Ashley shrieked and laughed as the snowball splattered against the base of her neck, snow dripping in her coat. She shook it and jumped in place to get it out while Jamie laughed, at least until Sophie threw a snowball of her own at him.
"Alright, alright. I give up," Ashley shouted when Jade aimed at her. Standing right next to her mother, she could hardly miss. "It's late, and it's time for you to go to bed."
"But mom, I was winning."
"That's right. You won. Now go inside and get changed." Jade pouted, but did as she was told. Ashley turned back to them, a wide smile on her face, her eyes sparkling. "That... was fun. We should do this again, sometime. Are you coming inside, Sophie?"
"No. You're right, it's getting late. I'll leave soon. But I'd like to take a little walk to the lake, first. Mind if I drag my brother with me?"
"Go ahead. Just don't come back too late." She put on her best mother face and waved a finger at Jamie in warning.
"I promise I won't miss my bedtime." He smiled innocently at her. Her own smile returned and she waved Sophie goodbye before running up the stairs to return inside.
"I'll make sure he doesn't get into any trouble!" Sophie called after her. Jamie elbowed her in the ribs and she laughed, grabbed his arm and pulled him off the lawn.
They walked to the lake, still flushed from the exertion and smiling widely. There wasn't much snow left and, unless Jack decided to give them one last storm, it would soon be gone. Sophie had decided she should pay them a visit before it all melted away. She drove to their house, shouted her brother's name and threw a snowball at him when he opened the door. A snow war had ensued.
The lake was deserted when they reached it and grass was starting to show through the snow. Jamie hadn't seen the Guardian in a few days, but that didn't mean he wasn't there, or wouldn't come back soon. He had not told him he was leaving for the summer yet. Jamie hoped Jack wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. It had been so long since he had last done that, he might forget. Summer was going to be so long this year.
"Jack?" Sophie called.
"I don't think he's there."
"You're right, little Jamie. He's not there," a smooth, sinister voice said from behind them. "And you'll never see him again."
Jamie froze. He knew that voice. He heard it for the last time almost two decades ago, but he could still recognize it anywhere. Pitch Black. The Boogeyman himself. His throat when dry.
"Who are you?" Sophie asked. Jamie only now realized that his sister had never seen the one who caused them so much troubles when they were children. She tugged on his sleeve. "Jamie, who's that?"
"What did you do to Jack?"
He never believed that Pitch could be half as forgiving as Jack and the idea that the Boogeyman might have taken advantage of the Guardian's willingness to give him another chance gave Jamie a chill. Different scenarios played through his head, each more horrifying than the last. Sophie's fingers gripped the fabric so hard that her knuckles turned white. She might have guessed who they were dealing with.
"It's not Jack you should be worried about."
"W-what do you mean?"
He moved in front of Sophie. Pitch stood between them and their way home, with only the lake surrounded by tall rocks and the woods at their backs. He took half a step back.
"Jack Frost isn't the only one I have any reason to be angry at and, unlike him, you're of no use to me."
Jamie swallowed. Black sand rose around Pitch, forming into a bow in his hand. The man drew the string and an notched arrow formed between his fingers. Sophie jerked him backward.
"Don't just stand there, run!"
Jamie didn't need to be told twice. He turned and ran for the lake, aiming for a spot between two large rocks on the other side. He didn't know how they'd get back to safety after that, but his priority was getting away from the Nightmare King.
He wasn't afraid of running on the ice. He had done it a thousand time before. But he knew quickly enough that he had made a mistake. It was spring and Jack Frost wasn't around. The ice didn't feel as solid under his feet. He had to come to a sudden halt when the cracks surrounded him. There was no safe way to continue. Sophie had been a few steps ahead of him, but she couldn't make it to the other side either. Jamie wished his sister hadn't been dragged into this.
He looked behind him to see Pitch taking aim at him. Maybe it was time to take a deep breath and go under. The freezing water was not nearly as threatening as the nightmare arrow. Jamie licked his lips. He couldn't get his body to move. Pitch smirked, The arrow left the bow. Sophie screamed his name. Jamie closed his eyes.
Something hard and blunt connected to his back between his shoulderblades and sent him crashing on the frozen surface of the lake. The ice should have broken, but it didn't. Jamie opened his eyes. Frost covered the cracks, patching them. He knew that frost. He knew who saved him. He rolled on his back and saw Jack looking at him with a strangely blank expression. Frost spreaded from the end of his staff resting against the lake.
"Jamie. Are you alright?"
"Y-yeah. Tanks."
"J-Jack. Y-you..."
Sophie's voice shook so much that he could barely understand her. She trailed off, unable to finish. Jamie felt the dread return. Something had happened. Something bad. He scrambled to his feet. Jack slowly turned to face Pitch and that's when Jamie saw it. A spot of darkness on the Guardian's back. And it was spreading.
"Jack..."
Jack wasn't paying attention. He was staring at Pitch. Jamie couldn't see his friend's expression, but the Boogeyman stared back, stricken. This was not the result he had been hoping for. But he stretched his lips into a grin anyway and forced out a laugh.
"Well, well. Jack. What a surprise. You should have stayed away. You would not have gotten hurt." Jack didn't answer. Didn't move. Pitch's grin dropped, but returned full force when he looked at Jamie. "This is your fault. Don't ever forget that. He would have been fine without you. Now, I get to be rid of that annoying Guardian and make you pay. This is the best possible situation. The best."
Sophie yelled in rage and ran at Pitch. His laugh as he melted into the shadows wasn't nearly as confident as his words, but Jamie took no comfort in knowing that the Boogeyman was unsettled by this turn of event. He placed a trembling hand on Jack's shoulder and made him turn. The Spirit of Winter didn't raise his head, keeping his eyes on Jamie's chin.
"J-Jack? You're going to be alright, right?"
He shook the Guardian when he didn't answer. His entire chest had turned black, now, and it started to crawl up his neck. The contaminated area was frozen, but it did not stop it from spreading. Jack was turning into a black ice statue and it was all Jamie's fault. He pulled his friend against him and held him tight, sobbing. He was even colder than usual.
Jack finally moved, with much difficulties, and tugged on Jamie's hair, whispering something he couldn't quite hear in a weak voice. Jamie lowered his head to allow the Guardian to speak directly into his ear.
"Jamie... you... have to... keep believing."
"What? What do you mean? Jack? Tell me how to help you."
Jack did look up at him, now, and Jamie saw no hope in his eyes. The darkness was creeping up his face. The ice that followed froze his lips together. If Jack had a solution, he wasn't about to say it. When it reached his eyes, the Guardian closed them. Jaime watched in horror as the darkness finished it's work. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the strangely peaceful face of his friend as it froze.
He didn't get to stare for long. With a sound that tore at his soul, the ice shattered, scattering black shards at Jamie's feet. The staff remained intact, clattering to the ground over them. He wanted to drop to his knees, to gather them, but the frozen surface of the lake cracked again, tearing open. Jamie would have fallen in had Sophie not grabbed him and pulled him off the lake. He struggled in her grasp, trying to reach the shards of ice before they all trickled down into the water.
"It's too late, Jamie. There's nothing you can do. We have to get out of here. It's not safe anymore."
He turned to shout at her, to tell her he couldn't just leave, not now, not when he just saw his friend shatter into a thousand piece, but the sight of her tear-stained face stopped him. In front of them, the lake had frozen again. The only sign of what happened was the shepherd's crook resting on the ice. Jamie shrugged off Sophie's grip. She didn't stop him.
The ice was solid under his feet. He walked to the staff and picked it up, turning it between his fingers. This couldn't be real. None of this was real. It was a nightmare. That was it, Pitch had sent him a nightmare to punish him. He squeezed the staff so hard that it hurt, every little bumps in the wood digging into his palms. It didn't feel like a nightmare.
Sophie was beside him again, tugging on his elbow. He knew she was right; they had to leave. He threw one last glance at the lakes surface before letting her pull him away, hoping to see Jack's face staring up at him from beneath the ice. He saw nothing but darkness.
His friend was gone.
That's it, I'm done. End of the story. T'was fun while it lasted.
I seriously considered leaving it at that and letting you guys yell at me, but I'll be nice. You may or may not have guessed it, this is the first chapter of the Fun Times Are Over arc. I was planning on waiting until it's fully outline to post anything, but I'm not patient enough. So, first chapter is up.
