Jack went back to the same forest they were at yesterday. Jack noticed she wasn't here this morning. "Hmm... that's odd." Then a thought struck him. "Pitch." He said and ran to Clarice's house.
She saw Clarice in the kitchen by herself. She was crying. "Oh no." Jack thought.
He knocked on the glass, and Clarice looked up. A slight smile came to her face, and she wrote a note that said: " give me a few minutes, I'm going to get dressed." Jack nodded, and waited at the front door. As he was looking around, he noticed Max wasn't home. In fact, their parents weren't home either. Clarice came outside, and hugged Jack. Jack was surprised at first, but he hugged her back.
Clarice looked at him, with sorrow in her eyes. "Something awful happend.." She said.
"Well, come on, we can talk about it in the forest." Jack said.
As they were walking, she held Jack's hand. Jack looked down, and saw her hand in his. "Wow, I think she really likes me" he said in his head.
As they arrived in the forest, Clarice stopped, and looked at Jack. "Max.. something happend to him last night."
Jack looked concerned and took her hand. "He started screaming and crying.. he said "it was here, it was here" over and over again, and he started having a seizure... I had to call 911..." She looked up at Jack and started bawling. "I've been home alone all night crying. I can't stop. Mom and Dad are at the hospital with him now, and I'm afraid to be alone."
Jack frowned, and opend his arms, and she fell into them, and cried. Jack held her close, saying "everything will be okay darling."
As he was comforting her, he saw pitch in the distance, laughing.
"Pitch." Jack said.
Clarice looked up, confused. "Who?" She asked.
"Pitch. He did this. He's the boogeyman, the creator of nightmares. You'll know him when you see him." Jack said and looked at her.
She angrily stood up. "So he's the reason my brother's in the hospital?" She yelled at Jack.
"Yes, but-"
"THERE IS NO BUT! My baby brother is mentally disturbed by that prick! Where is he? He needs to face me NOW!" She screamed.
"Please, forgive me.. i should have told you about him earlier." Jack said with sorrow.
Clarice calmed down, and said "I forgive you.. I just wish you would have told me." She said.
Jack took her hand, and looked in her eyes. "I love you." He said. "I love you too, Jack." Jack leaned in close to her and kissed her. Clarice and Jack stood there and kissed each other, as the snow gently fell on the both of them. Clarice gently let go, and hugged Jack. Jack held her close, and told her how much he loved her.
Clarice looked up at Jack, and said, "You're the only person ever to show me what love and friendship is like.. you changed my life, Jack. That night when my mom yelled at me.. I was going to kill myself. But inside I felt like I couldn't let go so early because something was going to change my life. And that something is you." She said.
"You changed me as well, Clarice. You're my everything darling." He said and kissed her again.
Suddenly, Clarice's phone started to ring. "Let me answer this." Clarice said, and answered th phone. "Hello?- Clarice, it's mom. Max.. he's going away for awhile, an he wants to say goodbye before he leaves. Come home please.- okay mom. I'll be home soon." She said an hung up.
"Who was that?" Jack said.
"My mom. Max is going away... I will never see him again. That's why I'm going to go home, and see him one last time."
"What do you mean going away?" Jack asked.
Clarice looked at him, and sighed. "In my family.. going away means..." She paused, took a deep breath, and said, "he's going to die"
Jack's face went numb. He just stood there. He didn't know what to say. He saw the pain in her eyes, and knew it was all because of him.. "if I would've told her, none of the would've happened.." He said in his head. The only word that came out of his mouth was, "No.." He said.
"Pitch got to him so much, he had a vein pop in his brain from all the seizures hes been having, and he's not going to live but for an hour." She looked up at him painfully, and started to walk away. "I have to go Jack." She said, and walked away.
Jack walked her home, and watched her go inside her home. He saw max lying on the couch. He looked so cold, and empty. Like nothing was there. Jack was just shaking. He didn't know what to say, or do.. Jack let out a soft cry.
Clarice Sat down next to her lifeless little brother, and spoke softly, "hi max.. I know your not going to live long, so I want to say some things to you I thought you should hear." Clarice's mom and dad put their hands on her shoulders and they softly cried with her. "You're the best brother a sister could ever ask for. And when you're gone, I will never stop thinking about you.." Clarice stopped and sobbed.
Her mother tried to comfort her. As she was sobbing, the guardians gathered in the family's living room, and held hands as they saw Max's last breath. Clarice looked into his eyes, and softy cried out, "I love you.." and she kissed her brothers forehead.
Max slowly closed his eyes, and took his last breath, saying, "love you too."
Clarice Sat there, holding his hand, then his grip became loose, And he died. Clarice bawled over her little brothers body, and held him, not wanting to believe he was actually dead. The Guardian's put their hands on her shoulders. As she looked up to see who it was, she saw Santa, the tooth fairy, sand man, the Easter bunny, and Jack. She was shocked to see them all here. Tooth gave her a hug, and said "everything is going to be alright."
She thanked tooth for the hug, and walked out side. She looked up at the sky, and cried. When she did, she saw a shooting star. She got to thinking, that maybe that star was max.. " I wish he would come back.." She said and sighed. "But it's not possible.."
Pitch was in the distance watching her, and laughing. "Soon, I will have her in my grasp, then Jack will have to find her!" He said, hoping to seek revenge.
He silently went closer to her, and whisperd "You're next." Clarice jumped, and saw pitch standing in front of her. Then before she could react, he was gone.