During a mission in Pitch's lair, the guardians find a girl. She was being kept prisoner but why? What did Pitch want with her? Can Jack gain her trust before it's too late?
I was torn. I wanted to believe that the Guardians really were trying to help me. I so desperately wanted to finally let my guard down, to be at peace, to feel safe, and to fall asleep without fear in my heart. But experience had taught me that such things were forever beyond my reach. How could I trust them when I had been betrayed or used by everyone I knew? How could I trust them when Pitch was one to play the long game? How could I trust them when I couldn't even trust myself?
At first it was only in her dreams. A dark, shadowy figure would stand behind her as she killed her sister. Then, as Anna's body turned cold, the red, glowing eyes would turn to Elsa, accusation in their stares. Whispers would fill her head;
Her fault
Heartless monster
On purpose
Cursed
Evil
Witch
demon
Killed her sister
Kill her
Melt her cold heart with fire
Hellfire
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I woke up in a panic. My body locked in fetal position. I was staring at the wall. My heart hammered in my chest while the rest of me was frozen. Another nightmare. About me killing Anna, and Pitch watching from the shadows. Normally people who have nightmares don't want to sleep. But my life was a living nightmare anyway. Even though I wasn't being hurt with the Guardians, I still wasn't safe. The anxiety of not knowing if I could trust them. The flashbacks to the torture...
(Warning; I am going to go into more detail about torture now. If you don't want to read about it, then just skip this next paragraph and continue with the story. Again, nothing too graphic but you have been warned)
--flashback--
The chains rattled against the stones. From the edge of my vision I saw black robes sweeping across the ground.
"Are you happy now?" Pitch hissed. "When will you learn that there's no point in resisting. Even if you did escape, where would you go? No one is waiting for you. No one is missing you. You have no place in this world. You're lucky that I'm here or no one would want you at all."
"No!" I yelled, then in a defeated whisper, "no, my parents loved me."
"And where are they now? Dead! You killed them you know. You were such a disappointment that every day they died a little inside. Then, when you were too great a burden they sailed away. You killed them Elsa. You are the reason they got on that ship. They probably never even loved you to begin with. They were just pretending to care to try and keep you calm. Just as one feeds a bear so that it won't hunt innocent people. You are a monster Elsa. They celebrated the day you left."
Tears ran down my face in rivers. He had hurt my heart. Next came my body. The crack of a whip, a scream of pain. The chains tightened. Then came the black sand. It snaked around me in long tendrils. I felt my energy sapped. It was like someone pulling fire out of your bones. I collapsed to the ground, weak with pain and despair. I tried to block out the pain but it didn't work. I squeezed my eyes shut as the torture continued. I don't know what he did next. All I knew was the pain. It would come and go in waves. Giving me brief breaks to remember what breathing felt like, before resuming worse than before. I don't know how long it went on for. But it felt like it lasted an eternity.
It was like he could sense when he'd finally broken me. The chains disappeared and he laughed.
"Now then me dear, we won't have any more escapes, will we?"
We both knew the answer. I didn't need a cage or chains from that day. I was well trained. So broken that all I could do was take it. At least there I couldn't hurt anyone. At least I was too weak to use my cursed magic. The shadows swirled as Pitch came back into the room. A sly grin on his face and in his hands...
--end of flashback--
No, no I wasn't there anymore. I forced myself to take some deep breaths. Cautiously, I subtly turned my head to glance at my surroundings. I wasn't in a dark cave. I was in a wooden room. I wasn't lying on a stone floor but a comfortable bed. And it wasn't dark, there was a window through which I could see the moon shining brightly.
My heart stopped in my chest. There was a dark shadow on the windowsill. But it wasn't Pitch. It was... Jack? He was holding his staff with both hands while he stared intently out of the window. His eyes looking for something, his body crouched as if ready to spring. It was almost as if he were looking for some sort of threat. He looked like he was trying to protect something or someone. The sight of him comforted me slightly. At least I wasn't alone. His staff gave off a soft glow, which reminded me of the lamp my parents used to leave burning so Anna wouldn't have nightmares. My panic subsided somewhat, and my breathing slowed. Of course it happened then. Just as I let my guard down a tiny bit and relaxed slightly. A dark pit opened up beneath me and I was swallowed up. All I had time to do was gasp before the shadows consumed me.
