All right then! We have reached the 20th chapter! *jumps cheerfully in the background*
Sorry if the last chapter was a bit shorter, but sometimes a good villain just needs a little introduction, don't you think? ;)
Let's continue with the story!
Jack was eating a hamburger in silence. It was dinner time, and everyone was talking about how much fun they had on the beach. Everyone except Jack.
After the outburst he had gone to the nearest shaded area near the picnic site and proceeded to cry in frustration. He had managed to calm down a bit when Bunny came looking for him when lunch was being served, however he has still upset and also felt guilty about how he treated Jamie and Tooth. Bunny took notice of this, but knowing that there was a 99% chance that Jack would get away if he asked, he decided that it was better not to bother him about it.
Jack then skipped the rest the afternoon activity. Broody and Jody had tried to convince him to participate, but he remained uninterested. North then tried to convince him, even apologizing about throwing him in the water without notice, to no avail.
Bunny slipped near him.
"Hey, mate. Want to talk about whatever is bothering you?" he asked. It was no secret that despite the fact that Bunny found Jack annoying, he acted like his big brother.
Jack remained silent.
"Come on Frostbite, I promise I won't laugh. And you can cover my Warren with snow after we are turned back to normal if you want" Bunny begged. Jack sighted.
"Bunny, please. Just stop asking and take no for an answer" He said.
"Not even a little detail?" The Guardian of Hope was definitely not taking "no" for an answer.
Jack gave him an icy glare.
"All right then, I'll leave you be. But I'm asking you tomorrow" Bunny said.
"Teenagers" he muttered while he resumed eating his dinner.
"Okay! Who is ready for some campfire stories?!" Jody yelled. A lot of "Me´s!" were heard.
"All right then, gather around the campfire Broody and Rosi have made then" she said with a smile.
Everyone gathered around the fire and soon marshmallows were being roasted.
"So… who wants to go first?" Rosi asked. No one answered.
"Well then, I guess I'll start then" she said. She got out a lantern from her bag, put it beneath her face and started to tell her story.
"This is the story of Captain David Charming, a sinister pirate who used to attack villages in Scotland. He loved his job so much, that he vowed he would never fall in love with a person-" she was interrupted by Broody.
"Oh, let me guess: he finds a pretty girl and falls in love with her and quits piracy" he said mockingly.
"Hey! Let her finish the story!" North said. Rosi gave him a silent thank you.
"He vowed that he would never fall in love with a person. One day, the Captain and his crew were taking a little break on a small archipelago. Then, the sky turned dark, the wind blew harder, and the animals on the islands went insane. Some crew members started shouting witchcraft, while others simply blamed the weather. The Captain however, thought that someone was angry at him for not having a lover. So he shouted to the sky that he would fall in love with the first thing he saw. All the disasters happening on the island suddenly stopped. The Captain then felt weird, like if he was under a spell or something… and then his eyes fell on a beautiful woman. The crew had to leave the Captain at the island because he had fallen in love with a coconut that he named "Lisa" and almost tried to kill them when they told him it was a fruit"
Everyone laughed at the story´s ending. And this time Jack also joined in. Slowly, people started to share their stories about myths and legends, fables and fairytales. When Jody finished telling a story about a very weird dream (which somehow included Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and Katniss Everdeen having a battle of sass), she announced that they only had time for one more story. Jamie raised his hand almost immediately.
"Okay… um I don't know the story very well because I just found out about its existence, but I brought the book which contains it" he said a bit shyly.
"Well then, go on!" Jack apprehended with a teasing smile. Tooth, who to no one's surprise was sitting beside him, took notice that the smile was the same he showed before throwing a snowball in your face.
"All right then, this story is about the Overland Lake" Jamie said. Jack leaned forward, as he was always curious about the stories about his lake. None of them (or at least the ones he had heard) got a bit close to the reason why it was always frozen.
"Hey, Jack? Since your last name is Overland, wouldn't you know about its history?" Amanda asked. The teenager just shrugged.
"This story goes back to colonial times. When Burgess was just a little town, there were 10 families living there. One of these families was the Overland's. They had a son and a daughter who would always have each other's back, no matter the situation. They say that the son was a bit irresponsible, because all he wanted to do was to have fun…" Jamie started.
Jack raised one of his eyebrows. This story was almost exactly like his…
"It reminds me of you Jack" North whispered.
"One day, the two siblings decided to go ice skating. It was the end of winter and spring was just around the corner, but they thought that the lake was still frozen solid…"
Jack´s face started to lose color.
"No…" he thought.
"The ice however started to crack under the girl's feet. They boy tried to save her, but he was too late. And then, he fell too. Into the darkness… into the cold. Legend has it that when there's a full moon you can still see the boy trying to save his sister. That´s why is called the Overland Lake, in honor of the children who fell victim to the cold"
Jamie finished the story. Everyone was silent, until Jack spoke.
"That legend… is wrong" he said with a dry voice.
"Why is it wrong Jack?" Jamie asked confused. But his friend didn't answer.
"All right, everyone to the bus. Come on, you're parents are waiting" Broody said.
As soon as the Guardians arrived to their home, Jack tried to sneak to his room again. However, he was stopped by North.
"Jack, ve vant some answers. Vat vas that thing over Jamie's story?" the Cossack said, looking serious.
"I don't want to give the answers. Good night" Jack tried to leave, but North's hands were glued to his arm.
"Jack, please. We can help you with whatever you are hiding from us. I can assure you we will understand" Tooth said with a calm face.
"NO! I TOLD YOU, YOU. WON'T. UNDERSTAND!" Jack yelled with teary eyes before he managed to get free of North's grip. He raced upstairs.
"JACK!" Bunny, North and Tooth screamed. They gave him pursuit, which was short, since Jack had locked himself in his room. The Guardian of Wonder managed to open the door, but Jack wasn't in his bedroom. Instead, the window was open and even in the dark they could see the winter spirit disappear into the woods.
"We need to go get him" Bunny said.
"No, you guys stay here. I'll go" Tooth said. The other looked at her dumbfolded.
"It´s better if just one of us goes. Or else he won't come back." She said.
"And don't you boys even dare to follow me" she added while glaring at them.
They slowly nodded. And with that said, she got out of the house and went looking for Jack. And she knew exactly where he would be.