So would you guys be interested in me drawing a picture of Eve? n_n I'm thinking about doing it, but I'm not quite sure. Let me know!
Anyways, here's chapter ten!
"Hey, North!" The Guardian of Fun called as he skidded to a halt in North's living room- where Tooth and the Guardian of Wonder both sat. It was morning, now, and Jack had just come back after a long night of Canadian snowstorms. On his trip, though, he had visited Jamie and promised his first believer that he would come back after he made a stop at the North Pole. "Is Eve awake?" Jack asked, excitedly, a giant smile on his face. He couldn't wait for Jamie and Sophie to meet the forest spirit.
North gave the winter spirit a soft smile. "No, Little Red is still asleep," North answered, warily.
Jack scrunched up his nose, impatiently. "Well, it's already eight-thirty. I promised Jamie he could meet her-"Jack paused, though, when he noticed the tear trails on Tooth's face. Ice blue eyes wide, Jack flew to the Guardian of Memories, and kneeled in front of her. She was sitting on one of North's plush armchairs, and she looked so distraught that Jack couldn't even recognize her. "Tooth," Jack began, trying to look into her eyes as she tried to look away. "Tooth, what's wrong?" He asked, placing a cold hand on the Tooth Fairy's feather-covered shoulder.
She finally looked at him, and her eyes revealed guilt. Before she spoke, she glanced at North, who gave her a stiff shake of his head, his eyes telling her "no". Jack did not see this exchange, though, and Tooth gave her friend a weak smile. "I'm just worried about finding Pitch. I… I hope he doesn't do anything to Eve's memories, that's all," She told him softly.
Jack observed his friend, not convinced. He knew something was wrong… Tooth was lying, that much was obvious. But what was really going on? Before he could express his concern, though, North interrupted him, putting a hand on Jack's shoulder and leading him away from the Guardian of Memories. "Jack, how about you wake up Little Red? I am sure your girlfriend will like to spend day with you, no?" North said teasingly, making Jack blush and successfully distracting him from Tooth.
Jack crossed his arms, glaring at North. "She's not my girlfriend," he stated, ignoring the way his heart pounded.
North laughed and patted Jack's back, making him stumble forward from the strength of the burly Russian's large hand. "Yes, yes of course not," North joked, giving Jack a wink, which only made the Guardian of Fun's cheeks redden more.
Straightening up, the Guardian of Fun put on his normal, confident face. "I'll be right back," he told his fellow Guardians as he flew out of the room and to Eve's room, ignoring North's chuckles behind him.
When Jack reached to the guest room Eve was staying in, he automatically knew something was wrong. The air was tense… something was off. Panicking, Jack swung open Eve's door to find a horse fearling crouched over her bed, covering her with thick shadows and black sand. "Hey!" Jack shouted, aiming his staff at Pitch's creature. The fearling turned towards jack and let out a fearsome neigh, its yellow eyes bright and angry, its nostrils flaring as it exhaled.
Clutching onto his staff, Jack automatically shot a bolt of ice at the nightmare, careful not to hit Eve. The dark creature easily dodged the shot (which ended up frosting a wall after it missed its target), and backed away from Eve's bed, charging towards an open window as it tried to escape. Groaning with frustration, Jack chased it across the room. "Get back here!" He yelled as he flew after the nightmare, shooting another bolt of frost towards the fearling. The creature got out the window, though, and Jack flew out after it. But once he was out the window… the nightmare was gone. Jack flew around the workshop, searching for the creature, but it was nowhere to be found.
Irritated that he let it escape, Jack flew back to Eve's room to check on her. Once he was inside her room, he flew to her bedside, and brushed off the black sand that was littered all over her body. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, placing a hand on the girl's forehead and pushing back her hair that was messily tangled and covering her face. She was warm- warmer than usual. Sweat beaded on Eve's forehead, and her eyebrows were furrowed, as if she were having a bad dream. Her eyes moved rapidly beneath her lids, and her breathing was quick and shallow.
Resting his staff against a nightstand, Jack sat down on Eve's bed, and gently lifted her into his arms, placing her on his lap. He held her close, trying to cool her down with his cold body temperature, and trying to provide some kind of comfort to her. "I'm sorry," he apologized again when she shivered. "You need to cool down. I'm sorry," he told his friend, although she couldn't hear him.
Eve mumbled gibberish in her sleep, and rolled her head to the side, burying it into Jack's chest. Jack felt his heart race, and he took a deep breath. Why was he feeling like this? How does Eve make him feel so… nervous? Whenever he's around her, all he wants to do is make her smile.
You're the Guardian of Fun, he told himself. It's your job to make people smile.
But this was different. Jack didn't care much when Bunny or the other Guardians played with Jamie and his friends. It didn't bother him. But when Bunny was touching Eve, or talking to her, or making her laugh… it made him angry. It's like he wanted Eve to himself. Not that he would admit this to anybody ever, but he almost felt like he wasn't as good as Bunny. He felt threatened by the Pooka. And every second Eve hangs out with the Guardian of Hope Jack finds himself getting more and more panicked at the idea that Eve will forget him.
Last night… when Eve was healing Bunny… she seemed so concerned. She looked at him so fondly… she doesn't look at Jack like that. And then when she was smiling and happy, she looked at Jack and he somehow made her smile go away. He did the opposite of the one thing he wanted to do. Instead of being the one to make her smile, he was the one that made her frown.
And when she fell asleep in Bunny's side, all curled up next to him… Jack had to leave that second. Otherwise he would've frozen Bunny solid.
Jack held the girl closer to him, and she murmured in her sleep, again, sleepily hugging Jack to her. Jack felt himself warm up, and his throat tightened. He realized that he was completely tense, and exhaled, loosening his muscles as he smiled softly. Eve looked calm, now. Her eyes stopped moving, and she wore a small smile in her deep sleep. Jack undid an arm from around her, and hesitantly put her hair behind her ear to show her face clearer. She looked so calm when she slept….
"Jack!" The Russian-accented voice called. Jack jumped, and snapped his head from Eve to the door, where North suddenly appeared from the hallway. "Jack, there was fearling sand. It came in through window. We thought-"he began but suddenly cut himself off. "How is Little Red?" He asked, walking over to the young Guardian, Tooth trailing behind.
"She's fine. Well, sort of. There was a fearling crouching over her bed. I tried to get it but… it escaped," Jack explained. North listened attentively, his eyes wide. Then, the white-bearded Guardian looked at the position Eve was in on Jack's lap and raised an eyebrow, trying to hold back a laugh.
"Hmm," North began, giving Jack an amused smile. "Not your girlfriend, eh?" North laughed, ruffling Jack's hair. The winter spirit blinked, his face going scarlet, his mouth slightly agape.
"S-she had a fever! I was trying to cool her down- ah, bug off, North," Jack swatted a hand at the older Guardian, completely embarrassed. He ignored North's laughs as he placed Eve down on the bed, gently pulling her arms off from around his waist. Eve's face automatically went panicked again, and her eyes began to move rapidly in her sleep. Without thinking, Jack automatically grasped Eve's hand, and she calmed again. Jack looked at North, his eyes filled with worry. "North, we gotta do something. The fearlings, they're messing with her dreams. I don't know why they're after her, but we need to find out," Jack begged the Guardian of Wonder.
North pressed his lips into a tight line, and looked at Tooth- who was silent the whole time, her eyes fixed on Eve. The Russian man looked back at the younger Guardian. "We will find out what Pitch is up to, Jack. It will take time," he explained.
Jack nodded, and then looked back at his friend. "We need to wake her up," Jack whispered, leaning towards the raven-haired girl.
North shrugged, crouching by the girl's bedside, Tooth hovering behind him. "Is worth a try," he said.
"C'mon, Eve," Jack spoke to the forest spirit as he shook her shoulder with one hand, holding her hand with the other. "Eve, it's just a nightmare. Wake up," he said louder this time, making the girl moan and stir in her bed. "Wake up, Eve," Jack commanded, shaking her shoulder lightly.
Eve's eyes fluttered open, and she squeezed Jack's hand tight. Suddenly, she took in a sharp breath. "Don't let them take him!" She yelled as she sat up straight, holding onto Jack's hand tighter and looking at the winter spirit, panicked. Her eyes were wide open, now, and she blinked, loosening her grip on Jack's hand as she observed the young Guardian. She seemed to finally come to. "J-Jack? Wha- what's going on?" She asked as she looked down at their hands and let go, embarrassed.
Jack sat up straight. "You were having a nightmare, Eve," he explained. The girl's sky blue eyes searched his, and she swallowed.
"I… I don't remember it," she whispered. "The last thing I remember… is falling asleep, in the living room. And-"she paused, seeming to reconsider what she was about to say. "That's… that's it."
Jack looked at his friend. He was at a loss of words. Luckily, North intervened. "Come, Little Red. We get you some breakfast and then you spend day with Jack," he told her, handing the girl her red cloak, which was hanging on the bed frame.
Eve found herself smiling, and she put on her cloak. "Alright," she agreed. Then she looked at Jack, "What are we going to be doing?" She asked with a smile, her mood completely positive, now.
Jack closed his gaping mouth, and blinked. "Oh, uh…" The winter spirit got off his chair and picked up his staff. "My friend Jamie and his little sister wanted to meet you," Jack explained. "I gave them a snow day, today, so they wouldn't have to go to school. And now I apparently owe them a snowball fight. You wanna join?" Jack asked hesitantly, his heart fluttering when Eve gave him a big smile.
"I'd love to!" She responded, giving Jack a hug. Jack went stiff, his eyes wide and his heart racing. North- and even Tooth- laughed at Jack's expression. "That sounds like so much fun!" Eve exclaimed as she pulled away from the winter spirit. He gave her a smile, letting out a breathy laugh.
"Ah- uh, then I'll be right back. I gotta go finish up with the winter weather and I'll be here in an hour. You go ahead and eat some breakfast," Jack instructed with a smile as he flew out the window, leaving the workshop behind and trying to stop smiling as he soared through the sky. He felt amazing, and full of energy- like he could beat Bunny in a race ten times over.
After Eve finished having breakfast with North, she went back to her room to wait for Jack. She was incredibly excited to meet Jack's friends. Maybe he could get them to see her? But she wasn't a fairytale like Jack and the other Guardians… she wasn't someone kids could just believe in. She was just… Eve.
Sighing, Eve pushed that thought out of her head. Best to not think about it and just let things play out. Eve went up to a mirror in the guest room, and cringed at her reflection. He hair was in a messy, tangly, knotted mess. Her cheeks went as red as her cloak. Oh no, did Jack see her like this?
Traumatized, Eve smoothed out her hair, running her fingers through the knots, pulling them free. She really was a mess, wasn't she? Eve let out a sigh.
"Ready?" A voice asked her, making her jump.
Eve turned to face the white-haired teen that was standing in front of the window, leaning casually on his staff while wearing an amused smirk on his face. Giving him a smile back, Eve looked him over skeptically. "You don't think I'm gonna let you fly us there, right?" She asked jokingly, crossing her arms. Honestly, though, Eve was just putting up an act to mess with the winter spirit. She found that she wouldn't quite mind having Jack hold her close, again.
Jack laughed, and pulled something out from his pocket. "I didn't think so. That's why I swiped this from North's desk," he told her, holding up a snow globe. He whispered, "Burgess," and threw the snow globe to the ground, creating a giant portal in the middle of the room. Jack held out an arm to Eve, a smile on his face. "Shall we?" He asked, making Eve laugh as she walked over to him and looped her arm around his.
"We shall," she responded, and they stepped through the portal, leaving behind the workshop and walking into the lively suburban town of Burgess. They were on the front lawn of a house.
"Jack!" A child's voice called out.
Jack let go of Eve's arm and turned to smile big at the boy that was running to him. "Hey, kiddo!" He greeted his friend with a laugh as they hugged. "Told ya I'd be back!"
A little girl was running towards the winter spirit, as well, her mess of blonde hair covering up part of her face as she giggled. "Jack, Jack!" She called out and hugged the teen, as well.
Eve was smiling big at the display before her. She had seen these kids in the town, before. They seemed incredibly sweet, and she couldn't believe that Jack knew them. "Where's your friend, Jack?" Jamie asked, his brown eyes sweeping the area for anybody else.
Jack's smile broadened, and he kneeled down to Jamie's height. "She's right here, behind me. You can't see her right now, so I need you to believe in her, okay? Just like how you believe in me," he explained to his friend.
Jamie's eyebrows furrowed as he gazed at his friend. "Well, what does she look like? What's her name?" He asked, eager to see the new girl.
At this, Jack froze, looking over at Eve- who was looking at him with a curious glance- and then back to Jamie. "Uh, well, she has blue eyes," he said as he stood up, strolling over to Eve, placing a signature smirk on his face. He placed a hand flat on Eve's head, earning a pout from the raven-haired girl. "She's short," Jack teased as Eve crossed her arms, sticking out her tongue at Jack childishly, making the Guardian of Fun chuckle. "About ye high," he motioned. Then he removed his hand and looked over the girl, feeling himself smile. "She has short black hair…" he continued as he faced Jamie, again. "And she wears a white dress and a red cloak… she's…" he trailed off, glancing back at Eve, who's smile was gone as she stared at her winter friend, again.
"She's what?" Jamie asked.
Jack gave a smile, and rubbed the back of his head as he decided to just spit it out. "Well, she's really pretty," he said, nervously. Eve felt her heart leap, and she went red as she smiled. "Like a princess," he added with a laugh as he looked back at Eve, feeling his throat go tight when he sees that he's made her smile.
"What's her name?" Jamie asked, smiling.
At this, Jack smirked. "Snow White," he told the boy. "Her real name is Eve Dawn, but if you're gonna believe in her, you gotta believe in Snow White… I think that's the only way you'll be able to see her."
"Snow White…?" Jamie asked, eyebrows drawn together.
Sophie was jumping up and down. "Snow White, Snow White! Princess!" She cheered happily, giggling. Then she stopped, and stared at Eve with wide eyes, her mouth dropped open. Jamie was staring at the forest spirit now, as well, his eyes wide and a smile on his face.
"Woah!" He exclaimed. "I see her, Jack! Soph, look! Snow White is real, just like in your book!" He told his little sister, excitedly.
Eve froze. Could they really see her…? There was no way-
Sophie giggled, jumping up and down. "Pretty! Pretty princess!" She yelled as she ran to Eve, hugging her leg.
Eve went stiff, expecting the little girl to go right through her- giving her that terrible cold feeling… but it didn't happen. She was touching her… she could see her… this wasn't a dream. Eve felt tears burn in her eyes, and she smiled, loosening her tense posture, and bending down to the little girl's level. "H-hello, Sophie," she whispered, pulling away to gaze at the little girl.
Sophie giggled, "Hello, Snow White!" She exclaimed happily. Eve smiled and let out a breathy laugh as Jack walked over to the two. A knowing smile was on his face as he watched Eve. He knew exactly what she was feeling, right now. He had experienced the same thing only about a year ago.
Jamie was walking to Eve, now, a smile on his face. "This is so cool!" He said.
Eve laughed and stood up, "It definitely is!" She agreed. "I can hardly believe it, myself."
Jack smiled big, and walked next to Eve, facing Jamie and Sophie. "Are you gonna join our snowball fight?" Jamie asked Eve, excitedly.
"You bet!" Eve exclaimed.
"Awesome! I'm gonna get everyone together. It'll be us against you and Jack!" Jaime said as he ran off to get his friends. "I'll be right back! Watch Soph, Jack!"
"Will do!" Jack called out. Soon, the boy was out of their sight and Sophie was running around Eve, saying "princess" over and over as she pulled on Eve's dress, playfully, and laughed.
Hesitantly, Eve picked up the little girl, still getting used to the fact that she didn't slip right through her. The girl giggled, and wrapped her arms around Eve's neck. Smiling, Eve looked at Jack. "Thankyou, Jack," she said, forcing back tears.
Smiling, Jack ruffled Sophie's hair. "No problem. But, hey, we're gonna have to make a battle plan for this snowball fight. For a bunch of kids, Jamie and his friends are expert snowball snipers."
The day went by quick, and Eve never wanted it to end. Jamie had brought his other friends, and with another description from both Jack and Jamie, they were all able to see her. Eve couldn't even describe the feeling. It was ecstatic- like nothing she'd ever felt before.
So they had their snowball fight, Eve getting pelted more times than she could count, and Jack getting hit only once, when he was distracted by Cupcake throwing a large mass of snow towards Eve. It was incredibly fun, overall, and Eve's voice was hoarse from laughing and screaming.
Once it was close to sunset, all the kids had to go inside, and Jack promised them that they'd see him and Eve soon. When all the kids were escorted home, Jack and Eve flew to a lake in the forest of Burgess. They were lying in the snow by the lake, now. Eve had brushed off the snow on the ground so she could lie in the grass, and Jack laid down in the snow next to her, completely immune to its incredible temperatures.
Eve was freezing, but she didn't want to go home, so she didn't say a word, and instead cherished the moment. Jack had brought her here to watch the sunset, claiming it was most beautiful from this clearing's view.
"So," Eve spoke as the two teens watched the sunset. "Did you mean it?" She asked, turning her head to look over at the winter spirit. He turned to look at her, his arms crossed behind his head. His cerulean eyes focused on her.
"Mean what?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed.
Eve smiled slyly. "When you said I was pretty. Did you mean it?" she asked her friend, teasingly.
Eve could've sworn Jack's face flushed, but she couldn't be certain, since it was getting rather dark. "Oh. Well, I mean, yeah… you are," he said as he looked back up at the sky.
Eve smiled big. "That's really sweet, Frosty," she teased.
"Ah, shut up, Eve," Jack retorted, giving a smile.
Eve laughed and scooted closer to the winter spirit, leaning to rest her head on his chest. "Thankyou for everything, Jack," she whispered. "Honestly. Thankyou. Today was… amazing. The best day I've ever had," she admitted as she put an arm on his chest to give him a light hug.
Eve could hear Jack's heart speed up in her ear, and Jack put an arm around Eve, pulling her close. She suppressed a shiver from Jack's cold temperature combined with the snow around them. She didn't want Jack to know that she was cold. This moment was too precious.
"Anytime," he responded quietly.
They stayed like that for a while. It wasn't until Eve thought of a question that she had been wanting to ask that the silence was finally broken. "Jack… can I ask you something?" She whispered hesitantly.
"Hmm?" He asked, seeming drowsy.
"It's… well, it's kind of personal," she continued as she sat up. Jack sat up with her, looking at the girl concernedly.
"What is it?" He asked, blue eyes focused on her.
Eve bit her lip as she gazed out at the frozen lake. "How… well, you said you regained your memories through your baby teeth… Did… how did you die?" She asked the last part in a hushed whisper. Then she looked at her friend, curiosity filling her eyes. "Do you remember? Did you find out? She asked.
The Guardian of Fun gazed at Eve, then out at the lake. "It was here, actually. On that lake. I died on that lake," he told her, resting his arms on his legs as he leaned forward.
Eve held in a breath. "…How?" She asked hesitantly.
Jack stared at the lake gravely. "Well… I brought my little sister here to teach her ice skating… I had promised her. So we went onto the lake and well, I thought it was stable, but it wasn't. The center of the lake was too thin. My sister, Pippa… her name was Pippa… she skated to the middle of the lake, and it began to crack. She was stuck… she was completely terrified, I had to do something," Jack began to ramble, running a hand through his hair. He took a breath and continued. "I took off my skates and walked to her to try and save her. I was on weak ice, too, and it began to crack underneath me, as well. I told her we were going to play hopscotch, to make her less scared. So once I hopped towards thicker ice, I tried to get her to do the same.
"Once she was close enough to me, I used my staff," Jack explained as he lifted his staff. "And I hooked it around her, and pulled her to the thick ice, but I pulled myself onto her spot on the thin ice when I did so. She was alive, and I thought everything would be okay. But I stood up and the ice gave out… then I drowned," Jack concluded his story. But then he smiled big, and looked at Eve. "But I saved her. I had a sister and I saved her. So… I don't really mind- dying, that is. If it means I saved my sister's life."
Eve gazed at the winter spirit, tears running down her face. She was speechless. Jack had given his life to save his sister. He had lived for three hundred years alone, probably seeing his sister, again, and not knowing who she was because he couldn't remember. It was awful- it wasn't fair. Someone as kind as Jack just shouldn't die.
Jack noticed Eve's tears and leaned to her, wiping them away. "Don't be sad! It's a happy story. My sister lived. I became a Guardian. I mean, sure, it took a while for me to become one but it still happened! And then we met!" Jack told her with a smile. "Don't cry, Eve," he begged her. "I really am happy," he reassured her.
But Eve just threw her arms around Jack, catching him by surprise. He hugged her back, pulling her to him. "You're so amazing, Jack… so amazing," she mumbled into his hoodie, pulling away as she smiled at him. "I'm so lucky to have met you," she whispered.
Jack gave a soft smile. Then his eyes turned concerned as he held Eve's face. "Eve, your lips are blue," he observed, panic clear in his eyes.
Eve's eyebrows furrowed. What did he-
Then Eve realized… she didn't feel cold anymore. In fact, she didn't feel anything at all. The cold had left her body, along with any feeling of warmth. A numbness consumed her body, and she was shivering uncontrollably in Jack's grasp… she had hypothermia. "I-uhm… it's just a little cold, that's all," Eve admitted sheepishly. "I'm fine, though-"
"Oi, Frostbite," an Australian-accented voice called out. "Y'aren't supposed to freeze yer girlfriends, ya gumby."
So I'm gonna take the time to respond to some of my reviewers n_n
To TheStoryTeller231 and Pineapple-Sorceress: Thankyou guys so much for always putting such amazing and encouraging reviews practically every time I update! It means a lot and trust me, I read your reviews every time and you two have specifically been the ones to encourage me to keep writing. :3 so thankyou :D
To MysticCat: thankyou for the idea of Jack explaining his powers to Eve :3 that scene is all your doing, so credits to you n_n
To Downkittydown: Ahhh there may or may not be a kiss in this story! Not sure if I'm gonna make them kiss at the end or just hug dramatically but we'll see ;D
To Guest: AHHHH oh my god you're the only one to have noticed that! YES, IT IS A WEDDING DRESS :D kudos to you for pointing that out and yes it does have a BIG hint towards the story and her past life :3 she's not exactly a runaway bride, but kinda, you'll see! n_n I'm impressed with your observation!
To FrozenGamer27: Thankyou so much for such a nice review! :'3 it really made me smile and yesh thankyou :DD
And honestly just thankyou to everyone! I read every single one of your reviews and it means the world to me that you'd take the time to even bother to write anything to me so yes n_n thankyou so much!
New chapter will probably be tomorrow but if not it'll be out in less than a week :D
Have a great weekend, my lovelies!