Part two of the Sophie arc.
EDIT: Sorry I keep forgetting to put back the linebreaks
"Jamie, will you cut paper snowflakes with me?" Sophie asked, placing several pieces of paper on the kitchen table as Jamie finished breakfast.
"Snowflakes? Er, sure, I guess." He picked up one of the sheets of paper and turned it in his hands, frowning at it as he tried to remember how to do this.
"We used to do this together every fall, remember? While we waited for snow. It's been a few years."
"Right. Because of the blizzard. We didn't need fake snow that year. And it snowed early the year after."
"You remember the blizzard?"
"Why are you so surprised? It was a freak storm on Halloween, it's hard to forget."
"Right. So, you're cutting this or not?"
She looked at him carefully as he hesitated on how to fold his piece of paper. She almost cheered when he did it the way Jack had taught them years ago. Every small victory counted. She hoped she could get Jamie to remember everything before Jack came back. Then things could go back to normal.
Satisfied with that plan, she started working on her own snowflake. She had gotten pretty good at that. They both had. But she was still better than Jamie. She usually made a point of teasing him about it, like the good little sister that she was. That was not nearly as appealing today as it usually was. She'd rather tease him about that sorry excuse of a beard he was trying to grow.
A rustle of paper distracted her from her attempt to find the perfect comment she could direct at Jamie's fuzzy facial hair. She watched with interest as her brother unfolded the piece of paper, holding it up for a better look. He stared at it for a long time, his expression unreadable. Sophie held her breath. She was startled when he let go of the snowflake and abruptly stood up.
"Jamie?"
"I'm not feeling so good. Sorry, Soph. I'll be in my room," he said in a rush. He looked both confused and upset and obviously wanted to be anywhere else.
Before she could protest, Jamie left the kitchen and all but ran up the stairs. Sophie lowered her eyes. Her own still folded paper snowflake laid on the table, but she did not even want to look at it. She felt bad now for trying to force Jamie to remember. He looked more upset every time. She realized that she was making him unhappy. She knew she was being selfish. But she wanted her big brother back. Jamie felt like a stranger to her, lately.
Leaving for Burgess had been a hard decision for all of the wrong reasons. Jack would think he was getting soft, Bunny told himself. He'd make fun of him. The Pooka was never comfortable admitting he cared, especially not for the mischievous Spirit of Winter. It just didn't sit well with him. He knew this overly prideful attitude had caused problems at least once before. He wouldn't soon forget Jack's fake amnesia joke. He had to acknowledge that he was partly to blame for it.
It was this memory that convinced him to leave the Warrens. Jack was like an annoying little brother and he should be there for him when he needed someone. The kid was bound to be upset. Bunny was, even if he would never say so. But he was also more prepared to deal with this. But Jack... Jamie had been the first to ever believe in him. He didn't know how the kid was taking it. He didn't even know where he was. No one had seen him since his visit to the Tooth Palace.
He gathered enough material to keep himself busy for a while if Jack didn't return home soon. He would usually be there by now. Maybe he was, but Bunny hoped not. He wanted to get to Burgess first. He would know soon enough. He tapped his foot to the ground and jumped in the tunnel.
The small lake was silent and deserted when he reached it. He sniffed the air. The most obvious smell was that of decaying leaves typical to fall. He could detect Jack's scent as well, but that did not mean much here. Bunny didn't know if the whole place smelled like Jack or if Jack smelled like the place he called home. Both, likely. But the lake was not frozen and not a single speck of snow was to be seen. Jack wasn't here.
This both satisfied and frightened Bunny. On one hand, it meant he would be there whenever the young Guardian decided to show up. On the other hand, he still had no idea where he was. He could be sitting on an ice sheet in Antarctica for all he knew. That did not sit well with him.
But there was nothing to be done about that right now. Jack would come back when he felt ready to and Bunny would just have to respect that. For now, there was someone else he meant to check up on. He hid his art supplies under a bush on the forested side of the lake before bounding away to the Bennett's house. Jack was not the only one he was worried for. It was unusual for someone to believe as long as Jamie had, or to be as closed to a Guardian. It was a big part of his life he would need to try to rationalize. t would get easier with time, but for now he might not be handling it too well.
That suspicion was soon proven correct when he peeked in the kitchen. Jamie was facing him, holding up a paper snowflake and having what looked from here like a minor breakdown. Little Sophie was there as well, but he could only see the back of her head. As Jamie let go of the snowflake and stood, he briefly looked right through Bunny. It felt like a stab in the heart, even if he had known.
Sophie slumped in her own chair after her brother left. He could only imagine what it must be like for the little girl. He did not want to see her sad. He knocked on the window to get her attention, feeling warmth spread through him when she turned and a bright smile graced her lips as she recognized him. She stood and dashed to the door, throwing it open and running outside in her pajamas. That certainly brought back memories, even if she was a lot taller than she used to be. Sophie threw her arms around him, holding on as if her life depended on it.
"Hey there, little ankle-biter." The name wasn't really appropriate anymore, but it brought a little laugh out of her. He rubbed her back as he felt tears in his fur.
"B-Bunny... Jamie, he—he doesn't believe anymore. I tried—I tried to get him to remember but... he just says I'm too old to believe in fairy tales."
"I know."
She sniffled and looked up at him. He could tell the past few weeks had been hard on her.
"Does Jack know?"
"Yes."
"Is he angry?"
"Of course not. Sophie, listen to me. It had to happen. As he got older, it could have been damaging to his sanity to keep believing. He'll be happier if he just let it all go from memories to simple fantasies. Jack knew that. If what North told me is true, he told Jamie that."
Sophie looked at him with wide eyes as she processed what he just told her. She took a deep breath in.
"I... get it. I... I'll let him forget too."
I had to do some small edit to Closure to fit with the previous chapter. I really should have re-read it before starting this arc, not after. I didn't realize I had established how Sophie learned her brother didn't believe anymore. Reading old chapters really feels like I'm reading someone else's story. I also get the impression that my writing has been getting worse rather than better. Ah, well.
