My Guardian

Chapter 9 - Captured

"Why am I here?" I asked, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

"I need your help..." My defences lowered.

"Why? How could I help you?" He smirked again and started to circle me, watching me; like a hawk.

"I've been trapped down here for thirty five years, and during that time I've realised that I can't make the whole world fear me. As long as one child believes, the Guardians will win. And in this case, it's you and your sister..."

"Don't you dare hurt my sister!" I protested angrily, my fists clenching. I could sense in his voice that he had a plan and if that involved my sister than it surely could not be good.

"I wouldn't do that. Are... are you afraid of me?" he chuckled, almost surprised.

"No!" I yelled at him.

"Hm... you're not, are you? But I do know what you are afraid of. You're afraid that you'll spend your whole life looking after your dad and your little sister. Where do you come in on your list of importance? Are your dad and sister first and you second? Where's your 'you' time? You're afraid you'll never get any. But most of all; you're afraid that no one will ever love you." My heart just sunk, causing my whole body to weaken. Pitch was right. And him knowing my greatest fear, made me fear him slightly. Everything he said sounded rehearsed though.

"You've done this before. You've toyed with someone else like you are with me. But why do you need my help? What is it you need my help with? You've proved that you know my biggest fear, but you still didn't answer my question," I said, trying to change the subject. He smirked again (he seriously needed to stop smirking! It's creepy!). Then there was a sudden gush of wind and I was picked up and thrown into one of the hanging cages, slamming my back against the steel mesh. I tried to pick myself up before hurling towards the opening, which slammed and locked itself shut before I could escape. Trapped like a bird in a cage.

"I really didn't want to have to do that, and I'm sorry I did, but some things just have to be done..."

"Why lock me in the cage? I'm not a bird Pitch!" I protested.

"You just want to be free. You are a bird in that sense, I suppose. Isn't that right?" He was reading me. Reading my movements. He had been watching me for who-knows how long.

"You didn't answer me!"

"After figuring out that I couldn't make every child believe in me, I thought I would just pick one. Just one precious child."

"Me..." I realised, breathlessly, letting my hands fall from the cage's walls.

"Correct! I won't tell you the whole plan, but you're basically bait."

"For the Guardians?" I asked.

"Yes," Pitch replied.

"How are they supposed to get down here? You blocked off the hole..."

"If they really want you back, they'll find a way. I've tried everything, but I know that they'll find a way from the outside in." Great. He must have blocked off the hole because it was draining his power or something.

"So I'm stuck here?"

"Maybe later today I'll let you back out, but we'll see how it goes..."

Jack's POV

"Pitch! Pitch has her?! I'll kill him! I'll kill him!!" I yelled, pacing. I was seriously going over ways in my head to kill Pitch. But I pushed those aside. I didn't like thinking about death or killing. It puts me in a bad mood and that effects everyone around me. Not that I thought about death or killing very often at all. I wondered if mortals ever felt as angry as I was feeling in that moment.