Pitch's Revenge

Chapter 2

Eerie Similarities

Looking back at the previous day, Jack could only feel pain. Perhaps it would be best if he forgot about Jamie, just like he had about him. Why be bothered by his former friend, when clearly, Jamie could not care less about him?

Jack sighed. No, he could not simply forget. After all, Jack Frost never forgets. Okay... so maybe there were a few times he had forgotten something in the past. But nothing was as important as the friendship of theirs had been to him. He just couldn't forget how often the two used to have fun in the snow, how they would sometimes prank others and laugh all day. He couldn't bear seeing his former believer and friend look so depressed.

Flying back to Jamie's house, he could not have known that worse troubles were brewing than he had previously thought.

"Sophie! Soph! Come back!" Jamie was calling out, looking afraid. Jack looked down, confused. The male brunette was searching everywhere, looking as though he had lost something. Had he... lost Sophie?

Jack looked around. Flying through Burgess, he too could not find any sign of Jamie's younger sister. Rushing back to make sure that at least Jamie was fine, he saw him sitting on the snow-covered ground... crying? Now, that wasn't very normal. But then again, he had a tough month. And it had gotten even worse now that Sophie had seemingly disappeared.

He gave Jamie one last glance, before realising that there was only one thing he could do for his friend. He would find Sophie and bring her back. And yes, he just admitted that he still wanted Jamie to be his friend, even if he couldn't see him. Even if he didn't believe.

As the wind lifted him once again, he resumed his search, flying past houses, until he came to a street, with several posters. Posters of lost children. All from Burgess.

He then saw Pippa posting another poster on a lamppost, looking just as afraid as Jamie had. Upon a closer inspection, the poster also had a lost child on it, but this one had ginger hair, not blond like Jamie's sister. She was also a girl, but younger. And from the poster, Jack read that her name was Lucy.

Landing beside Pippa, he tapped her shoulder. "I see you have the same problem as Jamie," he exclaimed. Pippa looked at him with a confused expression. Jack sighed. "Sophie has gone missing. I doubt Jamie knows how and I myself cannot find her."

Pippa nodded. "I-I... I searched everywhere for Lucy, but I couldn't find her. She disappeared yesterday afternoon."

Jack thought about it. "And Sophie must have disappeared in the morning. If they were kidnapped, why would someone kidnap them in broad daylight? I kind of feel the two disappearances are connected... but how?"

"I'm not sure, but I think I know a person who could help me... and maybe you, if you are willing to believe the two of us," Pippa replied, looking back at the poster, tears welling up in her eyes. "I... I just hope that they're alright."

As did he.

"You should have heard the news last night. Over this month, 33 kids in the United States have disappeared without a trace," she continued.

"One of them was my sister..." another voice piped. Both Jack and Pippa jumped, before turning around to see a small, brown-haired boy looking at them with sorrowful eyes. He might have been about six or seven years old.

"Oh... I am sorry about that," Pippa murmured sympathetically.

"Sh-she was with me when she got lost. We were playing by the pond. And then... she saw lights. I saw them too, but I felt scared to follow them because I thought the forest was haunted. I decided to stay. She called me a scardy cat. I wish I had gone with her. That was the last... the l-last time I s-saw her," and then he broke into a sob. Pippa caught him.

"It's going to be alright..." she reassured him.

"N-no... I haven't seen her for a week... n-not e-even daddy saw her... and h-he's a policeman," the boy cried, tears falling to the ground.

"Look, we'll try and help you find her, 'kay? You can count on me and Jack Frost to find her," she continued reassuring him, despite not being any more sure than he was. After all, the boy's sister had apparently been lost a week and not even the police had found her.

"A-as in... The Jack Frost. The one that brings snow days?" the boy asked in disbelief.

"If you want to see him, believe in him," she just replied.

And all of the sudden, the boy looked at them both wide-eyed, his expression just the slightest bit happier. "He's real!" the boy gasped.

"Yup, that would be me," Jack said proudly. "Don't worry, we'll find your sister." The boy surprised him with a big hug. And for the first time, in a long time, he felt a lot happier himself.

As Jack and the boy (whose name was apparently Ben) spoke, Pippa realised that there was something eerily similar about the boy's case. Not only did his sister (emphasis on sister) disappear, but she had seen those lights and she had been in the same place as she herself had been when she saw them.

"Umm... did the two of you by any chance hear any sounds?" Pippa asked the boy.

The boy slowly nodded. "Like someone was singing a lullaby... b-but creepier," he whispered. "And the lights floated above ground."

Right. Another similarity. Those lights and that voice had something to do with those disappearances for sure. Maybe if she searched the forest she would find some clues. But for now, she had somewhere else to go.

"Okay. Maybe you should go home, I doubt staying here for too long will be safe," Pippa said, before looking in Jack direction. "Mind taking Ben home, I need to sort something out."

Jack simply nodded and took the boy home, whilst Pippa headed in the direction of one of her friends' house.

Her best friend, Liz, lived at the edge of Burgess, in a house similar to hers. She was a strange person, who loved books, nature, but scarcely talked to other humans. However, despite her slightly odd character, she was well-mannered and smart and always willing to help a friend. She was also good at solving mysteries. Despite being only sixteen she seemed to have a lot of talent.

Luckily for her, Liz was at home, making cupcakes. As she saw Pippa enter, she immediately opened the door, waving at her friend to come inside.

"Hello," she greeted her, with a small smile.

"Hi," Pippa greeted back, waving at her.

Liz lead her through the hallway and into the living room of her house. She then beckoned her to sit on the couch, before leaving to get the cupcakes she had left in the oven. Pippa could hear her close the oven door and the gentle clanking sound as the baking tray hit the kitchen table in the room next door to this one. Then, her best friend came back, holding two cupcakes.

"Pick one, then you can tell me what happened to make you look so worried," Liz exclaimed. Pippa felt taken aback. Was it that obvious? Still, she stood up, taking the cupcake in her left hand, before sitting back down. Liz smiled. "Shame, the one in my right hand had a strawberry filling."

Pippa pretended to be disappointed with her choice, but her act most likely failed anyway. "So, I came to ask you if you could help me solve a mystery," she explained, trying not to take too long at getting to the point.

"Well, that would explain why you came on a day that wasn't on the schedule," Liz joked. "I take it is a rather serious mystery."

Pippa nodded. "You see, Lucy went missing yesterday. She was gone and no one had seen where she had gone, or who she had gone with, despite this happen just after school," she began. Liz listened patiently, taking in the details. "So I went to find her, but she was... I couldn't find her at all. And today, a friend of mine was looking for his sister and couldn't find her either. Not to mention that a week ago, another girl went missing too."

Pippa watched as Liz's expression changed. Clearly, she was deep in thought. "I heard about that on the news last night," Liz mused out loud. "There were more vanishings, weren't there. But if we want to know for sure where to look, we would have to ask more people, preferably those who had more than one child. Siblings often now things that parents do not."

Yes, that was true. "The boy I saw today had a sister who disappeared. She vanished in the forest near that pond we used to skate on when we were younger. Apparently, the boy and his sister saw lights and heard voices. Actually, I've seen them too and heard those voices," Pippa added. Liz cocked her head to the side.

"Anything strange about that... like, more strange than usual?" Liz asked.

"Yes, those light floated above ground! And the voice was eerie and seemed to sing a creepy lullaby," Pippa exclaimed, shuddering a little at the memory. 'And here's to hoping that someone will believe me.'

"O-okay... that is strange," Liz agreed. "But before we start searching in that forest, you might want to ask more people. I've got a list of Burgess children that have vanished in the past month."

What? How could she have known that would come in handy? It seemed she always had something prepared. Pippa, staring at her in disbelief, was even more shocked when she realised how much data came with the names of Burgess children that had vanished.

Liz smiled, understanding her best friend's confusion. "Yes, I know, but when I heard about the first vanishing, I thought I might keep a note of it, just in case," she explained, handing her a sheet of paper with the key information about the lost children.

Pippa scanned them. Two of the children came from families with at least two children. This would help. All she would have to do is ask them about the forest and if they told her that they saw what she did, it would be a good enough proof for her to search that forest. Little did she know, her friend was already dead set on doing so.

"Mind speaking to the children yourself? I'm not a child expert," Liz asked. Pippa nodded, standing up.

"If you don't mind, I'll get to that right away," Pippa answered, before leaving. Liz sighed, glad to have time to search some more about those children on the internet. After all, there was often a lot more there than met the eye.

She had a feeling that these kidnappings were different to the ones she'd heard about before. Because unlike in all those previous kidnappings, this one would have a much darker reason... she was certain of that. And frankly, despite considering herself a logical and scientifically-based human being, she couldn't quite deny that this had nothing to do with humans.

Why? Well, her friend had once tried to persuade her that spirits existed. What if they did? And what if this was finally the proof.

Typing in 'floating lights' she found several results, one of which explained it could have well been will-o-wisps, although she wasn't quite sure that she should believe such childish notions. Then, she decided to search through different myths and legends. Though when she read through the information on them, she realised that, had any of these creatures really existed, they would definitely bring harm to these children. From ghouls to beasts, giants, and skeletons, things that she had long since forgotten.

It was when she found the word 'boogeyman' on one of the sites that she froze.

"You think he will come and give us nightmares again?" the ten-year-old Pippa from her memories asked, her lips quivering as she spoke. Hiding under the duvet, she looked at the six-year-old Liz.

"I don't think so, mum said he doesn't exist and mum is always right," Liz exclaimed, despite that being a lie. Her mother wasn't always right. She hugged the older girl. "And if the boogeyman existed, he would have to fight us! We have swords, remember?" she reminded her best friend, who slowly nodded.

Yes, they had a cardboard sword each. It seemed rather pathetic now, but when they were young, they loved them. She then switched on her flashlight.

"If someone comes, we'll see them," she added, smiling.

Pippa nodded. "I really don't want to have nightmares anymore!"

"So long as we stand together, we can beat up that boogeyman of your's," Liz kept on reassuring her. "There's nothing he can do to us when we are together."

As the memory ended, she realised that maybe, maybe Pippa had been right to worry.

Maybe her 'boogeyman' did exist. It wasn't so outlandish now, considering the current situation that not only she but the entire world was finding themselves in. She came to wonder: what else was it that Pippa had claimed?

"You should have seen how Jack and the others fought! The boogeyman didn't stand a chance!" Pippa exclaimed excitedly, making hand gestures.

Again with her Guardians and all those other spirits. It puzzled Liz why the older girl still believed in them. Liz herself had never believed in fairy tales, she wasn't about to start now.

"Really?" she asked, a little skeptical.

"Uhuh, and then the cowards ran off. So much for being the boogeyman! He was scared of his own nightmares!" she added, laughing. "And you should have seen how Sandy managed to beat him up. And then he was dragged down into his lair by his own nightmares... brrr... wouldn't fancy that!"

Yes, neither would she. That sounded a little cruel.

"But then again, he deserved it for giving children nightmares and because he made us forget about the Guardians. That was so mean! And now he's gone and I'm sure he won't be coming back anytime soon!"

Only, that part was debatable. Sure, a decade wasn't a short period of time either and it may not even have been him, but if it were him and he was a spirit (so practically immortal in some ways) a decade would practically be a blink away. Besides, he might have done this for revenge. There were so many factors which would affect the behaviour and the doings of an individual, from genetics to their past.

Considering he must have been forgotten too. After that time during which Pippa spoke about the "Nightmare War", she never heard of the boogeyman again, despite her talking about the other spirits constantly.

She had heard, when they had spoken ten years ago, that he had been dragged down only a few metres from the pond. So, if something strange was going on, it could be this 'boogeyman's' fault. It seemed absurd to believe in such a possibility, but she had to at least see if there was a chance.

"Oh, quit your sobbing," a harsh voice echoed through the dark caverns, silencing the several crying children. As soon as silence took place, the kidnapper continued to speak. "Now, you might want to know why I bothered taking you here."

The children looked at each other, not wanting to hear reason. They just wanted to go home. Back to their families. Away from this awful, nightmare-infested prison.

"Take it as my revenge. You wish to deny my existence, you will pay for it. Though I am sure, you all know by now, that I do in fact exist," the voice continued, mocking them. Some quivered in fear at this, others protested loudly with moans and cries. Some sat still, either scared stupid or too tired to move or speak. A man stepped out of the shadows, making the children flinch as they saw him.

He looked nothing like a human to them; to those young children, he looked borderline terrifying.

"L-leave us be..." a meek voice whined. The man turned to see a small, blond girl, roughly twelve... maybe even thirteen, standing upright, with a defiant look on her face. Much to his disgust.

"Wish to rebel? Oh, yes, that makes it all the more fun to see you suffer," the man spoke, in an amused tone. The girl flinched, her bravery leaving her. As she backed away from him, she fell to the ground, looking away as she saw his evil, shark-toothed smile. He stepped up closer to her. "I take you wish to be the first then. Very well."

Conjuring up an arrow made of black sand, he didn't even wait for the girl to react, before aiming at her. As his grip disappeared from the arrow itself, the arrow bolted. It hit. Straight in the heart.

She screamed, loudly, clearly. Like false church bells.

The girl twitched, making the other children scream in fear, much to the man's joy. Against her will, a freakish transformation took place, one which chilled the very hearts of the young audience. Her nails grew sharper, longer, darker. Her skin began to turn somewhat grey and instead of pink, her attire was black. The girl let out a horrible screech, her hair going wild, spiking up, making her appear somewhat deranged; psychotic, even. The expression on her face grew twisted. Her lips twitched upwards, her mouth opened ever so slightly. To reveal a set of shark-like teeth. Her eyes brightened, their innocent hue shifting to bright red. Then, she finished her screeching and looked around, before facing the man.

"I want you to put the others into place. If they disobey, bring them to me," the man ordered, before glancing up at the other children, with a threatening promise. "Understood?"

The monster-girl slowly nodded, her eyes filled with a hungry expression.

Once she disappeared, the man smirked proudly to himself, his head tilted high, his gaze fixated on the gently swaying cages that hung from the ceiling of his lair. 'Jamie will pay for his mistake. After all, it isn't like he'll be seeing his sister today. Or ever again!'