"JACK!" Tooth screamed as he fell to the ground. She ran to him, her heart pounding so fast that it could burst out of her chest at any moment. North, who was behind Jack, had beat her to getting to his side, his expression worried as he held the unconscious teen.
"Why didn't he move? The ball was going directly to him!" a kid whispered.
"I told him to move, but he didn't pay attention" Rosi said, worried.
"Is he dead?" another kid asked.
"SILENCE!" Amanda yelled as Broody came with a first aid kit. He knelt besides Jack as he started to examine him.
"Of course he didn't saw the ball coming to him or listen to Rosi's warning. He is burning with fever. That and he also is exhausted. The impact with the ball took his breath, which is why he is unconscious" Broody said after checking him.
"Good thing that you are studying to be a doctor" Jody said with relief.
"So he is going to be okay then?" Tooth asked.
"Yes, he just needs to rest" the counselor said. The Guardians and the Burgess gang let out a breath of relief. Sandy however had doubts.
"But why did Jack get exhausted so fast? He was definitely taking a rest in the break time and he was also drinking water. I'm no medical expert, but I know that doesn't make any sense" he said, with Rosi translating.
"True. I was with him during break, he looked fine" Jamie confirmed. Broody look puzzled.
"I don't know, kids" he turned to face North and Tooth.
"Does Jackson suffer from some kind of condition or sickness that we weren't informed?" he asked.
"No! Of course not! Jack has always been a healthy person" North said.
"Are you sure?" Jody asked.
"Yes mate, we are sure. My parents are professional doctors. They always check him up" Bunny quickly said. In reality it was either him or the Yetis at Santoff Clausen who checked Jack when he was injured. But of course, you can't say that to people when you look human.
"Well then. Jody, could you and someone else bring a stretcher from the office so we can move Jackson there?"
Meanwhile, Amelia was gleefully watching the scene without being seen.
"My job today is done. Pitch is going to love this" she said as she watched how Tooth acted around Jack.
Cold.
That's how Jack woke up. Feeling something cold on his chest.
He slowly opened his eyes. He noticed that the cold feeling came from some ice packets placed on top his chest and stomach. A bit confused, he also noticed that he was in the counselor's office, lying on a couch. Looking to his right, Jack saw a very familiar girl with brown hair and a few colorful streaks sitting beside him, looking at a barely touched Mac-and-Cheese plate with a worried face.
"Hey" he managed to whisper to catch her attention. She turned to face him with a relieved look on her face.
"Jack, you are awake!" Tooth said. He smiled. She always looked beautiful.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, immediately engaging in her worried-motherly-Tooth-mode.
"Hot. Not as sexy hot, I mean…burning hot" Jack replied with a little smirk. Tooth blushed a bit. She got a wet towel and placed it on his forehead. He suddenly noticed that the burning sensation he felt in the morning was completely gone.
"Better?" she asked.
"Well, THAT sounds familiar" he replied with a grin. Tooth laughed, leaning closer to Jack. He slowly leaned even more closely, to the point that their noses were nearly touching and they were looking into each other's eyes. Jack's heart was pounding so fast that he feared it would walk out at any moment, and Tooth's hand was resting on his shoulder, as it was afraid that if she removed it Jack would fall into unconsciousness again. Tooth gently closed her eyes; his lips were a few inches close. Jack also closed his eyes. And then-
PUM!
Someone opened the door, scaring both Guardians as they grew apart from each other, blushing… and also ruining a very romantic moment.
"Oh good Jackson, you are awake" Broody said smiling.
"Um, yeah. I guess I am" Jack said.
"Great! I'm going to bring you some food and then you can go back to watch the tennis match" the counselor said as he exited the room.
"Food? Tooth, how long was I out?" Jack asked, finally becoming aware of how long he had been playing Sleeping Beauty.
"About three hours. If you're curious, Pippa's team won the soccer match 7-5" she answered.
"Oh, well good for her" Jack said. Before any of them could say something else, the three other Guardians entered the room, followed by a fuming Broody.
"I told you guys, he is fine now. You can all return to the tennis-" Broody was saying until he was interrupted by Bunny.
"Listen mate, our little brother here passed out in the middle of a game with a hit on the stomach and a burning fever, so we have all the right in the world to come here and cheek on him. Did I make myself clear?" he said with a warning tone.
"Aster, you have no right to talk to someone who is older than you in that way" Broody said, eyes narrowing.
"It's okay Broody. I don't mind" Jack quickly said before Bunny could say anything. The counselor exited mumbling things about teenagers and their disrespect.
"I'm older than you. JA! If I wasn't human right now…" Bunny mumbled.
"He vouldn't be able to see you, Bunny" North pointed out. He turned to face Jack.
"Hov are you feeling, my boy?" he asked. Jack groaned.
"How many times am I going hear that question this week?" he asked.
"We can take that as a 'Great! Fantastic! Never been better!' then?" Bunny asked. Jack sent him a glare.
"What North is trying to say Jack, is that one moment you were fine and then you were showing exhaustion symptoms and burning up with a fever. So we wanted to know if you knew what could have caused this" Tooth said.
A realization hit Jack. He counted the symptoms with his fingers. He had felt those things in a different way in the past because: a) his body had been cold and b) he was immortal. A shiver went down his spine as memories from hateful encounters involving fire and heat on his 300 years of loneliness came to his mind.
"Not what. You mean WHO caused this" he said, his face deadly serious.
"Then who?" North asked. Jack looked at him.
"Amelia Heat. The spirit of summer"