"Jack, for God's sake, stop sulking already!" Bunny hissed, trying to look at the racer through the rearview mirror.
But Jack remained unresponsive.
Bunny sighed and turned around to see him face to face. But the racer had curled up and was hugging his knees, lying down on the seat with his back facing both of them. He had his hood on and he had stayed that way from the minute they left the forest.
Sandy looked like he wanted to sign something but he couldn't since he was the one driving. He glanced at Jack as well, concerned for the racer.
Sandy thought back to when Toothiana had stepped into the room, suddenly yelling that she found Jack. That had caused a lot of confusion and chaos in the company but once everyone calmed down, she explained that she'd received a phone call from Mr Moon, and that she had Jack's location. After a whole month of searching, Bunny wasn't ready to believe her, thinking it could've been a prank-call but after she assured them that it wasn't and that the actual Manny Moon had told her about Jack's location, they geared up and left for the ice rink in the middle of the forest.
Somehow, the media and press had received the same information and it became a race to reach Jack first.
Sandy knew he would be lying if he thought everything was now back to normal because obviously, it was not. Jack's behavior had surprised both of them from the minute they laid their eyes on him in the middle of the crowd.
Bunny had been raging about the paparazzi reaching him first but Sandy had noticed that Jack had actually been trying to cover someone up, putting himself between the person and the paparazzi. He wasn't basking in the attention as he usually did but was rather trying to get away from them. And if that was not weird enough, he had hugged Bunny and Sandy the minute he saw them, which left the two of them dumbstruck. But they didn't have time for that as they had to escort him back to the company as fast as possible.
And Jack had surprised Bunny and Sandy yet again when he literally pleaded for just a few minutes to talk to the person he had protected previously. And even while holding back the paparazzi, Sandy had managed to catch a glimpse of Jack hugging someone tightly. Someone, seeing whom Sandy was surprised and shocked.
Elsa Winters, the legendary winner of the Race of Rapidity, had been hugging Jack.
And seeing how Jack was sulking now, Sandy knew he was far from pleased after he was forcefully dragged away from her. Which meant that they were probably close friends.
Or something more...
Drowned in his thoughts, Sandy absently turned the wheel to take a turn. He sighed to himself as Bunny continued to rant next to him but then he paused when he noticed something weird.
He placed a hand on Bunny's mouth and glanced around their car. Surprised, Bunny was about to yell at him but the seriousness on Sandy's face shut him up and he looked around in suspicion.
Sandy gestured towards the area in front of their car. Bunny couldn't understand what was going on until he realised that the road was empty before them.
Where the heck did the bodyguards go?!
He turned around in search of the second car of bodyguards behind them, only to see it missing as well.
We're alone... Or probably not...
He grabbed his boomerangs when he saw something move in the shadows. Sandy was ready as well, long and bright whips made of sand materialized in his hands.
They shared a glance with each other before stepping out of the car. And knowing who the main target might be, Sandy quickly covered the whole car in a thick layer of his golden sand.
Ignoring Jack's screams from inside the car, Sandy swung his whip through the darkness and lit up the entire place.
And that's when they decided to step out.
...
Calling Jack miserable would've been the biggest understatement of the century as he buried himself into the car seat while Bunny continued rambling. He sighed, knowing he was being a drama queen because no matter what, he needed to be at the race which was just a week away.
But that didn't mean he had to be robbed of his precious time with Elsa.
Jack sighed, rubbing his forehead to get himself together. He couldn't disagree with the fact that his emotions were all over the place.
His heart was filled with immense love as his brain continued replaying the last few hours with her when he finally got to kiss her. Sorrow and heartbreak burst in when he was reminded of their last few minutes together before he left her. He tried so many times to tell her about his own feelings but was interrupted repeatedly.
Which meant she still didn't know how he felt. On top of that, she told him to find someone though he was already in love with her.
And that fact just ate him up from the inside.
And though he was relieved to see Bunny and Sandy, he was still very angry and pissed at them. It wasn't their fault that Jack didn't get a lot of time with Elsa and he knew that. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to be the good guy and just forgive them for dragging him away when something so serious and important was going on.
Which reminded him, how did they find him in the first place? As he had wondered before, he had told Emma only about the airport and he had left no clues at the airport about him being at the rink. And why were so many people there? How did the paparazzi get to know about it?
As a million thoughts raced through his head, Jack almost failed to notice that the car had come to a stop. He only snapped back to reality when light filled the car and he noticed Sandy's golden sand covering the whole car.
He screamed to be let out, demanding why he was being locked in. And he shut up only when he heard loud noises from outside. He strained his ears to listen closely and tried guessing what might be happening. That's when he heard the familiar neighs that had haunted his dreams for weeks now.
Nightmares... He realised, eyes wide with shock and fear.
The noises and Jack's concern kept increasing by the minute. He cursed under his breath as he looked for a way out. He smashed the window with his staff while hoping the sand would fall off as well. When it didn't, Jack tried breaking through the thick layer using his staff but it was no use.
Why did Sandy have to be so strong?!
He kept breaking his head for a way out when Elsa's words rung in his ears.
No power is useless, Jack...
Looking around a few more times, Jack pressed his staff and concentrated his ice powers on the sand over the broken window. It took a minute or so but he grinned in satisfaction when the layer of sand in that spot froze completely. He pulled back his staff and struck at the ice, which broke and created a hole big enough for him to slip through.
Once Jack was out of the car, he looked around in shock when he saw Bunny and Sandy standing amidst mounds of blank sand. He just stared at them in disbelief and awe as they casually dusted off the sand from their clothes. And judging by the enormous amount of sand all around the area, there seemed to have been a LOT of Nightmares.
"You guys..." He trailed off, no words coming out any further.
"What?" Bunny smirked, pointedly blowing off the sand from his boomerangs, "You thought we couldn't handle a bunch of these losers?"
"But-"
Jack stopped as Sandy stepped forward, glaring at him as he pointed at the hole he had slipped through.
"What? You expected me to just sit there silently while both of you fought?"
Jack just raised an eyebrow when Sandy nodded. He started lecturing him with his sand magic and Bunny joined him, purely because he liked the idea of the usually calm and cheery Manager scolding Jack so furiously.
Jack rolled his eyes and was about to retort that they weren't his parents when a Nightmare suddenly pounced on them. Acting out of instinct, all three of them attacked and ended up blasting it apart.
Sandy's attack had turned a part of the Nightmare into golden sand and Bunny's boomerang had powdered it down. But Jack cautiously approached the ice on the ground, containing the black sand which seemed almost electric when he slid his staff over it.
I could have defeated them with my ice powers back then...
He stood there, staring at the ice until Bunny grabbed him and shoved him back in the car.
...
BANG!
Pausing the teacup near his lips, Manny straightened in his seat and turned around when he heard the door slam open. He was surprised; but knowing who might have the strength to break open a door with three locks, he turned back to the television and continued sipping his tea.
Footsteps came banging on the wooden floor and Manny blinked when the whole couch was turned around. And standing before him was a furious Anna, breathing hard as she balled her fist.
She pinned him by the shoulder to the couch with her other hand, her clenched hand pulled back and shaking in anger.
"Anna?" He called out, confused by her actions.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't punch you right now...?!" She ground out, restraining herself from punching him.
Manny remained silent and looked past her when he heard more footsteps run into the house.
Rapunzel and Merida burst into the room, their faces going white when they saw what Anna was doing. They surged forward and tried to pull her back but she wouldn't budge.
"Did you or did you not call the Press and inform them about Jack?" Anna asked.
Understanding the reason for her rage, Manny's whole demeanor turned cold and calm. "I did."
"Why you-!"
"That's enough, Anna!"
She was lifted off the ground and the next minute, Anna was hanging off Kristoff's shoulders while Elsa stood behind him.
"Let me at him, Kristoff!" Anna growled, trying to wiggle out of his grasp.
Kristoff struggled but held her tight. He turned to Elsa for instructions, who just stared at the ground, conflicted.
Looking around at everyone's faces, Rapunzel let out a deep sigh. She cleared her throat and successfully got everyone's attention, before looking at Elsa and Manny.
"I think it's about time you both talked."
...
"How many times do I have to tell you?!" Jack yelled, refusing to open the door, "Just leave me alone to train!"
North sighed, turning away from the door. He slowly walked back to the living room, where Bunny, Tooth, and Sandy were waiting for him.
"So," Bunny started, examining his boomerang, "how'd it go?"
North refused to answer as he walked forward and took a seat next to Sandy.
"That bad, huh?" Tooth frowned.
"You guys," North rubbed his forehead, "please explain what the hell happened when he was away..."
"I told you!" Bunny finally looked up, looking mildly offended and annoyed, "We found him in that rink and dragged him back home! He's been like that from when I dumped him in the car! And on top of that, he's been even more pissed from when I mentioned that Manny was the one who was kind enough to inform us of his location!"
"But that doesn't explain why he's so..." Tooth paused, searching for the right word, "...aggressive...? I don't know, he's just- he's never acted this way! I'm sure something must've happened!"
Bunny was about to retort back but then paused when Sandy nodded, standing up to face all of them. Sand slowly accumulated in the air over his head and everyone paid their complete attention to the images formed.
Jack.
Ice Rink.
Heart.
Girl.
"You're saying that he might be in love?" North double-checked.
Bunny snorted in response, crossing his arms as he leaned back on the couch. "Very funny, Sandy. Very funny." He looked at Sandy's determined face and his face blanched in realisation. "Wai- you're serious? Frost is in love?! No way, mate."
Before they could actually discuss about the topic, the doorbell rang. Glancing at the others and at the door, Bunny got up and opened the door.
"Who is it?" Tooth called out.
Bunny returned with a nervous expression, which just increased everyone's curiosity. And when the person stepped into their view, they quickly stood up.
"Mr Black?" North tried not to stutter at the sight of the world-famous owner of Nightmares Inc.
"Hello North," Pitch smiled, which sent shivers down their spines, "Is Jack here?"
"Um," North glanced at the others before replying, "I'm sorry -sir- but he doesn't want to see anyone. I-"
"Oh, that's okay." Pitch waved it off, glancing around the house. "Nice place you have here."
"Thank you, uh- sir," Tooth added hastily.
"Perhaps, the loud music coming from upstairs is thanks to Jack Frost?"
"Um, yes sir. We're sorry about that..." Tooth replied nervously.
"No problem. Maybe I could pay him a visit now..." Pitch smiled and before anyone could say anything, he gracefully floated up the stairs and knocked on Jack's door.
"Go away, North!"
Jack blinked in shock when his locked door opened on its own and Pitch stepped into his room.
"Hello, Mr Frost. It is a pleasure to meet one of the finalists of the Race of Rapidity."
Jack just stared at him in shock and discreetly glanced at North who was standing by the door. North mouthed the name of the man in front of him and Jack's blood ran cold when he looked back at Pitch's golden eyes.
"Mr Pitch Black." Jack faced him, his initial dread washing away as anger took its place.
"In the flesh." Pitch smiled, taking a seat. He looked at North, who quickly straightened. "Could I have a few minutes with Jack, Mr North?"
"Oh, um," North glanced at both of them before reaching for the door handle, "Of course, Mr Black." And he shut the door.
Jack crossed his arms and glared at him in suspicion, not letting his guard down even after Pitch smiled politely at him. And if Pitch noticed this, he didn't show it as he casually crossed his legs.
"Your room is very unique, Mr Frost," Pitch pretended to look impressed at the messed up blankets and torn posters. "Very much like you, one could tell."
"Why are you here?" Jack asked, not wanting to be polite or pleasant to the man in front of him.
Pitch seemed surprised at his tone or was at least acting like he was surprised. "Right to the point, I see. Very professional. I like it."
"Yeah, not trying to impress though." Jack rolled his eyes. "Just get to the point."
Pitch placed his interlaced fingers on his knee and stared at him with a cold glimmer in his eyes. "I want you to lose the race, Frost."
Jack blinked, unable to believe his ears.
"What?"
"I said," Pitch emphasized, "I want you to lose the race. Or more precisely, I want you to somehow accidentally lose the race."
Feels like I've already heard THIS story somewhere.
"What the f- seriously?" Jack laughed in disbelief and scorn, "Who on earth do you think you are? I mean- do you even hear yourself? Youwant me to lose? Who the hell gave you the right to decide if I should win or not?"
"Careful Jack," Pitch continued smiling his eerie creepy smile, "Not everyone's gonna appreciate you badmouthing the President of a world-class company like Nightmares Inc."
"Oh I'm sorry sir," Jack rolled his eyes, mockingly bowing in apology, "May I ascertain your reasons for requesting- no wait, demanding my failure in the race?"
"Well," Pitch tilted his head in thought, "I'm not too fond of the villain-monologue so we can just skip out the explanation. All you need to know is I want my racer to win and I will get rid of anyone standing in his path."
Jack snorted in reply before continuing, "Tell your racer to get his head out of his ass and actually win the race. By the way, you do know you could get sued for this, right?"
"Of course. But this isn't the first time we've done this. We know our ways around the law, Mr Frost. Why, we've even removed a few... pestsfrom on our company before. So you need not worry about that."
Jack bristled and struggled to keep calm, knowing who this 'pest'might've been.
"What use is there in me losing? It's not like I'm profiting from this." Jack shrugged.
Pitch placed a paper -or rather, a contract- on the table before him. "Just sign this and Nightmare Inc will provide you with thrice the prize amount of the competition. We might even take you under our own wing and train you in much better ways than a small company such as the Guardians. So, what do you say?"
Jack made a show of contemplating it before placing a smirk on his face. "Well, when you put it that way... It makes me want to win the race and kick your representative's ass literally and figuratively. So I guess we're done here."
Pitch seemed really surprised but snapped out of his shock as Jack proceeded to tear the contract paper. He stayed quiet for a few seconds before sighing.
"You know," he started, all the politeness from before vanished in thin air, "I really didn't wanna do this but its what you asked for."
He held up a finger and spun them slowly, a small tornado of sand twirling over his fingertips. And within no time, familiar horses stepped out of the dark corners of his room and Jack stepped back in horror as he stared at the golden eyes of the monster.
"You..." He trailed off, taking a step back in fear, "you're the one who..."
"Yup." Pitch smiled. "Feel like agreeing to our deal yet?"
Jack quickly got over his shock and glared intensely, his staff glowing in his hands as he growled, "You assho-!"
Pitch seemed unfazed by his anger as he stood up and walked towards Jack. "Still not relenting, I see. You sure are very stubborn, Jack." He stood behind Jack, leaning down close to his ear before whispering, "Very much like your sister."
Jack's heart dropped and he slashed his staff at the man behind him but Pitch ducked gracefully, sliding in front of him before pinning him to the wall with his sand.
"What do you know about my sister?!" Jack yelled, trying to freeze the sand to break out of its hold.
"Hm, very stubborn, determined, fiesty and brave. Yet, she still is young so she gets scared very easily as well. She does look very different compared to you though... Are you sure you both are actual siblings?" Pitch asked, seemingly enjoying the conversation.
Anger, confusion, fear and concern for his sister clouded his brain as Jack tried to come up with something to say. But in the end the only word that made its way through his lips were, "...how...?"
"Did you ever wonder why the press never arrived at the airport, Jack? Heck, did you even think about why you were lead to the abandoned airport after your match though you were supposed to go to California next?" Pitch asked.
"You attacked us on the way..." Jack hissed.
"I didn't just attack you, my dear. I'm sure by now you've already theorised that I'm the one who somehow managed to trick your driver into going to that specific airport. And voila, you are correct! It is unfortunate though that you survived in the forest and even returned before the race. I was hoping I wouldn't have to go to extreme lengths for someone as talented as you." Pitch spoke with a sugar-coated voice, as if he was talking to his beloved daughter about how much he loved her.
"Then what happened to my sister? Why do you even know about her?"
"Oh that? I've been keeping track of any phone calls received by all the places related to you, Jack. So when I found out you managed to inform your sister of your location, I didn't want her to inform any adults and did what had to be done." He ended in a creepily sweet way. When he saw Jack's eyes widen in rage, he realised how his words could lead to misunderstanding and quickly cleared the situation by revealing, "oh don't worry, she isn't dead! I assumed if you didn't agree to the contract I could use her as hostage to get what I want."
"Where. Is. She." Jack ground out, trying his hardest to break free from the sand.
"I wonder..." Pitch trailed off, taking his seat again. "Such a small and cute girl... Sad that she might be seriously hurt if her brother doesn't agree to lose right now."
"You'd be the biggest fuckin dumbfuck if you think I will listen to you!" Jack growled, lunging towards him but the sand held him back.
Pitch just chuckled, pinching Jack's cheek and tapping it before replying, "Aw, look at you being so brotherly. You seem so different than how you present yourself before the cameras. And if you think you can save her then you're gravely mistaken, Frost. I have my Nightmares all around her and by the time you even figure out where she is, she'll become Nightmare food. They're all craving for something fresh after chasing down your driver from the other day."
Jack's blood ran cold as he realised he didn't know what happened to Jamie. "Don't tell me you..."
Pitch's evil smile was the answer Jack needed to confirm that he indeed had even Jamie under his custody.
"Why...?"
"Why?" Pitch tilted his head in confusion, "I'm assuming you mean why I kidnapped him. When I sent my Nightmares to attack and bring me the winner of the other Light Cup winner since my racer won the Light Cup in his races, this mere driver stood in the way and made you run away. That must have made my children very confused and angry so they attacked him and brought him back. I didn't mind though. You were missing and gone for good and my Nightmares got a new plaything. So it was a win-win situation for me."
"Let them go..." Jack hissed, clenching his hands as he bowed his head, "I'll quit the race..."
Pitch hummed for a few seconds before lifting Jack's chin up. "No, Mr Frost. I don't want you to quit. I would've preferred if you had been extremely injured and couldn't take part in the race, which had been my initial plan. But now that you're back, I thought it would be more interesting if you lose disastrously at the race."
Jack tried hard to keep his cool as his next words slipped out, "Wouldn't me quitting make it easier for your racer to win?"
Pitch shook his head with a sad pout on his face. "That would just be suspicious and put me in the spotlight! Jack Frost returns after being missing for more than a month, is visited by Pitch Black and suddenly wants to quit after winning the first place at every race he's taken part in? That would be preposterous! I'd be questioned too much and Nightmares Inc would get a bad name! I don't want that to happen to my precious company now, do I? So, I'm asking you once again, Frost. Do we have a deal or not?"
Jack stayed silent, thinking hard about his current situation. His mind kept making up hopeless plans to rescue Emma but Jack knew it wouldn't be possible. He'd seen what Pitch Black was capable of doing even without using his powers. He knew that the only reason Pitch even bothered revealing that he'd been planning Jack's demise since the minute he won the Light Cup was so that he knew to what lengths this monster of a man would go to make sure Jack lost. And trying to rescue Emma when Pitch was on guard was basically a suicide mission.
"I'll take that as a yes." Pitch snapped his fingers and the Nightmares disappeared, the sand vaporising into thin air.
Jack dropped to the ground and rubbed his wrists, not bothering to look up as Pitch bid him goodbye and left the room. Just before closing the door, Pitch leaned back and muttered loud enough only for Jack to hear. "Don't bother telling others. It's not like any of you can do anything against me anyway. Farewell, Jack Frost." And he left.
A few seconds after his departure, the Guardians came rushing into Jack's room and found him on his knees, his head bowed low as angry tears flowed down his face.