DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN Rise of the Guardians. The only items owned are original characters and ideas (and MAYBE a song...we'll see).

Enjoy!

Darkness…

…that's the first thing I saw. Just like when I first woke up as Jack Frost.

The cold air blew around me, making me turn in every direction for a moment until a glow penetrated my retinas. I covered them just a bit as I looked for the source, seeing where it was coming from. Was I finally called to heaven? Was my time as a Guardian over?

No...it was none of that. The source came from a village straight ahead.

…

My home village.

And there was a fire roaring close by.

"Oh, no," I raced forward, knowing that I couldn't do much since fire and ice don't mix well and I tended to get so weak and slow whenever fire was around me. My powers wouldn't even work. I'd be trapped.

But, as a Guardian, I had to at least try. If I failed, so be it.

"Wait! Don't!" I called, stopping behind the crowd as they all cheered distastefully and shouted some…colorful words toward someone. "What's going on?" I looked forward, floating up to the sky just a bit…and my eyes widened.

A girl my age, maybe 15 or 16, was tied to a stake and was burning to death. Her head was low, but I could see her brown and white hair getting damp with sweat from the heat.

What were they doing?!

"Stop it!" I called out, hoping to be heard, but no one could. "Don't do this!" I flew toward her, stopping and backing up as the flames roared up, almost like they were laughing at me and wanting to singe my hoodie.

"Go back to hell where you belong, witch!" A voice yelled, having others agree with him in 'yeahs' and other choice, non-repeatable words.

Witch? She was just a kid! What made her a witch?!

I stared at the girl, seeing her brown eyes stare up at me. They were sad, though hopeful and full of love toward her home.

"You're not a witch," I said. "You're just a kid. Fight back!" However, all I got from her was a slow, yet gentle, shake of the head no. This took me aback as I floated in shock.

She could see me?

…

"La, la-la," She's singing? Why? "La, la-la,la-la." There was a dull silence, minus the crackling of the fire around the poor girl. The torturous cries of the mob died down, and for the first time…the fire hurting me wasn't an issue.

I floated over, hovering right above the flames as her saddened eyes stared at me with hope.

"Gales of song…guide me through the storm…" She continued, making me grin at her with worry. Her voice was pretty, almost like an angel singing her song of praise toward the one who created her.

...

I couldn't let this girl die. She did nothing wrong. So I flew around back, looking for the knot to try and save her in time, but whoever tied this rope on her wrists made sure the knot wasn't able to be found.

"I'm sorry," I said, dejected and filled to the brim with sorrow. "I can't save you."

"It's okay," She said, making me fly back around and look at her eyes. "We'll meet for real soon." I gave her a look, curious as to what she meant by that. How could she know we'd meet someday soon? How was that even possible? I mean, I've met every spirit I could think of in my 300 years of living, but this girl was from the Witch Trials in 1692. Chances of her surviving this fire weren't likely, and the fact of her being alive now was, in fact, extremely unlikely.

"NO!" Someone screamed behind me. "SALLIE!"

"We'll meet soon," The girl burning said again as the image around me blurred and I swayed.

Oh, no…the fire…was it hurting me after all?

"How?" I managed to ask quickly.

"You'll see," She began, "Jack…"

…

Jack…

…

"Jack!"

"Stop the fire!" I yelled, being jolted awake as my breath grew heavy and my palms sweaty.

"What fire?" I looked toward the voice, seeing the confused and concerned face of North's daughter. She was my age, 15 actually, and just like me, she had ocean-blue eyes that sparkled to life every time she entered the room.

"Oh, Belle," I sighed, taking in deep breaths to calm my racing heart. "Sorry. Bad dream."

"I figured," She said, her mouth upturned into a sly smile. "What were you dreaming about with fire in it?"

I gave her a look before gesturing my thumb toward the book on the coffee table before me. I remember reading it for a bit, with nothing else to do at North's Workshop since it was considered Autumn right now. (Didn't want to get on Redd's bad side...again.)

I watched as Belle looked at the book, her eyes darting back to me as she shook her head with enthusiasm. Her shoulders tensed up and her lips pursed into a scowl.

"No," She said. "I refuse to even look at that book!" I chuckled, reaching over and grabbing it from its position. I looked at the cover, seeing the stake on fire and the pile of bones under it as the title of the book glowed to life in my eyes.

'Witch Trials, 1692-1693'

…

Wait…that would explain why I dreamt of a girl being burned at the stake and hearing the word 'witch' being tossed around. But, why would the girl say I'd meet her soon? Why would that dream warn me of something like this?

Who was this girl?

...

Sallie…huh…cute name.

"Did you actually read some of that book, Jack?!" Belle asked, looking at the fireplace, the wall, the window, anywhere BUT at the book in my hands.

"Well, yeah," I said plainly. "It was interesting, to say the least. Though, it wasn't anything I hadn't heard of before."

"Why's that?" I gave her a look, grinning in sorrow as I gulped down the lump in my throat. I hated to admit this a lot, but though I died in 1712, I was born in 1695…2 years after the Salem Witch Trials and I was still witnessing the aftermath as I grew up. I was just grateful Mary didn't have to see any of that.

…

Well...she did see her older brother fall through the ice...

"I was born 2 years after the events in Salem," I said. "I pretty much grew up around the aftermath."

"Oh!" Belle looked at me finally, her ocean eyes glimmering with surprise. "I forgot you're immortal."

"Seriously?" I said, making her shrug a bit. "Do you forget you are too sometimes?" I joked, making her glare now as she playfully slapped my arm. I chuckled at her reaction, seeing her smile return and letting her melodic giggle echo out.

Now, I met Belle Kringle back in 2012, when I first became the Guardian of Fun. North wanted to introduce me to her and though she's his daughter, we sort of…dated for a while. But, she even admitted after we broke up that we were destined to just be friends and I agreed. So, I wasn't too upset by it and neither was she.

And we've been best friends ever since.

"Stop it," She said, plopping down on the sofa with me. "I forget things a lot!"

"Yes, I know," I said sarcastically, getting another light slap to the arm before I looked up to the window.

…

Why were the Northern Lights out?

"Looks like your father is calling the Guardians," I said, looking at the girl beside me. "Gotta go."

"Okay. Tell my dad that I'm going out for a bit. I just want to see the Halloween decorations in Burgess." I gave her a look, staring at her red dress with the white fur she was wearing. It matched North's suit for Christmas. "What?"

"A Spirit of Christmas liking Halloween?" I asked, making her roll her eyes.

"Yes! I like Halloween! Even though it's Spirit is a bit odd."

…

Halloween had a Spirit?

I never knew this. I always thought the holiday was just there and that the mortals created it for their own gain. I didn't know someone that was like North and Bunny ran the holiday.

I wonder who it is, I thought as Belle stood up from the sofa.

"Anyway, I'll be back before sunset," She said, waving and rushing off to change into something more appropriate for the season.

I just scoffed to myself, standing up and walking through the hallway behind me. The only reason the Northern Lights would have been up would mean either North just wanted company (which was never), or the Man in the Moon needed to talk to us. I was hoping for the ladder since we hadn't spoken to him in a while.

However, walking through the double doors to the Globe Room…I knew this was serious. North was standing by the control panel, leaning against it in defeat, while Bunny sat on the sofa near the fireplace.

…

I'll be staying away from that for now…or maybe forever.

I watched as Tooth flew around, ordering her little fairies to go do their jobs, while Sandy just slept in one spot, floating just an inch above the ground.

"What's up?" I asked, getting North's attention. He scanned the doorway behind me before cocking his head.

"Where's Belle?" He asked. He must have heard us talking in the other room before he called everyone here.

"She said she was going out for a bit," I said, and he nodded. "Now I repeat…what's up?"

"North thinks Pitch has returned," Bunny said…and my blood went colder than normal.