I'm sorry it took me so long to update! I'll start updating more often now that life is little less hectic:) Enjoy and please let me know what you think!
Chapter 13
"I already told you," I sighed letting irritation tinge my voice. Right now all the Guardians were down stairs in North's office. The only one listening to me anymore was Jack and North. Jack was listening just for my comfort and North demanded me tell him what happened again...and again. I had told it atleast ten times and was honestly tired of repeating myself.
It all started a few hours after Jack and I feel asleep, North woke us up by banging on Jack's door. He yelled through the thick, wooden door that he wanted all Guardians to meet. When Jack yelled back that he thought rest was a better option, North stated that we had had enough and it was time to work.
After being forced to get up, we headed down to North's office. I was amazed at first, all the toys he had made and such, flying around but never getting in the way. But soon as Bunny, Tooth, and Sandy piled in the room got a lot more cramped, causing irritation on all sides. The first time North demanded me to tell my account of what had happened, everyone listened with the hope of learning anything to lead us towards Death and Pitch.
But after the third time, everyone was ready to do anything else. I looked at North in the hopes that he would finally give up, but he didn't.
"I don't care. Tell me again." He demanded sitting behind his large desk.
"Crikey! She told you everything!" Bunny sighed. He was sitting against one of the walls fiddling with his boomerangs.
"She knows something," North stated. I groaned as he leaned forward to hear the same story...again.
"I don't know anything!" I yelled making the rest of them perk their heads up. "I've told you everything." I whispered shyly, embarrassed I snapped. North just smiled warmly and nodded his head.
"Are you sure?" Jack asked as he leaned against the wall next to me. "You didn't see anything?"
"No." I responded fidling with the strings of my hoodie.
"You don't remember anything?" Tooth chimed in standing next to Sandy who had formed a question mark made of sand over his head.
I paused and tightened my grip on my staff, "Too much," I said quietly. I could sense a heavy weight in the room after that. I didn't want to remember what happened a few hours earlier, what could have happened if they hadn't shown up.
"Hey," Jack said letting his staff lean against the wall as he lightly grabbed my hands. I looked up at him and saw him smile slightly. He pulled me in to a hug, "I won't let anything happen to you." I let my head rest against his chest for a second before finally pulling away. I smiled, looking at Jack to let him know I was okay.
"Are you guys...what?" Bunny asked confused. Jack and I turned confused.
"What Kangaroo?" Bunny scowled before continuing.
"Are you guys a...you know...couple?" I widened my eyes in surprise and looked up at Jack, but I smiled when I saw his pale cheeks flushed red.
"Oh my gosh!" Tooth squealed in excitement. "That is so adorable!" She covered her face with her hands with a big smile on her face. Sandy gave a sand thumbs up, and North smiled lightly with a glint in his eyes.
"Are you blushing?" Bunny asked Jack.
"No!" Jack responded quickly. I started laughing at his embarrasment as his face turned even brighter.
"Haha," North suddenly chuckled, "Come on Bunny. A deal is a deal." Bunny sighed and lightly banged his head against the wall.
"Really?" He asked as North stood up grinning.
"Wait." Jack started, "Did you guys bet on our relationship?" He asked gesturing towards me.
"Of course!" North exclaimed, "And I won!" I looked at him, confusion etched on my face.
"Are you serious?" I asked. When North just smiled back, I rolled my eyes and let a smirk cross my face.
"But come on! You seriously thought someone like Jack could win somebody over?" Bunny exclaimed standing up.
"Hey!" Jack spoke up, his cheeks slowly becoming the pale white they usually are.
"Okay, Bunny a deals a deal. Say it." North said watching Bunny expectedly.
"But-"
"That's what happens when you come in second." North laughed. My eyes widened, and I looked up at Jack quickly. He looked at me quizzically as recollection dawned on me.
"Fine," Bunny sighed after a few seconds, "Christmas is better than-"
"What," I said interrupted their conflict, "Coming in second." I muttered to myself.
"What?" Tooth said as she flew over next to me.
"Death mentioned something about coming in second," I said as everyone leaned in closer to listen, "And that it wasn't going to happen again."
"Second?" Tooth questioned, "Second to who? For what?"
"Coming in second to Jack." Everyone looked over at him as he watched me.
"That means...we have a past?" Jack asked. I looked over at North as he was shaking his head.
"It makes sense. You guys connected very fast, that might be because of that."
"No," Jack muttered, "How could I forget something like that?"
"Jack, many memories were lost a few years ago. Pitch could have taken some of yours as well."
I watched as everyone slowly lifted their gazes to me.
"Sara," Bunny began, "Have you ever seen your memories?"
"No." I said slightly ashamed. I had never even thought about asking to see them, I didn't know that it was possible. Besides, back then I wouldn't have wanted to intrude on anyone.
"Well come with me!" Tooth yelled suddenly very hyper. I watched in shock as she dragged me out of the room by the arm.
"Tooth! Where are we going?"
"We're going to find your memories!" I planted myself firmly as everyone caught up with us out in the workshop.
"It's that easy?" I questioned. She happily nodded her head and went to take my hand again.
"Crikey, if you're in such a hurry why don't we rake the tunnels?" He rolled his eyes as he turned around and nudged Sandy out of the way. Tooth flew over near Bunny as I walked over toward Jack.
"Tunnels?" Jack smirked in response to my question. Suddenly, with a few taps of Bunny's foot, a large hole opened in the ground. I gasped in shock as it grew wider and everyone began to jump in. Jack guided me over to the side of the seemingly endless pit.
I glanced over at him in confusion. He just gingerly grabbed my hand while asking, "Ready?"
"Sure?" I said not knowing what to expect. A second later we jumped in together and seemed to slide down a pitch black slide. After a few seconds I couldn't help but laugh and enjoy the long ride.
We landed on a hard tiled floor. Well, Jack landed gracefully while I clumsily fell over. But I sat in shock as I gazed out at all the different floating spires and rooms with beautiful designs etched on them. Jack bent over to help me up as North bellowed, "Come on! Let's go!" We quickly followed the rest of the Guardians with Tooth leading the way into a new room.
She pushed the large, wooden doors open with a grunt and lead us into the largest room I had ever seen. And in it were shelves filled with cylinders. Each cylinder had a face on it, and as I watched Tooth flutter about the room, I noticed they were filled with teeth.
As I stood astounded Jack seemed impatient with how long it was taking. I wanted to smack the look of annoyance off his face, but decided against it for obvious reasons.
"Found it!" Tooth exclaimed as she flew back to our group in a haste. She handed me a golden cylinder, with a picture of a young girl. The girl had dark brown hair, tan skin, and muddy colored eyes. Throughe the glass side of the cylinder, I could see small, white teeth rattling around in it.
"Is that me?" I questioned looking up from the picture to Tooth.
"I think so. It's the only Sara I could find from Jack's time period that would make sense." I have no idea how she searched through all the cylinders so quickly. She must have a system that thrives on the chaos of millions of different teeth and cylinders filled with them.
"It can't be me," I said looking again at the young girl on the golden tube, "I have gold in my eyes."
"Yeah." Jack said studying the picture then looking back at me.
"Jack's whole appearance changed when he became a spirit," Tooth assured us, "It's likely Sara's eyes changed. Right?" She questioned North as he nodded his head in agreement.
"Right. Well have fun!" I watched as he and the rest of the Guardians began to leave the room. Sandy waved at me with a smile as he began to leave with the rest of them.
"Wait!" I said grabbing Jack's hand before he headed off with the rest of them, "Can you stay?" I asked looking up at his light eyes. He smirked a little and lead me to the middle of the room.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," I said as we began to sit on the floor, "You're obviously a part of my past so you have a right to see it. Also," I stated shyly tracing the markings on my staff which I had placed on the ground near me, "I'm nervous."
"Why?" Jack asked resting his hand on my shoulder.
"You know," I said lightly smiling at him, "Ever since I became...this," I said gesturing to myself, "I always was asking "Why am I here? Where do I come from?" And now I finally have the chance I've been waiting for. To finally let go of this fear and discover who I was and why I'm here now. But now I'm scared that I won't like what I find. That instead of answers, I'll just have more questions and will never be able to really understand." I finished looking back down at the floor. I had never shared that with anyone before and I was embarrassed that I did.
"Sara," Jack said cupping my face in his hands, forcing me to look him the eye, "No matter what happens, you'll always belong here. And you'll always have a place in my heart." I felt my cheeks blush as he, seemingly amazed of himself, ruffled his messy hair as his cheeks turned crimson.
"Jack," I said at a lost for words, "Thank you." He looked back up at me and smirked playfully. But before he could speak I took a deep breath and opened the cylinder in my hands and watched as my memories began to unfold before my eyes.
