``````````````````````````````````Author's Notes``````````````````````````````````
So I got a new Job! I was typing away at work when a tooth fairy showed up freaking out! She was going off on me about leaving such a cliff hanger for so long. I was like OMG I did! So with rabbit like speed I raced back to the story. (not during work of course)
Here you are my friends. The next chapter, I hope you all enjoy. Super sorry!
Chapter 26: Dream Catchers
Jamie had explained his plan to the guardians, and to be honest they were impressed. This boy had thought about everything needed to trap nightmares, he had this practically down to a science. If they didn't know any better they could have sworn that he had been planning something like this for the longest time.
"Tell me Jamie, how on earth did you come up with such a marvelous plan? Something like this couldn't have been thought up in just one afternoon." Bunny inquired.
"Well, after we defeated Pitch that last time I was thinking of how unprepared we were. I started thinking of what we could have done differently, that way if Pitch ever did return we could be prepared. To be perfectly honest I didn't think I would ever have to use it." Jamie answered honestly.
"Wow I certainly am impressed." Tooth chirped excitedly. Jamie rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"Aww. It's not that impressive, anybody could have thought of it. I'm sure even Stevie could come up with something better, right? " Jamie peeked over to Stevie hopping for some back up.
"Are you kidding?! I could never have thought of something like that!" Stevie's eyes bulged from his head as he stared at his friend.
"Haha! No more talking, now we get down with the making of plan. Bunny you and Sandy will take boys; go back to town and get everything ready. Tooth and I will go back to workshop and get the items Jamie mentioned."
"Right, just don't go taking your time. Night time is already drawing near and we still have no idea where frostbite is."
North patted Bunny on the cheek and chuckled slightly. "No worries my friend. All will work out."
Not waiting around for Bunny could say anything else, North ran off to his sleigh with Tooth in tow.
Bunny and Sandy looked at each other and then to the kids before them. Jamie, who got over his earlier embarrassment, was now staring at the two guardians with determination. Stevie held his head high for once, it was obvious he was ready to start making amends.
"Alright ya ankle biters lets get going."
There was something about being in the comfortable embrace of his life long friend and companion that made Jack just relax. Upon feeling him relax the winds whisked him away, and for once he could care less.
Jacks bond with the winds are something of mystery, for ever since Jack first floated up into the air, their unspoken friendship was born. It was a bond unlike any other he has, even with that of the Guardians.
Jack was always able to be himself with the wind. Sure he was able to be him self sometimes around the Guardians, but it just wasn't the same. It was an amazing feeling to know that no matter what he did-be it good or bad-the wind would stand by him. They didn't judge him nor did they place expectations, rules or stipulations in which he had to abide by. So when the winds ever decided something for him, he had full faith in them.
Drifting down from the sky Jack's mind began to work in overdrive. Since leaving the desert his conscious awareness was all but void thanks to the wind. So finding himself in the Rocky Mountains came as quite a shock.
Not that he was really complaining, the cooler air and patches of un-melted snow gave him a sense of normality. Places that still held snow like this even in the beginning months of summer always brought a smile to his face. Perhaps it was because of this that the winds choose a place such as this to land him. They could have taken him to Alaska or Antarctica, but it chose to bring him here.
As he neared the trees a mile wide radius of frost struck out from his body. Nothing was spared from his icy touch, and what was worse was he wasn't even trying. Normally he would accidentally cause small amounts of frost due to emotional out burst, but for this he would have had to concentrate. At least he thought he did, but now he wasn't so sure.
Inches from the ground he hovered momentarily, a sensation of uncertainty plaguing his mind. When the moment was gone his feet made contact with the ground resulting in a marvelous display of flash freezing a mile radius around him.
Green and lush trees that let there leaves bask in the sun were now incased in a thick layer of ice. Streams that flowed freely throughout the trails found themselves frozen beneath a barrier.
Every sound of life stilled into a deathly silence at his presence, it was like his very touch upon the earth's surface petrified the mountainside. A shiver ran up Jacks back at the sudden change around him, it was hauntingly quite but breathe taken and beautiful.
Slowly his feet picked up and propelled him forward, slowly his head swiveled from side to side taking in the view around him.
"What is going on with me?" he whispered aloud, the ice cracking and reforming every time he took a step.
Upon reaching a old tree did he notice something bizarre about the ice around him. None of the ice held the normal luster and design that it normally did. There were no intricate design or pattern interlacing the ice, it was just pure solid white and soulless.
Voices drifted up from down the mountain breaking Jack from his thoughts. Curious as to who was there and completely forgetting that he wanted to be alone, Jack pushed off the ground drifting down to their location.
After a short hop skip and a jump, Jack found himself at the infamous incline, a slope that went straight up the mountain without all of the zigzagging that the trails offered. Glancing up and down it didn't take long for him to spot where the voices were coming from. Two teenage boys and one teenage girl were walking up, each of them carring a water bottle and laughing about who knows what.
Small waves of chilled air drifted down to them, but despite the cold they continued on. Rather than slowing down, they seemed to actually speed up. Jack on the other hand could have sworn that they were moving in slow motion.
He wasn't sure what he was waiting for, but as they drew near all he could hear was the beating of his own heart. His grip tightened around the dark sand staffed and his breathing all but stopped.
When the three strangers walked passed him without so much as blinking in his direction Jack felt like he was slapped in the face. Anger flooded his mind and filled his heart, magic built up within his body begging be release…and that is just what he did.
Letting the staff in his hand slip down towards the steps his magic rushed through it with incredible speed. Black ice raced unseen across every step in front of the unsuspecting teens.
Yet even as he seen them fall to the ground on after the other, he still was not appeased. Raising the staff high above his head he summoned forth large dark clouds, each on capable of producing massive storms on their own. Once in place Jack slammed his staff upon the ground releasing even more of his winter magic.
What moisture was in the air quickly became ice, and whipped around on the agitated winds. Design free frost lashed out to anything and everything it could. Practically doubling over Jack yelled out in frustration.
Why was he not satisfied with just this, better yet why was he angry in the first place? People ignoring his presence never angered him like this before, so why now? Why was it that three random teens on a mountain side brought forth so much raw anger?
When he was ignored he would have pranked them or being to them a little unbound joy, but not this time. This time all he wanted to do was just lash out, and he didn't care what the results would be.
Raising off the ground once again Jack inhaled and focused on his inner magic; with glowing blue eyes he focused in on the three beings below him.
Noticing what he was about to do the winds flung him higher into the air, their concern for their little winter spirit's well being out weighed their fear of his opinion of them.
Jack growled in frustration as he found the distance between himself and the people below dwindle. Yet, the magic within had to be released once it reached this point. So with out a second thought he shot his arms into the sky and released it.
Like a wolf searching for prey his magic lashed out; rather than falling on to the group below it made its way across the mountain to the Cog Railcars in the distance.
Ice snaked its way around the brake lines of the cars, black ice slicker than snot coated each rail line causing the car wheels to slip dangerously. People within the cars began to panic as the car no longer rolled forward but instead started to roll backwards.
Jack seen what was happening, and again was shocked about how little he cared. Accidents happen he shrugged as his head turned from the scenes below. Part of him was appalled about the way he felt, but another part of him was almost…relieved. It was like there were two sides of him battling it out within him and anyone who was unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity was just collateral damage.
Small yelps of concern soon made the transition into bellows of horror as the cars began to travel back down the mountain. Throwing his hands up to his head he pressed down hard on his ears in attempt to drown out the sound. Guilt pulled at his heart, but this strange new emotion was preventing him from doing anything more than just float there.
His eyes kept glancing below despite his best efforts to ignore them. Just when he was about to give in to his cold hearted whim the small fragile voice of a child broke through his wall of hate.
"J-Jack?!" a little girls voice called from one of the cars.
Looking down into the cars he was able to spot a little girl no older than five looking up at him. Her small brown eyes held so much pleading and fear that Jack found him self floating to her side subconsciously. Skeptical at first he thought her shout out was a fluke, but when say the child stare him straight in the eyes he knew she could see him.
"Jack Frost! What's going on, are you here to help us?" the girl pleaded to the spirit, a bit of hope and fear lacing her words.
"Misty stay seated that's dangerous!" the little girl's father ordered from her side.
"But Daddy, Jack Frost has come to help us!" she cried. "Aren't you Mr. Frost?" she finished turning to the winter spirit.
Seeing that the girl not only believed in him, but was pleading him for help was almost to much to bare. It was his fault that she was in this situation in the first place. He was supposed to be a Guardian; and as one he was supposed to protect children not place them in harms way.
Lunging behind the cars Jack swung the staff across his chest willing the black ice to vanish. Once gone he continued forth to the ice around the breaks hoping that they would register and activate. Unfortunately they didn't, fearing that something must have been damaged Jack flew further down the track and started to craft a small ice rail car upon the tracks.
This rail car was much smaller in size than that of the metal car that hurtled towards him, but this ice car was extremely tough. Pushing it forward to give it some momentum he waited patiently for the out of control locomotive to make contact.
Like expected the metal cars collided with his ice car and immediate started to push it down the mountain. Jack took this moment to force his car to slow down and break. At first it looked like nothing was going to happen, but after a long agonizing moment the cars all slowed down.
It took sometime and a lot of effort but Jack was able to safely bring the cars back to the station at the bottom of the Peak. People climbed out of the cars shaking and trying desperately trying to figure out what went wrong.
Little Misty ran over to Jack who was off to the side looking on the scene with little to no interest. Upon seeing the girl though, his eyes lit up and relief washed over his face.
"Hey there, are you alright?" he asked kneeling down to the little girl.
Her little head nodded up and down vigorously, her excitement at seeing the spirit being barely contained. "Thank you so much Jack Frost!"
"No problem kiddo." Jack reached his hand out to tussle her hair but froze in mid stretch. Something in his mind screamed for him not to touch her, he didn't know why but he had to listen to it. Pulling back his hand Jack stood up and turned from the girl thoroughly confusing the little girl.
"Mr. Frost is you okay?" she whispered to the teen spirit.
"Y-yeah…I just…there's some where I got to be right now." Taking a few steps Jack hopped into the air, but not before a small hand gripped the edge of his hoodie.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" she asked with a pouty face.
"Uh…Goodbye?" he said sort of uncertainly.
Beaming up at him the little girl lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the teen. Shocked Jack looked down at the girl as she nuzzled her head against his hoodie, again he found his hand hovering over her head. Despite the voice that cried somewhere deep inside him to not proceed. Jack placed his hand onto the child head.
An action he would soon regret.
Alright y'all, that is all for now. I cant' believe I forgot about this. This chapter is meant to give y'all a glimpse into Jacks turmoil. This cliff hanger won't last though. I'm typing the next one right after I post this one. I'm on such a roll. Lol
Any who thanks to all of you who are still reading, you make writing all that more fun.