Eighteen years later, Flora has grown up and is currently working as a journalist for the local newspaper. She doesn't exactly remember what happened 'that night', only that her mother had vanished without a trace. Flora never knew her father, he apparently left when she was just two years old, so her mother had to raise her on her own. She currently lives with her Aunt Selena, a kind woman who works at the local florist, who tends to brag about her job being the inspiration for Flora's name, and her aunt's fluffy Pomeranian Sacha, ( pronounced sa-sha, not sa-cha, it took Flora a tiny while to work it out) who is the most demanding, stroppy dog Flora has ever known, especially when he's getting walked, which is precisely what Flora was attempting to do.
"Oh you silly, old grump! We've gotta go this way so that I can pick up some more writing paper! NO! LEAVE THE PUPPY ALONE! Oh for sweet jam's sake Sacha, why aren't you listening to me?" Flora sighed as she tried to pull Sacha away from a small, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy across the road. Sometimes Flora wished her aunt had never gotten Sacha, he could be such a thorn in Flora's hip! Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Flora managed to get more writing paper and was beginning to head back home with Sacha when she heard a group of kids chattering about something incredibly interesting. Now, Flora wasn't exactly one to eavesdrop, but when the opportunity for a good story arises, Flora isn't going to throw that chance away.
"Hey, y'all hear about the monster that hides in the cave down in the National Park?"
"Yeah, though I doubt it's real."
"I heard it dragged a little girl down there and ate her alive!"
"Sure, and Jack Frost is my uncle!"
'Hmm, a monster? In the National Park? If I'm able to find this monster and get a decent description and story out of it, I could become the best journalist in the world! Well... not the world, maybe the country.' Flora thought to herself. So the moment she and Sacha got home, she began to prepare for her 'adventure' as she called it.
"Woah, slow down there Speedy Gonzales, what are you getting so excited about?" Selena asked after Flora almost ran over her trying to carry some supplies up to her room. Selena was a tall, thin woman, with slender hips and long, black hair that reached down to her waist. She had beautiful, shimmering blue eyes and she always wore a smile on her face. If Flora hadn't of known her, she might have thought that she was a supermodel! She was wearing a light blue, long sleeved jumper with black, leather skinny trousers and knee-high boots. Like I said, supermodel.
"Well, have you heard of the rumour about the monster that lives in the National Park, well, I'm gonna try to find it, write down what it looks like, precisely where it lives, what it is, what it eats, that kinda thing. Then, I'll submit the info I have to the local newspaper and hopefully with enough luck they'll like it and they'll put it in the newspaper and-and-and-"
"OK, breathe for a moment. How do you know this thing is real? For all you know, it could be just a silly story, like the boogy-man hiding under ya bed." Selena placed her hand elegantly onto her hip, waiting for an answer.
"I know, it probably isn't real, but that's the point! If I managed to find out an explanation for this...thing, maybe, just maybe, I'll be considered to be the best journalist there is! Oh, I can just imagine it," Flora sighed dreamily, spinning her aunt around for a moment before placing one of the cans of food she was holding to her lips like it was a microphone. "Flora Nature, the number one most dedicated, risk-taking journalists the world has ever seen! Willing to take a plunge to sudden death to find out the truth for you!" She proclaimed, pointing a finger at Sacha before poking his nose and practically falling over in a heap of giggles.
"Oh alright," Selena agreed, still chuckling. "Just be careful sweetie, I don't want you to get hurt," she placed a delicate kiss on Flora's forehead. "My delicate wildflower."
Later on, Flora was roaming through the National Park with a thick trench-coat, black combats, thick, black boots and a video camera recording everything that Flora could see. Flora also had a back-pack full of useful things that she may need later on, things like canned-food, rope, a foldable tent etc. After about an hour of wondering around aimlessly through the woods of the National Park, Flora was starting to give up hope of ever finding the supposed 'monster'.
"I can't believe this! I have been wandering around for ages and I haven't seen so much as an ant crawling over a leaf! This. Is. Ridiculous!" Flora shouted to nobody in particular before throwing her bag angrily onto the ground and sitting on it. She sighed as she ran her long, slender fingers through her long, messy, ginger hair, trying to think up a plan. Just as she was catching on to a good plan, she heard a scream. But it wasn't a blood-curling scream that you might hear in a horror movie, it was more of a fighting scream, the kind of scream one might let out as adrenaline pumps through your veins and anger pounds in your head before you get into a brawl. Flora decided that, rather than stay on task and wander uselessly in the woods, she might as well find out where the scream came from, besides, a fight is much more interesting to read about than the writer complaining about sore feet and a pounding headache.
So Flora followed where she thought the scream had come from until she ended up in a clear patch of field, tree's neatly circling the perimeter of the clearing. There were two men fighting directly in the centre of the field, one was extremely tall, with a long, black cloak seemingly and grey, almost dead skin. His hair was black and it looked as though it had been combed by a rake, and his golden eyes burned with fury. He seemed quite frightening but at the same time, Flora sort of... recognised him. He was fighting someone who was shorter, younger, more nimble and slightly cocky if Flora were to be honest. He was wearing a light blue hoodie with skin-tight, ripped trousers. His skin and hair were as white as freshly fallen snow and his eyes were as bright blue as a winter morning. They were standing face to face, hands clenched, hoodie and cloak blowing in the slight breeze. The short one was saying something, but Flora wasn't close enough to hear, so letting her curiousity get the better of her, she made her way towards the clearing, being careful so that she wouldn't be spotted. Finally, Flora was close enough to hear what they were saying.
"Give up the act, Pitch! I know you've got something to do with the shadows!" The short man accused.
"How can you be so sure? Ever since you and the rest of the pathetic guardians used my own nightmares against me, I haven't been able to do anything! My nightmares don't listen to me anymore! You made me look..look WEAK!" The so called Pitch shoved the younger one away, obviously trying to create some space. "Now go play with some snowflakes or stick your tongue to metal pole, Jack Frost. I have other things to do with my life than be accused by some mere ice-child." Pitch then proceeded to turn his back on, what was it he called the other one again? Jack Frost? Flora wasn't too sure, and gracefully walk away, like an actor leaving a stage. Although Jack seemed to have other ideas. Without warning, a snowball went whizzing through the air before crashing down on the back of Pitch's head. Pitch whipped around furiously, anger strewn on his fearsome features.
"Don't push me, Frost."
"Why not? Are you gonna hurt me?"
"Jack."
"Yeah, that's me. Can I help you? Oh no, wait, I can't 'cause I'm just an ICE-CHILD!"
All of a sudden, Pitch extended his right hand out towards Jack and a ball of black powder went zooming towards him. As nimble as he was, Jack easily avoided it, and was left grinning like a child who just won a video-game. What worried Flora was that instead of dissapating into a cloud of black powder, the ball had bounced off some trees, and was now heading straight for her! Flora cried out as the ball crashed into her abadomen, the force from it sending her flying into the tree behind her, whacking the back of her head into one of the many branches before slinding down the trunk and landing on the ground.
"Sweet jam... I never... wanna do that... again." Flora groaned as she rubbed her hand against the back of her head.
"Who are you?" A voice suddenly demanded, no, Pitch. Flora could only groan for a reply. She was in agony from the force of the ball and her head was spinning, darkness crawling around the edges of her vision, threatening to make her fall unconcious.
"Perhaps you didn't hear me," Pitch grabbed her by the collar of her trench coat and dragged her up and close to him. "Who. Are. You?" Flora mumbled, fading in and out of conciousness.
"What?"
"I'm... Flora... Nature." Suddenly the dark that crept at the edges of Flora's vision plunged her into a pool of dark, Flora couldn't hear nor see anything, she could only feel herself falling into darkness.