I fly, fly faster than I thought possible. Jack is behind me but having trouble keeping up. He's begging me to stop but I tune him out. I search for anything familiar, there are no leaves on the trees so I can't open a portal and I have no idea where I am. I'm starting to get frustrated, I can feel all of my emotions well up inside me.
"Autumn," Jack says irritated. I snap around; the air stops, hitting Jack like a brick wall. My bow starts glowing a dangerous red and the wind begins to storm.
"Why?" I yell over the invisible barrage. "Why did you not come back? Why did you break your promise?" I yell with fire in my eyes.
"Look I tried but couldn't find you," Jack says with his head down in shame. I let out a long sigh and let my shoulders slump; I hate seeing Jack like this. My bow stops glowing and the wind settles.
"Then you obviously didn't look hard enough," I say sadly. I turn to fly away but Jack stops me.
"Wait, Autumn we really do need your help."
"But why me?" I say confused.
"Because we need the magic of a seasonal spirit," he says slowly.
"You're one too," I say.
"Yes, but we need two," he says through clenched teeth.
"Then ask Lily, she would be more than willing to help," I say frustrated.
"Autumn, Lily is missing. We think Pitch is behind it and we need you." The news about Lily hits me harder than it should, we didn't really know each other that well.
"Ok, who is this pitch and who were those spirits back there?" I say with irritation.
"Pitch is the boogeyman," my face fell "those spirits were the Guardians," Jack says shamefully.
"The Guardians," I say with amazement.
"I am a Guardian," Jack says keeping his head down. There is a moment of silence.
"Why did you join the Guardians?" I say angrily. Jack looks down. "Hmm," I say.
"Autumn, the Guardians helped me, kids believe in me, I know my past," Jack says looking up "I know they will help you too," Jack raises an eyebrow "are you in." I laugh at his childish behaver.
"Jack, I don't know if I can."
"I know you can," he says with a laugh.
"OK," anger replaces my other emotions. "But just to be clear I am doing this for Lily, not for you."
"Crystal, come on I'll race you there," Jack says with excitement.
"You're on," I say with an equal amount of joy. I would never show it but I did miss having fun with him. Jack and I race back towards the pole. I beat Jack by two seconds, leap through the window and my jaw drops. A man dressed in all black is standing in the middle of the room while the Guardians are acting chaotic. Jack jumps through the window and mutters under his breath.
"Pitch."
"That's Pitch!" I say "I can't do this." The man I suspect is North is swigging around swords at auburn coloured flames, the half bird spirit I guess is Tooth is trapped in a glass box acting frantic, the large rabbit I think is Bunny is being chased by a pure black coloured mastiff and the little gold man that must be Sandy is fighting an ebony sand horse with honey coloured eyes. Jack let out a scream and I notice that the floor underneath him was cracking, he covers it in a layer of frost to have it shatter. I watch confused as the Guardians struggle, I look at Pitch fearfully; that was my mistake. Pitch snaps his head in my direction with hungry eyes. His eyes glows neon and then dim, he shoots me a smile.
I feel a tap on my shoulder, I spin around armed to find… myself. Someone who looked exactly like me but with jet black hair, clothes and canary coloured eyes; it gives me shivers. The other me takes out a sand arrow, attaches it to her bow and release. I try to dodge but I wasn't quick enough; the arrow leaves a shallow cut in my arm. As a reflex, I shoot at the duplicate. Before the arrow hit, the duplex disappears in a puff of black smoke. The other Guardian's problems vanish too. All of us turn towards Pitch.
"Hope you had fun," Pitch says with a smile.
"Oh, ya great fun," Jack says sarcastically.
"Oh, you didn't enjoy your fears," Pitch says with fake shock.
"Our fears?" I ask.
"Yes, your fear is quite entertaining," Pitch says with a smirk. "I'm sorry; I don't believe we've been introduced, Onyx," Pitch says as the other me appears with a simper.
"Her name is Autumn Leaves and she is so… easy," Onyx says with a disgusted look on her face.
"So, old friend," Pitch says looking at the moon "this is the spirit who is supposed to defeat me, well I must say that I'm disappointed." "You can't kill fear Autumn" Pitch whispers into my ear.
"Get away from her!" Jack yells while slamming an ice bolt in Pitch's face.
He then runs into the shadows and Onyx disappears in a puff of smoke. The Guardians race after Pitch except for Sandy who is trying to avoid him as much as he can. I look down and notice there's a cut which has black spiraling out. I cover it hoping that no one noticed. The Guardians come back from observing the shadows.
"Are you alright?" Jack asks with an angered expression surveying the shadows.
"Ya, fine," I say breaking out of my shock. Jack didn't look convinced but he never pushed it. The Guardians offer me to stay the night but I refuse; I just really need to get away and let all of this soak in.
"Well you're not going out there alone, not with Pitch roaming the streets," Jack says obviously talking about him.
"Fine meet me at my tree in half an hour," I say to Jack annoyed.
"Why half an hour?" Tooth asks.
"Well I have to do my job," I say as if it was obvious. Without another word, I fly out the window. I don't know where I'm going but it has to be away from the Guardians.