"Jack!" I screamed.
  I sat there watching him the mighty Guardian Jack Frost on his knees in the snow.
  "Please no!" I screamed louder beating on the edges of my inky black cage. His icy blue eyes met mine, he was scared, I cried louder I screamed and pounded my fists.
  "Elli" His voice a whisper on the wind.
  I lost it, "Jack!"
  I was shaking the fear driving me mad.
  "Let him go please, please!" I pleaded at Pitch.
  The man shrouded in black smiled looking pleased with himself.
  "Why?" Was the only cruel words out of his mouth.
  He held his hand out to Jack waiting for him to take it, I couldn't let this happen I wouldn't.
 "I won't let you! I'll protect him!" I pounded my fists against the darkness of the cage.
  "Funny how your father said the same thing." He laughed.
  "Don't you dare say anything about my dad!" I was panting in anger.
  "The first believer in Jack Frost," the name rolled cruelly from his lips, "He stopped me last time, now I get my revenge."
  I could feel my eyes flow over with tears as I fell to my knees this wasn't happening, it couldn't be.
  Should I have started at the beginning? I'm Elli and as I sit in this cage I'm trying to remember where it all went wrong. What was the ammo for this loaded gun?
The first snow fall of my 17th birthday? No too soon it was before that.
The day I said I wasn't afraid of anything? No, no, that's close but, not yet.
It was the stories my dad told, there we go, the Guardians the protector of children.
I remember hearing them how he even helped them and befriended them, even after everyone had stopped believing he never gave up hope. I hung onto every word. In truth Jack was always my favorite and even as I grew older it kind of broke my heart when people blew Jack Frost off as an expression.
  I never saw the Guardians like my dad, though one time I thought I heard the tooth fairy sneak into my room when I was 10 that really got me to believe more. I knew and swear even now I heard the flutter of wings and saw a flash of blue green by my bed.
Also my favorite Christmas when Santa left a special letter for my dad I remember the golden cursive so delicate for such a burly man as he was described to me.
It had said,
  'Happy holidays Jamie,
  You've grown up so fast. Don't lose your faith , thanks for believing in us all even now. Share that belief oh and make sure you keep Elli on the Nice list okay.
   From,
  North and the Guardians.'
   We had that letter sitting on our fireplace forever.
  Fast forwarding though, sure I still believed but growing up your expected to think its all a hoax. So I put up a front I tried to avoid the topic of believing in any magical beings. When it did come up though I just went with the crowd and said no. I always muttered an apology under my breath to the Guardians.
My dad started having nightmares, that's when the magic ended. I wasn't aloud out after dark soon unless I snuck out. He always wanted me in his sight, at the time I couldn't understand why.
  My mum left that same year saying she had enough of his childish games, and my dad started drinking, not a lot but, he could barley hold that much liquor. By 17 I started wondering where the Guardians were.
  It was the first snow fall and boy was it beautiful under the glittering moon, I had to go explore it before anyone else could touch it.
  I snuck out the window climbing onto a shaky branch on a close by tree. At this point I was becoming a pro at it.
 I didn't grab a coat or shoes that would mean actually having to be sneaky around my dad and if he caught me explaining why I had them upstairs.
 I walked gingerly through the cold feeling my jeans soak up the moisture.
I rubbed the goose bumps on my arms and smiled as I blew out smoke like a dragon.  I laughed at the freedom of it all, as the snow fell silently around me I twisted around leaving my footprints behind.
I stuck out my tongue catching the flaks finding myself giggling.
 "Oh Mr. Jack Frost thank you for this feeling." I smiled shouting into a gust of wind dancing on my cold feet.
 I fell back into the snow closing my eyes letting the snow cover me like a cold icy blanket.  The feeling of  being free from worry or troubles was what I always thanked Jack for.
  "Your gonna catch a cold." I heard a boys voice.
  I sat up fast as the wind picked up into my face, I squinted my eyes. Looking around I only saw the streetlights glittering not a soul insight.
  I smiled to myself, "Thanks for the advice Jack." I said in a mocking tone to myself.
I stood up brushing the snow from my ass.
  "Your welcome. Wait I mean you heard that?" The boys voice rang through the wind again.
  I feel back into the snow pile startled, "Who's there!" I called hiding my face with my hands shaking from the cold.
  Some one stood over me I could feel it though I never heard their footsteps. I peeked through my fingers seeing a boy in a blue pullover hoodie, torn up skinny pants, no shoes, white hair, pale skin and piercing blue eyes holding a beaten up frost covered staff.
My pale grey eyes grew wide as I lay back in the snow feeling my skin starting to sting.
 "I really didn't mean to startle you, I just got over excited." The smile kind of turned into more of a smirk.
 "Your Jack Frost." I smiled whispering.
  He looked a little surprised and nodded his head.
  I jumped out of the snow slightly dizzy but, I didn't care the moment I found the stories were real was the moment my heart felt whole again.
  I hugged him, he was cold, colder then the snow and I shivered against him and felt the nip of frost on my clothes.
  He moved away quickly, "I wasn't kidding about that cold."
  I looked at my hands and noticed how red my arms were, frost bite, I shrugged.
"Eh its just a cold. No big."
  "But then you can't enjoy your snow day tomorrow." He winked.
  I smiled still in disbelief, "Then I better get home."
  "You want me to walk you, don't you? I am a celebrity and all." He smirked.
  I thought of my dad, "Jamie misses you." I said silently.
  The boy stopped spinning his staff in his hands and he was still, he could have passed for a statue.
  "Jamie?" His eyes held longing.
  "The boy who helped you stop Pitch, do you remember him?" I asked curiously hoping.
   "The first kid to believe in me, of course I remember him, how do you know him?"
  "I'm his daughter Elli. He always talks about the stories of the Guardians."
  Jack smiled, "Does he now, then you must know how great I am." He fixed his sweatshirt then knocked his staff on the ground causing ice to cover the ground.
I felt my bare feet slide out from under me and the chill as I slid across the ground.
I let out a shriek of laughter as I noticed I was sliding towards my house on an ice path guided by Jack.  
  I laughed and smiled at him as I told him which empty street to take. He laughed as he took all the long ways.
  The choice that shed light against the dark was made at he door. Jack had helped me off the ice path as I slid around.
He walked me to the door and I stopped short.
  "Something wrong?"
  "I'm not suppose to be out, I climbed through the window to get myself out here. If I walk thought the front door im so dead." I groaned.
  Jack took my cold hand in his icy palm, "I will do all the explaining no worries."
   As I opened the door I was shaking a little, "H-Hey dad it's me." I said almost in a whisper. "D-Dad." I called through the house, "If your mad I think I have a surprise that can make it better." I said slowly starting down the entrance hallway to the kitchen. "D-Dad?"
  As I rounded the corner I could feel Jack starting to edge in behind me.
  "Elli are you sure hes home?"
   "He has to be, he stopped leaving the house after dark once the nightmares started." I explained.
  "Nightmares?" Jack questioned, "Elli wait." He hissed.
  I was already turning the corner of the hall peeking slightly to see a dark stallion with fiery  eyes.
  It was galloping around my dad as he sat at the counter head against the marble, its nostrils flaring, I felt my legs turn to jelly and my heart dropped into my stomach. I was afraid of the monstrous creature as it seemed to take over the whole room and swirl around leaving dark inky traces behind.  
 "Dad!" I yelled and started to run into the kitchen only to feel a cold hand tug me backwards into the hall. "Let me go!" I yelled at him.
  "Elli we have to go." He said rushed.
   "Are you crazy no way am I going." I crossed my arms.
  I looked back at my dad the horse was gone, I sighed relieved, "Trick of the light." I smiled at Jack, he just looked confused and concerned.
  I felt it first the feeling of being uneasy and then a deep pain like I was splitting in two.
  I ground my teeth.
  "Elli?" Jack put a hand on my shoulder but I never felt it.
 Something pushed him away just as I noticed my shadow wasn't my own but the one of the horse.
  "Jack?" My vision was blurry as I felt myself fall back in slow motion. I never hit the ground though, instead I stopped breathing in an instant as dark enveloped me. I wanted to panic I wanted to shout and be afraid but, as my fear grew it only made my captive stronger helping him hold me at bay.
I was able to look around me and turn slightly, I noticed the way I was laying I was inside the horse, Jack wasn't alone there was a dark shadow of a man standing near him petting the horse gratefully.
 I strained to move I could feel my voice like a bubble in my chest I needed to breath.
  "Jack!" It sounded muffled to me inaudible caught in the inky texture. His head moved slightly though I had his attention, "Jack help." I said in another muffled tone.
That did it the icy glare in his eyes grew piercing the shadow man, I didn't know what he was saying but , as he raised his staff I knew Jack was serious.
 The man snapped his fingers looking furious, "Happy?" I heard a deep angry voice, it belonged to the shadow. "Unharmed as you wished." He bowed moving over to reveal me now sprawled on the floor realizing I could breath again and sputtering and gasping to pull the air into my lungs.
    "Elli." Jack threw his staff forward a white blast going towards the shadow man.
   It missed and froze the wall behind me, I rolled to my side trying to avoid the cold frost now spreading. I watched the door open and the horse disappear into the night the man stopped a beat and pointed at me, "Better keep an eye on the prize Jack."  He snickered before fading away into the night.
   Jack was by my side in and instant helping me to my feet, "What the hell was that?" I struggled forming my words.
   "You just met the boogieman, or Pitch to us Guardians. He's a thing of nightmares, well he makes them anyway. The guy isn't that scary." Jack chuckled.
   I slugged him one in the arm which was enough to throw him off balance as I went to my dad shaking his shoulder.
   "Wake up, just get up." I pleased until I heard him stir.
   He grumbled then blinked looking at me, "Elli you shouldn't be out of bed, go upstairs do you have any idea what time it is?"
   I stared at him, I just helped him and he wanted me back in my room, "I thought I heard something so I came to check on you. You were having a bad dream."