Okay, wow, I am on fire for updates! Don't jinx it though aahhh. I'm on work experience atm and that's probably why I've managed to finish this chapter so quickly. I'm in a publishing house but I literally haven't been given anything to do. I've been given a desk, a computer, a phone and a 9 to 5:30 time slot. So I've written a lot. A new chapter in my HiJack oneshot collection will also probably be going up tonight because I started another one today... Anyway, without further ado, enjoy chapter 13 xx

I suddenly missed the warmth of Jack's hand in mine. I wanted it back. I was cold on my own. Funny how a boy named Frost could light such a fire inside me with a mere touch.

My turn.

I didn't even care anymore. Frostbite or a mystery torture, I couldn't have given less of a shit to be honest. Both choices would only bring me closer to death, which, at this point, seemed inevitably nearer than healthy.

No, c'mon Hiccup. Logic is your only trustworthy attribute. Work this out.

Frostbite. On my hand. I could lose my hand… Not that my right hand is ever going to be good for anything anymore… I held up the bloody mess that used to be my hand and examined it. My index finger was completely gone. In fact, there it was, still on the table in front of me.

Urgh.

I wouldn't mind losing this hand, it's already so fucked up. I glanced up to Pitch, who was watching me intently. I could tell he knew what I was thinking. There was no way he'd be kind enough to let me use my already injured arm.

He smiled. Yep, that motherfucker wasn't gonna cut me any slack.

But then there was the envelope.

That evil little piece of white paper in an even more evil little black envelope. If paper could have eyes, it would've been giving me the nastiest look imaginable, and at the same time, it'd be tempting me to open it and discover the secret within that I so desperately wanted to know.

Pitch said… Pitch said the punishments vary from relatively harmless to more severe. What was his definition of harmless though? I doubted it would be the same as my definition, that was for sure. Merida had had to tape a cherry bomb to her hand and light it. Rapunzel had lost an eye. Astrid had avoided the unknown and come down with some pretty major frostbite. But then…

"What was on Astrid's card?" I asked.

Pitch grinned approval at me, "I have no idea." He then turned to Astrid. "Why don't you take a look?"

Astrid grumbled slightly at Pitch's condescending tone but flicked open the envelope with her good hand nonetheless. I watched her eyebrows furrow and frown in confusion at what she saw.

"What's this meant to be?" She groaned, spinning the card around between two fingers (taking extra care to make sure her middle one was on the outside, pointing at Pitch). I couldn't see the card from my angle.

"Oh, ho-ho goodness, close one, Astrid." Pitch chortled. "Nearly got all your teeth extracted…"

Astrid's face… I couldn't even begin to describe the horror and relief crossing her pale, prominent features.

"Jesus." She breathed, and I saw her lips bulge as she ran her tongue across her teeth, clearly thankful they were still there.

"I do hope this information has helped to aid in your choice, Hiccup?"

Three near (if not) deadly cards had already been played. What was the chance that the one if front of me was another murder order? Not reliable enough to stake my life on it. But with the liquid nitrogen, I'd completely lose all function in both my hands. One missing a finger, and the other destroyed by frostbite. I glanced up at Astrid, who was still clutching her arm to her stomach. She'd wrapped it up in a napkin, but her black, shrivelled fingers were still visible protruding from the top. Apparently she saw me looking because she began shaking her head.

What? My brain was yelling at her but my mouth refused to follow. Why are you shaking your head? No to the bucket? No to the card? WHAT?!

Of course, she didn't respond. Neither of us were telepathic, after all.

No, I can't give myself frostbite when I'm already crippled on the other hand. No.

"Screw it, I'll just…" I trailed off as I began fumbling with the envelope. Was I willing to gamble my life on this slip of paper?

"Fuck it, yeah, I'll do the envelope." I ripped it open. The paper slipped out of the bottom and started to flutter to the ground. I went to grab it but Jack got there first. The result of these maneuvers had me snatching my hand away and then smacking my head against the table in my haste to straighten up again. Jack, on the other hand, bent right down under the table and didn't come back up for a few seconds. Had the paper really fallen that far? No, I saw Jack grab it straight away. So what was he-?

Oh crap, the phone.

He's using my phone!

Pitch raised an eyebrow. "Everything alright, Jack?" I needed to keep Pitch distracted for long enough so Jack could do something. Make a call, hell, even sending a text to Dad might help.

How could I distract him?

After dismissing the idea of throwing something and creating chaos, I decided to be subtle about it.

"Pitch." I started with just getting the man's attention. He looked at me. Oh crap, what now? I hadn't thought this far ahead.

"Yes, Hiccup?"

"Uh, you… uh, I mean, are you, no- um, well…" Jeez Hiccup, wanna be any more slow? I glanced down to Jack, trying to disguise my check as an irritated kind of, "c'mon hurry up already" look to throw Pitch off. I saw his fingers frantically scrolling through my phone settings. I watched him turn the phone's GPS signal on. Yes, Jack.

Pitch began walking around the table to where we were and I panicked.

"Hey, wh-what's that?!" I pointed behind his head, and at the same time Pitch turned his head, I nudged Rapunzel on my right and jerked my head down to where Jack was. She spotted him with her good eye and it widened with realization. I saw her eye dart side to side for a second as she was thinking and then something very unexpected happened.

"Oww!" She suddenly howled, clutching both her hands to her face and throwing herself clean off the chair. "My eye! It hurts so much! Help me please!" She was screaming now, and I noticed Jack pop his head out from under the table to see what was happening. I caught his eye and shook my head, pushing him back under the table with my knee.

To make it believable, I jumped off my chair too and knelt next to Rapunzel as she continued to scream hysterically.

"Rapunzel!" I shouted, "Calm down, you're alright." I was suddenly pulled backwards by my shirt collar as Gothel grabbed it and yanked me away from the still crying (very convincingly, might I add) blonde.

Pitch quickly joined Gothel and knelt beside Rapunzel. He held her hand and began to calm her out of her pseudo-fit with soothing words. He was unbelievably gentle and kind towards her and both Astrid and I could only stare as we watched this man, who'd spent all evening torturing us, affectionately silence Rapunzel's screams.

Rapunzel had obviously been faking the whole ordeal with her eye, but apparently falling from her chair and the strenuity of her actions had caused the wound to reopen because the cloth she'd been holding to her eye was soaked again in blood and she was really crying now.

I felt awful. Rapunzel had hurt herself even further because I'd prompted her to create a distraction… So in a way, it felt like I'd directly hurt her. And Now Pitch was the one comforting her. It should've been the other way around.

"Punzie, you okay?" I heard Jack's voice and was shocked when I suddenly turned around, found him an inch from my face and felt his hand push the phone against my leg.

"Sorted." He whispered into my ear and then he disappeared, crouching next to Rapunzel only to be pushed back again by Gothel. "Hey!"

I shoved the phone back into my trouser pocket while my back was turned to them. Astrid saw and we locked eyes for a second. I nodded once and she got it.

Who had Jack called though? I had no idea. And how the hell had he just gotten away with that? I was impressed. Apart from Pitch and Gothel and us, there was only one other guard left in the room. He was still behind Astrid, watching Rapunzel's dilemma with glazed, bored eyes.

It took five minutes to calm Rapunzel down enough for her to take her seat at the table again, and even then, silent tears were running down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered to her shaking form next to me, "I didn't expect you to be that dramatic." She turned to me and laughed. Her smile was contagious and I found myself grinning crookedly too.

Jack took his seat on my other side and finally, the night seemed to be back on track.

Back on the highway to hell.

"Jack, what did Hiccup's card say?" Pitch asked. Jack's face blanched and he held up a finger, ducking under the table again to get it.

If I wasn't being stared at, I'd have facepalmed right there and then. He forgot to pick up the card…

"Jack, if you don't mind me asking, if you weren't retrieving the card, what were you doing under the table?"

"I was- uh, tryin' to find it." Jack's voice came up through the table, his finger remaining up in the air as a "nobody move, I'm on it" gesture. "It kinda rolled under the carpet and then Rapunzel screamed and I just forgot- there it is. Hehe."

He reappeared at the table, the card in his hand. He glanced at the picture, then passed it to me.

The illustration showed a bucket, not unlike the liquid nitrogen bucket and a foot suspended above it. A large cursive number three was drawn on the front of the bucket.

"What the heck-?"

Pitch was already swooping behind me and when he saw the card, his face split into a suppressed laugh. "Oh Hiccup, my dear boy, can you guess what that card means?"

I could. A bucket. A three.

"Three minutes in the liquid nitrogen." I whispered to myself.

"Then what's the foot for?" Jack asked, taking the card back from me and examining it.

"I have to hold my foot in the bucket, don't I?" I murmured, barely louder than a whisper, looking across to Pitch.

"That would be correct, Mr Haddock."

D'you see what I did there?! Linking it back to the movies and such... Hiccup's gotta freeze his foot. Or does he? Who did Jack call? Is Rapunzel okay? How long til Astrid's arm falls off? Why did this chapter have such a crappy ending? These are all questions I would love to answer but I can't... yet.

Life updates... haven't told the parents yet still, but it'll probably happen in the next few weeks/months/years/never. I've been wearing a super savvy professional-looking trenchcoat for the past few days as part of my work uniform... Feels so awesome secretly cosplaying Castiel every day!

Shoutouts - sorry there aren't many this time but I didn't leave much of a gap since the last chapter so...

mini: Glad my boyfriend's dilemma made you laugh so much. I haven't yet told him I wrote about that. Let's see how funny he thinks it is when he eventually reads the last three chapters... :D I hope you like this chapter and keep up the supportive reviews, babes xx

girlmixi: How do you cosplay Toothless? Sounds amazing anyway! Maybe you could link me a photo of your cosplay, I'd love to see it?! Sorry about your aunt. I lost my nana about a year ago but it gets better. I wear a ring that used to be hers everyday, and it makes me happy to know that there's always a part of her with me wherever I go. Yeah, coming out was difficult but I'm pretty sure my friends were already suspicious. My boyfriend already knew but he's bi too so it was fine. Thanks for sticking with this story and keep up the awesome reviews xx

spnwinchester125: Aww thanks x have you seen the movie? If not, I recommend it highly. It's called Would You Rather and it's on Netflix. Thanks for the review, next update will be as soon as it can be x

As always guys, thanks for reading xx