JackFrostxReader Prt. 5

“There is just one problem with the world,” Pitch contested with frustration. “They do not bow to me as they should.” His dark eyes shifted to his army of demonic horses. He made a tight fist as he thought of the sad truth. “They do not listen to me, nor do they seem to fear me!” His voice mounted with every exasperating thought. His realizations made everything worse. “I am sick and tired of feeling alone and hated!” The horses listened, growing with just as much anger.
“If fear cannot be killed, why am I fading from this earth? I do not understand; I do not get it!” He looked at the floor. “We are running out of options, and I do not wish for us to perish. Not like Katherine…” Pitch’s face softened. He remembered the locket; it held the beautiful picture of his only daughter, Katherine. She was so dear to Pitch; she was his world. But she was gone; and so was everything else to Pitch. He shook his head from letting his thoughts wander, and instead let the despondent memories anger him.
“I will consume every child’s soul if I must, and I will be quick. There will be only darkness and fear, and it is then that I shall seek real happiness.” He held a locket in his cold, dark hand and glared. There was only a smidge of human left in Pitch every time he had glanced at his locket.
A tear left his eye, but he could not show any such feeling of sorrow or fear; his army was there. His face quickly grew tight again as he became even angrier. He hid his locket back in his pocket, and turned around.
“Now,” Pitch began once more. “There must be some sort of gimmick; some sort of plan we can get our dirty hands on.” He paced the cold ground of his kingdom beneath the soil and earth as he thought ardently. His index finger of one hand tapped his chin as his other hand folded tightly behind his back.
“I cannot simply kidnap the children; that would be a dead give away. But I cannot transform them above this putrid earth. It is impossible as it only works here, in my kingdom.” He spoke aloud to each horse, though they could not speak back. But still, they could understand him. And they listened for orders and such.
“We will continue with horrid nightmares; we must scare them!” Pitch looked at his sea of dark horses. “Remember, my friends,” he paused for a moment. He began again. “Fear is our only lifeline. If you want to survive, fear must prosper.” He stared them dead in the eyes. “Fear must live! As shall we.” He smirked, and every horse jumped as if applauding. At that moment, all of Pitch’s humanity, though it was only a tad, had left him.
After all the commotion, the horses settled down at Pitch’s command. Pitch left the room only for a second to retrieve his dark globe. Exactly like North’s globe, it notified of all believers and nonbelievers. He returned with the small globe in his thin hands. Everyone glared at it; Pitch smirked. “Now, about that plan of ours.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nightmares weren’t really a thing of the past, but they weren’t as common either. You and your friends had enjoyed the last five years growing up happily and fearlessly. Of course, with North by your side at all times, there was only courage surrounding you. The influence of the guardians and the knowledge of their protection really kept your head up.
Each and every one of you was brave and happy; even if there was fear in your life, you could overcome it. You had grown so healthy and blissful; you were charismatic to your peers at home and at school. Being fifteen had come so quickly, but you were contented. There was no harm in your way; unless Jack had taken you sledding or snowboarding with house furniture. That was mere fun to the both of you.
Every morning was a blessing; you were alive and healthy and ready for another day; Even if it meant encountering fear. Ever since that secret from Pippa, you were more aware. No one else had known of it but the two of you, and everyday you had checked on Pippa about the situation.
“There’s no sign of Pitch anywhere,” Pippa said again for the hundredth time. After all those years, there was still uncertainty in her voice. That was what worried you the most.
“Alright; I just want to be sure. It’s been so long, and this isn’t something Pitch would do. Well, not that I would know of.” You were just as uncertain as Pippa, but you were not scared. North brought you up to only be courageous and brave, and so that is what you lived by. Your father’s words meant everything; especially since he knew exactly what he was talking about.
“Thanks, ____. It’s good to know you care for me. Pitch isn’t your ordinary person.”
“Trust me, I would know.” You both chuckled out of feverishness. It made things seem more comforting; but laughing is a defense mechanism for every kind of uncomfortable feeling. Nothing was really okay for either of you; for anyone. Not with Pitch lurking around. And deep down, you knew very well of that.
“Hey kiddo!” Jack walked up to you and Pippa in the lunchroom. You were the only two who could see him. You blushed as Pippa fixed her hair up. “What’re you two up to?” He took your apple and bit into it. You glared at him with a slight smirk.
“We’re trying to eat lunch, if you hadn’t noticed.” You looked at the apple and awaited for Jack’s awareness. He kept chewing as he stared back at you. Pippa giggled in the background.
“He’s so cute, ___.” She whispered in your ear. “I can’t believe I hadn’t noticed before. All these years and-“
“Aw, thanks Pippa! I really appreciate it.” Jack said to Pippa. She blushed insanely and looked at the floor with a shy smile. He took another bite. “But sometimes I wish I was born rich instead of so unbearably handsome.” He kidded like usual, making Pippa laugh some more. You smiled, and Jack looked back at you. He threw the apple away.
“Well,” Jack approached you on the side so that it didn’t look like you were talking to thin air. “Aren’t you going to say anything today, ___?” He teased.
“What’s there to say?” You and Jack looked at each other; you laughed as his arrogant smile faded. Pippa choked on her mashed potatoes. He was silent. “Oh I’m kidding, Jack. You of all people should know that.” You smiled brightly. “You look rather handsome today, like usual.” Jack chuckled back.
“Hey, thanks ___. And that was a good one. I’ll remember it.” He winked at you, then started toward the exit. “Well, I have to head back to North’s place.”
“But he’s not home right now.”
“I know. That’s why I figured out how to use my staff to unlock the gates.”
“Jack, you did not!” You were shocked at his cleverness.
“Oh, but I did.” He smiled. “Welp. I best be going sport. See ya afterschool.”
“Oh, yeah…see you later, Jack.” You smiled and waved.
“Uh, you might not wanna do that in public, ___.” Jack reminded you. The kids started to stare at you in the lunchroom. You blushed out of embarrassment. “Later.” He soon left with a slight chuckle, and you and Pippa giggled some more. The both of you sat down at the table.
“You are so lucky,” Pippa said as she took another scoop of her mashed potatoes. “You get to spend so much time with such a cute guy.”
“Haha…I guess.” You played with your mashed potatoes as you thought about Jack. You had never really paid attention to Jack until recently; especially since Pippa had so many nice things to say about him. You were slowly growing some sort of interest for Jack, but you denied it. You feared that something like a relationship would ruin your strong bond and friendship.
“You guess? Man…I wish I knew a guy like Jack. He’s great with kids; he’s funny and kind; I mean, he’s the guardian of fun for crying out loud!” Pippa’s voice grew with excitement as she thought about Jack’s great qualities.
“You really seem to like Jack.”
“Duh!” She laughed. “Who wouldn’t?” She took a bite out of her apple. “Man, if everyone here at school could see Jack, they’re be all over him. And they’d envy you.” Pippa’s eyebrows rose briefly as she looked at you. She quickly went back to eating.
“What are you talking about? There are plenty of cute guys here who are fun. Look around, Pippa.” The both of you paused from eating to glance around the room. There honestly weren’t any cute guys at school. You looked at your tray as Pippa chuckled.
“Of course there are.” Pippa finished her food and got up to throw it away. You rolled your eyes and continued to eat. Jamie and Sophie walked over to say hello. They had late slips in their hands.
“Hey guys; where have you been all day?”
“Tooth checked on my teeth and signed a note like she was a real dentist.” Jamie complained. He held his cheek.
“You sound delighted Jamie.” You joked.
“It’s just my tooth; I had to get a feeling.”
“It’s his first filling.” Sophie added. You smiled and nodded.
“I had one of Bunnymund’s chocolates a while back, and this is what happe- owe!” He held his cheek again. Sophie asked if he was all right. “I’m fine, Sophie. I just can’t talk too much.” Pippa came back.
“Whoa, what happened to-“
“First filling for Jamie.” You took a drink of your milk.
“Ouch.”
“Yeah.” Jamie looked at Pippa. Sophie came to sit next to you as Pippa and Jamie conversed.
“Hey Sophie. How have you been lately?”
“Well…not too good.” She looked at her lap.
“Wait…what do you mean?”
“Well…every now and then, I can hear Jamie at night. He…he talks to himself, but he sounds scared.”
“He…you mean…” you looked at Jamie who was still holding his cheek. “He’s talking to himself?”
“Yeah…kind of weird, right?” Sophie played with her lunch. You looked at her, thinking hard.
“…Yeah.”
“I mean, he can’t be talking to that bunny of his. He left that thing on his shelf to collect dust.” You tried to decode Jamie’s mysterious actions. But, it was very odd.
“Well, can you hear what he says to himself?”
“No, not really. A lot of times, he just groans or wines. But, he doesn’t sound like he’s in pain or anything.” You couldn’t really seem to figure out what was going on. But, that’s when it hit you.
“Wait…Sophie; is he awake, or is he asleep when this happens?”
“Well, since he wakes me up in the middle of the night, I assume he’s sleeping.” She finally took a bite out of her food. “Why?”
“Oh no…” you looked at your tray as your heart raced. That’s when Jamie got up to use the restroom.
“I’ll be right back, ladies.” He excused himself in such a way that made Pippa giggle a little.
“Poor thing,” she said as she watched him walk to the bathrooms. “His tooth is killing him. I wonder what Tooth really d-“
“Pippa, we need to talk to you. Now.”
“Well, I was kind of doing that a few seconds ago, but you cut me off.”
“No, Pippa; this is urgent. Come sit over here; it’s private.” Pippa glared at the both of you in confusion for a while. “Pippa; hurry before Jamie comes back.”
“Alright, alright,” she made her way across the table to sit next to you. “What’s so important.”
“Ugh…alright. I knew it, I knew it and I didn’t-“
“What? What’s wrong? And why can’t Jamie know?”
“I knew we shouldn’t have kept your secret a secret, Pippa.” She sharply looked at you; her eyes now wide.
“…W-why? What’s the matter?”
“Pippa…I think Jamie’s having nightmares.”
“What? Nightmares? We are almost 17 years old, ___! I thought we were done with this!” Sophie reminded Pippa to remain quiet.
“Fear is never gone, Pippa. And as long as Pitch knows that, he will never leave.” You frowned at your own words, realizing what was really going on. Sophie and Pippa looked down; Sophie only played with her long hair. She was scared for her brother.
“But…why is it always us? I mean, I don’t want anyone else to go through this but-“
“That’s just it; it’s not only us. There’re tons of kids and teens our there who have nightmares all the time. I mean, he never leaves us-“
“Hey guys, I’m back.” Jamie sat back down. All three of you nervously smiled at him.
“Hey, how was it?” Pippa’s voice was feverish.
“Uh, the bathroom? It was…dirty like usual.” All three of you smiled.
“Well, I have to throw this away. I’ll be right back.” You got up with your tray. “Come with me, girls.” They both shot up and began to walk with you. “Sorry, Jaime. Girl problems.” With that, he rolled his eyes and didn’t bother to ask.
“Alright, Pippa and Sophie. What are we going to do?” There was a twinge of panic in your voice. You hadn’t gone through anything serious in years, and you weren’t ready to face Pitch. As brave a child you were, you had never encountered the boogeyman before.
“Well, don’t panic ___.” Pippa’s hands rose to your shoulders. “There can’t be much wrong. I mean, he’s only in our fearful thoughts. Just, motivate yourself and…oh who am I kidding?” Pippa sighed heavily. Sophie’s face wore anxiety.
“Well, there’s only one thing we can do girls.” You shrugged as you looked at the floor. Your eyes shifted to theirs. “We’re going to have to tell my father.”
“What?” Pippa pulled her short red hair.
“You can’t, ___!” Sophie protested even louder.
“This is far too serious for us to handle.” Your voice was louder than before.
“But, all these years you told North that everything was alright; that there was no sign of Pitch. What…” Pippa tried to calm herself. “What are you going to say?”
You looked at the both of them, then back to the ground. Jamie walked up to you guys.
“Well, the bell’s gonna ring in like, 20 seconds so, I’m gonna head to my next class. See you girls later. Oh, and tell Jack I said hey for me ___. Thanks!” Jamie waved and sped off.
“Great.” You muttered. You were worried about your friends, but you were also worried about what North was going to say; what all the other guardians were going to say. The weight that you thought had gone away was now upon your dainty shoulders, and it hurt. You weren’t sure of how to tell your dad, but you needed to.
On your walk home, you, Pippa and Sophie walked and discussed your worries.
“I just…how am I going to put this into words? I lied to the only people-guardians who actually cared for me. They’re never going to forgive me.”
“That’s not true, ___.” Sophie began as she looked at the leaves falling from the trees. The fall breeze spread light goose bumps across your skin. “They love you; they love all of us. I mean, anger, I could understand. But, not hate. The guardians don’t hate anyone; except Pitch.”
Sophie spoke the truth, which kind of made things better. But Pitch’s name; even the sound of it brought your spirits down. If only you told them earlier; that thought didn’t help much.
“Sophie’s so right.” Pippa smiled at Sophie. “Like, I know they’ll be upset with you-“
“Upset? They’re going to ground me for a hundred years; that’s like, 3 weeks for them.” Sophie tried not to laugh.
“Forgot they were beyond old.” Sophie added. You and Sophie had just approached Pippa’s house.
“Well, I’ll see you two later. Good luck, ___. Don’t you worry about a thing.” She smiled, and then ran into her house. Sophie lived right across the street.
“Hey, maybe you can stay over for a little while before North comes to get you.”
“Oh, yeah. He picks me up out here anyway.” The two of you made your way into her nice house. Her mom came to greet you with a phone in her hand.
“Hey mom.” Sophie took her shoes off. You smiled.
“Hello Sophie’s mom. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Mhm…oh, really?” She smiled at you, but she was still on the phone with someone. “Oh, well she’s right here with my daughter. They just got home.”
“Who are you talking to, Mom?” Sophie looked at her mom funny; then at you. You shrugged. Her mom put the phone to her shoulder.
“Oh, I’m so sorry girls. It seems Nicholas, ___’s father is on the phone. He said that ___ must be home soon.” You gulped hard. North wanted you home, and you couldn’t face him.
“Oh, right.” You looked at the floor as if you took your shoes off. You then shrugged. “Guess I should be going.” It was hard for you to smile knowing that you were soon going to encounter North.
“I’m sorry girls; maybe tomorrow you can stay longer.” Her mom gave off a lovely smile to the both of you.
“That’s fine, Mrs. Bennett.” You smiled at her, then at Sophie. “I’ll see you tomorrow Sophie.”
“You too.” She smiled and waved. “And don’t worry,” she whispered. “You’ll get through to him.” She winked, and out the door you went.
Once you made your way down the street, you pulled out one of the extra globes from North. You looked around to make sure no one was watching, and you threw it; a portal came out from the magical globe.
“I’m home, Dad!” You walked to your large and messy room to put your shoes and bag away. There was no response. You figured that maybe he hadn’t heard you; not with his age.
“Dad?” Your voice only echoed throughout the halls of the factory, but there was only silence. You grew z as you walked into the multiple rooms. “Jack? Are you here? Please don’t tell my your playing a prank on me…not now.” Your voice grew quieter.
“Hey sweetie!” The voice behind you made you jump.
“Daddy! You scared me.”
“Oh…did I?” He kneeled down to you. But…there was something eerie about his presence. Your smiled slowly faded as you looked him in the eyes.
“Y-yeah…” Your voice was faint. North smiled and laughed. “Daddy?” All of your thoughts disappeared; you were only worried about North. His glare grew stronger, and soon his form began to change. You stepped back, only to trip on your shoelace.
A dark, misty smoke engulfed North’s figure; darkness was all around. You were in sudden fear; that was all you could feel. Everything soon cleared; you hadn’t once blinked.
“Hello,___.” Pitch said with a low, daunting voice.