Jack Frost's Twin?

Chapter 16

"Will you, Chrissy, vow to watch over the children of the world?
To guard them with your life - their hopes, their wishes, and their dreams.
For they are all that we have, all that we are, and all that we will ever be." North asks, reading from a large book.

"I will." I agree. "Then it is settled. You are now guardian!" North announces, closing the book. Everyone cheers, Jack engulfing me in a hug. "Now, we have to figure out how to stop Violet." I tell them, eyes drifting to Cupid. Manny's light fills the room, hopefully stopping any attempt Violet will make at listening in or intervening.

Bunny looks over at him too. "You know something, mate?" He asks, crossing his arms. "And if I do?" Cupid replies. Jack glares at him, flying to stand before him. "You know something and you aren't telling us?!" He shouts.

Cupid looks away. "This is for the sake of the children! Of us! Of my sister!" Jack shouts, clenching his fists. "Jack's right, Cupid. You have to tell us so no one else gets hurt." Tooth says. Sandy nods in agreement. "Chrissy?" Cupid says. I sigh, looking at my floor. "I don't want anymore nightmares." I tell him.

"Okay, fine, I'll tell you." Cupid says. Jack backs away, arms still crossed. We all watch as Cupid leans against the railing, staring at the workshop below.

"It was a long time ago. Violet and I, we were close. Really close. I had just asked her to marry me. But then something happened. No one believed in her and she disappeared - well, not completely I guess. Years had passed and I met Chrissy. At first it was just a friend thing, but soon I realized I was in love with her. Violet must have been watching and knew I broke my promise." Cupid tells us.

"What promise?" I ask. Cupid doesn't meet my eye. "To only love her." He answers.

The group mulls the new information over in silence, wondering how it could help our situation.

"It doesn't add up." Tooth says. "What doesn't?" Bunny asks.

"Think about it, no one has heard of Violet before. And we've been around for a long time, right? And if no one believes in her, there should be no trace of her left." Tooth explains, fluttering around. "But there is. Don't you guys remember when everyone started to no longer believe in us? We were powerless when we had only one believer. Violet has none, yet she is still using her power on Chrissy. That shouldn't be possible."

"Tooth's right. There shouldn't be any trace of her." North agrees.

I sit on the floor, trying to think of any possible way of this making sense. I go through what I know about Violet. She gives me nightmares, she speaks in my head, and she had to have been around long ago. It's almost as if..

"Violet is Pitch's daughter, isn't she?" I ask. I drag my eyes over to Cupid, noting his stiff posture.

"That's not- that's not possible." Jack says.

I stand up, starting to pace. "No, it makes perfect sense. Violet had to have been around a long time ago, longer than you guys. You guys were made to stop Pitch. Violet is able to give me nightmares. That Pitch's whole thing. Violet is in my head. Pitch did the same thing to Jack." I explain. "That's how Cupid knew her. Love and fear, those are some of the oldest emotions, those are the oldest stories."

All eyes turn to look at Cupid. Cupid hangs his head, eyes squeeze shut even though his back is to all of us.

"Thousands of years ago, it was just Pitch and I. We were the only spirits. Like Chrissy said, we were the oldest stories. The monster under the bed, the force connecting to people. For a while we coincided. People feared love, they loved despite fear. Then it happened, I didn't think it was possible. Pitch, he had gotten in front of one of my arrows. He was scaring this women who could see him and a man was coming to stop him. Had Pitch not moved, the man and women would have fallen in love. As it was, Pitch and the woman did, as I sent two arrows.

"It was actually really sweet, in a way. The two were together for years. Then Violet came along. I didn't know spirits and humans could have kids, but it happened. Eventually the woman died and Pitch was left with Violet. Since she isn't fully human, she has an extended life. I don't know if she's immortal like us, but she ages slowly. She was a kid in human terms for a couple hundred years. I met her officially for the first time when she was 17 in human terms.

"At first we hated each other. Violet blamed me for Pitch's sadness and I didn't like that she terrorized my newly formed couples into splitting. Eventually - and by that I mean another couple hundred years - we fell in love. I think she was about 20 or 21 in human terms when I proposed. We were so happy. But then she started to become weak. Every year she seemed weaker. I didn't know what to do. I asked Pitch but he only grew angry. Then the worst thing happened. Violet disappeared. Pitch went on a rampage. I think that's when you guys came along.

"Since then, there has been no word of Violet. Not from me, not from Pitch, not from any human. After all this time, this is the first I've heard of her." Cupid tells us.

I swallow down the tight feeling in my throat. Feelings later, my own sanity and the teams safety now.

"Well, we defeated Pitch before, all we have to do is the same thing, right?" Jack offers, staff at the ready.

"It's not that simple mate." Bunny tells him. "In order to get Violet out of Chrissy's head, she needs to come out on her own."

"What if, what if she didn't come out?" I ask, thinking of a plan.

"Chrissy-" I cut Jack off.

"No, listen. Sandy, is there a way for you to send someone into dreams?" I ask.

Sandy makes symbols over his head and I grin.

"What? What did he say?" Jack asks.

"He can. It's something Manny gifted him with after Pitch figured out how to do it." Tooth tells him.

"So you want all of us to go into your dreams?" Bunny asks.

"No. Just Jack and Cupid." I tell him.

"Why him?/Me?" Jack and Cupid ask at the same time.

"Well, first of all, Sandy needs to stay out to pull everyone out. Second, Cupid knows Violet so he has a better chance of getting her to reason with him. Third, Jack's powers are the only one's really suited for distance and close range fighting. Lastly, the rest of you need to stay out here incase Violet comes out, Cupid and Jack need help, or something happens to me." I explain.

"I like the sound of that." Jack agrees, Tooth, Sandy, and North nodding in agreement.

"I don't know, Chrissy. It sounds like it could go wrong in too many ways." Cupid interjects.

I look at him, hooking him with my staff so he's forced to look at me.

"I know the stakes Cupid. I'll be fine. Jack uses his powers? I have the same ones so they won't hurt me. You use an arrow and it hits me? Oh well. She wants to hurt the people I love and I'm not risking that, and I'm definitely not risking the world after I just took the oath and became a Guardian. So either you go in my head and help Jack, or he goes in alone. Either way, this is the plan." I tell him.

I stare at him, trying not to show how scared I am on my face.

"Fine. I'm in." Cupid agrees.