Hello guys! You have no idea how you inspire me to work on this story. Thank you again for the support your giving me. I'm happy you like the story and I hope you keep on reading it. Here we go wit chapter four! Enjoy!
Chapter Four
Jack woke up welcomed by a cold breeze. He couldn't shake the feeling that it wanted to tell him something, but he couldn't tell what. It was the sixth day after his miracle recovery and he was happy… maybe too happy, to be precise. With each passing day in his home, with his family, he convinced himself more that everything he lived in three hundred years had been a dream. He still couldn't explain why he still had the necklace Tooth gave him, but he didn't mind much. It was a pretty necklace and he liked it, so he figured that he might as well just keep it. He was adapting to normality at an alarming rate, almost forgetting that he once was able to fly with the wind and travel around the world bringing the snow into the Earth.
His family nonetheless was thrilled. Slowly the Jackson they knew, the Jack he had been before the accident in the ice, was coming back. For example, Jack realized how boring was to do the chores in the house and how fun it was to sneak out with his friends and play pranks. Soon enough he started ditching his chores, or trading them, and going outside to play with the other teens. He returned to pranking and teasing his little sister, almost forgetting what it was like to almost lose her and to be without her for three centuries. He was forgetting the feeling of loneliness, making himself believe that it was too painful to remember. He was becoming human again, a teenager. He started to give everything for granted.
No later than sooner Easter arrived; the snow on the ground was water and it created dirty puddles for the teens to jump on and spill the dirty water to everyone around. Jack knew he had to do something on Easter, but he couldn't remember exactly what or why was it important. He only wanted to have fun. All day long the teen and his little sister prepared what was needed for the bonfires and sleepover in the clearing, and also to the Easter Egg Hunt the next day. They were more than excited. Jack started to hang around with his staff at all times without needing it for support any longer, not knowing why not having it made him feel uneasy. He was starting to forget his days as the winter spirit, and even worse, his days as a guardian.
When the sun was setting Pippa and Jack took off the clearing, waving their mother goodbye while promising her to be safe. They arrived at the same time the other teens and children in the village did, and Pippa tugged Jack's sleeve to tell him something in his ear. "Remember to tell the story tonight at the bonfire," she just whispered to him before running off to meet her own friends. At first he was confused, and then he remembered the dreamlike story he told his family some night ago. For a reason it seemed important, although Jack couldn't put the finger on that.
When all the children were gathered around the bonfire, which was blazing in all its glory, Jack stood up and went to where everyone could hear him. All eyes fell on him, but he didn't get nervous. He was Jackson Overland, he never got nervous. He felt the nagging feeling at the back of his mind that he had other name, although that idea now seemed ridiculous for him. He started his tale.
"This is the tale of a boy" he began with a low voice that called for attention and suspense. The spectators moved in their seats to get more comfortable, and the few people that were standing sat down. "The name of this boy is Jack… Frost. How he came to be is a mystery, but there is a legend that says that he once used to be like us. Jack Frost is the spirit of winter, he creates blizzards, and he brings the snow. He plays pranks on everyone all the time, only caring about having fun. When he was human, a teenage boy much like me" he added a presumptuous grin for effect "he fell into a frozen lake. He drowned down there in the ice all alone, surrounded by darkness." That part of the tale sent a shiver down his spine, as if it was a reminder of something that happened a long time ago that brought unpleasant feelings for him.
"But something, or someone, took pity on the boy. The moon resurrected him, got him out from the bottom of the lake and Jack was reborn as Jack Frost, the bringer of winter," Jack was getting uneasy with the path the story was taking, and he still had that nagging feeling on the back of his mind trying to tell him something. "He was amazed by his new powers but he had no memory of being human. He found a staff, like this one," he took his and showed it around the kids. "With it he could create beautiful frost patterns in different surfaces and he could also freeze the water. The wind became his best friend, who carried him away and helped him fly. His first flight was a disaster with an embarrassing landing, but on his defense he didn't knew how to control his powers yet. He landed in a small town and tried to talk to the people; you know, ask for directions and look for people who might know him. But when he tried to talk to someone, that someone could not see him. And so it was with every other person he tried to talk to. Suddenly, a common passerby not realizing what he was doing walked straight into Jack;" there multiple gasps of the children, who now were completely inside the story. They loved it. "However he walked through him. The passerby walked straight through Jack as if he was not even there. As you might imagine, it was devastating for him to know he was invisible. He flew away from the scene and back to the pond where he had died and being reborn. There he could see the moon clearly and he asked it 'Why? Why would you give me life if no one can see me?' yet, the moon remained silent. He flew again someplace else, trying to get someone to acknowledge him, but no one did. He realized that with every arrival to any town, snowflakes fell delicately and the temperature dropped; he realized he brought the winter to the town he stepped on. He couldn't be much on the sun or the heat but he could swim in frozen ponds at midnight. He started snowball fights and made a mess everywhere he went trying to tell the people there to notice him" he stopped to catch his breath. He had taken a serious tone and every person hearing the story was hanging from it. He remained silent for a moment, letting his words and his story sink in while he thought about the whole story. For some reason, when he told it, it didn't seem like a story or a dream anymore. He took a deep breath and decided he would later think about that, for then he had a story to finish.
"That way he spent the next two centuries, flying over the world on his own, bringing the winter, having fun, but inside longing for someone to believe he was real. Then one day he made a discovery. He met other spirits just like him, but they were seen and believed by the people. I'm sure you've all heard about them. They are the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny," he thought of cracking a joke about how he looked like the Easter Kangaroo, but he figured they wouldn't understand. And then he thought he didn't understand it himself. Why would he call a bunny a kangaroo? He pushed this thinking aside and continued with his story. "The Sandman and Santa Claus," the kids gasped in surprise and awe, recognizing those characters they all believed in. The look of wonder in their faces reminded Jack of a big fat man with that same expression those kids had. "Jack grew jealous. He wanted to be believed in like them, he wanted to be seen and heard of. He never met them until later; all of them except the Easter bunny. His real name was E. Aster Bunnymund. Now we go to a year very far from here in a town very different from this. With tall structures called buildings and very few tears. It was the year of ninety sixty eight, on Easter day, just like today. Jack wanted to have some fun, and he decided he'd mess with the nearest being that could see him: the Easter Bunny.
"The day started like any other, sunny and beautiful; perfect for the Easter egg hunt" he grinned mischievously, lost in that memory. "And then I-mmm…-Jack arrived. Immediately the temperature dropped, snow started to fall. He summoned wind and clouds. Soon, the perfect sunny day had turned into the perfect snowy day. Still, it wasn't enough for the children to call off the hunting. The Easter Bunny was fuming and he swore that he would get Jack to pay for what he did. Jack, deciding it wasn't enough, created a blizzard to piss off the Bunny. It worked very well and the kids wind up going home. They did manage to find some Easter eggs but were very disappointed on the weather. The Bunny had to work fast to save Easter, so he started to hide the eggs inside the houses. Easter was saved in the end and the children still believed in him, but the Easter Bunny was very angry at Jack. Their argument wouldn't end for years" the children laughed and smiled. "Okay, dinner time. I'll wrap up the story once we eat," Jack said and everyone groaned. They wanted to keep on listening to the story but he just wouldn't. He was the story teller, he was thirsty and hungry. The story could wait.
Jack went to the bench his sister was on and grabbed some of the food their mother had sent them in the basket they'd use the next day. "So, what do you think?" he asked Pippa. She swallowed the food before answering.
"I think it's great! Everyone loves it, Jack," Pippa told him smiling. He smiled back at her, but was distracted by the rustling of a bush behind him. "What's wrong Jack?" Pippa asked him, slightly worried.
"Nothing, wait here while I go check up on something" Jack replied and stood up. He went to the forest behind him, following the slight noises made by something moving fast. He started to run and suddenly he winded up at the pond. He looked around but found nothing. He was turning to leave when someone called him out: "Good to see you haven't forgotten us yet mate," it was a male voice behind him. Jack turned around and there he saw Bunnymund, who had a pissed expression on his face.
"What? How? You… are you…" he searched his memory and yes, it fit the one of the blizzard. "You are the Easter Kangaroo!" Jack exclaimed and Bunnymund snorted. So that's the reason he would call a bunny a kangaroo, just by looking at its size.
"I see you are still the same annoying brat as always," Bunny snorted.
"So… why are you here? It doesn't make any sense, I'm not Jack Frost. I… I haven't even met you yet, I… I didn't dream it, did I?" Jack mustered to himself, looking down puzzled. Again, he started to question if it had really been a dream or not, and if it wasn't then what was he doing there. It was all so confusing for him.
"I'm here to deliver a message: Time is running out and you will have to make a choice. Choose wisely," Bunny replied, pulling Jack out of his thoughts, and then tapped the floor three times. Immediately after a hole big enough for Bunny to fit in there opened and he was ready to go.
"Wait, what? A choice about what? Don't leave like this!" Jack asked puzzled.
"Sorry mate, can say no more, bye bye," Bunny said after hopping into the hole and disappearing. A choice? Jack thought. About what? When? He said time is running out, but how much do I have left?
Jack returned to the bonfire and was greeted by his worried sister, who hugged him tight. "Where were you? You had us worried for a minute there," Pippa told him.
"Us?" Jack asked confused and then looked around. Everyone in the clearing had their eyes on him. He could see the faint trace of a frown before someone patted him on the back strongly.
"Of course, we thought you had ditched us not to finish the story!" his friend joked. "Now that you're back, let the story continue," he finished and soon everyone was seated waiting for the story to begin anew. Jack walked up to the spot in the center where he had been before. He cleared his throat and began, pushing his doubts and the reunion with Bunnymund to the back of his mind.
"The second part of this magical tale is about a battle. A battle between the guardians and the nightmare king: Pitch Black, the boogeyman" at the mention of that name the kids shivered and flinched, and Jack had to fight hard against the feeling of wanting to hide. "Three centuries had gone by since Jack became the winter spirit, and one fateful night he met his nemesis: the Easter Bunny," everyone laughed at the comment and Jack smiled. He told the story of how he became a guardian, how they encountered Pitch Black in the palace of Tooth, how he figured out a way to recover his memories, how they all helped to finish the Eggs in time for Easter, how Jack screwed up, his encounter with Pitch, when he remembered and fixed his staff, how they battled Pitch in their weak state and how human children helped them win. Jack told them about Jamie, Sophie and their friends and it felt as if someone had clutched hard at his heart. When he finished the story everyone clapped. They knew now about Jack Frost, the bringer of winter and the Guardian of Fun. His teen friends asked him how had he come up with such a story, and he just told them that he dreamt it when he was unconscious. They seemed convinced and then everyone went to sleep.
Before closing his eyes completely, Jack thought he saw in the forest a black horse with gleaming yellow eyes. He blinked, and when he looked again, it was gone. He lay down on the sheet he brought for himself while he watched everyone doing the same. After a while, when everyone was sleeping, Jack couldn't seem to drift away. He was roaming over all the questions he had avoid until then, he thought about Bunny and what he had said and about the dark horse he saw in the woods.
Something was going to happen, and Jack knew it wasn't going to be pretty.
So, what do you think? Are you eager to know what will happen next? I hope so, because it's going to be good! On monday I return to high school after a long vacation, so maybe the updates won't be as daily as they are now, but do not worry. I'll keep on writing and updating as much as I can as soon as I can. Thank you again for the support, please Review! See you on the next chapter!