For reference, this takes place between Chapter 15 and Chapter 16 of Howling Shadows.
I wasn't sure if I was looking forward to this or not.
On one hand, it would be a laugh, I hadn't dressed up for years, and I needed to get my mind out of recent events.
On the other, Halloween often had fire in some shape or form. Either the candles in the pumpkins or in some cases open braziers. Which was not something I needed.
I double checked my costume, smiling beneath the hooded sheet. This was great, I looked decently scary and you'd have to check underneath the hood to tell how it was, so anyone my age who wants to give me grief about dressing up would have to go out of their way to check.
The icicles I'd formed on the edge of the sheet clattered as I walked away from the mirror. My room was covered in more frost than usual, as I'd had to lower the temperature quite a bit to get the costume stable. Once I was outside it should be okay, but I'd have to keep an eye on it, it wouldn't do have the 'plastic icicles' melt while I was walking across town.
"Jackie! Jamie's here!" Called my mum up the stairs. I straightened up, adjusting the sheet so that it hung over my face. Of course I wasn't doing this alone.
Most of Jamie's friends were still doing it, but the likes of the twins had given up, declaring it 'stupid'. Unfortunately those from the high school didn't see things the same way, with some of the girls dressed rather scantily.
I collected my candy bag and went downstairs, trying not to trip over the sheet.
Jamie was at the door with Sophie. The thirteen year old was dressed up as Jack of course, and this year his mum had finally allowed him to dye his hair white. The six year old was dressed as a fairy, because as with most six year old girls, she loved fairies. Her obverse meeting with the Tooth Fairy hadn't put her off.
"Wow. What are you going as?" asked Jamie, looking me up and down.
"I'm an ice wraith." I said, looking down at my ice and frost covered sheet and old fashioned clothes. "Can't you tell?"
I shot a grin at Jamie and he grinned back.
"It looks awesome! Come on, or all the good candy will be gone!"
"Okay okay I'm coming." I let myself be dragged out by Sophie, who was chanting "candy" repeatedly.
"Have fun!" Called my mum, who I could tell was struggling not to laugh. Five years ago
I'd never have let myself be dragged anywhere, let alone by a six year old!
I sent her a look over my shoulder, before grinning and walking off to meet Pippa, Monty and Cupcake.
The trio had similar reactions to my costume, and I guess I could see why. Pippa was dressed up as a character I guess Billy would be able to recognise, she was in a green tunic, white leggings, brown boots and a floppy green hat. The costume was completed with a foam sword and a blue shield.
Finally Monty was in a full Spiderman costume and Cupcake was in a horse and jockey costume.
"Let's go get some candy!" Cried Jamie, ever the enthusiast with his fist and staff in the air.
Monty nodded, "I've already gotten the best houses highlighted on my map."
I forgot how kids could turn a Halloween foray into an army operation.
"Got it all organised then Colonel Spidey?" I asked, more than a hint of a joke in my voice.
"Indeed Major Icey."
"Major?" I asked with mock affront, "I should be a Brigadier at least!"
"You have less experience in the world of Halloween forays." Replied Jamie with mock seriousness. "Be lucky that you're not a Private."
"How dare you! I should be a Veteran!" I said, pulling up to my full height.
"You admitted that you haven't gone trick or treating since you were seven." Pippa reminded me. "You're nineteen now."
"It's only your age that's stopping you being a Private." Finished Monty and Cupcake rolled her eyes.
"Are you seriously arguing about military ranks on Halloween?"
Monty became flustered and pulled out a map of Burgess from his candy bag. I raised my eyebrows as he unfurled it, with a proposed route in red.
"You've put a lot of thought into this." I commented, no hint of a joke this time.
"Of course! Getting candy is serious business!"
Jamie finished scanning the map and walked ahead down the route.
"Alright troops. This way! Forward March!" Jamie cried, using the staff like a baton.
"Aye sir!" went Monty, Pippa and Sophie enthusiastically. Cupcake rolled her eyes but said the words anyway.
I smiled underneath my hood and followed after them, doing my adult duty to keep an eye on them.
The proposal of free candy didn't hurt either.
I have to hand to it him, Monty knew how to plan.
Within half an hour we'd made it through most of the houses on his list via his route.
The house owners had done double takes when they saw me with the kids, and the gossip mongerer, otherwise known as Jamie's grandmother, Mrs Pierce practically lit up when she saw me with Jamie. She even gave us extra candy, and I dread to think why.
"So, how many more have we got Colonel Spidey?"
"Around three Captain Icey."
Oh yes, I'd also been downgraded to Captain after I'd tripped over my sheet. Such behaviour was not befitting of a Major apparently.
"Then what are we waiting for!" Cried Jamie, his staff above his head. "Charge!"
"With all due respect, we may freak them out if you charge. We may rob ourselves of potential candy."
Jamie gave me a pointed look and I reluctantly added. "Sir."
I got enough of that with HOG. I guess I should be glad that he wasn't getting me to
salute.
Jamie looked me up and down. "Sound advice, promoted."
"Yes." I gave a quick fist pump before going back to normal standing position.
"Will you lot stop that?!" Cried Cupcake, coming to a halt and folding her arms.
Pippa, Monty, Jamie and I looked at each other and said at roughly the same time.
"Demoted."
"To Private!" chipped in Sophie, who was very keen to have someone ranked below her.
"Hold on, Cupcake can't be Private." Said Monty.
"Why?" asked Jamie, staff over his back in a very Jack-like manner.
"She's in the Cavalry."
"THAT'S IT!"
Cupcake charged towards us and we scattered, laughing. Cupcake may have a rough attitude, but she'd never actually go after anyone of us. I think she was worried that me or Jack would ice her or something.
We ended up making our way towards the next house while being chased by an irate Cupcake, but her yells quickly turned into laughs as the chase went on.
Then the house came into view.
It was very well decorated, Jack O'Lanterns plastered through the windows and the gate was decorated to look like the entrance to a wizard's lair. It was ajar, so presumably the kids would go in, take the candy and leave.
Except the sides of the gate were decorated with real flaming braziers.
I stopped halfway up, my heart rate went up and my breathing began to quicken.
I knew I shouldn't be freaking out. They couldn't hurt me and I couldn't even feel the heat from here, but that didn't seem to register in my mind.
Jamie realised that I'd stopped and also stopped, looking back at me.
"Jackie?"
His voice seemed to come from the far end of a tunnel.
"Y-yeah?" My voice didn't sound much better, almost echoey.
The others stopped as well, having realised that something was up.
"What's up Major?" Asked Monty, trying to get me to respond.
"Y-you guys g-go ahead. I-I'll j-just b-b-be d-down h-here." I said, backing down the hill.
"Jackie? What's wrong?" Jamie started coming down towards me, and I backed off slightly.
"I-I'll j-just b-be o-over t-t-there." I was starting to hear crackling and frost was starting to spread across my hands. That hadn't happened since...
Since the flamethrowers.
That admission was what sent the ball rolling down the hill, and I went with it.
I think I ran, I wasn't sure.
One minute I was in the hill, and after a few flame filled minutes I was by the lake.
I calmed down a bit and sat by the shore, breathing heavily. The lake was already starting to freeze, and my freaked presence lowered the temperature to the point where more ice was starting to form on the lake.
"Come on Davies. Get a grip." I said to myself, putting my head in my hands. I could feel
the coarse hair of my wig underneath my frosted knuckles and the ends of the fake hair also frosted.
I was only then I realised I was shaking, and I just couldn't believe it. Every Descendant of Frost is wary, if not afraid of fire. Of course we are, we're more sensitive to heat than most, and not much gets hotter than fire.
So why had the flamethrowers affected me like this? It's not as if it's the first time I've come across fire.
It almost killed you. That was the answer.
Alfred had said it, those Descendants of Pitch hadn't been trying to capture me, they were actively trying to kill me in the safest way they could think of. That's what it was, unlike any other time I'd come across fire, I'd almost died.
Not too subtle footsteps sent me up to my feet, my blades itching to form. It could be anyone out here. Some kid who's gotten lost, someone going for an evening stroll, anything.
"Jackie!"
Or a concerned thirteen year old friend.
"Where are you? What happened back there?"
I wasn't sure if I could tell him. He knew I had issues after what happened four years ago and he probably thought I was barking mad, this wouldn't help.
But he was my friend, he would be worried, right?
Obviously he was worried, he was out in the woods looking for me for God's sake!
Before I could call out to him to let him know where I was, Jamie appeared almost directly in front of me.
His face lit up with relief. "Jackie!"
"Hey."
"What was that about earlier?" He asked, coming in closer.
"I..." I couldn't say it. I wasn't sure if it was embarrassment or the fact I just didn't want to say it out loud.
"Jackie?"
I looked down and saw that my legs were still shaking. At that point they decided to collapse and I went to the ground, landing with a heavy crunch.
"Jackie!"
"...I'm fine."
"No you're not!" Jamie crouched down beside me.
"What happened back there?"
I looked down at my feet, not sure if I could say it.
"You know it helps if you talk about it."
"...Goddamn it Brigadier."
Jamie laughed and sat down in the snow.
"Aren't you going to get cold?" I asked, looking down at the patch of snow he was sitting on.
"I hang around with you and Jack. I've gotten used to it." He replied, "and you're changing the subject."
"You're Detective Inspector, not Brigadier."
"Jackie..."
I sighed and pulled off my sheet to get some air, brushing the wig hair out of my face.
"I never told you what happened when I disappeared, did I?"
Jamie shook his head. "No, you didn't."
I looked at the lake, where the ice was halting.
"I got tracked by the Descendants of Pitch until Canada. The first time I came across them it was three of them in a petrol station. I took them out and went on my way."
"What about the next time?" Jamie prompted, clearly seeing that I was reluctant to continue.
"I was bedding down for the day. I was travelling at night, when I noticed something." I frowned, trying to remember.
"I'm not even sure what it was, but it freaked me out, so I packed up again to move, when I discovered that I was surrounded."
I shook my head, wanting to dislodge the images that were all too fresh in my mind.
"There were too many to count, and they had Nightmares. I couldn't fight them, so all I could hope to do was to hold them off and get out of there. I managed to pin them with ice and made to leave, when..."
I didn't want to say it, but Jamie was there, waiting for me to tell him. He didn't say anything, he didn't have to.
"Four of them appeared, two in front of me, two behind me. They had... They had..."
"What?" I had a feeling he could guess, but he let me continue.
"Flamethrowers."
Jamie sucked in air through his nose, I don't think that was what he expected.
"And they set them off?"
I nodded and my hands began to shake.
"It was so hot, it hurt so much..."
I was crying, I could feel the liquid going down my face and my throat burning. The tears quickly froze to my cheeks.
I bought my knees into my chest.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be freaking out. I just..."
To my surprise Jamie didn't say anything, instead he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
It was a little colder than I expected, but still uncomfortably warm. I did my best not to flinch at it, for Jamie's sake.
"It's better you got it out, otherwise we'd have another Daniel." He said after a while, and I nodded, cringing slightly at the memory.
"I was an utter wreck that night."
"Yeah, but you had had a rough night."
"You were the one who got hurt!" I protested.
"I wasn't the one who ran off into the woods." Jamie countered calmly.
"Yeah yeah."
We sat in companionable silence as I composed myself. I had forgotten how much just having someone there helped, I was too used to trying to deal with this alone, even now.
"Thanks." I said after a bit.
"No problem."
Jamie then got to his feet, brushing the snow off his trousers.
"Come on, the others are going to wonder where we are. They'll be at the next house."
"Okay." I said, also getting up and pulling the sheet back over my head.
Jamie nudged me in the ribs. "Eat some of your candy, it'll make you feel better."
"Yes Doctor Bennett." I said a little sarcastically, which got a smile from Jamie.
I pulled out a random bit of candy and ate it was we walked. Once I'd swallowed I said the first thing that came to mind.
"Let's hope Toothiana doesn't find out. She'd probably kill me."
We were laughing out of the woods, demons banished for now.