"Good morning Jack," Kate breathed. She had missed seeing his iris'. It was an odd thing to miss, but she never realized how much life his open eyes held. Save for his rising and falling chest, Jack may as well have been dead for three days.
As much as Kate longed to disregard all of her newfound duties and just be with Jack, she knew she didn't have that luxury.
Jack blinked a few times before focusing his gaze on Kate. The edges of his mouth pulled up and he graced her with the most beautiful smile she had ever witnessed in all of her existence.
"I assume that lovely smile means you're feeling better?"
"Yeah," Jack croaked, still smiling. His voice was scratchy from days of disuse. "I haven't felt this good in a long time actually."
"That's good, I'm so glad you're happy," She attempted a warm smile, but instead it came across as forced and a little sad.
Jack caught onto her discomfort, and his wild, brown brows slowly knit together. "What's wrong?"
Kate was caught off-guard and sharply inhaled in a moment of vulnerability. No, not yet. Not until the others are here.
She had almost forgotten herself in Jack's gaze, but quickly snapped out of it and turned to face the fairy still standing in the doorway. "Let the others know he's awake"
* * * *
Once the other guardians started filing into my room, Kate directed them to pull up a chair and gather around my bed. I personally would have been much more comfortable with a normal guardian meeting in our usual meeting room. I tried to protest but was immediately shot down with a, "you're still healing, you need to save your strength."
As horribly annoying as it was to have to look so vulnerable in front of the others, something about Kate's demeanor seemed much more powerful than before, so I obeyed.
The elves seemed to have missed me more than anyone, as they welcomed themselves to my lap. The yetis were much less forward but hovered in the doorway nonetheless.
"Nice to have you back, sleeping beauty," teased Bunny.
I didn't even attempt to hide my smirk at his remark. "Missed you too, kangaroo."
He smirked right back and then took a seat next to North. Baby Tooth claimed the spot on my shoulder and snuggled up to my neck. Pitch walked in last and took a seat so far away from the other guardians that he was basically in the corner. He nodded his greetings to me and I made a mental note to thank him for everything he's done for me later; maybe then he'd feel less like an outcast.
Looking around this room full of people who care about me and were worried about me, made me really glad I didn't kill myself.
"Now that everyone is here, Jack I'm sorry I didn't wait to tell the others but-" Kate proceeded to tell me that Manny made her a spirit because she saved me while I was partially mortal.
In my stunned state I accidentally said what I was thinking aloud, "remind me to kiss Manny later," which earned me a thin layer of chuckles from around the room, one of which was Kate's.
"Yeah me too, I feel my mother's presence now that I'm essentially dead. That means she's probably dead too but at least I have a chance of seeing her again this way." Kate said, looking at her hands. Just like the day we met, I thought.
When Kate looked up and noticed everyone staring at her with sympathetic eyes, she cleared her throat and asked, "so Jack do you have any questions?" In an attempt to quickly change the subject.
"Nope, I think you pretty much answered all of them."
"Great," North clapped his hands together and then continued, "I have to get back to toy brainstorming with yeti's," and stood up to leave.
Kate put out a hand and said, "wait, actually, there's one more thing."
I looked around the room, and based on the faces of the others, they had no idea what it could be either.
"I was waiting to tell everyone once Jack woke up because it mainly only affects him. Um," Kate hesitated as she looked at me. "Manny told me something slightly alarming regarding the spirit eater."
My heart instantly started pounding.
"Every spirit was once a human. The spirit eater had an identity before he died. Manny was in the middle of explaining everything before he abruptly stopped contacting me. All I know for sure is that Manny was alluding to Jack being connected to the spirit eater's human identity somehow, and that there's a chance that this wont be over until we figure out what he wants with you."
Kate's words crashed into my head like a violent ocean wave. My face was blank for the few moments it took me to process this new information.
And suddenly my feet were under me and I was running far and fast from everything I couldn't face. The elves who had made themselves at home on my lap were now on the floor, and Baby Tooth was clinging to my shoulder for dear life.
"Jack, wait!" Called out Pitch.
I didn't even bother looking back.
I left North's place and flew until I was sure no one was anywhere near me. When I finally landed on a snowy plane, Baby Tooth released her death grip on my hoodie and started scolding me for ruffling her feathers. She was still comedically bickering as I formed a sharp icicle and rolled up my sleeve with a blank look on my face. I shocked myself with how reflexive this kind of response to anything remotely bad had become. I almost, almost thought against it, but then I heard that dreaded familiar voice in my head.
'This is what you deserve,' the spirit eater's voice echoed in my mind.
Right, this again. Go away, I thought.
'Not until you do what we both want you to.'
"Fine," I growl under my breath, getting Baby Tooth's attention. Her eyes widen with horror as I run the sharp point across my horrifyingly scarred arm. I only get in two swift cuts before Baby Tooth attempts to rip the icicle from my hand. I didn't want her to get hurt, so I let go and she threw it into the snow.
When I dared to look into her concerned eyes all I could manage to say was, "I'm sorry. That was just a lapse in judgement, please don't tell the others," and started making my way as slowly as possible back to the North Pole.
I didn't hear from the Spirit Eater for a while after, so at least, there's that.
