Guardians ~Black Plague-ch.7 A gift form a Friend.

Jack paced on the very top of a hill, covered in sparkling white snow. He froze intracet patters of ice, weaving elegantly withing each other, covering the entire surface of a large boulder. The patters took a reconizable form, not quite a solid figure, rather an outline filled with curling strings of thin ice. The icey silouet of a girl, with ling flowing hair and large staff clutched in one hand stared back at Jack as he admired his work, almost taunting its own creator. It had been weeks scince he had visited Tooth, and uncovered Blakcs past, and he has yet to see hide nor tail, nor even the whispy black traes of smoke from her cloak. He knew she could not be within a city for long, or she will begin to spread her awful sickness again, wether she wanted too or not, so he had glided around forests for hours, stoping only when it was too dark to see an inch in front of his own nose.

He paced back and forth trying to think. He worried that she had gone to another continent entierly, and he was just wasting his time searching this one. A loud booming laugh from above startled him. A familiar " Ho Ho Ho! sounded over the night, piercing through the howling winds. A large red flash dashed over Jack, and he waved as it passed by. It was christmas eve, and his friend North was hard at work. A small objects fell from the sky, landing safely in a large pile of snow. Curious, Jack picked it up, and examined it. IT was a snow white box, trimmed in silver curls that mimiced Jacks own icey artwork. A small blue bow was tied at its center, bearing a small white tag with Jacks name. He smiled to himself. Good ole St.Nick didnt forget him this holiday. He would have to thank him later, when he wasnt working at delivering gifts.

Jack carefully tore into the package, alost not wanting to destroy the beautiful, silver lined papers. Inside, a small, clear sphere was nestled safely inside a nest of tissure paper, dotted with tiney silver specks. Jack picke it up gently, and turned it in his palms. It was a simple, clear glass ball, nothing special as far as Jack could tell. Jack held it closer to his face squinting at it. It was from North, so there must be a purpose to it. He thought of Norths workshp, and the many toys that seemed to have a mind of its own. As he thought more of his friend, a small light appeared inside the ball. Jack stopped and watched curiously, but it vanished. Jack pondered this, and came up with an idea. He held the ballfirlmy in his hands, and concentrated on North, his red suite, his big sleigh, his reindeer and his many beautiful creations he passed out to the childred. The more Jack Concentrated, the brighter the light got, and soon Jack could make out an image. He could see North himself, riding along in the sleigh, slapping the reigns, urging his reindeer to go faster.

Jack could feintly see the landscape sroung him, the city lights whizzing by at the speed of light. Jack laughe dot himself. This was a way of watching his friends! He could be anywhere, bringing snowdays to kids and still have a  connection to his friends wherever they were. He made a mental note to thank North, when he wasnt working on delivering gifts. He turned the glass ball over in his palm, thinking on how clever his friend was when it hit him. He might be able to see Black with this! He held the ball firmly as he could, and concentrated on Black. He replayed the images from her past, from the moment she rose from the ash, to the time she fought Pitch, to the time she ended the plague. The light was very feint, and he found it becoming difficult to force another image. He remembered teh first time he saw her, pacing back and forth upon the ice covered lake, her legs barely disturbing hr cloak as she walked. He could almost see her, standing in the snow, as if she were right there with him. He could see her long raven hair, her glowing red eyes, tiney pale hands gently clutching her staff, hiding the shattered gem beneath strips of white cloth.


The light within the ball turned darker, an ashy gray fog twisted and turned, writhing inside the ball. It grew even darker as memories of her flooded Jacks mind. He thought of the gentle way she touched the mans cheek in the ally way, and the tears she shed as her sister ran strait through her, and the eart broken expression on her face when she visited her sister on her death bed. A soft, almost translucent image apeared in the ball, growing brighter, an diming over and over again. He could see her now, not fully, but well enough. He felt a stronge pressure press against him as he strained to keep the image. She's in a town, but, that doesnt make sense! He thought. The srea around Black was indeed a street, filled with buildings, but the longer Jack looked, the more he noticed was not right. Buildings were borded up, broken glass was strewn about, most buildings were either severly damaged or were compleatly walled up with rotting pieces of lumber. ' Closed ' signs were eveywhere, and not a single street light was lit.

" Its a ghost town." Jack realized. Black could not live amoun the mortals, so she took to living in a ghost town. He thought. he searched and searched for some kind of clue as to where exactly she was, but the image began fading as the stress proved too much. He caught sight of her again, sitting crossed legged in the middle of a street cluttered with litter and debre. She held her staff in one hand, and held out the other, extending it to some shadowy creature Jack could not make out. She looked to the sky, allowing their eyes to meet briefly. Jack caught a glimse of shining crimson, before the surface of the glass cracked. She image receeded quickly, and the last thing Jack saw was a small sign, a few letters missing, but you could still tell what it said.


" Welome, to Bodie. "