Chosen Spirits

Intermission

As the 'clip' finished, the room was dead silent and everyone was frozen stiff in shock. A pin drop would of echoed through the room.

The children were agape and horror was drawn on their faces, Tooth had her hands to her mouth and her eyes were suspiciously glassy, she was no longer in mid-flight as her dragonfly like wings creased movement. Sandy's bright light and dream-sand was dimmed and he as well slowly dropped to the floor his face grief stricken. North was shocked still, his body stiff and rigid from any movement, and Aster was also completely still, his face devoid of emotion. Except for his clenched jaw that betrayed his vacant face.

Jack glanced around the room nervously. If he still had a heart beat, it would of been practically drumming in his ears. He nervously clinched and unclenched his staff while holding it close. He knew that their reaction wasn't going to be a positive one...

But he wasn't expecting them to be like, well this.

What he thought that, what was going to happen was that he would of gotten a couple of pitiful glances. (Bunny, he thought would yell at him and start a argument about him scaring the children) A tap on the shoulder and a mumble of a apology. That was it. He hoped that they would ignore the incident, and move on. But obviously, that wasn't going to happen.

Jack got up and put on a nervous smile "Ok. So. I know this looks bad but-"

In a storm of rage Aster also got up "Looks bad? That's what your worrying about?! Bloody hell mate, I don't know if it got into your thick skull of yours yet. But your dead! You drowned. We all watched your bloody corps hit the bottom of that bloody lake! Hell mate, I'm still try'n to figua out how ya' stand'n here in front of us!"

Jack rolled his eyes slightly surprised that Tooth didn't correct Aster for using fowl language in front of the kids showing just how shocked she was. And he replied in almost a cocky tone "Bunny. Its not like I'm the first kid to ever die young. Millions of kids died before their time. Long before I was even born! And no matter how much I want to change it, no matter how much help we get, millions are going die young after me! And mine wasn't even the worse kind! It was just me being a stupid kid that made a stupid mistake at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Sandy the most aware, began to look nervously back and forth at them and sunk into his seat like a bomb was about to go off. Unsure how to defuse the argument but also too shocked to move, he did nothing. North on the other hand was still replaying the events in his head staring blankly at the screen and was also incapacitated of any movement.

As Jack said this Aster was seething "So that's how ya' gonna look at it. Huh?! Like you dying doesn't matta! Your just gonna look at it like its all fine and dandy. And that ya' just not the only one?! That somehow, it could be worse?! That your death was better than some other poor bloke or Sheila?! No matta how it got to be this way, your a dead child who didn't even get their remains buried!"

 Jack, still some-what keeping his cool (no pun intended) looked curiously at Aster's way. "why would you care? I'm not the only one who lost something important to them by becoming a spirit. Weren't you before the war going to propose to the love of your life? Didn't you want to become a dad before you became a spirit?!" Jack knew that it was a low blow, but so was reminding him that after all these years he never could of had a proper funeral.

Aster furiously shook his head. "yeah mate, we all lost something. That's just the cause and effect of it. But ya know what? At lest we had a bloody choice! At lest we could of said no. Whatever woulda happened next, for betta or for worse in the end we would have no one to blame but ourselves! Don't shove off ya' death like it was nothing. Don't act like its something that was ok!"

Jack was pretty sure that he and Aster would of argued for hours. But while he was distracted he felt a small squeeze around his right leg and he looked down. Immediately he felt all of the tension rush out of his room and his face slackened. For small Sophie was hugging his leg. Tears running down her face. She whimpered softly as her small shoulders trembled.

At the sight Jack stilled. The heat of the argument now ran cold. As Sophie nuzzled into his leg Jack felt guilt rush into him. He and Aster shouldn't of let the argument go on like that. They shouldn't of put the kids in that uncomfortable situation. And they defiantly shouldn't of done it in front of them.

Especially in front of Sophie.

He knew that North shouldn't of brought them in here.

Aster must of realized the same thing because he also froze as all the anger dragged out of him and ran his hand across his face. He was also, silenced.

"Jack, what's it like to die?" a wobbly small voice asked. Jacks head whipped around back to Sophie. He knew that she was learning more words and could produce full sentences now. He just didn't expect her to ask him that.

What a incredible gift it was, to grow up.

Jack kneed to her eye level. You see, Jack was never good with words. 300 and plus years of never really having a full back to back conversion certainly didn't help things. So, knowing that his moment of hesitation to find the right words was all for good reason. "... its the most lonely and liberating you'll ever feel."

She blinked "what's lib-er-ating mean?" at the simple question chuckles pierced through the heavy atmosphere. But before anyone could answer her question-

The screen began to flicker on.

*Authors Note*

In Australia, instead of using the er the just end it in an A. Also, REVIEW! Please?