How could she know my name? No, not my name. The name the Moon gave me. Is this his doing? Why did Highland see me once and not again? Jack sat in his tree behind the house, brooding over these strange events. So it is possible for them to see me, but how?
While sitting deep in thought, Jack saw something. A golden trail of dust was twisting through the air in front of him. Startled, Jack stood up. He had become quite good at balancing on the tops of trees. He watched the dust curl through the air toward Emma's window. He flew to it and tried to block it's path, thinking it might be dangerous.
When it touched him, he relaxed. Upon contact with his skin he knew it was the exact opposite of dangerous. He knew it the way he knew rough ice from fresh powder. He put his hand through it, twisting it between his fingers. It was lighter than air, and as soft as silk. As it wound into Emma's room, he turned to see where it was coming from.
A golden cloud swirled above him. In the center was a little golden man, seemingly made of the same dust as the cloud. He flew toward the man, and when he reached the edge of the cloud, the man looked straight at him and grinned wide. His flyaway golden hair stuck up around his head like a crown. Now that Jack was closer, he could see that all of him- from his clothes to his face- was made of sand.
It took Jack a moment to process that the sand man could see him. "Wha-?" He stumbled back (or whatever the flying version of that would be) and stared.
The sand man grinned wider. Above his head, little glyphs appeared. The moon, a snowflake, some sort of crystal, a silhouette- they shifted too quickly for Jack to make them out well. The little man was obviously excited, gesturing to Jack and pointing behind him. He didn't seem to be able to talk.
"Who are you?" Jack asked hesitantly. He couldn't just take for granted a magical being who could see him, but he was doubtful all the same.
The man gestured to the sand around him with an expression that said Really? You haven't figured that out?
"Sand… the Sandman?"
He gave Jack another look that clearly meant Duh!
"You're real?"
The Sandman rolled his eyes and put his hand on his forehead.
Two days later, Jack was still processing this. Sandy had taken him to North's palace, where "The Guardians" had given him the "newcomer speech". Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and the Sandman were the Guardians, and all other so-called imaginary characters of the sort were real as well for any child who believed in them. And now Jack was one of them.
"But I don't want to be!" Jack had protested angrily. "I want to go back to my family!"
The Guardians glanced at each other nervously, like his reaction was not what they were expecting. Did they think he was going to jump up and down like 'Yay, I get to be an invisible freak forever!'? "What?" he asked moodily.
"It's just… normally when the Moon chooses a new minor Guardian, he wipes their memories temporarily so they can settle," Tooth tried to explain.
"He takes our memories?" Jack said, aghast. "Well thank goodness he didn't take mine, 'cause that is messed up." He glared at the three-quarter moon through the hatch in the roof.
"I wonder why he did not take yours," North wondered. "There must be reason."
"Yeah, like wasting our time with this whiny kid. I've gotta go." Bunny rolled his eyes and turned his back.
"Bunny, wait, we have to answer his questions." North said. Bunny crossed his arms and slowly turned back around.
"Is there any way for me to go back?" Jack said quickly. "Please? Anything?"
"Even if you could go back you'd be dead, mate." Bunny said, slightly exasperated.
"But I'll do anything! I want to play with my sister and tease Highland and talk to Elsie and help my mom…" he trailed off, trying to contain his emotion. He put his head down, his face crumpled in a mixture of agony and frustration.
Tooth put her hand on his shoulder. "Jack, you can help them by doing what the Moon made you for. Make the best of it."
"But what AM I here for?" Jack shouted, throwing off her hand and turning away. "What is the point? Isn't there anything I can do?"
No answer.
"Am I supposed to spend the rest of eternity completely alone? Watching my family and friends grow up, grow old…." Suddenly he couldn't speak. He hadn't yet processed that possibility. No, at this point it wasn't even a possibility, it was fact.
"Jack…" Tooth said quietly. But nothing she or anyone could have said would comfort him.
"Tell me the truth. Is there any way that I can go back to my old life? I don't care how far-fetched it is." He faced the Guardians with as much contempt as he could muster, holding back the tears that made his vision blurry.
"No." said Bunny. Tooth and Sandy just looked sad. But North wouldn't look at him.
"Yes?" Jack asked. He flew into North's face with the hardest look he had ever given anyone.
"You would have to talk to Man in Moon, Jack. I do not know if it is possible."
A tiny spark of hope ignited in Jack's chest.
"But do not count on it. Manny never goes back on anything."