When Krystall and Jack got to the living room, Jack heard running water, which indicated that the mother was in the shower.
Krystall sat on the couch.
"Do you want to watch some TV?" Jack asked, looking over what he knew was the remote, but had no idea how to work it.
"Sure," Krystall answered, watching his face make confused looks. "Do you not know how to use that?"
He looked at her a bit embarrassed, "Actually, no."
"You don't have your own TV?"
"No, us Sprites and Spirits have no use for them." Jack smiled as he added, "The outdoors has always been my TV anyway."
"Can we go back outside?"
"Not right now. I don't want you to get in trouble." Jack looked over the remote again.
"To turn the TV on, you have to push the red button."
"Oh! That's simple enough." He turned the TV on then looked at Krystall, "Do you know what channel you watch?"
"I think it starts with a two."
Jack sighed. He scanned the room to see if there was something else the two could do.
He saw two things that seemed to be Krystall's. He wasn't sure about the first, though. There was a, 'How to Train Your Dragon', chapter book. And one of her few Tinker Bell dolls. This one being Fawn.
He turned the TV back off, handed Krystall her fairy doll, then opened the Dragon book to see what it was about.
The dragon book was definitely not hers; It was more for eight to early teens.
Curious, Jack showed Krystall the book, and asked, "Has your mom read you this book?"
She shook her head, "No." Hugging her doll, she asked, "Will you read it to me?"
"This has dragons in it. It may scare you." He sat on the couch next to her, the book laying between them on their legs. He showed her the pictures.
"They don't look too scary," Krystall told him.
"Are you sure?" Jack asked questionably.
She nodded.
"All right." Jack hoped he wouldn't regret it later. He went back to the first page and began, "Chapter one, my name is Hiccup—"
"That person has a funny name," Krystall interrupted.
Jack chuckled, "He does, doesn't he?"
"Does he always have hiccups, to be named that?"
Jack let out more laughter. "I don't think so, Eskimo. By what the characters wear on the cover, they appear to be Vikings."
"What are Vikings?"
"Vikings are Scandinavian seafaring pirates and traders from northwestern Europe. They're long before I was ever around."
"What's Scand-i-vain?"
"Scan-di-nav-ian. The term Scandinavia covers the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden."
Jack saw she was still confused and chuckled some more. "You'll understand when you're older. Now hush."
Krystall closed her mouth, her lips going inward.
Jack laughed a little again, then continued reading, "I live on an island called Berk. It's a spiky chunk of rock jutting out of the churning ocean—"
"What are you doing with your cousin's book?"
It was the mom. She walked closer to the side of the couch.
"Jack is reading it to me, and it has pictures," Krystall answered.
"Okay, but you be careful with it. I'm sure you're cousin would want it back."
"We'll be careful."
The mom smiled and was about to walk away when she asked, "Where's your daddy?"
"He's in my room looking at the window."
"Looking at your window?" Krystall's mom was at a loss. "Is there something wrong with it?"
Then the answer walked toward them.
"How did you make the window move?"
"What are you talking about?" The mother asked, still confused.
"The window opened on its own."
The mom raised an eyebrow, "It opened on its own?"
"What did you do to it?" Mr. Henry hissed.
"Why are you putting the blame on me?!" The mother yelled back. "One, I was in the shower, remember? And two, why would I mess with our daughter's window?"
"I don't know. No one else lives here. But someone messed with it!" Mr. Henry yelled.
"No one played a trick on you. Only your mind did."
"Excuse me!?" He asked angrily.
"Windows can't move by themselves. It was all in your head."
"I know what I saw! Don't you dare tell me otherwise! And why don't you tell me how the window moved!"
"We lived in this house for many years, and now you're saying a window moved on its own?" The mom crossed her arms, "You're the only one who claimed to have seen an object move on their own. So, you figure it out!"
"Are you calling me a liar?"
"I didn't say that! Why are you arguing with me on this? Stop blaming people for your problems!"
"Problems? People are the ones who give me problems! You're doing it right now!"
"How am I giving you a problem? I did not mess with the window! I don't know how to help you with your self-opening window!" Mrs. Henry told her husband.
Suddenly, Mrs. Henry was on the floor, holding her left cheek.
"Don't talk back to me!" Mr. Henry yelled.
"I didn't talk back to you!"
Jack was already off the couch as soon as he saw the mother fall to the floor.
"Mommy!" Krystall cried out.
"Be quiet!" her dad yelled. "Stay out of it!"
Krystall tried to go to her mom but was stopped by Jack and turned the other direction when he saw the father raise his foot and kick the mom in the leg.
"Krystall," Jack started, "I think it's time that you do go hide in your igloo."
"I want to be by mommy!"
"Please! I don't want you to get involved and hurt. Please go hide."
Krystall didn't move toward the back door but toward her mom. She saw her dad still beating on her mom.
"Mommy!" She looked at her dad with tears, "Daddy, stop hurting mommy!"
Jack stepped in front of her to block her view of what was happening.
"Jack! Save mommy!"
Maybe I can do something small that can be a distraction, Jack thought to himself.
"I'll try. But please, go hide." This time Krystall obeyed and ran to the back door.
Jack turned back to the abusive scene and stepped closer to the man. He tried to think as fast as he could, looking around to see what he could come up with.
His eyes landed back on the TV remote. It's something, Jack thought to himself, picking it up.
Jack aimed the remote at the man's head, and it hit his temple. The husband's hands flew up to the now bleeding wound.
The remote laid on the floor upside down: its battery door only a few feet away.
The wife, still on the floor, backed herself away. She didn't know what stopped her husband from beating her, for her arms covered her head.
"Dammit! What the hell!?" Was all the man could say as he grimaced in pain.
Mrs. Henry carefully picked herself up off the floor and limped away, calling for her daughter.
Jack glided toward the back door, careful not to spread his chill wind or frost. He opened the door before she got close enough to notice it open on its own. The woman felt the chill air, from outside before she even neared closer, and headed that direction.
Jack sighed in relief.
Krystall's mom limped quickly to the igloo.
"Come on, sweetheart," she said, "we're going to stay somewhere else for a while.
"Are we going back to that hotel?" Krystall asked.
"Yes, we are."
Krystall smiled, "I like Ms. Flora. She's nice." She looked up at Jack and added, "Jack, you would like her, too."
"I'm sure I will," he smiled back.
They were now back inside the house. The husband was still clutching at his wound. Jack didn't think he threw that hard, then again, he was used to only throwing snowballs and no other objects, but at least it gave enough time for Krystall and her mom to pack and leave.
The mom started in her daughter's room, packing clothes, some toys, and other essentials in Krystall's two Tinker Bell and Friends suitcases, before doing the same with her own.
Once finished, the three walked quickly-Mrs. Henry still limping-to a midnight blue h2 hummer.
Krystall got put into her booster seat.
As she was getting buckled in, she asked, "Mommy, can Jack come with us?"
"Of course he can," her mom answered a bit weakly. "You never want to leave home without your Guardian Angel."
"Yay!" Krystall bounced in her seat. "Get in, Jack."
"That's all right," Jack said, "I'm just going to follow."
"Wish I could fly," Krystall pouted.
Jack gave her a smile then jumped into the air.
Krystall leaned out the door to watch as Jack hovered twenty feet above.
"We have to go now, honey," the mom told her. Krystall sat back upright, and her mom shut the door.
It was a one-hour drive, and Krystall watched Jack through the entire way. He entertained her by doing flips in the air, flying backwards, and surfing on his wooden staff.
She laughed and clapped.
Mrs. Henry occasionally glanced in her rearview mirror at her daughter and thought, she created this Guardian Angel, or imaginary friend because of what's been happening at home. I hope she'll be able to grow out of it in at least a couple of years and not distance herself away from people.
At least she's keeping herself entertained, but is she trying to escape from her emotions? Will it change her for the worst? Or is there, for better, in there somewhere?