Chapter 18

Jack sat there staring at the little girl. None of this made sense; Ember said her sister had died in the fire. Yet the Guardians had told him that she had died saving Melanie not in an apartment fire but in a warehouse fire… and here was the proof. He just wished he could talk to her, even for a moment. He just wanted the whole story.

Not able to help himself, he hopped down from the tree he had been in and walked up to the little girl named Amber. He gave her a grin and created a snowflake in his hand before blowing it onto her nose. She giggled in delight, and the sight made Jack remember why he loved being a Guardian especially the Guardian of fun.

"Honey," Melanie said stepping outside to see her daughter smiling up a storm. "Oh you look so adorable." She bent down and gave the little girl a hug.

"It's Jack Frost," the little girl said to which Melanie chuckled and nodded her head as if to say 'of course it is.'. "No Mom, he's really he. He's right next to me."

Jack knew what he had to do to know the truth. He focused and brought down a chilly breeze, but Melanie only rubbed her arms and turned to her daughter. "Looks like we have a storm coming. You should come inside, and we can play dolls, okay sweetie?"

Amber moved to follow waving excitedly at Jack, but if she left, he would never get this chance again. "Amber," Jack said bringing the girl's attention back to him. "I really need to speak to your mom."

"Mom," the girl said yanking on her mom's sleeve. "Jack says he needs to talk to you."

She laughed before asking, "What about then?"

Amber looked to Jack. "Tell her she can't see me because she doesn't believe." Which the ten year old relayed perfectly. Melanie only cocked her eyebrow in response. "Tell her I need to talk about her older sister, Amber."

"But my name is Amber silly duck," she giggled, and that was when Melanie started to actually pay attention. Jack pursed his lips and nodded towards the older woman. "Fine. Mom he says he needs to talk to you about your older sister Amber… I didn't know you had an older sister!"

"Sweetie, who told you about that?" Melanie asked grabbing the little girl's arm. "I need you to stop playing around and tell me how you found out I had an older sister."

Amber looked back at Jack, and he continued, "Tell her I need to know what happened that night with the fire. Tell her…" He thought about how to convince the older woman he was actually here, and then he remembered the relationship between Ember and Pitch. He remembered in Ember's story, the young Melanie was afraid of the monster under the bed. He decided to try it. "Tell her I know about the monster under the bed. The man in black with gray skin…"

"You've seen him too?" Amber asked, her eyes wide in terror. When Jack explained he was here to stop the boogeyman, Amber quickly told everything she had heard from Jack to her Mom. Melanie looked ready to faint; this wasn't possible in her mind. She had buried that past years ago, and somehow, her young daughter knew about it all.

"Amber who's telling you this?" she asked.

"Jack Frost," the young girl replied. "He's right there!" She pointed to the spot next to her Mom, and that was when Jack chose to focus his powers and make a small snow bunny as he had done with Jamie years before. He watched as she gasped and just watched the small creation float around before melting in the air.

"That isn't…" she faded off as she stared right at Jack. "Oh my god…" She looked ready to faint.

"Can you see me?" Jack asked, and he had a moment of déjà vu as Melanie nodded slowly. "I really need to talk to you about your sister. And the boogeyman."

"Umm yeah… okay," she replied as she really didn't know what to say in response to a magical creature suddenly being real, but then again, she remembered the monster under the bed vividly. Even as the years passed, she couldn't get the face of that monster out of her head- yellow eyes, gray skin, and razor teeth. It was only when her older sister started to sing to her at night and rock her to sleep that the boogeyman started to become nothing more than fantasy.

…

Ember slowly came too and tried not to be too obvious in her waking. She kept her head on the floor and tested her bonds slowly discovering they were metal. Heating them up wouldn't do much good unless she could get them to a melting point. Cracking open an eye, she took in her surroundings to see herself near the Bugress frozen pond. She figured the Guardians came here to drop off Jamie.

She didn't hear or see anyone in the immediate vicinity, so she tried harder to get her hands free. Not that it would matter; she figured the Guardians would hunt down Jamie the moment they realized he had been kidnapped. It was why in truth she had gone to see the kid; she was setting herself up. Pitch might not like this change in plans, but somebody had to be on the inside now that Sandy was back. She could easily take whatever they did to her, and she didn't have the army behind her.

"Don't even think about it," Bunny said stepping in front of Ember. She glared up at the rabbit and tried to curse him out before suddenly realizing she was gagged. It didn't seem possible to be any more furious, but they were doing a good job. She wanted nothing more to set the entire area on fire, but her bow was being held in the Easter Bunny's paw. "You'll be staying as our guest."

"Mmmmph," Ember growled against the gag pulling against the restraints behind her back.

"Oh she awake?" Tooth asked, but the fire spirit couldn't see this Guardian. Her entire body was tense; she didn't like not being able to see the enemy. "Perhaps Sandy should knock her back out."

Sandy stepped up smiling at her, and she tried to inch backwards. Asleep, she couldn't find anything out. She shook her head trying to bargain with the morons; she didn't like to sleep especially not lately. She just kept dreaming of the fire that claimed her sister.

…

"I must say this is a tad strange," Melanie said from the couch looking at the winter spirit with suspicious eyes. Amber was playing with dog plushies on the floor near the bunny cage. "So you things are all real," she whispered not wanting her daughter to have Santa Claus ruined too early.

"Yeah," Jack shrugged. "You actually believed in all of us… besides me… as a kid. It's just as you get older, you forget the magic you see, so you tend to stop believing."

"I assure you there wasn't a whole lot of magic growing up," she sighed running a weary hand through her locks. "Now what about my sister?"

"Umm," Jack said pointing to the kid. "Probably not a conversation for her?"

Melanie nodded before asking Amber to go upstairs and clean her room to which the girl groaned but complied. The woman reached over to the counter to grab her cup of coffee; she took a large sip never taking her eyes off the winter spirit.

"So you're sister…" Jack started but stopped. How was he supposed to tell this girl that her sister was a monster? "Sometimes when someone dies, they're brought back like me," he said.

"And my sister…"

"And your sister is one of us per say," he explained. "I'm a Guardian. I protect kids from things like the boogeyman." He watched her eyes narrow at the mention of Pitch. "She's more of a spirit of summer that is quite angry… with me."

"Why is she angry with you?" Melanie asked leaning forward on her seat.

"She says… she says I helped kill you," he continued. "She says a fire at your apartment killed you, her, and your mom…"

"If what you say is true that my sister is still alive," Melanie sighed. "Then she is very confused because that is not what happened that night."

"Could you please tell me?" he asked hanging his head. "I need to know the truth, and I know it isn't easy for you to tell."

"Will knowing help her?" she asked.

"She's working with the boogeyman right now, convinced you're dead. I think this could change everything."

Melanie nodded and took a deep breath.

"I've got to go to work Mom," Amber said pulling on the short black skirt and tying up her halter top. "We need the money."

"I know honey," she sighed. "I just wish you didn't work there."

"Tips are good," the elder sister shrugged. "And no one will ever recognize me in a club like that." With that, she moved over to Melanie who was sitting on the floor playing with a toy."Be good."

"What if the boogeyman comes while you're gone?" the younger sister asked innocently enough.

"Just remember he can't get by me," Amber said with a wink. "I'll fight him off with my bare hands if I must." Melanie giggled at the sight of her older sister gesturing wildly. "I'll see you guys in a few hours."

Melanie nodded happily and continued to brushing her doll's hair. Her sister was her hero; she protected her from the man with yellow eyes, and she protected her from Daddy. She knew Daddy was just sick and needed help. That was why Amber said they left for here- to let Daddy get the help he needed.

Mom tucked her in that night, and she stared worriedly at the closet… but she remembered Amber's words and fell asleep very quickly. It was only later when she felt the bed shift did she open her eyes. She, at first, thought it was the boogeyman, but then she saw it was Daddy.

"Daddy," Melanie cried happily. "You've come home because you're all better now right? Amber said you'd come home when you were better."

"That's right precious," he murmured running the back of his hand down her cheek. "We need to get out of here for a bit, okay?"

"But Amber said…"

"Quiet!" he growled. "I am your Father not Amber." He seemingly took a breath. "You will be coming with me okay?"

"All right Dad," Melanie said jumping out of bed and getting on her shoes.

Her Father picked her up and carried her from her room. She barely got a look at Mom who looked like she was passed out on the kitchen counter. She waved at her Mom as Dad carried her down the stairs quickly. They reached his car, and he worked swiftly to strap her in.

Just as he finished, she heard Amber scream her name. She spun to see her sister coming from the apartment still dressed for work carrying her bow. She could hear her sister screaming at Dad to stop, but he just went faster. Once she was secure, he jumped into the driver's seat and went. Melanie glanced out the back window to see Amber following on her small motorized bike.

He kept driving until the car made funny noises, and he had to pull off. Not seeing much choice, he unbuckled Melanie, got out of the car, and picked her up from the passenger side. He bolted for the closest building trying to ignore the random blizzard outside.

"Let her go!" she heard her sister screaming over the wind.

Melanie shivered and curled tighter against Dad until they were inside when he suddenly stopped. He set her down, gave her a smile, and then pulled out the whiskey that had been in his pocket. The moment Amber ran through the doors he splashed it on her face. She cried out at the sudden intrusion in her eyes.

Melanie watched the two struggle hidden in a corner nearby. She could only watch in horror as he kicked Amber down and pulled out a lighter. She watched her sister's eyes go wide before he threw it to the ground. Amber felt the alcohol on her immediately catch, and she screamed out in agony. Sadly, the warehouse had oil laying around and other flammables which caught quick with the older sister peeling off her jacket in an attempt to put out the fire eating her alive.

Amber rolled around until the fire finally died out, and she laid panting on the ground. Melanie yelled for her Dad to stop as he moved to kick her older sister. She ran out to try and protect her sister throwing herself over top of the older girl, but Amber wouldn't have it. She rolled, so that she took the brunt of the kick.

"If I can't have her, no one will!" her Father screamed grabbing some nearby trash that was on fire and tossed it at the girls. Amber watched in horror as it careened at them like a fireball; she pushed her younger sister back towards the door. The fire caught her thigh as the older sister tried to move, and she just hissed this time stumbling for her bow.

"You can't have her!" the Father screamed coming at Amber again who was now on her back looking half dead from half her face gone.

"Neither can you," she hissed putting an arrow straight through their Father's throat.

Melanie sat curled in a corner just watching all of this trying to ignore the heat of the blaze around them. "Amber?" she cried out softly. Her sister wasn't moving. "Amber!" she tried again, tears rolling down her face. The fire continued to get worse, and when she thought she would be burned alive, her older sister slowly stood and limped over to Melanie.

"Come on spitfire," she whispered picking up her little sister. "I'm taking you home." While it was exhausting, Amber walked from the warehouse shaking just as the entire thing went up in flames.

"She carried me all the way to the hospital," Melanie said, her hands in her lap. "She collapsed right outside the door on a patch of ice." Tears were rolling down her face. "She saved me that night. He would have killed me or done worse. The fact she was able to get up after being burned was a miracle the doctor's said."

"How long did she… did she live after that?" Jack asked horrified more by this story than Ember's previous one. Something about this story tugged at his heart.

"Three days," Melanie said. "She was on a ventilator for three days… Social services kept trying to collect me, but I wouldn't leave her side. She was my hero, I wasn't going to leave her to die alone." Melanie took a deep breath. "On the third night when the doctors said she wasn't going to make it through the night, she had them remove the tube helping her breath and she spoke with me…" Full rivers ran down from her eyes at this. "She told me I'd go to a good family, and that I had to live my life for both of us now. She said I had such passion in my life that I couldn't allow something like this to slow me down. I asked her about the boogeyman after that, can you believe me?" She choked out a laugh. "Amber told me that no matter what happened, she would still be there to fight off the boogeyman because what kind of big sister would she be if she didn't…" She licked her lips. "She died an hour later in her sleep."

Jack lowered his head respectfully. "I just have one more question if you don't mind…" He watched as she nodded closing her eyes in anticipation. "Why do you think she remembers differently? She thinks you all died in the apartment."

"During those three days, Jack, she was barely conscious," she explained. "And all those times she wasn't awake, she was having nightmares. So many times a doctor had to explain to her that I was right there, and that she was in the hospital. It was horrible."

The winter spirit had heard enough; he stood and thanked Melanie for her time. "I need to go back and try to stop her. She's trying to help Pitch."

"Pitch?" Melanie asked.

"The boogeyman," he sighed. "Creepy guy, gray skin, yellow eyes."

"The monster under my bed," she muttered more to herself than anyone else. "You're saying this guy is using my sister?"

"Yes as firepower," he said trying to avoid finding humor in his word choice.

"Then I'm coming with you," she said. Jack stared at her, and she continued, "my sister thinks I'm dead and blames you right?" To which, Jack nodded. "Then she needs to see me, she needs to remember."

"You won't be able to see her."

"If I remember right, I need to believe to see her right?" she asked, and Jack gave her a brisk nod wondering where this was going. "Well, no offense, my sister is the one thing I'll always believe in. Now take me to her."

Chapter 19: Ember and Pitch launch their final attack against the Guardians in Bugress. They seemingly have won until Jack brings in the secret weapon… Will everything change?

OOC: I wasn't planning on posting this until tomorrow, but you guys apparently really wanted it. So viola. However, this will be the last one until tomorrow night probably (school is fun like that). Let me know what you thought of the twist (I have been planning this since chapter 1)