Welcome to High School, Chapter Five: Potential Disaster
by SnowFlower Frost
Summary: The Guardians are going to High School. Nothing can go wrong, right? That's if you forget the fact that Pitch and Manny are in charge, the Guardians are secret agents, and they're going to school in none other then Burgess. High School AU, Agent!Guardians, Principal!Manny, Vice-Principal!Pitch. For CottonCandy1234's fanfiction contest.
Disclaimer: I, SnowFlower Frost, own Rise of the Guardians. *one arrest later* Okay, okay! It's not mine, I'm only borrowing the characters. Dreamworks and William Joyce own it, please don't arrest me or take all my money.
Thanks to River Melody for being my beta:) Love you Rivie.
When he woke, it was dark. His movements didn't appear to be restricted, but why would they be? Then he remembered. Oh. Right. For the first time in a while, he, Jack Frost, was scared. He was terrified, actually. He listened, picking up voices in the distance.
"When's he going to wake up?" One said.
Another replied. "Patience, my dear. He will wake when it is time."
It was all he could do to keep his breathing even and his heart rate down. He couldn't remember ever being this scared before. He didn't want to die, not today. Although, the voices seemed kind enough, and vaguely familiar.
Another voice said quietly. "Understandable. Anything we can do to help while we wait?"
The fourth voice said. "Doubt it. Am I right?"
Voice #1 laughed. "You are. Congratulations on capturing him, I will admit it was rather impressive. I just hope he's not too frightened when he wakes up."
He felt hot breath on his neck and he couldn't help it- he winced. What? That was scary, you had to admit.
Voice 2 cried. "He's awake!"
Slowly, Jack sat up and opened his eyes, only to recoil. Was that Tooth? North? Aster? Sandy? General Moon?!
General Moon, now proven to be Voice #1, said softly. "I'll be taking my leave." He left the room.
"Jack, calm down," Tooth told him softly.
Jack took deep breaths, swinging his legs over the side of the bed he had been resting on. "Tooth. I want the truth. What's going on?"
He took the time to study the room he was in. He appeared to be in a sitting room, almost. There were chairs and lounges, as well as three beds and a few desks, with a roaring fireplace in the center of all this. It looked almost like what he imagined home would.
North stepped in just as Tooth opened her mouth to explain. "Toothy, I think it is best if I take this one. Jack," he eyed the young man in front of him gravely, even though they were only a year or so apart.
"Your life is a lie."
Jack froze. "What?!"
North took a deep breath. "You had family, friends. You were someone at one point in time. Jack, this is truth. Us, Guardian Agency, we work for the good of children. You, Agency Black, you work against us, using deceit and harming children indirectly. At the head of this is Pitch Black, crime lord and black market owner."
Jack froze, trying to figure out how to process this. No, it couldn't be possible! He didn't have a life. He was just an agent. And what? Definitely not, he helped people, not hurt them. Tears came to his eyes unbidden. He didn't hurt. They were lying! They had to be, they just had to be!
That couldn't possibly be true. And what? Pitch Black- a crime lord? No, that wasn't possible either. He was so generous and kind, and he had saved Jack! He knew that he had! He had saved so many people.
Jack sniffed, his life, even though it wasn't much of one, was crumbling around him. It was falling apart at the seems. "You're lying." He accused.
"You have to be! I'm no one, I've always been no one! You guys are the bad guys, not us! We help, we protect, we save! You guys are the ones that hurt and murder and kill! Not true, it just can't be true! And General Black! As if! So what if he can be cruel and terrible? He took me in, a kid with no memories and no past, and let me work for him! It's just not true!"
Tooth smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Jack. But it is. Just think about it."
He couldn't dismiss the sincerity in her tone, so he thought about it, he really thought about it, and he began to notice where things didn't add up. Which, much to his horror, was everywhere. She was right, since when were people born at the age of ten? Since when did helping entail blowing up buildings full of people? Since when did people who took in orphans make them work for them and then brand them, punish them, isolate them?
Nothing added up. Nothing. They say two plus two equals four. Well, in this case, two plus two equals thirteen. It just wasn't right, and he knew it.
"You're lying," he spat venomously, refusing to accept the truth. "You all are."
"Oi!" Aster exclaimed. "Listen here, ya brumby! We are not lyin'! Ya just don't wanna see the truth!"
"Pitch Black is a good, kind man. He helped me, he saved me, he saved others!" He pushed himself to his feet, crossing his arms.
"And since when do good, kind, men isolate people and murder innocents?" Aster asked him with a smirk.
That did it. Because he couldn't deny it any longer. He just couldn't. No one can deny something thrust in their face for long, and he's been denying it for six years. It was time for the truth to come out. He'd been noticing things wrong for six years- six!- and now they had clicked, like a puzzle.
The world was suddenly crystal clear, and just as terrible as ever.
"No," he breathed. "Just no! No," he buried his face in his hands, sinking back onto the bed, it couldn't be true. But it was, it had to be. He held back his tears with some effort, his hands shaking and eyes burning. He couldn't believe it. It just wasn't fair, it wasn't right.
"Why?" Jack murmured tearfully. "Why?"
Tooth touched his shoulder gently. "I know it seems hard right now, but things will look up, I promise. Things will be okay again."
"How can you say that?" Jack asked her, sighing in sorrow. "How?"
Tooth eyed him, saying quite seriously. "I might not be able to say it for certain, but sometimes you just have to have faith that fate will take it's course. This is one of those times, Jack. Believe that everything will be okay, because it will. I promise. Guardian's Honour."
Normally, he would have scoffed at 'Guardian's Honour', because everyone knew they were the bad guys. But now he simply nodded and wondered how many innocent people he had killed while under the direction of a mad man. He knew that it was a lot.
"Jack," it was North. "We would like you to join us."
Jack shook his head. "Oh no. Listen, this life… it isn't for me, North. I'm sorry, but it's just not."
Aster crossed his arms, silently agreeing.
Tooth told him with a wide smile. "But Jack… we can give you back your family. And your memories."
Jack froze. "What?"
Tooth laughed. "Yeah. Guardian Agents live with their families when they're not on assignment, didn't you know?"
Jack shook his head. "You mean I can have a home? And a family? I can be safe?"
North nodded. "Jack, we need your help to eliminate Pitch Black."
Jack finally agreed, to an extent, though he couldn't shake the small niggling doubt at the back of his mind. "I'll help you take down Pitch. Then we'll talk."
North smiled. "Wonderful."
Aster grumbled to himself, frowning. It just wasn't fair, they didn't need another member based in Burgess. Not at all.
That night, snuggled deep into his bed at his one person condo, Jack actually let himself cry. He cried for the life he never knew he had, and for the life he never thought he wanted. He cried until he had no tears left. He cried because he had always had what he always wanted, he had just never known. He cried because his whole life had been a lie.
His body shook as he cried, consumed by his loss and his gain. He cried because he could do nothing else.
But that was two months ago. This was now.
Hehe! Time skip! And sixteen reviews? You guys are amazing:) I wanted to make the last chapter sort of like the kidnapping scene at the beginning of the movie, but I couldn't figure out how to do that in modern day, so I went with overused, cliché chloroform.
Huge thanks to the following people, who reviewed every chapter without fail:
River Melody
Luna Miste
Rwy'n-Y-Blaidd-Dwrg
Caithlinn13
SisterOfScarletDevil
Destiel101
Book girl fan
And thanks to those of you who reviewed just once or twice, as well as all the guests. Please remember that this is for a community battle, so reviews are very much appreciated!
Kisses,
Snow