Hey guys, welcome back to your regularly scheduled RFL! (Acronyms are cool yay)

First things first, review time! The thanks this time around go to jackandelsaforever101, Brenne, BlueFireRunes (Thank you, I'm glad I portrayed him well!), BooksAreMedicine (Well, not drama pertaining to that exactly, but there will certainly be drama after this here chapter...mwahaha...no spoilers though! :D), OverlyObsessed223, Randomly Talented (Well, in explanation in case you didn't catch it, basically what happened is that the hunter that Jack killed in self-defense that was referenced in Chapter 10's flashback was Laura's husband/Elizabeth's father. In regards to the disguise for Jack's ears, that lasts for three days before wearing off. Also, out of curiosity, what do you mean by Elizabeth being 'hard to follow'? She's really just here as a...stock character, if you will, and is meant to be rather static. If she confuses you that much though, don't worry! She's just a minor character, and won't be getting too much screen time here), yummypie193 (You'll see ;), WickedInk, StarG4zer (Yeah, real life can be just as screwed up as fiction sometimes, huh? That aside though, glad you like the story!), justsomeone (Well, thank you for your truly wonderful reviews! :) Welcome back!)!

That all being said, on with the chapter!

Chapter 18: Decisions, Decisions

It had haunted him for a long time.

The sight of the frozen man often invaded his dreams, and each time, the body looked even more horrible than the last. There was no blood, nor gore, nor feeding maggots; the man had died a pristine death, a perfect death.

But with every time the image of the dead man flashed across his mind, he noticed another detail.

The way his blonde hair stuck up in odd angles.

The way his left arm-having been frozen solid-had shattered beneath his own weight.

The knife in his intact right hand, eternally grasped by his cold fingers.

The paleness of the man's skin that nearly rivaled his own.

The purplish-black of the frostbite that had just barely had time to touch his face and digits.

The fear in his eyes when he realized his fate, forever locked into his stiff expression.

He didn't know whether what he was feeling was regret, pity, or simply horror at what he had done. He hadn't intended to become a harbinger of death, which made the event all the more terrifying.

I need to leave Iskald, he thought after a long time of wrestling with his remorse. Before I lose control again.

Did he know where he was going? Was he confident that he wouldn't accidentally kill again? Did he really even want to leave behind everything he had once known and loved?

No, no, and no.

But he didn't know what else to do.

This marked the beginning of what had given Year Five its name; Migration.

()()()()

Jack found it difficult to convince Elizabeth that he was alright after having mostly snapped out of his blurred trance. Perhaps it was because his heart wasn't in the lie, or maybe the fact that he couldn't stand without his shaking legs pulling him back to the floor, but something seemed to be keeping her from believing his near-hysteric claims.

I killed this girl's father, he thought numbly, barely able to process the fact over his own spluttered words. I killed this girl's father. I killed this ten-year-old girl's father.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Elizabeth asked uncertainly. She had wiped away her tears, the previous conversation all but forgotten to her, at least. "Do you...want me to go get one of the Guar-?"

"No!"

She flinched.

He winced.

"I'm...sorry," Jack quickly told her, hoping he hadn't scared the girl. "I just...I would like to be alone for a little while...this um, happens sometimes, and...I-I just need space. That's all."

Elizabeth looked unsure, but respectfully nodded, backing away from him and eventually quickly turning and leaving the hallway. The moment she was gone, Jack allowed his upper half to fall, joining his legs in stretching splayed-out across the floor.

"What are the chances?" the sprite murmured, throwing an arm over his face to cover his eyes. "I save two children, and they happen to be related to the people that both took in my sister and lost their husband and father to my hand. And now, because of all that, everything just can't seem to stop becoming more and more complicated."

He sighed. And here I thought my life couldn't get any worse…

()()()()

The sprite had remained stretched out on the floor for what must have been an hour when a certain Sand-Spinner came across him. He had mostly composed himself by that point, so rather than the babbling panic he had experienced during his conversation with Elizabeth, his tone had shifted into something of a jaded deadpan.

"Hello," Jack said flatly, his eyes lacking anything even resembling a spark. "Come to collect me?"

Sandy shook his head. He put a hand to his chin in thought for a brief moment, then laid down on the floor as well, his head facing the boy's own.

Needless to say, Jack was confused.

"...what are you doing?" he asked after a long silence. Tipping his head back to watch for the little man's response only resulted in his receiving of a simple shrug, then nothing.

"Very informative," the sprite commented with a slight roll of his eyes. He shifted back into his previous position, staring emotionlessly up at the ceiling. "...are the others looking for me?"

Jack didn't bother looking at Sandy again, but had a distinct feeling that he had been met with nothing more but another shrug.

Slightly irritated now, he made another attempt at speaking to the Guardian. "I suppose you're wondering why I'm lying on the floor, aren't you?"

Yet another shrug.

What the hell is he trying to accomplish with this? Jack thought, gritting his teeth irritably. Aggravate me, perhaps? If that's the case, he's doing a pretty damn good job at it…

"Well, at the risk of sounding childish, I'm not going to tell you," Jack declared, crossing his arms and glaring at the ceiling. He knew his behavior was exceedingly juvenile, but at the moment, he couldn't bring himself to care. He wanted Sandy to leave him alone to his own thoughts, constricting as they may have been, and so he figured that acting like an aggravating, petulant child would be a sure-fire way of accomplishing this goal.

He was wrong.

Twenty minutes passed by, and still the Guardian of Dreams had yet to leave, or even move. Jack was beginning to wonder if the golden man had actually fallen asleep.

Twenty more minutes passed, and Jack was getting increasingly restless. He never liked stayed still for long; he preferred to be moving, running, feeling the wind in his face and hair. Instead, he was stuck here in this awkward situation, lying on the floor across from the oldest Guardian of Childhood.

I don't understand my life sometimes, Jack thought dully.

Twenty more minutes marked the passing of one hour, and Jack decided that he couldn't take it anymore. With a long-suffering sigh, the sprite rolled over onto his stomachs and glared daggers at the Sand-Spinner.

"Alright, what exactly do you want from me here?" he asked, a bit of his frustration leaking into his tone.

Suddenly, his eyes widened in surprise, for Sandy had already been sitting up, and was currently laughing silently at his expression. Jack's eyes narrowed and he rolled his eyes.

"Yes, yes, very funny," he groaned, rubbing his forehead. The boy raised his dark eyebrows. "But seriously; what are you doing here?"

Once his pantomime laughter had subsided, Sandy held up his hands as though to form a telescope, then nodded and gestured at Jack.

I was looking for you.

Jack stared at him. "...and?"

Sandy tilted his head as though to ask him to elaborate.

"Well, you've found me. What do you want?" Jack prompted, suppressing another groan.

Jack saw it coming before it had even happened.

"Don't," he said sharply, stopping the short Guardian mid-shrug. "I'm serious. If you wanted to find me, you must need me for something. Just tell me what it is, okay?"

Sandy thought for a brief moment, then nodded in compliance. Through the game of charades that was his method of conversation, he indicated that he and the other Guardians wanted to talk to Jack about their next move. More specifically, they wished to know how he felt about everything now that he had come across his long-lost sister.

Jack let out a long exhale and rubbed his forehead, a deep frown finding its way onto his pale face. "I...don't know what to do, Sandy," he murmured after a long moment. "I only just found her, I can't leave her again. But then, if I go with you, I might find answers…" The sprite glanced at the Guardian, biting his lip uncertainly. "...to tell the truth, I don't even know why I'm telling you this," he continued. "'Tis not as though I want you to make up my mind for me, I just...I don't know." He inwardly winced at the lame finish to his short monologue.

Sandy gently patted his shoulder, giving the boy a sympathetic smile. Without forming any more dreamsand images, he got to his feet and gently took Jack by the crook of his arm, pulling him as far upright as he could manage at his height. Once the boy had gotten to his feet, Sandy gestured for him to follow, then turned and walked down the hall. Having been left no choice in the matter, Jack heaved a sigh and followed.

()()()()

When the snow sprite and the Sand-Spinner reached the foyer of the house, they found the other three Guardians waiting for them, engaged in hushed conversation as they did so. Tooth was the first to notice the new arrivals in the room, and she quickly beamed and flitted over to Jack.

"Good morning, Jack!" she greeted, squeezing his shoulder lightly. He almost immediately shrugged her hand off, but her mood was not dampened. "Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough," Jack said flatly, despite the fact that he had slept better the night before than he had in years. Instead of divulging this, however, he regarded the four immortals calmly with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. "So what's this about? Sandy said you wanted to 'talk about our next move' or something to that extent."

North nodded. "Yes," he replied. "Now that we know of Nightmare attacks and have information on this 'Onyx' person, we must move even faster to get to Pitch's hideout. We do not know exact plan, but Pitch is up to something very bad." He raised his eyebrow and nodded at Jack in a way that could only be described as knowing. "I feel it," he said, placing both gloved hands on his stomach. "In my belly."

Jack wasn't sure how to respond to this.

Apparently, however, Aster knew exactly how to respond, as he rolled his eyes and snapped, "Enough with the belly, mate. This is serious."

"I know that!" North exclaimed, looking offended. "I am serious too!"

"Whatever," Aster scoffed. He turned to Jack and looked down at him, emerald eyes narrowed into slits despite the lack of clear malice in his tone. "So, Frosty, tell me. Are ya gonna willingly come with us, or are ya gonna make us have ta drag yer sorry a-"

"Bunny," Toothiana interrupted sharply, glaring at the currently-humanoid Pooka. "That's enough."

Aster rolled his eyes-an action that seemed remarkably common when it came to him-and snorted slightly, but nodded and continued speaking in a less threatening tone. "Look kid, what I mean is this. Ya have ta come with us; Tsar said so. I don't like it. Personally I'd rather leave ya here, where ya will be-"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Safe?"

"-out of our way." Aster finished.

Jack nodded in approval at this sentiment. At least he's not deluding himself that even a place such as this could be safe for me, he thought. There's not anywhere in Soluna that's safe for a snow sprite nowadays. Not to mention what could happen to me if Laura finds out that I...that I kil...never mind.

"That bein' said," Aster reluctantly continued, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "I s'pose ya did just find yer sister here, so I take it ya'd want ta stay, eh kid?"

"A part of me would like to, yes," Jack answered carefully.

North raised his eyebrows in curiosity. "And other part?" he asked.

"The other part wants answers," the boy replied, not feeling the need to restrain any of his words. "I want to know what the Nightmare King, or Pitch, I suppose is his name, is planning. I want to know why he did any of this to my race, to my village." He swallowed. "To my sister."

Sandy nodded, as though to say that his wishes were understandable. The Sand-Spinner cocked his head to the side slightly, a golden question mark appearing over his head. The message was clear; Which do you want more?

Jack ran his fingers through his dyed brown hair, chewing his lower lip in uncertain thought. "I...have no idea," he admitted. "I want to know so much, but...I just found my sister. I can't...I can't leave her again, alright?"

As the young snow sprite stared blankly at the wall, he noticed the Guardians sharing glances with each other out of his peripheral vision. Then, they seemed to come to a tacit agreement, all looking at his calmly with the same serious expression on each of their faces.

"Jack, we know what Tsar Lunar said about you helping us…" Toothiana began. "But...if you really want to stay here with Olivia, we'll allow it."

Jack's immediate thought was, There has to be a catch.

Trying to push down his misgivings and allow a shred of hope into his heart, Jack said slowly, "You...will?"

"Of course," Aster scoffed. "We don't want ya here, ya don't wanna be here, so if we left ya behind, everyone's happy." He ignored the exasperated looks from the other three Guardians, instead locking eyes with Jack, one eyebrow slightly arched.

Jack nodded, instantly understanding his intent. So you do want to keep me safe, do you, kangaroo? he thought, recalling their conversation from the night before last. Aw, you do care.

"Besides!" North exclaimed, deciding not to comment on Aster's brusqueness. "There is nothing more important than family, no? We will leave you with plenty of...disguise supplies, of course. We cannot have them wearing off without more nearby, yes?"

"Right…" Jack said hesitantly, still not sure if they were trying to trick him in some odd way. "Well, um, thank you, I suppose...I-"

Before he could get another word out, however, he was interrupted by a crash accompanied by an all-too-familiar whinny sounding from somewhere outside. The boy's sapphire eyes widened and he ran to the window closest to him, reaching it just as the screams began.

He swore under his breath at the sight that greeted him, then turned towards the other Guardians with a borderline fearful frown.

"The Nightmares," he said stiffly. "They're back for more."

Dun, dun, DUNNNNN!

No but guys, something amazing happened in this chapter: I officially hit 50,000 words! (In the Google Doc I use for this, without all the author's notes and all that) WOOO!

Oh and just so you know, about the "feel it in my belly" line, even though North is younger, slimmer book-North here-I know, trust me, even I tend to forget that sometimes XD-he still has his gut feelings and such, so that's why I decided to leave that line in.

Well, that's that! Hope you all enjoyed, and I'll see you guys next week for Chapter 19! (They grow up so fast!)

For now, Sapphire316, out.