My Guardian

Chapter 21 - If You Did This...

Days passed. We got Belle's parents, sister and Thomas together and told them that way. I couldn't say it to them. I just stood in a corner with my arms crossed, lost in my thoughts.

"While at the Pole... there was an earthquake and an avalanche. We couldn't save Belle," North said to them as he sat on the couch opposite. Belle's mum burst into tears and buried her head into her husband's chest. Jamie tried to stay strong but I could see his chin quivering as it loomed on him that he had lost his eldest daughter. Thomas took a deep breath and looked at the floor. Only days after finding out he had a sister, he finds out she's died. His chin quivered too as he began to cry.

"NO! Belle can't be gone!" Ciara yelled, jumping out of her chair angrily.

"Ciara..." her mum began through the tears.

"NO!!" she yelled, crying, turning and running up the stairs to the room she was staying in. I just watched her.

"Thomas..." Jamie gestured. Thomas raised his head and nodded, following his sister up the stairs. Our eyes met for half a second and I could see the sadness in them. It wasn't only the girl I love that was taken away. It was a daughter, a sister, a friend... and a beautiful person. Even Bunny sat there with his head down, his ears drooping sadly over his head. I could see how lost in his thoughts he was.

We had a funeral at the lake, a couple days later, because Belle loved it so much. She would have liked having her funeral at the lake. I found myself crying the whole time. It was my turn to make a speech so I walked up to the glass casket she lay in and stood behind it, facing everyone. She lay in there with this heart shaped neck lined top of a dress with green fading into light pink and red straps that hung off the shoulders. With this, she wore fishnet stockings, the knee length skirt the same pink as the top that had faded red lining the bottom. There was a red ribbon twisted around her ankles and the tips of the toes on her light green flats. Her hair was beautifully placed to sit beside her head with a few loose strands over her shoulders. She also had small silver hoops in her ears. She looked so peaceful and beautiful.

"I didn't know Belle for very long. But I knew that she was an amazing person. She was smart. And funny. And beautiful. And sweet. And caring. And loving... Belle was... pretty much perfect. I loved her. And I didn't get to tell her. She was so independent and not afraid to speak her mind. I... I'm sorry," I said, wiping a tear from my eye. I couldn't talk anymore.

After everyone who wanted to made their speeches, the yeti's burnt a hole through the ice and carefully placed the casket into the water. That's what Belle would have wanted. To be put into the lake she loved when she died. Once the casket could fit into the hole, we all stood around it as it was carefully let go of. Bubbles came out of it as water filled it. I couldn't watch this, so I turned around to face the other way as everyone else watched the casket sink to the bottom of the lake. Once it was gone, Bunny touched my shoulder signalling that they couldn't see it anymore. I then turned back and used my staff to cover the hole back up with ice.

"Goodbye Belle," I whispered to myself as the last bit of the hole blocked up. Once that was done, I just flew off. I couldn't stand to be there any longer. I flew all the way back to the Pole. I just needed to think. I had been thinking about Belle non-stop ever since she died. Ever since I met her in fact.

But before I went to the Pole, I went to Pitch's hideout. It looked exactly the same as when I had last seen it a week and a half ago. It brought back memories of Belle unconscious in a casket, which made me think about putting her in the lake. And I just couldn't afford to think about that.

"Pitch!" I called, holding my staff ready to attack if he were to suddenly try and kill me.

"You called me?" he said. I turned to him and he just stood there with his hands clasped together.

"She's gone Pitch. You won't find out what it is you want to know okay?" I half threatened, putting my staff down.

"Oh I know!" he said. What?

"You know?"

"Of course I know! I never imagined a Guardian's greatest fear would come true!" he half chuckled. My greatest fear had been losing Belle, and now she was gone. I immediately became very angry. He doesn't care that Belle's dead. He just cares that my greatest fear came true.

"So what are you going to do now? You can't find out her centre while she's.... You know what I mean!" I couldn't say it. I couldn't say that she was dead. Dead seemed like such a difficult word to pronounce. Pitch just shrugged.

"I'll figure something out. You here to kill me?" he asked. More memories flashed up in my mind. It was of Belle and I talking about me wanting to kill Pitch. And how she didn't think anyone deserved to die.

"No. That's not what Belle would have wanted," I scowled at him.

"You didn't do it, did you?" I asked. If he did it, I swear to god! No. I couldn't kill him. Belle would have hated me killing him.

"Do what?" he asked, stepping closer to me. I had to take a deep breath.

"The earthquake which caused the avalanche... the... the one that killed Belle."

"Of course not! I can't move the Earth, Jack. Only objects and people," he smirked. I was just silent. In his eyes, I could see he was telling the truth. So it was just an accident? I know accidents happen all the time and people die from them, but I never thought I would lose someone that way. I had no more to say to Pitch. So I turned and left.