The Ties of Family (RotG Fanfic)

Chapter 52

One of them screamed and covered her ears while the other ducked beneath a desk. Sophie jumped, her heart thudding. They stood there in silence for several moments, not daring to speak or to move an inch. After what seemed like an eternity, the student crept out from beneath the desk and glanced around at his schoolmates. "Where's the cannon?" he asked, stupidly.

Sophie hurried out into the hallway and immediately stopped in her tracks. Her eyes traveled to the end of the hallway, taking in the inclined ceiling and the out-of-shape door, which had also been knocked off its bottom hinges, forming a space which was starting to be filled with snow. The other three joined her in a few minutes, shivering slightly, not because of the chill. Sophie swallowed hard.

"What just happened?" asked her friend, in a small, timid voice.

"Is it Death? Did you see Death?" the morbid male student questioned. He pointed down the hallway. "What happened to the door?"

Sophie turned and hurried back into the classroom, breathing hard. One glance at the window told her the snow was coming down again. She sank into a seat and buried her face in her hands in despair. She felt like crying, something she tried to forbid herself from.

"What h-" her friend began.

"The roof collapsed," Sophie snapped, looking up sharply, irritated. Her friend took a step back, startled by both the news and Sophie's tone. The blonde girl looked up at the ceiling, wondering when the classroom would cave in and bury all of them. It was only a matter of time. Finally, she leaped to her feet, nearly flipping the desk over, and rushed towards the window, staring out at the ongoing blizzard, an idea forming in her mind. Sunlight streamed in through the window, giving almost no warmth. It would be hours before darkness fell again. Sophie whipped around and stared at her friends, surveying the jackets and sweaters they wore.

"Sophie?" her friend asked, her brows furrowing, wondering if Sophie had lost it after witnessing the aftermath of a collapsed roof. She reached out to touch her friend, but Sophie didn't respond. Her eyes had a glazed-over look, but she was frowning, as though deep in thought. Finally, she turned to the male student. "You don't, by any chance, have a pair of snowshoes, do you?"

#

With breakneck speed, Jamie was by the window. He reached out and grabbed Baby Tooth, startling the fairy. She let out a squeak as the boy accidentally tightened his grip around her, giddy with delight at finally seeing one of the Guardians- or well, a part of one of the Guardians.

"I'm sorry," Jamie apologised, loosening his grip. Baby Tooth took a deep breath and started trying to explain, vigorously moving her hands about, pointing at the window, at Jamie, various objects in Jamie's room, hand gestures that were supposed to explain things, all the while squeaking nineteen to the dozen. But Jamie felt like he was talking to Sandy again; he couldn't comprehend anything. He shook his head, a confused expression etched on his face. The fairy halted in her explanation, sighing exasperatedly.

"Okay, look," Jamie started. "There's something really important that has to be done now. I need to get Sophie back. I think she's trapped in her high school and..."

Baby Tooth was nodding quickly. Jamie stared at her. "You've been to see Sophie?" The fairy's nodding instantly switched to a quick shake of the head. Jamie got to his feet, released the fairy and began pacing. "Are the Guardians near?" he asked.

The fairy nodded, and pointed at something behind Jamie. He turned to see an oil painting of Sophie's depicting a Christmas tree; something she had meant to finish two days back and present it to their mom on Christmas. "... Christmas," he breathed, before turning back to Baby Tooth. "North came to Burgess!"

Baby Tooth gestured, as though to indicate how obvious that was, before pointing out the window, at the blizzard, which picked up speed again, after having slowed down earlier. "He's stuck in the snow?" Jamie tried. Baby Tooth shook her head and pointed upwards and at the snow rising up, threatening to creep in through Jamie's window. "But most houses are buried," he said. A nod. More gestures and squeaking. "Since last night. And he's on his way here now." Another nod.

Jamie couldn't help grinning in relief, as Baby Tooth tried to tell him about Jack, but that grin quickly faded. "No, no, no!" he hurried to the window and opened it, welcoming in a gust of wind. He glanced over his shoulder at a confused Baby Tooth. "They can't come here! They musn't!"

"Who?"

Jamie turned and came face to face with the winter spirit. The temperature was already too low to sense a change in Jack's presence. Instead of a heartwarming greeting, which Baby Tooth had expected all along, the fairy was quite startled when Jamie began yelling.

"What in the world happened, Jack? Was this meant to be a joke? Because if it is, it's not funny! My sister's out there and goodness knows what's happened to her; she could be dead by now, for all I know! And it's all because of you!" He pointed an accusing finger at Jack, who merely watched him with a small, desperate frown, not trying to get a word in though he wanted to. Jamie paused, realising what he was doing and silently chided himself for that sudden outburst. He took a deep breath, inhaling the chilly air. He sneezed and rubbed his nose, waiting for the spirit.

"There's no time to explain, from what you just said. North's sleigh is right outside. We can get to wherever Sophie is."

Jamie pointed at the falling snow. "Not exactly getting lighter. How am I supposed to go out there without dying of hypotermia?" As he said that, something flashed in the spirit's eyes, that made Jamie wish he could take back his words. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't worry about it," Jack flew into the room and shut the window behind him. He glanced around, before locating Jamie's dresser in a corner and hurrying over to it. He pulled out the drawers and rummaged through them.

"Hey, why are you going through my clothes?" Jamie said, just as the door opened and Mrs. Warren peered in. Jamie halted in his tracks, as did Jack, both staring at Mrs. Warren, whose eyes traveled over to the dresser and the drawers of garments on the floor and back to her nephew. She didn't see Jack nor Baby Tooth. Jamie waited with bated breath.

"What are you doing, Jamie?" his aunt asked. "I heard some yelling earlier. Are you trying to wage a war on your dresser?"

Jamie faked a smile as he noticed his mother appearing behind her sister. "Why, yes," he replied, a little too brightly. "It was just getting too boring in here, and what better way to warm oneself than to roll about in one's clothes?" His smile widened, hurting his face.

"You know how Jamie is, a child at heart," Mrs. Bennett quickly intervened, having spotted Jack and Baby Tooth. "It's really nothing, sister. Maybe you should return to your room." The other lady turned and walked off, but not before giving Jamie a strange look. Mrs. Bennett watched her go before stepping into Jamie's room and closing the door behind her. She looked relieved to see the 1.5 guardians.

"Mrs. Bennett," Jack turned to the lady. "North is outside the window right now, where I've told him to wait, and he can give us a ride to wherever Sophie is. Do you know where she is?"

Mrs. Bennett nodded. "The high school. We think." She exchanged glances with her son.

"Well, then, I need you to put on as much as you can wear while still possessing the ability to walk. As much as needed to not freeze to death in this storm."

The two Bennetts hurriedly searched through their clothes, picking out jackets, sweaters and mittens and slipping them on. They didn't have many, as one of each usually would suffice, and snowstorms weren't common in Burgess. Just as they were about to head out into the blizzard, Jamie caught hold of his mom's arm. "Wait, what about Mrs. Warren?"

Mrs. Bennett sighed, before turning and hurrying off. Jamie heard her footsteps thundering down the stairs and wondered she was doing. A few minutes later, she could be heard scurrying across the second-floor landing. A door opened and closed, and a moment later, she returned to Jamie's room, slightly breathless.

"What did you do?" Jamie asked, as they prepared to exit through the window.

A sly smirk made its way onto his mother's face, surprising him. Mrs. Bennett had never smiled like that before. "I drugged her. She will fall asleep in a matter of minutes and will still probably when we return." The smirk faded. "If we return." And out into the storm they went.