Chapter 13
A Misunderstanding
Jack had visited everyone that morning, and again at lunch, and he went to do another round before dinner but was told firmly by Bunny not to come back. Something about being too bouncy. Jack moaned that Bunny simply wasn't bouncy enough, to which Bunny shouted "I'm a rabbit!" and throwing Jack into a warren tunnel. Jack laughed as he raced through the tunnel, and popped out the other end near the town edge of Burgess. It was later in the day, and jack was worried he would be late, but everything had gone well. He followed Jamie's family as they drove from the house, and made their way to the theatre near the centre of town. The family, plus Jamie's cousin, piled out of the car and made their way inside the building. It was the perfect evening; cold, but not so cold it was uncmfortable, and the air was fantastically crisp. Jack followed the crowd into the theatre, careful not to touch anyone, and kept up with the family as they made their way to their seats. They were in the second row from the back. Jack sat himself behind the family, letting himself get comfortable in the back row which was empty. The air in the theatre was warm, but not so warm that Jack didn't want to be there. Jamie and his cousin were bouncing in their seats from excitement, ready for the show to start. The theatre wasn't large, so they could see the performers quite clearly as the lights dimmed behind them, the music started, and the show began.
"Enjoying the show?" He heard someone ask, and Jack shushed them without thinking. He wasn't to worried, no one in the room could see him, let alone hear him shushing them.
"What's got your hoddie in a twist kid? Rude tonight aren't ya." Came the voice again, amused. Jack blinked and turned to see the young girl sitting herself into the chair besides him. She was wearing the same black coat as she had last time he saw her, with the same boots, but her hair was pulled back into a bun on her head; it was closer to being white today, which he found oddly charming. No charming wasn't the right word; nice. Nice would do. The two of them didn't speak again for awhile, they sat and enjoyed the show in silence. Jack noticed that her fingers would tap along with the music.
"Have you seen the play before?" He asked.
"Oh, a few times. She always wanted to get the lead, I'm so proud of her." She said, not really paying attention. She was focused on the show.
"Who?"
"Who?"
"No you said-" Jack didn't continue, he could tell she hadn't meant to say it, and didn't want to push. He wanted to know, badly, but knew that she wasn't going to say anything she didn't want to. So, he decided to ask something else.
"What was Dawn talking about, the other day, after the fire?" He asked.
"What specifically? She said lots of things."
"She was trying to say something, but everyone kept cutting her off, saying I didn't need to know. What am I not meant to know?"
She was silent. Jack couldn't tell if she was upset, mad, or just didn't want to have the conversation. Jack fell into the silence, and watched the show again. It was some minutes later that she broke it again.
"A kid started it, the fire. It was an acident, the whole thing was; an accident that became a mess. The kid's nice, didn't mean for it to happen, but it did. They were running to get help, but the grass was just too dry, the air too hot, and the fire spread too quickly for them to do anything. So they lied; they found their parents and said they had found a bushfire, so of course the parents pack up the car and the pets and kids, and race to find other help and warn the neighbours." She paused, taking in a breath. Jack hoped she would continue, which she did.
"You were weak kid, winter spirits don't go into fires for a reason. They didn't want you to know for a few reasons. They didn't want to you focus on it instead of recovering and well, one of the main things is, they didn't want you to think badly of the kid."
"I wouldn't have!" Jack protested.
"Don't need to defend yourself kid, not with me, not now." The tone of voice was genuine, and calmed Jack. "They were worried kid, they always will, you're the youngest one. They've spent years now looking after kids that don't truly know them, but you're here with them, amongst them, a true child, mostly."
"Mostly?"
"Well, how old were you when you died?"
"Oh, uh.."
"You still haven't opened it?"
The question made Jack uneasy, like a child who hadn't done his homework, and he didn't want to answer the question. Luckily he didn't have to, as the crowd stood suddenly, and broke into applause. Jack saw the girl was standing as well, and clapping greater than the crowd; her whole spirit was in that applause. Jack watched the performers bow and stand, smiling out into the crowd.
"God she doesn't look a thing like me." She said, with a smile.
Jack scanned the performers and found her; a younger girl, in her teens he would guess. Jack disagreed completely. The two looked as if they could be twins; one young, and one the future version. Jack turned again, and saw she was gone, as was usual whenever Jack saw her. He left the theatre, giving a soft wave goodbye to Jamie and his family, before the wind picked him up and he flew away. He had enjoyed his evening, and was glad to see the family together, but the end of the night had left an odd feeling in his stomach. She knew the girl in the play, obviously, but why? How? They looked so alike Jack guessed they were sisters, they had to be. He ignored it, wanting to not intrude, and decided instead to sleep on it. Perhaps he could decide what to do tomorrow, so he headed back to the North Pole. He dropped in through his skylight, and headed to his bedroom; it still felt so strange to think he had his own room in the workshop. He rested his saff against the wall next to the bed, and climbed under the covers, and fell asleep quickly, falling into an unpleasant and fitful sleep.
Jack was in the city he had visited earlier, standing in the square where the markets had been held. The markets weren;t there, rather the square was empty of people, and Jack saw the area of street the accident had happened. There were no cars, no people just Jack, as he walked over to the spot. He saw a large stain on the asphalt, and felt his chest lurch at the sight of it. Jack saw movement, and looked up to see the girl standing nearby, looking away from was gone when he blinked, and he let out a sigh.
"Strange girl, isn't she." A voice came, and Jack didn't need to turn to see the speaker.
"Evenin' Pitch, you're out late." Jack said.
"Best time of the day for being out my boy, lovely cold air too. Really makes the mood I think." Jack saw the shadow on the ground beside him, and realised Pitch was physically standing beside him. He continued to look at the dark stain.
"She is marvellous though, isn't she?" Pitch continued, moving closer to Jack. "The ability to control whether or not that child died. Imagine having that kind of power. To tell off the very being that is Death." Pitch was behind Jack now, leaning in close, and placing his hands on Jack's shoulders. Jack wanted to move, or to fight, but didn't, he felt heavy. It was the same feeling from the church, and Jack figured she must be nearby again.
"Why don't you want to remember?" Pitch asked, digging his fingers into Jack's shoulders, hard enough for it to sting. "She does. She remembers."
Jack raised his head, looking ahead in time to see the car, it had stopped just before him, it's lights on, horn blaring into the night. Jack could hear emergency sirens in the distance, and noticed just how cold the air had become; as well as how gritty the road was. He felt the grains of sand beneath his feet, pushing at the skin and trying to pile around his feet.
"She remembers being human, being alive, being with her family. Think about it Jack, it's the same as your Guardians have gone through, watching people they cared about grow old and die, except you've met someone who is only at the beginning of the journey. How simply dreadful." The voice dripped in satisfaction, as Jack felt the sand climb his body, rapidly climbing it's way up his legs, his chest and arms until he felt it pressing against his eyelids and lips, which he held firmly shut, hoping desperately the sand would give up. The sand seemed to grow warm, and the heat radiated painfully against what exposed skin Jack had. A particular hot piece of sand pressed against his paln, causing him to gasp in pain, letting the sand flood his mouth until he was spluttering and suffocating on the hot grains. Jack sat up in his bed, clutching at his throat, breathing rapidly; desperate for air. Jack looked at the click, and did some quick mental math to figure out the time ones, before grbabing his staff and running out of of his room. He didn't remember rushing past North, or flying out through his skylight; he really only remembered the quick fly to the little island, where he let the cold air soothe and comfort him. Jack smiled when he noticed the two figures walking towards the little house, but it soon faded, and slipped into a horrified grimace.
"No." Jack said,pleading to himself.
The young girl's blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight, and the man next to her seemed to overwhelm the landscape. Jack recognised the two of them, realising what them being here would mean, and he couldn't handle it. Jack was floating in the air, a short distance from them, but they noticed the sudden uplift in the wind. The man continued to walk towards the house, while the young lady's pace slowed.
"No!" Jack shouted, the word spilling from his mouth, as his grip tightened on his staff. The wind sweled around him, and he moved in a sudden quick burst, towards the two of them. Her head turned, and she caught Jack's eyes. Jack heard the word child on the wind, but he ignored it, he was focused. He would stop the man; he at least knew what the man did. He would take someone, he would take someone from the house, one of the few people he had grown attached to. He wasn't sure what the girl did, so he wasn't sure if he would have to stop her as well but he was fairly certain of one thing; he would if it came down to it. Jack heard it again; child. It was the man speaking, he had also stopped, but was not facing Jack. Jack pulled his arms back, ready to swing his staff with as much magic behind it as he could muster, but he felt a force push against his body, and he was thrown back in the air. Jack hurtled to the ground, landing in a pile of soft snow. With barely a moment of pause, he was up again, running at the pair near the house. He hadn't seen her move, but was a lot closer now, and with a flick of her hand, Jack was thrown aside. This continued; Jack would run, then be thrown back, only for him to clamber back to his feet and for it to repeat.
Jack clambered up again, getting to his feet, and facing the girl. He readied his staff, ready to run, when he saw her roll her eyes; exasperated. Jack raised his staff above his head, when he felt his body grow heavy, and felt the same bubble of force push against him, ebbing away against his body until he was on his knees, unable to support himself. He heard the footsteps as she walked over to him, and he was too weak to even speak, to shout at her, to demand answers.
"Jack Frost, do not think for a second that he will not take you, simply because of who and what you are." Her voice was angry, like a parent, or an elder sibling. It hurt Jack, in a way he hadn't felt before. He wanted to apologise, but he wasn't sure what for; he didn't feel bad for wanting to attack them. He felt very confused.
"I-" He tried, but was cut off by another ebb of the force pushing against him, and when he looked up, he was shocked by what he saw. Her skin was as pale as it ever was, but her blonde hair had grown a dirty grey, with a deep black beginning to fade in at the roots. Her eyes were dark, the coloured area had deepened in colour until it was a deep grey, almost black, which seemed to swirl about like water.
"There have been winter spirits before you, who are dead, who no longer exist and never will again in any form. He can and will, end you Jack Frost." She dropped herself to her knees in front of Jack, and rested her hands on her thighs, keeping her eyes on him. Jack stared at the ground, and breathed in deeply when he felt the heaviness subside. His eyelids felt heavy instead, and he struggled to look at her without his eyes falling shut.
"There is one person in this world that has beaten Death, it is not you, and will not be you." She said, looking at Jack.
"Who? I-they-" He felt weak, but he wanted to know. He would find them, ask them for help, ask them for something that could give him an advantage.
"The man who is currently death."
"I just-" But Jack couldn't continue; he felt his body become limp seconds before falling unconscious, and slumping onto his side in the snow. She shook her head and stood up, her hair fading back to it's normal blonde, as she looked out over the snowy landscape.
"You may have to go and warn something that Jack will need a pick up, thank goodness the snow isn't a danger to him." She said out loud, speaking to the wind, and felt it rush past her as it raced to find someone to help. Which thankfully, didn't take very long at all.
The wind found Bunny first, who was busy doinga quick sweep of a field, planning future egg placement when the wind batered against him out of nowhere, shoving him slightly to the side. The papers Bunny had been holding fluttered off into the wind,then seemed to swirl about before gently floating back towards him, stacking themselves neatly as they did. Bunny took the pile in his hands, and looked around.
"Odd trick Frosty, playing with the wind now?" There were no words in response, just the wind tugging at his arms and legs, wanting him to rush. Bunny could feel the desperation, but didn't know where to go. He tapped the ground, and a tunnel opened for him, which he jumped into and raced under the ground, allowing the wind to direct him with gentle tugs and pushes, to where he needed to go. He noticed the soil and air had gotten cold, and found him climbing out of the ground in an area he didn't recognise. It was covered and snow, with air that cut into Bunny's skin, despite his warm fur. Bunny was tugged at again by the wind, more forcefully this time, until he turned and saw the pile of blue and brown fabric in the snow.
"Frosty!" Bunny shouted, racing over the boy, and scooping him up. A tunnel opened up beneath thelarge rabit, and he began the journey to St Nick and the North Pole. Bunny wasn't sure how long Jack had been like that, or really why it had even happened; he had noticed that the snow seemed to fall into a cicle around him, rather than on him. Bunny wondered if the wind had done it, so that he could easily see Jack amongst the thick layer of snow on the ground. It wasn't a concern then, Bunny shook his head and carried on until he found himself in the warm interior of the North Pole.
"North!" Bunny shouted, using a voice he had long forgotten he had.
It was Phil the yeti who reached the room first, followed closely by North, and both were shocked by the sight. Bunny was shivering, his skin having been so deeply penetrated by the cold, and Jack was limp in his arms. Jack wasn't bruised, cut or scratched in any way but was definitely worn out, and needed to rest. The trio moved Jack to his room and settled him into his bed, making sure the covers were tight around him. Phil left the room first, muttering a list of things to do to himself in a langauge Bunny didn't understand; Phil had to get a first aid kit, as well as food and something for Jack to have when he woke up. North stayed in the room to keep an eye on Jack, while Bunny left to let Tooth and Sandy know about what had happened, or what he knew at least. Bunny wanted to know what had happened, and who had caused it, and to show them that messing with Jack was a poor idea. Bunny was not aware but, the person already knew this.
Behind the little house, near some small trees, the little girl and her mother were knelt in the snow, a small hole dug in the dirt. Sniffling, and trying but failing to hold back tears, the little girl lowered the body of Hoppers the rabbit into the hole, and allowed her mother to bury it. The two sat in the snow for some time, holding each other. The mother pulled her daughter closer as grief became to much, and the sobs became louder and more pained.