Here's chapter two-thank you to all those who reviewed! I hope you like this next chapter-I certainly enjoyed writing it =^^=
It may be the longest chapter I've ever written! HAPPY ONE-DAY-LATE HALLOWEEN!
If you have any ideas or comments, let me know. :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians or the Nightmare before Christmas
Sometime later, Jack Frost stood nervously beside Skeleton Jack facing a sea of upturned faces, a motley array of creatures. He saw skeletons, green-faced and sutured forms. They were tall and short, grotesque and elegant, ghastly and coldly beautiful, warped and shapely. Jack noticed, however, that even the most twisted had a certain quality to them, a...a sort of…well, clearness, for the lack of a better word. These folks, with their gnashing teeth, serpent-hair, or death-like features should have, by all rights repulsed him, made him want to blast ice attacks at them until they were no more, but he inexplicably found himself drawn to them. This alone puzzled him; after all, hadn't Pitch offered him the same thing Skeleton Jack had, or very nearly the same? And yet, he hadn't felt this warmth for Pitch, and he had accepted an offer very like the first from a complete stranger— why was that? These people, he thought confusedly, felt….different, somehow.
As Skeleton Jack introduced him to the waiting townspeople, a clamor arose from the assembled mass, leaving Jack Frost dumbfounded. All of these people were making such a loud noise…for him. Because they saw him and wanted to. It took his breath away. So many people…
Skeleton Jack raised his hands for silence, getting it after a moment.
"I realize that many of you have questions for Jack," said the skeleton, "And you can all ask him in a moment. "(He looked sideways to Jack for permission. Jack could only nod bemusedly. They were going to ask him questions about himself? The only one to do that before had been Jaime—he wasn't even sure what he would say). "However, there are a few announcements I have for you. Firstly, Jack here is the one responsible for the stuff falling from the sky—it's called snow, and he makes it himself. And secondly, Jack is one of us now!"
Excited mutterings broke out, and then the crowd surged forward to them, enveloping the stage they had been standing on. Jack flinched, but resolutely stood his ground. If he was going to be living here, he'd need to meet the people—and if they all turned out to be bad, he still had Skeleton Jack.
Barrages of questions flooded him.
Where was he from?
Would he make snow often?
Was he really going to stay with them?
What was his favorite color?
What sort of creature was he?
The questions went on and on, and as time passed, Jack started to relax, then laugh. These people were great! Eventually, he was having a wonderful time.
After a while, during a lull in the mob, Jack felt a tapping on his shoulder. He turned to see Skeleton Jack. "You're probably tired
"Come, I'll walk you to where you'll be staying. We had you in the Guest Tower when you awoke, but as you seem to suit it so well, would you like for it to be yours? We can always build another for guests."
Jack smiled tentatively. A whole place for himself? He'd never had more than his pond before. "I'd like that, thank you. There's just one thing I have to change…"
Leaping up into the air, Jack soared over the massive gate, landing gently in the withered field surrounding the tower. There were a few dead-looking plants standing in stiff, almost purple clumps by the tower's base, continuing out in a trampled and paler color. A few vines had evidently tried to climb the tower in bygone days, but the only evidence left was stiff, crumpled-looking roots and dead tendrils.
Reaching out, Jack touched his staff to the grass, frowning heavily in concentration. Next, he flew to the tower wall, and lastly to the gate itself, repeating the process in all places. Skeleton Jack cocked his head, puzzled. What was he…?
Fortunately for the skeleton, he hadn't long to wait. From every spot Jack had touched with his staff, tendrils and columns of ice grew and twisted. The dead bases of the vines attached to the icy ones, the latter twining around the tower with a supple, swirly grace, even going so far as to grow tiny leaves made of ice. Frost patterns covered every inch of the tower walls. Icy ferns grew up out of the trampled field-let, and jagged pinnacles of iced of various sizes jutted up at various heights. Frost also covered the gate, giving it a misty, almost antique-looking sight.
Within moments, the black, grim-looking tower looked like a darkly glittering forest of ice and frost, almost see-through shapes reflecting off each other and distorting the images all around it. Skeleton Jack thought in awe that it looked like the most magical place he had ever seen, an enchanted forest of frozen particles hanging suspended in the twilight-ish air, the perfect abode for a Winter spirit of Halloween Town.
Entering, Skeleton Jack began to give him a tour of the tower, but stopped when he saw Jack yawning. Leading him to the room with the massive bed in it, he wished Jack a good night and saw the lad tumble into bed before leaving the tower.
Sometime later, Jack was rousted from his bed by a loud sound at the door, a hammering sort of pounding that caused him to grip his staff (which he had been sleeping with) even more tightly before he realized where he was and had the events of the previous day filter slowly back into his head. Hearing the creak of the door opening, he peered around the edge of the skeletal mouth that made up his bedstand/canopy, to see Skeleton Jack peering around the edge of the door. He was followed by several shadows that tried to peer around him, the mayor, a middling-sized pale boy, and a whole horde of creatures that spilled into the staircase below. Several carried torches that burned with a blue flame, casting an eerie glow on the room, and all looked as though they were ready for a great event of some sort.
Skeleton Jack stepped forward. "Wake up, Jack! Tonight is the most glorious of nights, the one we prepare for all year long. It's our revel, our wild romp, our time that is most truly us…How fortunate you came in time for it! Tonight will be your first, of course, but I'm sure you'll do fine just the same."
"What is it?" asked Jack, curious at the reason that the entire town seemed to be boiling over. Whatever it was, surely it would be something interesting…
Skeleton Jack looked surprised. "Why, you don't know? It's Halloween!" Pausing, he gestured for the pale boy to come forward.
The boy was about the size of Jack, taller by about three inches. His skin was the whitest Jack had ever seen, and reminded him of the sheen frost had when first put on a leaf, in the coldest part of the night. Wispy pale yellow, almost-white hair framed grey eyes…No, Jack realized, the boy's right eye was a deep, blood-red color. He was dressed in a raggedy grey longshirt which reached to his elbows, seemingly almost shredded, and came down in tatters to about his knees, where he wore charcoal grey shorts that came only a few inches longer than his torn upper garment. He wore no shoes, and Jack could see black vines twined around his ankles in an almost living manner. Seeing them move a bit, Jack realized that they were, in fact alive, and wondered what that would feel like and why.
Skeleton Jack continued, "Wisp here has some new clothes for you, if you'd like them."
The boy—Wisp, Jack corrected himself, unfolded what now looked like a parcel, revealing the outfit.
The bottoms of it looked almost identical to the ones Jack was currently wearing, but instead of being brown was a deep black color, with storm-dark silver binding along the bottom. The shirt was a long sleeve that came to a torn, gathered cuff at the wrists. The main portion of it was black and appeared to shimmer softly in the blue light. Looking closer, Jack saw that portions around the neck, wrists, and hems had dark grey threads interspersed in them, swirling in spider-like patterns. The sleeves had the same dark grey spider-like patterns on them, but they also had stripe running down from shoulder to wrist.
Reaching out, he took it from Wisp with a nod of thanks, feeling the smooth texture wonderingly with his fingers. Frost blossomed from his touch, twining in a pattern reminiscent of the one on his hoodie.
"Thank you," he whispered. It seemed a bit embarrassing to him that this simple gift should mean so much to him—he'd seen the giving of far larger ones, but…for some reason he couldn't quite fathom, it did mean that much to him. Nobody had ever given him clothes before—the gift made him feel like a true part of Halloween Town.
Wisp smiled at him, and Skeleton Jack looked pleased. "We'll meet you at the gate, then—Wisp here has volunteered to wait for you and show you the way."
Jack nodded, a bit overwhelmed, but with a building excitement.
Skeleton Jack and the others left in a cackling mob, leaving Wisp standing alone.
He smiled. "I'll wait outside the door," he said. Hand on the doorhandle, he paused and looked back towards Jack. "I'm glad you've joined us," he said. "I think…we'll have many fun times with you here."
Then he left the room, leaving Jack to change dazedly. These people…did want him. This feeling of being wanted was a new one to him. He had thought, with the Guardians, that he had been wanted, but when that had turned out to be false had lost all hope of ever being wanted like that again. Here, it seemed as though he hadn't only joined a community—but a family, one that he could finally belong in.
His reflection in the mirror seemed to reinforce his thought. If before he had felt like a true member of Halloween Town, now he looked the part as well.
Slipping out of his room in his new clothes, he nearly ran into Wisp and off the railing—Wisp caught him with a laugh. "Careful there, Jack—It's a long way down from here!"
After a moment, Jack smiled. He had an idea. "Thanks, Wisp." He said slyly, then pretended to fall from the staircase. He heard Wisp's shout of alarm, which turned to one of amazement as Jack soared up high again, hovering at an equal level to him.
"You can fly?" breathed Wisp in amazement.
"Yes," laughed Jack, "You should have seen your face!"
Wisp's laughter joined Jack's. Moments later he accepted the offer of a flight down from Jack, and the two flew (at Wisp's direction) to a small, dark blue house on a crooked street.
They landed softly, and Jack asked puzzled, "I thought he said to meet him at the gate? Isn't the gate over there?" He pointed to the huge, wrought-iron structure visible over the housetops a few streets over.
Wisp smiled, and replied as he walked with Jack into the house. "Not that gate, the other one—the front gate leads you around the land here, but the other gate leads us to the Human realm for our festival. It's a bit complicated that way, and if we're not careful we might end up in another place of magic. I remember one time…"
But Jack hadn't heard anything past 'the Human realm.' What if he ran into one of the Guardians? The thought filled him with apprehension. To have gained all this, and see them again—he never wanted to do that. Ever.
Wisp had noticed the change in his mood, and stopped. "What's wrong, Jack?"
Jack didn't reply. He wasn't sure exactly…how to say it, if he wanted to say anything at all. He'd been alone for so long without someone to confide in that the thought of doing so…no. He'd wait a bit and make sure that this wasn't like the Guardians situation, then decide what to do.
He tried to smile. "N-nothing," he replied brightly. "It's just, well…I may not be the most welcome there, at the moment..."
Wisp looked puzzled. "But didn't you come from…Ah. Well, if you're worried about someone recognizing you, I think you look different enough to hide well. You'll be in the middle of us as well, and harder to find that way. Your staff's a bit of a giveaway, but I think you'll be okay."
"Maybe." Jack replied, a bit dubiously. He did want to go, and it might just work. The Guardians probably wouldn't be there, right? After all, it wasn't as thought they could be everywhere, and they wouldn't want to find him anyway.
"Please come," pleaded Wisp, "It's the biggest event of the year, and we'd like it if you came…"
"Alright, I will," Jack decided. Pausing for a moment, he added softly, "Thanks, Wisp. It….really means a lot to me."
Reaching the others, Skeleton Jack greeted the duo warmly, before directing them into what appeared to be a closet, of all things. He explained that this was the way they had the easiest access to the Human realm. They had a specific closet to come out of, one where the child always was out for Halloween because, as Skeleton Jack explained, they didn't want to destroy people with fright. Rather, "life's no fun without a good scare." It was their job, and their joy, but it didn't mean they had to be cruel about it.
Pangs of conscious assuaged, Jack followed the group into the closet, ready for this wonderful Halloween.
Jaime Bennett was having a very bad day. Scratch that, a very bad couple of days. Directly after the battle with Pitch, he had been so caught up in making sure that everyone was okay to think of his newest friend, Jack. By the time he once again had the presence of mind to wonder about him Jack was nowhere to be seen. Still, he thought Jack had gone off with the Guardians, to celebrate, and went outside waiting for Jack to come back, to play with him—but he never came. Day after fall day remained without snow, and Jaime began to notice that Jack wasn't with the Guardians, and when inquired about, they all looked guilty.
Jaime never stopped believing, though. Even with Jack's rather conspicuous absence, he kept on believing. He had to believe.
Now, a few days later on Halloween, Jaime didn't want to do anything at all. He had pleaded sickness to his mom, who had stayed with him for a bit before heading out to trick-or-treat with Sophie. Lying on his bed in a dark house, he puzzled over these facts, wondering where Jack was and where he had gone.
His musings were interrupted by a muffled thumping sound coming from under his bed and in his closet. He froze. What was it? Was Pitch back? Times of huddling in his bed and hoping the sounds wouldn't hear him flashed through his mind, bringing a sort of terror with them. If it was Pitch, where were the Guardians? Hadn't he helped them? Wasn't it their job to protect children from things like this? Where was Jack?
Jack. He had to have faith. Jack wouldn't let him down.
At that moment, the doors to his closet burst open, and a horde of dark figures burst through. They were of all different sizes, capering about to the sound of strange, eerie music that made his hair stand on end. Some of the figures carried blue fire torches, which revealed the most frightening creatures he'd ever seen. The parade was led, he noticed in horror, by a grinning skeleton, which seemed to be cackling in glee. A few small figures darted forward, and the skeleton appeared to be trying to organize them.
A hand with snake-like fingers reached form under his bed, and a huge, hulking figure emerged, eyes glowing red in the darkened room. Jaime gasped, and the room fell silent. The crowd turned almost as one to look at him., and the music fell silent, the quiet almost worse than the music had been.
Steeling himself, he tried to sit up taller in his bed, clutching the blanket to him tightly. "I-I'm not…a-afraid of you!" he managed. He had faced Pitch Black, he could do this.
A murmuring swept through the assembly. Not afraid of them? This boy?
The skeleton in the front stepped closer to his bed, and Jaime had to force himself not to shrink backwards. Think of Jack, he thought to himself.
It tilted it's head to one side, presumably with curiosity. "Why not, little boy?" it asked, in a surprisingly normal voice.
"B-Because," Jaime replied, feeling a bit braver. "Jack Frost will protect me." As he said it, he felt sure it was true—no matter what happened, Jack would make sure he was safe.
The skeleton looked surprised, and turned to the crowd behind him. It parted, as a pale, black-garbed figure came forward. It seemed familiar, but Jaime couldn't quite place where he had seen it before. Then, as it reached his bedside, it crouched down beside him.
"J-Jaime?" asked the pale boy, in a shaking voice.
How does he know my…Then it hit him. The figure's size, shock of white hair….sure enough, Jaime saw it's hand was clasping a staff. His eyes widened with excitement, and he forgot the rest of the creatures surrounding him. He saw only his best friend, the winter spirit who had saved him, played with him, brought him so much joy…"Jack?"
The figure nodded, smiling hesitantly.
"Jack!" exclaimed Jaime, and threw himself at the winter spirit. Jack seemed surprised, but returned Jaime's hug. "You're back! I knew you were okay!"
Drawing back a little, Jaime asked, "Where have you been? Nobody's known where to find you! I've been worried. I'I was afraid…that-that maybe Pitch had gotten you…"
Jack stiffened, and Jaime's worry for him grew. Something was not right. He could only hope there was something he could do for his friend.
"I left, Jaime," replied Jack in a soft voice. The others…didn't want me, and I thought it'd be better if…" He broke off suddenly, and Jaime could see how much it had hurt him to say those words.
"But…I thought the Guardians were looking for you…" Jaime managed. Jack's face darkened.
"Only because they were ordered to," he replied, "But I won't go back with them."
To his surprise, the skeleton stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on Jack's shoulder, who relaxed ever so slightly. Then the skeleton spoke. "He found us," it said, "And found a new home. We don't think he's a waste of space. "
There was a great sound of agreement and assent from the corner of the room, and Jaime remembered that there was a crowd of creatures there. He looked at them carefully, now no longer afraid. Or at least, not as much—there were still a few he could see that he would not like to meet alone. Rather than looking as frightening, they looked…interesting. Like something he'd read about before, in a book of legends.
"These people accepted me, Jaime," said Jack quietly. "Just like you did. I have a home, friends…I don't want to go back to the others. Please don't tell them you've seen me, or that you know where I am."
"I wouldn't do that, Jack!" exclaimed Jaime, a tad indignantly. "If you don't want them to know, I promise I won't say anything."
Jack's dazzling smile was answer enough. "Thanks, Jaime."
Kneeling, the skeleton spoke directly to Jaime. "My name is Jack Skeleton. May I presume you are a friend of Jack's?" At Jaime's nod, he continued. "As Jack is now a member of our community, I'd like to offer you a way to see him, and he you. I can see how much you mean to him, and that is something it would be a true shame to lose. Will you accept?"
Jaime's breath caught in his throat. A way for him to see Jack, just like that? He nodded, eyes shining, and saw Jack's face split into the proper, wide grin that fit so well on his face. He looked surprised, and touched. This skeleton wasn't so bad after all.
Skeleton Jack reached out, and Jaime saw a small, knotted bracelet in his hand. It appeared to be made of a thick, cord-like material, and in it was tied several shiny black stones that were glowing with the same faint blue light of the troop's torches. At the final part of each end, there were two small, black feathers. He tied it onto Jaime's left wrist.
"This is a Halloween charm," Skeleton Jack informed him. "We only give out a few, but it will lead you to us whenever you want to come. It has a bit of protective properties, as well as a few other…things that might develop in time; it varies from person to person."
"Thank you," replied Jaime solemnly.
"And now, " enthused Skeleton Jack, getting to his feet, "It's Halloween, and time for our revel! It's Jack's first time as part of the Pumpkin Festivities—get dressed, Jaime! Come with us!"
Jaime turned to Jack, whose eyes were shining, then back to Skeleton Jack. "I'd love to come!" he exclaimed.
Skeleton Jack laughed, and called for "a cloak for the lad!" It was a nice sound, Jaime thought as they passed him the most interesting outfit he had ever seen. These weren't the monsters he had first thought them to be—they were more like people. They weren't that different from the people at school, except they looked different, and could do cool stuff. They hadn't done anything to hurt him—so far, he thought they were nothing like Pitch. It might take a while, but he was willing to try his best to like them—after all, they had shown Jack friendship.
Grabbing his clothes, he quickly ran to the bathroom and changed, returning ready for a wild Halloween night.
Once again, any ideas, questions, comments-review and let me know!