A/N : All of your reviews are greater than Life itself. And Grace. You know who you are. Thanks for defending my FanFic. And Dakota. It's cool bro. :P
You guys are seriously awesome. Thank you muchos much for taking time out of your day (or afternoon, or night for that matter) to click that button and tell me what you think. I always read FanFics late at night. But that's just me. Maybe. Does anyone else?
This is a long-ish chapter, at least in relation to the rest of the story. Sorry it took so long to come up with. I have all these events planned, and I wanna just jump from one to the next. But I can't. So this helps link together the next big event. Which is jam packed with feels. The good kind though. Keep up the whole reviewing thing! And I'll keep up the writing!
Chapter 21
I had faced my two fears. Losing the people I love, being alone, and facing Pitch, the monster who killed me.
I feel like something has been left untouched. There's still something I haven't faced. I'm not sure what it could be though. I'm not afraid of anything else really. I try to think of other things that could be a possible fear. My mouth goes dry as I realize what it could be. No, it is.
I'm not just afraid of losing people and being alone and Pitch. I'm afraid of the worst possible combination. Jack dying by Pitch's hand, and me being left alone for as long as I exist. I don't know if I can handle that simulation, but in front of me, I see Jack standing there. Smiling like always. It's too late to unthink the fear, so I prepare to deal with it. I don't know how Pitch will appear, or when, so I walk up to Jack quickly, and take his hand.
"Run with me, ok?"
"Why? What's wrong?"
"You have to trust me. Come on."
I run with him away from the center of the room, and head for the boarded up archway. Only minutes ago it was golden and inviting. Now it's a twisted, dark structure in the simulation. I turn to look at Jack, and place him behind me. He is close to the boards, and I am left vulnerable to the room. I plan to protect him, or at least go down fighting. Besides, I can't die in a dream. Feel pain... Yes. But that's far better than watching Jack die. Jack sounds confused when he speaks.
"What's going on? Why am I behind you?"
He starts to step out to be beside me, but I put my arm out.
"Jack, please stay behind me ok?"
The swirling and scratching of sand is heard when I finish speaking. I tense, and Jack notices.
"_, just tell me what's going on. What's that noise?"
If I say Pitch, Jack will want to fight.
"It's just sand. Now, please, just let me do th-"
I'm cut off by laughing.
"How adorable. You think you can save him. And here of all places. You can't win, _."
I raise my eyes to meet his golden ones. He is easily 3 feet taller. Inhuman, and out of proportion. My mind is making him scarier. I calm down a bit, and breathe through my nose. He smirks down at me, and appears taller than ever. By now Jack is fighting to get in front of me. I have some difficulty keeping him back. He moves with fear and hate. He fears my death, and hates Pitch for what he's done. He finally shouts.
"You get away from her, you coward!"
Pitch switches his gaze to Jack, and I see a smile.
"I'm not the coward here, Jack."
He directs his eyes at me. My cheeks heat up, and I lunge forward, my bow materialized in my hand. I stab into where I guessed his stomach to be with the metal tip of one end, and push up. I hear an angry growl before he throws me away from him, and I know I've made the wrong choice. I scramble to my feet, already knowing what happens next. I turn around slowly, arrow loaded, knowing it's too late. There's Pitch, in the center of the room. Nothing makes sense. How'd he get there so fast? How is Jack already in his grasp? How is this possible? But it doesn't matter. None of it does, except that Jack's in danger. This is a simulation, and anything goes. I hear a snap echo, and then I let the arrow fly. I'm too late. Pitch evaporates before the arrow touches him, and Jack falls to the ground.
He makes no effort to get up. Or to breathe. Or to smile. I stand over him, then I'm on my knees beside him. His neck is bent unnaturally. I try not to focus on it. His eyes are the same, but different too. Same bright blue, but no shine. He looks like he could be staring into an endless hallway. Lifeless.
I finally stand.
Should I cry? Have I accomplished the purpose of this... Nightmare? I want to cry. I feel the warm tears slip across my cooled skin. I'm feeling a little dead myself as I stare at Jack. More tears manifest out of the empty space in me. I've lost everything in a few short minutes. I'm ready to leave. I'm done here.
There is no slow fade to black, as I expected. Instead, I'm thrown into the warm light of the golden room. The dome reaches high above me, and I'm relieved to be back. I feel weak as I sit up, and I see Sandy to my right. He is looking at me with pity in his eyes. The words "I'm sorry." appear above his head. I understand. He didn't know how bad it would be. I smile weakly, pulling together my emotions and stuffing them into a box for now.
"I guess you saw all of that, huh?"
He nods, his eyes lowered.
"Pretty bad, huh?"
Another nod.
He looks up to me, and pats my shoulder. I step off the bed, and stand.
"Where's Ja-"
My question is answered when I spot him walking towards us. His face is unreadable. He speaks clearly though.
"Hey. How're you feeling?"
Terrible, thanks for asking.
"A little sore. I'll be ok."
Liar.
Jack seems to see how un-"ok" I am though. He tilts his head a bit, and squints at me.
"Can I talk to you? Somewhere else maybe?"
He turns to Sandy and thanks him. I do the same. Sandy understands what went on in there. All three of us do. He knows what Jack wants to talk about, too, apparently. He flys away after waving to both of us.
"Come on."
I follow Jack out of the room, passing back through the archway. We head down the hallway, and take a left. Up some stairs, and straight ahead is a door. Jack opens it for me, and light floods into my eyes. It's an outdoor balcony facing the 'day side' of the world. The sun is on the horizon, and from the point, it will always be. I walk forward after my eyes adjust, and stand at the edge with my hands resting on the sandy wall. Jack follows and stands beside me in silence.
He finally speaks up.
"I, uh, didnt know about your last fear. I mean, I should've, but I didn't. I'm sorry about that."
I nod to myself. I easily forgive him.
"It's alright."
"Really?"
"Ya. It's no big deal, Jack."
"Thanks."
I nod at him, trying to forget his lifeless face in the simulation.
I expect the sun to be lower when I look at it again, but it isn't. I mentally slap myself when I remember that it won't move as long as we're here, floating along with the Earth's rotation.
I feel a little awkward. He knows that I have a fear of losing him in particular, and I want to know what he thinks about it. But I can't just ask him outright.
"_? Could you please just tell me what's wrong? You're acting all weird."
He laughs lightly at the end, but still looks concerned.
"I'm just... I just was thinking. The last fear was, um. Pretty bad. It kinda scared me."
Jack's concern grows by the look on his face.
"I understand. You went through the same thing I did when I... You know."
"When you lost me."
"Ya. I know how that feels. To watch that happen. Even if it was a simulation. So, I'm here for you, ok?"
He steps over to me and puts his arm around my shoulder, giving me a side hug. The stubborn sun refuses to set. A flash of his snapped neck comes back to me from the nightmare, and I impulsively let out a pitiful tear. Luckily, he didn't notice it. Or he's pretending to not notice. His arm tightens around me, and I decide to let him comfort me. It's hard being strong all the time. I need a break. He holds me together, and I lean against him.
Eventually, we sit on the ledge with our legs dangling out in the open air. I can feel him glancing at me every once in awhile, checking on me. I'm doing my best to keep it together in front of him. After a while, I rest my head against his shoulder, and we stare at the unchanging sun set.
"_, you're gonna be ok."
"I know."
"Do you?"
"Ya. I'll be fine. It just takes some time."
"That rhymed."
"So did that."
He laughs lightly and kicks his legs in the air.
"So, now you can fly...fight... hide...and control your fears."
"Yep."
"Do you think you'll be ready when the time comes?"
I imagine Pitch's face smirking at me and brush it away. I hope so.
"I think so."
"Good. And _, just wanted to say that I'm really proud of you. You're gonna be a great Guardian."
"Thanks. You are too. You're good with kids."
A moment passes.
"And you're brave."
Pitch's words echo in my head. "I'm not the coward here."
"Thanks."
It's quiet for a couple of minutes, and I sit beside Jack, letting him cool me down from all of the stress. I notice that he's messing around with his staff, holding it in one hand, and making snowflakes with the other. I become interested, and watch. He notices, smiles at my curiosity, and begins making something else after letting the snowflake fall away. His palm glows light blue, then white, icy tendrils start to rise and join together to make a form from his hand. It stretches and twists and crackling can be heard as it solidifies. The little sculpture is frosty looking, and opaque when Jack holds it up to his face. He blows cold air over it, and the frost flutters away like feathering from a pillow as the glossy and nearly clear sculpture is revealed. He turns it around once, and tilts it in the golden light. He seems satisfied with it, and holds it out to me. I raise my eyebrows.
"Here."
I reach out, and carefully cradle the figurine in my hands, bringing it close to my face. The ice bites at my skin at first, but I don't mind.
I hold the delicate sculpture, and realize that it's me. It's my hair, the same length and style I have it in now, the same dress, and the same wings. She's smiling back at me, too. I turn to Jack and hug him, carefully holding the figure.
"It's beautiful."
"Just like the original."
I smile up at him, and suddenly wish that I could make him something. I think for a minute, and have an idea. Back at the orphanage, we learned how to make dreamcatchers. I need some string, some kind of circle, and some feathers. I could get the string from my dress, and the feathers from myself, but where do I get a ring? I notice the sand making up everything around us, and take off into the castle.
"I'll be right back!"
"Ok?"
I rush down the hallway, and start calling for Sandy.
"Hey! Sandy?"
Nothing.
"You still here?"
He appears from around a corner, and flies towards me. A question mark appears above his head.
"Oh, I need your help with something. Can you make me a ring of your dream sand? Like compress it into a ring that won't fall apart? Like this big?"
I hold up my hands to show him. He nods, a look of puzzlement across his face.
"I'm making a dream catcher."
He reaches down and scoops up sand from the floor, and swirls it around himself, making grand gestures in the air. Then, he directs it into a spinning circle. It starts to collect and become whole, and he reaches out to grab it. It stays solid, and he hands it to me.
"Thank you so much!"
He smiles and waves as I take off for the stairs.
I rush back onto the balcony and tell Jack to close his eyes.
"Why?"
"Cause. I'm making you something now. It's my turn."
I take out the ring and set it on the ground. Then I begin separating some thread from my skirt, unwinding it gradually. Once I have enough, I regenerate the skirt, and start weaving it around the ring, creating a pattern. I make a white snowflake in the center, and pluck 3 feathers from my right wing. The longest one, pearlescent white, is placed in the middle, and the other two, silver in color, are set on either side of the center one. When I finish tying them on, I hold up my sparkling creation, and walk over to Jack.
I set the dream catcher on his lap, and tell him to open his eyes.
"Woah. What's this?"
"A dream catcher. It catches bad dreams, and let's the good ones in. I think."
He turns the shimmering ring around in the light, watching it sway in the breeze.
"Thanks."
He studies the design, appreciating the snowflake, and sees the feathers.
"Didn't that hurt?"
"Oh. Not really. I chose those from a spot that doesn't hurt. It's like pulling out a hair from your head, I guess."
He tucks the dream catcher into his hoodie, and I hold my ice figurine awkwardly. It'll melt if I put it in my pocket. Jack notices my dilemma and offers to take it. He places it into his hoodie where it's safe.
"As soon as you have your own place, we can put it there."
My own place. Wonder where that'll be.
"Jack, did Tooth and Sandy have to build there castles? Themselves?"
"Uh, ya."
"Oh. So, I'm gonna have to build mine too?"
"Yep."
"Ain't nobody got time fo dat."
"What?"
"What."
He raises his eyebrows at me, shakes his head and laughs.
"I'll help you. Ok?"
"Alright."
We sit out on the balcony a bit longer, but decide that we should go back to the surface. I apparently need more training.
"You can't expect to beat him by telling bad jokes, _."
"And why not? How bout this one? Why are pencils so -"
"Becasue they're pointless."
"Hey! I have to actually finish the joke, Jack."
We laugh at ourselves and continue soaring through the clouds. Jack is taking me to a place perfect for training. Or so he says. Apparently he wants to go to the Mammoth Caves. He claims that they're in Kentucky and are the largest caves around.
"Jack, we've already been in the south. I get to choose where we go next."
"We're almost there."
Below us I see green stretching to the horizon.
"We're in the National Park. Well, above it."
I've lost track of the days, but the sun suggests that it's sometime around early morning. Maybe 6 or 7. We land in the middle of the park, and I smell a lake nearby. The air feels humid as it goes into my lungs. It's heavy compared to the thin air we were breathing at Sandy's place. Jack leads me down a path through the trees. No one appears to be in the park this early. And it's a weekday. We both hear the buzzing around us. Birds and bugs take up the air with their morning calls to eachother. I even hear a frog. Jack seems to know the place pretty well. He turns down paths and makes decisions without consulting a map.
"You been here before?"
"Yep. I've seen the caves a couple times. And a lot of kids come here to have snowball fights. Especially over winter break."
He pauses at a fork in the path, and takes the left one.
"You're gonna love the caves. They're enormous. Which is why we're using them."
After trekking along the path an extra couple minutes, I ask Jack why he insisted on walking.
"Because, I though you might want to see the actual... Stuff."
He gestures to the forest surrounding us with his arms in an exaggerated manner.
We continue ahead, and I see the sudden drop in front of us. Once we're at the edge, I look down into the black belly of the cave. No wonder they're called the Mammoth Caves. Jack jumps out into the open air, and laughs as he free-falls into the shady depths. I can hear his echo several times, then a shout.
"Come on, _!"
It repeats itself, urging me to jump like a broken record. I leap out into the air, my wings instinctually clamping tight to my back, and I sink into the caves mouth like a bag of flour. I let them out a bit, then glide in a spiral to the bottom once I've cleared the jagged opening. I land on the chalky ground and the faint morning light from above casts a gray glow onto the cave's walls. I turn in a quick circle to spot Jack, and notice a blue glow off to my right. I follow it around a corner, and see Jack standing on a ledge above a pool of water. His staff is giving off light like a glow stick, and it illuminates the walls and ceiling as it reflects off of the water.
A/N : As you'be probably guessed, Jacks gonna show you how to fight in the dark. So expect that in the next chapter, which will unfortunately take some time to complete. I have STAAR testing on the week of April Fool's Day. How appropriate. The point is, I'm prepping and RE-prepping to get A's these tests. And I personally can't wait for the writing one. I love essays. Said no one ever. But writing in general= awesome. Hence the FanFiction account. Ok, sorry for the stupid delays. Blame the state of Texas. And me. If you want. The latter is more accurate. :D