A/N: Hello! I got some nice reviews after the last chapter, so I figured I should post the next one :] It's a loooot longer than the other ones (almost 6k!), so think of it as a belated Halloween treat. Life's a little bit hectic right now, so I don't know when I'll be able to update next time. I'm moving countries soon and taking my dog with me, so I'll be really busy for the next month or two. I do have the next chapter written up, so if I get some feedback, I might try to squeeze in some time to edit and post it before the big move =]
Also, It's been over two years since the first chapter was posted, and I'd like to think my writing has developed a bit since then. I might go back to the beginning at some point to edit/rearrange some things, but that's a project for another time. I did, however, make a small change to the previous chapter. I realized I wrote something about Jamie's father, but I guess it's become the general consensus that Mrs. Bennett is a single mom, so I went ahead and changed that. Just thought I'd mention it. Pace will start picking up a bit from here on out, so thanks for sticking with me until today, and let me know what you thought of this chapter ;] Have a kickass November and hope you've all had a great Samhain!
Mrs. Bennett put a steaming cup of chamomile tea in front of the shaking girl. They were in the kitchen, sitting around the dining table as they awaited the Ranger to show up and talk to the girl about her encounter with the strange beast in the forest. Maleya tried to rack her brain for things to say. How could they go after an animal that wasn't supposed to exist?
Jack had drifted off to the living room, joining Jamie who was seated in front of the TV. The Discovery Channel was on, but the boy was too lost in thought to pay attention to the program.
"Are you alright?" Mrs. Bennett asked tenderly, giving Maleya's shoulder a gentle squeeze, causing the girl to look up. Mrs. Bennett stared pointedly at Maleya's shaking hands, which she placed around the teacup to hide.
"Y-yeah, I'll be fine. I'm prone to anxiety attacks," she explained meekly. She hoped she wouldn't have one here, but if she did, it might be a good idea to give the woman before her a heads up.
Mrs. Bennett gave her a sympathetic look as Abby the greyhound came bounding in. "I don't know what your situation at home is like, but if you have any problems, you're free to come by and spend some time here," Mrs. Bennett offered, and Maleya gave her a small smile at the offer.
"Thank you," was all she could say. She felt something nudge her thigh, and Maleya turned to see Abby sniffing her. Gently, she gave the dog a pat, allowing her to sniff and lick her other hand in the mean time.
Their brief moment together was interrupted when the doorbell rang and Abby went barking towards the front door, startling the redhead.
The next twenty minutes were spent with a bearded man whom Maleya couldn't help compare to a typical lumberjack. He wore his ranger uniform and had a radio attached to his belt, which buzzed every now and then with static-y voices.
She tried to explain to the best of her abilities what she had seen. She saw him stare at her in disbelief, and tried to direct her towards saying that it was a bear, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. If she told them a bear had attacked her, they would no doubt look for an aggressive bear nearby to cull. She didn't want that.
The same procedure was repeated with Jamie, who said almost the same thing. Mrs. Bennett convinced the ranger, Mr. Fohn, to leave David alone as his mother was having a hard time, and the man obliged, since they had all been together and seen the same thing.
He gave Maleya a final uncertain look before standing up from the kitchen table. Maleya's teacup had long since been empty, and her composure was calmer. The bear spray sat on the table, taking visible space when Mr. Fohn had asked her what she'd used to scare the beast away.
"Well, I'll keep you updated if we find anything," he said with a sigh as he made his way to the door, Mrs. Bennett in tow. Jack had made his way to the kitchen when Jamie'd been called up for the short interview. The little boy didn't seem too shaken by the events, and he credited it to having faith in Jack.
"I knew you'd get us out of there," he told the Spirit confidently, and Jack couldn't help but smile at that.
When Mrs. Bennett returned, she ushered for Jamie to give her and Maleya another moment. Curious, Jack stayed behind. Abby had been sniffing at him as he stood in the corner, and he saw Maleya give the greyhound a curious stare.
"Would you like more tea?" Joanna asked the teenager, who shook her head politely.
"No, thank you. I should get going," she said, before cleaning up after herself, despite Mrs. Bennett's protests. When the cup was clean and placed by the sink to dry, Maleya balled her fingers into fists.
"Mrs. Bennett, I'm really sorry. I put Jamie in danger. It was careless of me and-" the girl was surprised by the exasperated 'hush' that escaped the older woman's lips.
"Maleya, you have nothing to apologize for. I'm actually glad he was with you when it happened. I go camping all the time with the kids and Abby, and we never once thought to bring bear spray with us. You prepared yourself for the worst, and put their life before your own. I don't know what problems you have with your mother, but I'm proud of you. Thank you for bringing Jamie home safe," Mrs. Bennett spoke, her voice softening. Jack nodded approvingly, but stayed quiet.
Maleya didn't really know what to say in return, so she nodded and picked up her backpack.
"Thank you for the tea," Maleya said as she made her way to the front door. "And your kind words," she added, almost as an afterthought. Mrs. Bennett just chuckled at that and gave the girl a pat on her shoulders.
"Take care of yourself," Mrs. Bennett responded, before looking down at the dog that was on Maleya's heels. "I think Abby likes you," she noted, and Maleya smiled at that, bending down to give the dog a caress on the head.
"Bye, Jamie!" Maleya called out, and was surprised when said boy came bounding into the hall and enveloped her in a hug.
"Believe," he whispered to her, and she furrowed her brows in confusion.
"You were brave today," she responded, hugging him back and ruffling his hair. "Say hi to your sister for me," she requested, before smiling at his mother. "Thank you, again. I'll see you," and with that she opened the door and stepped outside.
"I'll visit you as soon as I can," Jack promised the brunet, giving him a playful grin before sliding through the opening in the door.
Maleya shut the door behind her, taking in a deep, unsteady breath as she looked at the street before her. The snow had already melted and the sun was shining down warmly, completely unaware of the tumultuous day she'd had. It was only the middle of the afternoon.
Walking slowly, Maleya lit a cigarette and puffed as she made her way to her own house. Jack was surprised to see one of the cars gone, but Maleya barely seemed to notice. She sat on the porch, enjoying her cigarette and supposed solitude as she tried to get her thoughts straight in her head.
Jack was nervously tapping his hand against the wooden railing around the porch as he thought things through himself. He had to tell the other Guardians of what had happened, but he had no way of doing that without leaving the girl unguarded. And now that the enemy had shown itself, that was definitely not a good idea. Bunnymund would probably show up sometime tomorrow, and he had no idea if Baby Tooth would make an appearance today. She had no reason to, since it was a weekend and the girl before him hadn't made plans to go anywhere crowded.
He would have to wait until one of them showed up to pass the message. In the meantime, he would keep an eye on Maleya and make sure she was holding up okay. He wondered what was going through her mind.
His thoughts focused on the time he was certain she'd heard him. She'd looked right in his direction, like she had expected someone to be standing there. He had seen how she had followed some of his movements from the corner of her eye. She was almost there. She just needed a push in order to really believe. And as plain and boring as he thought she was, he didn't know how he was going to protect her if she couldn't even see him.
She threw the rest of the snuffed cigarette in the bin and made her way inside, Jack following close behind. Her first stop was the fridge, where she grabbed a can of coke and read a note that was hanging there, held in place by a magnet.
"Took David out to the movies to get his mind off things. Love, Dad," Jack read out loud. The entire incident with Maleya's mother flashed through his mind, and a scowl formed on his pale face.
Maleya gave a sigh of relief. She wouldn't have to face her family for a few hours. That gave her time to freak out and go through today's events in her mind in peace.
She made her way to her room, where she took the box titled Atarax from her bedside table and removed a pill from its casing. Jack watched her as she broke the pill in half, throwing one piece back in the box before opening her can of cola and downing the other with one gulp. Her fingers shook slightly and he cocked his head to the side. Why was she taking all this medication? He'd never really gotten an answer.
He wanted to talk to her. That was the only reason he could come up with for what he did next. He wanted to give her that last push into believing in him, and since it had worked on Jamie, maybe it would work on her.
Making his way to the window in front of her with slow, deliberate steps, he hesitated as he thought of what to write. With a touch of his fingers, the window had frosted over, but Maleya didn't notice yet. It wasn't until he began trailing his fingers down the glass, causing squeaking sounds to emit from the window, that she looked up.
Maleya couldn't believe her eyes. There, in front of her, a ghostly message was being written out on frosted glass. Her mouth could only gape and her eyes widened as she watched the letters spell themselves out, seemingly on their own.
"You were very brave today, too."
Panic bubbled inside her chest and her hands shook so hard she almost dropped the can of cola that she was holding. Placing the drink on her bedside table, she made her way over to the glass and stared in disbelief at the words before her. Her breathing was becoming shallower, and she thought she might faint.
The memories of all the cold spots she'd walked through around the house came back to her. Her room had always been colder than the others. She'd certainly felt watched frequently. And not that she'd noticed before, but hadn't her books been shuffled around as well?
"I'm going crazy…" she breathed out in a sigh, wondering if this wasn't just a side effect of her new medication. There was nothing else in the room with her- nothing she could see at least.
But it did feel colder in this spot by the window, and as she ran her digits over the frozen message, one word escaped her lips. "Frost…"
It suddenly clicked, but before she had a chance to register her thoughts, she felt a shadow being cast over her from her right. Her head snapped to the side and she was greeted by startled blue eyes on a young, masculine face.
Without thinking, Maleya shrieked and threw herself away from the stranger, landing on the floor a few meters away with a loud thump. She looked up at the boy from the ground, trying to crawl as far away from him as possible without taking her eyes off him.
The boy was deathly pale, with snow-white hair and electric blue eyes that held almost as much shock and disbelief as her own. He was wearing a blue hoodie adorned with frost and brown, mangled pants that had been repaired many times. In his left hand, he held what looked like a shepherd's crook and Maleya stared pointedly between the Spirit and his staff, waiting for him to attack her.
"I'm not going to hurt you!" the boy exclaimed, suddenly becoming aware of the situation. She'd caught on to him faster than he'd expected. Jack realized he hadn't thought his plan all the way through. The few children who believed in him had never reacted this way upon meeting him for the first time.
"Who are you?" Maleya asked harshly, not believing him at all. She gave his staff another suspicious look and Jack got the message, slowly lowering his staff and then raising his free hands to show her he was being passive.
"I'm Jack Frost," the boy introduced himself, before lifting the back of his hand to his mouth. She realized that he looked so childishly happy, and he was trying to hide the grin on his lips from her. She had to stop a smile from tugging at her own lips. She had never seen someone this incredibly overjoyed before. When he had collected him somewhat, he asked hesitantly: "Y-you can see me?"
Maleya blinked stupidly at him, utterly dumbfounded by the situation. He certainly fit the description of Jamie and David's Jack Frost. But the Winter Spirit was an expression- a fairy tale character at best. How on earth could he possibly be in her room, speaking to her?
She suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous. The stress from the entire day and the scare from seeing the embodiment of Winter were too much for her. Not to mention, her pills were already starting to act.
Jack watched in concern as she furrowed her eyebrows and stared at the ground in front of her. He could see her eyes glazing over in and out of focus. When he realized her upper body was swaying, he moved forward and grabbed her arm before she could hurt her head on the floor.
The reaction was instantaneous from both of them. A shock rippled through their bodies, followed by a wave of warmth, and Jack involuntarily let go of her almost as soon as his skin made contact with hers. The buzz that Maleya had received momentarily pushed her dizziness at bay, and she gazed at him in surprise.
"What the hell was that?" she asked, her voice sounding almost hysterical with anxiety.
"Listen to me, you need to calm down. There's nothing to panic about. I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, I'm here to help. I'll explain everything once you've stopped freaking out," Jack spoke placidly, understanding that she had been about to faint from shock.
They were only a few steps away from each other, Maleya realized, and she could still feel what was left of his cold touch on her skin. She couldn't be dreaming, she thought to herself. He was real. He'd put his hand against her arm. And no living person was capable of being that frigid.
Sighing, Maleya slowly stood up and brushed herself off. She was still wearing her coat, and she decided it was just as well, since she needed a smoke.
She made her way to her balcony, turning her back on the Winter Spirit for the first time before grabbing a cigarette from the packet in her front pocket. Jack followed her carefully, not wanting to scare the girl any more.
He chuckled slightly when he saw her light up her cigarette, but the sound was hidden by her deep exhalation. She watched the smoky tendrils drift from her open mouth and tried to will herself to calm down. When she felt almost ready, she turned her head to look at him. He was leaning against the railing on her left.
"Jack Frost," she stated simply, and a huge goofy grin formed on the mentioned boy's face. He could already feel the surge of power from having an adolescent believer. "How long have you been here?" she asked, and his expression fell slightly as he calculated.
"Well, Baby Tooth, Bunny, and I have been taking shifts, so that's a hard question to answer. I've been here about three days in a row now though," he replied, and she stared at him for a while, unsure of what to make of that answer. She took another drag.
"Baby Tooth? Bunny?" she quoted him and he nodded. "Don't tell me that's the Tooth Fairy David saw? And the Easter Bunny?" Jack nodded his head again and Maleya felt like hitting her head against the railing. "You said something about shifts?" she asked again.
"Yeah, North is making us keep an eye on you, but since we're all busy, we're taking turns," he explained, and Maleya felt the gears in her head turn as she remembered Jamie saying something about Santa Claus' true name. "Baby Tooth is the Tooth Fairy's helper…" he added, correcting her.
"What's so special about me that I need bodyguards?" she questioned, but then froze when she recollected the incident earlier today. "This has something to do with what the Wolf said to me, doesn't it?" she asked weakly, and Jack confirmed.
"Yeah, we're pretty sure you're a Thesan," he told her, before beginning a brief explanation on what that meant, concluding with: "I don't know all the details, but I'm sure North can fill you in when you meet him."
Jack was surprised she was taking this so calmly now. She gave him a short nod in between her puffs when he finished.
"Thesan…" she repeated softly. She'd heard that word before, but where? It wasn't until another thought threw her off that she dropped her pondering. "Wait… You've been with me for three days?" she asked him, suddenly mortified at the realization. Had he seen her change? Did she do anything embarrassing? What if she snored in her sleep?!
Jack watched as her eyes widened in horror and stared up at him. He couldn't help but chuckle. He was quite sure he knew exactly what she was thinking.
"I didn't see… much," he told her, a cheeky grin on his cheek. She looked like she was ready to punch him. "I had enough time to turn around… most of the time." Her expression was too good to be true, and Jack couldn't help laughing, even though he knew it wasn't a good idea.
"Jesus…" she breathed out, taking her last puff before throwing the butt in the soda can-turned-ashtray by the wall. Massaging her temples, she made her way back into her room and sat on her bed. Her hands weren't shaking too much anymore, but she was starting to feel tired. She reached for what was left of her coke, and took slow sips as she tried to digest the information.
"How am I gonna survive living under constant vigilance 24 hours a day…?" she whispered. Jack was sliding the door behind him, but caught her murmurs.
"Well, you're not exactly the most interesting person, if I may have some input. It's been pretty difficult on me, too," he confessed, the sly grin still on his face. She was going through overdrive right now, and most of the things he said to her seemed to pass over her head. He didn't think he would get away with this much tomorrow. When she didn't reply, he continued. "Just pretend I'm not here. I can be quiet as a mouse when I need to," he said, and her head snapped in his direction.
"Pretend you're not here? I can see you now! Things would have been a lot easier if you hadn't pulled that little stunt with the writing before!" she argued, running a hand through her messy perm in exasperation.
"I'm pretty sure you were the one who was able to see and hear me up by the lake, no-" he was cut off by Maleya.
"You think you didn't play a part in that? Throwing snow around in the middle of September? Shaking trees over my head and getting two little boys in on your little scheme?" she asserted. "All those… weird things that have been going on the last few days. All of that was you…" her voice was quiet again all of a sudden. "How long is this going to last? How long will you guys be watching me?" she asked, feeling suddenly small. She wanted to ask him to leave her alone, but she understood that she was part of something she didn't understand yet, and they wanted to keep her safe.
"…I don't know," Jack admitted. This conversation was not nearly as fun as he had thought it would be.
"That reminds me-" the red head quipped suddenly, walking over to her side table to grab the water bottle by her pillboxes. She opened the cap, and without a second thought, splashed the winter spirit with water.
Jack gaped at her, the water on his face and hair already turning into crystals of ice. He was shocked, but he couldn't help the smug look creeping onto his face.
"You did not…" he began, almost daring, but she kept her gaze on him, looking quite self-satisfied.
"I did. That was my payback. And it's only the beginning," she told him, and he gave her a sly grin.
"Oh yeah? I look forward to it," he said, and she shrugged. Not that he'd spent a lot of time with her around people her age, but she really did come off different now. He realized that she had a changing personality that easily molded into something appropriate depending on the situation or persons she was with. He was looking forward to spending time with a mortal his "age" for the first time in over three centuries.
"Good. But not now. I'm sleepy," she announced, and with that, all hope that she was going to be an exciting addition to his life shattered. Jack could barely keep his mouth from gaping.
"What? How can you be sleepy? You've just met the Jack Frost, narrowly escaped the Big Bad Wolf, saw at least one flying frog, and now you're tired?!" He argued, not seeing her logic at all. He was dying to talk! Dying to get to know her and tell her all about his adventures, and though a voice in the back of his head told him there would be time for that later, Jack was an impatient creature and he wanted to do everything now!
"Look, I'm not too comfortable about falling asleep with a creeper watching me, but you pulled your little stunt after I'd taken my pill," she explained, her eyes flitting up to meet his. She deliberated for a moment, before she shrugged and began to remove her bra from under her shirt, exposing as little skin as possible. With a yelp, Jack turned around, hands flying up to cover his eyes on impulse.
"This is what I meant with giving me a heads up!" he growled, frustrated with her actions. How could she do that in front of him when they'd only just properly met?!
"Just gauging your reaction," she replied nonchalantly. He heard her shuffling about and then felt a finger flick his nose. "At least I know you were honest about it, if that purple blush is anything to judge you by," she said mischievously, and Jack peeked through the space of his fingers to see her walk into the bathroom, clean pajamas in hand. He had felt his face "heat up" in the Winter Spirit's sense, and he guessed that's what she meant with the blushing. He was forever frozen, so the blood rushing to his skin looked more like a bruise than a flush.
With disheartened steps, Jack made his way to his staff and picked it up, only to seat himself at the edge of her bed. Today had been a rollercoaster ride, and maybe it would be a good idea to sit down in silence for a while. Maybe he could find some ink and paper to write down all his questions for her.
Looking out, he scowled. It wasn't even late afternoon yet! Was she planning on sleeping until the morning?
Maleya returned from the bathroom after having changed and brushed her teeth for good measure. She was no longer wearing her skimpy night dress, but had a pair of black, loose-fitting pants and an oversized shirt that had a habit of hanging off one bronze shoulder. She gave him a look.
"Rules. We need rules. First, you are not allowed anywhere near my bed when I go to sleep, do you understand?" she began, and once again, Jack was surprised at how well she was taking the situation. Nodding, he stood up swiftly, only to lean on his staff. She glanced at the weapon warily, but didn't say anything.
Jack had a million taunts ready to fire at her, particularly about how she wouldn't know how close to the bed he'd get if she was knocked out by sedatives, but he didn't want to ruin her attempt at trusting him. Thus, he decided it would be a good idea to keep quiet.
"How long are you going to sleep? And what am I supposed to do when you're sleeping? Don't you have like, a gazillion questions you want to ask me?" He couldn't help blurting out all his thoughts, and she responded by rolling her eyes and muttering something about an "inflated ego".
"Why don't you take a nap on the chair? Or read a book?" she suggested, running her fingers through her untamed locks.
"I think I've read the only two interesting books you have," he deadpanned, and she rolled her eyes yet again. Stomping towards the bookshelf, she pushed one book aside to reveal a new row of books behind it.
Huh. I had no idea. Jack grimaced at his carelessness.
"What are you into? I have fairy tales. I have joke books. I have thrillers…" she continued to list out different genres and piled up a stack of books that Jack thought he might be interested in.
"Is there a reason you keep those books back there? Are you embarrassed about them?" he asked, wondering if that was why she had hidden the more fictitious books.
"No. I do this because I don't have too much space, and I have the books I use more often in the front, to make things easier," she replied without missing a beat, and it was Jack's turn to roll his eyes. She sounded slightly obnoxious to him then. "So. There're fifteen books. Go through them. I don't know when I'll wake up," she said, adding the last bit as an afterthought when she remembered his questions.
"Want to play a game until you fall asleep?" Jack asked, his eyes glinting at the prospect of her saying yes. Maleya sighed and moved to her bed while Jack seated himself on her desk chair, swiveling around in it childishly, much to her chagrin. The girl let herself fall back onto her many pillows and tiredly pulled the blanket over her.
"What game?" she asked, her voice revealing just how tuckered out she was at that moment.
"I ask a question. You answer. Then you ask a question, and I answer! Really easy!" Jack explained enthusiastically, and he thought he heard her chuckle.
"Fine. If I don't answer, I've fallen asleep," she warned him and he nodded, though she couldn't see him since she was staring up at her ceiling. "I'll start," she announced. "How old are you?"
"I think I'm somewhere around 317 years old, give or take some years," he replied, and he saw her pause in her breathing. It took a while, but eventually she released the breath she'd been holding and managed to nod. "My turn! Why did you take that pill?" he asked, curious about the reason for her sleepiness.
"I suffer from anxiety attacks," she explained curtly, and though he didn't feel completely satisfied, he couldn't chastise her since he hadn't set up any additional rules. "Do spirits need to sleep?" she countered.
"Not really…" came his reply as he leaned back in his chair. "We sleep sometimes, but it's more of a 'pick-me-up' than anything essential. Think I've napped about 4 or 5 times in the last year…" Maleya nodded calmly, accepting any seemingly nonsensical bull he was throwing at her. She was far too tired to be shocked or surprised. "So…" he began, a grin forming on his lips. "You and Pri…?" he asked suggestively, and the room was suddenly deathly silent…
…Until Maleya burst into hysterical laughter.
Jack sat up straighter at the sound, not quite expecting to hear such a joyous chime come out of the relatively placid teenager. He furrowed his brows. The question had been a serious one, so why was she practically rolling around her bed, laughing?
When she finally regained enough composure to speak, she lifted a finger and wiped away any tears that might have clung to her lashes. "If you think there's something going on, then no. There isn't," she replied, a chuckle escaping her lips every now and then. "Besides, I don't think Priyanka even swings that way," she told him, and Jack wanted to press more. What about her? Which way did she 'swing'? But the question died on his tongue as she asked her next question.
"So… am I safe here? With you?" she asked, her voice dropping to a more apprehensive tone, and whatever thoughts he'd had before vanished as he tried his best to reassure her. Maleya was still feeling anxious about sharing her room (and her entire presence in the near future) with a stranger, but she couldn't deny he seemed harmless- more hell-bent on keeping her safe than harming her, if you disregard the occasional prank. She felt like she could trust him, but she wanted to voice her concerns in some way, to see if it would help ease her out of her agitation.
"Yeah. You've got nothing to worry about. I beat the last villain that tried to rear its ugly head," he boasted, and he saw a small smile reach her lips as she continued to stare at the ceiling, eyes drooping slightly. "Well, with help from the other Guardians, of course," he allowed, not wanting to take all the credit.
"Hmm…" she hummed, waiting for his next question.
"I don't know if it's a sensitive topic, but… what's going on between you and your mom?" he asked, before he had a time to think his question through completely. He thought he saw her freeze up momentarily, but it was gone in a flash so he couldn't be sure. Crap, did he blow it this time?
The curling of her lips took on a sadder angle as she answered him, her voice soft with sleep. "You noticed? I guess it is pretty obvious then…" she began, before taking a shaky breath. "I messed up when I was younger. Caused an accident that ruined her life. She still hates me for it," came her cryptic response, and Jack tilted his head to the side. Was that all she would allow him for now? He didn't want to press her, and was happy he got any answer at all, but he was dying to know. What had happened? And just how young had she been?
Trying to make the ambiance lighter, she asked a less depressing question. "So how did you get to be a Guardian? You don't seem mature enough for that kind of responsibility…" she trailed, remembering Jamie's explanation on what a Guardian was. Was that teasing Jack could hear in her voice?
"Ouch. Now you're starting to sound like Bunnymund," he commented, and she shrugged because she hadn't met him to make the comparison. With a wide grin, Jack began to tell his tale from the beginning- telling her how he came about his memories from his past life thanks to Toothiana having stored his milk teeth away. He told her about his original name, how he grew up in this tiny town, and all about his family and friends. With a heavy heart- because even though months had passed since he'd retrieved his memories, it still hadn't gotten easier to talk about it- he recounted the fateful day at the lake, when they had chosen to go ice skating. He tried not to seem to proud of his last-minute hopscotch game he came up with in an attempt to save his own sister, and he grew a bit more quiet when he narrated his subsequent death.
He talked about his 300 years of solitude and how he learned to deal with his isolation, living on as a Spirit with a fear that he would never be believed in. It wasn't until he touched upon the subject of Pitch Black that he realized her breathing had evened out and her eyes had completely closed. She had fallen asleep just before he got to the best part.
Sighing, he couldn't help but notice the small smile that seemed stuck to his lips. When had he been this happy last? Probably around the time Jamie had said his name for the first time in earnest, after finally being able to see the lonely Spirit. But this was different, she was his age, so to speak, and though he had his way with children, he had to be so sensitive and careful all the time with them. He couldn't instill any fear or doubt in their hearts, so many topics were out of reach. And though he didn't have that many believers yet, he was looking forward to having someone he could converse with in a less guarded manner.
Jack lifted his arm to the right and felt his fingers brush the top book of the stack she's picked out for him. "Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones," he read. When she'd first added it to the stack, he'd complained, stating that he'd already seen the movie. She'd replied with: "As much as I love the Ghibli movie, it doesn't do the book justice. Read it, you'll enjoy it." And so, with that smile still plastered on his face, he turned to the first page and began to read about the lives of a plain Hatter and the wizard who supposedly ate the hearts of young girls.