Stay
A/n: Hello lovelies! Happy Valentine's Day. It's really late now and there's school tomorrow, so I'll leave you with this chapter. Sorry for being so late. Remember to leave reviews!
Chapter 25
I felt as if someone had just dumped the whole freezing lake onto my back. The snowstorms could have been raging outside, but it didn't matter because inside this cozy wooden house, I was sweating like crazy. My heart was palpitating too fast, my hands had gone cold as ice cubes. Those crystal blue eyes which were now Jack's held mine with a certain confusion as I grappled to come up with the proper words to say to him, but nothing came. I couldn't grasp whether he was playing a joke on me or not. He was still the same...slightly tan skin, brown hair, slim physique, but those eyes that kept staring at me as if I was mad gave me the most terrifying chills. But what was worse was that they held no recognition of me at all.
'Jack, its me, (f/n).' I tried my best to keep the fear out of my voice. His eyebrows furrowed as he tilted his head to the side, probably trying his best to remain polite. 'I'm very sorry, fair maiden, but I have no recollection of meeting you at all.' Jack pulled his hand from my grip as he drew away from me, which maybe was the best decision as then he wouldn't be able to hear my heart shatter into a million pieces.
'No,' I whispered. My whole being shook, an embodiment of my disbelief. Jack was in there somewhere, and I wouldn't leave until I found him.
'Pippa, would you kindly escort this lady to the door? I'm very tired, and don't wish to be bothered.' I gaped as I turned to the little girl beside me, who had the same trace of horror and shock on her face. Jack knew his sister, but he couldn't remember me?
I didn't want to believe this. Fate had been so cruel to us, surely things couldn't get any worse. Somehow I started to wonder whether all of this was real, or if I was just living a dream. Add the weird visions to the whole picture, and I could start to question my own existence. No one should have such rotten luck. I wouldn't give in. This was not how I wanted to live the rest of my life, pining after a lover who didn't even seem to remember, let alone love me. Something in my mind kept telling me that this wasn't over, that things weren't what they seemed to be.
When neither of us budged, Jack pushed himself up and got out of the bed. His hair and clothes were a mess, but the only thing I could really focus on were his eyes. I'd never seen anyone with eyes this pure a shade of blue before, it seemed too magical, too surreal. Almost as if he weren't human. All of a sudden he turned to look straight at me, the blue hues burning into mine like the sky was going to fall on me, when a searing pain burst through my head. I clutched the sides of my head as the back of my eyes felt like they were being consumed by fire, and it hurt so much I felt hot tears streaming down my cheeks. Beside me I could vaguely hear Jack calling me, his arms holding me so I wouldn't collapse onto the ground.
His hands were cold. I shivered, but not because of the unnerving feel of Jack's limbs. Something was coming back to me. My eyes were shut tight as I breathed heavily, trying to relieve the pain. Then it felt like I was floating, drifting through the sands of time in a dream-like state. For a moment everything lay still, and it was like I had fallen asleep. No pain or feeling, just my shell of a body existing in the universe.
When everything came back, the breath was almost knocked out of me. I staggered in Jack's arms as if I had just jumped off an airplane and landed on my own two feet on the ground. Airplane. That was just one of the million things that had come pushing their way into my head just a second ago. Slowly a feeling of euphoria, confusion, and fear washed over me. When our eyes met, it was like a light switch had been turned on inside every nerve of mine. Jack still held onto me, and from his expression I could tell a battle was being waged inside him, and I could feel him struggling to remember things, to remember me.
My lips parted, words about to slip through when he pushed me away with a sudden jerk. Sheer fear clouded his features, and before I could utter a syllable, pain struck through my skull again. I yelped and felt my knees buckle, and braced myself for the fall which never came. '(f/n)!' Jack closed our distance and caught me just in time, and once our bodies touched the pain subsided again. Our breathing heavy, we looked at each other and all I could think about was that he said my name. 'I remember,' he gasped, closing his eyes and massaging his temple. I pushed his messy locks of hair off his damp forehead, wishing I could just wrap my arms around him, yet he still seemed unsure. That's when I noticed something else: his hair was turning white.
You know how when grown ups reach that certain age their hair starts to whiten at the roots? Well, Jack was an exception. Not only were his brown locks transforming from the left side of his scalp, whole strands at a time, they were becoming the purest white, as soft and beautiful as that of snow. He seemed to not realize it, and just kept his gaze on me. 'I know you... At least, I think I do.'
Instead of inquiring why his follicles were behaving so unnaturally, I blurted out,'Jack Frost, can't you recall? We're lovers. We always had been. You know the Man in the Moon? He's the one who put us here, and we're supposed to prove our love so that Pitch would spare our lives, and so that I...' At this my voice broke. We had to remember, so that Jack wouldn't turn back into the winter spirit and forget me forever. So that I could keep him. So that I could live.
Jack shook his head and looked on in bewilderment. He slowly sank down onto the bed while massaging his temples. I noticed Pippa had mysteriously vanished from our side. For a while I couldn't decide if I should leave the room while Jack tended to his thoughts, but I was sure he could remember everything from way before.
Minutes passed. Jack's mother had come rushing in to check on her son, only to have me tell her he didn't remember a thing. I swear her face darkened for a second, finally blaming me for this mess as she fussed over him. When she left with, 'Maybe we should give him some space right now,' I felt my heart slipping down into that well-known abyss of depression and disappointment, when Jack lifted his head and a shadow of the old him darted across his face. A smile crept onto his lips as he whispered, 'We met in the park where you got snowed on by me.'
I started to grin. 'You would come by my room and we'd just spend the whole night together while you did my history homework for me.' All those things became even more familiar as we continued our recollection. 'You had this crazy foxhound called Diablo.' 'Your favorite food was pizza.' 'We would go to the mall and you'd drive the long way so we could just keep talking.' As we went on and on, I felt a sense of fullness and contentment that I hadn't felt in a long time.
'Why do you think we were put here though? We must've messed up bad somewhere along the way, least that's what I recall.' Jack muttered. The fact that his mind was back to normal in such a quick flash was disorienting to me, but I couldn't give it much thought. 'Jack, what happened to your hair though?' I sat down next to him on the bed as he ran his fingers through the snowy locks. 'Feels perfectly fine, what about it?' That's when I got nervous again. Getting up, I secured my scarf around my neck and trudged outside the cottage. Finding a tin bucket on the side of the house, I filled it up with snow that had started to melt from the weak sun coming overhead. I brought the bucket in, hung it over the fire until the slush became watery, then took it up and put it on Jack's lap.
'Look at it,' I said. Blinking, Jack dipped his head over the bucket, caught sight of his reflection and froze. 'No,' he whispered, his lips moving just the slightest bit. His hands were pulling at his hair before he stopped and focused on his eyes. 'It can't be,' Jack became motionless, glaring at his reflection until I could feel him burn holes into the metal of the bucket. 'Jack...what's happening?' I pleaded for an answer. He glanced at me and was about to reply, when all of a sudden the front door burst open, letting in the cold winds which snubbed out the fire. Abigail's presence filled up the doorway, her face tense and hair wilder than a forest fire. She was so out of breath, I could feel her struggle to breath as she locked eyes with Jack and then me. Straightaway I jumped up and rushed over to her. 'Abigail, what happened to you? Why-' She cut me off with an impatient wave of her hand. As soon as she could gather her wits about her, she stared at the ground and whispered, 'He's coming.'
I felt cold and clammy. My friend straightened up, glared at Jack who had stood up with his fists at his sight, and ordered, 'You two must leave. Now.'
Dumbfounded, I stood rooted to the spot as Abigail reported the situation to us. 'Colin just reached the banks of the Burgess river. My brother and I, we were finding a place to crack the ice and let down our fishing poles, but the mayor's entourage came galloping from the trees on the other side of the river. Colin was talking to a fellow councilman, saying as soon as he got to the town he would make preparations to marry as soon as time permits. And he's not one to back down on promises.' The redhead shivered a little, as if the mention of Colin's promise-keeping brought back bad memories to her.
'And what happened to you?' Her head snapped up as she eyed Jack warily, taking in his blue eyes and almost fully white hair. He and I both shrugged. Abigail frowned and pursed her lips. 'Something's not right here...' She started to back away out the doorway. 'You both must hurry, there's not much time.' With that she gave me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before nodding at Jack. Then she was hurrying away from the house at full speed.
My head felt light and airy. 'I'll have to pack...and we need food and supplies and-' '(f/n) we don't have time! We need to move now.' Jack was in a frenzy, walking around the room and not doing much to help. 'Jack, I need to get home. One last time,' I said. Jack shook his head and strode over to me, taking my hands in his. I winced. He was as cold as ice, like I was running my fingers through snow without gloves. 'Jack you're freezing,' I breathed. Frost started to form around my sleeves. Jack dropped my hands in horror and stared at his hands fearfully. I noticed his skin was starting to glow, just like light was coursing through him as he stood there. His skin was paling.
White hair, pale skin, blue eyes, cold hands... I wanted to knock my head against the wall. Stupid me, the boy was becoming the winter spirit again. I was too late. Soon he would start shooting snowflakes out of his fingertips, no doubt.
I gazed mournfully at Jack, and judging from his expression, I knew he understood what was going on. He was shaking all over, and I knew perfectly well the reason for it. A year ago, a few men were put on the stake to burn when they were found out to have been practicing magic. If Jack so much as let slip that he could produce snowballs from closed fists, they'd be dragging him to the authorities. Not to mention Colin would be watching us closely now, which meant we were all the more in danger.
'Let me go, Jack. I'll come back as soon as I say goodbye to Pegotty. Please.' I walked to the door and threw it open. As I looked down the hill upon the city, draped in dark shades of the coming winter night, a sense of urgency rose within me. I had to hurry back. My old maid would be worried sick about me. I knew Colin couldn't be searching for me yet, as it was getting dark and he'd want his victory done out in broad daylight. Jack and I would have the night to escape, if only I could get back in time.
'(f/n), I don't want to lose you again.' Jack seemed to be on the verge of panic, his blue eyes filled with piercing agony. 'Let me come with you,' he pleaded. I stopped in my tracks. The light from the fire inside cast a gleaming outline of his being. We needed to move quickly. I didn't want anybody to see the light and the two of us standing here. Also Jack couldn't risk being caught with me. I shook my head, swallowing a sob as I reached up and kissed Jack full on the mouth. So cold, my mind whispered, but he was still Jack. I willed myself to not flinch away as he gripped my waist tight. As we pulled away from each other, Jack leaned over and picked up his staff which leaned on the side of the house.
'Take this with you,' he urged. When the twine made contact with his fingers, patterns of swirling frost spread from where his hand touched the staff, covering the long slender object until it glowed a faint blue. My eyes widened, yet Jack seemed unfazed by his sudden burst of magical power. I took the staff and gazed once more at Jack, the boy who risked everything for me. The boy who I could spend forever with, if we survived this danger.
A rustle from the bushes nearby made us jump into the air, with Jack hitting his head against the doorway. A second later, a furry bunny jumped out and hopped away frantically, reminding me I needed to be on my way too. I pushed my hair out of my face and heaved a sigh. So many things I wanted to say to him, to let him know that no matter what happened, I would always love him. But the only thing that came out of my mouth was 'Don't freeze to death.' As in, don't disappear and forget about me again. The blue-eyed boy seemed to smirk a little, and I could feel his gaze on me as I disappeared into the dark.
The journey back was terrifying. The evening light was fading, leaving plenty of room for night to take its place. Darkness swirled around me as the cold seeped into my bones. The one comfort I had was Jack's staff, which cast a faint glow in the path ahead of me so I wouldn't trip over anything. In the far distance I heard a wolf's howl as he led his pack out to hunt. A huge owl flew overhead, hooting mournfully. Never once did I slow down to catch my breath. My lungs were burning. I clutched the staff tighter, praying my legs wouldn't give way beneath me.
During the whole run back home, I felt a presence behind me. Something, or someone, was following my trail. In haste, I quickened my footsteps as the occasional rustling sounded where I was just moments ago, along the path I was traveling. Beads of sweat broke through my forehead as I tried to make myself as inconspicuous as possible. It wasn't my imagination, I was sure of that. I was being trailed, by something hidden in the shadows.
As I rushed across deserted roads onto the curb that turned into where I stayed, I swung around to face my pursuer. At the same time, the moon decided to come out from behind the clouds, bathing the houses around me in silvery color. Adrenaline rushed through all my body. Nobody was walking around at this hour, which was strange as it couldn't have been 8 in the evening. I spotted my house, right underneath the moonlight's beam.
Slowly, I inched towards the looming mansion, the staff held tightly in my palm. Chilly winds blew over my numb face. Quickly I shimmied up the slippery gate and dropped into the compound of the house.
In a flash I felt a hand clamp over my mouth while someone grabbed my arms and pulled them back. A scream of pain rumbled through my throat but remained muffled by the hand. As I screamed and thrashed around, more men came out of the shadows and leered at me. They were fierce and scruffy, domineering the compound as they came forward with fists at their side. I was squirming around like a wild animal, until my captor reached up and pulled my hair back so tight I felt my scalp burn horribly. The staff clattered to the ground beside me.
'Not too hard, Sanfurd,' purred a silky voice which floated up out of the corner. A mop of blond hair emerged from the dark, followed by the smooth, cool, cunning look on Colin Leggard's face. Immediately I stopped fighting, feeling the energy drain out of me as I looked at him in fear. His ghastly green eyes zoned in on me, and I glared right back at them. Chuckling to himself, he sauntered over to me, removed my captor's hand and tipped my chin up so he could stare me full in the face. 'Why, my dear, it seems you've been worrying too much. You've gone so thin. Tell me, has your Frost boy done anything to upset you? Oh wait, he left and never returned!' He was getting his fun out of taunting me, but I had to keep quiet about that. I didn't want to give anything away.
'Why are you here, Leggard?' I seethed. He smiled serenely as he paced back and forth before me. 'To escort you to my abode, pretty girl. Where you will be treated as you should, rather than live as a poor farm girl smelling the foul manure every day.'
'Ha haha, manure,' a stout fellow who looked like his porchlight was a bit dim started to laugh. Colin turned and struck him with such a cold stare that he dropped the smile and stared at the ground.
'Now, I apologise on Sanfurd's behalf. This is no way to treat my wife-to-be.' 'I am not going to marry you!' I yelled at him. His smile faltered just the teeniest bit before he laughed. 'You have no choice, my dear. That father of yours might have just sold this house to me, and it wouldn't even cover half his debt. But I saved him the trouble by asking for you instead. Think about it, (f/n), do it for old Daddy. Too bad he couldn't be here to see his precious jewel off tonight.' He grinned at me and I started to thrash again. 'Nah-ah, honey, you had better stop creating trouble. We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, right?' At this another huge, gruff man brought out Pegotty who was shivering with cold and fear. My old maid was scared stiff, I was sure. 'Pegotty!' I cried. She managed a small smile. 'My dear, I thought you were lost! I was so worried-'
'You see, (f/n)? You don't want to worry poor old Pegotty, do you? Now do what I say and nobody will get hurt.' Colin was nearing me again when a slight, jittery man siddled over to him and whispered in his ear. As he listened to the news, Colin's eyes flared with anger momentarily. 'What, I thought he was dead!' he whispered to himself. The man finished his message, and a cruel smile spread over Colin's lips. 'Come, dear, it's time we pay our old friend a visit. Keep quiet, or I won't be so reserved anymore.'
With that, he gave the signal and one of his goons pushed the gate open. My heartbeat faltered. That man was the one who followed me home. He must have seen Jack and I and gave Colin the tip. Now they were going to find him, then who knew what would happen next?
The staff was still beside me as Colin passed by. As he walked by the bluish glow caught his eye, and he bent down to pick it up. Nodding to himself, he took it in his grasp and led the party down the road, back to Jack's house. Pegotty didn't follow.
When we got to Jack's house, I was so cold and numb that I was struggling to keep up. Colin knocked on the door hard, and Jack opened it. '(f/n)!' he grinned, only to have the smile wiped off his face by a punch from Colin. It hurt to look at Jack lying dazed on the ground. 'Jack!' I screamed, only to have Colin's goon clamp his hand over my mouth again. I screeched as loud as I dared as Jack got up and Colin delivered another aim to his stomach, making the blue-eyed boy double over in pain. Jack's hair was fully white now, and his eyes shone in anger as he gave Colin a look of pure hatred. He struggled to straighten up, and only managed to hang onto the doorpost before Colin swung another blow at him. Jack groaned in pain as he lay on the floor, his panicked eyes staring straight into mine. I shook my head, wishing all of this was just a dream. 'Monster,' Colin growled. 'The law clearly states that those who dare practice magic and witchcraft, will be sentenced to burn in the flames of hell. And you shall face the embers tomorrow morning at sunrise. To think that you saved this maiden from the very people you belong to, rubbish!' He spat at the ground beside Jack's face. 'Tie him up and throw him into the deepest cell, and guard him until sunrise.'
With that they arrested Jack and led him away. When he turned to look at me, I mouthed the words "I'll find you" to him. He looked defeated, and tore his gaze away from me. The goon who was holding me was watching them, and as they dragged Jack along with them, I swung my head up and hit my captor's nose. He squealed and relinquished his grasp on me. As I escaped, I heard the others start to give chase, but Colin stopped them. 'Let her go, she's the perfect one to tell the town of this news,' he purred. I ran and ran until I came to clump of bushes where I could spy on the group. Jack must have been too bruised to fight anymore, and he let himself be towed along with his head down.
He was barefoot.
I sat down in the snow and rubbed my shoulders warm. Jack's family was nowhere in sight, as if they just vanished into thin air. As I put my head on my knees and started convulsing, I wondered if things could get any worse.
A/n: You guys I was so excited to upload this chapter because things are gonna go from 0 to 1000 real quick! I'll try updating soon, but what I really need is feedback from you all! Please tell me what you like about this story or any ways that I can improve my writing. Your opinions mean a LOT to me, so if you could take a minute to write me a few words I'd appreciate it very much:) Stay awesome y'all.