Gale of Memories

Chapter 9: Anger and Loneliness

Chapter 9: Anger and Loneliness

The next memory opened in a blur of color and chaos. Frost had broken into North's Workshop again, and been caught by Phil. Though the Yeti seemed put out, he also seemed to slowly be growing fond of the young winter spirit.

"How many times did you try to break into workshop?" North asked, curious.

"Hm... well if I had to guess, I'd say probably at least 15 times a year, if not more." Jack answered after a moment.

"Didn't you have somethin' better to do?" Bunny shot Jack a disapproving glare.

"No, not really. Other than spreading Winter, trying to break into Santa's workshop and pranking the random bystander was my only real pastime." Jack shrugged.

"What about hanging out with friends?" Tooth suggested worriedly, and Jack couldn't help but scoff.

"What friends?" He muttered lowly, but they all managed to catch it.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bunny furrowed his brows.

"You guys really don't get it, do you?" Jack huffed. He was becoming frustrated with how the other Guardians kept trying to sugarcoat his 300 years of solitude. They had this idea in their head that he'd had people to rely on. That he'd had friends or something... He had no idea where they got that notion from, but it was wrong.

"I'm sorry?" Tooth tilted her head. She was somewhat offended at the tone Jack had taken with them, but figured that her Sweet Tooth was just stressed from watching these memories.

"Hey, now, there's no need to go bitin' people's heads off." Bunny twitched in irritation.

"I think I've every right to bite people's heads off. You keep making light of those three hundred years of Hell. You have no idea what I went through! None! Do you have any concept of how lonely it is?! When nobody can see you! Or hear you! And those that can want nothing to do with you?! And if you're lucky, they'll simply ignore you, and pretend you don't exist. For three centuries, that was all I'd ever known! And while you guys sat around, bribing children into seeing you, and became drunk off your belief, I was running for my life and scavenging trash bins for my dinner! But oh, who cares about Jack fucking Frost anyhow?! He's a spirit, so nobody really cares! Nobody likes winter anyways, so we'd be better off with him dead! Yet no matter how many times they tried, I just wouldn't die. Guess I'm just cursed that way. And you know what?! Jamie was the first kid who wasn't dying to see me, but he'll die one day, too! And with him and his friends, my belief will be gone again." He took several deep, calming breaths.

He didn't realize he'd started yelling. These words had been locked up within him for so long, and now that there were people to listen to him, it'd all come bursting forth like the breaking of some great dam.

The Guardians stared at him wide-eyed. Tooth had tears running down her face, and Bunny looked like he'd been punched in the gut. Sandy looked angry (on Jack's behalf), and North had paled quite dangerously. The silence rung in the ears of all five people.

Luckily, before anyone could say anything else, the memory took over again, having finished the little montage of breaking into the Workshop.

"Hey, Wind... did you know? The Japanese word for you is 'kaze'." Frost grinned as he leaned back against a snow bank. "If you want, I can call you Kaze, like a name. Wind is kind of more like what you are, rather than who you are." He laughed as the newly dubbed Kaze ruffled his hair.