Guys, I suck. I'm so sorry about the slow update. I had a nice, big dose of reality and it killed all my plot bunnies. -_-
Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all for the follows, and favorites, and the reviews! Really made my day(s). :D Well, I won't keep you from your chapter. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians (Dreamworks and William Joyce), I just like to play with the characters.
The Darkness Within
Chapter 3: Terribly sorry, Jack Frost isn't available at the moment. Could Pitch Black take a message?
Jack Frost was…cold.
Which was wrong. Jack didn't experience hot and cold like most people did. As an elemental, a seasonal spirit, her perception of feeling was set at a completely different angle. Instead of the bite of freezing temperatures, Jack was filled with a calming, happy sensation, set off by an overall feel of…rightness. Heat, however, was a different story. Heat was personified as an uncomfortable itch in the eyes, a throbbing ache in the head, a stabbing pain in the gut. Heat hurt more than anything else Jack had ever experienced-even dying-and she went out of her way to avoid it.
But, all that aside, Jack hadn't felt the true natures of hot and cold in over 300 years; they resided only in vague human memories, forgotten-barely remembered sensations.
She'd never known cold, not in all her immortal life.
She never knew how lonely cold could be.
The spirit shivered, peering through the inky black of…of…of wherever she was. "Hello? Is anyone there?" Her rising voice echoed back to her, the only response she was to receive.
She broke into a brisk walk. "Hello? Someone? Yoo-hoo!"
Jog. "Hello? Anyone here? If you're here, will you answer me please?" There was still answer. "Could someone talk to me? Tell me where I am? Please, I'm not supposed to be here!"
Run. "Hello! Please, somebody answer me! Somebody! Anybody! Hello?! Please! Please, talk to me! Tell me I'm not alone! I'm not supposed to be here all alone!"
Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes as she looked about wildly. No! She couldn't be the only one here! There was always someone! And even if they couldn't see her, hear her, that someone would be better than a no-one.
She was sprinting now, her sobbing breath coming out too heavily and panicked to cry out any longer. But her mind was screaming, begging someone to answer her pleas.
She tripped over her own hysteric feet, and tumbled to the ground. The grey fog rising from the dark stone floor lapped greedily at the girl's tears.
Jack curled into a ball, rocking back and forth in a comforting manner. Her tiny hands clamped over her ears to keep out the silence, that horrible, awful silence.
"Please…please, someone answer me. I can't be alone again. Not again. Not again."
Noon came…
…and left.
At 1:15 p.m., Bunny was staring at the clock, claws clicking impatiently at the table.
At 2:33 p.m., he ate the lunch he'd so carefully prepared by himself. Well, who could blame him? He was hungry.
At 3:21 p.m., he still sat at the table, sketching egg designs into the leftover salad dressing on his plate with a fork.
At 4:56 p.m., he'd finally done his dishes, leaving Jack's pristine plate still sitting on the table.
At 5:26 p.m., he'd begun to pace.
At 6:03 p.m., he'd finally decided to act. Yes, Jack could be late, but she'd eventually show up, an hour or two after the designated time, and apologize profusely, giving some droopy excuse.
He'd never known her not to come. The sprite just didn't come on time.
Something was wrong, he could feel it. And whether it was in his belly, or his ears, or whatever, the sick feeling as getting worse by the second.
Without anther thought, the Pooka summoned a tunnel and was at Frosty's castle in seconds. He didn't even bother with his usual 'cautious rabbit' routine, just leapt out of the tunnel with boomerangs raised.
He found himself in the same living room he and the frozen child had sat in the day before. It was exactly as he'd left it; the only thing missing was Jack.
"Jackie! Frostbite! Snowflake! C'mon, ya gumby, answer me!" Bunny stalked out of the room and down the hall, pushing open doors and peering inside as he went.
"Mmnnnghh…"
Bunny froze. What was that…wait! There it was again. A soft, mournful sort of….grunt? What the…Tiberius!
If you had been there, you wouldn't have seen the Pooka as he shot up the stairs to the room from which the noise had emanated, only a dusky, blue-grey blur.
He pushed open the door, and gasped slightly as Jack's wonderful scent flooded his nose; that special mix of mint, pine, honey, and pure arctic air. This was her room.
That realization added a new tang of panic to his voice as he shouted desperately, "Jack! Tiberius! Answer me!"
"Unnnggkkk," came a small voice from the corner. Bunny whirled, boomerangs held in a ready position.
But it was only Tiberius, curled around Jack's old staff.
That's when he knew something was wrong. Jack wouldn't-couldn't-go anywhere without her staff, and she would never leave Tiberius home alone (turns out, Old Man Winter was great with kids of all species-who knew, right?).
Yes, something was very, very wrong.
"Tiberius? C'mere, mate." Bunny held his arms out the cub and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth encouragingly. "It's okay, ya li'l anklebitah. Uncle Bunny's 'ere and…and ya gonna be okay, hmm?"
Inwardly, the Pooka winced. 'Uncle Bunny' was almost as bad as 'Bun-Bun'.
"Where's Jackie?" he asked absently, scooping up Tiberius and stroking the white fur along his head and back.
The bear just let out a doleful little moan, burying his cold nose against Aster's fur.
"Crikey! Ya're jus' too cold, ya li'l anklebitah." He began to set the cub down, but nearly landed on top of him as a beam of lavender light flashed along the ice wall before them. It took the Pooka a moment to realize what the light was, but when he finally did, he couldn't stop the disparaging little grin that stole over his features. He was getting paranoid.
Giving the now-free bear a comforting pat on the head, Bunny hopped quickly to the large bay window across the room and pushed it open roughly.
The Northern Lights danced across the frigid sky, illuminating the snowy landscape below with a barrage of color.
"North." he mumbled. Geeze, the man had perfect timing.
The Pooka had a foot raised, seconds away from opening a tunnel, when a small grunt sounded from the corner of the room. Tiberius was, once again, curled tightly around Jack Frost's staff.
Well, this was just lovely. What was he going to do with a blinking polar bear cub?
After a moment's hesitation, Bunny strode to the wardrobe and shoved away the double doors.
Sweet MiM, how many hoodies could one girl have?! He pulled one of the more worn-looking ones out, and quickly tossed it over the bear.
Tiberius's dark eyes betrayed a hit of surprise at being attacked by a piece of fabric, then took on a lethargic gleam as he breathed in Jack's calming scent. He chuffed softly and laid his head gently on the blue cloth, eyelids snicking shut.
"Tha's righ', ya snotbucket. Jus' take a nap till Uncle Bunny gits back, 'kay?"
Bunny arrived at the Santoff Claussen almost as soon as he'd left Jack's, but it took him ten minutes to wade through the elves to get to what North had officially dubbed 'The Meeting Room.'
Which was in more chaos than the workroom.
When Bunny stepped inside, he was greeted by the nearly overwhelming sounds of North bellowing out a laugh, Tooth buzzing incessantly to her fairies, the jabber of the yetis trying to serve everyone half-eaten cookies, and, although he couldn't hear it (-and undoubtedly never would), he was willing to bet a very large amount of chocolate that Sandy was snoring quietly in a corner.
"Ah! Bunny! Waz vondering vhen you come! You usually first." North's voice boomed across the room. He was seated in his recliner with the Christmas upholstery at the head of the mahogany table, holding a rather large mug of what could have been cocoa, but was probably vodka.
The Pooka bit his lip. Did they know about Jack? Was that why North had used the aura borealis? "Took me a minute ta see the lights. What's up?"
"Have a bad feeling. In ma belly." The Cossack rubbed his large stomach distractedly, waiting for Bunny to make some kind of wisecrack.
Instead, the Guardian of Hope snorted. "Tha' woulda been nice ta know, like, five hours ago! I was supposed ta have lunch with Jackie a' noon, but she nevah showed. I wint ovah ta her place, an' she wasn't there. Bu' 'er staff was."
Awakened by Bunny's rather annoyed tone, Sandy's golden eyebrows dipped in concern as the little gold symbols danced above his head, stating, "But Jack can't go anywhere without her staff."
"'Sactly, mate! An' Tiberius was there too, all alone. She always leaves 'im with Ol' Man Wintah when she goes out."
"Where is bear and staff now?" asked North, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
Bunny's ears pressed flat against his head with embarrassment. "I…uh, I left 'em a' Frostbite's."
Tooth gasped indignantly. "And you just left Tiberius-and not to mention Jack's staff-there unprotected?!"
"I figured Snowflake was more important! Sides, I was gunna go back aftah I told ya guys."
North leapt-as much as a man his size could leap-form his chair, vodka splashing from his "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" cup. "Zen let us find out vhat happened, eh? Phil!" He shouted, striding purposefully out of the room, "Ready sleigh! Yes, now! Aw, quit being baby!"
The rest of the Guardians trickled out, moving slowly towards the garage.
"Did you check the whole castle for her, Bunny?" questioned Tooth as she zoomed around nervously.
"Yeh. Place was completely empty."
"What about the area surrounding it?"
"Nah, but I'm sure she would've taken Tiberius and her staff if she'd gone out for a walk. Anyways, I woulda heard 'er when I was tunnelin'."
Sandy, who had been floating above the two during this conversation, frowned as he ghosted into the large red sleigh and perched lightly on one of its benches. This whole situation reeked of Pitch.
"Sh, sh, sh. Settle down, little one. Auntie's got you, sh, yes, that's right. Guys, I think he's warming up to me!" whispered Tooth excitedly, clutching a whimpering Tiberius to her feathered chest.
"Iz great, Toothy." North murmured as he examined the blankets on Jack's bed.
It had taken them minutes to reach the ice palace. When they arrived, they rushed to Jack's room, where a bawling polar bear cub had thrown himself at Bunny.
The disgruntled Pooka had tried to pawn the white bundle off to Tooth, but Tiberius had refused to let go of him. It had taken several minutes (and several scratches, all at Bunny's expense), but the bear was finally snoozing restlessly in Tooth's very welcoming arms. The three remaining males had spread throughout the room and adjoining bathroom, in hopes of finding a clue of some sorts.
And it appeared North had discovered something. "Sandy. Come see zis."
The small golden man skimmed over obediently to the bed, a golden question mark hovering over his head. His expression, however, morphed into one of confused perturbation as he reached down and let his fingers brush over the small grains of black sand that covered the white sheets.
Simultaneously, North's snowy beard tugged down in a frown as he stared at the corner of the sheet, running it through his thick fingers. "Vhat color iz vinter elemental blood?"
"Bluuuuueeee!" cooed Tooth, ticking Tiberius's belly with a long fingernail.
"Jackie bled on sheetz."
"Wha'?" Bunny snatched the sheet from the old Cossack's hands, staring down at the icy blue-grey splotches sprinkled on the fabric.
"Jack was bleeding?" This was the only statement that could possibly jerk Tooth away from the fluffy bundle of cuteness held in her arms.
A few symbols flashed above Sandy's head and North nodded in agreement. "Jack's blood and nightmare sand iz bad….vhat is vord…ah! Contribution."
They all stared at him blankly and he immediately went on the defensive. "What? I say vord right way."
Bunny snickered. "Yeh, but ya said the wrong word. I think the one yer lookin' for is combination, not contribution."
North waved a big, agitated hand dismissively. "Vhatever. Means same thing."
"Uh…no, North, not really." Tooth ventured.
The other guardian's face was turning a lovely shade of cherry red, and Bunny wouldn't have been surprised if he'd stomped his foot on the ground like a child. "Does not matter."
"I gotta admit, ol' candy cane breath is right." Bunny conceded, fingering the fraying wood of the staff he now held clutched in his paw. "We've gotta find 'er."
And that was how the ended up in Burgess. It was the only place they knew to look; when Jack could be anywhere in the world, she'd usually be found in Burgess.
When they didn't find her at her lake, the Guardians left Tooth and Tiberius with the sleigh and crept into the town. They checked Jamie's house next, but Jack wasn't there, and it was too late at night to ask the boy if he'd seen her. The three finally decided to split up, and began combing the streets, looking for their lost winter sprite.
Bunny flinched as he accidentally bumped into a trashcan. The metal barrel hit the pavement with a loud crash, crumpled-up newspapers and empty egg cartons now littering the road. Drat these humans and their…
A mischievous laugh rang through the thick summer air, making the Pooka's ears perk up, making his nose twitch in anticipation. He knew that laugh. He'd know it anywhere.
"Jack! Jackie!" He shouted, darting down the street after the sound.
A shadow flit across the moon, accompanied by that same laugh.
Bunny scowled. He had no time for Jack's silly little games. He bellowed, "Snowflake! Answer me!"
There was a startled little yelp, and a loud thud! from a nearby alley.
Oh, great. Now he'd scared her. "Frostbite? You okay?" He turned down the alley and started toward the crumpled, Jack-shaped lump hidden amongst the shadows.
The ice spirit merely grunted, scraping herself up off the pavement and stepping out of the gloom, into the dim light cast from the overhead bulb mounted on the brick wall next to them.
It was the same Jack he remembered-same pert nose, and boyishly short hair. She was wearing a tight pair of jeans that tapered off at the ends, a v-neck, button-up shirt, and a pair of black converse, all black. Unusual but not, for lack of a better word, forbearing.
But if the grey skin, wispy black hair, and glowing amber eyes didn't scream "IMPENDING DOOM!", then Bunny didn't know what did.
"North! Sandy!" He called, voice hoarse. He could only hope they heard him.
Meanwhile, Jack just stared at the humanoid rabbit. A rather vicious looking grin slithered over her features, revealing a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth.
Bunny couldn't stop the shiver of fear that ran through him. "Oh, Jack," his voice was low and mournful, devoid of its usual dry sarcasm, "What 'as he done to you?"
"Ah, ah, ah! A great mind never reveals his secrets." The voice crawled from the shadows surrounding the two Guardians, oozing from every dark pore.
"Pitch!"growled Bunny. "Ya show ya're face, ya cowardly, lily-livered, yeller-bellied li'l…"
A chuckle interrupted him. "Settle down, rabbit! I must admit, though, that fear of yours is delectable. Almost as delicious as little Jacklyn Frost's here." The wraith-like spirit appeared from behind the winter child, wrapping spindle-like fingers around her shoulders, and pressing his cheek to hers. "Such a good little girl. Always does what she's told."
As if on cue, Jack let out a manic little giggle. Bunny's teeth ground together with irritation. "What. Have. You. Done. With. Her."
Pitch released the girl's shoulders, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest. "I've said it before, a great mind never reveals his secrets. Even to overgrown rodents like you."
A boomerang appeared in Bunny's left paw, and he let out a loud growl. "Pitch, ya…"
"Bunny! Vhat you find? You having Jack?" North trotted briskly down the alley with Sandy floating along above him.
Pitch glanced at the new arrivals with something akin to exasperation. "And here comes the other two stooges. Oh, goody, now I have a complete set. North, Sandy, wonderful to see you again. It's been too long. We really should get together for tea more often."
"Pitch!" The old Cossack's swords, seeming to come from nowhere, aimed themselves at the wraith as a pair of dreamsand spheres swirled in Sandy's palms.
"What is it with you Guardians and your…destructive little toys? Honestly. Besides, not even those swords of yours could take on my new weapon, North."
The Russian's eyes narrowed. As far as he knew, there was no substance on earth, not even diamond, that his swords couldn't cut through. He was very, very proud of them; they were his babies. "And zhat might zat be?"
Pitch let out a loud cackle. "My dear, why don't you come out where he can see you?"
Jack stepped further into the light and North gasped. "Jack! Vhat have you done wiv her?!"
Pitch sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why do they always ask that? Look, little Jackie Frost is a fearling now. My fearling. And, nothing you can do will ever change that fact. You Guardians really should keep a better eye on your children."
Symbols flashed above Sandy's head with a few soft shushes.
"Why? Sandy, you haven't figured that out yet? Surely, you, of…wait. Hold on a moment." Pitch's aquiline nose rose and he gave a few exaggerated sniffs. "Can you smell that?"
Bunny glared at the boogeyman suspiciously. 'Alrigh', you creepy tosspot,' he thought angrily, 'I'll bite.' "Smell what?"
"I'm not quite sure…whatever it is, it's very sweet. Hm, could it be? Oh, my, I think it is!" Pitch gave a little giggle. "Revenge!"
In spite of it all, Sandy rolled his eyes. His archenemy always had been one for dramatics.
"Anyway," Pitch continued, studying his nails with disinterest, "I think you have bigger problems at the moment."
"Bigger probleems? Pitch, vaht you talk…" North never finished his sentence, cut off by a loud, high-pitched scream.
The pieces clicked for Bunny first. "Tooth!"
:) I just love cliffhangers, don't you?
I have no idea how Pitch ended up with most of the 'funny' lines, so if he's a little OCC...yeah. I find him a bit hard to write.
I was going to do that little bit of Jack's in italics, but then I decided that that was...well, too much italicized. I dunno, what do you think? (P.S. While I was writing that part, I was listening to 'Lost Songs' by Olafur Arnalds. You should totally listen to it. It's an awesome song, and I think it really sets the mood for that part of the chapter. The link's on my profile)
Oh, and I'll try to update more often, too. Now that I've revived all my plot bunnies, I should be able to write the other chapters more easily. d:
Anyhoo, I hoped you liked it! Reviews are very nice.
Koko's out. See ya'll later! :)