Welcome to High School, Chapter Six: Black and White
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 a Community Battle!
Disclaimer: I don't own, nor do I claim to. Enough said.
A million trillion thanks to my beta and BFF, River Melody. Love ya Riv!
But that was two months ago. This was now.
Things had been relatively calm, much to Jack's surprise. After the first day of school, the only thing that seemed vaguely odd was his affection, his protectiveness towards that Overland girl. Pippa Overland.
He'd heard many stories about her. The most common was that she was slightly crazy, that she talked to things no one else could see and that she predicted things months before they happened. When he asked why, there was a hush and a bowing of heads, then one brave soul had explained respectfully that Pippa had lost her brother when she was young, he had been playing in the forest when he had fallen into a frozen lake.
According to them, she had witnessed it all. He worried about her- talking to things that weren't there? Predicting the future? What was that about? Maybe it was simple flukes, nothing more? They said she was in therapy for years before they finally admitted it was hopeless.
But then there were the good things- how she was Class President every year, how she was an almost international level dancer. How her grades were some of the best of the school. It made him so proud, it filled him to the bursting point with emotion and yet he couldn't stop thinking that. It made him even more proud when he realized how strong someone had to be to keep going when their brother had just died in front of them. He knew her brother had been one of the luckiest people in the world.
Besides that, he had been a normal high school student, you know, the regular. Get up, complain, not pay attention in class, ace tests, and hang out with his friends. Except for the one time he had been called into General Black's office, but that was just to let him know the Nightmares were on the way. He shuddered at the very thought.
The Nightmares were Pitch's most advanced guards, except for the Fearlings. The Nightmares were cruel, ruthless, and forbidding, doing what they were ordered to without question and without thought. Jack had ran into them once or twice, it was an experience he never wanted to repeat.
The Fearlings, well, they were a whole other story. They weren't even confirmed to exist, they were just the ghost stories of the Agency, of his home- no, stop, it's not my home, he cut himself off. They were the ghost stories of the Agency, that was it. They were rumoured to do things worse then death- they were rumoured to brainwash people and make them work for them.
Gods, he hoped they didn't exist. Because he knew that if they did, he would be getting a visit from them, and that was not what he wanted, he wanted to be his own person, he wanted to be incredible, he wanted to be remembered. He wanted to make a mark on the world. It was his dream, besides having a family. He was afraid of being alone, and now that he had friends things didn't seem so glum.
That was if he forgot about everything, about dawn and sunrise and hope and happiness. Because he wasn't truly happy, nor did he have any right to be. He was a murderer, a no good murderer. It hurt his heart to think that, but he couldn't deny the truth.
He still wasn't sure if Pitch was truly evil. He didn't want to believe the Guardians, as he had dubbed them, and there would always be that tiny niggling doubt in his mind, but what could he do? Six years of brainwashing don't go away overnight.
And everyone knew it, he knew it in the pitying looks they gave him when they thought he wasn't looking, in the helping hands always just a bit too close for comfort, in the way their smiles could sometimes feel a bit forced.
And how could he blame them? It wasn't like it was their fault, because they all knew it wasn't. It really wasn't. Who wouldn't pity him? No one, that's who. And he hated it. He hated it more then he had ever thought he would. It made him feel like curling up and hiding from the world, like decimating all who stood in his path. And it hurt. It really did, he didn't want pity, he wanted a family, he wanted friends, he wanted to be remembered, gods damn it! He thought, not for the first time, of how unfair it was. But life was unfair, so how was that new?
It wasn't. Not to him, anyways. He was used to it, but others might not be. And to them it wasn't fair. It just wasn't. He would give everything he had for the world, to try and make up for his sins. But he didn't need a priest to tell him it was much, much too late for that.
Oh, he was so screwed. Why couldn't things just work out his way for once? Why couldn't things go the way he wanted?! All he wanted was some affection, some love, some happiness. Yet he could never have it.
When he was younger, back at the Agency, he still remembered waking up and seeing all the faces staring down at him, the way his eyes had widened and he had screamed. He remembered looking ready to cry as they told him his family was dead. And he remembered sighing in relief when he was given a hug and told that they would take him in. He remembered feeling more grateful then he had ever thought possible. And that gratitude still stuck with him today.
He needed to know- how had he ended up with Pitch Black? Had he kidnapped him? Had he actually just found him? What was it? How had his life been ruined? Or maybe it was the Guardians who had done that to him, then told him it was Pitch just to get him suspicious and to make him fight for evil?
He really wasn't sure. The Guardians had shown him more kindness and caring and compassion then ever before, and he loved them for it. But maybe it was just an act, suggested a small voice at the back of his mind. Who could even remotely like you, anyway?
He didn't want to agree with the voice, but he was pretty sure it was right. How could it not be? He was, after all, evil. He was everything that was bad and terrible and cruel. He was not good, he was not great. He was just Jack. He was just Jack Frost. But that wasn't enough, he would never be enough, and he knew it. It was just the way things were. He would never be enough. He sighed.
Oddly enough, life went on. It never stopped, even for those who suffer daily. They never got a reprieve, he never got a reprieve. He was just tired of being a pawn, of being someone to be used and not respected, of someone to be manipulated and not loved.
Gods damn it, he just wanted a family. He couldn't stop thinking about it, it permeated his thought and his actions. All he wanted was a family, why couldn't he have one? He repeated himself over and over.
Because something you'd wanted for six years wasn't something that you could easily let go of. But why had Pitch wiped his memories? What was the reasoning behind that?
He glanced at the newspaper that someone had just slipped under the door of his condo, picking it up and staring at the front page article with wide eyes.
SIX YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF OVERLAND BOY'S DISAPPEARANCE!
Jackson Overland died six years ago, but his body was never found. What's the reasoning behind this? We speculate that maybe foul play was involved. Some of you may be wondering- it's been six years, why bring him back into the picture? Well, it's simple. We've recently, we've being the CSI, discovered a company framing children's deaths and selling them, the children, to the highest bidder. This is international news, and it was agreed that it would be released today. May God be with the poor children who can't be with their families today.
Jack dropped the article, took a deep breath, and screamed.
So, a character study sort of chapter, huh? Did you guys (and gals) like it? Want more like it? Let me know!
Also- my beta, River Melody, wrote a pretty awesome fic and you guys should definitely check it out! It's called 'Conversations in a Closet'.
Remember this is for a community battle and any reviews are very much appreciated!
Kisses,
Snow