Not All Those Who Wander are Lost Ch 2

Chapter 2: All the Best Laid Plans

Fall: September
Monday: Burgess am, New York midday, Montreal evening
Tuesday: Memphis am, Vancouver midday, Denver evening
Wednesday: Winnipeg am, Minneapolis midday, whatever
Thursday: THIS IS STUPID Washington DC am

“Uuuuugh.” Jack dropped the pencil he'd been scribbling with and curled up in a ball on the tabletop. “I can't do this. How do they all manage it?” One of the elves offered him a half-eaten gingerbread cookie in consolation. He was in the North Pole's expansive kitchen, making his first attempt at being a good, organized little Guardian. Though North didn't bring it up again, Jack knew that his actions the previous day had disappointed him. He had to do something to redeem himself, and coming up with his own Fall schedule seemed like a good place to start. For a snow sprite with zero organizational skills and the attention span of a caffeinated kitten this was a monumental task.

Jack uncurled from the fetal position and stared at the paper again. Okay, maybe he shouldn't start in Burgess. Once there he probably wouldn't want to leave. It should be somewhere toward the middle of the month, as a special treat. Maybe he should push it all the way back to Halloween, that way he could spend the holiday with his friends. He could start on the west coast. California was nice that time of year, even if it could stand to be colder.

Jack was supposed to bring some light frost, help the trees change from Summer green to Autumn gold. It was too early for snow and storms in many places, although a cold snap here and there couldn't hurt. He scribbled one in for Denver in the middle of the month. “There. What do you think?” he asked the elf that had offered him the cookie. The little creature tilted his head for a moment, then shook it “no”. He hopped over to the map that Jack had laid on the table, pointing to North America. Then he gestured toward the rest of the map. Oh right. Jack groaned. It was Fall in the entire northern hemisphere, not just his continent. He reached for another sheet of paper. This was even more difficult than he'd initially thought. He'd have to balance out entire continents. Wonderful.

Jack contemplated the map. His eyes traveled to Italy. Venice. Pitch. He still couldn't believe that the Nightmare King had skipped out of the Guardians' meeting with him. They'd had fun. Jack had always thought there was more to Pitch than what the other Guardians saw, and now he was sure of it. The man fascinated him. Underneath that calm facade he had a sense of humor and a major attitude. He was sarcastic, dignified, terrifying, and intelligent. All qualities Jack could admire. He had an open invitation to Pitch's lair now, and he was sorely tempted to take it.

Jack thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. No. It hadn't been more than a day, and he didn't want to seem like a lost puppy looking for someone to follow. He didn't even have half a month's worth of plans worked out yet. He had to focus, show North and the others that he wasn't an irresponsible Guardian. He'd get this schedule done, follow it, and work Venice and Burgess into it somehow. He could do it all. He just had to figure out how. Jack glared at the map. Good thing spirits like him could cross the globe in the blink of an eye. Maybe he could zigzag across the continents. Make it interesting.

“Ah Jack, there you are!” North boomed. Jack awoke with a jump, blinking in confusion. He peeled a paper off the side of his face. Oh yeah, he'd been writing. He didn't remember falling asleep. It was a mark of just how mind-numbing this whole organization thing was. “I wondered where you were. Thought maybe you'd left again.” North strode to the table, offering a tray of hot cocoa. Jack accepted one, waving a stack of papers.

“Nope. I'm still here. Making a schedule, see? I can do this.”

North examined the chicken scratches that Jack had been making. After a moment, he nodded. “Is good start! I like it. Take it one month at a time, you will get better!” Jack managed a grin. Yeah, this was going to be great. He'd be weighed down with responsibility in no time, just like the rest of them. Fun, fun, fun. “I am glad to see you working hard, Jack.” North smiled. “Now we just need Kozmotis to be bit more accommodating, and all will be good. I believe in two of you. Now I must get back to work, is getting to be crunch time you know.” He gave Jack a final wide grin, grabbed some cookies, and waded back through the sea of elves and Yetis toward his study.

Jack sighed, letting the papers fall to the floor with a gentle rustling sound. That's the sound of my freedom slipping away, he thought morbidly. He downed the remainder of the cocoa, rolled up the map, and gathered the fallen papers. He'd start his new, structured life as a Guardian in the morning, he decided. He had a headache from all that writing, and Jack figured that it was one of those rare occasions where he should actually sleep. He rose into the air halfheartedly, soaring out of the bustling kitchen toward the guest room he'd been given.

The next morning dawned irritatingly bright. Jack rolled out of bed unwillingly, donning his hoodie and stuffing the schedule in the front pocket. He sought out North, who was busy carving ice blocks in his study. “Alright. I'm off. Places to go, seasons to change, fun to spread and all that. I'll remember to check in, and no out-of-season blizzards.” He tried to look happy.

“Good, good!” North looked up from his carving. “Have fun, Jack! I am glad to see you putting in best effort!”

“Yeah, always. It's me, after all.” Ha, ha. Have fun, that was a good one. Inwardly Jack wanted to scream. He bid North farewell and shot out of the workshop before he had a chance to change his mind. I can do this. I'm a Guardian. I faced the Nightmare King and the Queen of Air and Darkness. I can handle a simple little schedule. Jack glided over the blue and white ice fields, turning toward his first destination, Yosemite in California. He loved the steep granite mountains, tall trees, and clear winding river. Jack reminded himself that, at the very least, he could still be out in the world, instead of cooped up inside a building or underground like the others. That was definitely a blessing.

At first, things didn't seem so bad. He'd gone with the zigzag method, jumping back and forth between North America, Europe, and Asia., starting in the north and moving slowly southward. He ran through forests and fields, soared over rivers and streams. It was still fun, to be sure, but not the same as before. Knowing he had to be in a certain place at a certain time weighed heavily on him. As the days passed, his annoyance grew.

Now that he was a Guardian, other spirits took notice. Some actually began to talk to him, but his busy schedule left him little time for chatting. He had to pass up an offer to party with the kitsune in Kyoto because he had to be in Portland by evening, and had to cut short an interesting discussion with some Selkies in Orkney to be in St. Petersburg later that day. He often encountered the Little Teeth as they went about their business, and in the evenings sometimes he'd see Sandy. There were a few times he thought he saw Seraphina's shape in leaves or waves, but he could never be sure. He did see Nightmares, though. They weren't the same as Pitch's original creations. These had silver eyes, the result of starlight silver mixing into the dark dreamsand when Jack's friends had returned Pitch's power during the battle with Mab. The spectral horses would sometimes gallop alongside him as he flew. He wondered if Pitch was using them to keep an eye on him. Jack brushed away that thought. Why would Pitch care what he was up to? He had his own duties to take care of, and wouldn't waste his time tracking the wanderings of a transient frost sprite.

Halfway through the second week, Jack realized that he was going to go insane if things kept up the way they were. The weather had been right for a nice big storm in Frankfurt but no, he'd scheduled himself to be on the other side of the world. The trees in Calgary looked nice enough already, they couldn't get much more colorful. He was starting to get angry now, and accidentally unleashed a small snowstorm. Oops. Well, at least he got one good storm in. They could use a little excitement anyway, and he could use a break. Jack sighed and turned toward the North Pole. Maybe talking to North again would help. He flew for a few miles, then paused.

Screw that. Talking to North hadn't really gotten him anywhere before, and besides, the Guardian of Wonder was busy with the holiday crunch. Bunnymund wouldn't understand either, to him the changing of the Seasons was incredibly important. Bunny was to Spring and Summer what Jack was to Fall and Winter. Except, well, better at it. Toothiana was busy day and night directing her Little Teeth, and he didn't feel like tracking down Sandy. Jack turned toward Italy. He didn't want to see the other Guardians. He wanted to see Pitch. “Hey wind,” he called. “Take me to Venice!”

The antique city sat on an island in the middle of the Laguna Veneta, in the country's north. Jack always thought the island was shaped sort of like a fish. The Grand Canal ran through the western portion, while smaller channels wound their way throughout the entire island. It was a giant maze, with crumbling edifices and hidden alleyways. He'd brought snow to Venice a few times, though not as often as he'd liked. Jack landed atop the Campanile in the Piazza San Marco, trying to decide on his next course of action. He could wait for a Nightmare to pass by, or explore on his own. Since sitting around wasn't his strong suite, Jack decided on Option Two.

He hopped off the Campanile and down one of the myriad alleys. The architecture seemed almost impossible at times, with narrow walkways at the water's edge, delicate bridges, and buildings whose doors and windows were practically submerged. Gondolas glided across the water, mostly carrying tourists. It was a bustling, lively place. Flowers hung from nearly every balcony and terrace, their scent filling the air. Jack drifted down one narrow alleyway after another, aware that evening was falling. He bounded up the decaying brick walls, hopping from balcony to balcony until he reached the rooftops. Lights were coming on throughout the city, their glow reflected in the water.

“Come on, Nightmares. Where are you?” He prowled along the roof, tracing little lines of frost with his staff. He heard a rustling overhead, and a dark shape raced by. Jack had never been so happy to see a Nightmare. “Hey!” he called after it. “Wait up!” The creature reared to a halt, staring at him with shimmering silver eyes. “I wanna talk to Pitch. He said it was okay. Can you take me to him?” The Nightmare snorted and darted across the canal to another alley, pausing to look back at him expectantly. He followed. The Nightmare wove through the tightly clustered buildings, disappearing inside one of them. By now Jack was thoroughly lost, but he didn't care. He dashed through the broken window where the Nightmare had gone, and down into the darkness. After a few moments, the blackness gave way to a murky light.

“Whoa...” Jack stared. Pitch hadn't been kidding when he'd said Seraphina had done a bit of redecorating. He was in the Nightmare King's version of North's Globe Room. The skeletal metal Globe still shone with golden light in the cavern's center, and spiked cages still hung from the rocky ceiling, but there the similarity ended. The cavern floor surrounding the Globe was divided into four sections, one for each Season. The first was covered in soft green moss and new saplings, that would be Spring. Summer had lush green grass and flowers, while Fall was all fiery reds and golds. Winter was full of snow-covered evergreens. The hanging cages were filled with twinkling fireflies. Several opalescent white Premonitions, Seraphina's feline creations, lounged on the rocky outcroppings. They gazed at him indifferently, bi-color eyes shining. The Nightmares gave them a wide berth. “Okay, I'm impressed.”

“Just don't tell anyone I've got the world's fanciest garden growing in my living room. I've an image to keep up, you realize.” Pitch materialized out of the shadows behind Jack, startling him. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Frost?”

Jack tried to pretend that he hadn't been surprised by the other man's sudden appearance. He really should have been expecting that. I'm frustrated and I really want someone to talk to, the other Guardians don't understand me, and I just wanted to see you again. Yeah, no. “I was in the area, thought I'd drop by and say hi. See how you're handling this whole being a Guardian thing.” Jack smirked. “You became one after me, so I guess that makes you the rookie now, Mr. Guardian of Courage.”

Pitch leaned on one of the boulders littering the room's floor, propping his head up with his palm and fixing Jack with those intense golden eyes. “Translation: They're driving you out of your frozen little mind and you know they won't listen if you tell them that.” Jack felt his bravado start to fade. Geez, was he that obvious? “The Nightmares say you've been rushing across the globe lately, and have been exhibiting good behavior. Strange, you don't seem like the type to miss a chance to stir up trouble.”

Jack leaned on his staff. “I have to try. I mean, isn't responsibility part of being a Guardian? I'm not just a wandering spirit anymore.” He sighed. “I was doing alright. I just needed a little break, that's all.”

“Mmmhmm.” Pitch didn't sound convinced. “You're afraid that they won't accept you if you don't start acting like them.”

“I'm not!” Jack glared.

Pitch raised what would have been an eyebrow if he'd had them. “You think I don't know what you're afraid of? Jack, did you forget who I am?” He sounded mildly amused, but then his voice sobered. “Is their acceptance that important to you? That you'd change who you are for it?”

“Hey, I'm not changing who I am. Just, how I go about doing things. Before now, I've never...belonged somewhere. I've never had people care about me. I don't wanna screw this up. When I see the disappointment in their eyes...” Jack's grip on the staff tightened. Pitch was right, of course. Jack was afraid that if he didn't meet their expectations, the Guardians would give up on him, even after all they'd been through. He'd be alone again, lose the closest thing to a family he could ever remember having. On top of that, there was Pitch. Even though he was now a Guardian, Jack had a hard time lumping him in with the others. He wanted the Nightmare King to accept him as well. It seemed important, somehow. This was all so frustrating. Jack decided to change the subject before Pitch got tired of him, too. “Well, anyway, what about you? What does the Guardian of Courage do?”

Pitch regarded him with an unreadable look. “For someone who has faced much adversity in a very short amount of time, you still have a great deal of fear in you,” he said quietly. Then he straightened, prowling toward the Globe. “I send my Nightmares out to torment those who misbehave. A little fear can work wonders as a motivator. Toys and treats can only go so far. Some people just need a good scare to get them in shape.” He gave a wolfish grin.

“But that is not all that fear is good for. I can also remind those who need it of the trials they've overcome. Of the fears that they've faced. Sometimes you cannot find your courage until you realize just how far you've come.” He glanced back at Jack, who couldn't help feeling those gilded eyes burning into him. Pitch turned to the Globe again, running his hand over the sparkling lights. “Thanks to your little friends, people believe in me again. Courage and fear compliment one another, and wielding both has given me a strength that I have never felt before.”

“Oh, he was absolutely giddy for days after Mab's defeat.” Seraphina Pitchiner appeared suddenly in a swirl of Autumn leaves, startling Jack. Apparently the Pitchiners were determined to try and give him a heart attack whenever they appeared. Seraphina gave him a dazzling smile. “Greetings, Jack Frost.”

“I was not 'giddy',” Pitch sniffed.

“He was dancing around.” Seraphina said to Jack in a not-particularly-quiet whisper. He grinned.

“Does he do that when he's happy? I seem to remember North saying the Yetis mentioned something about-”

“I do believe we've spent enough time on idle chit-chat. Some of us have important business to take care of.” Pitch said quickly, as Sprinkles trotted to his side. He climbed to her back. “I shall see you around, Jack. Don't work too hard. If you end up as boring as the others, I will be quite disappointed.” With a shake of the reigns, he took off into the gloom beyond the Globe, a herd of Nightmares following after.

“Me? Work hard? Ha...” Jack's grin vanished as the last Nightmare melted into the darkness. “I guess I should be going, too. Got a tight schedule, you know?”

Seraphina knelt down to pet a Premonition. “You must choose your own path, Jack Frost. Just as he does. But I'm sure he'd like it if you came here once in a while. I do think he enjoys your company, even if he will not say so. At the very least, you annoy him less than anyone else.”

“I'll keep that in mind,” Jack said. He pulled the schedule from his pocket. He couldn't give up just yet. He'd try to make it though September, at least. The knowledge that he now had a place to stay besides the North Pole eased Jack's mind somewhat. Maybe, just maybe, he could do this. Jack bid Mother Nature farewell, and headed back toward the maze of Venice.