Chapter 10
'Hey! That's my thing!' Beth had burst out of her shell, she was rising from the ground, fuming. 'You think you're all that, well guess what? YOU'RE NOT!' She started flying incredibly fast towards Pitch, her face red with anger and rage. She grabbed Pitch up by his long, black cloak and lifted him up high into the air.
'What're we going to do? Go for a late fly?' Pitch smiled, but inside Beth knew he was scared.
'No, funnily enough.' Beth let go of him in mid air and watched him drop ten meters. He crashed into the ground with a thud, but seemed to be unhurt as the snow had softened his landing. Beth stayed high up in the air, just glaring down at Pitch. Now it was Jack's turn.
'Oh, wait?' Pitch began, getting up covered in snow. 'Jack's scared.' Beth looked down at Jack with a worried expression.
'Don't let him in, Jack. He's not worth it!' Beth had flown down to be at Jack's side.
'It's okay, Beth. It's not me I'm scared for... It's you.' Jack didn't look into Beth's eyes, but she looked into his. Beth hadn't even noticed Pitch still there and she only noticed when black sand was coiling itself around her getting tighter and tighter the harder she struggled.
'Jack! Help!' Beth's screams were muffled as the sand reached her mouth.
'Put her down Pitch..' Jack tensed up, he looked livid. 'Or else.'
'Or else what? I feel your fear Jack. You're close to it taking your powers away, then what will you do? Oh, wait, I know what you'll do... you'll have disappointed the Guardians again just like last time. Do you remember?' Pitch was intentionally trying to scare Jack enough his powers would fail him, but he was not giving up his staff this time and he would never sink to Pitch's level.
'Oh, really Pitch. Well do you know what I have to say about you?' Jack waited a couple of seconds. 'THIS!' Jack jumped into the air as if to fly, but he couldn't. He couldn't get off the ground... He tried to use his staff to blast Pitch with his ice beam, but he couldn't... he was too frightened, and losing his powers seemed to make him ever more frightened.
'Well, well, well... Do we have a defenceless Guardian here? Not a surprise really, but without the others you aren't that good are you?' Pitch raised his other hand and Jack felt something hit him hard. It was like he had just run face first into a brick wall. He couldn't feel his face properly and his back was killing him. 'No Guardians to save you this time...'
'VATCH OUT JACK!' Jack heard jingles, like Christmas bells, shortly followed by different pitched screams. 'Easy, Prancer!' North had landed his sleigh about a foot away from where Jack was lying. Tooth, Bunny and Sandy all ran out of the sleigh, eager to help in any way they could .
'Jack! Are you okay?' Tooth had swooped over and helped Jack get back onto his feet.
'It's not me that needs help, it's Beth!' Jack pointed frantically towards Beth hanging in mid air, tied up by the black sand. Tooth swooped up into the air towards the sand and started trying to dislodge Beth from inside it. North was battling a nightmare that Pitch had summoned when they arrived and bunny was throwing egg bombs towards coils and coils of black sand tying themselves around North's sleigh. Meanwhile, Sandy went straight to Pitch.
'Well, hello again, little man.' Pitch had a horrid smile on his face. With a wave of his hand he had created a massive black ace that he was striking in front of Sandy. Sandy had created a whip to fight with and was hitting lines of black sand, that looked very much like ribbon, turning the hit ones to golden sand. Jack could feel himself regaining strength again and bravely got up to fly again. He jumped once, hovered in mid air and dropped to the floor again. Then he felt an urge to prove himself in front of the Guardians and to Beth. He held his staff high and jumped again. He flew without any trace of not having his full powers and bounded towards the black sand bundle that was holding Beth captive. He took a deep breath and gave all his energy to his staff. It emitted a ray of neon blue, icy blasts and as it hit the black sand, it disappeared so suddenly that Beth didn't have time to think about flying. She was falling through the air and they were up so high. 'She cant fly...' thought Jack and he knew why. She was scared of falling through the air so her powers weren't working, Pitch was making them unusable.
'Jack! I cant fly!' Beth screamed, her bun falling out of her hair. Jack swooped down faster than Beth fell and caught her in mid air.
'I gotcha.' and he gave her a reassuring smile as he dropped her off on land and started walking towards Pitch. Tooth floated towards Beth, her feathers shining in the white snow.
'He likes you.' she giggled slightly.
'What? No he doesn't!' But Beth was smiling too, her cheeks flushing red.
'Well, if he doesn't like you, then you like him.'
'I really don't, Tooth.' Beth crossed her arms and was silent for a couple of seconds. 'Is it really that obvious?' She sounded worried and her cheeks blushed more violently than ever.
'Don't worry, I wont tell him.' Tooth winked before flying off towards the huddle forming around Pitch. Beth followed.
'Give up, Pitch.' North said, his sword in hand.
'Why should I do that?' Pitch replied looking rather pale.
'You've lost anyway.' North smiled and all the others did too.
'Fine.. Ill leave then.'
'If you ever come back, I'll do this again.' Beth had walked through to see Pitch.
'Do what again?' Beth smiled at Pitch before giving him a massive punch across his face, forcing him to fall backwards onto the ground. Pitch got up quickly, clutching the side of his face. He looked afraid, his eyes wide with fear. He ran away, quickly. His nightmares following behind him.
Beth looked up at all the Guardians faces. They were beaming with happiness and so was she. She had made friends for life now. 'Beth, ve have to get back to the Pole. You have a decision to make.'