Sequal to One Night's Rest. This one's even longer than the first one! XD I got really carried away with this, but I think you guys enjoyed the last one, so I won't apologize. It'll go back to a stand-alone drabble for a while until my brain explodes with a big idea like this. This is kind of the place for stories I come up with that are too short to be published on it's own. Anyway, I wrote this with one more idea from isthisparadise. So thanks!
Cold.
Jack had never really felt cold before.
He never shivered, coughed, or felt any sense of being cold before. He is cold. He created cold. His body worked as if it was especially made for cold weather.
It was weird. He was standing in a forest, snow coating the ground, and he was cold. He clutched his arms with his hands, shivering. Such an odd act; shivering. The body twitches to create warmth when people are cold.
Cold.
Freezing.
Darkness.
He hadn't been standing there for more than a minute when he noticed visible dark swirles tangling themselves in the roots and branches. Pitch. This was definitely the Nightmare king.
Sure enough, as Jack turned around, there stood the cloaked devil mere yards away. He wore an evil smile. "Jack."
Jack only stared.
"I heard you did something... terrible. I just had to come here and see for myself. Oh, you poor thing, you look exhausted." Pitch began to walk towards Jack, his nasty grin growing with each step.
He put a hand on Jack's shoulder. Jack looked away. "What did you do, young one?"
"Why are you here?" Jack spoke, a vitriolic tone on the edge of his tounge.
"Same as you, I suppose." Pitch answered without hesitation, turning his gaze to a faraway distance that Jack couldn't see. His voice was wistful. "Just a lonely soul looking for someone to speak with."
Jack clenched his fists. His energy was faint, and Pitch's sly words began to slip into his mind. "So tell me what you're holding back."
"I... I killed a boy."
Pitch drew away, pretending to be surprised. "No!" He gasped, putting a bony hand to his own chest. "Not even I have done something so vile... so... evil. To take the life of one so innocent! How did you stumble upon this scene?"
Jack had been holding it in for a week and a half, only venting through his blizzards. He couldn't say he was surprised by how easily the story slipped from his tounge, eager to be let out. "It was an accident. I was helping a few kids sled down the sidewalk, and one slipped into the road, and..." Jack winced, closing his eyes.
"So it was an accident." Pitch summed up, his expression wary.
"Of course it was!" The teen replied. "Why would I hurt someone on purpose?"
"But no, that's just it, Jack." Pitch put another bony hand on his shoulder, leaning close to his ear. "It may have been an accident, and the other Guardians may forgive you, but your actions will lead to your own downfall."
"Whatever you're trying to say, just spit it out!" Jack drew away from the shadow's hands.
"What I'm trying to say," Pitch said irritably, "is that even though the Guardians may believe it an accident, they may not trust you any longer. Such a wreckless spirit, uncontainable, and a danger to the children's health. Would they really trust you to play with the children? Let alone protect them."
Jack closed his eyes, ducking his head. His hands were empty. He felt vulnerable without his staff in his hand. He felt crushed. He couldn't believe this would ever come to his mind, but Pitch was... right. He couldn't stand to think of the Guardians untrusting to him. Well, that is how it was before he became a guardian.
Jack turned to the nightmare.
"Run, Jack. Don't speak of your accident, or you will only slip back into the invisible, unbelieved spirit like I. Your friends will no longer trust you, and you'll be untrusted to the world." Pitch came to his ear once again, his voice a low, dangerous whisper. "Run."
And so Jack ran.
But he can't run forever.
Even dreams have an end.
Endless running, to no avail.
Jack jerked awake.
His pale blue eyes snapped open, and his body lunged, as if snapping free of his imagination. The coldness was still there, making his body continue to shiver. But as reality slipped into his mind, the coldness faded. He gasped, breathing heavily from where he lay. He swallowed, his breaths coming shakily. Where was he?
He was not alone. In fact, as his eyes adjusted and he turned his head, he found all four guardians with their gazes on him.
"Jack!" Tooth exclaimed.
"Thank goodness." North whiped his brow, relif evident.
The guardians had brought him back to North's home. Jack found the strength to sit up, carefully eyeing the room that surrounded him. He'd rather have woken up to his lake, alone, with his thoughts. But no, he was stuck in a crowded room with little breathing space. The strength he had lost such a while ago had returned practically over night. He rubbed the back of his neck.
"You alright, mate?" Bunnymund asked, twirling a boomerang in his large paw.
"I... I'm fine... I just..." Jack trailed off.
"You've been in bad shape." North leaned on his bed. Sandy nodded and began to show pictures above his head, way too fast for Jack to understand. His mind was still half asleep, and even though he found his strength, he was still weak.
Run, Jack.
Pitch's voice.
"You had blizzards going for the betta' part of a week and a half. What was that all about?" Bunny asked, concern in his eyes.
They cared so much it hurt Jack.
It hurt that he couldn't tell them what happened.
"I... I need to go." He stood up. That feeling... It was a feeling someone would get when they first woke up. Dizzy, spots in front of their eyes, and they would have to sit down. But Jack, having not stand up in a week and a half, found it extremely difficult to focus on the first few steps. He staggared, walking sideways until his shoulder found the wall. He leaned against it, waiting for the spots to dissapear. His legs felt weak under him.
"We've talked about this before, Jack." North stood up, trying to understand why Jack was trying to run off. "We're your friends, Jack. There's no shame in letting us take care of you."
Jack looked back at his friends once the spots had dissapeared. He knew what North was getting at. "I know. And I thank you, but this is something I need to handle on my own. I appreciate your help, I really do, but-"
"Jack, we think you're really sick." Tooth piped up. She caught his gaze. "When we found you, you weren't resoponding to anything. You only said 'my fault' over and over."
"Is something wrong Jack? What did you do that's... 'your fault'?" North asked.
"Nothing." Jack lied. "I was only dreaming." He explained. It came out so easily, so softly, that he almost believed himself. It scared him. He didn't know he was good at lying.
They all turned to Sandy, who just shrugged. He doesn't keep track of each dream. He glanced back ag Jack.
Jack turned his head away, his hands clenching into fists. The tears threatened him. Please not the tears. "Well, I'm fine now right? All I needed was sleep." He leaned off the wall, and made for the doorway. He spotted his staff leaning against the wall, and took it into his grasp. Already, holding the wooden artifact made him feel better. He left the room.
Sandy let out a determined expression, floating after the boy. He turned the corner, out of sight from the other guardians, and grabbed the edge of Jack's hoodie, pulling at it. Jack turned his head. Sandy motioned for the room, trying to get Jack to understand that he should stay.
But Jack gave Sandy a sad look and slowly shook his head. It was hard; he felt as if he were betraying them. But he didn't want to lose their trust. They were the only people that had ever put up with being his friend.
Except one.
Suddenly, Jack knew who he could talk to. He broke from Sandy's light grasp, and made for the exit. The Sandman watched him walk away, his expression sad. But he did not stop him.
"Jamie?"
A knock at the window alerted the boy, who was very much awake. Jack wouldn't have bothered if the boy had been sleeping. But Jamie rushed to the window to greet his friend. The teenage guardian stepped into the room, scanning the area even though he'd been in here a few times already.
"Hi Jack!" Jamie smiled, eyes bright with excitement. "What's up?"
Jack twirled his staff, prancing into the room, masking his depressed expression. "Just came to say hi."
Jamie frowned. "Were you lonely?"
"You ask that a lot." Jack admired, sitting on a chair in the room. "No."
Jamie studied him a moment before smiling again. "Well good. I was just finishing up my homework." He sat down in a little swivel chair, turning to face the desk lit by a single lamp.
"You still have school? During all these blizzards?" Jack asked, confused. He sat backwards in the chair, crossing his legs and holding his staff in front of him.
"Well, no. This was the homework assigned before the blizzards started. I just hadn't gotten around to doing it yet."
Jack let out a small laugh. It felt good to laugh. Though on the inside, his heart was a million pieces, struggling to pull themselves together. He looked over Jamie's shoulder. "What kind of homework are you doing?"
"English." Jamie answered without turning around. "But I'm almost done. Then we can hang out!"
"Yeah." Jack replied gently.
"Jamie! Did you clean your room yet?"
Jack froze. But it was only Jamie's mother. The guardian scanned the boy's room, finding it cluttered beyond repair. "Uhh..." Jamie scanned over his room, then winced. "Yes!"
"Okay. Thank you!" His mother replied back. It fell silent.
"Why did you lie?" Jack asked curiously.
He casted a guilty look. "My mom would kill me if I hadn't done it yet." Jamie responded. "I'll get to it after my homework."
"But if she comes in here before you do, you'll be in more trouble than just saying you didn't." Jack pointed out.
Jamie frowned, his gaze low. "I... You're right. I shouldn't have done that." He bit his lip. "I know it's a lot to ask for, but can you help me clean my room?"
"Sure, Jamie." Jack replied, standing up and scooping up a few toys. Jamie smiled, giving a silent thank you.
"Have you ever lied, Jack?"
At first, it caught Jack by surprise. He looked over at the boy, who was scooping up some of his clothes he had thrown on the ground. Jack kneeled to dump the toys into a basket. "Yes."
Jamie looked up at him as if he had caught on fire. His eyes shined from his desk light. "Really?"
"Well... everyone has at least once." Jack sat down, a stuffed bear in his hand. He looked into the beaded eyes.
"What happened?" Jamie asked. It took Jack a moment to realize he wanted to know what Jack had lied about.
"I don't know." Jack said truthfully, laying the stuffed animal in his lap.
"What do you mean? You haven't told the truth to the person you lied to?" Jamie crawled towards him, picking up a sweater he left on the ground.
Jack shook his head, glancing at him.
"Well, what are you afraid of?" Jamie questioned.
Jack was thankful Jamie wasn't asking for details. "I'm afraid they won't trust me anymore."
"I feel that way too after I lie." Jamie admitted, sitting down next to Jack and taking his stuffed bear. He picked it up by the bear's paws and let it dance on his own lap. "I feel a lot better after I tell the truth, though. You should tell them. Did you not do something either?"
"It's not what I didn't do." Jack replied, leaning back. He rested against the wall, stuffing his hands in his hoodie pockets. "It's what I did."
"What did you do?"
If it were any other person, Jack would have turned his head away. But Jamie was a child. He didn't want to hurt his feelings. He just shook his head. Jamie smiled. "That's okay. You don't have to tell me." He said.
"Thanks." Jack glanced at the window. "Nice talk, but I think it's time I go. And don't lie."
Jamie laughed at the random statement. "I won't." He then looked at the window. With a sigh, he stood up. "Do you have to leave?"
"Yeah, sorry. I'll talk to you later." Jack patted his shoulder. Jamie smiled, waving as his friend departed.
Jack's heart was lifted after speaking with Jamie. He felt a lot better than he had in days. He took flight, looking back and watching Jamie at his window. They waved, and Jack left. He needed to tell the truth. But not right away.
Jack had returned to his own lake that night, deciding he needed rest. The blizzards had cleared, and the dark sky shone brightly under the moon. He curled up on a branch above the lake, and sleep was almost immediate.
"What are you doing?"
Pitch's sharp voice was the first thing he heard. Jack whirled around. He was standing in ultimate darkness, and his eyes could focus on nothing. Pitch's voice was loud though. "What do you mean?" Jack asked.
"As if you didn't know." Pitch practically growled. "You're going to tell the truth."
Jack, aware he was dreaming, suddenly wanted to wake up, even though he had just slipped into sleep. "Why do you care?" He spat, clenching his fists.
"Why would you get rid of the trust you have? You're walking on thin ice, boy. You're about to enter a test that you will fail." Pitch stepped into sight. Jack narrowed his eyes at him.
"It's not a test of trust. It's a test of friendship. If they were really my friends, they'd have my back no matter what." Jack backed away, running a hand through his white locks of hair. "And answer my question. Why do you care?"
Pitch's face became sorrowful, yet sinister and a tone of silent death. "You of all people know it's not easy to live invisible and alone."
Jack felt no pity. He turned away.
The dream had ended as soon as it began, though in reality, he slept for hours. Another blizzard had begun under Jack's distress and anger. He felt as if someone was nearby. He had strange confidence that this person was indeed, the Nightmare King. But Jack paid no attention. He merely turned and began his journey to North's home. But as he walked with new confidence and strength, he already knew of his friends and their forgiveness. There was no question about it. A lesson was taught to the teenager within these nights, of truth and carefulness. But one thing was left unspoken; the sadness of the Nightmare, who continued to roam the earth alone, as Jack had once been.
