Hello everyone! Doubtless you have been going crazy from my lack of updates. Well, (Insert dramatic laugh here) worry not! I have been working long and hard on this next chapter and I home you enjoy it!
I'd like to thank the one maned Moonlight for her continual contributions to this story in the form of reviews and thank all my other awesome reviewers. Incidentally Guest, I like the longer reviews but not the big gapes. Do you think you could fix that? Thanks a lot.
Well, here we go. I hope you enjoy.
"What's the matter hon?" his wife asked sweetly, tilting her head up to look at him. "Did you forget something?"
Kozmotis winced. "Um, yeah." he said, wishing he could go hide somewhere. Preferably far, far away. Hell hell hell!
His wife smiled. "Well, why don't we go find out what it is and Seraphina can go get a head start on unpacking. Honey," she said, turning to Seraphina. "Your daddy and I are going to go do something. Can you get your suitcase to your room?"
Seraphina smiled. "Yes mom." she said, giving her mother a small hug and her father another, stronger one. Kozmotis smiled. She was definitely a daddy's girl. "Are we really going to go to the store later?" she asked, looking up at him with the big puppy-dog eyes.
Kozmotis glanced at the bathroom behind them. His wife was going to kick his ass when Seraphina was out of the room. He knew it and the only thing he could do about it was beg his wife's forgiveness and hope that she hadn't done anything to Jack.
He glanced back at his family and smiled uncertainly at Seraphina. "Ah, maybe." he said. He couldn't leave Jack with Sara. At least not before explaining to her the full story about Jack Frost. That would just spell disaster.
Seraphina frowned and her little puppy-dog look faded. "But... you said-" she stammered, looking up at him with wide, disappointed eyes.
Damn. She gets that from her mother.
"Oh, he's just kidding. Aren't ya honey?" Sara interrupted, putting a small amount of pressure on the arm she had laced in hers. Kozmotis felt a yelp bubbling up in his throat but he held it in. Damn she pinches hard. Then he smirked. One of the reasons I married her.
"Yes dear, we'll go." he said, then he shot his wife a look. "We can all go together." he said, accenting the together part, just in case she didn't get the message.
Sara smiled sweetly and Seraphina, who had obviously not heard her mother's mentioning of the boy in the tub, ran off down the hall to her room.
The instant she was gone, his wife turned to him and gave him a glare. "Well?" she asked, her eyes boring into his.
Kozmotis gulped. "Ah, well... um..." he stammered. He hadn't known how intense his wife's blue eyes were, but now they looked like twin ovals of melted sapphire.
"What on earth is that boy doing in the bathtub?!" Sara hissed, taking the situation into her own hands. Suddenly she looked much more frightening than that Nightmare horse Jamie had mentioned. She advanced on him and he felt himself shrinking a little bit beneath her gaze. Damn. When had her eyes ever been this fiery? "He could freeze to death! And what was the big idea putting all that ice on him? He could get frostbite!"
Kozmotis's eyes widened and suddenly all the fear drained out of him, replaced by intense worry. "You didn't move the ice, did you?" he asked quickly, taking her by the shoulders and staring into her eyes. "Please tell me you didn't!"
Sara snorted and gave him a look that clearly expressed indignation Not good. "Are you kidding? Of course I moved the ice! Are you trying to kill-"
"Sara you idiot!" Kozmotis yelled, anger and worry taking hold of him. He pushed past his wife and ran to the door, which he threw open and when he dud he saw, to his horror, that his wife had put the thickest comforter they had over the boy and all the ice was heaped in the sink, rapidly melting. "Damn!" he swore, pulling off the comforter and throwing it across the room. He checked the boy's temperature. Still cold, but not as cold as he'd been.
Kozmotis stood up and was about to head to the kitchen for more ice, but his path was blocked by his angry wife.
"Kozmotis Pitchner!" his wife said, folding her arms and staring at him with sapphire eyes that nearly glowed with fury. She looked like she was about to spit nails. "Just what do you think you're doing?!"
Kozmotis groaned, anger suddenly replaced by exasperation. He needed to get Jack under some ice, NOW. "Look Sara," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking her straight in the eye. "I promise I'll tell you everything about this as soon as I get more ice for Jack. He needs it!"
Sara stared at him as if he'd gone crazy. "Kozmotis, the boy is as cold as an icicle!" She exploded, shrugging his hands off of her. "He needs to be warmed up and put in a bed!"
"NO!" Kozmotis yelled, making his wife jump slightly. She was staring at him with wide, surprised eyes now. The fire was completely gone, but he could detect fear in them now.
Kozmotis closed his eyes and breathed deeply once, then he opened them again. She didn't know, it wasn't her fault. He loved her and never ever wanted her to be afraid of him.
"No." he said, softer this time, putting his hands back on her shoulders and looking at her earnestly. He had to explain to her now, before it was too late. "Sara, you don't understand. This boy, he's not human. He's a three hundred year old Winter Spirit and he needs ice and snow to survive."
Sara opened her mouth to speak but he raised a hand to stop her. "I know you might not believe me, but it's the truth, swear on the river Styx."
Swearing on the Styx was the one oath both him and Sara would always keep, no matter what it was. They were both fervent believers in keeping your word, and in ancient Greece there was no stronger vow.
"He already almost froze the house," Kozmotis said, looking straight into her eyes. Please let her believe me! "He almost froze the entire house because I tried to put blankets over him and even though I don't know what would happen if he did overheat, I know it wouldn't be good."
When he finished, he looked at his wife expectantly. She was staring at him intently, looking to see if he was lying.
"I'm not lying, I swear." Kozmotis said. "And I will also swear to tell you all of this that I know, after I get Jack some more ice. He needs it. Please Sara!" he said, glancing quickly back at Jack. Sweat was running down the side of the boy's face and desperation crept into his voice when he turned back to his wife. Her cool eyes were more worrying than her fiery ones. "I have to!"
Finally, after waiting what seemed like an age, Sara stepped aside and he ran quickly to the kitchen. He grabbed the bucket, filled it with ice, then ran back to the bathroom. Sara was still waiting there, staring expectantly at him. Kozmotis moved gently around her, then he knelt by the tub and upended the bucket, sending hard ice cascading down on the boy.
When it hit his body Kozmotis winced, but then he saw the relief it provided him and he moved the ice around to cover Jack's stomach, his legs, his hands and even his face this time, putting three pieces on his forehead. The ice made his face, which had been scrunched up in uncomfortable, relax visibly and the sweat froze in little droplets on his face. Kozmotis wiped it away.
"Come see." he said, beckoning to his wife. Sara didn't move. He laughed. "Honey, he's not going to hurt you." he said gently. "He's in a kind of hibernation right now, and he'll be there for about a week."
This shook her out of her silent musings.
"A WEEK?!" she screeched, bearing down on him like a malignant blue-eyed fiery inferno of anger.
"Calm down, calm down," he said placatingly, raising his palms. Hell hath no fury like a woman forbidden to bathe. "I was thinking about moving him to the guest room so that we could take a shower and go to the bathroom in peace."
"A WEEK?!" she repeated, louder this time.
He sighed. "Honey, It's not like I did this on purpose." he said, standing up and trying to put his arms around his wife. She stepped back and gave him a cold look. He sighed again, this time more exasperatedly. "Hon, really!" he said, stepping forward and forcing a hug on her. She didn't fight much, apart from squirming, but that didn't to any good. His arms, though he'd never once joined a gym, were strong as iron. "I honestly thought this was a dying boy being kicked to death by a wild horse! I didn't learn he was magical until a few hours ago!"
Sara gave her own sigh and wrapped her own arms around his back. Honestly, she was taking this much better than he expected. "OK, OK," she said, rubbnig his back with her hand. "This is just... a bit much."
Kozmotis couldn't help laughing. "How hard do you think it was for me?" he demanded, bending down to kiss her on the forehead. "I almost ran out of the room screaming when I found out. I thought I was losing my mind!"
She laughed and he kissed her again. "I can imagine that." she teased.
After holding her for a few more minutes, just to be safe and make sure she wasn't going to freak, Kozmotis detached himself from his wife and, after making sure that all Jackhammers exposed skin was covered in ice, he led her into their bedroom across the hall where he sat her down and explained all that had happened since he had found that boy. He left nothing out. He even told her about the shaft of moonlight that had led him to the boy and she'd listened to it all without stopping him once.
When he finally finished, she just stared at him quietly, looking at him with her intense blue eyes.
He coughed and said, not knowing what else to say, "Um, hon?"
She just continued to stare at him.
Kozmotis smirked and, before she could stop him, he stuck the first finger of his left hand in her left ear.
"Koz!" Sara said, leaning away and swatting his hand. He laughed.
"Hey, you spaced out." he said, then he noticed the yellow goo on his finger and he made a face. "EWWWW!" He said, sounding like a fourth-grader.
"HA!" she said, smirking. "That's that you get."
"Ha ha." he deadpanned, wiping his finger on a napkin that was lying on the little table beside their bed.
She smiled and, after he finished wiping his finger, sat down again.
"Well?" he asked, staring at her. She wasn't angry, or confused anymore. In fact, her expression was the normal kind, calm one he always saw on her face. She smiled.
"Well what?" she asked innocently.
He shrugged. "Any questions, comments, opinions, rants about how I'm going insane and how I'm not allowed to see our daughter anymore. . ." he trailed off. She was still smiling.
"Well, you pretty much filled me in on everything." she said, scooting over and taking his hand. "And I don't think your crazy."
He smiled at her. "Well, that's something at least." he said.
"I do, however,think that we should call that boy Jamie over again."
Kozmotis blinked. "Jamie? Why?"
"Because I think you're right." she said, giving him the look he'd come to know as the wise-not-so-old-mother look. "I think something is definitely wrong with Jamie's family. And besides, I think that he has a bit more information on this boy that he told you."
Kozmotis nodded thoughtfully. "Well, what do you think it might be? The problem with his family, I mean." He had a pretty shrewd guess. After working with troubled children for so long it kind of became second nature to tell if they were happy or not. And Jamie Bennett, no matter how happy he pretended to be, wasn't happy.
She shrugged. "I don't know." she said. "It might have something to do with his mother. He never mentioned a father?"
Kozmotis shook his head. "No." He'd thought about that. Jamie didn't act like he missed anyone, but it showed in his protectiveness of Sophie. Making her stay with him, teaching her, it as all meaningful.
"Hmm." she said, nodding slowly. "Well, he might be dead, or divorced from his mother. You never saw her?"
"Again, no." He'd thought about that too. Jamie had been awfully quick to leave his car and even more quick to get him out of there. He wondered if that was even his mother's car he'd seen in the driveway.
"Hmm." she said again.
Kozmotis nodded. "Hmm indeed. The boy obviously has trust issues. That's something. He never let Sophie out of his sight and he kept giving me strange looks, like I might hurt him or her." he glanced at his wife. She was smiling. "What?" he demanded.
"You said Sophie kept calling you the Boogerman?" she asked, giving him a teasing smile.
"No, the Boogeyman." Kozmotis corrected. "His name, apparently, is Pitch Black and he's real as the other spirits that Jamie mentioned."
She giggled. "You know, I think you should be that for this Halloween. I can just imagine you in a big black robe and carrying a scythe."
"That's the Grim Reaper, dear." Kozmotis said. "According to Jamie, the Boogeyman had black spiky hair and wears a black robe. How that's scary is beyond me." he added, laughing. "I always acquit robes with nightgowns."
She laughed. "OK, OK, so maybe not. But still, that might be another clue. Maybe that Boogeyman was the one who did this to Jack, and we should find him."
Kozmotis shook his head. "From what Jamie told me, he's a bad guy. I think we should focus on helping Jack get better for now, and then, when he is better, then we'll get our questions answered." he paused. "And speaking of clues, do you have any idea what that object he brought with him in his pocket was? You're good at guessing in twenty questions."
She shrugged. "From your description, it sounds like one of those seeing orbs."
Kozmotis frowned. "Huh?"
"You know, a fortune teller uses then to see the future." his wife said. Then she saw his skeptical expression and she shrugged again. "Hey, your only adjectives to describe it were round and smaller than a bowling ball. I'd like to see you do better." she pouted.
Kozmotis smiled, then he apologized to his wife. She was a brilliant woman and he praised her to the heavens for it, then she swatted him on the shoulder, which resulted in a small tussle that ended with some more kissing and a little heavy breathing. I won't bore you with the details.
After that they talked for another few minutes, making sure they got all the facts. Sara repeated everything Kozmotis had told her, to make sure she got it, then they began to talk about what would happen next. Sara suggested- and Kozmotis agreed -that the best way to get Jamie was, after going out and buying some food- during which Sara would keep an eye on Jack, Kozmotis would head to his house and ask if he wanted to spend the weekend. Luckily for them it was a weekend, or Jamie might not have been able to visit.
There was a small discussion on whither to bring Sophie too. Sara voted to bring her, but Kozmotis was skeptical.
"She's five years old Sara." he said, trying to appeal to her rational side. "I cannot, for the life of me, remember what a five-year-old eats."
Sara smiled. "Don't worry, I'll take care of that. When you get to the store I'll text you a list. Besides," she pointed out. "You said yourself that Jamie doesn't like leaving her alone." Kozmotis still wasn't convinced until she added slyly, "And he might be more willing to open up more if she's here."
Kozmotis gave her a deadpan look. "You just want to have a five year old around the house again." he accused, poking her belly.
Sara smiled. "Guilty." she said, shrugging. "But seriously, I think it would help to have Sophie around. We can't just leave his mother to take care of her. She might have a job that demands he pick her up from school or something."
Kozmotis sighed. "Alright, alright." he said. "You win."
They stood and, after another quick kiss, Kozmotis headed to his little girl's room. They had discussed this too. Sara had said that, if she already knew about Jack she might as well know he was there. Sara stayed in the bedroom, saying she wanted to brush her hair and change her clothes and Kozmotis had left her to it.
"Seraphina, dear?" Kozmotis asked gently, knocking on his daughter's bedroom door. It was covered in sparkly designs that made hi think he was opening a portal into fairyland.
"Come in da!" she called from behind the door.
He smiled as he opened the door and was met with the familiar purple and fuzzy decor of his daughter's room. She was sitting on her bed, sorting through books she'd gotten on her trip.
She looked up when he came through the door with a smile on her face. "Hi dad. Are we going to the store now?"
Kozmotis nodded. "Yes dear, but there's something I have to tell you before we go. Several things, actually."
She instantly put down her books and stared expectantly at him. That was one of the things he loved about his little girl. She was patient beyond belief. She could listen to anyone or anything for hours on end and never waver or lose interest, as Kozmotis and his wife had learned when Jeopardy came on one night when Seraphina was seven. She'd fallen asleep on her mother's lap but, when the show had begun she sat up, rubbed the drowsiness from her eyes and answered every single question in one of the categories. The category had been popular children's literature, so it was no wonder she bombed it.
"Well," he said, coughing and clearing his throat. "You know how I talked to you on the phone about Jack Frost the other day?"
She nodded. "Uh huh." So far so good.
"Well, through a long and difficult series of circumstances- you know what those words mean, right honey?" she nodded. "Right. Well, through a long and difficult series of circumstances I- that is to say, someone. . ."
she was giving him a weird look now, as if she'd never heard him stutter before.
Hell. He was just going to have to come right out and say it. He took a deep breath. "I found him. Jack Frost, I mean. He was hurt and I had to bring him back here." he waited.
At first, Seraphina didn't seem to understand him. She frowned, as if the words hadn't filtered into her brain or, if they had, she hadn't understood. He was about to open his mouth to explain more, but before he could stop her Seraphina's eyes lit up like a candle and a wide smile split her face. Before he could do anything she shot off of her bed and ran out of her room, laughing and squealing with delight.
She ran so fast that, for a second, he didn't register she was gone. Then, after blinking once, his eyes widened and he bolted for the bathroom, flinging open her door and running after her. "Seraphina!" he called, almost ramming his face into the door frame in his haste. "Wait, honey!" If she took the ice off now, just after he had finished putting it back on-
He managed to get to the bathroom without slipping and falling on his behind, but he was too late, she wad already there, staring with wide, scared eyes at the boy in the tub.
"Seraphina, honey," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. At his touch she whirled around and fixed him with an innocent and afraid look.
"Is he gonna die, daddy?" she asked in a quiet voice, staring up at him with those startling green eyes.
Kozmotis almost laughed, but that would be an inappropriate response to such a question. Instead he bent down and looked her squarely in the eye, just like he had with his wife. "No dear," he said gently. "He's not going to die. He's a spirit, remember? All he needs is some ice and a few more days rest. Then he'll be up and spreading snow and fun everywhere in no time."
She smiled, looking relieved. "Oh, good." she said. She didn't question his claims. They were claims made by her father, and that was good enough for her.
"Listen honey," he said, putting his other hand on her shoulder. "I'm going to take you to the store, mommy's going to watch over Jack, but after we need to stop and Jamie Benett's house. He's going to be staying with us for a while, OK? Just until Jack gets better. He knows him the best, so your mom and I thought that he should be here, in case something happens. We're bringing Sophie too, his little sister. I know Sophie's a littler girl, but you can still play with her."
Her eyes lit up. "Jamie and Sophie?" she asked, clasping her little hands together and jumping up and down on the balls of her feet with excitement. "Yay! Can they stay in my room?"
"No." Kozmotis said quickly. Then he thought better of it. "At least, Jamie can't." he added.
"Why?" she pouted.
Kozmotis inwardly smiled. Not that he would ever imagine Jamie doing anything to her, but still. "There's not enough room." he lied. "And besides, Jamie might want Sophie to stick by him. He's her big brother, and he has to keep her safe."
She pouted some more. "I want a big brother." she said, latching onto his arm with her hand and tugging in the incessant way little girls do. "Can we get one, please dad?"
Kozmotis coughed. "Uh, I think it's a little late for that dear." he said sheepishly, blush creeping into his cheeks. How did he always get onto these tricky topics with little kids?! Marriage, kids, next thing you know he'd be teaching Sophie what the three letter word meant! "Maybe you can get a younger sister, maybe."
"Yay!" she said again, smiling. Her little green eyes were alight with joy.
"But not for a while." he added hastily. Oh dear, if his father could see him now he'd be laughing his ass off.
When Kozmotis was a little boy he'd begged for a sibling, going so far as to save up ten dollars to 'buy' one, but he'd ended up an only child and quite miffed about it. His father had roared with laughter when he'd presented the ten dollars proudly to his mother and said that that should cover it. His mother had laughed too, calling him an adorable little boy. Only several long years later did Kozmotis learn how silly he'd acted.
Kozmotis smiled to hide the slight pain that had crept into his mind. He missed his mother and father dreadfully sometimes.
He coughed. No, none of that now. He told himself. You have work to do Kozmotis Pitchner! Work! You need to find Jamie, go get food, and no doubt many other things before the day is done.
"Um, Seraphina," he said hesitantly. "I think we should leave Jack now. He's got a lot of healing to catch up on."
She pouted. "I wanna stay with Jack." she said, folding her arms and staying put.
Kozmotis faked a look of indignation "I'm your father!" he said, trying not to smile and instead affecting a disapproving bushy-eyebrowed look. "I haven't seen you for a week and you'd rather sit by an old tub with a boy who can't even talk back to you, rather than go with me?"
She giggled. "Well, I guess not." she said, looking back over her shoulder at Jack. "Are you sure he'll be alright daddy?" her expression, normally so carefree, was somber.
Kozmotis turned around himself to look at the boy in the tub. His face was completely covered in ice and he could only see the boy's white hair flopped over his eyes. He looked so peaceful.
"Yes dear," he said, putting his arms around her and picking her up gently. He held her closely, just like he used to do when she was a baby with her legs tucked around his torso and her little arms around his neck. "I think he will be.
XXXXXXXXXX
Nick St. North was working in his private room when the first yeti had come in. He'd just finished making an exquisite replica of a Basilica in Venice- he wasn't sure which, but he had been bored and unable to think of a new design for a toy, so he'd just started fiddling with it and soon the Basilica had come into being. He was using the smallest pick in his toolkit to carve intricate indentations in the spire that rose up from the roof of the Basilica, just like on the original, when he heard a calm knock on the door.
Thankful that he hadn't broken anything, North set the small pick that was fashioned from gold and had a diamond on the tip for fine-grade designing and turned to the door. "Da, come in." he said. It was probably Jack, asking for something to do. This had been happening a lot in the last few months, but North wasn't worried about it. Jack did this every year right before summer, getting nervous and antsy until North had to lock him in his room for a day.
After that, he stayed in the pole until winter came again, amusing himself with freezing elfs and playing golf with them or messing with the PA system that North had installed to check on the yetis. Making the voices sounds like aliens or monsters, changing the pitches or making them sound female when the person talking was a man. It as highly amusing and sometimes one of the other Guardians joined him in this prank. Mostly Bunny. After those two had reconciled for the Easter incident and the blizzard of sixty-eight, they had become thick as thieves.
But it was not Jack who opened the door and stepped inside. It was a yeti!
"Phil?" North asked, surprised. "Vhat do you want?" Normally visits from Phil were met with happiness and the emotions of seeing a long-lost brother, but this time North detected something not quite right in the big furry being. He felt it, in his belly!
Phil stared down at his feet, and quite large feet they were too. Size thirty in any man's shoe store. His hands were laced and he was wringing them with alarming intensity. North's frown deepened and Phil mumbled something that even North couldn't make out, even though he was proficient in Yetish.
"Speak up Phil," North said, standing and striding over to his old friend to put a gentle hand on his shoulder. Despite his size, Phil was a rather subdued Yeti. HE didn't share confidant information with others well.
"I'm worried about something, Nick." Phil confessed, still wringing his hands and using the nick-name- (he he, NICK-name, get it?) he had given North a long time ago. Everyone else called him North or Santa Clause, but Phil was North's oldest friend and as such, was privileged to do things like that when it came to the jolly Russian man.
North nodded patiently. "Sit. Tell." he ordered, steering Phil to a chair and pulling it up towards his own. Both men- OK, I know Phil isn't exactly a man but for ease of use, let's just go with it OK? -sat and North fixed Phil with his best friend look.
"Well," Phil said slowly, still not meeting the man's eyes. "It's like this North. . ." he paused again and, taking a deep breath, raised his head. He looked extremely worried. "Jack's not here."
North had to admit, he was slightly surprised. Phil had liked the boy from the start and, now that North had officially adopted him, Jack was like a younger cousin or brother to him. "So?" he asked, leaning back down in his chair and giving Phil a smile. "Jack is free spirit. Ve never know vhen he is to be here or not." he illustrated by waving his hands dramatically. "He comes and goes like the wind, dere one minute and gone the next!"
Phil didn't laugh. "Nick," he said, staring at his friend with calm, and very worried eyes. "You said you were going to call the Guardians tonight to have a celebratory dinner."
North blinked. "I did?" he asked, puzzled. His big bushy salt-and-pepper eyebrows met together in the middle of his forehead to form one long line above his eyes.
"Yes. To mark the third year of Jack's Guardianship." Phil said, still somber.
North frowned again, then he clapped his huge hands like an excited child and his face lit up with recognition. "AH! Yes, now I remember. Vhat time is it? I must begin making preparations."
Phil finally broke through his worried mood to smile at that. His lips tilted up and his long mustache raised a few inches. North was the kindest man on earth and certainly the most generous and jolly, but he was also the most forgetful. "North, you set us making preparations a week ago." he said gently. "The female yetis have been cooking all day."
North's face split into a wide smile. "Da. Phil, vhat vould I ever do without you?" he said, standing up again and reaching to give his old friend a hug. Phil was the oldest Yeti in the Pole and he was the proud father of many of the younger yetis. He was North's best friend and companion when the stress of being a Guardian got too much for him. When that happened, Phil sat North down and made him a strong cup of cocoa with a tiny bit of Vodka in it to make him feel like a real Russian again. After that North was usually fine.
"You would be back to the old Vodka and coffee days, Nick." Phil said, smiling. "And Moon help the poor kids you send those toys to!"
"Hey, de potato Gatling gun was huge success!" North objected. It had indeed been a huge success. Children seemed to love toys that could shoot, especially toys that shot big projectiles and were big and shiny. Plus the added bonus of being able to hit anything with it as speeds of over a three hundred miles an hour.
Phil snorted, then he returned to the matter at hand. Jack. "You specifically asked Jack to come early so that you could give him some new clothes for the occasion." he began but before he could continue North jumped up and clapped his hands like, well, a child at Christmas. His eyes were alight with joy and Phil frowned, momentarily distracted. "What?" he asked.
North didn't answer and instead ran over to the big wooden oak wardrobe he had on the far side of his workroom. In there he kept his dragon-hide gloves and boots, leather apron with a thousand little pockets for storing stuff, his vast collection of eyepieces and picks, all wrapped up in a leather case with a slot for everything, bullet-proof safety goggles and extra strong Czar Nick's peppermints. You know, all the essential workroom items.
"Yes, I asked female yetis to work on dis too. Dey just finished." he said excitedly, opening the wardrobe and pulled out a sky-blue suite with a white dress shirt and tie hanging around the hanger, covered in protective plastic wrapping. It was carefully tailored to fit a boy of Jack's exact size and dimensions. The tie was even hand-made with a single beautifully stitched snowflake in the center and a lighter pattern of flakes behind it as the print of the material.
Phil stared. This was an amazing work of skill on the part of the female yetis. Not a stitch was out of place. Not a single stitch! The material was perfect and, despite being hung in a wardrobe it looked unwrinkled.
"Ah, but the best it yet to come!" North said happily, draping the suite over the back of his chair and turning to dig around in the wardrobe again. Five minutes later he came out with a pair of blue snow-flake patterned shoes with tiny silver bells attached to the comically curled tips and white trimming around the ankle.
Phil busted up laughing. Great spasms of laughter shook the furry being's body and North, not knowing why his old friend would suddenly erupt into a fit of giggles at the sight of these rather becoming shoes, frowned. "Vhat?" he asked, looking at the shoes and then back at Phil in puzzlement. Phil, meanwhile was shaking from mirth and had to brace himself against the wall to stop from falling over.
"Nick, my friend," Phil said in between giggles. "You might want to- he he, burn those things."
North looked horrified. "Burn dem?!" he gasped, clutching the shoes to his chest. "Vhy vould I do dat? Dese are very stately shoes Phil, and dey cost a fortune to make!"
Phil's laughter nearly doubled in volume. "You mean you actually payed for those?!" he demanded, trying to suppress the mirth.
"I did indeed." North said with great dignity. "Finest Martin fur lining inside, silk imported from Asia for outside and bells were fashioned from pure silver. These shoes are worth more than I care to think about." he admitted with a guilty grin.
Phil had stopped laughing now.
"Wait, wait," he said, raising his to furry palms. "You mean this, THIS is what ate up the imported items budget?!" All mirth was gone from Phil's face and he glared at Santa Clause.
Several months ago, North had come to Phil and said that they were exceeding the budget he had set down that had to be imported from outside the continent for items they needed to make the toys. Phil had been puzzled. Usually they never exceeded that budget because he was a good manager of money that it took to run the Pole. Buying wood to keep the fires going which kept them all- North included, from freezing, cooking ingredients to feed the five thousand male, female and younger Yetis that ran around the Pole, and especially toy-making materials.
North had figured out long ago that he was bad with money, owing to a very bad mix-up with a Korean glass-importer in his early years, and so he had handed that aspect of Christmas over to Phil. Phil had accepted the job dutifully and before long, he had trade links established with all the best wood, cloth and glass merchants. That had been several thousand years ago. Now, since the invention of plastic and commercial ceramic, Phil had had to up his game and now he held shipping contracts with China, America and of course Japan.
Phil received a huge shipments of materials to make the toys every month and, using the computer in North's Library, sent whoever was sending the merchandise the proper amount due to them. Oddly enough, North had an immense bank account that seemed virtually unending. North claimed it was the huge reservoir of wealth he'd accumulated as a bandit in his younger years, but Phil had his suspicions. These suspicions were confirmed when he discovered a bookmark on North's computer that was linked to Ebay and he found, to his amusement and vast irritation, that someone named "FthrXmas224" had been selling vast amounts of "Bigfoot" pictures.
When confronted with this, North claimed to not know anything about it. Phil was still suspicious.
In fact, he was using the same innocent face that Phil had seen him use when he'd interrogated him about the "Bigfoot" pictures as he was now!
"Uh," North said, rubbing the back of his head. "OK yes, it is."
Phil gave him a disparaging look. "Oh Nick, will you ever learn?" he asked exasperatedly, shaking his head at his old friend's foolishness. For one, Jack wouldn't wear shoes if his life depended on it. For another, no one in their right mind would ever put those shoes on. Jack would look like a jester at a wedding!
"Hey, give me break!" North said, a little peeved. "I vent through lot of trouble to get these."
"Useless, useless trouble." Phil said, still shaking his head. "North, the boy won't wear them! He'd look ridiculous! Like some wizard from the Septimus Heap books!"
North frowned. "De vhat?"
Phil waved his hand. "Never mind. My point being, he'd rather walk through molten lava than wear those, so I hope you kept the receipts, for your sake!"
North hung his head. "I know, I know." he said, looking shame-faced. Then he looked up with a frown on his face. "So, Phil, what was it you were saying about Jack?"
Phil frowned, then he remembered. His jovial mood turned a tad darker. "You wanted Jack here early, but I haven't been able to find the boy." he said earnestly. "I checked around the Pole, everywhere around the Pole in fact, but I can't find him."
North wasn't unduly worried about this. "As I said before, Jack is free spirit. He's probably spending time with Jamie before summer starts. You know how much he cares about the boy."
"Yes, but I checked Jamie's house with the globe. Jack's not there. He's in the immediate vicinity, but I can't pinpoint him. He's being cloaked by another very powerful light, but I can't identify the light." Phil said. He sounded more worried now. Very worried, and now North was beginning to get nervous.
"Well, take Snow globe and go see." North suggested. "If Jack is well, bring him back here. If not, bring persons responsible for hurting him and bring Jack back here. I will handle it from there."
Phil's shoulders slumped. "Nick, the house belongs to a human man and woman. Maybe they just found him after one of this beginning-of-summer episodes and are trying to help him. I don't think a huge yeti in their house will help."
"Very well," North conceded. "You may be right."
Phil snorted. "Of course I'm right." he said. "I would only freak them out. I may be your friend North, but no other humans know for sure that I or any others of my tribe exist. Not only that, but they can't speak my language."
North nodded and began to stroke his ample beard. Phil knew that he was thinking now and he didn't interrupt.
After several minutes, north looked up at him again and his eyes were serious. "Phil, I want you to go to Jamie's house and ask him if he knows anything about Jack and these people who have him in their house. Report back to me in less than five hours, alright?"
Phil nodded. Jamie could understand the barest surface of Yetish, but Phil could make himself understood if he needed to. Jamie also knew that Jack frequently was tired in the months leading up to summer. That was why North had taken to putting bars on Jack's windows in the summertime, to make sure he didn't wander and then fall asleep in the wrong place. "Will do boss." he said, standing up and heading out of the workroom.
North watched him go, sadness etched into his face for the first time in three years. He was worried about Jack just as much as Phil was and he felt guilty that he hadn't kept a closer eye on the boy.
"Toothy is going to kill me for not watching him." he muttered, staring after the yetis and he shut the door, then he turned to the still-open wardrobe where Jack's suite hung limply, the shoes peeking out from beneath the pants cuffs. North smiled, but it was a forced one. Then he sighed and turned back to his desk where the model of the Basilica stood. Outside, snow was beginning to fall.
"He will be alright, North assured himself as he began to work with another piece of ice. "I trust Phil. He'll get Jack back safely."
Several thousand miles away, Jamie Bennett locked the door slowly behind him. His mittened hands fumbling for a second, but finally he got the key to turn and he slipped it back into his pocket. He turned around, grabbed his sister's hand gently who had been waiting patiently beside him.
"We go?" she asked. Her body was covered in protective warm gear to keep her alive for the walk ahead. three Sweaters, mittens, boots and a floppy bunny rabbit hat. Jamie was wearing the same kind of ensemble, minus the hat. He was wearing a dignified black beanie over his brown hair and he had a pair of black gloves covering his hands. A Black scarf was draped around his neck and a black pea-coat he found in the hall closed that was as good as a duster for him buttoned up around his neck. He looked much older than his eleven years.
"Yes, we go." Jamie said, holding her firmly by the hand and beginning to walk off into the night. Sophie skipped beside him, kicking snow and laughing. Jamie kicked a little snow, but his mind was too preoccupied to laugh.
The first and most important thing on his mind was, of course, Jack. Would he be OK? Would he go back to the Pole immediately or stay and thank his savior? Would he be mad at Jamie for seeing his memories, including the ones that weren't so nice? Would he not want to be friends again? There were so many possibilities. Jamie didn't want to think about a life without contact from the Guardians or Jack, but it was a realistic possibility and he had to face that.
The second thing on his mind was the man, Kozmotis Pitchner.
"Who is he?" Jamie asked himself too quietly for his skipping sister to hear. "He's the only adult ever to see a spirit that I know of, he believed me and he wants to help Jack," he paused. "But he looks so much like Pitch. He acts like him too. Why? Did something happen to Pitch?"
"Jamie," Sophie said, tugging on his arm. "We here."
Jamie looked up. While he'd been muttering and thinking aloud, Sophie and him had arrived at their destination. It wasn't that far from his house thank goodness, but he must've walked faster because he was thinking.
"Oh, thanks Soph." he said, "I spaced out a little." He smiled and her and they walked up to the door. "You remember the drill?"
"Yep." Sophie said, brushing all but a little snow from her hat, shoulders and the rest of her body. "I be quiet until we leave, no talking to strangers and stay by you."
Jamie nodded. It was the same drill he'd practiced with her for three years and she knew better than to disobey. Not that he would punish her for it, even if she did. No, he would have a long talk kith her about why it wasn't good to break the rules he'd given her and, by the end of it, she would promise never to do it again. That had only happened twice in the last three years.
Jamie brushed the majority of the snow off of his body and then opened the glass door. The bell above it tinkled and the middle-aged man behind the counter looked up. "Hey Jamie, hey Sophie." he said, putting down the display of candy bars he was setting up beside the cash register. "You're mom and dad in the car outside?"
Jamie nodded. "Yep Dean." he said, smiling broadly. "They sent us in to get the usual. Mom's so cold she says her toes are freezing."
"Yes, it is rather chilly for late June." Dean admitted. "Well, at least you two are dressed for the weather. I saw a little girl and her father come in a few minutes ago. The man was wearing a shirt thin as paper and only the little girl was sensibly dressed in a little green coat. Cute as a button she was, but not as cute as your sister." Dean smiled and waved at Sophie. "She still not talking?" he asked the boy.
Jamie nodded, forcing his face to look downcast. "No. We think she might be mute, except for that she cried enough when she was a baby."
Dean shrugged. "Well, maybe she's just shy. That's nothing to be ashamed of."
Jamie nodded and said gently, "Come on Soph." to the man behind the counter he said, "Thanks for your concern, but mom and dad are waiting."
Dean nodded. "Alright alright, you get what you need and hurry back to that comfy cozy car. Your nose is already looking pink."
Jamie smiled goodnaturedly and turned to walk down the nearest aisle. It was the same thing, time after time. Milk, eggs, butter, fruit, bread, ten boxes of macaroni and cheese- the kind you mix the milk in with the powder yourself, and a small package of cookies if Sophie was a good girl.
After Jamie got the food- he decided on green grapes this time instead of red because green was cheaper -and hauled it back to the counter, Dean rang him up for all of it and said, "Forty-three fifty."
Jamie handed over five ten dollar bills and routed around for some change in his pocket.
"No matter kid, I'll just give you the change." Dean said, still smiling. "And how about a lollypop for your sister? On the house."
Sophie opened her mouth to say thank you, but then she realized she wasn't supposed to speak and she nodded, smiling.
"Thank you." Jamie said for her. "She likes strawberry."
"Strawberry it is." Dean said, hanging the treat to Sophie. She nodded her thanks and put it in her pocket. Jamie never let her have sweets until after dinner, which their brown paper bags contained. Jamie picked up one, weighed it, and turned to Sophie.
"You think you can carry this Soph?" he asked her.
She nodded.
"Why make her do it?" Dean asked, puzzled. "It's just a little way to your car."
"It makes her feel important," Jamie said quietly as he handed the lighter of the to bags to his sister. She carried it easily in both hands. "If she brings it to them, it makes her feel happy and like she accomplished something."
Dean nodded knowingly and smiled at her. "Ah, I see. Well, enjoy!" he said, waving again.
Jamie nodded and took the bigger bag, then he headed for the door. Sophie followed dutifully.
"Oh, hang on a minute Jamie!" Dean called after him.
"Yes?" Jamie asked, forcing himself to keep calm and not bolt. He turned around and saw that Dean had come out from behind the counter.
"You know the man I was telling you about, the one with the girl?" Dean asked.
Jamie nodded.
"Well, I think I heard him mention your name."
Jamie forced his eyes to remain stable. "Oh. Well, it was probably one of my school friends." he said offhandedly. "Now we really need to be-"
"And he said something about going to visit you," Dean added. "Did you perhaps have a play-date today that you forgot about?"
Jamie's heart raced. The man could only be Kozmotis Pitchner. The girl was probably Coal, she and her mother could be back by now, and in a fit of random thoughts Jamie wondered what Kozmotis had told her. Had he explained the truth, or told her a lie? What was Coal doing with him and was Mrs. Pitchner alone with Jack?
"Uh," he said, forcing his brain back to the problem at hand. "Yes, I think I did." Jamie turned to look at the sky outside quickly. It was darkening. "Well, I think we should go get there before they do. We wouldn't want them to worry."
Dena nodded and retreated back behind the counter. "Good luck kids!" he said, still smiling.
Jamie- though his brain was reeling with these new facts, he forced himself to calmly wave, then walk to the door. He opened it for Sophie and she stepped out first. Then he followed, heading for the 'car'. Once he was sure Dean wasn't looking, he turned and, motioning for her to follow, ran in the opposite direction towards their house.
"Jamie!" Sophie cried. "What's wrong?"
"I'll tell you when we get home, munchkin." Jamie panted, knowing he had to keep her close to him and make sure she wouldn't fall. "Right now, we need to get home as soon as possible. I know it's making you tired, but we've got to hurry."
Sophie continued to run, her little legs easily carrying her quickly over the cement street and she hopped over all the icy parts with ease.
When they finally got home, Jamie was panting and Sophie almost dropped the small bag she was carrying. As they ran up their driveway and to the porch, Jamie noticed a big black car in the spot where the kia spectra used to sit. They were already here! Jamie ran to the car and looked in. No one was there. That meant that they were either inside, or somewhere else.
Jamie looked back at Sophie. He knew she had to get inside. She was tired, hungry, and he needed to get her warmed up so he said mentally to hell with it and ran up the steps. Had he'd expected, the door was open. Kozmotis must've picked the lock.
"Come on Soph." he said, beckoning her into the house as he pushed the door inwardly open.
Now, as anyone knows, it is not safe to enter a house which had it's door open. You don't know what's inside and you have no way to protect yourself if there was something dangerous there. But, in light of the car in his driveway and the open door, he thought he knew just who was inside. Then again, burglars might've broken in and Kozmotis might be out unconscious on the floor.
Sophie obediently walked in and set her burden down on the counted of the kitchen which looked into the hall. Jamie did the same, then he bent down to her and whispered urgently, "Soph, I need you to go hide, OK? There are people here and I don't know if they are good or bad. Just hide, OK? Like our game." Jamie had trained Sophie at the age of four to hide in the smallest space she could fit into and stay there for long periods of time, in case something like this ever happened.
Sophie nodded and, without another world, ran to the hall closet where they kept the towels for the bathroom. She took three of the towels out, climbed in, and pulled the towels in behind her. She closed the door just enough so that she could breathe well. Jamie nodded and, picking up the telephone and a heavy vase from the kitchen table that was empty, silently crept down the hall.
He heard nothing for a few feet. Then an unfamiliar sound emanated from beneath his very feet and Jamie jumped. The basement! There's someone in the basement! He clutched his vase tightly, afraid for the first time in a long while. He'd never dealt with anything like this before and he worried him. Would Sophie be safe? Would she know what to do? He's practiced with her enough, so she should know that if he didn't go get her, she should stay in there until she didn't hear any noise and then find a phone to call 911. Hopefully she would be alright, even if he was knocked out. At least she would be safe.
He made his way silently down the rest of the hall and headed for the door to the basement, which was beside the bathroom and it lead to a flight of stairs going down. The furnace was there, along with the water heater and his dad's old tools.
And so, apparently, are either Kozmotis and his daughter or burglars. He thought, then he shook his head. He couldn't deal with that now. He needed to find out who was here and who was making those weird noises.
He found the door and turned the knob, ready to brain anyone guarding it with the vase. Turned out, he didn't have to. There was nothing blocking the door and it swung freely and evenly, making not a sound. Jamie crept down the stairs, still holding the vase on one hand and the phone in the other in case he needed to call for help. There was a light on, and by it's feeble flickering he could see Kozmotis standing over a big bound figure, with Coal up against the wall.
Jamie took another three steps down he stairs, wondering if this big man lying bound on the floor was a burglar. He certainly seemed strong enough to carry a TV out of the house. He was lying on his back and, from what Jamie could see needed a shave badly.
Kozmotis spoke. "I wonder how it got here." he said. "That thing couldn't have picked a lock and there weren't any broken windows."
"Where are Jamie and Sophie?" Coal asked the bound figure.
The figure let out a groan and then said something in a deep, guttural language. A language that Jamie knew.
The vase dropped from his fingers and smashed against the wood, sending shards everywhere. Kozmotis jumped and moved to protect his daughter, then he saw who it was standing in the middle of the staircase. "Jamie!" He said, relief evident in his voiced. "What are you doing? Where were you?"
Jamie just continued to stare at the furry figure staring up at him from the floor.
"Phil?!"