Hey, look who's not dead! Yes, it's been quite some time since I've updated, but life has decided to shove every possible complication in front of me that can possibly be given to any one person in such a short period of time! Six hours of History assigned every class, commissions and drawing requests left and right(I think I've accumulated over thirty at this point), seven other stories on a combination of sites that need updating because I've been neglecting it(for God's sake, I've got the next chapter for IA written, Fluffythorne, sheesh!), AND I've been packing because I'm moving. To have all of that, be fifteen with chores AND be a procrastinator... well, things will be late. But, better late than never...right? *looks away*
Well, and the fact I'm not very happy with the first two-thirds, but I just couldn't seem to write for crap, so I just decided to live with the humiliation of a half-crap chapter. Sorry.
But, in my long absence, my reviews have stacked up, so I am not complaining too much, since I've given stragglers a chance to catch up!
Sloppy Joe 313- Oh, now I remember you! I flipped through my old reviews, and I found you in the first few pages! Welcome back! And yes, be very nervous, because I'm a very unpredictable author. So I've been told, though on another site.
Alysiana- Why thank you, I'm so glad you like her! I was actually leery about introducing a character that will *spoiler* play a very major part in the story so late in the story, but I'm going to keep it as is and hope I don't get too much angry ranting for it. It WAS a contest, after all.
alexa- Erm, well, not quite "soon" per se, but I did update! (That does count, right?)
Guest- Well, I'm glad you did. And, yes, almost every villain has their little scene where they just kinda talk to the protagonist, even with Pitch and Jack in the Arctic. Well, this was mine. Ooh, that sounds like a painful way to snap a rib. Much easier to just fall out of a tree. Or off of a spire on the North Pole. Not that I would know anything about the first. *strolls away whistling* Really? Well, I guess that's good for me as an author, so thank you.
FanGirl1567- I was trying to go for a more practical approach with this, because, yes, this is to be a JackXOC story, but I didn't want it to be the stereotypical "love at first sight" or anything, or some Mary-Sue that makes it overly obvious I would pair them. Had I not put it right in the summary that this was a JackXOC story, I think some people would question whether or not I was actually shipping them, especially with Willow's grudge for jack reading her journal. Which brings me to your calling my OC a bitch. On some level, I can understand your standpoint. He stumbles across the book, didn't realize what it was until it was too late, granted kept reading, but regretted doing so and apologized. Now, look at it from the perspective of a girl who has spent about half of her life lonely, abused and distrusting because of those things. Almost anyone she let into her life would stab her back, and thought nothing of it. She chose to take a risk with Jack, and in her mind, he broke her trust, which makes him no better than the others to her. It doesn't make him a bad person, but she was rarely around anything but liars and hypocrites, and had been molded to the belief that all people are that way. Thus, when Jack acted upon even one of those actions, it marred her ideals of him. Am I making any kind of sense? ...um, simply put, she grew up with trust issues, and Jack reading about her private emotions from when she was nine doesn't help them any. You know what? I'll just shut up now...
ELLE555- Well, I'm happy you would want to spend so long reading it. An epic, you say? Well, I'm not sure about that, but I'm rather happy with how much positive feedback I'm getting. As for being fifteen, yes, the complexity is up there, but I had a rather lonely childhood with only books for friends, so I became so used to complex plots, it only seemed logical to create one myself. You're not the first person to comment on this story being above the norm for someone my age, and I'm flattered to many of you think so, but I've been writing for two months shy of a year now, and my first attempt at writing was not even close to this. That story, Deadly Melody? Yeah, not quite living up to this, and it started on on another site, so the progress from there is pretty obvious. I've actually considered deleting my old stories, but I know at least two people who would go crazy if I deleted them(shaadia, shorty), so they shall remain. And, yes, 300 feet is a lot, but consider the winds buffeting upwards, the thickness of the snow, because it actually cushions much more than you would expect(personal experience), and when Jack's staff snagged her collar, it dropped the pull pretty significantly, because she did have a grip on it for a split second, but it slipped. It would be closer to falling 40 feet from the ground, if my thirty minutes of intensive calculator punching is right, because I looked all of that stuff up(force of gravity from that height, survivable impact, factoring in cushion of snow) and did the math. But if I'm wrong, we can just assume they were right, because this is fanfiction. Willow wears Converse, simply because I do. I included a footnote at the end of chapter one that my OCs are based off of myself, quite a bit and I never dress them in anything I don't personally own, to prevent them from having the stereotypical badass appearance. And yes, they are tree-climbers, because I am a tree-climber. But they are also as inept with sports as I am, so it's okay:) And don't sweat, I like long comments. i like being able to answer questions, because I know it answers them for other people, too.
sassysaw- Yes, but it is within this stupidity that the climax had begun, because if you guys thought things were tense before, you might want to get a stress ball or something. And yes, it make Hysterium the Queen of Insanity was no stretch for me, since I am rather insane myself. *creepy grin worthy of Slenderman*
Guest- ...um, okay I am going to hold the assumption that you are Teshka and did not log in, unless they tell me otherwise, and I will address you as such. Don't worry about sounding harsh, because I've heard much worse than that, and if anything, you kept me from turning into one of those bitchy authors that obsessively begs for reviews every chapter. You were honest, and, to an extent, I respect that. But thank you, I'm glad you still like my story despite the griping.
Savarra- Great! I do quite enjoy being loved!
Fluffythorne- For some reason, I typed you username as Flurrythorne three times before I managed to get it right. Weird. Yes, I thought that line to be rather fitting for her, considering... well, just who she is in general.
MoonGirl1155(to all reviews)- No, you are neither mean nor terrible. You have this thing called a life, and I get that. And, yes, I have actually already published the first chapter of the GR fic, and I called it Arrow of Trust. In fact, I think you followed it and didn't realize it was mine, but that's cool. And yes, two light and fluffy chapters in the middle of a story always means something bad will happen. Universal law. But no, I wasn't going to make anything happen while he was gone, simply because it was the obvious route to take. Until I actually made it happen, I'm pretty sure not many people would have thought she would have fallen from the roof. Yay randomosity!(Only Artemis Fowl fans actually get that, but review and tell me who you are, because I would love to know how many of y'all there are on here!). Yes, Mary K. I felt it only right to give her a place in my story, as RotG would not be here without her. Honestly, I don't know the full details of what happened to her, and I'm only reasonably sure she died young. And just for the record, Willow did not actually jump, she was just stupid enough to get close to the edge, which caused her to slip off. Just saying. And they haven't QUITE made up yet, but both are smart enough to realize there are bigger fish to fry than their problems.
*IMPORTANT PLEASE READ*
To all of my lovely readers, I have started a comic of this story. It will be very slow going, as I have quite a bit on my plate at the moment, but the first part of it is currently uploaded to my DeviantArt, under the username of SilverGoddess666. If any of you have a DA, I would appreciate it if you could drop a comment on it, because I've never done a comic before and value feedback very highly, as you've all seen with this story. It will be updated in page groups, as I cannot create a cliffhanger with every page because of how the story was written. I would also like you to keep from commenting with spoilers, because I did not actually show her face yet and I have not introduced her, so please don't comment who she is. Or if you do anyways, I will just hide the comment, but it would be much easier of you didn't. But I thought it would be a nice challenge to do a comic, so I figured doing one for something people actually liked would be my best bet.
Okay, I will stop rambling and let you actually read the story now.
Tiny stars dotted the ceiling with a soft artificial glow, but they produced no light to dissolve the thick shadows in the pale lavender room. No way to diminish the icy wisps that hid so seamlessly in the darkness inked onto the walls.
Hysterium gave a lopsided grin at the little girl curled beneath the deep blue quilt, more stars stitched into the fabric. The child has a fascination with anything that did not come from her home world, no doubt an extension of the so-called ghosts she could see. In the mind of someone so young, to be shunned on Earth meant more possibilities beyond it.
An unrealistic notion, granted, but there was still time for fantasies to be entertained in the girl's mind.
About another hour, by Hysterium's guess, when the Winter Spirit and her precious little Willow would finally arrive.
Then, the game would truly begin.
(*)
The steady hum of the wind in Willow's ears was just enough noise to pull her focus from the burn in her side. The sharp chill of the wind had numbed the pain considerably, but, much like the painkillers she had been put on when her collarbone was broken, the pain was by no means gone. This time, however, it did not come with the side effect of muddled thoughts.
Streaks of whites and yellows had begun to trace paths beneath them as they crossed over the mainland, sending slight waves of queasiness through her stomach. It told her just how fast they were going for such small lights to become flashing lines, but it also told her that they were nearing her own home, as well.
The trip had also given her time to fully consider what it was they were doing. A woman whom had reduced Willow to a babbling mess was going after the little girl of her only acquaintance, possibly friend, and she and Jack were not only following blindly without telling anyone where they were going, but she was severely injured, as well. If their luck with the odds held, she got the feeling that she would either walk away in critical shape, or not walk away at all. Now that she'd had the chance to dwell on her actions, she realized how completely idiotic what it was that they were doing.
She had led them both into a death trap.
Her hands tightened on the front of Jack's hoodie, and he glanced down at her.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, thinking that is was her ribs.
"I probably am about to get the both of us killed because I was too stubborn to just stay at the Pole. I'm injured and I know it, and Hysterium does too. She'll use that as an advantage and target me to distract you. Jack, what did I do?" Her voice had dropped in volume until he could barely hear her over the winds. He raised an eyebrow at the sudden outpour from her and the bluntness of her words told him that this was something she had been dwelling on for a while.
"Don't say that, we'll all be fine. All we have to do is find the little girl, Aly right?" She nodded. "Okay, we just have to find Aly and once you talk to her, everything will be fine." he said as convincingly as he could, but he knew Willow didn't buy it. They both knew it just couldn't be that easy.
"Jack, you and I both know that won't happen, because that's just too damn simple. Something will go wrong, like always, and I'm going to do nothing but hinder you because I can't do much besides walk, and even that's a struggle." she sighed in frustration. "I hate feeling so weak and vulnerable."
"Being injured does not make you weak." Jack countered. "Not mentally, anyways, and that's what counts."
"But physical inability to defend myself if just as bad. She may just play mind games, but I get the feeling she can do some physical damage, too." He could practically hear the wheels turning in her head as scenarios played out in her mind.
"Well, she's not the only one who can take a swing." he said, nodding pointedly to the staff pinned between the crook of his elbow and her knee.
"But you're not the only one she can swing at. Usually, I could just dodge it, but that's not really an option and Aly can't protect herself. She's only eight." Willow closed her eyes as the stress mounted.
"Don't worry about that, I'll keep you both safe." Jack told her as soothingly as he could, but his words only seemed to stress her further.
"Don't worry? Jack, if I don't worry, I'll end up getting Aly or myself killed, because I didn't take this seriously enough. The more I worry about everything now, the less stressful this will feel later, because everything that could happen can't all happen without there being some kind of freaky reincarnation crap going on and... I'm making no sense, am I?" she asked, when Jack's features slipping from reassuring to flat out confused.
"You lost me when you were explaining why you needed to worry."
She rolled her eyes. "That was the only thing I was talking about." she said, already knowing where the conversation was headed.
"Maybe that's some kind of indication that you're over thinking things. I kind of get what you meant about needing to worry. All these possibilities keep popping into your head, and you tell yourself that they can't all happen. But then you started with something about reincarnation, and then you completely lost me." he said with a lopsided grin, but she did not return it.
"Honestly, I'm not sure what that was supposed to be, either. I'm thinking that was my mind moving faster than my mouth, and what happened to be said was what made no sense unless you heard what I was thinking first." she mused, before realizing Jack was smirking down at her. A distraction. He had gotten her rambling on about nonsense to keep her from worrying.
"We're almost there." he said, snapping her focus back to the current problem.
"Okay, but what are we supposed to do when we get there?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, considering it is four in the morning, Aly will be asleep, and I can hardly just start banging on Mia's front door to let me in with an invisible Winter Spirit to keep some insane spirit-woman from going after her kid." Willow said flatly.
Jack was silent for a few minutes as he considered her words. A child with such trust issues would hardly leave her window open and Jack doubted there would be another way into the house.
Willow pinched the bridge of her nose as she grumbled over her own stupidity. "And we didn't even tell anyone where we were going, so by the time any of the others figure out what's going on and where we are, it'll be too late." Her earthen eyes scanned the horizon, spotting the commemorative statue that stood in front of the Burgess Library. She also noticed with a note of surprise at the Christmas decorations decorating the town. She hadn't realized it, but the holiday was only a week away.
They slowed as the square neared and Jack lightly landed on the ground. He gently set Willow's feet on the ground, but she was able to stand upright a bit easier than he would have thought.
"I think the cold is killing some of the pain, but it won't late long." she told him, sharp pinpricks already beginning to pepper her side.
"Which means we have to hurry. Do you know where Mia lives?" he asked.
"Of course." she said, a bit harshly. She still hadn't completely forgiven him for the journal incident. "I've been tutoring her for almost two years. Do you know where that little florists' shop is, just a couple blocks from the park?" He nodded. "She lives about three streets behind it. There should be a white SUV in front of it with a cracked rear windshield."
"Alright, let's go."
"No, let me walk. I just weigh you down, and if I'm not with you, it'll throw her off. Lure her outside and try to leave a way for me to get inside and I'll take care of Aly." she said, but Jack was already shaking his head.
"There's no way you'll get there without doing some serious damage to yourself. Let me get you close, then you'll only have to walk a couple of blocks." he offered.
"And if she attacks us in the air? You can't hold your staff and carry me at the same time." she argued.
He stared at her for a long moment. "Well, that's not necessarily true. You could ride on my back, if you could hang on, but..." he trailed off.
Willow raised an eyebrow at his suggestion. It would probably work, despite the soreness of her arm, and now was a bad time to be letting grudges get in the way.
She sighed for, what felt like, the hundredth time that early morning. "I don't really have another option, do I?"
"Not really. I'm not going to let you try to walk that far, but we're sitting ducks if she attacks us flying." She couldn't help but be irritated over hoe sound his reasoning was. She cursed under her breath and stepped forward.
She locked her arms around Jack's icy neck carefully, so he could still breathe, but was grateful he could not see the blush on her face when she hooked her knees over his hips. Her side whined in protest at the sudden pressure, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself to ignore it.
"Ready?" he asked over his shoulder.
"No, but I don't have any other choice." she grumbled. Jack leapt as gently as he could, but it didn't stop a small spasm of pain from shooting through her side at the motion.
She peered over his shoulder, squinting through the waving strands of ivory as they rode the wind. After a minute, the pink flash of the awning in front of the florist shop told her they were close.
"Right there." she told him, pointing to an intersection one street over. He nodded and their altitude began to drop.
She was climbing from his back the moment they touched the ground, her hasty actions bringing forth a short gasp as she rattled her break.
"Whoa, easy." Jack said, holding her upright when she began to double over, but she lightly pushed him back.
"No, I'm fine, I'll manage. Go." she said, masking the pain and forcing herself to stand upright.
He flashed a doubtful look, but they were running out of time. Already knowing he would regret it, he took off once more, leaving her in the pale circle of light beneath the dismal street lamp.
(*)
Oh, how boring it will be if they don't show. Hysterium mused, beginning to grow bored. The spirit and girl should have been here by now, and the waiting game was not very amusing to the woman.
However, no sooner had the thought crossed her mind, did frost begin to creep across the girl's window, much faster than it would have naturally. In fact, it was completely coated in a matter of seconds, casting blurry silhouettes of the planetary stickers in the glass.
"Ah, finally. But he's going to have to do better than that. I'm not so easily lured as a little ice on a window." she murmured. Her hand extended from the shadow, encased in a glove of cerulean. "Guardian of Fun, hm? Well, let's see if you can handle my brand of fun."
Thread-like tendrils of mist curled from her hand, before snaking through the air and moving right through the glass and ice, leaving little round ripples in the ice.
And, just like that, she had begun her most exciting game yet.
(*)
With every step, Willow's movement became more labored. Her breath came in short pants and she concentrated very hard on Aly's face. The little girl pushed another round of energy into her tired body.
The house wasn't far off, but every step was its own little battle and every movement had to be fought for. The numbness the wind had given her was quickly wearing off, and one step too hard sent bolts of electricity through her.
But if it kept Aly safe, it was worth it.
The white gleam of Mia's car was only a few meters away, and the night was quiet. However, quiet was not what it needed to be, because that meant something hadn't gone right, and Hysterium was still inside.
She had just reached the car, bracing herself against it with one hand, when she heard a low thump. Well, it had been quiet.
She slipped behind the car, peering through the windows as she waited for the source of the noise to come into view.
(*)
Jack was perched on the edge of the roof, waiting for the strange woman to come out. She had to know he was there. he had circled to the back of the house, assuming that Aly's room was the one with the stickers on the window. A quick layer of ice, and then waiting.
It had been a good few minutes, but still nothing. He wondered if she was simply ignoring him. He stood and leaned against his staff, then pushed it from his body. The smooth wood dropped from his hand when the little wisps of blue began wrapping around his hand.
"What's this?!" Are you really such a coward you can't fight me yourself?" he called, touching the end of the staff. Ice crawled up its length and the wisps recoiled from it. He reached and picked it up, but when he turned, he saw this... thing.
It looked like a roughly spun cloth doll, but tendrils of ice crept down his freezing spine at it's appearance. A mess of deep russet stained waves were hastily sewn to its head, splaying over the hauntingly familiar black cotton jacket, and ratty boots were tied to its feet.
"Willow...?" Jack whispered, confused. The doll's button eyes stared at him with a frighteningly tangible plastic gaze and the thread grin seemed to curve tauntingly. Though the poppet did not move, it seemed to creep closer in its incessant chatter.
I knew I couldn't trust you...
The one thing I wanted to stay hidden...
Why did you open it...
Jack's breathing sped as the soundless whispers screamed with their overbearing silence, crying out into the abyss of his guilt-ridden thoughts. Willow's voice shouted accusations, and though he knew the wordless rants were an illusion, every last one of them carried unmistakable truth. As much as he wanted to simply ignore them, he couldn't and allowed them to gnaw at his clouding thoughts.
"Please, I did it for you! I didn't want to lie, but I didn't have another choice! She warned us what you would do, and I... I couldn't bear the thought of you getting hurt again." he pleaded desperately to the relentless murmurs, but to no avail.
Flashes of the ghostly blue flickered at the edges of his vision, but seemed to fizzle from existence whenever he looked away from the doll. His hands held fast to his staff, but that was all it did. He seemed unable to strike out, but even if he could, what is it he would lash at? Murmurs carried by silence held no form to hit, no body to incapacitate. Sound had no place in the bodily world, but the mental one.
An unfortunate advantage that made fighting it off unimaginably more difficult.
By some unknown trigger, Jack suddenly began swinging his staff blindly, a vain attempt to force back the whispered accusations, the murmured truths. His eyes wide, yet unseeing, his thoughts shrouded by doubt, panic... and hysteria.
Just watched as I fell...
Even pushed me off...
Could've caught me...
Pushing the facts, stretched truths were fed into the guilt assault and creating notions that her slip was not only worsened by him, but his fault entirely.
He shouted into the increasing wind, his control beginning to slip, but he was beyond such realizations.
An unfortunate fact for anyone walking alone, especially someone who could barely walk as it was.
(*)
Hysterium's head tilted ever so slightly at the quiet thumps of what could only be the Winter Spirit's footsteps. Ah, so he had met her little pet.
She tsked as the volume of the thumping increased.
"If you're not careful, you'll wake the little girl..." she cooed, a few disjointed scraped joining the thumps. Her cold eyes flicked to the child as she stirred lightly beneath the thick nest of blankets and quilts. If she had any kind of kindred emotion left, Hysterium might have found the girl almost... cute. Despite being eight years old, her face still held a hint of infantile plumpness, and the tiny pin curls danced across her cheeks and over her shoulders, even in her sleep. Little bow lips were currently drawn to a small frown, marring the lighthearted innocence of the cherubic face.
A flash from the window brought an amused grin to Hysterium's face. Such impeccable balance to slip from the roof. The girl murmured unintelligibly for a moment.
"Don't worry, dear, it will all be over soon."
(*)
Willow watched through the glass with a wary eye. There was a slight shift of movement in the thick shadows, but it was gone just as fast as she had seen it. Then, a fountain of snow was thrown from the ground as Jack skidded through the yard. He was on his feet almost immediately, but the wild look in his eyes kept Willow from calling out.
He began swinging his staff erratically, and she cursed. So, Hysteruim must be showing him the illusions now, as well. She was about to try and slip around the side of the house, but did a double take at the thin blue haze on his staff. Wherever he touched it, the normally pure white frost that followed his grip was tinged with blue.
"The staff..." she whispered, realizing that the psychotic woman must be channeling her power through the staff. Of course. Jack knew of the little mind games she so liked to play, and probably could have ignored them, but with his own power turned against him...
Regrettably clever.
While leaving her unable to do anything but either watch, or get the staff out of his grip, which still left her with only the latter if they were going to be able to help Aly.
She internally groaned at the conclusion she was stuck with, taking a moment to press a handful of snow to her side, then stepping out from behind the car.
Her initial hope of escaping Jack's notice until close enough to grab his staff immediately was quashed when his deranged gaze zeroed in on her almost instantly.
"No, not real!" he shouted, lunging forward at her.
Eyes widening, she sidestepped quickly, hoping it would be enough. The air whistled between them at their proximity, and she felt the end of his staff graze her jacket.
"Jack, stop! She's just trying to get into your mind, but I'm not an illusion!" she said, more bolts of white agony stretching through her torso at the sudden motion.
He hesitated, the curved wood dipping six inches. "Y-You're not an illusion?" he asked uncertainly.
"No, I'm not. Whatever she's showing you, it's not there. You have to trust me." she said as calmly as she could manage.
"Trust... she thought she could trust me." Anguish laced his voice and his hands tightened on the staff. "I didn't mean to, I didn't know it was a journal." No longer speaking to her, his voice began to rise in volume once more. He shuffled a few steps closer, but did not seem to be seeing her. She eyed the staff, the hooked end only a couple of feet away. But once she grabbed it, then what? If she tried to pull on it, she was almost positive the pain would incapacitate her.
It was a risk she had to take, and hope she caught him off guard and he didn't fight back.
A careful step forward brought no reaction from the crazed spirit, and she slowly reached out. The smooth wood hovered beneath her hand and, after a moment of hesitation, she wrapped her fingers around it and pulled with all the strength she could muster.
Spots of red and black joined each other in a cotillion of fiery agony, dancing with an almost mocking merriment as she tumbled backwards into the snow. She could do little but lay there and gasp for several seconds, unable to focus on anything but the touch of torment that violently gnawed at her body. It took every bit of willpower she still had some sort of grasp on not to scream and writhe.
A haze of white and blue appeared and Jack's voice spoke through a deep cavern before reaching her.
"Oh my god, Willow! What were you thinking?!" He cried.
"I was thinking I needed you sane to pull this stunt off." she grunted, voice tighter than a violin string.
He rolled his eyes, but it did nothing to make the worry that all but blinded him. Her hands were still curled around the end of his staff in a death grip, and he first assumed it was because of the pain, but when he reached for it, she pulled it away, shaking her head stiffly.
"Don't touch it. I saw Hysterium's magic on it whenever you were holding it. It's what was making you see things." she managed, before scooping some snow into her palm with a rather clumsy hand. She held it carefully to her side, grunting at the pressure, but after a couple of minutes, her breathing began to even out and her grip on his staff began to loosen.
Once the snow had melted in her fingers, she braced it beside her and tried to push herself upright. Instead, she managed to shift upwards about two inches, before letting out a yelp and hissing as her back hit the ground.
"Well, that didn't work." she mumbled. "A little help?"
Jack raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised she would actually ask for help, but slipped an arm behind her shoulders without a word. He saw her jaw clench as he lifted her torso, but she did not cry out again. Once upright, her left hand remained clenched tightly, but she seemed able to keep herself up without further difficulty.
"As I was saying, wherever you touched your staff, I saw the blue from her magic. I figured she was turning your own power against you." She pulled the staff into her lap, then glanced up at Jack. "Can you touch it again? I want to make sure that it's not still affecting it, but if it is, I can pull it away this time." she explained.
He nodded, then reached out to lightly touch the wood. White frost branched out from his touch, and remained colorless.
After a moment, just to be sure, Willow released his staff, confident the magic was now gone. Then, she began the slow process of shifting to stand, but didn't get far before Jack was holding her shoulders to keep her from moving.
"Wait, don't try to get up." he said, earning a glare beneath the mahogany arch of her eyebrow. "If you do, you'll just hurt yourself worse."
"So, I suppose I'm supposed to spend the night, in the snow, on Mia's front lawn?" she asked dryly.
"No, I'm saying wait a minute for me to think of something." he answered.
She sighed. "Jack, there's hardly the time for that. If I can manage to stand, I'll live through it." She folded her leg beneath her and used it to push upright, only remaining standing because of Jack's grip on her arm.
"See?" she panted. "The worst of it is over, I'll be fine."
Jack gave her a long look, obviously not believing her. Sighing, he slipped his staff back into her hand. She gave him a curious look, but he shook his head. "Hold on to it, because I really don't think you'll make it far without collapsing. You shouldn't be walking, and this is the best I can do."
Though she would never admit it out loud, he was right. Nodding, she wrapped her hand firmly around the surprisingly sturdy wood and stepped forward. The staff helped much more than she expected it to, as it took some of the pressure off of her side and made it much easier to walk.
"Thanks." she said. "But what are you going to do without it? You can't fly or fight."
"Well, I can't go far from you, so it won't be far off." he pointed out.
"Alright, fair enough. Better question, what now?"
Mh, yes, what now? Well, I don't know when I can update again, because of...y'know, but I figured I would at least warn y'all this time. Oh, also, you know how I made a comment before over how I couldn't find a canvas bag like Willow's? Well, I found one, almost EXACTLY the same, so now, I could technically Coplay as her, even though I don't do Coplay, and I would look no different than I normally do, since I said I dress like her anyways. So... yeah.