And it feels like the end. There's no place to go. You know I won't give in. No, I won't give in — Avril Lavigne, Keep Holding On
_____________________________________________
After an interesting tunnel ride, compliments of Bunny, we returned to the North Pole once again. The Guardians met up in North's personal workshop, where I wondered off to a familiar window seat, where my little drawing of a constellation against the frost was still there. I got a clear view of the night sky, and a sickly Manny. Who was now only a sliver...and slowly disappearing?
I pressed my forehead and hand against the cold glass, as I tried to talk to him. "Everything will be okay; the guardians will figure something out. I'm sorry I let you down. I wish there was something I could do...but I can't, I'm just me. Why did you choose me? What was Pitch even talking about?" I light banged my head against the glass in irritation. Even though there was no reply back I kept talking. "I can't lose you...please...I don't want to be alone."
My eyes shut as I concentrated on Manny. From the moment, I first heard him speak till now. How he had always been there for me, and has never let me down.
So why doubt him now? I thought.
I had been nothing but selfish and a coward, the moment I met the Guardians and the moment I was destined by the Man in the Moon to be a Guardian.
As my eyes were shut tight, there was a bright light that was able to shine through my eyelids and it made me squint when I opened my eyes. There on the window was my drawing of a constellation that was glowing and slowly peeled off the window. It floated in front of my face as I processed what was happening and once it did I flew back, falling off the window seat, and rubbing my eyes frantically seeing if what I saw was real or not. But it quickly disappeared into sparkling dust.
"That's your way of telling me to get off my lazy butt and do something instead of sitting around whining and complaining, isn't it?" I sighed and hoisted myself up, knowing what it was I had to do, "But...you're right. I owe you big guy."
I walked towards where the Guardians were and, stopped in front of a large heavy set door. I stopped myself before knocking.
Running my fingers through my hair I grumbled as I paced back and forth. "This is so stupid. What am I supposed to say to them? I should thought this through." I stopped, and when I went to turn myself back around to pound on the door, I found the door was wide open with all of the Guardians looking at me confused. Looking at them with wide eyes and an embarrassed expression, I spoke, "Um..."
"Everything okay?" Jack asked.
"O-of course, never better!" I busted out cheerfully, with my arms flailing, trying to be rid of my nervousness, then paused, "Except for the fact that Manny is getting worse and Pitch is planning something big." I took a deep breath, "But...I've made a decision."
"Well what is it?" North stepped forward, intrigued.
Breathing in through my nose and out my mouth, I clenched my hands into fists. "I want to help. I want to put a stop to Pitch and save Manny."
Slowly, each one of the Guardians grew a smile.
"I-I'm not saying I'm going to become a Guardian, since I don't know what Guardian I am...but I can't go home because my home is destroyed and taking one step outside will lure Pitch, I seem to be stuck with all of you, so I might as well do what I can to help." I crossed my arms, feeling my cheeks grow warmer. "A-and I'm not doing it for any of you. I'm doing this for Manny."
"Ha-ha!" North roared.
"Yay!" Tooth flew into me, hugging me tightly.
Bunny hopped over and patted my on the back. "Now that's what I like to hear, mate."
Sandy circled with a happy expression.
Jack walked up with a crooked smile and an eyebrow raised. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
I scratched the back of my head. "I guess...I realized that I was being selfish, unfair, and stubborn, and okay, maybe a little stupid—just tell me when to stop."
"You sure about this?" His eyebrow raised.
"Jack Frost, all you have to do is believe." I teased, shooting a playful smirk while poking at his chest.
He chuckled. "All right then."
I clapped my hands. "So, what's the plan?"
The Guardians all look at each other, smiling, as if reading each other's minds, then back at me.
I shrugged. "What?"
_______________(Some Time Later...)___________________
"Oh, woe is me...How I've lost my way, Jack where ever could you be?" I wandered through the empty streets of a quiet neighbourhood, dramatically calling out. "Where ever could the Guardians—Okay, you know what, this is stupid!" I stopped and turned to face some nearby bushes. "This isn't going to work!"
Bunny popped his head out from a nearby tree. "Shh...you're doing fine mate, keep going!"
"This was the best plan you five could come up with?" I mumbled, turning back around to walk a little more distance. "Pitch probably knows you're all here."
Walking through a quiet neighbourhood, spotting each one of the Guardian's hiding spots; Bunny hiding behind some shrubs, however with his hears sticking up it's a dead giveaway. Tooth hovering behind a tree, which you can hear her wings humming a mile away, Sandy leaving a sparkling, gold trail of Sand leading up to some trashcans, and North...
"Really, North?" I say, staring at him, with his large frame from behind a lamp post.
"Shh...I'm hiding." He said.
My fingers pinch the area between my brows as they furrow and I sigh. Then, something tells me to look up at the sky and I do so. I watched as black clouds that made the street lamps, and porch lights flicker, the wind picked up and gave off an unnerving vibe. "Oh no..." I hoarsely said.
A blast of cold air whooshes behind me and I spin around to see Jack.
"What are you doing? You're supposed to be hiding." I said, trying to push him to go hide.
He laughed and took one of my hands. The coolness that he gave off was actually refreshing and calmed me down. "Come on...you really think this was going to work?"
"We're going about this all wrong." I sigh, retrieving my hand from Jack's and scratching the back of my head, looking around the neighbourhood.
"So what do we do?" North said, as he and the other Guardians come out of their 'hiding spots'.
As the Guardians talked amongst themselves, I stood there, arms crossed, trying to think of something.
Pitch has only showed up when I've been alone, when we've been caught off guard...and... I thought to myself.
I quietly gasped and snap my head up realizing what to do. From the corner of my eye Jack noticed my odd reaction. And without a second thought. "I don't care what you all say, I won't ever be a Guardian!"
"What?" Tooth gasped, hovering away, looking like she' ready to cry.
"You know what? I-I'm so sick of this! You first kidnap me, dropped a huge bomb on me about my destiny, destroy my home and now I'm actually being forced to help you? What have you done to help me?" I continued to raise my voice, and give a quick wink to Jack, who took a moment but realizes what I'm getting at.
He nodded and straightened himself up and looked down at me. "Uh...How about saving your life?"
I fired another cynical comment. "Ha! Saving my life? Are you kidding me? You almost ended my life from that stupid blizzard you pulled. Thanks for that."
"What's going on mate—" Bunny hops forward, but Jack raises a hand to stop him from interfering.
"No, there's no point now, she said what she needed to say and it's obvious what she wants." He said.
"Oh-ho so the snowman finally understands"
"Hey, It's Jack Frost, and that's a name people believe in, you homeless thief." Jack tone grew serious as he spoke intimidatingly.
I actually felt my heart pang in my chest. "W-whatever, I'm out of here." With nothing more to fire back at him I raised my hands and turned around, my back facing them.
"Fine!" Jack shouts at me as I walked away.
"Fine!" I scream back, without turning around.
I started picking up my pace, with a cheeky smile on my face. I started running through the neighbourhood, looking back as I did so hoping the Guardians would follow. As I did so, I constantly checked my surroundings watching for any lingering shadows. I kept moving until I stumbled across an abandoned house with a matching large barn in it with a field that goes on for miles. Running through the tall grass to reach the house, I sat on the porch steps and waited.
"A homeless thief..." I purse my lips, feeling a bit irritated by the remark.
"Well...well, here we are again, alone." I creepily voice speaks softly behind me.
My skin crawls and I shot up from my spot and turn to see the house door wide open with no one standing there. I climb up the steps, hearing each wooden board creak. As I entered the abandoned house, the front door abruptly shuts with a loud bang and I jump twenty feet in the air. My heartbeat going a million miles an hour with goosebumps sprouting along my skin. The house was dark.
"Pitch....Pitch Black?" I called out, using my best, intimidating voice. Please hurry, Jack! I then thought to myself.
I'm searching throughout the house, waiting. Either for the Guardians to come bursting through that door...or window...or ceiling for all I know, or for Pitch and his nightmares to attack.
"You got me alone now. Isn't this what you want? So you can get rid of me? Here's your chance..." I cringed, hearing the words I spoke into the darkness.
"Isn't it what you want?" Pitch emerged from the corner of the room. "Or what you all wanted?" He paused. "Did you think I'd actually fall for the foolish plan of yours?"
"Actually, no, I didn't. To be honest I thought it was a pretty stupid plan." I bluntly spoke.
Then out of nowhere, Pitch released a blast of black sand of which I dodged by a hairline. I ran through the house, hiding behind every wall that Pitch seemed to have broke through with his shadow magic. I was running out of options, I tried the doors and windows, all which were locked and there wasn't any time to try and bust through.
"Tsk tsk....yet another foolish plan." Pitch mocked.
"Yet you still showed up..." I mumble.
"What did you think was going to happen?"
I hid in the corner of what use to be a living room. "You know what? To be honest, I didn't think I'd make it this far." I said, sounding pleasantly surprised.
I heard his deep chuckle as it carried throughout the house, unable for me to pin point his location.
"Please, let the Guardians be near..." I pleaded quietly.
I could hear the creaking of footsteps travel throughout the house, first upstairs then suddenly in the next room over, then outside of the porch. However, I didn't move.
Then there was complete silence. No more creaking of footsteps. But the uneasiness that still lingered made me start to fearfully tremble, as I could only hear the sound of my own breathing, and my thoughts were screaming at me to run. After a few minutes I removed myself from my hiding spot and ran, building momentum and slamming myself into the front door. I managed to breakthrough but ended up tripping over my own two feet and fell done the porch stairs, hitting the ground. Before I had any time to react I was caught at the throat by Pitch's Shadow Guardians as they surrounded me. Their dark expressions are as lifeless as a puppets and I struggled to break free from the clutches of Shadow Bunny. He held me up in mid-air by the neck and I gasped for air. My last attempt was to try and hit and kick him with the little strength I had left before it faded.
"H-h....he...help..." I croaked.
Then from a distance I could hear a whoop-whoop sound grow nearer and nearer before Shadow Bunny exploded. The rest of the shadow Guardians quickly backed away as I fell to the ground, gagging and coughing as oxygen reached my lungs again. Through my daze I noticed a boomerang flying through the air, and returned the fuzzy paw that belonged to Bunny.
I could feel smile grow on my face as I watched the Guardians appear.
"Well...this is quite exciting." Pitch then revealed himself.
The Guardians readied their weapons.
"There's no point in trying to stop me now." He said with an evil, suggested smile as his eyes wandered up to the sky.
My gaze, along with the Guardians, followed and saw the sky was completely obscure, and Manny was gone. I then got flashes, more like visions, the sounds of howling winds, and the sight of a black twister, that could only release nothing but agonizing pain. I felt like I was suffocating and trapped inside of it, with no hope and no escape.