Chapter Four - Explanations Are Beyond Expectations

Halsey - Hold Me Down

I'm going crazy. There is no way this could be real! Mass hysteria, perhaps? Definitely. That had to be what was going on. I had spent too many nights staying up late reading, exhaustion could be a trigger for it! And I just had to listen to Sophie always talking about some Sandy fellow.

"Yeah, that's it..."

I held onto the back of the kitchen chair, then. Closing my eyes as I heard the back door open with a slight squeak, and close. I took a deep breath, before opening my eyes. Only to see two faces staring at me, slightly worried looks upon the two very different males.

"Mass hysteria. Its the perfect solution to why I am seeing two glowing men!" I turned, knowing full well this was not a perfect solution. And it wasn't a dream.

"Mass hysteria?" A choked laugh escaped Jack, and I turned again to send the man a glare. "You have got to be kidding me? And you dreamed of this crazy?!" His laugh only intensified as he hunched over. Holding his stomach in his gleeful delight.

Shoddy son of a-

I was interrupted in my thoughts, as the smaller male flushed. A dusting of red upon his cheeks as he suddenly stared down at his feet.

Wait a minute... He dreamed? Of me?

"What?" I took a step closer, peering down at the golden man, who only looked up at me through his shy lashes with a shrug.

"Why don't you talk?" I asked quietly, using my voice to try and coax his own out of his mouth. I bet it was light, and soft like satin when he spoke...

However, my eyes turned upwards as a soft swirling dust of glittering gold formed a mute sign. I glanced curiously between him, and the sign. Before the realization made me both understand, and become disappointed I could never hear it.

"Do you know American Sign Language?" I asked curiously, pulling a chair from the table and plopping down into its cushion.

He nodded! Enthusiastically so, as he began listing off a number of words from his fingers. His sudden excitement bubbled in the form of jumbled signs, and large grinning face. Straight teeth shone back at me, and it was contagious; that Mans happiness.

Yes! I do! I can speak any language! German, Arabic, Latin, Greek-

"Woah. Okay, okay. I get it," I laughed, and the white haired male perched upon a chair as well. Leaning back onto two of its legs, as his feet rested on the tables edge.

"Who are you two, really?"

"Jack Overland Frost!" The casually leaning male said. A wave and grin happened in my direction, just as Sandy began signing once more.

Sanderson Mansnoozie. Sandy, for short.

"Sanderson Mansnoozie," the name felt sweet on my lips. And it seemed the golden man found it wonderful as well, from the sudden dreamy grin upon his face. "Okay... Then why are you two really here?"

They both spoke in unison, and I was conflicted about reading Sanderson's hands, and listening to Jack's voice.

Well, Sophie and Jamie helped us three years ago. I visit Sophie quite a bit-

"We got bored the other day at a meeting, and came to visit the Bennett kids. Sandy decided it was a good idea to play peeping Tom-"

I was not! I was only making sure you had a good nights rest!

"Then he told me about some crazy dream he had with you-"

Not crazy, just elusive. I haven't ever had the same dream over many years. Certainly not nineteen!

The two were trying to over 'speak' one another. And I was at a loss as the two men began pointing fingers at each other. Soon, ASL was thrown out the window for Sanderson, and Jack was having a one way conversation with his glowing dust like images.

"Hey! I didn't know I wasn't suppose to say anything-

No, you did not!-

You wouldn't! Aster would kill me if he found out about those eggs!"

"Hey.. Uh, guys? What's the problem?" I spoke up then. Conflicted about hearing Jack's side of the story, or just stopping the argument before it got too loud.

The two stared at one another, and Sanderson gave a swift shake of his head. To which Jack seemed to deflate.

"We came to visit Jamie and Sophie."

There was much more to the reasoning, I was damn sure of it. But someone, namely a golden man who was glaring at his twiddling thumbs, wasn't allowing it. I laid my chin in my palm, turning my stare to Sanderson Mansnoozie with a raised brow. No point in being evasive now.

He glanced at me, then the floor. I was going to get nowhere with him now.

I then turned to Jack, who was now tossing a ball of snow from one hand to another. Trying to look preoccupied, not meeting my gaze as he held back his pouting sulk.

"Who's Aster, then?" A change of subject. And both men seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at it. You're welcome, boys. But the subject will be brought up again, I promise.

"E. Aster Bunnymund. The Easter Bunny." Jack responded first, and didn't clarify my questioning gaze.

The easter bunny? Oh, man... These guys were a real treat!

He is a guardian of Hope, and gives it every Easter. New beginnings, new life with spring. He's a rather nice Pooka- The Dream Weaver was trying to explain, but I couldn't wrap my mind around any of it.

"Pooka? You two are seriously off your rockers, now.." I stared dubiously at Sandy, who crossed his legs 'Indian style' as he sat upon a rising cloud of sand. Why was I even doubting this? The man named Jack Frost, whom I had only read of in literature, was sitting across from me. While the Sandman was floating at my left!

Pooka's are a race of humanlike animals. Long story, really. He became a guardian when Nicholas St. North found him-

"Wait. Santa Claus?"

Yeah! See you know of one of us! He clapped his hands happily together, and I was left frowning at the golden being.

"Okay, okay. So... Guardian's, right? And there's Jack Frost, The Easter Bunny, Santa, and you. The Sandman."

He nodded, face glowing in pride as he seemed to sit straighter.

And Toothiana. Queen of tooth fairies.

"And the Tooth Fairy..." I suddenly remembered I had forgotten to floss that morning, and felt guilty for doing so.

We are all the guardians that make sure the children of earth are safe. Manny-

"There's more? Who's Manny?" I leaned back into my chair, still trying to wrap my mind around all the information.

"The man in the moon. MiM, or Manny, we call him. He doesn't ever talk to us, though. Only gives us some tiny idea of what he needs to be done. And we're stuck solving the riddles. That's how I became a guardian, when he chose me to help a fight against Pitch Black. The boogieman."

Pitch is an ancient enemy. I've fought with that man for eon's. He uses dark magic, tainted in fear of the innocents he plagues at night..

Sanderson's face turned hard, before glancing at Jack who only dropped down from his leaning chair. "He's long gone, though. We defeated him with Jamie."

"Why would you have a child fight your battles?" I pointed at Jack, who suddenly seemed sheepish.

"He was my first believer. And Sandy was gone, we thought forever... He helped us find belief and hope in children. That's what keeps us all alive. Undoubted belief in Guardians."

I was silent, as Jack shifted on his chair. Rolling the snowball to me, from across the table. It bumped into my hand, as I hesitantly picked the globe up. Jamie was always so brave, but I worried over the fact more so now.

He was just a child, and had fought against an evil most children feared. I kept my own fear extinguished by adding fairy lights to my room, and keeping my cell phone close to my head; in case of emergencies that happened in the dark.

"He's a great kid," I said softly. Shifting the ball in my cold fingers as shapes shifted before its icy reflective surface.

I peered closer, as images of faces I had never seen before flickered across it. Showing of a tall man in red, who charged on with hairy creatures that could only be described as the missing links.

A small bunny had hopped quickly under a car, to be pulled out by the tail by some sort of black shadowed horse. No longer was the creature a tiny rabbit. But as tall as a basketball player! He kicked the made sharply in the jaw, nimbly landing upon his paws.

A flashing of green, as a woman darted in and around the darkened mass of creatures. Hummingbird wings carrying her so quickly, she had been a blur. Until her feathered face became focused on a swirling and glowing funnel cloud of golden sparkles. Out emerged Sanderson, grinning triumphantly.

I looked away from the images that had been just three years prior, and at Jack. He gave a half smile, and it lifted my heart a bit. They were real. Each person I believed in, in all my youth, was real.

I couldn't stop my grin, and my hand hurriedly tried to hide it. However, someone's fingers pressed to my wrist, and gently pulled it away. I looked up, at a smiling Sandy. Nodding his head gently as he patted my hand within his.

He hadn't broke my gaze, and that all too familiar warmth spread through my being. I was lost in a memory, in that instant. A dream that I had thought was long gone, as it bubbled to the surface...

•°•°•°•°•

It had been dark, so dark...

The lights above the young woman had flickered out. Not a single street lamp had stayed at her mercy. She was frozen, in the sudden fear that gripped her.

Shadows played at the corners of her eyes. Of ghouls that wove their fingers towards her feet. Any, and all, imaginations went rampant in the shade. Cackling their amusement in Ruby's terror laden feet, now cinder blocks with each step.

The sudden heart escalation caused more glee for the demons in her mind. Each mining towards her, readying for the final pounce. To drag her away, far from her home, and into a dark abyss that was never ending.

A light!

A single glowing orb had floated before her. Inching closer, hesitant-like. As. Grew brighter, closer it became. Until the golden man was just feet in front of the young woman, smiling down at her from his perched spot. Both hands reaching towards her, silently asking.

Every time she reached for him, she had woken up. An emptying feeling left in her chest, as a deep loneliness took a hold. Instead of warm hands.

•°•°•°•°•

"I've dreamt of you," the words came hushed from the woman. Hands quickly pulling from Sanderson's, and he quickly gave her space. Now hovering beside Jack Frost, who looked between the two curiously.

"You two dream of each other… And this wasn't your doing?" The teen questioned Sandy, who shook his head. Peering between the icy male and Ruby who stood from her seat.

"How isn't it you? You control dreams, right? Isn't that the job of the Sand Man!" Her finger pointed to Sandy, and he quickly shook his head again.

That's not entirely how dreamsand works. I give dreams, but I don't hardly ever shape them. That is entirely up to the dreamer...

"Well, then how do you explain this?" Her hands rose, then dropped to her sides in exasperation. And Sanderson only shrugged.

How was he to know? MiM never answered his questions, and it wasn't his purpose on Earth.

The quick shifting of a lock stilled all three. And Ruby quickly pushed all the chairs back into their places at the table as the door began to slowly inch open.

"I'm not done with you, Sanderson," her hushed voice and peering gaze held him still. She was an adult, and he was held by her like a scolded child. Jack, on the other hand, had quickly darted towards the back door. Waving for Sandy to follow, who gave an uneasy smile as he moved far around the frustrated young woman, and to Jack.

"I need some answers! Why did you make a dream so horrid? To make someone feel so alone in the world!" She hissed at him, just as the older woman stepped through the threshold and hung her jacket upon a hook.

Sanderson Mansnoozie was at a loss, as he slipped through the back door. Ruby's saddened, and begging eyes followed him. Oceanic pools of hurt, from whatever he had done to her.

His heart lurched, and he only shook his head once more before disappearing with Jack Overland Frost. Leaving Ruby with pained eyes, having to explain why she had been on the verge of tears as Sarah Bennett closed the front door and walked fully into her home.