Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome back to "The Winter Child!" =D I apologize for the missed post yesterday; my internet went out all day so I couldn't post anything. QwQ I got two days off from school due to all the snow we've been getting (there have been a lot of power outages lately =')), but...yeah. That's that. XD
I normally try to keep things light-hearted here (FFN is my escape from reality, haha), but I'm currently in a situation where my parents aren't in a happy place right now...For privacy, I'm not going to go too deep into things, but I am really worried for both of them. My sisters and I have been keeping ourselves busy, and talking with our Mom about things. Everyone's trying to move things along and keep things normal, though I'm still pretty scared. And it really hurts. I'm trying to stay hopeful and I'm praying things don't get too serious from here.
I don't like acting like everything is fine when it isn't. It's really easy to hide how you're feeling behind a screen. So, I felt like I should update you guys about how I'm feeling instead of pretending that everything's okay. I'm not planning on taking a hiatus at the moment (as I mentioned earlier, I'm trying to keep myself distracted from the situation), but if I do end up disappearing for some time, at least you all are aware.
I'm feeling...okay compared to three days ago when this all started. I've been having my ups and downs, but I'm doing my best to stay positive. I'm still clinging to hope and praying, praying, praying that things turn out okay. I have a habit of jumping to conclusions, but I really don't know what to expect from this. If you guys could give me a bit of your support and prayers too...I'd feel so, so grateful. And I'll continue to do my best to stay strong for ya'll. =')
Anyway...going back to the fanfic, this is the first part in the first arc of "The Winter Child!" =D I had a lot of fun writing it, and I think it flows pretty well. =D The chapters get longer as they go on, so...yeah. XD That's all I've got!
I hope you guys enjoy this! =3
~ XXXIV ~
Insidious Shadows, Part One
Everyone has fears
No matter what they say
They may not be aware of it
But they're there
Hidden within
Fear can be cunning
As shifty as a shadow
But there is one thing
Some may not know
That fear comes in the form
Of one elusive being
From which Fearlings and Nightmare swell
The darkness found under a bed or closet
Is where this demon dwells
...
It was a quiet night in Santoff Claussen. And all but one was asleep. Young Jack Frost had awoken from a nightmare, and the action of sleep was far out of reach.
He awoke with a gasp, his body trembling as he found himself enshrouded by darkness. It took him a moment to realize that he was tangled under his blanket, and he peeled the bedsheet away from his face and quickly sat up. Golden light flickered in the corner of his eyes, and the winter child visibly softened at the glow that the egg-shaped nightlight provided him. Still, fear twisted within him. Sweat beaded his brow, and his heat thudded against his chest. Jack had had nightmares before, but none like this. This dream was vivid—too vivid. And the images flashed through his mind like a projector.
Jack was known to have quite vivid dreams, and you may think he was exaggerating as he mulled over this particular nightmare. But the land of dreams was a mysterious realm, and no one could quite entirely understand it. Not even the Sandman himself. The best action one could do was make sense of what they had seen. Comprehending the entire dream realm is too much for anyone to do.
So, Jack replayed what he had envisioned, trying to make sense of what he had seen. A part of him didn't want to go back and reminisce, but he couldn't help himself, and the terror replayed without his consent. He had seen his parents; they were there. Within arms reach. But instead of coming to greet him, they turned around and abandoned him. He was back in the cold, alone, with no one but the Moon. He shivered in the torn blanket, the screeching of owls and wolf howls making him cry with fear. There were moments in that tortuous silence that he thought he heard the bells of a sleigh. But North never found him. And there he froze, alone and afraid.
Jack whimpered, the fear-filled sound echoing like a siren in the dark. He cuddled Wawa close to his chest, hoping that his favorite stuffed animal would bring him comfort, but it did little. Jack shuffled out of bed, his bare feet padding against the ground as he walked out of his room and across the hall. He needed North.
North's bedroom door creeeaked lightly as Jack pushed it open. The little snow sprite peeked inside, finding the ex-Cosasck fast asleep (which he had expected). This didn't make him tarry, however. North always said to go to him if he needed help, no matter what he was doing. And that did include sleeping.
Jack was at North's side in an instant. There wasn't a night light in the ex-Cossack's room, so the winter child felt even more fearful blanketed in the dark.
"N-North…?" Jack whispered beseechingly, shaking North's shoulder. "North, p-please wake up…"
It didn't take long for North to wake up. He wasn't that deep of a sleeper due to his many years on the run as a thief. He opened his eyes and found Jack standing in front of him. Worry creased his brow when he saw how scared the winter child looked.
"Jack? What is wrong, moy mal'chik?" asked North.
Jack's blue eyes sparkled, and he gripped Wawa even tighter. "I…I had a b-bad dream…"
North softened, and he let Jack join him in bed. The winter child snuggled next to his adoptive father and North held him close. Jack relaxed in the loving warmth that he gave.
"Would you like to talk about it?" North inquired. Jack stiffened, but he told him. Tears spilled down his cheeks as he recalled the horrific dream he had. If there was one thing Jack feared the most, it was being alone. His parents had jilted him when he was young, and Jack didn't want to be abandoned ever again.
North rubbed Jack's back as the winter child cried. "Oh, moy mal'chik. It's alright. You are safe and sound."
Jack wasn't too sure, though. The dream had been so life-like, so real…Even when he woke up he felt as if he were still lost in the snow, forgotten and alone. The boy sniffed, his tears didn't slow.
North watched him with worry; he noticed that Jack hadn't been sleeping well lately. If one looked closely enough, Jack had developed faint, dark circles underneath his eyes, and he wasn't as lively as before. North wondered if he had any nightmares before this one, and if he did, why hadn't he told him about them? Perhaps he thought that he'd get upset since his dreams mostly involved his parents—his biological parents. But North didn't feel upset at all. He was concerned for his boy, and he wanted to quell his fear. It pained him to see Jack in such a state.
North gently wove his hand through Jack's hair. The winter child stopped trembling. North began to hum a lullaby that he used to sing to the boy when he was a baby, and Jack's tears began to slow. The young snow sprite softened, his breathing becoming more and more relaxed until his eyes slipped shut. Jack fell asleep.
North smiled softly, and he continued to run his fingers through Jack's hair. The boy had no nightmares the rest of the night.
…
It was discovered quite quickly that Jack wasn't the only one suffering from lack of sleep. When he returned from school the next morning, Jack reported that the other children of Santoff Claussen appeared to be fatigued as well. There were a few students who fell asleep during class or acted grouchier than usual…including Jack. Even poor Katherine couldn't focus on her studies since she was dozing so frequently.
The next few nights were awful…children woke up screaming Others began to cry in their sleep. Nightmares and night terrors plagued them during a time when things should be peaceful. Children began to join their parents in bed. Not one day went by without a child complaining of nightmares. The parents did everything they could to cheer them up, but not even an epic tag game with the creatures of the woods brought smiles to the children's faces.
They were scared—terrified being a better word. The children began to keep to themselves and to their homes, not wanting to take a step out their doors. The adults were worried. Ombric became greatly concerned. The last time anyone had seen something like this was—
"Ten years ago," said Aster solemnly. He and the other Guardians were in North's study discussing the strange happenings in town. "When Pitch last attacked the village."
"But that can't be possible," Tooth said incredulously, though she knew that it was true. The Guardians had been preparing themselves for the Boogeyman's return since the first suspicions were raised. None of them thought he would strike so soon.
"I haven't seen any sign of Pitch," said North, recalling the night Jack had come to him after his nightmare.
"Nor have I," added Sandy. "And I can't sense him either. He's pulling the strings, but isn't in the action."
"How could he have escaped without us noticing?" inquired Toothiana, her feathers twitching anxiously. She turned her head to North. "I thought you and Aster had an alarm system installed."
"We did," confirmed Aster. He crossed his arms, eyes narrowing. "And there's no way to surpass it without it being activated. And there aren't any loopholes either. So either the bloody ratbag is just that crafty, or—"
"He was already out in the first place," Tooth finished, her amethyst eyes dimming. She shook her head furiously. "He must've escaped while we were focused on dealing with his Fearlings and Nightmares. He drew our attention away from him, giving him the chance to slip out."
"Pitch is tormenting the children to inflict fear on both the children and adults," said Sandy. "And the only creatures able to do that other than him are, as Tooth mentioned, Fearlings and Nightmares."
The Sandman glowered. Long ago, Pitch had managed to steal his dreamsand and alter it into nightmare sand. While dreamsand was soft and bright, nightmares sand was gritty and dark. All who touched it were immediately plagued with a nightmare. It was a dangerous substance, and Sandy was still angered that Pitch had used his dream-bringing sand to create it.
"We need to find them and get them out of here before they cause any more trouble," Tooth stated. The Guardians nodded; the idea unanimous. "I just hope we don't run into Pitch while we do so."
"And knowin' how the man works, we probably will," said Aster. He turned to North. "How's Frostbite, by the way?"
"He is sleeping upstairs," North replied. Jack had returned home from school that day sleepy and exhausted. More nightmares had been keeping him up at night, so North allowed him to go to bed early. The ex-Cossack sighed. "He's tired. Any more of this and I fear he will no longer sleep at night."
"Don't worry, North. We'll make sure Jack—and the rest of the children—can sleep soundly once again," Tooth reassured.
Sandy said that he'd write a letter to Tsar Lunar to explain the situation. The Guardians discussed for a few more moments and then went their separate ways.
The Boogeyman had made a mistake threatening the children. The Guardians weren't ones to give up. Or surrender without a fight.
Yes, the Boogeyman had made a mistake threatening the children.
The Guardians were ready.
Pitch was in for it.
Author's Note: *Insert epic cliffhanger moosic here* hehehehehe.
Annnnnnd, that's all I've got. XD I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you all in the next one! =D
Until the next chapter!
~BeyondTheMoon1203
