Chapter two: Just like any other day…right?
Thousands of years later…
The sun shone brightly that morning, causing the freshly fallen powder to sparkle in its rays and a teenager sat against one of the top most branches of an oak tree growing next to a small frozen pond. The rising sun shined through the leaves, over his eyes and he lightly opened them, pupils dilating at the sudden light. The scenery was quiet and peaceful, temping him to go back to sleep but the idea was abandoned when the sound of children laughing began to echo in the air. Jack smiled, sitting up and grabbing his staff which was hanging on another branch just above him, and jumped to the ground, wind slowing his decent. He knew that laughter, it was definitely Jamie and Sophie, out to have an early snowball fight since it was Christmas break.
Flying out into the neighborhood, he searched for his favorite believer and sure enough, Jamie and Sophie both were playing in the snow, although Sophie's version of playing in the snow was really just falling face first into it. Jamie immediately looked up and saw him, smiling and waving.
"Jack!"
"Hey kiddo, out to get all the snow before your friends?" He teased.
Sophie lifted her head out of the snow upon hearing Jack's voice, pushed herself up, and tackled him into a hug.
"Whoa, hey Soph! What are ya trying to do? Knock me over?"
She giggled but then began to search around him for her desired company and looked up into his eyes, looking a little sad. "Bunny?"
"Sorry Soph, no Bunny." He said, feeling a bit of sympathy for her. Ever since that day when she found her way to the Warren, she and Bunny had a special little connection and, for some reason, she seemed to think that every time Jack was around, Bunny would be too.
Her eyes began to water and he immediately flicked one of his 'fun flakes' at her nose. She seemed to try to stay upset and remember that Bunnymund wasn't there but after a few moments she gave in and began to giggle uncontrollably. She ran up, tackling Jamie through a snowman he'd been creating and they both began to laugh.
'Well, job well done if I do say so myself.' He thought smiling.
"Hey, how long are you gonna be able to spend time with us this year?" Jamie asked, brushing the snow off himself.
"Most of winter but I also have to travel other places occasionally. Why?"
Jamie looked down, letting out a hopeful breath. "I wanted to know if you would maybe come to Christmas dinner with me?"
For a moment, Jack just stood there, speechless. It was really sweet that Jamie wanted him to spend Christmas with him. He let out a smile and for a moment he was actually about to accept the offer but then he frowned, realizing that Jamie and Sophie would be the only ones to see him and it wouldn't be fair if he interrupted their time with their family on the most memorable time of year. He let out a sigh, about to say just that to Jamie but by the disappointed look on the child's face, he could tell Jamie had already gotten the hint.
"Sorry, I would but…" He started.
"No, its fine. I should've thought first before I asked."
"I just don't want to take away your time with your family." He said, an apologetic look on his face.
Jamie stared at him. Did he say something wrong?
"But…you're family." Jamie spoke softly.
Jack stood there, shocked. Jamie actually considered him family?
"I…I'm not related to you." He said, even though he knew very well that's not what the kid meant.
"Well, you aren't related to me but…I've always thought of you as a big brother to me." Jamie clarified, looking down to hide the blush creeping onto his face.
There was something about Jamie that reminded him so much of his sister. He even looked a little like her. After a moment, he smiled. "Well, I guess I could try to come."
A hopeful gleam spread in Jamie's eyes. "Really?!"
"Yeah." He got a mischievous look. "Just don't be surprised if a snowball hits poeple out of nowhere."
Jamie smiled wider than the day they'd had the sled incident. "Awesome!"
An irritated voice called from their house. "Jamie Bennet! You and your sister get back in here till you've had breakfast!"
Jamie let out a groan.
"Don't worry, your mom did the same thing when she was your age." He said, laughing.
Jamie pulled his sister from the snow and walked across the street to his house. Once they were out of sight, Jack jumped into the air, smiling at the idea of having a little brother. It had taken some time to see it but he always felt like an older brother again when he was around Jamie.
He settled on a branch, thinking about how great a start to his morning this was. The sun was still climbing through the sky but was probably close to noon now. The snow began to fall around the woodsy area, in little flurries.
He leaned his head back against the branch, wondering what was going to happen when his favorite believer stopped believing. As much as Jamie protested before that such a thing would never happen, there was no way to stop time. It was only then that his sight focused in on the sky, which was emitting several bright colors. He narrowed his eyes and sat up; they have annual meetings but the only time the Northern Lights were sent out was when there was an emergency and the last time there was an emergency, it was because Pitch had struck. This was the first time since he'd been a Guardian that he had been called by the Northern Lights.
Shooting into the air, the wind carried him to the North Pole as fast as possible. Under normal circumstances he would be fashionably late just to irritate Bunny but with it being an emergency, he wasn't going to delay them for this one.
If he'd have just looked back for just a few moments, he might have noticed the shadowy figures emerging from the trees, watching him go but one figure stood out from the rest. A small girl.
The jolly man, for once, was not so jolly. Instead, he looked very concerned, stroking his beard thoughtfully. In fact, he'd been like this for a couple of hours before even calling his comrades with the Aurora Borealis. There were several elves crowding around, both concerned and curious what was making their leader so worried and, though they did not leave their work stations, the yetis were beginning to glance over from time to time with concern.
North was too deep in thought to realize when one of his old friends flew in, riding a golden plane made of sand. Sandy hopped from his seat and floated gracefully to the ground, a question mark appearing over his head. When he saw the Guardian of Wonder's deep concentration and lack of the welcoming greeting he normally received, he knew that something was wrong. North hadn't even noticed him coming into the room. Sandy silently floated over and rested a hand on his shoulder. He jumped slightly at the sudden contact and turned his head.
"Oh, sorry. I did not see you come in." He said.
The little golden man put a question mark above his head, then an arrow and pointed it at North.
"Ah, sorry Sandy. I'm fine but there is something I would like to show you first before the others get here." He said, gesturing Sandy to follow him.
They walked down a few long corridors, taking so many twists and turns that it was a wonder how the guy ever found his way back. After a while of walking, North finally stopped in front of a huge archway and door lined with gold and sliver, with twisting oak wood carvings and engraved on the front of the door was the symbol of a terrifying shadow burnt into it.. It was, to say the very least, special in the sense that the room behind the door probably contained something very important…or dangerous.
"Room has been closed thousands of years before I was ever even born into immortality. Locked, and, under instructions from many higher immortals, including Tsar Lunar, It has not been opened…until now." He spoke with dark eyes staring at the door.
After a moment of hesitation, he turned the golden handle and pushed the door open. Sandy stepped inside, taking a moment to take in his surroundings. It was creepy. The walls appeared to have been burnt or charred at some point and were falling to pieces, with cracks climbing them from floor to top. A mirror that had once been visibly present was shattered to pieces and laying all over the floor, which was stained with a suspicious red substance.
Standing there a few moments, Sanderson shrugged as if to say 'Ok, it's a little disturbing but what's the big deal?'. North stared him straight in the face and pointed up.
Sandy's eyes went wide as he glanced at the ceiling. The red substance, which he easily now identified as blood, was smeared across the ceiling in swirls and lines to form a specific pattern. The ancient language of the moon people who had long since perished, with the exception of Manny, was smeared all over the ceiling in delicate letters. North and Sandy were the only people that were immortal long enough to have learned the language that had been long since forgotten by most of the world. After a few moments he let a rare audible gasp and began to decipher it slowly.
'A lesson, if not all of you learn,
In darkness the world will soon turn.
Though you give wonder, hope, dreams, memories, fun, and protect,
A child, for thousands of years, you neglect.
One thing cannot change, we all have a dark side,
Learn to love hers, or in black she'll reside.
Look past your differences and avoid the shadows in her wake,
To not love your enemy would be a terrible mistake.'
The three Guardians stood in the globe room, confused. They'd been waiting in there for at least an hour and when the yetis tried to tell them where the two were, all they got were a bunch of confused looks since North was the only one to understand their language. Bunny, as usual, stood by the fireplace warming himself as best he could. Tooth rapidly instructed her mini fairies where they were to go gather teeth and place coins, though she would, occasionally, look up and around to see if North or Sandy had come into the room yet. Jack, being the mischievous person that he is, randomly sent cold breezes at Bunnymund to annoy him and froze the poor unsuspecting elves who came around the corner.
Bunny was rubbing his paws together as close to the fireplace as he could get them without catching fire when another cold familiar breeze hit him, causing visible shivers to run up his spine in cold discomfort. He shook, shoving himself closer to the fireplace and turned back to stare at his constant attacker who was casually leaning against the wall, whistling a suspicious tune.
"Frostbite!"
Jack turned with a smirk. "Oh, hello Bugs Bunny, What do you need?"
Bunny glared. "Stop sending cold wind at me!"
"Why the yelling? I thought we were friends?" He said dramatically in mock sadness, placing a hand over his heart.
Bunnymund snorted, turning back to the fireplace. "Try to be responsible for once."
"Hey! I was here on time!" He protested. "Besides, I didn't really expect that the one day I wasn't late would the day that the two eldest Guardians wouldn't show up. Especially when one of them is the one who summoned us in the first place."
"Well, for once I have to agree with you Frostbite. I didn't see it coming either." Bunny said, rubbing his half frozen ears.
"It's really unnatural of them, do you think one of us should go looki-" Tooth started but was cut short when the two missing members came in.
The Guardians of hope, memories, and fun turned their attention to the oddly quiet and worried looking North and Sandman. They stared for a moment at their solemn expressions and uncharacteristic behavior. Even Jack, who just a moment before was about to freeze his next unsuspecting victim, had stopped to stare at his two fellow Guardians with concern. The elf, grateful for the distraction, ran from his frozen doom and scurried up to North, lightly tugging his pants as if to ask 'what is wrong?'. North didn't answer.
Bunny's, Jack's, and Tooth's eyes followed Sanderson and North slowly as they both walked across the room and sat in two of the five chairs that the yetis had set up while they were gone. The rest of the group cast nervous and concerned glances at each other before heading towards their own chairs.
There was a long moment of silence.
"So…want to…tell us why we're here?" Tooth finally spoke up.
North, for the first time since he'd entered the room, lifted his head to meet his three fellow Guardian's eyes.
"We…have failed a child."
Author's note: Hey! Hope you like this new story I've started! Let me know in the comments what you think and I'll try to update as often as my stubborn beta will allow !lol!