Chapter 22: Pain

"NO!" Gemma screeched. She dove over the cliff after the now screaming teenager. Keeping her body straight as an arrow, she pelted at him from above. In seconds, she was grabbing his flailing body in a bear hug. Desperately, she tried to use her weakening powers to call on a cloud. Since Pitch's attack, her powers were becoming harder and harder to control, especially with her emotions storming inside her.

But now Gemma was trying unsuccessfully to get a cloud below them. They were speeding at the grey below, which terrified both of them since they did not know how much father down it was to the ground. She finally forced almost all of her energy into making the puff of condensation, stopping them with a grunt as they hit it.

Gemma glanced around her to see that they were just above the fog, and relief washed over her as the cloud began to rise. She kept her eyes upwards as the cloud gained altitude, slowly moving faster. The boy she had just saved lay on the cloud, shaking from the obvious shock he was experiencing. As they neared the top, Gemma glanced at him, smiling with relief when she realized he was alive.

That smile disappeared as soon as it appeared, though. The cloud vaporized beneath them, making them shriek in terror as their hearts went into their throats. Free falling, they separated and flipped through the air, pummeling towards the ground. Gemma was too horrified to do anything for a few moments, but seeing the look on the teenager's face snapped her back into reality.

She tried once again to make a cloud, but too much of her energy had been used. She couldn't do it. But she had to do something. Gemma dove down and grabbed the boy's arm, not sure of what else she could do. She wrapped her other arm around him in a hug, hoping it would bring some comfort as the grey fog below them got closer. I'm sorry, Gemma thought, I thought I could save you.

Then, as if by magic, they slowed to a stop. Gemma and the teenager looked up in shock, suddenly feeling the strong wind around them. The wind. Of course! Gemma's spirits soared at the thought. She could control the wind at her pleasure, but it had a mind of its own. Luckily, the pair had become good friends over the years, and the wind would help in a time of need.

Slowly, they began to float up again, clinging to each other as the gales carried them to the top of the cliff. Exhausted, they both collapsed on the wet grass. The rain stopped, as did the wind, which left the pair side by side, gasping for breath. The white-haired human was still in shock, trying to comprehend everything that had happened in the past few minutes. He stared at the sky for a long moment, then stared at Gemma.

She, meanwhile, was lying on her stomach. I saved him! She thought. He didn't die! She let out a little laugh of relief, smiling. She glanced over at the boy and sat up next to him. She just simply stared, thinking he couldn't see her. After giving her an odd look back, he finally said something. "Um, thanks?"

Gemma's mouth dropped open in shock. Did he just thank her? "You, you can see me?" "Of course I can! Why wouldn't I be able to?" His accent revealed his Australian roots, and he cocked his head to the side. Albeit, Gemma could tell he was still confused, but she was too overjoyed to explain anything.

"You can see me? You believe in me?" "Yes, of course. What do you mean 'you believe in me'?" Gemma laughed, she had a believer! She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He didn't return it, still baffled at what was going on, but she didn't care. Finally, she was able to calm herself down a bit and let go. "I'm sorry I should explain. My name is Gemma, Gemma Fogg. I'm-" "Wait, you mean you're Gemma Fogg?" The surprise in his voice surprised her.

This time he was the one laughed. "I didn't believe Bunny when he told me there was a new Guardian." He let out some air. "Now I kind of have to." He glanced up at her, a smirk on his face. "You know, for a spirit, you're very pretty." He scoffed. "Better than Bunny, anyways." Gemma was flattered and blushed, but was still a little surprised. She wasn't expecting him to start flirting right away, much less believe in her. She changed the subject.

"So, wait, how do you know Bunny?" He smiled and pointed off in the distance. "I live a couple kilometers that way. Bunny and I have always been close, because he leaves the Warren from in there." He pointed into the forest. "I haven't been able to get inside, but he keeps me updated with visits." "Oh."

Gemma said it half-heartedly, because her mind was still reeling. Someone believed in her! And it was a human! She had stopped someone from killing themselves! She had saved someone's life other than the baby! She really was a Guardian! She glanced at the Moon, which was peeking through the clouds. He looked at it with her, realizing he'd completely figure out what was going on later. She sighed, smiling at the light in the sky. She was finally willing to accept her life as a member of the Guardians of Childhood.

Suddenly remembering the Guardians, Gemma decided to stand. "I should be going." She pushed herself up off the ground, preparing to leave. Then it hit her. Pain, as if she had been stabbed. "Oo." She held her stomach, buckling her body at the pang. The teenager stepped forward, putting his hand on her back. "Gemma, you alright?"

She didn't answer, the agony taking over. She knelt onto the ground and wretched, throwing up what little food she had in her stomach. She felt weak, so weak that she couldn't hold herself up. She collapsed into the puke, moaning as she folded her body into a fetus position. "Gemma!" The Jack look-a-like knelt down next to her, worried and confused.

She thought she hear him say something about Bunnymund, but she couldn't decipher the words. Constant stabs of pain kept hitting her all over her body, making it seem like there was no relief in sight. "Ugh." She struggled to roll over, trying to look at the Moon. It was the only comfort she could find, the moonbeams shining on her even paler skin.

There. Was that a word? The Man in the Moon was saying something to her, but it was hard to hear. She tried to lean forward, trying to understand what he was staying. "Gemma, no." Gently, the green-eyed Jack pushed her back down. There it was again! She couldn't make out what he was trying to say to her.

Then she could feel it happening again. The oncoming apprehension that she had felt earlier. She tried to fight it, but was too weak. As a familiar Australian voice echoed in her ears, everything went black.

Huge thank you to Girl of Twilight Wings for notifying me that this was in computer code.

Sorry, I didn't realize this.

Anyways, hey all, please review! It helps (haha) and I enjoy it!

:)