Chapter Rated: T
Jack's friends were a bit surprise to meet E.J. for the very first time. Finding out that he had a cousin was by far shocking. Who knew E.J.'s father, the man they used to joke around about his dark and sinister ways was a father to this young woman? From the way they were looking at her it was startling to see various resemblances of Pitch.
Her long raven black hair fell gracefully onto her shoulders with a simple side bang covering her forehead. Some of them were playfully hiding away her striking hazel topaz almond size eyes. The way the late afternoon sun touched her pale skin was similar to how Elsa's porcelain complexion was glowing. She had this particular smile that wrapped to the side, like a charming grin that Jack tends to make as her way of acting cool and collective. Generally it was easy to separate the two from their distinctive fashion trend. Jack hardly had the chance to change from his business suit to his casual blue V-neck shirt and brown cargo shorts. As for E.J., she was like a model for the latest urban skater clothing line. A pair of ripped skinny black jeans with a vintage Pink Floyd concert shirt underneath a red and black flannel.
"Hi there guys." E.J. greeted them kindly.
"Hey yourself," Rapunzel giggled with a smile while walking over to give E.J. a welcoming handshake. "What brings you to Arendelle?"
"I'm here to visit my dad and hopefully finally get the chance to meet the rest of my family." E.J. explained before looking over his shoulder to spot Jack looking back at her with a genuine smile.
"That's really kind of you." Rapunzel returned a smile. "Welcome to Arendelle, hope it will bring you unforgettable memories to share one day." The brunette chuckled, sounding like an energetic tour guide.
"So, are we just gonna talk or fix this dump before it gets dark?" Hans asked carelessly without any sense of consideration. Rapunzel turned around to state him which an annoyed expression saying, 'to be nice or she'll go ape at him for acting like a jerk' while in front of their guest. "What?" Hans shrugged his shoulders.
Rapunzel rolled her eyes at him and went back to talking to E.J. "Please excuse my friend. He didn't have time for his afternoon nap today."
"Seriously, you too? I thought Hiccup was the only one." Hans glared back at Rapunzel with dull eyes. The brunette ignored his remark and simply stuck her tongue out.
"Okay, you two, that's enough." Elsa came into the conversation pushing her teasingly older cousin and friend away from each other.
"Speaking of Hiccup, where is he?" Jack asked his friends.
Everyone was there except Hiccup. Jack assumed he would be busy talking with his work - informing them that he would be staying a bit longer because of what happened last night. The silver haired man didn't want to leave his friend in a state of grief and weariness after leaving the hospital. Then again, it was Hiccup's own family business.
"We kinda didn't call him that we were meeting here today. Unless he remembers too." Kristoff explained. "Oh, I'm Kristoff by the way." The big blond approached up to E.J. with his hand extended for a handshake. "Also that was Rapunzel you spoke to, a moment ago. Then we have here Hans, Merida, and Elsa. Also, you may not see her, but our old friend Anna is here too." He merrily introduced his friends to E.J.
"It's really nice to meet you all. Especially that little cutie in the green dress." E.J. smiled at everyone and then focused her attention at Anna. The little redhead gasped when she noticed her staring back at her. E.J. casually strolled towards her with a natural smile on her face. She kneeled down onto the soft green grass, while admiring Anna's delicate young innocent face. "Hey there."
"Wait, you can see Anna?" Jack was shocked to see his cousin's sudden hidden ability.
"Yeah. Why? Aren't you guys able to see her too?" E.J. asked them with curiosity.
"Well, at first, I was the only one who could see her. Since moving back here, none of my friends couldn't see her. But, somehow they slowly began to notice Anna as things started to change. I'm not sure right now." Jack explained, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I was able to see Anna during the first time I meant her." Rapunzel confessed. She was able to see her baby cousin without any trouble and yet, the occurrence still puzzled everyone on how some of them managed to see Anna right away compare to the others.
"How about you? Aren't you her sister?" E.J. fixed her eyes at Elsa. Elsa raised her eyebrows to find her assumption correct. "Don't worry, I'm not a stalker just a friendly lawyer wearing the detective hat today. And your boyfriend told me." She smiled at the blonde who was blushing in a gorgeous teal summer dress.
Elsa nodded. "Like the rest of us. It took me awhile to finally see Anna. I guess it was when I finally accepted all the pain and struggle. I told myself to stop running away from my past and shutting people out of my life."
"How about you three?" E.J. looked at Merida, Kristoff and Hans attentively.
"Well, this recently happened, but, I finally saw and communicated with Anna last night while I was at the hospital." Kristoff's sudden confession caused his friends look at him with astonishment. "I was planning to share it today. So, um, tada?" He chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his neck.
"I finally had the chance to see Anna recently too." Merida confessed while her friends remained to be in shock. Regardless the sudden level of honesty and confessions, none of them held any grudges. They were quite glad none of them were holding away any secrets. "I only mentioned this to Hans. But I finally saw her during my archery match and it was way better than winning the entire tournament." After saying those kind words, a rush of warmth entered in Merida's body that enlightened her soul and mind.
"And how about you?" E.J. asked Hans cordial tone.
"What about me?" Hans had his arms folded across his chest.
"Can you see Anna now?" The woman with raven hair, patiently waited for his answer.
Hans looked over to the side and met Merida's gaze. From her icy blue eyes staring deeply into his emerald orbs, he knew the curly redhead signaled him to tell the truth. So he simply let out a tiring sigh. "Yeah. I finally saw her a couple days ago."
Everyone except E.J. turned their heads where the slender ginger stood. Anna was in disbelief, unable to forget what Hans suddenly confessed. She walked out from behind Elsa and approached Hans with caution. Her innocent teal blue eyes gazed up at the tall man with an admiral structure for a brief moment. Hans looked down for minute, surprisingly spotting Anna looking up at him like a little curious child, glancing up to admire someone mightier than her.
"Hans" Anna said softly.
"Anna?" Hans replied with husky tone. His throat suddenly went dry over the sight in front of him.
"H-hi again Hans." Anna felt a bit tongue tied while taking little steps while gradually travelling across the gap between them until she was a few feet away from him.
The reality of finally seeing his old friend and childhood crush was overwhelming for Hans. He pushed away any sudden negativity that was racing in his troublesome mind and just cast a heartfelt smile. With patiences, he kneeled down to meet Anna's eye level and continued to smile at her.
"Hi there Anna. It's finally nice to meet you again. I missed you so much." Hans confession and affection caused him to suddenly shed a trail of tears that escaped from the corner of his eyes. But Anna quickly caught his tear from falling off his face by gently wiping it away with her small hand. Anna's soft touch and kind heart was all he needed right now than ever, something he had missed for years has finally returned to him.
"Thank you," he said kindly while smiling back at her. He reached over and began to ruffle her strawberry blonde hair that caused her to burst into a giggle of delight. Another element that caused his heart to jump for joy.
Anna was definitely an angel to everyone, she was always the type who couldn't resist to give anyone a warm hug. Without holding back, she opened her arms wide and walked over to give him a big embrace. Hans didn't fight back and simply accepted her gift.
"This suddenly became too emotional for me to handle." Rapunzel said happily before using Kristoff's shoulder as a crying pillow, clearly staining the big guy's shirt with her makeup.
Jack walked over to Elsa and took hold of her gentle hand. Their fingers intertwined while exchanging affectionate glances at each other.
"Hey there love," Jack smiled at her.
"Hi yourself Frosty," Elsa couldn't hide away the laughter slowly escaping her lips, chuckling over her own sense of humor.
Jack shook his head while grinning from ear to ear. "I love you."
Elsa blushed. "I love you too." She smiled.
The little gathering was simply warm and welcoming for E.J. to comprehend. Who knew this group of old friends would still be this close after all the separations and struggles they have endured. Somehow their presence caused her to gain this hopeful feeling inside which she needed in order to complete her own wish. Living a very content life without secrets and regrets. But most importantly, she wanted to patched things up with her own father.
"So about this meeting?" E.J. asked.
"Right. So apparently my cousin knows a little something about the supernatural. She has a friend whose grandmother can help us understand a little bit more about our situation with Anna's wish." Jack explained to his friends.
"That's interesting. But how are we going to find out?" Hans asked him.
"Don't worry, I can Facetime my friend from New Orleans to let us talk to her grandmother. I'll just text her whenever you guys are ready." E.J. clarified to him.
"But I feel like we need Hiccup here if we're all doing this thing together. He's important to this operation. He kinda started to whole teamwork slash mission in the first place." Merida reminded them.
She looked at everyone's expressions that ranged from, 'I don't know' to 'Maybe we should get Hiccup. He shouldn't be left out.'
"Maybe we should get him to come over here." Jack added.
Suddenly, just as they were about to vote on whether to get him or not, they heard the sound of a car engine roaring in the distance. When it first arrived in the parking lot where the rest of the gang's cars are parked, the driver came to a full stop. The old BMW's engine slowly purred until the noise died out while the driver exited out of the car.
"Hiccup?" Jack quirked an eyebrow. "Hey there buddy." He glance at him, then at his friends from behind. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought we're supposed to meet up around this time. Aren't we gonna continue fixing this up?" Hiccup pointed at the fort, sounding a bit tired but, was able to speak.
"Oh, we thought you were busy to come today." Rapunzel admitted.
"No, I'm completely fine. Why would guys think about that?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "And not to be rude, but who's she?"
"This is Jack's cousin, E.J." Elsa informed him.
"Hello there Hiccup." E.J. waved hello to him.
"Whoa! Are you Australian?" Hiccup asked.
His friends shook their heads, some of them even face palm themselves because of his ridiculous comment.
E.J. chuckled. "You're funny. But no, I'm British."
"Ah, I see. But what brings you here? And what does E.J. stands for?" Hiccup was like a little child in front of her. Somewhat shocked and curious at the same time. He glanced over to see his friends shaking their heads and staring at him with unimpressed looks. "What? I am one curious dude." Hiccup shrugged his shoulders.
E.J. continued to laugh. "Well, I came here to visit my family and birthplace. And E.J. stands for Emily Jane."
"Oh, I see." Hiccup responded.
"Well, since finally meeting my little cousin for the first time in forever. Apparently I ended up joining this little mission. Quite cute and heartwarming." E.J. commented.
"Wait, so you two never actually met since now?" Merida asked while glancing at E.J. then at Jack. The two distant cousins nodded. "That's bloody crazy. But how did either of you know that you both were related?"
"My mum's friend told me stuff about my past, years ago when I became old enough to understand why certain things happened in my life." E.J. casually expounded without any trouble.
As for Jack, he silently waited for his cousin to finish, but, he couldn't think of any good words to start his long journey about his family's past. His friends doesn't know the beginning of his crazy discovery of his family's corrupted scandals. He wanted to tell them, but, there was this shadowy force that held him back to at least admit that he grew up in a messy household of dark secrets.
"Kinda the same scenario for me." Jack opened up. He noticed the glance from Elsa - she knew what he was about mention without any detail in his statement. "There were some personal matters between our families that our parents didn't find suitable for us to know." His words suddenly made him sound like a CEO explaining a problem to his board members than just plainly chatting with his friends. The shift caused Jack to contemplate whether to keep more secrets away from them would backfire him in the long run. How long and how much can he keep on telling lies and secrets throughout his life?
"So Jack told you about Operation Anna's Wish?" Hiccup asked E.J., nonchalantly changing the subject.
"So that's what you guys call it? The name does sound adventurous am I right?" E.J. smiled at them.
Hiccup nodded. "Sure does. But, we somehow have a little issue with the operation. The majority of us can't really see her. Somehow only a few of us can." He explained to her about his own developed theories.
"Oh." E.J. sounded a bit surprised to hear Hiccup's statement. "I thought a majority of you all can see Anna. Kristoff, Hans, and Merida just mentioned that they can. Even though they just saw her recently." She told Hiccup like a teacher explaining to a young student about a unexpected news.
Hiccup's eyes widen. The news struck him hard like he was suddenly punched in the stomach that caused him lose his breath. Why didn't they tell me? Hiccup wondered. He glanced around his group of friends. What's going on? The poor young man's mind began to build a pile of anxious thoughts that buzzed around his head, causing him to slowly go into a state of panic.
"W-Why are you guys telling me this now?" He was tongue tied.
Who knew he was the only one in the whole group that couldn't see his old friend? But, what made things worse for him was when Merida explicated that E.J. had the ability to see Anna. For all he has done while coming back home, he wasn't rewarded for his good deeds. He felt cheated and most importantly left out. Like when he was little, he was always left out in everything until he met his friends. He built this grand admiration for them - they feed his hunger for a sense of belonging in the world. But that wasn't the case for him anymore.
"Hiccup, we don't know what to say." Elsa informed him.
"Technically, you guys don't know what to say or don't know what to do when it comes to these things." Hiccup's tone was a bit shaky but had a hint of frustration. "I don't know why I feel so emotional when it comes to this stuff, but, I can't easily control it."
Hiccup's friends exchanged each other with distressed and weary looks. Jack looked at Elsa for some guidance and knew from the look in her crystal blue eyes, she has an idea of what to do. Elsa lets go of Jack's hand and began to approach Hiccup like a careful mother trying not to frighten her child who looked like he was a ticking time bomb.
"Hiccup. Don't say that. Why would you think about that?" Elsa asked.
"Is it because of what happened last night?" Jack asked him.
Hiccup met Jack's worried eyes. The brunette closed his eyes for a moment and opened them once again before taking a step back away from his friends.
"Hiccup is your father alright?" Rapunzel approached him with a slight touch of his shoulder from her hand.
But Hiccup moved away from Rapunzel, trying his best to avoid any physical contact from his friends. Even though his emotional state is ticking away and he was slowly starting to lose control, he didn't want to explode in front of them.
"He's fine. My dad isn't what's really bothering me right now. This whole situation is." Hiccup started to justify his emotions.
"Then why are you acting so emotional all of the sudden." Hans came into the conversation without his a sarcastic tone or careless expression. He was worried for Hiccup's well being too.
"Can't you see?" Hiccup questioned them.
"Can't we see what?" Merida replied back.
Jack looked over his shoulder to see E.J. watching the episode unfolding like a confused, lost child that was inside a nightmare. Until she looked away and met his brave sapphire eyes, she knew they had to do something.
Death was the reason why Hiccup was acting overly emotional. He nearly lost his father last night and that overall event caused him to endure an emotional rollercoaster to face death once again.
"Hiccup. Buddy, it's going to be okay." Jack slowly began to walk towards him.
"How are things going to be okay? Why am I the only one who can't see Anna?" Hiccup's voice gradually grew louder.
"That's why we're going to get some info about that." Kristoff told him with seldom look on his face.
Hiccup turned around to see him standing right behind him with his arms across his chest. The big guy looked down at him with his brown eyes fixed at his forest green eyes with a hint of lethargy. Since returning home, he assumed that he could have at least had a chance to finally see Anna. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the true answer over his unfortunate circumstances.
He tried his best to at least bring back a peaceful reunion with his old friends. But in return he received nothing. He missed a lot of things. The innocent little talks they used to have. The games they used to play during those late afternoons. He deeply missed how the yesterdays were a thousand miles. It's like he was trapped in a puzzling dream. Of course, they've grown over the years and those days are long gone, and yet, he was still stuck in the past.
"What kind of info?" Hiccup quirked an eyebrow.
"I have a friend who can help with your situation." E.J. said to him the most patience and calming voice. Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry for giving you any bad intentions, but, I never knew this would happen to you." She fixed her eyes at him and placed her hand on her chest. "If I knew about your situation, I won't have mentioned any such information. But I believe this information can bring back peace into your lives."
"So what do you say buddy?" Jack asked Hiccup with an amiable smile.
Hiccup looked around to see himself being surrounded by his old friends. At the back of his mind, it's been a long two weeks for him. No, it felt like it's been decades since he last saw them. But, right now he needed hope and to see a sign that it still exist. Like Jack, he wanted to come home. Back home from their long journey of being away from each other. Even before, coming back home he never had the idea to reunite with his old friends. But, when he unexpectedly bumped into Jack, he's small trip home has completely changed.
The young brunette took a deep breath, then slowly released it. "Fine. Let's try this out." He avoided eye contact from his friends.
I don't want to lie, but, I truly miss her. Hiccup reflected quietly. All I want is to see you again. He looked up at the sky that was slowly changing into a mixture of warm reds, cozy orange, soft yellow, and a few stripes of purple as the sun began to set.
The group of friends gathered around underneath the tree and watched E.J. ringing up her friend. Hiccup wanted to sit as far away from the others, but, Rapunzel and Kristoff teamed up in order to keep him safe. Kristoff was a helper and Rapunzel was the crazy aunt that dragged him to sit by her side. Even though she was a bit bossy, she was always a ray sunshine filled with kindness. She had that imitate motherly instinct to care for a friend in need.
E.J. just finished talking to her friend while coming back Jack's car to gather her backpack. When Jack noticed E.J. was going to use her laptop, he asked Kristoff to help him carry the long makeshift table they've made two days ago. They placed it nearby for everyone to have a space to see what E.J. was simply setting up. Just a laptop with a basic portable wifi router.
"Someone's quite the tech nerd," Jack showed off his signature grin.
"What do you expect from a lawyer that needs to be connected 24/7." E.J. smiled. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Hans staring at her with curious eyes while logging into her Skype account on her MacBook. His innocent gesture caused her to return a smile. He spotted her looking directly at him, making his peachy face blush like a ripe tomato. Eventually, he turned around to avoid her sudden eye contact.
"Alright my friend Tiana will be on any minute now. She'll get her grandmother to help you guys with your little mission." E.J. informed them.
Everyone huddled around behind E.J. and waited to see Tiana inside the screen. They watched the spinning loading circle until they saw a beautiful brown skin young lady with natural dark brown hair that was tied back into a ponytail. Her charming light brown almond size eyes widen when she saw her friend with a large group of strangers.
"Um, hey there sweet pea?" Tiana called E.J. by her little childhood nickname she once gave her.
"Hey T. Did you get your grandmother to come over?" E.J. waved at her.
"No, I ended up driving in the rain to her place."
"Oh my, sorry to hear that. But at least you arrived there safely." E.J. smiled.
"Yeah, she's right here if you need to talk to her. Hold on let me get her." Tiana reached over to hold her laptop and brought it with her to where her grandmother was sitting on a living room couch while watching TV. "Grandma, my friend wants to talk to you." She told her in a kind-hearted tone with a touch of her Southern American accent.
"Who?" Mama Odie shouted.
"I have a friend who wants to talk to you." Tiana began to talk about how E.J. and her group of friends needed someone to explain about certain ghosts that roams with the living.
Mama Odie shook her head. "Not now my shows are on." The elderly woman of sixty-eight tilted her head to the side.
Tiana rolled her eyes. "Mama Odie you just came back from the eye doctor. Your temporary blind from that dilation examination. Now c'mon, my friend needs you for a moment." She said ever so kindly to the woman who looked nothing in her sixties, more like a hundred-ninety-seven. But she's still active for her age.
"Fine, sugar, let me talk to your friend. I can finally start to see things clearer now." Mama Odie acknowledged Tiana. She patiently watched her granddaughter sit by her side, placing her MacBook onto the elderly woman's lap so she has a nice view of E.J. and the gang. "Sweet Aunt Molly's Spicy Gumbo! Who are they?" The elderly woman shouted surprisingly. She lifted her eye glasses with black lens, squinting her eyes to get a better look. The chemicals from the examination was starting to wear off.
"That's my friend E.J. and that's her friends and cousin." Tiana explained.
"What do they want?" Mama Odie quirked an eyebrow.
"They have a few questions to ask you about the supernatural world."
"Voodoo magic?" Mama Odia blissfully asked.
"No, just ghosts." Tiana was a very patient young woman to endure her obnoxious grandmother.
"Oh alright, let me talk to them." Mama Odie looked into the laptop screen and focused her attention at E.J. "What's your questions pumpkin?"
"Hi Mama Odie. This is my little cousin Jack and he would like to ask you something." E.J. acknowledged before switching seats with Jack.
"Hello Mama Odie…"
"Oh my goodness! You're a very handsome young man with that snowy white hair. We're you born with it?" Mama Odia interrupted him.
"Um thank you. And yes, I was born with this hair color." Jack explained.
"Do you know the meaning behind having white hair, child?" Mama Odia asked him kindly. Jack shook his head. He never knew any special significance behind his hair color despite his family's medical history. His mother had it. And his grandfather's mother was diagnosed with the same disease as well. "Well, whenever someone has white hair it means that this person is filled with wisdom and happiness."
Well, right now I need some wisdom. Happiness is quite there. But not enough to enlighten most of my friends. Jack reflected.
"Oh. That's interesting. Thank you. But all in seriousness Mama Odie. What do you know about ghosts coming back to roam with the living?" He asked her in the most kindest tone.
"Well, it depends on the ghost. Like humans, they have a reason to be back with the living. Either if it's the ghost itself that still has unfinished businesses to end on Earth or the ghost held a message for a living loved one." Mama Odie explained.
"What kind of message?" Elsa joined in.
Mama Odia shifted her attention at Elsa. "My aren't you a gorgeous young jasmine flower." She smiled. The elderly wise woman noticed the way Jack was smiling back at Elsa. "I see your boyfriend agrees." The young couple blushed causing her to burst into a laughter. "Ah, young love."
"Grandma, please focus." Tiana quickly guided her back.
"Oh alright. You see some ghosts coming back, are either a messenger or a reminder. They either have an important message for their loved ones or remind them of something. But a messenger ghost won't stay that long compared to the ones who are reminders. They can stay on Earth forever. As long you all aren't asking about the ones who are lost, then everything is okay."
"What do you mean a ghost that is lost?" Merida asked. The curious redhead saw Mama Odie staring at her. "Are they the ones that couldn't move on to the afterlife?"
Mama Odie nodded. "Well, that also applies to messenger and reminder ghosts, if they don't fulfill their wishes or duties they'll be stuck on Earth forever. Which lead them into a state of confusion and isolation."
Jack raised an eyebrow. He looked behind him to see his friends' faces, all astounded from the insight that they've been given. Jack saw Hiccup acting quiet the entire time the gang was talking. He was sitting down on a log while having his hands in his pockets while looking down at the ground.
"How about humans seeing ghosts or allusions time to time? Is that completely normal?" Jack continued to ask Mama Odie.
"Well, it depends on the level of the human's belief. Does she or he truly believe in spirits and anything superstitious?" Mama Odie just added more questions to this long conversation that like walking through an endless maze of information.
Jack took a moment to think about his actions. At the back of his mind, he planned to reveal how he actually reunited with Anna. Only Elsa knew the full story about his illness and how it led him back to Anna. But in front of him, he didn't want to give more distress to those he cared about. He was truly not ready to pour out more about his regrets and pain just yet.
"Well, we have a friend that passed away when we were very young. And she left us too soon at a very young age. Since then, she recently came back to me three years ago." Jack acknowledged. Mama Odie nodded while waving her hand, telling him that he needed to explain more for her to understand the gang's situation. "Apparently our friend, Anna, wanted me to come back home in order to fulfill her dying wish…"
"Ahh that story all over again." Mama Odie half way interrupted him. "Anna is one of those little ghosts, then."
"What is she then?" Hans came into view for Mama Odie to see.
"Either you prefer to call her a ghost with a message or a guardian angel? It's your choice." Mama Odie smiled.
"Guardian angel?" Rapunzel raised an eyebrow.
"Since coming back home, I ended up reuniting with my old friends while Anna was traveling with me. What's the meaning behind that?" Jack added.
"Seems like she was more of an angel guiding you back home." Mama Odia bluntly responded.
"Then explain to me how some of us are able to see her. The majority of us can see her. My family too."
When Jack mentioned about his small family, Hiccup looked up. His tired eyes widen over the news then stare at his friends annoyingly. The idea of being the last one for everything made him build up his anger, consuming his sense of positivity and optimism.
"Well, if I might assume, you all had gone through traumatic journeys since Anna's death. Some of you had gone to worse places than the rest. You see child, the reason why some of you can see her is over the fact of accepting and removing a barrier between you and Anna. Either you accept forgiveness or remove any regrets that you've held for years that prevents you from seeing Anna. As long you can do any of those then you might be able to move on."
From the very words that escape from Mama Odie's mouth, entered into Hiccup's ears, every statement echoed beyond his mind. He finally knew what he had to do. Without hesitation, he quickly left the tree fort and ran into the woods.
"Where the hell is he going?" Hans shouted, noticing the slim brunette racing towards a dark wall of trees underneath a night sky. "Is he completely nuts?"
"What's going on?" Tiana's voice could be heard from afar.
"I think one of Jack's friends just left." E.J. turned around to notice Hiccup was completely gone.
"This is not good." Jack reached into his pockets to take out his smartphone. He turned on his phone's flashlight before running into the woods. "C'mon, we need to find him. We don't want him to get lost or worse, get hurt." He told his friends. "E.J. stay here, we'll be right back."
E.J. nodded and continued to talk things over with Tiana from the other end. Jack's friends either took out their phones or grabbed a flashlight from the back of Kristoff's truck as they all joined together in the search for their troubled friend.
Hiccup ran through pathless areas in the woods without a care. Regardless of the sudden cuts and bruises appearing on his body, he kept running. He clenched his teeth tight to fight off the pain.
The stream, he pondered while jumping over a fallen tree trunk. He dodged incoming tree branches and made several turns through a maze of zig-zagging trails. All he could think of was to search for the place he last saw Anna on that faithful heart aching summer day.
He came to a full stop at the top of a spiraling hill that went along the same trail the stream passed by. Down below he spotted the lengthy body of water that was decorated with the moon's reflection on the surface. There wasn't any breeze passing by as usual that made the waters look choppy or slightly rough. It pleasantly calm tonight with the moon in full view of the sky and underneath the tree canopies.
"Anna!" Hiccup began to shout. "Damnit, what the hell is wrong with me? Of course she's not here." The emotional ride in his mind was getting the best of him. He ran down the hill and jumped over some rocks that led to the edge of the stream. "I never thought this through."
With great disappointment, he let his knees give in and fell onto the ground while he gazed up at the quiet night sky. His surrounding was quieter than the chaotic mess in his head which he was trying to control, but, it was no used for him.
In the distance, the voices of his friends calling out his name echoed beyond the columns of trees. Hiccup didn't want to look back, he fixed his eyes at the moon's glowing reflection on the water. The beauty was memorizing underneath his lost forest green eyes.
"Hiccup!" His friends shouted.
Back at the top of the hill, Jack saw Hiccup down by the stream. He called out the rest of the gang. They all managed to rendezvous at the same place before heading down.
"Hiccup!" Elsa rushed over, kneeling beside him. She pulled him close for a hug and let him rest his weary head on her shoulders. "Why did you ran off like that?"
"Please I need time to be alone right now." Hiccup sounded less of himself. A less energized than his usual self. More drawn into a state of depression.
"Yeah, sorry, but we can't do that." Jack said while casually walking by. He stood in front of him with his back facing the stream. While crouching down, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small stuffed toy. "By the way, you dropped Toothless back there." He reached for Hiccup's hand and placed the toy in the palm of his hand. "A rider never leaves his loyal dragon behind."
Hiccup looked down at the toy dragon that was smiling back at him. Then focused his attention at Jack, who was smiling ever so kindly down at him. His friend had that particular look, telling him that 'everything is going to be okay.'
"I-I just want some time to think." Hiccup avoided Jack's eye contact and went back to gazing at his old childhood toy. "I feel like a kid who was asking so much in return for doing something good. But..." The poor young man couldn't think anymore.
Jack's smile faded into frown, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, like we kept on saying to each other for the last two weeks, we're all struggling to get better. I was on that road for a long time." Hiccup fixed his eyes at him. "But, that doesn't mean you have to do it alone. Whatever is holding you back, sooner or later you need to fight it. You need to get out of that deep well and crawl your way out."
From Jack enlightening words, Hiccup couldn't hold back the tears forming at the corners of his eyes. Elsa heard him gasping for air while choking up from releasing his bottled up emotions. The rest of the gang saw him completing broken down, but, not to the point they came over to be by his side. Jack joined in, embracing his girlfriend and lost friend.
"I-I just wanted t-to see her again." Hiccup cried out, continuing to release all his sadness. He wore a mask for many years to hide away the scars and trauma he faced while losing Anna.
"We're here for you, don't you forget about us." Elsa pulled him even closer, fearing he might run away again. "We'll never forget about you. And I know Anna won't ever forget about you too." She said in the most motherly tone that soothed Hiccup's ears.
Rapunzel and the others walked over and joined the two. Kneeling down and embracing him until he stopped crying. They all held the same fragile love in their hearts that was gravely dear to them. Anna was innocent and benevolent, but, they were broken and tired. However, they still have time to fix the mess they've left in order to move on.
"I-I was the last one who saw her. Sh-she was...I saw her just lying..." Hiccup closed his eyes tightly and slowly swallowed the lump in his throat for it to go away. "I just... want to apologize to her. I should have been there quicker. I-I wanted to save her!" He cried out in pain while tears continued to fall down his face.
"We all wanted to," Elsa whispered softly, while rubbing his back, calming him down. "I badly wanted to do the same thing too. So badly." She wiped the tear that escaped from her own eyes.
When Hiccup slowly stopped crying, his friends decided to give him some space to breath. Hiccup continued to kneel down on the ground, he gazed down at the ground to find his old toy dragon was gone.
"Are you looking for this?"
Hiccup slowly looked up to see a little girl in green happily smiling back at him. Her copper hair glowing underneath the moonlight sky. His forest green eyes widen and his throat was dry for him to talk. He was completely speechless.
"A-Anna?"
"You know I'll never forget about you." Anna said dearly.
A/N: This was a tough chapter to write and revise. I wrote this awhile back until now looking at it, made shed a tear a little. What do you guys think of the story so far? Things are really patching up for the gang. I want to once again thank you all for the support! More chapters on the way - happy weekend.