Paragraph 8 is just my own opinion, my theory. Sorry if you don't like it. I'm just a person who likes to combine fantasy and reality and does so terribly. :-/
"So, what happened next?" Monty asked, leaning forwards, nearly knocking his drink over on the table, eager to know more. Kendra had a similar eager look on her face, but she looked more worried than eager, and had been constantly checking her watch since they had entered the quaint cafe off-campus. "What happened after you got to the city? Did the city folk see you?"
"Nope. We never got to the city. But we did bump into a helicopter on the way there! One on a rescue mission, of course!" Jamie responded, his eyes lighting up at the memory. It had definitely been scary back during the blizzard, but now that it had passed, it had all seemed like an adventure.
Kendra's eyes widened. "Bumped?" she half-exclaimed, putting great emphasis on the word. "You did not collide, did you?"
Jamie couldn't help laughing. "Of course not. I didn't mean it literally. North spotted one in the distance and pointed it out to us. My mother guessed it was on a rescue mission, and got North to lower us back onto the snow, and it managed to spot us all the way down there. We didn't say anything about the sleigh, just mentioned we managed to survive, and we had seen a dead body and were counting our blessings. The Guardians left us shortly after that."
"What about the fairy who appeared at your window?" Kendra asked, checking her watch for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "Baby Tooth, was it?"
"Well, she came with us, and returned to the Tooth Fairy after the blizzard passed, which was partially thanks to Jack."
"Speaking of Jack," spoke Monty. "What did he do, exactly? It's not like him to just cause a random blizzard, one that's worse than the blizzard of '68. And almost bury an entire town? No, sounds more like Pitch stole Jack's powers and used them."
Jamie glanced down at the books that lay open before him, and at the notebook flipped open to an empty page, resting on top of them. He had been trying to write down everything that had happened, but it was hard to write and tell at the same time. "No, North mentioned that winter had existed before Jack, and Jack doesn't control winter. He creates ice, snow and stuff, but he doesn't have control over the forces of nature that had long existed before him. And besides, he's the Guardian of Fun, not winter. He puts the element of fun in the long dreary winters. North also stated that Tooth is older than the mountains but younger than the wind. I don't see how that's related, but it does mention the wind."
Monty and Kendra stared at him for several moments, a brief silence passing over them. They finally nodded as though they understood. Kendra glanced at her watch again, before setting her drink down on the table with an exasperated sigh. "Okay, I have to go," she said, getting to her feet. "Or else I'll be grounded. See you tomorrow."
"Have fun swimming," Monty said to her retreating back as she hurried out of the cafe, before turning back to Jamie. "Maybe we should head back." He eyed Jamie's books. "Is law nice?" He couldn't help smiling.
Jamie rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat. "My aunt insisted I take it, since I didn't want to go to medical school. According to her, I can't earn a living being a writer."
"Whoa. And you believe her? Doesn't sound like you, Jamie Bennett," Monty replied, as Jamie stuffed the books in his bag and they both left the place.
"Well, she did sponsor me here," Jamie responded, gloomily. "I bet she'll probably expect me to be a lawyer when I graduate."
"Ha!" Monty laughed. "Jamie Bennett, the lawyer? Sorry, Jamie, but Comedy Central isn't scanning the globe for you."
Jamie looked down at the asphalt as they walked to the bus stop. "I guess not." There was a brief pause before he continued. "Besides being a writer, I don't know what other options there are for me."
#
The full moon glistened in the sky, partially obscured by clouds drifting lazily. The air was chilly. It was the beginning of spring, winter had met its end and so had the blizzard, Easter was coming and so was spring break, and he couldn't wait to see Bunnymund again. With his windows thrown wide open, Jamie rested his elbows on the desk and stared out at the skyline of the campus in the distance against a dark background. He was supposed to be up late studying, but it didn't hurt to sit and stare. He had turned the lights off and decided to just bask in the moonlight.
Then he saw it. Strands of floating golden sand, spreading out in all directions. Jamie watched as it zoomed through his open window, narrowly missing him and seeped out through the crack beneath his door and made its way to Monty's bedroom, where the Mathematics student was asleep in his bed.
Jamie turned back to stare at the scene outside his window. For what seemed like an eternity, he stared at the Dreamsand, as though hypnotized. Sandy did not come into sight. He was probably somewhere in the air, atop his cloud, creating dreams as he did almost all the time. Snapping out of his reverie by the rustling sound of the trees caused by a breeze, Jamie leapt out of his chair, grabbed his coat and sprinted out of the house. Perhaps he could find Sandy. He didn't think he could study with Dreamsand floating past his window.
The student ran down the road, his footsteps echoing on the stone pavement, scanning the skies for a glimpse of the Guardian. He followed the Dreamsand, but it seemed to stretch on and on as far as the eye could see. Checking his watch, he realized it was almost midnight. The next day was a Sunday, but Jamie had a study schedule which dictated he was to wake up at six and he was determined to stick to it. He quickened his pace.
It was brief, but Jamie spotted it. A person, sneaking out at midnight. Whoever it was climbed out of their window on the first level of a house and broke into a run, in the same direction Jamie was heading. Their steps were close to silent. Jamie hurried after the person, wondering what they were up to. There was no one else around; half the campus were locked up in their rooms, poring over books or just minding their own and others' businesses while the other half were in town, wishing Saturday night could last forever. Judging by the amount of Dreamsand, about ten were asleep.
The person was fast, much faster than Jamie. But they must've heard him, for they stopped, and turned. Jamie recognized who it was.
"Kendra!" he exclaimed, running towards her. She had stopped in her tracks and was looking upwards. As soon as he reached her, she pointed at the Dreamsand.
"Do you see it, too?" she asked.
Jamie glanced upwards. "Yes, of course," he said, with the beginnings of a laugh. "How can I, an avid believer, not see it?"
Kendra smiled as she lowered her hand and turned back to her friend. "Are you looking for the Sandman?"
Jamie raised an eyebrow. "And are you the Psychic Guardian or something?"
Kendra shook her head sadly. "No, I'm the Guardian of Swimming and Ruined Lives." Before Jamie could respond, her expression changed and she smiled. "Just kidding. Anyway, follow me. I know where the Sandman is." She took off.
"Slow down, will you?" Jamie called, as he panted and puffed. With the athleticism she had honed as a swimmer, Kendra was too fast to catch up with as she weaved her way down streets and alleys, seeming to head in no particular direction, though Jamie noticed she kept glancing upwards at the Dreamsand, probably following it.
Her feet grinned to a halt on the asphalt as she stopped and turned, grinning at Jamie. "Hurry up, slowpoke," she said, before speeding off again.
When Jamie finally caught up with her, she was looking upwards again. He followed her gaze and upon noticing what she was looking at, he gasped, his eyes widening. "How... how do you know about this? I mean, I've believed in the Guardians for a long time now, and I've never been here."
Kendra's look was melancholic. "He sympathises," was all she said. A few seconds later, she turned to Jamie. "Anyway, he's not going to stay long, so we'd better go up." But before taking a step, she quickly added, "But don't tell anyone about this. Don't mention that I sneaked out. I've got a meet in two days and I'm not supposed to be out at this time. But I can't help it."
A rope of Dreamsand came down to meet them and the two young adults climbed up without much difficulty. At the top, they treaded Dreamsand. "Is this safe?" Jamie wondered aloud. Kendra raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you trusted the guardians." They walked a little way further till they came in sight of him. Kendra turned to Jamie and bowed. "I'm sure you've both met, but allow me to present His Nocturnal Magnificence, Sanderson Mansnoozie, Sandman the First, Lord High Protector of Sleep and Dreams."
Sandy beamed at the sight of Jamie. Almost immediately a familiar figure was formed from Dreamsand above the guardian's head. The figure of a teenage boy with a staff...
"I don't know where Jack is," Jamie said, almost dismissively. "Haven't seen him since the blizzard." The boy surveyed his surroundings, clearly intrigued. They were atop the Sandman's cloud. The Dreamsand beneath their feet was intact, preventing them from falling through and hurtling towards terra firma which was approximately a hundred feet below. "Wow, this is insane," the boy breathed, as he admired the view. Sure he had seen such views before, on his trips with Jack. But it was entirely different feel for him from a golden cloud. He got on his knees, and peered downwards at the roofs of the buildings around the campus before looking over his shoulder at his swimmer friend. "You come here often?"
Kendra shook her head as they watched Sandy do his job. "Not really. Just occasionally."
"And you're the only one?"
"I'm the only one in this area. No one else here believes, except Monty and you, now that you've both arrived."
"Monty!" Jamie exclaimed. "Don't you think he might want to see this as well?" He turned to Sandy, but the guardian had overheard the conversation and the cloud was speeding towards the house. It traveled downwards and hovered outside Monty's bedroom window. Jamie and Kendra exchanged mischievous grins as they began tapping softly on his window. Monty turned onto his side in his sleep, facing away from them. They watched the Dreamsand above his head take the shape of him trapped in a glass cage with someone knocking on it.
"He's hearing it in his subconscious," Kendra said, sniggering. She looked over her shoulder at Sandy. "Oops, sorry. Let's just wake him up." She rapped loudly on the window. The Dreamsand above Monty's head slowly faded as his eyes flew open and he sat up in bed. They saw him muttering something to himself before preparing to go back to sleep when he caught sight of them outside the window. He squinted while they waved, huge grins plastered on their faces. For a few moments, he merely stared, the image processing in his groggy mind before it registered. He leaped to his feet, grabbed his glasses and jammed them onto his face while hurrying towards the window.
"What are you doing... is that Sandman?" he exclaimed, as he threw open the windows. His eyes widened at the sight of the guardian and his friends aboard the cloud. "Give me a moment." He grabbed his coat and prepared to climb out of the window and onto the cloud.
"Try not to lose your balance or fall," Jamie said as they helped Month climb on. "It's a two-storey drop."
"Try not to remind me," Monty responded. They got him aboard and Jamie felt butterflies in his stomach as the cloud rose into the air. Monty was treated to an astounding view of the campus with trails of Dreamsand wounding their ways into houses. "Who else has been up here? Anyone we know?" he asked, after gaping for several minutes.
Another Dreamsand figure formed above Sandy's head which took the form of Cupcake. "Cupcake? Do you know where she is right now? Like this very moment?"
A familiar landmark formed- the tower bridge. Then the sand shapeshifted into Cupcake sitting at a desk, typing furiously on a keyboard.
"What a strange question, Monty, you know she's studying in London," Jamie spoke, his eyebrows arching. "Why so interested in what she's doing right now?"
He received an elbow in the ribs for that question. "Mind your own business," Monty responded, but the smile on his face gave him away.
The three of them sat on the cloud, watching dreams being distributed and enjoying the view. Silence reigned on that cloud before Kendra broke it.
"So, do you know what you want to do with your life?" she asked Jamie. Monty had scurried to the other side of the cloud, checking out more of the view and wishing he brought his camera and wondering if Sandy could take them back to the house so he could get it.
"Write. Dream," Jamie replied. "You?"
"Swim. Die." When Jamie looked at her questioningly, she continued. "My father wants me to be a swimmer, as you can seem with my crazy schedule."
"Your father wants you to be," Jamie emphasised. "You mean you don't want it all? I heard you hold a national record. That's really cool. I've never held a record in my life."
"It's not what I want, but I'm doomed to swim for the rest of my years. That's why I try to come up here as often as I can. It provides an escape. At least, being in the air makes me momentarily forget about being in water."
Jamie was silent for a moment. "My aunt expects something better from me after I graduate. I doubt there's any way I can end up writing and dreaming. She sponsored me here because she thought there was hope for me, and so she expects something. Guess we're in the same boat."
"I've read your book. At least you have a knack for writing, swimming is all I know, literally. Don't let anyone tell you what to do and what not to do. Just forge your own path and don't end up like me."
"You mean you hate swimming?"
"I don't hate it, I just wish I would have to spend less time doing it. My father puts swimming before everything else, including family, which is why I barely know Monty till we both got here. My father is just trying to make me what he had always wanted to become, but failed. Sorry I'm ruining the mood, but I'm just trying to tell you not to waste your life. Monty told me about how you're so uncertain about your future."
"She just wants me to get a good-paying job."
"Well, yeah, everyone has the perception that money is everything these days. And fame. Money can't buy you happiness, but at least you'll be miserable in comfort." Kendra shrugged.
Jamie laughed. "My aunt doesn't believe in the whole 'money-can't-buy-you-happiness' thing, which is ironic, given the state she lives in right now. Huge manor, servants and a depressing life."
They couldn't travel around with Sandy and go sleepless for one night so the guardian dropped them off at their respective houses. As Monty and Jamie climbed in through the former's bedroom window, hoping no one will see them, Jamie couldn't help asking.
"Hey Monty. What do you want to do with your life?"
Monty eyed him with a sleepy gaze. "Attempt to beat the high score set by the CPU in Medieval Legends IV. You?"
Jamie merely smiled and shook his head as he left the room.
Yeah, this was pretty boring with the whole lot of chatter. But the next chapter will contain more events, I promise!