An Angel Rises

Chapter 19- Nightmares

Jack's hands slowly slipped off Avery's waist as they still kept eye contact.
"We should head back..." Jack blushed as he rubbed his neck, looking away. "Yeah..." Avery chuckled nervously as they both walked back.

It was a silent, awkward walk, for some reason they didn't speak at all. They would sometimes glance at each other, then quickly looking away.

They both walked inside the cabin, going inside their room. "So...goodnight?" Jack looked at her. She nodded and crawled into bed, so did he.

.

Averys P.O.V

I crawled into bed and laid there for a few seconds until I glanced at Jack, he was fast asleep. I chuckled as my eyes grew heavy...
All I thought about was that moment, that we were both together, laughing, playing, dancing...

Then I fell asleep.

But I woke up- or did I? It seemed like I was in a completely different reality, was I lucid dreaming?
I was chained to a wall, it was cold...but not freezing. The floor was dirty and dusty, my dress was disgusting, full of dirt. I heard whispers that I couldn't make out, but it sounded like a familiar voice...

"Hello?" I called us, trying to move around.
"Well, Hello there." I gasped as I saw Pitch appeared in front of me. "What are you doing here?!" I yelled. "I'm just here to give you a warning..." Warning? What does that mean... "I don't know WHO YOU think you are...leaving the North Pole, but I will find you, and you'll realize how powerless you guardians truly are, understood?"

"Pitch, I know why you're doing this. Your-"

"YOU THINK YOU KNOW?" He grabbed me by my throat and pushed me against the wall. "If you're so smart...tell me" He grinned. I couldn't speak, or even breathe! Let me go, please... "That's what I thought" He let me go as I fell, coughing.

"Just give up, you're not going to get what you want." He laughed.

.

Jacks P.O.V

I strangely woke up in the middle of my sleep, turning to my side I noticed Avery was tossing and turning. "You ok?" I spoke up. No response. "Avery?" I walked to her bed as my heart dropped, her halo was getting darker...and super fast. "Avery! Wake up!" I shook her aggressively.

"What's going on?" Bunny came in. "Her halo- It's..."
"Oh no," He ran to her side, trying to wake her up.
"NORTH! HELP!" Bunny yelled out.
North a ran in, gasping at Avery's state.
"What happened?!" North yelled. "She..I-...I don't know!" I panicked.

Avery gasped as she woke up as I heard some relief from them. "Are you okay?" I held her as she breathed heavily, looking around and sweating.
"She trusts you, come downstairs when she has calmed down..." North said as I nodded.
She sniffled as she trembled a bit. "Do you...Do you want to talk about it now?"
"Pitch..." Was all she muttered. "Anything else?"

She was silent.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me, just relax, ok?"
Her eyes closed and after a few minutes, she fell asleep. I laid her back down, watching her for a minute before heading downstairs.
"Jack-" I looked at North as he pointed to a chair. I sat down. I noticed that Tooth was awake and...slightly well, which relieved me. "...I think it's time we let Avery take a break." Tooth started.

"What?!" I gave a confused look.

"She's always helping us, Frost. She's tired..." Bunny said. "But she's the only one who can help us!"

"Jack-" North tried to say something, but I wasn't having it. "No, you guys can't give up on her, you can't."

"Somethings holding you back Jack, I know it." Tooth looked at me with a worried expression.

"And it's not about her helping us..." Bunny said.
"If we don't let her help us, it'll take forever to defeat Pitch. And while doing that, you guys will lose your powers, because that's what happens when no one believes in us. And if we don't get people to especially believer in her...she will disappear, just like sandy did."

The guardians looked away. "And I can't let that happen, because...I love her." They looked at back at me, surprised. A part of me regretted saying that...

"We know Jack, but soon...soon she's going to be weak..." North tried convincing me, but I'm not going to give up.
"Whatever." I went back to my room and sat in my bed, looking at Avery, fast asleep.

"I'm not going to let you go, I promise."