Well hello everyone. How are we all? I suddenly got this random idea and began to write, hounded by the muse. What a bitch. Might have to get her tied to a chair and leave me alone so that I can to sleep.
Sea biscuit: Yeah I had that plan since the beginning. Really wanted to kick his arse. Next time I will let you know when the arse kicking is, so you can join. Promise.
Tanairy Cornelio: I'm glad that Jack's POV went down well. Might have chapter later on with just his POV. It's a thought that's been buzzing around my mind for a while.
Soaring Pheonix86: There are some pain in the arse spirits out there. That's true. I shall let the intrigue destroy you slowly, the wonderment is sweet to me. Mwhahahaaa. My muse feeds off it. Your brain does need to be checked, I'm an alright writer. I'm getting a little better each chapter I think.
Cheshire cat: I hope this update was quick enough :D
Dex Zabeth: Man in the moon is a prat. End of.
Chocy Kitty: Welcome back. It's been a while. Glad you like the gore galore. Trust me in later chapters, it's gonna get worse. Review at any time. It will always make me laugh. Chameleon.
Chapter 7 – Unexpected drop in.
Yeah. I can't describe how much I hate myself right now. I shouldn't have done it. Any of it. I should have just done my duty. The normal duty. But no, I interfered. Because of this interference everything blew up in my face. I may not have to worry about the balance, but the man in the moon was right. I will be responsible for all the consequences. Most of all, I shouldn't have done that to Jack. I'm such a fucking coward. At the moment, I'm flying. I don't know where and I honestly don't care. I'm just trying to protect him, but everything that I do just goes wrong! I stopped him from following me to get to Mother Nature, instead he finds me while I go all demon on someone. I take away the sight I gave him so that he can't find me and get into danger. But what's next? I trap him like I did Pitch so that he can't get hurt? Ever? In doing all of this, I see the pain in his face. His voice. I'm almost tearing him apart. Not Pitch, not his demon whore, or child spawn. Me. My eyes cloud up with tears and I have to land. I see a tall building and aim for the roof. Roughly stumbling as I come in too fast. I skid and fall to my knees. I'm bawling my eyes out. This is all going wrong. Then I realise that I'm still holding my scythe. Still. I can see that the hand that's holding it is shaking. I drop it as if it's grown red hot in my palm. I kick it away. I back up to the stairwell and wipe my eyes just staring at the damn thing. It does nothing but sit there, but I feel as if it's screaming at me to pick it up. It doesn't look the same. Subtle changes have happened. The blade is longer, it's got a sheen to the metal. The handle looks more worn and ragged. I shake my head, I'm just imagining these things. I'm just over stressed. I'm going fucking insane. A street light flicks on beside the building making me jump. I blink heavily and wipe my eyes. I'm such a mess. I thought things were going to be easier from now on, here I am ten years later wondering what the fuck has gone wrong. Oh god Jack, I'm so sorry... I love you, I really, really do, but I... I can't do this. I can't risk losing you...
I pull myself together, eventually. I wipe away the last of my tears and sniff, breathing in heavily. The wind has picked up and I feel the cold breeze whip my hair around. It brings a small smile to my face. It brings a memory where I was at home. With Jack. I was sitting outside, it was sunny...
I look at the spring, the steam is rising creating swirling clouds. I'm a little lonely, it's around Christmas and Jack has been gone for days. I know that sometimes I vanish, and I can be summoned a few times in a row. Rare though it is, but Jack is always absent around this time. I'm not one for celebrating the holiday, but it's a little unfair that I don't get to see him and everyone else does. I sigh and brush my hair from my eyes. It's nice being outside, although it's a little warm. I take out my sketch pad and begin to draw. I lean on the wood, oh yeah. I'm up a tree. Laying on a particularly thick branch. My wings are draped either side of me teasing the butterflies that fly underneath in the flowers. A feather would flick out and gently brush a butterfly into a different direction. It makes me smile and keeps them amused. I begin to draw a memory that I promised myself that I wouldn't forget. Jack forms under my pencil, he was laughing at me, I remember his face perfectly. My hair had gotten tangled in my bracelet that I had worn for the first time in about two hundred years. I had forgotten why I stopped wearing it. The reason being that I managed to tie myself to the bloody thing every time I wore it. Jack had to spend a good ten minutes untangling me from the blasted item before I slipped it off and threw it into the spring. I smile at myself as I draw his hoodie. A breeze ripples around me causing the paper to flutter. I swore and flattened it with my hand continuing to draw. A few minutes later it happened again, my hair whipping into my face and the paper escaping from my grip. 'Shit!' I exclaim, dropping from the branch. I chase the paper managing to capture in a couple of my fingers. I breath out in relief. Again the air flows around pushing me. What the hell is going on with the weather? I spin around to climb back into the tree and lo' and behold. Jack. Sitting on my branch, his staff held in his hand. I feel my face break into a smile. He grins cheekily back waving his staff and causing a breeze to brush past me. It was him all along, the git. I laugh as my hair covers my face. By the time I've managed to brush most of my hair from my eyes Jack has moved. He's barely a few centimetres away from me. I smile and giggle, he smiles back, snatching the paper from my hand lightning fast. I complain but he holds it out my reach as he looks.
'Not bad,' he says with a cheeky grin. I stick my tongue out at him. He grabs me around the waist in reply pulling me close. 'I missed you,' he says with a smile.
'I've missed you too,' I admit with a blush. He chuckles as the wind blows my hair into my eyes again.
'Seems that you make me do things without realising,' he laughs as he places his staff next to the trunk of the tree. The breeze dies down, leaving me to ppfff my hair from my face. He gently brushes my locks from my eyes and kisses me. I lean into him, it's been too long. The kiss is simple and sweet. 'I love you, my Angel,' he says against my lips.
'I love you, Jack Frost,' I reply.
I jerk at the thought. Dragged into the past. I touch my face, I've been crying. God damn it! I feel my anger. This is not what I needed! Damn memories. I wipe my face on my top feeling stupid. I catch some of my hair in my grip as I half wash my face. 'What the?' I say to myself looking at a few strands. They're white. Pure white. I get up and walk over to where the street light is illuminating the roof. It's not my imagination, not a trick of the light. They are white. 'What the fuck?' I blurt. What else about me has changed?! I look at my arms and pull up my top, nope my skin is still the same. I grab a wing and look. There. A feather, is slightly grey. Which may not sound like a lot, seeing as I have white wings, but my wings aren't like what horse people do. See a white horse and call it grey. My wings are truly white, the complete absence of colour. But yet, here, there's a damn grey feather. I pull it out wincing at the pain. I twirl it in my fingers. Why the fuck is my hair going white and my wings going grey?! I look at where I had plucked the feather and another has darkened. 'Oh come on!' I sigh. I drop the feather from the roof and flump onto my arse. I'll never understand what the fuck happens to me.
…
She didn't even look back. That hurts the most I think. What the hell is going on? One moment we're fine, life couldn't be better. We, couldn't be better. Then, when something bad happens, she just, well, she does this! Blocks me out completely. Pushes me to one side and does the whole independent woman thing. I know that she's been alone longer than we've been together. But, that time should count for something right? I'm still clutching my chest, she's taken the power she gave me. I won't be able to find her now, not easily anyway. I've always been stubborn, she's said that many times over the years. If she thinks that I'm just going to let her continue on whatever spiral she's flying in, she clearly forgotten who I am. I feel a pressure in my stomach, something that I haven't felt in about three hundred years. I look at the moon, expecting him to ''speak'' or something. But he doesn't. I stare at him, my head tilted. But nothing. I pull up my hood as the pressure disappears. I wonder what he was going to say?
…
Right, enough sulking. I've got things to do. I've got to track down Jamie, check on Sophie, check the prison, find and kick Natalie's arse and get my fucking stone back. I sigh and rub my eyes. First thing's first. Jamie. I've left it too long already. Poor kid. That's my selfishness kicking in there. I breathe in deeply, come on Zoe, you've done all the emotional shit. That's what that whole recording was for, I mentally berate myself as I go to pick up the scythe. 'Fucking hell!' A voice cries out. A figure lands on the roof spraying gravel everywhere. I raise my arms blocking the spray. Well, I say land. I mean crash. She crashes onto the roof. I wait for a moment, who the hell is this? She gets up wobbling, dressed in a pair of baggy blue jeans with chains down one side. A thick pair of combat boots, black leather jacket and a white t-shirt. I frown, is she one of Pitch's lackeys? She has large bat like wings, a tail? Yep, that's definitely a tail. Long, black and with that arrowhead end. I raise a brow. She even has a pair of cat ears in her hair. Are they fake? Nope, one's just twitched. Well this is new. She was wearing a cowboy hat that came off as she ''landed,'' she picked it up, flicking off the gravel and rams it on her head.
'A-Are you alright?' I ask. I don't have time for this but there's nothing wrong with being polite. She brushes herself off and shakes out her wings.
'Damn, fucking creature,' she swears brushing back her long hair. She focuses on me. Her eyes scan over my wings, scythe. 'You must be Death,' she states. I notice that she has a couple of lip piercings, one either side of her bottom lip, little rings.
'Uh, yeah,' I reply.
'Nice to meet you, here's me with an easy job, but yours?' She sighs. 'Man in the moon is awful to some spirits.' I can only gape. She speaks as if she understands the burden of death. She turns to the moon and gives him the finger.
'Are you okay?' I repeat in a stupor. Amazed at what I've just seen.
'Huh? Uh, yeah fine,' she replies.
'What the hell happened?' I ask, my curiosity peaked.
'Fucking bird is what happened. That'll teach me for flying so low in a urban area. Damn thing flew out a roof and clipped me in the face,' she scowled. 'Doesn't matter, I set the blasted thing on fire.' I raise both brows in horror. 'I'm joking, jeez lighten up,' she laughs.
'You can set things on fire?' I ask. She smiles and holds her hand out, a flame appears and covers her palm. She closes her hand and extinguishes the fire. I give her a look of me being impressed. I'm kinda intrigued to who this woman, well, she looks to me the same age as me. Who she is. She seemed to know who I am, but she didn't hold any scrutiny toward me. It's refreshing and most of all, distracting. I'm procrastinating. Bite me. 'Who are you?'
'My name? Ashley,' she replies with a grin.
'What are you?' I blurt out. 'The whole fire thing is a little strange, sorry! No offence.' I add quickly. She opens her mouth to reply, but something moves out the corner of my eye. I spin around to see a large grey wolf run across the opposite rooftop and land onto ours. It's paws kick up the gravel. It shakes a paw to dislodge a speck of gravel and looks at me. Looks back to Ashley, then back to me. I swear it rolled it's eyes. It looks at Ashley who shrugs her shoulders. The wolf sighs and begins to change, it's hard to describe. Imagine taking the picture of a wolf and swirling it, making it longer and taller. In a couple of seconds another young woman stood in front of me. I take a step back. This has gotten strange. All thoughts of Pitch, Jack and the man in the moon have vanished.
'There you are!' She says. 'You just disappeared!' She scolded ignoring me. I take a moment to look her over. She's pretty normal, apart from the long grey wolf tail and ears. She has light grey, brownish hair which is tied up in a pony tail. Dressed in a simple pair of dark jeans, tank top and trainers. Her ears, wolf ears, are covered in piercings, I counted seven in one ear! I can't help but almost stare at the two women.
'It's not my fault! I had a mid air collision,' Ashley replies. The other one sighs and rubs her eyes. 'Besides, look who I met,' she says twisting her friend? Around to see me.
'Hi?' I say holding my scythe casually.
'Hi!' She replies a lot more perky. 'She didn't land on you did she?'
'Hey!' Ashley protested. She turned back to Ashley and they began to bicker.
'Whoa!' I say holding up my spare hand. 'Can we just get a few things straight please. 'I'm Zoe,' I say pointing at myself, 'you're Ashley, and you are?'
'Oh! I'm Rosie,' she grins. Her canines are huge! They hang over her bottom lip when her mouth is closed. I nod. Right, Ashley and Rosie. Got it.
'Who are you?' I ask again for like the fourth time.
'We're the sisters of Samhain,' Rosie replies with a grin. Ashley rolls her eyes.
'Spirits of Hallows eve, for those who don't know what Samhain is,' Ashley translates. I nod. Oh right, Samhain... I think I know what that is.
'You're a wolf and you're a demon?' I say lightly trying not to offend. I really don't want to be set one fire.
'Yeah, we don't get it either, but look at it this way, the Tooth fairy is covered in feathers. Who thought of that?' Ashley laughs. I tilt my head. She has a point. I give her that. Is it already that close to Halloween already?
'Where are you going?' I ask.
'Mexico,' Rosie replies. 'It's a little early but something is happening. There's disturbance on the other side.' She says quietly sharing a look with Ashley.
'What do you mean?' I ask a pit forming in my stomach. Ashley looks at Rosie who nods. They speak quickly in a dead language that I know, I can't quite hear them though. I just catch the odd word. It sounds like they're discussing how much to tell me. Rosie points out that I'm the Grim Reaper and Ashley buckles.
'Uh, sorry about that,' Rosie says with a small smile. 'Well, what we can gather is-'
'- that souls aren't passing as they should. On Hallows eve, souls return from the other side to visit families and friends, but something is happening- ' Ashley cuts in.
'- so it's not going as smoothly as would normally,' Rosie finished. I nod, ah. This is the repercussion of Jack's interference. I knew something like this would happen. There's nothing I can do about it. It'll have to smooth itself out. I'll keep an eye out though. Rosie looks at me and clicks her fingers. 'Jack Frost!' She blurts. I feel my heart stop.
'W-What about him?' I ask, subconsciously raising my scythe.
Ashley grins. 'You're together aren't you?' She says looking at Rosie who smiles and links arms.
'Yeah, I thought I had heard something about you two,' Rosie smiles her canines glinting in the lamplight. Ashley whispers something and Rosie goes bright red and slaps her on the arm gently. Rosie whispers something back and it was Ashley's turn to turn pink and growl. I can't help but smile at their antics. I don't know what to say her question. I mean we are together, but, at the moment times are hard. Well, I'm being a bit of a bitch. Truth be told.
'Oh, I know that look,' Ashley said with a raised brow at Rosie. Who nodded in reply. 'Don't worry about answering that one. We know that you're together. That's enough for us.' She smiles. I give her a grateful grin in reply.
'At least he's taken, if your husband found out about your lil' crush...' Rosie teases at Ashley. I smile. Quite a few people have a little crush on Jack. Makes me wonder what he sees in me. Wait, did she say husband?
'That crush came and went about twenty years ago,' Ashley replied with a wink at me. I can't help but grin more. I like these two. 'Besides, what would your husband say?' Ashley retaliates, she pokes Rosie in the hip with her tail, who yelps like a dog in reply. 'I know mine would just pout and go sulky.'
'Oh I don't even want to think about it,' Rosie laughed, brushing her sister's tail aside. 'Probably go all broody and not talk to me, or the complete opposite and go on a rage,' she said casually. I'm totally shocked. These two have husbands? What the hell? They look about twenty, although in this business that can mean nothing.
'You're married?' I blurt.
Rosie and Ashley laughed. Then laughed harder. 'Why is that so strange?' Ashley giggled. Rosie wiped her eyes with the side of her hand. Ashley chuckled and waited for an answer. 'What? You and Jack never even talk about it?'
'W-What?! N-No!' I reply in shock. 'Why would we? One of us might die.' I say realising how stupid that sounded, but it always was a concern for me.
'Humans get married and die all the time,' Rosie laughed. 'Otherwise no-one would ever do it.' Ashley giggled and nodded.
'H-How did you get hitched?' I ask curiously. Trying to steer the conversation about me and Jack far, far away.
'Oh that's complicated, not a short story,' Rosie replies. 'If we see you again then we'll tell you. It'll make you laugh. But we had better get going otherwise we're not going to get to Mexico on time.' She said with a grin. Ashley titled her head and sighed.
'Yeah, she's right. Sorry, see you around Zoe,' She said opening her wings.
'Wait, before you go, why haven't I seen you before?' I ask.
'Oh, well, we don't really like contact with people. Unless it's our holiday,' Ashley explained. 'We generally keep ourselves to ourselves unless we need something. So we rarely see anyone. In fact apart from seeing Jack about four years ago, it's been about sixty years since we last seen another spirit.' I raise a brow. Fair enough. It's a little strange, but I guess that they have each other. I've got to say that I didn't expect this to happen at all.
'Well, it was nice to meet you,' I say a little sadly.
Rosie looks at Ash, 'yeah,' she says. 'It was nice to meet you too,' she says, her tone just as sad as mine. Ashley nods. Rosie gives me a little wave, before doing her shifting thing and becoming a wolf again. Ashley nods and runs to the edge of the roof taking off. Rosie backs up a little before jumping over to the next roof and so on. I barely feel the weight of my scythe. Well, that was a experience. They didn't seem bothered about me, or what I am. Maybe being in the dark has been a good thing for them. I sigh. Well, back to real life I guess.
…
North sat in his study looking at his tools. It had been a long night. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, tiredness had crept in slowly. Things were happening that he didn't understand. He picked up a ice pick and examined it. Anything to distract him from the negative thoughts that swirled around his mind. He liked Zoe, he did, she was like a daughter to him. But like a father he worried. Zoe was hiding something. Something bad. He frowned placing the tool back on the table. There was peace for about fifteen minutes before he heard the tinkle of glass. Which wasn't uncommon with the elves around. But something made the back of his neck prickle. Something wasn't right. It was too quiet. He picked up a sword that rested by the table, he found the other by the door. He slipped one into his belt and opened the door.
He saw darkness.
Um. Yeah. There we go. Random drabble. I know it's a little different from normal but different can be good, right? Well, be kind with your flaming reviews, I'm going to go hide until the mob dies down.