I must've been awake all night, thinking about Kathryn's letter.
Throughout the night, I read the letter over and over, and I almost felt like she was here, with me. I could almost see her big green eyes sparkling as she told me about the more exciting parts, and the new home that she had found.
I knew she wasn't really bad. I knew it from the start. I never stopped believing in her.
Before I knew it, the sky began to lighten, as the sun rose slowly over the mountains. I stared out the window, watching the sky turn from black to light grey.
I thought about Kathryn. Somewhere, she was watching the same sunrise right now...
Knowing North would be there soon, I quickly slipped my hoodie over my head and grabbed my staff, just before my bedroom door swung open.
"Good morning, Jack!" North said happily. He smiled. "Oh, good, good. You're already awake. Breakfast is ready downstairs for you."
I smiled slightly. "I've been awake for a while," I said, swinging my feet out from under my covers, and flying past him. "Make sure everyone is at breakfast! I need to tell you all something important! The Man in the Moon too!"
I was excited. I'll be there soon, Kathryn... We'll be there soon.
. . .
When everyone came down to breakfast, and saw Jack so excited, they knew that his news would be something huge. This was the most excited he had been in weeks, or at least since Kathryn had left.
His eyes lit up as he spoke, explaining what Pitch was planning. He also explained that Kathryn was going to help them, but he kept her letter a secret.
"Great!" North exclaimed, once Jack had finished. "So Kathryn does want to be Guardian! She can help us once again!"
Tooth nodded in agreement, buzzing around the room with her fairies. "I wonder what her center will be? And what she'll control?" she said excitedly. "Ooo! And where will she be stationed? How will we be able to contact her when we need her?"
The Man in the Moon chuckled slightly, running his fingers through his light hair. "She'll stay in the Palais. She's been there so long I wouldn't want to move her again." he said. "And she'll probably want to control something scary... Pitch controls Halloween, so she'll probably be spirits or something."
Kathryn's voice rattled around in Jack's head as he watched the Guardians plan for something he knew would never happen. I don't want to be a Guardian. I just want my life back.
"No!" he exclaimed, interrupting the small celebration that had started. "Kathryn doesn't want to be a Guardian... She never has, and she never will. She just knows that what Pitch is doing isn't right. But she doesn't want to be a Guardian!"
He understood where Kathryn was coming from. Kathryn was a wandering spirit - being a Guardian would take that away from her. She would be tied down to doing a certain thing, with responsibilities that he knew she didn't want.
Tooth tilted her head, a small smile creeping onto her face, that she tried (and failed) to hide. "Jack, how do you know?" she asked.
I can't tell them about her letter... he thought. Before he could think of an excuse, words were already pouring out of his mouth.
"Because unlike some of you, I actually got to know Kathryn, for being more than just the Man in the Moon's niece, and Pitch Black's daughter." he replied, with a slight tone of bitterness in his voice. "I know that she has been alive for almost 3000 years, and all she's ever wanted was to have her own life. She died when she was nine - all she's ever wanted was to be able to grow up and have her own life. She's a wandering spirit - do you really think she wants to be stuck as a Guardian for the rest of her life?"
