What… the hell… why are… why are my pants down?

Involuntarily I reach to pull them up when a sharp pain stops me again from moving too much. The pain is centered in my lower body, my hips and legs hurt, but specifically I can feel the most pain…

I uncomfortably reach behind me and feel for what could be causing the pain, and my hand is greeted by the feeling of liquid, and I yank my hand back and examine. Blood…

I can feel my head feel light and dizzy, and I need a second to breathe. I am not used to seeing blood. Not my own blood, and especially not from a wound I don't really understand. I am so confused… What did Pitch do to me?

After taking a few moments to calm down, I reach back again behind me and search for the area that was bleeding, and eventually realized where it was coming from. I swallow.

Why was my ass bleeding…?

Repulsed and overwhelmed by the confusion, I ignore it and yank my pants back up. I am sure I will have a bloody stain on them, but I don't care. The pain wasn't too bad, only throbbing when I move too much, I can ignore it until I find a way out of here.

I shake my head and slowly pull myself up to my feet. It hurts and I am sore, but I manage to get upright. Focus, I need to get out of here. I need to get my staff. I need to escape and get back to Jamie. Looking around, my surroundings were the same; a small, stoney room with a metal-looking door. My hand is still in a shackle, with a long chain connecting it to a wall. That's one issue… I walk over to the door, the chain getting taught before I can comfortably reach. I peek out the small barred opening in the door, but see the same creepy dark hallway. I shove and pull at the door with my free hand, but it's not budging.

Ok… a chain and a door. Surely a guardian can handle a chain and a door, right?

For what seemed like hours I mess with the chain and door, trying everything I can possibly think of to escape. I used what little power I had without my staff to frost over the chain in order to get it brittle enough to break with no success, and I tried the same with the door with the same result. I bruised my wrist trying to wriggle and slip the shackle off, but it was too tight. I scanned the walls thoroughly for any possible weakness, but they were as strong and stoney as they seemed. The floor was the same, and I even floated up to the ceiling and examined that as well, to no success. I after all that, I re-did the same things over and over in hopes I missed something, or didn't try hard enough to break the chains, or I missed a weakness in the door, anything.

Eventually I exhausted myself. In the middle of the small room I rest, at a loss. Is there really no way out? For some reason the idea of me really being stuck in here with no means of escape was difficult to wrap my head around.

I have to sit slightly on one side, as it hurts to sit on my bum normally. I try not to wonder why too much, I don't have time to worry about that. I have to spend my energy on figuring out how to escape. Surely there was a way I was missing. Surely…. I mean I'm a guardian for god's sake!

But after what felt like a long time of thinking my brains out, I come up with nothing.

Eventually I find myself waiting. Waiting for what I am not sure, but I am anxious. It is very quiet in here, still, it makes me anxious. I get up and pace the small room. It's way too quiet in here, especially for the static tension filling my head. I pace faster, listening to the chain clink around as it is dragged on the ground. The noise makes me feel a little better. Any noise is good.

I know! Pitch! When he comes back, I'll find some kind of opening and escape that way! Or… I'll talk him out of social skills might be a big lacking after 300 years, but I can be persuasive when people actually hear me! I mean what could he possibly gain from keeping me here anyway?

'So I'll just have to get you out of your right mind' I remember that creepy asshole's words. That's right, he said something about me using my staff how 'he saw fit'. Ok, he want's me to join him. This is some weird way of doing that. Obviously I never would, but I could figure out something with that. Surely he must realize I would never, under any circumstances help him, right? I mean even 'out of my right mind' I would never even consider it. He is mad to think otherwise.

My head hurts. I feel like I haven't slept in a long time. I didn't need to sleep very often, but I felt like it had been weeks. That nightmare… That was awful. A vicious pang of anxiety hits my stomach at remembering the image of tiny little Jamie dead in my arms.

No, no he is ok. He is alive. He's going to college and stuff. That was just a nightmare. But… but that lake, that was real, wasn't it? Yeah, we both got pulled in….

What the hell was that? Pitch creating evil tar pits? Why? Uhg this guy! Can he just do something else with his time and stop causing problems for everyone! Don't get me wrong, I get wanting to be believed in, I really do, but to hurt people to do it? To hurt children? Never. I was ready to stay ignored forever if it meant keeping children safe.

I rest my head on my knees, tired. Maybe I just need to wait for him to come back.

I can feel myself dozing in and out of consciousness when I hear something. Immediately I jump to my feet, pain assaulting me as I do, reminding me of my injuries. But I don't get a moment to think about it when I see him.

Pitch's face is looking at me through the barred window in the door, and for some reason seeing that face gave me a raging jolt of fear through me. I can't help but jump backwards. Something about his face and those glowing yellow eyes, staring at me through the darkness silently was very disturbing to see. I can see why he terrorizes children so easily; can't imagine I'd be able to sleep well after seeing that out of nowhere. He laughs at my obvious reaction.

"Awww, did I scare you Jack~" he says in a smooth tone, as he quickly morphs himself through the door and inside the room. "Sorry about that, I do tend to have that effect on people." He chuckles again, clearly satisfied.

I stumble backwards slightly, keeping distance between us, but gather myself quickly. "Yano I gotta hand it to ya," I say, forcing myself into a casual demeanor. "You really are pretty creepy."

He smirks at me, taking it as a compliment apparently. I guess I did say it as though it were one.

There is a pause for a moment, and I immediately feel uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Where's Jamie?" I ask. Pitch rolls his eyes in response.

"I have no more use for him at this point, so he's back with his little human family." He sounds entirely bored by the subject, and seemed almost disgusted by the 'little human family' aspect. Immediately I feel a huge wave of relief and relax slightly. As long as Jamie was safe, then I could deal with Pitch without worrying.

"So, what's the deal here then?" I say, cutting to the chase, while keeping my un-bothered tone. "You are going to, what, keep me here until I join you?" I practically scoff.

Pitch chuckles. "More or less."

"And you think that'll work out for you somehow?" I cross my arms, curious to hear him explain himself. There is another pause, his smile not leaving his face. I can feel myself getting annoyed.

"Well, you don't have to join me," He says simply, breaking his gaze for a moment while he looks around the tiny room. "But then you'll never leave."

For the briefest moment I get a little anxious at the idea. "It'll be quite a boring eternity, being stuck in such a small, dark room." He says while taking a step closer. I don't notice right away, still lulling on the concept of being in this room forever. Surely I'd find a way out, so it's not like it'd be like that. He just wants to scare me.

"But don't worry, you won't be lonely…" I notice this time as he takes another step closer, and I step back. "Because I am a kind captor, so I'll visit you regularly." He doesn't stop coming closer, and I feel my back press against the stone wall behind me, which startles me.

I really dislike being cornered like this. It's a sensation I am really not used to. But I won't let him scare me. That's what he wants. I won't give him that.

He is towering over me when he finally stops. I am glaring back at him now, with my chest puffed up in defiance. "I think eventually you will come to enjoy our time together, Jack." I flinch as I see his slender grey hand reach for my face slowly, and I resist the urge to slap it away. Though I don't want to seem afraid of him, I also don't want to give him a reason to get violent. I need to talk my way out of this, remember?

I couldn't help but flinch and shift away in clear disliking when his hand brushes against my cheek slightly. "I certainly enjoyed my time with you…" His voice is low, and he practically whispered it as he leaned in towards me.

Immediately something subconscious clicked, and I need him to get away from me, at any cost. In one movement, I shove him away slightly and slide under his arm and around to the other side of him. My heart is racing and I can feel adrenaline coursing through me. I'm unclear why, but I can't put up a front anymore, I feel extremely threatened. I take a few feet back before standing defensively.

Pitch turns, seemingly amused by my reaction. "Whats wrong, Jack? Surely I wasn't that hard on you." He says while letting out another laugh. "You were sleeping, so I am surprised you can even remember."

"Remember… what?" I ask, no longer masking my offensive attitude. Pitch's smile drops slightly, as he blinks at me, before breaking out into a loud laugh.

"I see, thats what I thought." He says, still chuckling. I can feel my face go red, getting enraged.

"What?!" I yell at him. "What the hell did you do?!" I was afraid to ask this, but at this point I needed to know.

Pitch just smiles at me in a way that makes my skin crawl.

"Shall I show you again?"