.
Just to recap, when the story officially started, Jamie was sixteen and turned seventeen while Jack was there.
Now it is February, he is eighteen and Jack missed his birthday :x (woops)
I do apologize...changed the timeline partway through and just wanted to make that clear.
Shadows in the Dark
Heh… I sighed heavily as I lay limply on the tree limb above Jamie's window. Swinging my foot lazily underneath me and gazing through the branches up at the stars, I lay in wait for something to happen. My concern for Jamie having nightmares strongly overcame my apprehension toward windows. Although…I'll admit that I waited long enough to make sure he was actually asleep before checking up on him.
My only companion these last few nights was a chubby little brown squirrel, who would wake up periodically to sniff near where I lay and make laughably threatening chirps at the weird presence it felt on his turf. I never totally understood how something with a brain the size of a peanut could more easily sense my existence than the species from which I extend from.
"You know, Chuckles…" I mused thoughtfully to the little guy as I bounced my foot absentmindedly, "You ever wonder how the people who drive the snowplows get to work in the morning?"
I glanced up at him over my head and his nose twitched anxiously before he retreated back into his nest.
"Yeah…me neither," I said despairingly after losing my only distraction. It was late and the neighborhood streets were empty. I had been watching Jamie's room for several nights to make sure that nothing suspicious was going on. And so far…nada.
He slept.
Like a stone.
Nothing more of interest.
I couldn't even tell what kind of dream he was having, since Sandy didn't visit him anymore. So it made me doubt whether the kid was even on Pitch's radar. Pitch preferred children's dreams, which always seemed extremely perverse to me, but I didn't really have an interest in understanding his motivations.
Well, anyway. If Chuckles was going to give me the cold shoulder, I at least had Manny these last couple nights. Manny was never one for idle chit-chat. In fact, the only time I heard his voice was when I had first awoken in the pond. Since then, he has been a silent observer. I doubted he even paid attention most of the time.
But I appreciated his light. It wasn't as strong as during a full moon, but it still cast a gentle glow on the sleeping streets of Burgess as if protecting its inhabitants while they slept. It shone against the sides of Jamie's house and the windows, illuminating the redness of the brick and the green of the pine bushes lining the sides of the house.
Except…
Like lightening, I sat straight up and narrowed my eyes at Jamie's window. Something was…off. Chuckles rustled in his nest on the branch above me before crawling around the trunk of the tree and chirping defensively.
Following the instincts of the squirrel, I hopped off the branch and clung to the brick by Jamie's window using my fingertips and toes. His room looked…dark. Darker than before.
Squinting, I could just barely make out Jamie's form on his bed. He was lying on his side and sleeping soundly like he had previously been. Blankets covered only half his body as he often kicked them away in his sleep, and his head rested upon one of his arms. Whew…false alarm. My body relaxed and I pushed off the wall in order to lounge upon my designated branch again.
I'm just getting paranoid, I chastised myself. I closed my eyes and smiled as I rested my head against the tree trunk. This is what happens when I'm bored…My imagination takes over.
But the squirrel's angry chirping brought me back to attention and I opened one eye. "Go back to sleep, Chuckles," I barked, annoyed with his endless chattering.
Except he wasn't chattering at me like he had always been…
I glanced back at the window, that suspicious feeling having returned again. I couldn't place why I felt it…The only oddity was the stupid squirrel. What-
My eyes flickered to the bathroom window and I stood up to better see. From outside, one could only see the opposing wall. But the greenness and small painting that hung there were still visible with the soft moonlight that shone through.
I quickly looked back at Jamie's window and then up at the moon and then back to his window. Moonlight…
Jamie's room doesn't have any moonlight! It isn't getting in!
As if confirming my fear, Jamie's muffled yell broke past the window's barrier and pierced my eardrums.
No…
I sprung off the branch and clung to the side of the wall only to see what I had feared would happen. Jamie lay flat and was thrashing against an invisible force that had pinned his wrists and ankles to the mattress. His face was pulled back in a strained grimace and his chest quickly rose and fell as he violently struggled against his nightmare.
"Jamie!" I yelled and grabbed at the window in a frantic attempt at prying it open, but it had been locked. I knocked furiously at the glass, trying to wake him, but he couldn't hear me. A desperate cry broke from him and I realized…I couldn't reach him…
Quickly summoning my wind, I soared over the roof and twisted until I could latch onto the wall on the opposing side of the building. Through the window, I saw Sophie sleeping peacefully and completely oblivious to commotion in the next room.
I rammed my fist against her window and shouted her name as loud as I could. Startled, she lifted her head up and her eyes dazedly focused on me hanging outside her window. Her face brightened and she pushed the covers off herself before trotting over to unlock the window.
As she approached, her smile faded when she realized something was wrong.
"Jack? What's going on-" she asked as she opened the window and I swung inside.
Ignoring her question, I soared across her room and turned down the hall before bursting into her brother's.
Still in the midst of his nightmare, Jamie took no notice of me and continued to fight against his mind's demons. I jumped onto his bed and grabbed his shoulders before trying to shake him out of it.
It only took two seconds before he woke with a start, sitting up like rocket and gasping for air as if he had been drowning. Panting heavily, I noticed sweat had since coated his skin and his complexion had paled considerably.
"Jamie…" I murmured, but the minute I spoke, his eyes darted to me and grew wide as he started to hyperventilate. "Hey, hey. Jamie…it's me," I said calmly as I reached out a hand to gently hold the side of his head, "It's just me…"
Those eyes…the way he was staring at me was as if he didn't know who I was. I felt my chest tighten and the air drastically chill around us. But then…he slowly raised a hand in front of my face and brought it close. I remained frozen, my jaw clenched and afraid to move as I instinctually feared that his hand would pass through me. As he closed the gap between his hand and me, I flinched expectantly, but then felt his fingertips lightly brush against my bangs.
Moving his fingers away, he inhaled deeply before pulling his knees up to his chest and hiding his face in them. I crouched there, unmoving and unable to speak. However, I was relieved to hear his breathing slow as he took steady breaths against his knees.
"Jamie?" a concerned voice asked from alongside the bed. I looked over in surprise to see Sophie standing there. I had been so distracted, I hadn't even heard her come in. "Jamie, did you have a nightmare?" she asked tentatively.
He took another deep breath before raising his head and saying, "No…no. I'm fine." He stood up slowly and put a hand on her shoulder before guiding her out, "Let's get you back to bed, alright?"
"Are you sure?" she asked as they left the room.
I lost track of their conversation as I lost myself in my own thoughts. Did Jamie…almost forget about me?
That thought had me paralyzed. I didn't even realize that time had traversed until I heard Jamie close the door to his room.
I looked up at him, still crouched on his bed, as he remained near his door watching me with a blank expression.
"What are you doing here?" he asked finally breaking the silence.
Good, he knows who I am. But…he sounds mad…
"Sandy told me you were having nightmares," I answered as I hopped off his bed and stood up.
He crossed his arms in front of him and stared me down for what seemed like the longest 30 seconds of my life. "So…he sent you to watch me?" he asked, the suspicion evident in his voice.
"No! I…wanted to make sure you were safe," I admitted avoiding his glare by looking off to the side. He is mad…
"You know, you keep saying stuff like that, Jack. But it's getting harder and harder to believe you," he responded sharply.
"Why?" I asked a little hurt that he would doubt my intentions.
And to make matters worse, his expression changed from staring at me blankly to looking at me as if I were a complete idiot. "What do you mean 'why'?" he asked dumbfounded. "You…never mind," he grumbled as he walked alongside his bed and pulled back the covers, "I just need to stop pretending I understand you." And with that he yanked the covers over himself and dropped his head haughtily on the pillow and turned sharply so his back was to me.
He's…oh…I thought as the memory suddenly came back to me and I remembered what I did to make him mad. The temperature dropped a little in his room as that day fully penetrated my mind. I had locked it safely away so I didn't dwell on it.
"I told you," I said quietly as I gripped both hands around my staff, "You didn't do anything wrong."
"Well then why did you pull a disappearing act again these last three months?" he asked angrily while sitting up to glare into me again.
"Because…I hurt you. I lost control in front of you and I couldn't bring myself to face you after that…"
I couldn't even bring myself to look at him for several minutes. He didn't say a word, which…I would understand if he ignored me to get back at me. It was only fair… But then I heard him rustling in his closet and I looked up to see him pulling on a pair of jeans.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Let's go for a walk," he said, his voice much calmer than before. He zipped up a hoodie and grabbed his coat and scarf before adding, "The fresh air will help clear my head and, besides, I know how much you don't like being inside for too long."
Huh?
"Jamie…what-?"
But he held up a hand to quiet me before saying, "I'll meet you out front," and then he exited out his bedroom door and I heard him quietly descend the stairs so as to not wake anyone up.
Ok…
Quiet as a shadow, I grabbed my staff, unlocked his bedroom window, and hopped out of his room. Then as if to double check, I jumped up to the branch I was lying on and scoped the inside of his room. The moonlight cast a gentle aura of light on the hardwood floor, pushing away the darkness that had previously claimed the boy's room. Everything seemed to be back to normal.
My ears perked up when I heard the front door very quietly open and shut, cuing me to jump down from my height and land lightly behind him. He turned to quietly sneak away from his house, but accidently let out a yelp when he bumped into me.
"Gah! ...Jesus you need to make at least some noise," he said wryly as he shoved me lightly aside and made his way down his front walk.
"Sorry…" I said, embarrassed that I had scared him completely unintentionally again.
I followed him down the street…at the painfully slow pace he went. Granted, I was used to zipping around at the speed of wind. Walking was just so BORING.
But at the same time, it felt nice knowing that he wasn't ignoring me anymore.
"So…" he said once we reached the park and were out of earshot of the sleeping neighborhood, "What did I do that made you lose control like that?"
I sighed exasperated as I tried to explain again, "I told you, Jamie. You didn't do anything."
"Hm…" was his only response at first. Then as we traversed the field leading up to the forest, he said, "You know…Every time I think I understand you a little better, you do something that confuses the hell out of me."
My eyebrows cinched together and I looked up at him unsure of what he expected out of me.
"Welcome to the first 200 years of my life," I replied mordantly, spinning my staff in one hand before landing it to rest against my shoulder.
He snorted in humor to what I said, but quickly fell silent again and looked straight ahead at the path. The forest was dark, but the moon still managed to weave its light through the branches to guide us along the way. There wasn't much snow on the ground, which was helpful in staying true to the trail.
After we walked further, I glanced nervously up at him. He looked…calm. Whatever anger he felt toward me had melted away, which in turn made me relieved. I missed being in his company… He beats the pants off Chuckles any day.
Which also made me feel obligated to him. To compensate for the confusion and anger I had left him with.
"You…remember when I said I wasn't always happy?" I asked in a low tone.
He glanced sideways at me as we walked and waited a moment before silently nodding his head.
Picking a point straight in front of us to stare at, I continued explaining, "Well… I didn't really tell you the half of it." I felt my heart start to pound and the magic build up as I brought myself back to those memories, but I gripped my staff tightly and carried on, "When I woke up as Jack Frost…I didn't know anything about myself other than my name. I had no one and no memories to work with… And…after I realized that…I was scared. Really scared."
He didn't say anything, but continued walking with his hands buried in his pockets. Avoiding his eyes, I kept going, "I instinctually traveled to the nearest village, which I didn't know used to be my own, and tried to find people. Ask them questions. Find out where I was. But…they ignored me. Walked through me. Didn't even know I was there and…it hurt."
I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself before admitting the next part. I never wanted to tell him about it, but since I had started talking, I found it really difficult to stop.
"Eventually the solitude got to me. I blamed people. I didn't know why they were ignoring me or why they could easily walk through me as if I were merely dust. So…I tried to force them to see me…
It started off as annoying pranks, but it escalated once I realized that had no effect. Although the thing I couldn't stand most of all, the thing that angered me beyond reason, was seeing people in love. I hated it. I hated it so much even though I didn't understand why. And I was so volatile at the time that I unintentionally conjured storms that wreaked devastation for miles. I ruined crops, snowed people into their homes, and…a lot of people starved because of me. A lot of people died because of me…"
That did it. I reached up to press my thumb and fingers against my eyes to stop any tears that threatened to fall. I promised myself a long time ago that I couldn't keep getting upset over it. What's done is done. The most I could do was prevent it from happening again. I took a deep breath in an attempt at calming myself.
Thankfully Jamie distracted me. "I'm sorry…" he apologized even though everything clearly didn't concern him. "Did I…make you mad?" he asked hesitantly.
"No…" I said while shaking my head. "You just caught me off-guard…I wasn't expecting to see you like that. You were just a trigger."
"Trigger?" he asked confused.
"Mhm…I couldn't help what happened three months ago. It's like…when someone is claustrophobic and they're put in a small space, their body reacts uncontrollably. The fear overwhelms them. That's what it's like for me. It triggered my magic and I grew scared. So I ran to try and calm myself down."
It was at that point that we reached the clearing wherein my pond lie. We both stopped at the edge of the woods and something clicked together for Jamie, as he added, "That's why you meditate."
"Yeah."
"And I interrupted it."
"…Yeah," I admitted honestly.
Once again, silence descended upon both of us as neither of us knew what to say. Even though I wasn't afraid of losing control, I still walked over and stepped onto my pond. A sense of calm immediately soaked into me and I exhaled slowly, relishing in the peace it gave me.
"This place calms you down," Jamie remarked and I looked over to see him standing at the edge of it.
I smiled and nodded at him before sliding back over to stand in front of him. It was then that I noticed him watching me with a very calculating look.
"I'm sorry," he said softly.
I rolled my eyes and said for the umpteenth time, "I told you Jamie. You didn't do anything wrong.
"But I still hurt you," he said in barely more than a whisper.
I pursed my lips and didn't say anything. Mostly because I knew he was right. It did hurt to see him like that…But before I could think much more about it, he slowly reached up and brushed his fingers against my hair like he had before.
"Your hair wasn't always white, was it?" he asked more as a statement than a question.
A corner of my mouth pulled up in a half-smile as I shook my head, confirming his answer.
He smiled a little and then focused his attention on my eyes. He stared at me so long that I got uncomfortable and broke eye contact with him. Coughing a little, I looked back up at him and saw that his face had grown serious.
"Jack…how old were you when you fell in the pond? ...When you became Jack Frost?" he asked both curiously and sadly.
"Eighteen," I answered while mentally steering myself away from the memory. But his snort broke my concentration. "What?" I asked bringing my eyebrows together.
"Really?" he asked looking at me in disbelief. "You look so much younger-"
"Hey!" I exclaimed growing angry. "I didn't live in the lap of luxury with food on every corner like you do!" I crossed my arms haughtily and looked off to the side. "We went through a couple hard winters…stunted my growth," I grumbled.
His laughter broke the tension and I glanced back to see him holding his stomach while trying to regain composure. "I'm sorry…" he chuckled, "I didn't mean to imply anything. I was just surprised to know you were the same age as I am now."
"I'm still older than you…" I muttered under my breath.
"Well I'm stronger than you," he countered, his smile morphing into a brazen grin.
"Watch it, kid. You haven't even seen half of what I can do," I replied confidently while spinning my staff around. He rolled his eyes at me and put his hands back in his pockets. Resting my staff back on the ground, I asked, "How come you're the one that manages to brighten my mood so easily?"
He shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I don't like to see you sad."
I let out air in a silent laugh at his simple answer before shyly looking off to the side and repeating, "Well, I don't like to see you sad either. And…I was really worried about you tonight," I added honestly.
"You were worried that Pitch was giving me nightmares," he expanded and I nodded my head in response. So he added, "Well, he's not. It was just…me. I've had a lot on my mind since you left and it's been interrupting my sleep."
I stared at him intently as I didn't really believe him. He wasn't having just an ordinary nightmare…
"What were you dreaming about?" I asked him slowly while staring directly into his eyes.
He smiled a little and his eyes softened. "I dreamt that I had lost you," he admitted.
It took me a moment to realize that I was staring at him with possibly the most dumbstruck expression on my face. I was shocked that he cared so much about me…
And before I understood what was happening, I felt him gently place his hands on my face before leaning down to press his lips against mine. I stood frozen as I didn't know what was happening at first.
Then I swung my stick and wacked him upside the head.
"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN KEEP DOING THAT?" I unleashed the minute he pulled away from me. "You have to ASK people before you can-"
I stopped once I discovered he was laughing softly while rubbing the sore spot on his head. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "I couldn't really help myself."
I begrudgingly crossed my arms and felt a vein twitch in my forehead as I glared at him.
After noticing my expression, he continued in a low voice, "It's just…after you left…I figured out that I couldn't keep my promise to you. I didn't want to be normal…I couldn't be normal because I realized I was in love with you.
The face I made then was probably very akin to an anvil dropping on one's foot.
He just flagrantly admits these things aloud?!
"And, honestly," he continued either unaware or ignoring my distress, "I'm not asking you for anything…I just don't want to forget about you…It's the thing I fear most."
My body relaxed after hearing that last part and I looked up at him surprised. His eyes were kind and revealed the honesty behind everything he said. So he's telling the truth after all… Suddenly I felt my pride start to melt away. This kid… ... ...is insane, I concluded to myself. I just told him the worst possible part of my character and his only concern is my well-being?! Whether he had hurt me and whether he can still see me…I sighed and reiterated stubbornly, "I only said that you should've asked first."
He grinned at me and I felt an arm wrap around my back as he pulled me against him. My whole body tensed up as I suddenly felt vulnerable from never having been this close to anyone before. But he laid his forehead against mine and I felt his warm breath ghost across my mouth as he asked, "So it's ok then?"
I looked into his eyes and nodded slightly. Then he closed his eyes and I felt him tilt his head before gently enveloping my lips with his. He was…warm. I closed my own eyes and submitted myself to it. Heat had only ever made me uncomfortable, but this was different. It was…pleasant. And I didn't want it to end.
After several moments, he pulled away and I looked up to see him smiling at me.
"What?" I asked suspicious of what I did to make him look at me like that.
He simply shook his head before leaning down to gently kiss my cheek. "Nothing," he said, "you're just…I should probably get home." And he turned to head back down the path.
….
...
"I'm just what?" Jack asked gliding to catch up and landing alongside me. I knew his curiously wouldn't easily secede.
"I dunno," he said dismissively. I can't tell him without offending him again… "I guess I'm having trouble finding the right words," I said fairly honestly. I couldn't tell him that after kissing me, his normally pale cheeks had an apparent blush that was visible even in the light of the moon. He was just so cute that was having difficulty holding myself back.
In fact, it was incredibly hard to hold back. But I promised myself not to push it. I sensed how simply being that close to me was uncomfortable for him. Although…he didn't object to me kissing him the second time. He even kissed me back…
I felt like I was on cloud nine. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect that to happen. I confessed to him only because he had been so honest with me that I didn't have the heart to hide it anymore. Although…part of me knew he cared about me. Even if he never actually admitted it aloud. He had never reacted to me with disgust, merely surprise. And he had kissed me last year, even if it was only to make me stop ignoring him.
We had been walking in silence for so long that we were almost out of the woods. My eyes were having trouble seeing as the trees were blocking out the moon's light, but I knew these woods practically by heart and I could see the opening up ahead as we neared the field.
Suddenly, Jack shot an arm out in front of me that made me stop in my tracks.
"Jack?" I asked looking over at him confused. Except he didn't seem to hear me. His expression was intense as if listening for something. Seeing his tension, I started to feel adrenaline build up as well.
A twig snapped behind us and we both whirled around to look what was going on. I would think that I was overreacting, but Jack had since gripped his staff and intense cold was emanating from him.
"Run," he whispered so quietly that I could barely hear him.
"What?" I asked completely in the dark to what was happening.
"Nightmares. They're following you," he whispered as he took a careful step backwards.
I slowly followed him trying to keep my steps as light as his, but it was impossible on account of me weighing fifteen times more than him. "What the big deal?" I whispered, "They can't hurt me-"
"Oh, they can hurt you now kiddo," he replied and I felt the cold penetrate right through to my bones as the fear took over. Why now?
"Run," he ordered again.
"But-" a stick snapped under my foot and I looked up to see six pairs of ruby eyes shining from the darkness.
"GO!" he yelled pushing against my chest. I heard the unnatural sound of hooves pound through the forest as the black horses cantered toward us.
Turning in fear, I ran up the path as fast as my legs would carry me. If I could just reach the field…
Wind poured through the trees and I looked over to see Jack leap into the air before changing course to fly straight toward the eyes.
I skidded to a halt and called out his name. He can't be thinking to fight all of them? But I only heard his voice yell back at me from somewhere in the darkness. "JAMIE GO!"
Helplessly following orders I turned and ran up the trail, the faint light growing stronger with every passing second. My breath was running ragged, but the adrenaline kept me going faster than I've ever gone in my life. I could hear them charging behind me and could almost feel their hot breath on my neck.
Finally I burst out of the woods and took off downhill. Horses can't run as fast downhill right?
As I neared the bottom of the hill, I turned my head to see four of the massive creatures burst from the trees and charge toward me, not caring about gravity since they weren't real horses. I'm such an idiot…
Without paying attention, my foot caught in a hole and I tumbled forward with a yell. I curled my body and crashed into the ground before rolling uncontrollably down the hill. Landing at the bottom, I struggled to stop my velocity and stand up, but the fall made me unbearably dizzy.
Stumbling, I fell to the ground and struggled to crawl away from the monsters as fast as I could in spite of the earth spinning underneath me.
Then, a flash of white appeared and swiftly glided in a wide circle around me and I finally registered that it was Jack. He's fast!
"Jamie, get down!" he yelled before landing in front of me, placing himself between me and the colossal Nightmares. He slammed his hands into the ground and, suddenly, the circle he had traced around us grew into a large dome of ice, creating a solid barrier of protection.
I panted exhausted, but my vertigo had finally subsided. Jack remained crouched in front of me, tense and ready.
"Jack, what-"
"Jamie! Don't move from that spot until I tell you. Once I do, run back to your house as fast as you can, alright?" he demanded in the most severe tone I had ever heard him use.
"Okay…" I said afraid of what was going to happen.
A heavy bang crashed into my ears as the horses collided with the dome, causing the ice to shudder. I looked up, afraid the ceiling would cave in, and then I looked back to Jack. His position hadn't changed and he remained still, waiting.
My heart leaped into my throat when the next three horses joined their companion and they all kicked and battered at the barrier.
"Don't touch the ice…" he warned me as I frantically watched the horses start to crack through our shield.
"NOW!" he shouted as a bolt of energy shot out of his staff and flew behind me. An explosion forced me to turn around and I saw a hole break through from where he had aimed. In that same moment I glanced back to see him press his hands against the front wall of the ice and blue-white electricity surge across the dome and into the Nightmares.
Now is my chance…
Taking off in a crouched run, I escaped through the hole and sped off across the field, the screams of the Nightmares fading in my wake.
WILL Jamie make it back home alright?
IS Jack going to be okay?
Tune in next week for another exciting episode of-
just kidding. However, I want things to heat up soon...
Leave a review if you liked the chapter and give *cough* the courage to try *cough* with *hacking cough* in the next chapter ;D
And besides, more reviews leaves motivation for promptly posted chapters.
I'm going to need it with this new job...sigh.
Special thanks to:
Matilic, EmilyxJane, and Kigen Dawn for leaving reviews. I appreciate it so much!
P.S. EmilyxJane: it is Jamie's fault, but I personally can't be mad at him. He's just a teenager after all xP Hopefully this cleared everything up a little bit.
Addtional thanks to NekoPantera, raediantvirtue, Hoytii, HuskaAkita, Rachel07, SilentRaven1, and everyone else for following/favoriting. (I only named those who followed the most recently, but all of you have made my day, so thank you so much.)
