Author's Note: Looks like the last chapter was a success! Sorry for not updating for so long. My life actually got interesting for a few days! So um, yeah here's to chapter ten!
Cat realised too late that she'd left her bow and the one random arrow on Jack's bed. Not to mention her boots were still in his room too. How does one forget her footwear? Did she do that when she was human, too? At any rate, when they landed in the park at Burgess, her feet got filthy in the dirty snow. Like always, she felt the cold but it was just a sensation like any other. Cat wondered vaguely if it was the same for Jack, or if cold for him was the same as heat for humans.
"Hmm, maybe we should have waited for you to put your boots on before we left," Jack said, studying her feet.
"I don't really care," she said, not willing to show her dislike to the grime. Cat followed Jack as he walked towards the street. They had only walked a few blocks when Jack stopped in front of a small house. The drive had a poorly parked car in it and a rusty old bike lay in the half melted snow. Jack pointed up to a window facing the front of the house.
"That was your room," he said. Cat half expected it when it came; an overwhelming sense of deejay-vu. The side of the house caught her eye. There was a drain pipe and some protruding bricks that made it look perfect for climbing. Cat strode over to it and climbed up to the window.
"You know, I can just get wind to boost you up!" Jack called. Cat ignored him. When she got to the top, it was at a mild angle and made it easy to get to the window. Cat noticed a rope bridge bundled together. It was out of sight from below, but pretty obvious from up here. Jack floated up beside her.
"Going to break in are we?" he said. Cat wrinkled her nose at him.
"Technically, it is my house," she said, turning to the window. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. Jeez, this is the perfect set up for a burglar she thought. Cat stepped into the room. It wasn't very big, but it was nice, and it definitely suited her. The door was on the opposite wall with a built in closet beside it. The walls were painted blue, except for the left wall, which was minty green. The bed was on the right side of the room with the headboard against the wall. It donned a fluffy, pale blue comforter. Taking up the back left corner of the room was a smallish wooden desk with books and other random things strewn across it. Cat walked the four feet to the bed. Beside it was a little bedside table with a lamp. There was a book on it along with a small, silvery figure. Cat picked it up. It was a figure of Artemis, the maiden of the hunt. Something pocked at her memory. For a split second, Cat got a sense of irony. Cat sighed in frustration, then put the figure down.
"What's up?" Jack said from behind her.
"Nothing. Come on," Cat said. She walked around the bed and opened the door. She noticed the outside of it was slightly dented. She frowned. It looked like someone had kicked it. Not a good sign. She walked down the stairs. They led to a small entryway that branched off into a small living room and a kitchen. The kitchen was a mess and the living room wasn't much better. Cat's frown deepened.
"Jack was it just me and my father here?" Cat asked. Jack came up beside her.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. I mean, you didn't hint otherwise," he said. Cat nodded and walked through the kitchen to the back of the house. There was a short hallway that lead left and right. To the left was a door and to the right was a hall closet and a glass door that probably went out to a backyard. She turned left and opened the door. Her father obviously knew nothing about the words "clean" or "tidy". The bed was un-made and dirty clothing was strewn on the floor. Cat turned away and went down the right part of the hallway. The glass door did in fact lead out to a backyard. It was miniscule and weeds poked up through the snow. The closet was relatively empty, with only a couple spare blankets and sheets. Obviously, her old life had not been too glamorous. It seemed the only clean part of the house was her old room. Suddenly, the glass door opened and a man came in. Somehow she had failed to see him in the backyard. Cat froze, waiting for him to see her or Jack, who was standing at the other end of the hall. But the man – probably her father – simply kicked off his untied shoes and walked clumsily to the kitchen, muttering. Cat was very disappointed. He was unshaven and bedraggled. It occurred to her that she hadn't seen any pictures of her younger self. Or of anything, really. Cat walked quietly back to the kitchen and stood behind her father who was looking in a cabinet.
"Don't bother. He can't hear or touch you," Jack said. Cat ignored him and placed her hand on her father's shoulder. There was a cold, almost painful sensation as her hand passed through him. Cat jumped back.
"I told you," Jack said. Cat looked back at him.
"Let's go," she said.
They were back at the Pole. Cat sat on Jack's bed again, lacing up her boots. When she was finished, Cat picked up her bow and slung it across her back. It was giving off a gentle hum and the mark was a content blue, but also had a questioning orange glow. Cat picked up the arrow off the bed.
"Jack, come look at this," she said. Jack stopped examining his staff looked at the arrow.
"What about it?" he said. Cat handed it to him.
"Look closely," she said. Jack gave the arrow a better look.
"Ok, so it has pink fletching, a gold head and the shaft is made of wood. It's a little weird I guess…" Jack said after a moment. Cat took the arrow back from him.
"It's odd looking, I know, but it means something. Look, the pink fletching stands for romantic love. The gold means… well it symbolizes a sort of everlastingness. And… the wood is apple so it most likely means happiness and something long lasting, similar to gold…" Cat stopped talking as she realised Jack was staring at her strangely. Cautiously she said, "What?" Jack kept giving her that weird look.
"How do you know that stuff?" he said. Cat paused.
"I don't know… I just did," she said. Jack looked thoughtful for a moment.
"I'll bet this has something to do with you becoming a spirit," he said. "Hey, you should try it on someone and see what happens." Cat's eyes widened.
"No way! It could hurt someone!" she said.
"Spirit weapons hardly ever hurt humans," Jack said.
"Hardly?" Cat said, raising an eyebrow.
"I mean, Pitch's weapons can hurt humans, but he's evil and stuff… Don't worry about it. C'mon please?" Jack looked excited.
"Fine, but you're the one who'll do it," Cat said.
"Why me? I can't even shoot the bow!" Jack said in protest.
"Ha! I doubt it would let you shoot it. No, you just go up to someone and stab them," Cat said. Jack narrowed his eyes a bit then said, "Fine. Let's go."
"No, no more flying. Isn't there some other way to travel?" Cat said.
"Well, there's North's sleigh… I guess not. Um, Bunny's tunnels? That could work. They magically shorten distance so…"
"Ok, we'll use those," Cat said. Jack led Cat to the bottom floor of the workshop. On one of the far walls there was a large, circular doorway that was made of dirt.
"Through there is and entrance to a bunch of Bunny's tunnels," Jack said, pointing to the hole/doorway. Cat walked along the wall because the most of the floor was occupied with Yetis keeping the globe in order. As she entered, a warm and earthy breeze gently blew through the tunnels. Jack started walking in front of her. At first it was just on thick tunnel with moss and flowers here and there. But soon smaller tunnels began branching off of it at random intervals.
"If you keep going down this one path, you eventually get to the Warren," Jack said. The he paused in front of one tunnel. The dirt was a bit lighter, dryer looking than the tunnel they were in. It didn't have many flowers and the air was slightly stale.
"I don't think Bunny uses this one much. It probably goes to a really big city or something," Jack said. "We'll be much less likely to run into the kangaroo if we take this one."
"Um, the kangaroo?" Cat said in confusion.
"You know, Bunny. He looks like a grey kangaroo," Jack said.
"I'm sure he loves you calling him that," said Cat. As they walked, it grew slightly colder until they reach a hole in the low ceiling. The tunnel branched off here, but Jack gave Cat a boost up out of the hole. They emerged in a park covered with a light dusting of snow. As soon as Jack was on his feet and out of the hole, it disappeared. Jack looked at the sky, frowning slightly.
"Not enough snow," he said. After a minute, the clouds above them opened up and fat flakes of frozen water began to dance and swirl around them.
"Jack, you realise that now people are going to head indoors?" Cat said to a pleased looking Jack.
"I guess we're just going to have to catch someone before they do!" Jack said before dashing off. Cat sighed then ran off after him. Off hand, Cat wondered where they were. There was almost no one on the downtown streets and whenever the past someone, Jack would point and shout, "What about them?" to all of which Cat shook her head. It was a feeling, much like the one she had gotten while examining her arrow. After they'd past at least twelve people, all running for cover from the incoming snow, Jack was getting a bit impatient.
"Come on, we could test it on any one! Why won't you?" Jack was walking backwards, facing at as she scanned the streets.
"I don't know, we just can't. Be a bit more patient. I'm sure we'll find the right person…" just then Cat spotted two people on the opposite sidewalk, walking towards each other, heads down and hoods pulled up against the snow. It was a man and a women.
"Jack! Those two people! Get one to slip on some ice or something when they're passing each other!" Cat said urgently. Jack smiled. He dashed across the street as an oncoming car was passing by. Cat rolled her eyes, but readied her bow and arrow. Just as the two people passed by each other, Jack slicked the sidewalk with ice and the women slipped. Cat fired the arrow at the man. It disappeared just as it touched his arm. Instantly, the man was apologizing and asking if the woman was ok. She blubbered some apologies, and then walked on. The man looked distressed for a moment, then trotted after her. They weren't talking loud enough for Cat to hear, but the woman was blushing slightly and the man was talking to her eagerly. Suddenly, a faint pink mist covered the two people. After a moment, it disappeared as suddenly as it had come. Jack trotted up beside Cat.
"What was all that?" He said, starring after the couple. Cat shook her head.
"I think… I think they were for each other," Cat said. Jack looked at her curiously. "I mean, they were going to get together eventually. I just made it happen sooner," Cat said, looking at Jack. Jack gazed after the retreating couple.
"Cool stuff, then," he said. Suddenly, Cat stiffened. Images flashed by her eyes. Two brothers fighting, a man and a woman flirting with each other, the same man and woman in an intense argument, a young girl walking down an abandoned street, shouldering a grimy backpack. Cat gasped and looked at Jack.
"I know what he wants me to do, Jack," she said. Jack raised his eyebrows.
"They need help. People. Adults and siblings and children… The love is fading," she said.
"What? What do you mean?" Jack said, confused. He obviously wasn't catching on to what she was saying.
"Love, Jack. Romantic love, paternal love, sibling love! The Man in the Moon wants me to restore it. I mean it's still there, but it's too weak!" Cat was getting worked up, thinking of all the people she needed to help. Faces flashed by in her head in rapid succession.
"Cat, do you think we should tell North or the others?" Jack said.
"No, there isn't time let's go! There's two siblings a block away that I have to get to!" Cat started to run off, but Jack grabbed her wrist.
"Whoa, slow down there! It would be freaky if you busted into their home and started shooting them with arrows. Look, we should celebrate or something. You found your job. Why don't we steal some food and find some cool place to hang out. I can help you out tomorrow if you really want," Jack said. Cat looked apprehensive, then smiled.
"Ok, it's a date," she said.
Author's Note: I have a dilemma. Should I end my story here? I'm kinda out of inspiration, plus I have another story slowly taking over my mind. I mean, this could be a good ending right?*Puts head in hands* I don't know!
Alright, thanks to MidnightWolf191 and Seven. Avengers for the follows (Even if this is possibly the last chapter).