(Jack's POV)
Elsa insisted on treating my wound herself. I had to hide my laugh; here she was, battered and bruised, yet wholly concerned with my minor injury. We did, at least, manage to convince her to let us treat her first. She also insisted on mending my hoodie. She spent nearly a whole day working on it and when she was done it looked as good as new. It was pretty impressive and I'm still now sure how she managed it.
During that whole interchange I saw an opportunity. In exchange for letting her fix my hoodie (which she stubbornly still believed was her fault) I got her to reluctantly agree to a game of cards. So a few days later, true to her word, Elsa came out of her room and joined us in the main room. She had one condition though, and it was pretty odd, she wanted a pair of gloves. It wasn't worth asking her about it, so we found her a pair and sat down around the big oak table in the center of the room.
"Now Jack, you will behave, yes?" North asked with a twinkle in his eye.
"Oh come on, I'm not that bad," I replied with a mischievous grin. "It's not like I cheat."
"No, but you do have a track record of causing chaos and distracting others," Tooth laughed.
"Okay, okay, I'll tone it down," then I dramatically added, "though you are suppressing my center."
"Alright, enough now," North chuckled and finished dealing the cards, "Let us begin."
The game began, and after blowing the cards around a bit, I settled in and began to focus on winning. It was a fast paced game, which suited me just fine. Bunny was my main competition but I was still in the lead. As the game progressed, tensions eased as everyone became absorbed in the game. Elsa surprised everyone about halfway through by suddenly slamming her hand down on the pile and winning the round. She had a steely glint in her eye that I recognized as competitiveness. However, she immediately put it away again and resumed her apathetic play of the game. There were a few more times where I could see a competitive side of her wanting to come out. But she kept it in check. I was just about to win when, out of nowhere, Tooth swooped in and stole victory.
I acted shocked and swept my arms up in a theatrical manner. "Oh no, my winning streak has been brutally destroyed!" I catapulted myself backwards onto my staff and clutched my heart with one hand. With my other hand, I ran a finger down my check to symbolize a tear. "How could you do such a thing Tooth, I thought we were friends?" I acted hurt and held my hands to my eyes in mock despair.
"Now now Jack, don't be so dramatic," Tooth laughed.
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(Elsa's POV)
"Now now Jack, don't be so dramatic," Tooth laughed.
...don't be so dramatic...
I'd heard that before. When...
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--Flashback--
As time went on, the dark presence became stronger. Gradually it moved to stand beside her as she killed her sister, then in her line of sight. Each night it became darker and more defined until she could barely breathe. Then one day he appeared in her living nightmare of a life. While sitting in her freezing room, staring at her gloves and wishing that things could be different. She saw him standing in the far corner of her room. When he saw that she noticed him, a sadistic, sinister smile slowly spread across his face.
"Hello princess...at last we meet outside the dream realm. I've just been dying to get to know you in person."
"Who- who are you? What do you want!"
"I just wanted to say hello," he replied and took a step forward.
"MOM! DAD!" Elsa shrieked.
Her parents came running in.
"Elsa what is it? What's wrong?"
"There in the corner, the strange man."
"Elsa..." Her parents exchanged a look, "There's nothing there."
"No, can't you see? He's right there!"
"Elsa, are you feeling okay?" her mother asked and reached out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"No! Don't touch me! Please, I don't wanna hurt you..."
Her parents left with worried looks in their eyes. Elsa slowly turned back to the dark figure, who was still there.
"Now now Elsa, don't be so dramatic. In time we will become very well acquainted..."
...don't be so dramatic...
--end of flashback--
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I looked up to find everyone staring at me with worried expressions. My memories had run away with me again.
"I-I'm sorry I think I should go."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, j-j-just a little tired I guess," I answered with what I hoped was a convincing smile. As I started the walk back to my room, I felt tears run down my face. Why did I have to ruin their night. Why did everything have to hurt so much? Why did I have to keep trying to be happy when I knew it was useless and would only lead to disappointment? Why was my life like this? Just why.
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(Jack's POV)
After jokingly and dramatically overacting to my loss, Tooth laughed, "Now now Jack, don't be so dramatic."
We all laughed but then I noticed that Elsa had suddenly gone strangely quiet. She had been starting to come out of her shell but now she seemed lost in thought. Her face fell and with it the mood. Her eyes were glazed over and she was gripping her knees tightly. We waited with bated breath to see what was happening.
She slowly looked up and blinked in confusion, trying to place where she was. When her eyes cleared she stood up and said, "I-I'm sorry I think I should go."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, j-j-just a little tired I guess," she tried to smile but it didn't reach her eyes. She turned around and walked back to her room. She seemed okay but I saw that her shoulders were ever so slightly shaking. We had been having fun. Why was she acting like this all of a sudden? It just didn't make any sense.
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Trapped by Fear
FanfictionDuring 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?
