Chapter 16

Time to Practice

It was winter, and the snow had built up heavily while she was in school during the day, and then even more during the class. Avery had finished her dance class exactly on time that night and had been picked up by her older sister; Sarah. Sarah was her big sister, and the pair were like two peas in a pod. Avery was looking out of her window in the car; watching the snow flurry past as they left he side road and joint the traffic on the busier stretch of main road. She liked sitting in the front, Sarah always let her, but she wasn't meant to tell Mum and Dad.

"I wish it hadn't snowed so much today, the roads are awful when it's like this." Sarah was mumbling to herself. Avery looked over; she was sorry that she'd had dance that day, she normally didn't.

"Don't worry kid, I said I'd pick you up. Mum and Dad are away until tomorrow so it's sister night. I said I'd get us a special treat tonight hey? How do we feel about pizza for dinner? Or maybe sushi, or-" Sarah smiled while she spoke, waiting for the question.

"You said there was a surprise! What is it?" Avery asked, practically bouncing in her seat. There it was.

"Didn't you see it already?" Sarah asked, innocently."It's in the back."

Avery turned in her seat and saw the box on the back seat; it was wrapped in metallic christmas wrapping paper. She had thrown her dance bag into the back seat and not even seen it. She looked at Sarah and got a smile and nod, before she excitedly reached for the box. Her hands grabbed the box and she pulled it onto her lap.

She felt the car jerk to the side as she turned herself back to face the front window, and she dropped the present onto the floor in front of her seat. Sarah's hands were moving fast on the wheel as she tried to get them out of the way, and Avery saw Sarah's panicked face as she turned to face her sister. Sarah grabbed Avery and held her close to her own body, as the truck collided with the driver's side of the little car that Sarah had only gotten recently. The noise was deafening, but seemed to cut off quickly, and everything seemed to go quiet. It was the ringing in her ears that Sarah noticed first, followed by her opening her eyes and looking around.

She coughed and felt her chest shoot pain up towards her shoulders. She let out a groan as she rolled to her side, trying to focus on everything around her. The car had rolled into a ditch and had gotten stuck in the snow, it was sitting with it's front buried in the snowbank. Her side of the car had been pushed in, and she felt the metal pushing against her leg, close to her ankle. She reached out into the car, searching for her sister. She felt the fabric of Avery's skirt and tugged on it.

"Avery, hey, you there?" She asked, hoping for something in reply. She heard a weak cough and felt the fabric shift, and felt Avery's hand find hers. She squeezed tight on the little hand and felt how cold it was. "You're alright kid, you're fine."

"My head hurts." Her younger sister moaned, curling up to Sarah's hand. Sarah groaned as she pulled herself closer to her sister. Ignoring the pain in her chest, she pulled her coat off and laid it over her sister. The girl was only wearing her dance tights and leotard. The windows had smashed open in the accident, and the snow was creeping into the car. Sarah pulled her sister closed, holding the jacket to the younger girl's body. The pain in Sarah's chest had numbed, and she felt her eyes flutter shut for a second. Lights and sirens in the distance caught her attention and she held tight to her sister. Sarah let her eyes close, and let her hands relax, though she kept them on Avery's. She just had to keep Avery warm until the emergency people got to them. She let herself relax, and let herself slip into a sleep she didn't realise she needed so badly.

She didn't know how long it had been when she opened her eyes and found she was standing in the hallway of a hospital; the hospital in the town next to where she lived. Sarah walked down the hall until she heard a familiar sound; her sister's crying. Sarah ran down the hall, calling out to Avery that she was coming, and not to worry. Why had they left her in the hallway? Perhaps she had wanted some space, maybe she had wandered off and forgotten. She ran into the room and stopped herself by grabbing the doorway with her hands. She scanned the room to find her Mum, Dad and Sarah sitting together. Her Mum and Dad had dried tears on their faces, while Avery was visibly sobbing against her Mother. Sarah sat down next to her sister and stared at the hospital bed. She saw herself laying in the bed; a mess of tubes and wires were coming from her body. She was bruised and bloody, obviously hurt from the crash.

"Hey, hey kiddo, it's gonna be alright. Don't cry over this, come on." She said, reaching out to Avery and rubbing her shoulder. Avery seemed to calm down, and was able to hold back the sobs. Sarah was glad at this and was able to ignore the sensation that ran up her arm when it passed through her sister.

The world around him went white and blurred again, and Jack opened his eyes to find he was once again standing near the little pond at the Tooth Palace. He dropped the memory box with a gasp, and it landed in the grass, with Jack sinking to his knees next to it. He closed his eyes but all he could see was the snow, and the blaring lights of the truck. He could hear the sounds as the truck hit the little car, and the sound as it swerved and hit the snow bank. His snow, his beautifully soft, clean snow, so cold; it was the worst thing in that moment. So dangerous and ugly.

"Kid, it wasn't you." He heard the voice, but didn't look at it.

"Don't ignore me."She said and Jack looked over, his body shaking, and saw her sitting at the edge of the pond. He slowly made his way over, and sat next to her, staring at the water.

"It wasn't you."

"But- I've been in this for hundreds of years now, three hundred years; it had to be me."

"You don't control each and every flake, and you don't control where the wind or people move them to. It was just, bad luck." She said, pausing a little between words.

"I'm so-"

"Don't apologise for it kid, you never really had it explained to you. I try not to, as Dawn's first reaction was quite similar but more… shouty I suppose. She's good at whispering in ears as well, as I found out."

"What do you mean?"

"Death was the first one I met, and he kind of explained it all to me. Eros met me sometime in my second or third year and he's just kinda… stuck around. I suppose we're a stray kitten to each other, both needed some saving, neither really wanted it."

Jack nodded, and neither of them spoke. Jack didn't feel like asking where Pitch had gone, he likely left, hoping for them to end one another in his absence. She laid back and spread her arms out into the grass, running the fingers over the green blades. Jack raised his head and looked over the pond, and noticed just how many fairies had been buzzing by, busy working while their mother was away. He had never seen Toothiana hurt before, she was always the one looking after the others, after him.

"What were your parents like?" Jack asked whispering, he didn't feel like he should ask.

Her eyes were shut, and her body had sunk into the soft green grass; she didn't open her eyes, or seem to hear Jack. Jack shook his head and looked back at the water, it rippled gently whenever a fairy flew too close, the tiny wind made by their wings using against the surface.

"Dad worked a lot, Mum travelled a lot for work and family, my Nan was sick so Mum would help her with doctors visits and stuff. i never really paid attention to any of it, I was too young to be any help, she passed away when I was eight or so, maybe nine. no eight, she passed away a little while after my sister was born."

"Were you two close?"

"Inseparable, honestly. We were two peas in a pod, always with some little secret or some game we wanted to play."

"Did you do dance as well? did she get into it because of you?"

Jack wasn't expecting her to laugh so loudly, but she did, and it warmed Jack's chest.

"Oh gods no, I was awful at it, I was never good at anything graceful." Jack opened his mouth to say something, but closed it quickly, looking at the water with an intensity, hiding his embarrassment. She sensed it, but didn't comment; only cast a smirk at Jack which he didn't see.

"She was a natural, it was incredible. Mum and Dad worked so hard for her t be able to take classes, the school was good, and very expensive. It was worth it though, to see her on that stage. She had wanted that role since she first saw it herself when she was a kid."

"How old were you when it-"

"Eighteen I think? No seventeen I would have been."

"Oh. How old is she now? She doesn't look very old."

"She'd still be in school, she better be anyway. I think she'd be about sixteen."

"So you're twenty three now." Jack said, looking at her, to see she was scowling at him.

"You're a right brat at times, yes, I would be twenty three."

"Why does it make me a brat?" Jack asked, faking offense. She grinned at it.

"You're just so bloody nosy."

Jack smiled, and the two fell silent again. It was a silence that Jack felt mostly okay with, but there was a slight weariness to it, as if the two didn't know what to do.

"How old was I?" Jack whispered.

"Kid-"

"You can see it though. I wan-"

"Then go look for yourself. I don't care you've seen mine, I would've preferred if you hadn't but, oh well, too bad so sad I suppose. I'm not gonna look at yours kid. I don't enjoy doing it." She stood up, and looked over the water, at the view that extended beyond the water and looked down at Jack. Her eyes had gone weird again, and Jack felt nervous.

"You held back." She said.

"What?"

"At that little house, Eros explained it all after. You held back on me."

"I was just-" Jack started, and saw her eyebrow raise, which annoyed him.

"What should I have done? I wasn't expecting you to do anything! I didn't think you could fight, at all, and I just kind of lost it. The weird bubble thing throws me off as well."

"You will eventually face off with one of the most cruel, and most evil things on this planet, you can't hold back. Have you ever really fought? Don't look at me like that, I mean it; have you ever struck something more than some sand with your ice? North made you a staff, and it is going to be the most beautiful feeling when you truly use it, but you need to be able to push past your mind not wanting to do it."

"W-will it-" He didn't want to say it. She watched him, waiting for him to say it. he sighed, and felt his voice shake as he did. "Will it kill them?"

"If you want it to."

He didn't want that; he didn't want to actually end anyone. He just wanted Pitch to stop, somehow; without it being so drastic. He felt he hand on his shoulder, and wasn't surprised that when he opened his eyes, he was in a different place. It was a large empty field of beautiful green grass, with wildflowers spotted about. It was gorgeous, and Jack had fallen in love with the peaceful silence of the area. It was chilly but the sun gave enough warmth so that it wasn't uncomfortable. He saw a blob of black heading towards him, and he dodged, just in time. The black coat hit the grassy floor and landed in a messy pile. Jack looked up and saw she had walked a little bit away from him; she was wearing black jeans and a grey singlet that was almost form fitting.

"Uhhh..." Jack was very confused, and distracted himself by spinning his staff in one hand.

"Time to learn kid; not in the most pleasant way. We'll play a game, it'll make it a little more fun. Tag?"

Jack smiled, and was a little cocky in his smirk, maybe too cocky. It was fine, it'd help.

"We're going to test how strong your new staff is."

"What?"

"I am going to try and take it from, and try my damn hardest to snap it in half."

"What! Why?!" Jack was startled by this, and was unsettled when he noticed just how dark her hair had become. When had it happened?

"Because then you've got no real chance of stopping me digging through your head, and finding all your memories, all the good ones; and taking them."

"Okaaay, how do I get them back?"

"You don't. You stop me from getting them in the first place."

"How do I do that?" Jack asked, setting his feet into a bracing position. He blinked, and she was gone. Jack heard the footstep behind him seconds before she touched him; he jumped back just in time to see her hair for a second before he blinked and she was gone again. This carried on, with her getting close and Jack moving with seconds to spare. He rolled to the side to avoid her, and felt her fingertips graze against his wrist.

Jack shook his head when he stood and decided to try something new; not blinking. It strained and hurt, when he tried to keep his eyes open. He felt the tears, but he saw her, across the field, moving towards him. she was running, at an incredible pace, but he could see her. The ebb of energy hit him, and he feel backwards, laying on his back in the grass.

"Did you figure it out?" He heard her yelling from across the field; she was enjoying this.

"You sound like you're having fun!" Jack yelled back, getting to his feet. "You sound like someone else I know." He continued; his breathing was pained, he was getting tired. Her speed wasn't so much the problem, it was more how she moved.

"Really?" She asked, she had walked closer, but was standing still. "Pitch?" She asked, knowing the answer already. Jack simply stared at her, trying to keep his eyelids from falling. He wanted so badly to close his eyes, the dust was hurting.

"I don't think I'm that much like Pitch. You're still alive aren't you?" She asked, grinning. "No, actually, he wouldn't kill you. he isn't like that. If Pitch could take all the memories you like, all the memories you treasure so badly. What would he do?"

"I-"

"He would own you, Jack Frost." With that, she began moving again. Her hair was a solid black now, and her eyes had become a mirror of it. It was like looking at the eyes of Pitch Black, and it frightened Jack. Without even thinking, his eyes closed, only for a second. When they opened, she was close; Jack pulled his staff back, only to keep it from her grasp. It was training, she wouldn't do it; would she? He wouldn't forget any of it; would he? Would he forgot Jamie? Would he forget he was Guardian? The realisation struck Jack, and he swung his staff forward without even thinking, and felt the force as the beam of ice and snow shot from the end. It was a deafening noise as the magic flew from the staff, striking her and throwing her backwards. He knew when it made contact with her, he could feel an odd warmth in his hands that travelled from his hands, through the rest of his body, and settled in his chest.

Again.

His body pleaded for the feeling again, and he tried to silence it, he wanted to run, he wanted to drop the staff and never touch it again. How could he want to do it again? He saw her stand up, as if it unaffected by this blast, and something in him snapped. He swung the staf quickly, sending off three quick blasts with his weapon; he had never considered it a weapon before. Each blast made contact with her, sending that warmth into his body again and again. He watched her, and grew worried when she didn't move. He began to walk towards then, then a little faster, until he was beside her body. She was laying still,on her side in the grass with her eyes closed. Jack was worried when he noticed her hcest wasn't rising and falling with breath, and he knelt beside her, ready to call for help from the Guardians. He also noticed now that she wasn't wearing her coat, that her arms and neck were covered in lots of tiny, thin cuts; scars that had healed over into thin white lines. What had he done? Jack was full of panic; he hadn't meant to hurt her. Not really.

He wasn't expecting her to move; her arm rose while the rest of her stayed motionless, and her hand wrapped around the base of Jack's staff, where it was leaning into the ground. One of her eyes opened up slowly, and focused on Jack; she was smiling. Jack 's eyes widened and he stared at her, he didn't know what to do.

"What's wrong, kid?"