Hi guys! As you could see several weeks ago, I'm back (London was great! I'm seriously thinking about overthrowing the Queen one day… KIDDING!)
Anyway, I wanted to thank you all for your wonderful reviews, you know they help me! Also I had to give you guy's two announcements:
FIRST, for the ones that started following the story before November, in case you haven't noticed chapters 1 and 2 have been edited. SECOND, as much as I hate to do it, I have to go on another two week hiatus because my school finals are just around the corner and I need to concentrate and study for them (Honestly, teachers are going Gandalf: "YOU SHALL NOT PASS"). Don't worry, I promise that as soon as I get my freedom back there will be a new chapter.
Let's go on with this story! But WARNING, this one mentions blood.
A family of three was playing by the edge of the jungle. A young man was chasing his little daughter around the place, while his wife, a beautiful young woman, was smiling as she watched them in the distance.
"I'm going to catch you, Toothiana!" said the man with a playful smile on his lips.
"No, you're not! I'm faster than you, daddy!" little Tooth said laughing while she successfully evaded her father.
"Oh, come on Toothiana, don't you think that your father is bit tired?" Haroom asked mischievously.
"Na-ah" his daughter answered. But with that little distraction, Haroom managed to grab Tooth, who in turn started to laugh.
"Mommy! Daddy captured me!" she yelled to Rashmi, who started laughing.
"Put her down Haroom. Its lunch time anyway" she said. Her husband put their daughter in the ground to join her in a table full of fruit.
Everything was perfect and Tooth didn't want the dream to end…
The black sand started to swirl on top of Tooth's head. The sweet smile then started to fade…
Downstairs, the four remaining Guardians boys were distracted with different things: North and Sandy were playing "Go Fish" with a card deck that Bunny had found; Jack was reading the book he had picked in the morning; and Bunny was painting. However, from time to time he would look at Jack to cheek if he was actually reading… an action that didn't go unnoticed by the teenager.
"Bunny, if you are curious to know what I'm reading, it's "The Mysterious Island". Asking me is not going to kill you" Jack said a little annoyed.
"I'm sorry mate, but I still can't believe that ya read" his friend replied.
"And why not? Because you think that I'm irresponsible and fun loving and that someone with my type of behavior and personality hates to read? Well I got news for you: I don't" Jack snapped. Bunny was speechless. North and Sandy had forgotten about their game and the two were looking at them, worried.
"Look Jack I'm sorry if that's what you think that I think. But I don't, it's just… well it has been three years and sometimes I feel that I barely know you…and you are like a little brother to me" Bunny admitted once he found his voice.
"Aww, you do care" was all that Jack said teasingly. Bunny glared and opened his mouth to say something, but Jack cut him off.
"And before you can say anything else, yeah you got a point in not really knowing me, but believe me: apart from the memories and the reading-" Jack continued to say.
"Don't forget HACKING a computer" North added.
"… I feel that there's nothing more to hide" Jack finished. Bunny stared at him.
"Nothing?" he asked.
"Nothing" Jack confirmed. Bunny smiled and went to the couch to sit next to Jack, only to ruffle his hair.
"Hey!" the winter spirit said in annoyance.
"So, nov that ve have that sorted out…" North said as he pushed a chair near the couch.
"… Ve need to ask you something important" he finished. Jack took notice that North was looking at him the same way he had when he asked Jack if he wanted to live with him at Santoff Clausen: nervous and apprehensive.
"Okay" he said slowly.
"It´s about Tooth, mate" Bunny said. Jack looked at him surprised.
"What about her?" Jack asked confused. To add to his confusion, North, Bunny and Sandy smiled.
"Jack… Do you like her?" North asked. The winter spirit could feel his cheeks turning pink.
"Like her? Yeah, I mean she is nice, and cool and smart and caring and a very good friend" he blurted.
"No mate, we mean LIKE her. As it you LOVE her" Bunny said. But before Jack could respond, the four boys heard a scream coming from upstairs.
"TOOTH!" Jack yelled as he and the others raced to her room.
How did everything go wrong? First she was happy with her parents, and then…
There was BLOOD.
Surrounding HER.
Noticing that her original form was back, Tooth spun around looking for the owners of the blood; she was horrified when she saw it belonged to her mom and dad. Their eyes were open, lifeless. In between them, there was a monkey with the size of a man. He had a cruel smile on his face.
"See Toothiana? You are a freak! Look what you have done to your parents! You belong in a cage" he said cruelly.
"NO! I'M NOT! YOU KILLED THEM, NOT ME!" she screamed with tears in her eyes, but anger and rage in her voice.
"But what about the Guardians?" he asked with a cold voice, as he snapped his fingers. The bodies of Haroom and Rashmi were replaced with North's, Bunny's and Sandy's, also in their original appearance. She held back a scream. North's body was completely maimed and his long white hair and beard had been cut off and was full of blood. Bunny's fur was completely crimson red, with multiple stab wounds in his stomach. Sandy was just a pile of crystals spread across the ground.
Tooth wanted to cry, but then she noticed that someone was missing.
"Where's Jack? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?!" she fearfully demanded. The Monkey King laughed.
"Well…right here" he said as he moved. And this time Tooth screamed.
The nightmare sand that had been swirling in Tooth's head made a run for it as soon as she screamed. It went out the window just when the four remaining Guardians burst into the girl's room.
"Tooth?" Jack asked as he rushed to her bed with Sandy behind him. Tooth was tossing and turning in her bed while mumbling. North and Bunny looked around the room in alert to see if Pitch was behind this.
"Maybe it was just a natural nightmare" Bunny whispered to North.
"Maybe. But I have a bad feeling" North said worried.
"Sandy, can you help her?" Jack asked. Sandy however lowered his head and shook it.
"No powers, remember?" he said.
"Darn it!" Jack thought. Sandy then had an idea.
"Force her to wake up" he told Jack, who immediately grabbed her by the shoulders.
Jack was tied to a tree, and his whole body was full of cuts, scratches and bruises. His hair was so full of blood that there was not a single white streak in it. To make things worse, he was still conscious. His icy blue eyes showed a great amount of pain.
"Tooth…" he whispered. She could only stare in shock as tears began to fall. She was shaking.
No. Someone was shaking her.
"TOOTH! WAKE UP!"
"TOOTH! WAKE UP!" Jack screamed worriedly for the fifth time as he shook her by the shoulders, trying to get her out of her nightmare.
Finally Tooth opened her eyes. She stared at Jack and then broke down in tears.