Uhoh. Pitch is here.

To Be Believed In

8

That fear. It was pungent, so pungent as it floated through the time stream. A young boy was afraid of death for his sister. He hadn't felt fear like this in such a long time. It flowed through him bringing him some strength. His form was starting to reappear. Pitch could make out his hands forming, although they flickered into darkness now and again. If he could find this child then perhaps he could get an ounce a strength of back and use it to find other fear. He could become who he once was.

He looked at the swirling clock, the way the hands seemed to move faster and faster as he stared it. Was Father time sending him somewhere?

"You can feel the fear can't you Pitch?" The man said from all around him.

Pitch looked around trying to find out where he could be but didn't seem him anywhere.

"Go." Father Time, his voice consuming Pitch's soul.

The clock got faster and faster and Pitch began to spin. The world around him was nothing but a blur until he landed face first into some snow. He spat it at and looked at his flickering form once again. The fear was stronger here, it flowed throughout the land and the sky. It was time to find this child and consume that fear.

They had managed to get back in time, Sophie was asleep covered in several layers of blankets and her breathing was soft, warm, alive. Jack was watching his sister pacing up and down by the fire. His parents were nowhere to be found but for once he was glad. Jamie and Emma were about to have a conversation that he didn't want them to overhear.

Emma rubbed her face before taking a shaky breath.

"Well you need to explain yourself Jamie," Emma said. She looked like she was on the verge of collapsing, her hair stuck to her head with sweat and her cheeks were bright red.

"I know." Jamie muttered. "But are you okay Emma?"

Emma didn't reply, only scoffed. "Well?" She prompted.

"I'm from the future." Jamie started off with.

Emma let out a bark of laughter.

"The future? I know you are a child Jamie but that is simply ridiculous. The notion that you could be from a different time…" She laughed again, almost sounding crazy.

"But it's true! Look at our clothes!" Jamie ran to get his coat by the fire and thrust it into Emma's hand.

"Have you ever seen these clothes before?" Jamie asked.

Jack watched as his sister inspected the coat. She turned it inside and out and then saw the label. She read the label and read,

"Made in China?"

She made the word 'china' seem foreign as she read it out-loud twice.

Emma sat down on the bed with the coat still clutched in her hands. She looked at Jamie in disbelief.

"It is true I have never seen this style before and I do not understand why there is paper in this coat but you're telling the truth?" She said, her words becoming softer and softer until Jack could barely hear them.

"Yes." Jamie answered.

"But how? Is the world that advanced, what year are you from?" Emma asked bewildered.

"2012." Jamie said abruptly.

"Three hundred years? Three hundred years?" Emma looked like she was about to faint again.

Jamie turned around and clutched her arm.

"Please don't be afraid of me Emma." He pleaded.

"I am not. I do not know how to comprehend all this." She rubbed her face.

Jamie felt sorry for Emma, he knew that if he was in her situation and perhaps if he was her age he would understood, but he had been surrounded magic for a long time. He had believed in it ever since his Mom had told him stories about the tooth fairy, although a part of him would never understand why adults stopped believing in the Guardians. He didn't know how, no-one had ever explained it to him.

"So let's say I believe you Jamie, how did you get here?" Emma asked as she sat down on the bed.

Jamie snapped his head up to look at her, as she pulled him out of his thoughts.

Sophie turned off mumbling something if her sleep. Jamie was happy that Mr and Mrs Overland weren't here because he wasn't sure what their reaction would be if they had found out that Sophie had fallen into the pond, they they wouldn't have never let them outside again.

Emma stared at him, still pale faced.

"I don't know." Jamie admitted looking at Jack.

The teenager was frowning as if the gears were turning in his head.

"Father Time," He muttered looking at Jamie with wide eyes.

"Father Time? Jack, what do you mean?" Jamie asked with a frown.

He heard Emma tense behind him.

"I've never met him myself but he's the being that controls time. I always thought he was a myth to be honest. I remember hearing stories about him in passing, from the wind and other people I met. It was only when I joined the Guardians that I found out that he was real, I think Tooth met him once to ask about how to extract certain memories. I think he sent us here. He would be the only spirit with the power to do it." Jack's realization was perhaps a blessing.

"But why Jack?" Jamie asked, who still wasn't sure why they had sent back. All they had done was met Jack's Family.

Jack shook his head.

"I don't know kiddo." He muttered twirling his staff absent mindly.

Father Time? So there was a spirit out there that could control time. It made sense.

Jamie felt a pressure on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Emma clutching it. She looked lost and tears were beginning to prick her eyes.

"Emma?" Jamie asked.

"There was one more question I needed to ask of you. You keep saying my dead brother's name...why?" She asked. Her eyes were so wide like lanterns lighting up the sky.

She looked afraid. Jamie knew that she had said that she wasn't afraid of him but what about if she really was, just because he was talking to someone who wasn't there? He knew he wasn't crazy. Jamie frowned. How could he explain this? He could see him; he was a ghost? He didn't know how to. He was only eight, how could he explain anything to a grown up?

Luckily Jack came to the rescue and flew up to his sister.

"She heard me speak, I think it's possible." He said to himself more than anything.

"Emma," He said once again. "I'm here," He said letting a snowflake fall onto the floor.

He picked it up with the wind and it began to float towards her. Jack urged it to land on her nose and it did.

They both expected her to blink back her tears and laughter to come out of her mouth. Or even for her to cry at seeing Jack but nothing happened. Emma stayed still, staring at Jamie.

The snowflake had melted into her skin, only a tiny water droplet remained and she wiped it away with the tears still falling down her cheeks.

"Why can't you see him?" Jamie asked.

"See him? You mean...you can see my brother's ghost?" Emma seemed to go even whiter, matching the sheet of the bed. She looked like the only ghost in the room at the moment.

"Jack, what's going on?" Jamie asked ignoring Emma.

Jack looked disheartened and scratched his neck.

"I think it's because she doesn't know I'm Jack Frost." He said looking away from the boy.

"Well if I tell her you are?" Jamie titled his head. To him it made sense, he could help them see each other.

"No, she's been through too much today...I don't know if it will work." Jack admitted as he turned back to Jamie. The teenager eyes were aligned with tears, freezing as they reached his cheeks.

"But," Jamie protested.

"Just tell her yes. That's a start." Jack whispered looking at his staff.

Jamie nodded and turned to Emma. The girl looked like she was about to faint. Her hands were shaking. Jamie walked across and clutched her hands. They were so much bigger than his. He gripped them tightly and she was shaking so much that he could feel it through his body. He wish he could stop her shaking, she looked so scared.

"Yes." He said with a smile. "He says, Hey sunflower. "Jamie repeated Jack's words.

Sunflower had to be Jack's nickname for her. Jamie often called his sister Soph when he wanted her play with him. It felt like they were closer as siblings but of course there was the fact that he didn't want to be with his sister all the time. In fact he was glad that she was asleep as she might make this very hard for all of them.

Emma let out a choke of laughter through her sobs.

"You can. He's here." Her laughter stopped and she fell to her knees as she landed on the floor, clutching onto Jamie's shirt.

"He's crying as well." Jamie told her.

Emma smiled at that. "All this time, I thought I was going insane but he's here...I wish I could see him." She trailed off.

It was cruel that she couldn't see him but at least she knew and Jamie didn't have to pretend Jack wasn't here in front of her properly now. She knew about her brother.

"I don't understand why all of a sudden he's shown up now..." She muttered looking at a spot where Jack wasn't.

"Emma he's by you." Jamie told him.

Emma turned her head to look at the left side so that she can could technically addresses him.

"I assume you can hear me?" She asked, eyeing Jamie.

Jamie nodded, knowing that she meant Jack.

"Jack, I do not know why you have shown up now," Emma had started crying again and she clutched her chest like her heart was hurting. "I wish you were there when I was younger. It's been so hard, I-, I miss you and I want to see you. Where have you been?"

She looked at the wooden floor, clearing tears out of her eyes.

"I can't explain properly. There's a reason Jamie can see me, but I want you to look after yourself. For now, I'm here and you've grown up so much. I'm glad I got see him." Jamie repeated.

Emma's tears began to stop and a scowl replaced her features.

"You cannot explain properly? Why? You are cruel Jack. I finally accepted you had gone only a year ago and now all of that was for naught. Why?"

Jamie watched as Jack's shoulders dropped. He tried to reach out and put his hand on her shoulder but he went right through. He watched as his best friend shook his head and his breaths came quicker.

He had never seen Jack not be believed in but it looked horrible, for once in his life Jamie realised that Jack was just like him. He was a Guardian yes, but Jack felt different compared to the others because he still felt human. Perhaps it was because Jack had been human in his previous life.

"I don't know myself," Jack whispered. He didn't look at Jamie but Jamie decided to repeat it anyway.

Emma looked defeated. She was still kneeling on the floor, staring at the wood of the floor. She reached up and undid her braid, letting her brown hair fall.

Jamie didn't know what to do. He had thought Emma's reaction would have been a lot different but instead she had cried.

He looked at her and saw her lips move.

"I'm scared." She whispered.

Nobody said anything or moved as all of a sudden blank sand began to fill the room.