Chapter 10 – a moment's reflection.

Tooth was a little reluctant but after everything had been clarified she sent a fairy over with the teeth they required. Setting up the ritual seemed to be fairly easy compared to what Zoe had mentally thought up in her head; it was a few candles and some rare particular incense that the sister's had brought over while waiting for their delivery of teeth. A couple of chants later and Zoe found herself in a world of white, sitting cross legged on the floor as she had been instructed to do for the ritual. Looking around she saw absolutely nothing, but even the sister's couldn't tell her what she would find at this time. They did know that time would pass differently here and so she didn't have to concern herself with that issue. Standing up she rubbed her hands on her jeans to remove the clammy feeling that sat on her palms. 'So, do I like.. have to call for you or something? Sing a ditty? Get down on my knees and pray?' Zoe said sarcastically as she looked around and took a couple of hesitant steps forward.

'If you think that'll help,' came a reply, eerily similar in voice. Zoe spun around on her toes and saw her reflection smiling at her. She could see a couple of differences, they had lived different lives after all. 'You can call me Daya,' she added as she fluttered her wings to settle her feathers.

'Woah...' said Zoe, a little unsure how to take this in. 'Daya?' She asked in confusion. The Reaper grinned and waved a hand, the world around them changing and shifting into a cliff side, the sun was either rising or setting, Zoe couldn't tell which. It seemed familiar, like a dream and Daya didn't hesitate walking over to a nearby bench and plonking herself on it.

'I had many names, Zoe was the name that Jack bestowed upon me. Daya was my mortal name, until I forgot it once I had been a spirit for a few thousand years,' Daya explained. Zoe nodded as this made sense and shyly walked over and sat next to her, careful of her feathers.

'So it's your memories I have in my head,' Zoe blushes, brushing a loose hair back behind her ear. Daya smiled and nodded.

'Strange isn't it. I thought that we wouldn't ever meet, I mean. I thought that the prison of the Reaper would contain Pitch forever, but I suppose that fear is something that can't be controlled as easily as I naively though.' Daya clenched her fist and a sudden storm appeared over them, the clouds darkening and thunder rumbling under the collected formation.

'So... you know about Jack?' Zoe said quietly.

'Yes.' She replied simply, trying to regain control of her emotions.

'I didn't mean to hurt hi-' Zoe began only to have Daya laugh abrubtly, almost rudely.

'Of course you didn't! Old gods neither did I!' She shrugged. 'I didn't think that part of me would ever be reincarnated and this would actually be a fucking problem. But noooo, the Man in the Moon has to get involved and as usual fuck everything up. I get that he's trying to restore some semblance of normality by having fear, i.e. Pitch, back in the mortal realm, but for fucks sake there are better ways.' She sighs, her rant finished. Zoe had begun to get a little frustrated but felt the anger dissapate as Daya spoke.

'What do I have to do to fix this?' Zoe asked. 'I mean, you have some idea no?'

Daya looked at Zoe sadly through a slight loose curl of her fringe. 'It depends Zoe. There's three options that I can see and it all depends on you,' she sighed and stood up motioning Zoe to do the same. Once on her feet Daya changed the world around them once more. This time the grass became snow and flurried around them, picking up speed as the weather grew worse and worse. Zoe looked at Daya in confusion who was simply staring into the storm. After a moment or two a hunched figure walked towards them, carrying someone, both covered in leather and fur. Long straggled hair and a wide gait only added depth to the situation. His load was heavy, but it was emotionally so. Zoe caught Daya's expression and saw the tear that dropped onto her cheek. The man placed his burden onto the plain, and that's when Zoe saw that it was Daya that the man had been carrying. Nothing was said between them, but he brushed the hair from her face and kissed her forehead before lingering only a moment and returning into the blizzard from where he came. 'How much are you willing to sacrifice for yourself or the ones you love?' Daya asked, changing the world again. This time Zoe saw Jack defy Daya and save a young woman, before the memory vanished and they returned to the cliff. 'Here I left Jack after sealing Pitch and Nathara in a prison of my making. I had to leave him after everything we'd been through, the pain and guilt. It was almost a year before I saw him again and I broke his heart. What are you willing to sacrifice Zoe?' Zoe thought that she knew the answer to that almost instantaneously, but when she went to speak, nothing came out. Daya nodded, it was as she thought.

...*...

'You don't love him,' Daya said to me, shaking me out my train of thought. I tilted my head, well, yes, she's right. I don't love Jack, I mean, I like him a lot but I don't love him.

'No...' I admit. 'I don't. He... he still loves you though,' I add remembering the conversation that we had had in the cafe about his bereavement. 'I'm... not. I'm not supposed to be here am I?' I ask already knowing the answer. I wasn't part of the plan, I was an attempt to bring Daya back into the mortal realm by the Man in the Moon. 'That's why I don't work properly isn't it. That's why I couldn't contain Pitch and let him get Jack,' I slump onto the grass and begin to pull at the strands.

'What was meant to be and what has happened doesn't matter. You're here now. You're you,' Daya says sitting opposite me.

I breathe in deeply, 'you ask what I'm willing to sacrifice for the ones I love, and to be honest I don't think I know what real love is. I mean, I would do anything for Lauren and I suppose I would go out my way to help a stranger, but I don't really have anything else, how sad is that?' I mumble looking at the small dandelion I've pulled up.

'Three choices Zoe. You can go back a mortal and try to help the Guardians and contain Jack, leaving Pitch to inhabit his body and use him as a prison,' Daya said counting on her fingers. 'Secondly, you can go back, try and extract Pitch from Jack, that will kill Jack in the process and you would be his prison, trapped in endless fear,' she breathed in deeply and went quiet, waiting for Zoe to reply.

'And the third option?' Zoe said softly, knowing in her heart what Daya was about to say.

'The ultimate sacrifice,' Daya replied simply. 'You die.'

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