panic began to well up inside of her; beneath her feet, the light blue layer turned into a murky gray colour and the temperature dropped dramatically. She was losing control over her magic again. The storm inside her brewed and it slowly made its way out to release its rage. Elsa pushed her clenched fists against her temple and closed her eyes shut.
Conceal, don't feel
Conceal, don't feel
The words were repeated in her brain like a chant but the surge of her magic didn't yield and grew as seconds ticked by. Her whole body trembled and her knees threatened to buckle on the ground, she opened her eyes to look at Jack but her vision was obscured by her own snowstorm. She snapped her eyes shut again and began to curl up in a ball when suddenly-
"Don't be afraid" a voice said
A voice that was heard above the howling winds, encouraging, coaxing her to calm herself down. Before she knew what was happening, a large circle appeared under their feet and when he clamped his hands together his staff; light blue bolts sparked and formed a dome around them. She opened her eyes, squinting from the intruding sunlight and took in the sight; the snowstorm was gone and all that remained was the moist air and the heap of freshly fallen snow on the ground.
Jack placed a hand on his cheek and showed it to her up close, "See? It will go away eventually." Elsa leaned closer and despite her natural displeasure from touching others, she traced his cheek with feathery touches and her mouth shaped into a small 'O'.
"How is this possible?" she asked, unconsciously tugging at her gloves as he crossed his arms together and knitted his eyebrows with the same inquisitive manner,
"Maybe it's because I can also the same power"
"Or maybe because you're a spirit as well" she offered, "I certainly have never frozen another spirit before"
Jack glided to the nearest tree and propped his arms behind his head, "Plus I'm the only spirit you've ever met so how can you know right?"
Elsa nearly stumbled and quickly made a poker-face. Pitch Black was definitely one of the subjects she will never talk about, ever. He was a dirty little secret that no one should ever know, especially by a Guardian. The way Jack had described Pitch reflected on how much she despised the shadow man; he was cunning, untrustworthy and dangerous. Simple things such as talking to him drained her and not just mentally with his mind games, but it was like he was feeding off of her. A parasite.
Mann I Mørket had told her he fed on fear and it gave her all the more reason to be chary around him. Not only did he made it clear that he wanted her ability but her feelings as well. A part of her wanted to tell Jack everything but as always, she decided against it. What would he say, what would he think of her had he known that she has connections with his enemy?
"Ah" he suddenly snapped his fingers, "I have somewhere to be right now!" He jumped up and rode the wind and turned to the East, "Sorry Sunshine, gotta go!"
A wave of disappointment washed over her but Elsa just nodded and turned away. Fluff glided down to her eye level and twittered its song as she continued to walk to her mountain, choosing to absorb the scene before her rather than fly off.
As soon as she stepped into her cave, she went to the farthest side and began to mold the heap of snow and froze it into an ice block. It was a couple of inches taller than her and she carefully cut the sides with a slashing motion. She had an eye in detail and she had memorized everything from the hair that stuck out in a stubborn cowlick down to his bare feet. Unconsciously, she began to hum a random song that had no words. The day started badly but it got better and her head was clear enough for her to question herself;
"Why am I doing this?"
Usually she sculpted nature; animals, trees and flowers. They surrounded her and they were the only ones she cared enough to let them linger in her mind. She tried to sculpt Anna once but her chest clenched painfully that she gave up before she could even start with the outline.
Because she loved Anna dearly, her heart didn't let her do a tribute to her beloved sister.
It was difficult to understand the gist of companionship. She once had Anna but there was a bond that existed between the two sisters as long as she could remember so it was natural for her to be close to Anna. But to other people? Not even her own parents made her feel safe. She loved them, she really did but there was always a wall that stood between other people and her. The castle staff and the people of Arendelle were under her care but as horrible as it sounded, it felt like it was her duty, an obligation to love them because she was the queen and they were her subjects.
But what about Olaf and Marshmallow?
It was because they were a part of her. In a way, they were her children and they shall have a special place in her heart. But to let someone in, someone she was not obligated to care about, it was scary. And strange. He was her first and only true… friend? Yes, he's a friend. Someone she could talk to and emphasize with. A smile appeared once again on her face, if she kept this up, her jaws will hurt for the remainder of the day. She had never smiled this much since her return to Arendelle. Each gesture and flick of her wrist, the ice moved in accordance and the ice before her gradually became more and more detailed. The face was left smooth and blank and his staff wasn't sculpted yet when the cave darkened. Her eyes widened and she swept her hand over the sculpture to cover it with a thin veil of snow.
Out of the darkness, Pitch Black walked to her with a blank look, "It's nice to see you're well, Elsa"
-',-
The Boogeyman knew that the Snow Queen despised him, and he took that as a good thing for him. Hate was a powerful emotion and the more she throws it at his face, the more she exposes herself. She was slipping from her indifference… and he needed to know why. There were three things he immediately noticed; the mirror was hidden to a dark corner and he felt a dark source underneath the veil. The second thing was a block of ice that was also veiled from sight and thirdly, she looked nervous. That was completely different from the Snow Queen he knew. Elsa would put on a strong and emotionless front whenever they interacted. It made her look weak, a victim to his power but the lingering fear makes a delightful tinge to his body. She has fear, but for what?
To him?
Impossible. He knew that her fear will never be directed at him and so the possibilities might be that she did something that he could use to turn against her or maybe she found out his plans but it was also impossible. She had no care for humans and their dilemmas so it must be personal. Still, he can't keep his attention away from the ice block. Nonetheless, he ignored it for the meantime and placed a hand over the other, "I assume that you know why I'm here…?
Her face contorted with anger and crossed her arms, "And I assume that you know my answer. There's no use in asking the same question over and over because my answer will never change." There was that defiant look again that Pitch loathed deeply. Whenever she did that, he remembered Jack Frost and their little chat in Antarctica. Those eyes that challenged him, no fear and unyielding. He was sick of those eyes. But he didn't drop his façade; this was his game and he will not lower his level such as showing his displeasure.
"Well I suggest you pick a side because there will be a storm coming" he said. He watched her stiffen and narrowed her eyes at him with suspicion. Ah, so she might have caught wind of his… activities then. But she was always suspicious of him so he changed the topic elsewhere, "You seem, different somehow" It did the trick; her eyes widened and took a couple of steps back. 'Oh this was too easy' he chuckled, her emotions were flying all over the place and did she think he wouldn't see the gloves? She was trying to get rid of her icy demeanor and he will make sure that she will regret that decision. But then, he could use that as a weapon, the more she was vulnerable, the faster he could get to her.
"What storm are you talking about?" her voice sliced through the silence.
He smirked and let the shadows play along the edges of the cave, the air was thick with tension and curiously, it came from the mirror. There was a buzz in the atmosphere and she wasn't hiding her anxiety to get him out of her cave. Pitch glided to the mirror and he could feel it pulsing as he took a step closer. A shard of ice swooped in front of him and he turned to the Snow Queen. Her eyes were fierce and her stance was stiff,
"Get out" she grounded, ice gathered to his feet and he knew that she will not hesitate to use all her powers to throw him out of her cave. So far they had been civil at most but he dare not push his luck. He sent a look of disdain to her before he caught a glimpse of then sculpture underneath the veil that didn't cover the left side properly. The statue of a boy wearing a jacket with a hood. And the resemblance, no matter how vivid it was under the veil, was too symmetrical to be of coincidence. The thought processed in to his mind and it took every strength he had to keep his laughter in place.
"Very well Snow Queen" he sneered, "Until we meet again" He slinked backwards to the hearth of the shadows but didn't let his eyes stray from the hidden sculpture. It wasn't until he was back into his lair did he let out a chilling laugh with glee, "She's making this too easy! Ah my dear, you're digging your own grave. Of all the spirits you came across with... it just had to be him!" His laughter echoed in the minds of people everywhere and they brought dark and terrible nightmares with them.
-',-
End of Chapter Nine
Author's Corner:
Man, I am so so sorry for the long wait because I had a couple things I had to take care of but anyways, I'm always happy to read your reviews! On a sadder note, I got a little PM that suggested that I should take this down because that person insisted that it was 'almost too much like my story' and theirs was better. I'm sorry but it's rude and I may have cussed a bit here and there when I read that. I know my story wasn't perfect with the few errors here and there but as I said before, I just started writing and I haven't edited it yet.
But I won't take this down because a lot of people had supported me and I will not let them down just because my self-esteem had been cut down. So. here are the people I want to thank:
maggi le fay: Gracias por la revisión! Necesitaba que él sea distraer por un tiempo más, aunque xD
Dramachick4thewin: Of course! I always take your ideas for considerations!
Jelsa Fanatic: Usually every 3 to 4 days but sooner when I get more reviews because they excite me too much.
HuaiYin: Darling, you just gave me an idea for a good Pitch-centic fanfic! And I love your character analysis. You notice the finer details that I wanted to picture out and I love you for that! Hope to hear from you and that you liked this chapter
DeniseAgron: You, have made my whole month! I've never seen anyone review each and every chapter as much as you do! Thank you for your comments and suggestions because they meant the world to me!
SnowQueen: Hmmm I dunno how to answer that but the best I can say is that: Don't write to gain fans but rather treat your story as a gift you will give to the receiver (readers) and think out of the box. Inspiration will come to you and plan ahead That's all I can say
auPHE: Well, this IS Disney. Chances are they're really gonna downplay the dark theme but I think Gerda and Kai were there, as castle staffs I think. In my own opinion, the plot was beautiful and family-friendly compared to the original. Along with Pocahontas, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Hunchback of Notre Dame, etc.
Maict: I know, I disliked 'Love at first sight' stories. Thanks for pointing out the error!
Happy Wheels: Thanks for praising the story's pace! Although I was a bit miffed with the amount of fluff hehehe because I don't like any large dose of sweetness in my story but if it made you happy then I'll retain it :)
fluffybunnyintheclouds: Oh my you made me blush! To know that someone liked this story so much made me giggle like a schoolgirl xD I hope that this will exceed your expectations and for you to praise my characterization, this is truly an honor!
I would also like to thank: AffyRainbws, FangirlAllTheWay, jinouga23 and ForeignerWritingInEnglish for your reviews and love.
That's it for now folks, Read and Review and please, no flames.
