Amelia
There were snow covered trees in every direction and the light from the moon reflected over the clearing. Pitch and I remained perfectly silent, ignoring the cries of the wind. As we looked around, the moon's light intensified, almost magically. I looked around, confused, then turned towards the moon as its light gently began to drop. When I glanced up, Pitch had retreated into the forest.
"Come on," he ordered.
A hand squeezed mine and led me away from the field. Even after glimpsing at my watch, I was still reeling from the revelation that I'd been gone longer than I'd thought. Because I loved being lured out of my house and tossed around by nightmares. Not.
"Where are we going?"
"I'm taking you home."
"Why?"
"You need to get back, don't you?"
I closed my eyes and sighed. How would I even begin to explain this to Noah?
"Can I ask you a question? Why did you try and tip the balance so much?"
"Too desperate, I suppose."
"Hmm. Being alone tends to do that to a person."
"Except you're not alone. You haven't been cast out, you're believed in and you have a family."
I moved so that I was facing him and felt a pang of empathy as I listened. There was so much that needed to be said, but I didn't know where to start. Didn't know how to. We locked eyes and something unspoken passed between the two of us.
"Did you have a family?"
"No."
That can't be true, I wanted to say.
"Seriously?"
I was met with a raised eyebrow. Pitch looked away and I continued walking. What I saw pinned to the lamp posts might as well have jumped out and slapped me across the face.
"Oh, crap," I muttered.
POLICE APPEAL FOR ASSISTANCE
CAN YOU HELP?
Amelia Ryan has been missing for thirty-two hours in
Burgess since November 9th 2016
Amelia is described as 28-years-old with long blonde hair.
Anyone with information regarding Amelia
should contact 020794600 or call 911.
Have you seen Amelia Ryan?
Do you have any information?
Please call the helpline on
020794600
I didn't even register the poster getting smaller until a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, helping me to stand. I was panting now and placed my hand flat against a tree.
"Are you – are you seeing this?"
Pitch nodded.
"I thought this could happen. People have been worried about you."
My voice sounded smaller in the dark.
"I have to go home."
"Then let's get going."
It was 8:30pm by the time I arrived home, where I stopped in my tracks at the shocking sight: Noah was on the doorstep, speaking to the police. Standing a little away from him and also being questioned was Jamie and his mother. As I searched around for Pitch, a pair of reptilian-yellow eyes watched me from underneath a car.
I took a step forward, hesitant at first then took another – and another.
"Noah?"
He blinked, the shock of seeing me drying his tears.
"Mom?"
"Noah."
"MOM!" He shattered completely and launched himself at me. "Mom! Mom! Mom!"
I crouched down, pulling him into my arms. And when my own tears came, no attempt was made to hide them. Jamie and Mrs Bennett were looking at us now and Noah snuggled tighter into my arms, sobbing against my chest.
"It's okay, it's okay," I murmured. "I promise you, sweetie, that I'm not gonna disappear again."
"Mrs Ryan?"
The first cop approaching was a woman in her forties. She had dark brown hair that was taken back in a clip while the second officer was a slightly older man who might have been the chief. I let go of Noah and faced them.
"Are you Amelia Ryan?"
"Yes."
"We received a phone call from John Sharpe, your brother. He's the one who reported you missing and your friend, Gavin Boyd, created the posters."
I nodded, urging them on.
"Can you tell us what happened?"
I was silent for a long time, long enough that they thought I hadn't heard them.
"I fell down a hole and hit my head."
The officers gave me a sympathetic look. Both of them kept looking at me as the female cop explained, "Now that you've been found, we have to close the missing report and inform your family you were safe and well, except we can't tell them where you were."
"Thank you."
"Take care of yourself."
"I will."
Where the police car had been parked was now just an empty space on the side of the road.
"Amelia?" Mrs Bennett asked, trying to get my attention. "Where were you?"
"Uh…" I moved my head to concentrate on her, "I'm not quite sure."
I spoke quietly yet it seemed everyone had heard me, including Jamie.
"It's okay," was all she managed to add.
Noah pushed his way into the middle, clasping my hand. The steady murmurs of sympathy died down as Mrs Bennett waited to speak.
"You look terrified. Can I get you anything to make you feel better?"
"What were you thinking?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "Coffee."
I managed a smile.
"Coffee would be great, thank you." I paused. "I just need a moment to process everything."
Facing the boys, she asked, "Are you both coming inside?"
Jamie and Noah looked at each other, then Jamie faced his mother and replied, "Just give us a second."
She chucked.
"Okay."
When she left, Jamie's expression grew serious.
"Did Pitch kidnap you?"
"You know about Pitch?" And when I turned around, I felt my heart stop. "Oh my God…"
Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman and even the Tooth Fairy stood watching us from the other side of the road. While they were doing so, I made eye contact with a pair of piercing blue eyes. A sort of shock ran though both of us and as the boy stared at me, he blinked. Curiosity and disbelief reflected in his gaze. As I studied him, my eyes widened.
"Jack!"
"Can you see me?"
I nodded.
"A grown up can see me!"
Santa snapped to life at the sound of Jack announcing his delight.
"That can't be!" he exclaimed. "They always stop believing in us."
The other three Guardians remained looking at me, wondering what to do next.
"Can Amelia really see us?" the Tooth Fairy asked.
The Bunny's eyes narrowed.
"Looks like it."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Jack started, "Does anyone wanna know why an adult is believing in us?"
Just as I was about to explain, the street became darker than it already was. We looked up as a shadow crawled up the side of Jamie's house. No one knew anything about the lights being snuffed out and didn't even register it until the sparks fell at our feet. The Guardians recovered their wits fast, following Pitch's movements and reaching for their weapons.
"All this shock over one adult and still you let me slip through your fingers." He paused. "What a touching reunion. It's actually warming my heart."
"Pitch!" Jack spoke through gritted teeth. "You have one second to explain how you used the Ryans to get out of the dark."
The street filled with shadows, and all of us were spun around. I fell into a wall and as I found the kids, I was flipped back to find I was laying on the ground. Pitch was in front of me now, speaking too all of us although he looked at Jack.
"You didn't think you could get rid of me forever, did you?"
Right then, I understood I was wrong about him. There wasn't a crack of his past life slipping through after all.
"If there's something else I know," Pitch went on, "It's that children aren't exactly precious little snowflakes."
I clenched my fists.
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't anyone ever remind you, Amelia? Children copy everything from their parents." Then to Noah: "Why don't you show Mummy your special little box?"
"Noah…" A note of warning had crept into my tone …"What box?"
Noah's hand wobbled and his eyes threatened tears. He showed me a box, decorated gold, with a small image of his face printed onto the side. Tooth was gasping now and I grabbed the little box Noah had shown me. For a moment all I could do was stand there, stunned.
"YOU STOLE THIS?" I snapped.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I thought if I took it, I could find out where you were." Noah lowered his gaze. "Mom, please. I was scared, okay. I didn't know where you'd gone."
Tooth and I looked at each other. The Guardians turned to Noah, and then me. I hated to admit it, but I think Pitch was right. Children have always copied their parents, which meant I couldn't even set a decent example towards my own son. Something had to be done to get my kleptomania treated. Fixed, even. After all, stealing all the time was going to get me nowhere.
I crouched down and met Noah's eyes.
"Never do that again."
Pitch shot Jack a glare and remained holding his gaze.
"Do you remember when I said you make a mess wherever you go?"
Jack's eyes narrowed.
"Enough, Pitch."
"Amelia and her family were driving on the road when you iced it over to take Jamie sledding."
Terror flashed in Jack's eyes.
"No."
"Jack?" Jamie's voice was barely above a whisper.
Jack stared at me with wide shaken eyes.
"Amelia, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."
Noah tightened his grip on my hand and asked, "Did Jack kill my dad?"
"No," I admitted, "And Pitch knows that." I took a deep breath and let it out. "Jack, listen to me, whether you'd iced the road over or not wouldn't have made a difference, believe me. I know I was speeding, but somebody cut the brakes." I held my hands up as though I was shaking an invisible box. "I swear to you that none of this is your fault. Look, the point is somebody deliberately put my child's life at risk."
"Hold on a second," Bunny said, "You mean to tell us that whoever it was didn't care if Noah wound up dead?"
"Yeah."
Jamie stared in disbelief.
"I can't believe it."
"I don't understand," Tooth started. "Why would someone try to kill a child?"
"Because people are sick," I told them. "I get that I was supposed to stop believing in you a long time ago and I know that if you can't protect me, then keep protecting my son. Please."
Pitch reached out to place a hand on my shoulder and began to say something.
"I understand it might be difficult to believe me when I say this, Noah, but your mother's telling you the truth."
"Don't you tell him anything!" Bunny growled, "Especially after you kidnapped his mom."
"I wasn't kidnapped," I retorted, "I went there on my own and the nightmares attacked us both."
Pitch smirked, flashing white teeth.
"And we made a deal."
"What deal?" Jack spat.
"If I help him conquer his fears, he'll help me figure out who killed my husband and put my son in danger."
"Was it worth it?"
"North–"
He cut Tooth off.
"After what Pitch did before."
This couldn't be easy for them. He had a point. Yes, Pitch had done some bad things. Yes, Pitch was exactly someone who could be trusted. The silence was killing me. If I had thought about it before, I would have told them everything before Pitch had re-emerged. After running my hands over my face, I became aware of Bunny looking me right in the eyes.
"You're in hot water," he warned. Without missing a heartbeat, he added, "That man killed Sandy. But thanks to Jamie, we managed to get him back."
"It's amazing what a parent does for their child," Pitch mused.
I hated to confess it, but even Pitch had a point. As a mother, I'd do anything to keep my family safe. Even if it meant shaking the devil's hand. There were at least three things I was absolutely clear of. First, Pitch was a killer. Secondly, there was a part of him and I don't know how serious that part was, which craved recognition – and revenge. And I was completely and undeniably becoming useful to him.
Jack started to say something them, but before he could get the words out, North managed to cut in first. He squared his shoulders, looking directly at Pitch.
"Listen carefully. I rarely make decisions like this, but I am willing to give you a second chance."
Everyone froze. Even the kids.
Pitch added, "Is this a trick?"
"I am serious. That's the only chance you get. If you betray us, you will pay. Understand?"
The Boogeyman gave a dry chuckle.
"Understood."
"Good," North said, and folded his arms.
"But still…" Jack spoke to all of us, although he looked at the kids. "Scaring a child's one thing, but trying to get them killed…" He trailed off.
"I'm sorry, Jack," I murmured, "Sometimes there's people like that out there."
He looked down to find a hand tugging his sleeve.
"What do we do now?" Jamie asked.
A couple of days passed and still nobody had managed to find a lead. Things were starting to get a little weird, especially with knowing I couldn't mention the Guardians to anybody (adults specifically) or they'd believe I was crazy. Perhaps I was. For one, it felt good to know the stories from childhood weren't stories at all.
Dammit, this was hopeless. I couldn't find a motive, or a suspect who would bring my family harm. That was the problem when the police regarded it as a tragic night on the ice. Which I knew wasn't true. This was hopeless. Writing poetry wasn't going to help either and apparently, even the Boogeyman's real! Speaking of which…
Pitch had been acting unnaturally helpful with trying to find clues. Although we hadn't found anything yet, this behaviour was certainly out of character. For a while, I wondered how close he was to bringing a nightmare to a child after four years of being buried underground. Strangely, nothing of the sort had happened at all.
I snapped to life at the sound of my phone vibrating on the couch and took the call.
"Hello?"
"Amelia, hi, how are you holding up?" Mrs Bennett asked.
"I'm okay. Thanks. Are the kids all right?"
"They're fine. They got back from the park about an hour ago. Jamie told me this fun story about hanging out with Jack Frost to go and get an ice cream."
As my mind rolled back to the memory of Jamie, Sophie and Noah arriving home with mint chocolate on their lips, I smiled. If she knew Jack was real….
"Listen, Amelia. I was wondering if you could do something for me. I'm working late tonight and I wondered if you could come over and baby sit for a few hours. Please. It would be a really big help. Feel free to bring Noah with you and…"
"Mom," Jamie protested from the other end of the phone, "I'm twelve, I don't need babysitting."
"I'm on the phone to Amelia. Can you give us a moment?"
The corners of my mouth twitched.
"Kids, huh?"
"Yeah."
"When do you need me to come over?"
"Uh… a couple of hours, if that's okay."
"Sounds good. I'll be over soon."
Click, and the call ended.
Before heading over to the Bennett household, I showered, topped up my make-up and threw on the nearest things I could find: blue jeans and a black high neck jumper with cut away shoulders. Finally, I got Noah ready, grabbed my bag, a box of cookies and headed down the street.
Most of the evening was spent watching TV with Jack and the kids. Most of what we saw were re-runs of Scooby Doo and whenever we weren't watching TV, we were making ice sculptures that Jack brought to life and made dance around the yard. The fun we had was really starting to pay off and I was beginning to feel like my eight-year-old self again. And then that moment ended.
The bell rang. Jack shouted something at me and went to grab his staff. Missing what he said, I swung the door open and froze. Pitch's captivating eyes shifted towards me.
"Hi," I said, blinking brushing my hair back.
Then I saw the roses.
Before either of us could say anything more, Jack fired a blast at Pitch with so much strength, it nearly knocked him backwards. He gathered himself and in a calm, if not irritated tone, said, "I told you before, Jack. I'm not here to fight."
"I don't believe you."
Sophie and Noah ducked behind the couch. As if to show he was keeping to his word – at least for now – Pitch handed the roses to me. I managed a "Thank you" and glanced at him.
"Black really does look good on you."
I smiled and my face went red. As I closed the door, Pitch followed me into the kitchen. Jack remained staring at us with the same bewildered look. I didn't blame him for being so confused. Honestly, I was too.
I only realised Sophie and Noah appeared from behind the couch because Jack and Jamie were speaking to both of them in a reassuring tone. Ensuring they were okay, I shot Pitch a glance with an expression that read, If you even think about frightening them, you'll have me to answer to.
He must have taken the hint because once I led him into the living room, he sat down, crossed his legs and didn't say a word. Sophie and Noah were still looking at him and then at each other. All the while, Jack was twitching to grab his staff. That was the moment I spotted the board games tucked away on the shelf. As my eyes lit up, I faced the five of them and suggested, "Why don't we play a game."
Pitch's mouth twitched and I was pretty sure he was fighting a smile.
"Now this will be interesting."
Jamie and I removed a few from the shelf and placed them on the ground. There was an outburst of laughter which quickly came to an end the second I became aware of the game Pitch had chosen: 'Sorry: The Game of Sweet Revenge." Of course he'd pick that. He held it up with such a keenness that it nearly made me giggle.
"Oh…no…" Jack murmured.
Noah decided to sit this game out, which at least meant he didn't have to bear the burden of each game Pitch had managed to win. We decided to call it a night after Pitch succeeded in winning another four rounds. And when Jack chose "Twister" as the next choice of game, I couldn't help but smile. He and Noah decided to be in charge of controlling the spinner while Pitch, Jamie, Sophie and myself leaned over each other, trying not to be the first one to fall.
"Right Hand, Green," Jack told her.
She made an attempt to move, but crashed into her brother and they landed on the floor. Jack gave a little laugh.
"You're out, guys."
The Bennett siblings got to their feet and perched on the couch, observing me and Pitch who were the last ones to play. A flicker of amusement passed in Jack's eyes.
Pitch shot him a look and asked, "What's so funny?"
Little did we know, until it was too late, that Jack had actually manipulated the turns. I tried not to fall as I placed my left foot on one of the yellow circles and looked up to find a pair of gold eyes peering at me. Our faces were so close it was nearly close enough to kiss. A bead of sweat trickled down Pitch's forehead and the heat had already wormed its way into my cheeks.
The children broke into a fit of laughter and Jack, who barely managed to keep his giggles under control, teased, "Aww. You do look cute together."
"Oh give it a rest, Frost," Pitch retorted.
That was the moment the strength in my arms faded and I fell to the floor, landing with a soft thud. While I got to my feet, Jack chuckled.
"I have to say," he began, "That was fun."
I had one last coherent thought before Mrs Bennett turned the key in the lock and started opening the door.
At least we made the effort.
I both appealed to him and satisfied him. I don't know what Pitch had imagined while we were together, maybe silence. Interrupted only with a quick intake of breath. But he spoke to me about what we were doing and how it made us feel in a low, rather hushed tone. Which provoked in me almost the same sensation as his hands.
"Look at you," he murmured between breaths, "You're more capable than you think."
When we made love, I felt as though I was following his voice.
I jolted awake, ripped from the dream where both of us were locked in an embrace.
Crap, crap, crap.
Except, every last detail remained planted in my brain. I broke into a warm and hot sweat when I awoke and pushed away the sheets. Memories of last night slowly came flooding back. Mrs Bennett had asked me to babysit her kids, Pitch had decided to intrude on our evening and Jack, feeling way too mischievous, had decided to make his old nemesis pay. The roses remained sitting in the vase which I'd placed them in last night before drifting off to sleep.
How could I dream about something like that?
I hoped the answer would come when I wasn't feeling so confused.
There was a fire truck turning down the road a quarter before three, about an hour after I packed up from work and left to collect Noah from school. While grateful to be back in the privacy of my car, I kept thinking of that old saying, 'Seeing is believing'. The truth was, even when I did stop believing after the first ten years of my life, a part of me had still longed for the magic to be real.
Now it was.
The first thing I saw after pulling up near the school was thick smoke billowing into the sky. I made it as far as the gates before stopping and turning to the nearest person gathering in the crowd: a girl, about sixteen, with golden-brown eyes and a long yet lovely face.
"What happened?" I pleaded. "How did it start? Tell me, please!"
"I do not know," she said sincerely, glimpsing past my shoulder.
Far away from the school, on the other side of the road, the Guardians stood the furthest back, encouraging the children to stay together and await further instruction as the fire crew remained tackling the blaze. The principal, Mr Richards, checked one of the registers of the middle school groups and began taking the register.
"Noah?"
As I heard my son's name, I looked around.
"Has anyone seen Noah Ryan?" Mr Richards asked.
His voice sounded distant in my ears, as though it wasn't him speaking.
He's inside, a voice in my head screamed. My child's still inside.
Without giving the teachers and firefighters a chance to think about stopping me, I rushed inside.
"Stop her!" someone shouted.
The second I looked into the flames, I covered my face, eyes burning from the acrid smoke, the flames momentarily catching my boots. No one else had rushed in. Too dangerous. Noah was missing. If he was on a lower level, he was dead. If he was on higher ground, there was still a chance of saving him. Gasoline. My jaw clenched as the fire continued to rise. It had to be. The wind picked up, almost like it was guiding me and I recoiled when the flames lurched my way. Then part of the ground disappeared underneath my feet.
Find Noah and get the hell out of here!
"Noah?"
My voice was urgent admit the snapping.
"Noah!"
I kept going a few more steps. The first floor of the building had windows all the way up the staircase. Smoke billowed inside them, from where they had long already broken from the heat.
"No."
I saw an arm. A face. And light brown hair.
"NOAH!"
Could I save him? I stared at him on the floor, underneath my feet. He might be dead.
Please don't be.
After picking him up, I knew. There was movement, followed by a cough.
"It's okay. Mom's here. Mom's got you."
I ran as fast as I could towards the nearest exit, and didn't really know what was happening until part of the roof came plummeting down. Every single crack of the flames might be the last noise both of us would hear. I snapped to life at the sound of a voice screaming my name.
"AMELIA!"
It was Bunny.
"Amelia, where are you?"
The second voice was Jack's.
I coughed a little, but managed to tell them where I was. Which wasn't easy because they were hidden in the smoke. I heard a knock and the intensity of the heat slowly began to drop.
"Jack? Bunny?"
Eventually, my hand touched something cold.
"That's my nose," Jack muttered.
Bunny gave a little laugh, but then his tone became serious.
"Are you crazy? What the hell were you thinking?"
"I had to save him."
Noah's breath came in short, quick gasps.
"Jack. Bunny." he croaked, "I'm scared."
"We know, we know," Bunny responded.
"But it's gonna be all right," Jack said to him, "We're gonna have a little fun instead, all right?"
Noah offered a weak chuckle. A moment later, Jack froze the entire corridor, leading down towards the nearest safe exit and before we knew it, the four of us were sliding down the stairs. We gathered ourselves and ran, barely managing to make it outside before the final explosion sent sparks towards the telephone wires while scarcely managing to avoid catching the trees.
Thank you, I mouthed.
Hundreds of people glanced up as I walked across the playground, taking deep breaths and cradling my child.
"Is that Amelia Ryan?" one of the mothers whispered.
I wiped dust and ash away from my face and scanned the expressions of the already gathered crowd. Some were looks of relief, others were looks of concern. Whatever they were thinking didn't matter to me. The only thing I cared about was understanding that my son was safe.
Realising Noah and I had no serious injuries, the paramedics gave us some oxygen and wrapped us in a blanket. We answered as many of the police's questions as we could and they reassured us by saying if they discovered anything suspicious, they'd let us know.
Most of the people who kept whispering to themselves long after the fire had been put out, were children; eager to know why I would do such a thing. Perhaps it was because I had the courage to chase away the darkness.
By the time everyone was allowed to go, the crowd had long started to disperse. As expected, Jamie and Noah (like most of the children) were fairly shaken up. But Jack, being the optimistic and caring spirit he was, reminded them that while they weren't going to be able to return to school for a long, long time – promised to make a snow day that would be a hard one to forget.
Six and a half hours later, I put Noah to bed and stayed with him until he'd fallen asleep. I'd already climbed into bed myself when the room started to darken. A shadowy figure crawled out from underneath the bed and came towards me, trapping me against the bedposts.
He rattled me hard and screamed, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED."
"Pitch, listen to me, I–"
"Never scare me like that again!"
When he let me go, I froze. This was new information.
"What?"
"You heard me," he seethed.
"Did you really think I'd stand there and let my son die?" I retorted.
"Amelia, don't be stupid."
"Do you have any idea how frightened I was? No, don't answer that. This isn't your place to tell me what to do."
"You made it my place when you ran into that building."
"Why do you care about me risking my life to protect my own child?"
The question stunned him to the bone. After a brief contemplation, he squeezed my hands. And then he was kissing me. Once, twice, until I'd had a taste and realised I would never have enough. He was everywhere up my back and over my arms and suddenly he was kissing me deeper, harder, with a feverent urgent need I never thought he had before.
With that, he left and disappeared into the darkness of the street.
A/N: Hey's how's it going. I didn't expect this chapter to actually become as long as it did, but at least I've finally got it uploaded for those of you still following the story. Really hope you're still enjoying it. It looks like the Guardians have got a much bigger problem than they originally thought and believe it or not, Pitch might actually be the least of their worries (I know what he did in the film was terrible but at least he didn't physically harm any of the kids). Considering a lot of things with him and Amelia have slowly began to happen, things are likely to get very exciting.
See you all soon ^_^