Pitch Black's Daughter (Rise of the Guardians FF)

Ch.19 Falling Apart

Ch.19 Falling Apart

"Jack! Jack!" I leaped out of my bed, frightened. "Where's Ivy?"

"I don't know!" Jack threw his hands up in frustration. "Pain took her."

"You mean, that was all real?" I started to breath hard and my eyes widened. This was all too overwhelming.

"Yes." Jack's voice was grave. "Next thing I knew, Pain was dragging a limp Ivy by the throat through the window. I stood up, he disappeared. Then I saw her bed drenched with blood." His eyes were glistening, but when he caught me looking, he turned his gaze to the floor.

"We've got to save her!" I yelled, then ran to the window and looked outside. All I could see was a raging blizzard. "Jack!" I turned around to face him. "Cut the blizzard! It'll make it harder to find them."

"I'm sorry, Athena, but we can't go and look for them." Jack's voice was barely a whisper. "They're gone. The blizzard reflects my mood and I hope anyway that Pain gets wiped out by it."

"Then so will Ivy!" I screeched at him, but he doesn't flinch. "Have you given up?" I continued to scream. He didn't say anything, just sulked.

"What is the meaning of all this hollerin'?" North came storming the bedroom door, nearly sending it off its hinges.

"Ivy's missing!" I looked at him with wide eyes. "And Jack caused a blizzard so now we can't go and search for her."

"Pain took her." Jack mumbled.

"Pain?" North leaned in, thinking he mistook the name. "Are you sure?"

"Very." Jack nodded. "And I'm not stopping the blizzard. She's already gone."

"How could you say that?" I shrieked, losing my patience. "She's out there, dying or maybe even already dead, in the hands of her enemy!"

"Athena." North came over and rested his big palm on my hand. "I'm sorry. This is all we can do."

"No!" I tore away from him. "I lost my dad, almost lost my brother, I don't know what happened to my mom and I'm sure as heck not letting Ivy go, just like that." I stomped towards the door.

"No!" Jack snapped out of his stillness and lunged towards me. I tried to scramble away, but he grabbed hold of my arm before I could. "Look at me. Athena, look at me!" He forced me to turn around to face him. I dropped my gaze onto the ground, anger flaring up inside me. "He. Will. Kill. You." He said every word like its own sentence, like I was a little kid, unable to understand anything.

"So what?" I narrowed my eyes. "I've been tried to be killed before. How is this any different?"

"No one has been trying to kill you." Jack shook his head. "If you're thinking about us, we were only trying to help you get away from Pitch. You and your brother."

"I'm thinking about Pitch." I muttered. "Just now he tried to kill us all! So, let go!" I wrenched my arm away from his hold, but he was determined by the iron grip he was holding me with.

"And look how well that turned out." Jack barked out the words a bit too harsh. He saw my eyes widen in fright. "Listen please don't." His voice softened."Ivy is way more experienced than you. She can handle herself and Pain. She's done it plenty times before."

"But, all that blood......" I trailed off lamely, knowing well that I wasn't going anywhere tonight.

"She'll be alright." Jack's hold loosened. "Come on. All we can do is hope that she gets out ok."

I didn't say anything as I sat down on my bed and stared over at Ivy's. Jack couldn't tear his gaze away either. North realized this and gathered up the sheets which left Ivy's bed bare. He carried the bloody sheets away as we still sat there.