The next morning Jack groaned in pain when his alarm went off, he pressed to button to turn off the alarm and shooting pain went up his arm. Jack whimpered and mock/real cried at the pain. He looked at his phone and saw that he had three texts: one from Merida, one from Zie, and one from Violet. Cole was completely unfamiliar to waking up to girls texting him, Jack sure had changed a lot, but he was too distracted by how sore that he was to care.
Jack opened the messages and scrolled through them with one eye.
-Zie
Morning sleepy head
-Merida
Good Morning sexy pants ill see you at school! ;)
-Violet
Hey. Hope you're not too sore this morning.
Jack ignored them, he'd respond after he'd taken a shower. He groaned, "Why are they all early birds?" Jack complained. He really liked Merida, like really liked her it was weird how well they got along. They were like fire and ice, they played off each other, their banter was always back and forth, it was fun. But one thing bothered him, he scrolled through his messages: none from Elsa. Jack sighed in disappointment, but what was he going to do? She had a boyfriend. She had kept him up to date with notes like she said she would and asked him how he was every once in a while but every conversation they had over text or email always felt forced, where every time he talked with Merida everything felt natural. Was he falling for Merida?
Jack pulled up a picture of Zie on his phone, with her alternative look she was very attractive. He scrolled to a picture Merida had sent him while he was in Europe, her fiery red hair was everywhere but she was wearing a smile that instantly made his blood rush and brought a much-needed smile to his face. He then scrolled once more to the stalker picture he had taken of Elsa, she looked just like his Elsa. All the memories of their time together assailed him with warmth.
Jack could have laughed at the irony, the two, three women in his life made him, Jack Frost the master and keeper of winter, warm. He didn't know whether to curse or bless his luck. Being in France with Wintercrest had been so much easier, he had spent so much time around that Elsa that their relationship came naturally. This high school thing was getting a lot more complicated than he ever could have guessed.
** ** **
Jack pulled some stuff out of his locker at lunch time after he had eaten, he laughed and joked with his friends and Merida. Merida slipped her hand into his after he closed his locker. She was more touchy feeling than Elsa had ever been and he liked it. Merida was always grabbing for his hand, she had started this morning and when he grabbed hers to walk her to class she hadn't stopped invading his personal space. But with her, it wasn't his personal space it was... theirs? How odd?
Jack saw Hans and his gang halfway down the hallway, a sight that usually meant trouble and it meant even more trouble now because Hans did not look pleased, and when Hans spotted Jack it only got worse.
"Cole!" Hans yelled, the hallway of students parted as Hans made a beeline for Cole. Hans grabbed Jack and threw him up against the locker, it was one of the only times Hans had taken such an active role in hurting Cole, but Jack wasn't having it. Jack broke his hold and shoved Hans off him.
Jack looked around but didn't see Mor'du, that was when Drago approached, but Jack stepped into him and head butted Drago, making him stagger and back down. North had taught him that when you fought you always needed to be "scarier than the other guy" and Jack couldn't help himself. He had Cole's memories and knew that Drago had it coming.
"What do you want Hans?" Jack held his arm out and directed Merida and his friends to stand behind him but none of them backed down they stood as a united front.
"What did you do to Mor'du?" Hans pulled himself to his feet.
"Nothing that concerns you," Jack spat.
Drago was too distracted by his bloody nose to back up Hans, and none of Hans' lackeys were willing to stand up to Cole after what he did to Drago.
"He is a wimp now, I know you had something to do with it, he mentioned a bet that he lost, to you of all people. Now he won't follow orders, I had to teach him a lesson." Hans' glare could have melted iron, but Cole was unfazed. Hans eyed Cole venomously; he was not the same kid that he tossed into trashcans last year. What had happened to his favorite punching bag?
Jack and Cole knew exactly what that meant. "Where is he?"
Hans just glowered at him, "what's it to you?"
Jack looked at Farquaad the shortest and most spineless, he glared at him and shot Drago a look as if to indicated what would happen if Farquaad didn't answer.
"He's in the parking lot, after he wouldn't help pick on the Eugene kid we took him out there and beat the snot out him, he didn't even fight back." Farquaad babbled as fast as he could until Hans called for him to stop.
Jack looked at Hans in disgust, he walked right up to him and squared his shoulders. "You just left him out there?"
"I had to send a message, if he can't follow orders, he can't be one of us." Hans said smugly, pleased that he had struck a chord.
"Move out of my way." Jack growled and bit back an insult he couldn't translate into French.
"What are you going to do, help him, please." Hans rolled his eyes. "He is worthless, what do you want with a soldier who won't even fight?"
"I won't ask you again." Jack ground his teeth but didn't wait for Hans' response. He grabbed Merida's hand and slammed his shoulder into Hans as he passed him.
Jack was fuming, but he prayed that Mor'du was okay, he couldn't imagine that Hans would be so cruel. "Jaq get principle Pendragon. Gus go get the nurse and meet us out there."
Jaq and Gus nodded at him and Jack stormed off, he hadn't been paying attention to the crowd of people who were shocked at Cole standing up to Hans and Drago, he caught a glimpse of Elsa and Eugene but they weren't standing next to each other as they watched. Jack didn't have time to wonder what that might mean as he led Merida, the brave girl who had stood beside him as he stood up to Hans and not behind him, by the hand. He had never been in such a situation with his Elsa but he hoped that she might do the same thing if she had the chance.
Once they reached the parking lot Jack quickly spotted Mor'du.
"Mor'du!" Jack rushed to Mor'du's side as he sat on the curb like a poor lump.
Mor'du turned to see Cole and the girls. "Oh, hi Cole." His face was swelling from the beating he had received, "you're actually the person I wanted to see."
Jack dropped Merida's hand and kneeled in front Mor'du to inspect the damage, the entire right side of his face had swollen and there was road rash and bruises all over his arms.
"Are you ok? I'm so sorry, if I had known what they were going to do-" Mor'du cut Jack short..
"I'm ok, I mean, sure I probably look like I got hit by a truck but you hit harder than they did." Mor'du's expression was almost unreadable but he looked relieved and sad at the same time. "Cole, I'm sorry that I ever bullied you, I know how bad it is now. As soon as I told Hans that I wouldn't hit Eugene he turned on me, they dragged me out here and disowned me, by... well..." Mor'du motioned at his face. "I can believe I didn't see it before, but Hans is a monster. I don't expect you to forgive me but I want to say I'm sorry anyway. And I want to say thank you, for saving me from him before it was too late." Mor'du smiled through the pain as Principle Pendragon and the school nurse came out and rushed to them.
Jack moved out of the way, so the nurse could inspect Mor'du's injuries and started talking to him about what happened.
Merida and Zie's jaws dropped, they never would have believed what had happened between Mor'du and Cole if they hadn't seen and heard it for themselves. They filled Jaq and Gus in on the details while Jack pulled the principle away and told him in detail about what had happened.
When the nurse took Mor'du away Jack noticed that Mor'du had left his phone, he picked it up and put in his back pocket.
"Hey Mory!" Jack called.
Mor'du turned around at the sound of his gym name.
"There is always a place at our table for my work out buddy!" Jack finished.
Mor'du smiled, and Jack could have sworn that he saw Mor'du actually cry. But he turned around before Jack could confirm it.
The bell for class rang.
"You guys go ahead I have something I have to do first." Jack waved to his friends when they left to go back inside.
When they were out of sight Jack pulled out Mor'du's phone and sang the little ditty as he typed in Violet's number and hit the call button.
"Hello?"
"Hey Violet, it's Cole, I have some news for you..."
** ** **
Jack peeked into the nurse's office where she attended to Mor'du, "psst, hey."
Mor'du and the nurse both turned to look at him.
"I think you left this outside." Jack held out Mor'du's phone. Mor'du checked his pockets and found that it was missing and gratefully took it from Jack.
"Thanks Cole." Mor'du said.
"No problem, by the way, Violet is expecting a call later today," Jack winked. "Oh and don't forget our deal." Jack tapped his head and slipped back out.
Jack adjusted his backpack and walked to his next class. That was when he heard it, a whisper on the wind calling for help, and then he felt it, a chill in the air. It was a familiar buzz of power, it filled his senses like a wave of wild uncontrolled essence. It was... wrong... feral... dangerous... and yet still familiar.
Jack broke into a run, the feral energy was thrumming through the school. He had to stop whatever was causing it and he felt for another wave when he reached a turn and continued to chase after it. The halls transformed from a safe haven known as school and turned into an expecting battlefield. Jack readied himself to summon stardust and winter storms at a moment's notice. He came upon some stairs that led to a basement floor of the school where more student locker lined the walls. This part of the school led to the auditorium and the basketball courts. Rooms now filled with classes studying drama or playing some new game for P.E. When he came to the top of the stair he leapt down them in a single jump and tumbled to safety.
At the bottom of the stairs he was met with a choice right or left. Down the left: classrooms, and the basketball courts, down the right hallway: stood lockers and the auditorium. A rush of cold air came from the right and Jack carefully picked his steps as to not raise any alarm.
Each step he took down the hallway echoed, and the further he went down the rabbit hole, the stronger the presence got. It was something easily ignored by any average human, but Jack's trained senses caught a hold of it like a bloodhound. They were buzzing in anticipation and warning.
He didn't hear any noise coming from the classrooms or the auditorium and prayed that this was one of those times where there weren't any classes. He breathed a sigh of relief as he peeked into the auditorium and found it barren of any signs of students and continued forward. At the end of the hallway, there was a door to a handicap bathroom.
Jack braced himself and his senses as he approached, he heard something peculiar... was it crying, laughing maybe... no definitely crying. Jack looked at the door it had a thin layer of condensation on it. He reached out and touch the doorknob, at the sound of the locked door rattling the condensation on the door froze and the audible sound of crying intensified.
"Go away!" the weak voice commanded.
Jack would recognize that voice anywhere, "Elsa?"