An Angel Rises

Chapter 3- Returned and Cursed

Later that night I decided to sleep where I usually relaxed, underneath a large tree oak tree that rested near a lake. Even though it wasn't necessary to sleep, It just felt right. Falling asleep was a bit hard because I haven't slept in many years, it was never necessary. But I eventually fell asleep.

During the night I recall feeling a cold breeze swoop my body, waking up, I looked around thinking a storm was forming.
Nope. The weather seemed clear. I shrugged it off and laid back down but not even a minute passed and the same breeze tickled my body. This time a lot colder.

This time I got up to look around, but nothing was wrong. When I stopped looking, before I could turn around I felt a sharp anxious pain in my gut, a gut feeling.

As if someone was there...

I turned around and froze as I saw a dark, tall, figure that appeared as a man. He grabbed me quickly by my dressed and pushing me against the tree as I gasped loudly.

I kicked with all my might, but he was too strong. Eventually, I awoke. Bolting out of my sleep, I gasped as I looked around, no one was there. I calmed myself down, maybe just a bad dream. But it felt so real, why did that thing seem...recognizable?

I looked in front of me and the sun was slowly coming up, I sighed and decided to visit North's workshop, I think it would be important to apologize for how I reacted last night...

.

As I arrived, I noticed how dark it seemed inside. "What the...?"

I saw shadows shifting around, it seemed as if the guardians were already there. I managed to sneak in through an open area. I noticed how it was dim and dark, the power went out as I noticed everyone slightly freaking out.

"Is everything alright?" I ask. Before anyone could answer a swarm of black dust started forming on norths large globe. I took a step back as I watched it form into a...person? It looked like the person from my dream!

I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked at the other guardians, judging by their facial expressions it seems like they have seen this thing before as well.
"What are you doing here?!" I hear North frantically yell at something as he protected the other guardians.

Sudden laughter echoed around the room as the ground shook, this person grew larger and larger.

"I notice you've discovered a new guardian..." The person said.
"WE WON'T LET YOU HURT HER!" Tooth yelled.
"Stay back, Pitch," Jack said, aiming his staff at him with an angered expression on his face.

"Pitch?" I mumble as this so-called pitch person looks at me.

I feel my heart skip a beat.

He slithers towards me as he aggressively lifts up my chin, forcing me to look at him. "What a gorgeous little guardian you are" He grins. Jack leaps in front of me, protecting me.
"I SAID STAY BACK!" He yelled as Pitch pushed him away. I gasped, before I knew it I felt a sting rush down my body as Pitch was grabbing my halo.

I rusty gasp escaped my throat as I weakly reached for him to let go, watching my gold halo slowly turn black.

"GAHH!" Bunny groaned as he grabbed pitch by his shoulders and yanked him down as I fell down, gasping for dear life as my chest goes up and down rather aggressively. I stand up and fly weakly to the other guardians, to protect myself.

North frantically searched for a snow globe to teleport pitch out of his workshop. He finally finds one and throws it where the pitch is standing. Before pitch falls in he aims his hand at me and shoots at my halo as I feel myself fall on my back.
My breath escaping my chest as I panic, kicking my legs and having my hands pressed against my chest, begging for air to come in.

Tooth and sandman came rushing towards me as the other guardians quickly notice and do the same.
"Quick! H-how do we help her?!" Jack asked frantically. "Her halo!" Bunny yells, pointing out the discoloration of my halo. The guardians panic as I feel myself go purple and my throat becomes cold and dry.

Sandman struggles to tell the guardians how to help me, noticing my lack of air he panics and grips onto my halo, using his powers to help me breathe.
I gasped as I pound the ground alerting the guardians, they all look at me, jack was the first one to ask if I was okay.

"A-Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah...T-Thank you..." I say raspingly, as I look at sandman and thank him.
"Quick, I'll take care of her." Tooth says as she picks me up.

My body was weak and as I tried to stay awake my eyes fluttered shut.

Everything was dark.

Why does my head hurt so much?

"Ughhh..."

I groaned as I woke up. I felt so tired, and my head hurt like there was no tomorrow.

It was quiet.

Was had happened? I probably had another bad dream. But I wasn't at the tree, or even outside for that matter...I was in a room, on a bed.

I say up and rubbed my head as I heard slight footsteps.

I froze, it was to dark made it harder to see who was approaching me.

"Hey!"
It was Jack. I sighed in relief "Hi."

"The rest of the guardians had to leave- but, I didn't mind staying"

I smiled a bit.

"Awesome"

He walked over and sat on the edge of my bed. "Are you feeling ok? Any questions?"
I cocked my eyebrow. "Yeah...I'm fine..why?"
"You don't remember? that scary guy that grabbed you?" He looked a bit confused.

"So that wasn't a dream" I mumbled. "Oh um- right, who was that? and why were they so..mad."

"That thing that you saw, his name is Pitch, also known as the bogeyman. And...right now we don't know- we don't know how and why he managed to come back..." he answered.
I looked down as I processed all that information.
"Hows your halo doing?" He broke the silence. I forgot pitch had injured my halo, I touched it as I felt a burn on my hand. "OUCH!" I shook my hand.

"Not so good huh.." He mumbled. "Here," He moved closer with some ice.
For some reason, I started to panic and backed to the wall as some magic sparked from my halo.

"Woah!" He chuckled. "No need to be feisty, it won't hurt, it'll be cold, but painless."
I gulped. He placed the ice on my halo as I shivered, but feeling relieved.

"Still black..." Jack mumbled. I looked at my reflection in the foggy window, still seeing the black mark on my halo. I grumbled.

"I don't understand," I looked at him. "How do you know uh..."
"Pitch, well...it's a long story.."

"He wasn't a good person. Never, I mean. His purpose was to haunt children's imagination and stop them from believing.

Many years ago he was so close to ending kid's ability to believe in the guardians, but we defeated him. but now that he's back...I don't know what we will do now.."

I watched as Jack looked down, looking rather stressed and sad.
Even though pitch injured me, I wouldn't let the guardians fight him alone...that is if he tried to do anything.
"Listen- Pitch might have hurt me but that doesn't mean I won't help you defeat him if he does anything."
He looked at me and smiled.

"You really were destined to be a guardian..."