Curse Of A Witch (Book 1)

Ch. 40 Checking In

*No One's P.O.V.*

Jack woke with a jolt, scanning his surroundings before calming his nerves. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked down at the sleeping figure next to him. For a moment he'd forgotten why she was there but smiled softly as he recalled the night before.

He couldn't tell how cold it was in the room but assumed it was quite chilly by how tightly curled up Gen was, as she was also clutching her blanket as close as possible. Jack sighed and shook the frost off of his banket before wrapping it around Gen's frame gently.

Carefully standing up, Jack burrito'd her in the banket she was sleeping on top of as well, smiling triumphantly when she snuggled into it and seemed to relax. He sat beside her for a moment, "I'm assuming you stayed up all night to watch over me, huh?" He paused as he glanced at the alarm clock on the night stand.

The time read 11:36 am. Jack shook his head, "yeah, normally you'd be up by at least 8 am." He pat her head and decided to just let her sleep. He was touched that she stayed up to keep an eye on him, it made him smile more.

He wrote a note on a notepad stating that he was going to get some air, just in case she woke up while he was gone, and went out to the balcony. His eyes widened in surprise, there was about 4-5 feet of snow blocking the door, and he didn't even make it snow that much.

"What-.. oh." It clicked that it must have happened when he'd gotten upset last night. "I really need to get a grip on these powers." He sighed, grabbing his staff and managing to get outside as quietly as possible. Once he was outside, he sat on the railing.

The frost spirit simply stared into the distance of the snow covered trees, pondering on where he'd like to go. He didn't want to interact with anyone if he didn't have to so he decided that his lake would be the best option for now.

Jack stood on the railing and stretched, twirling his staff nonchalantly. "Alright old friend," the Wind whipped around him happily, silently wishing him a good morning. Jack smiled, and leaned into it, letting the Wind gather him up in its comforting embrace, "to the lake." He commanded and off they went.

Once arriving at the iced over waters, the Wind set its friend down ever so gently. "Thanks," Jack smiled as the Wind whistled affirmatively. Jack sighed deeply, letting his magic flow through his feet and solidify the ice beneath him even more.

He strode across the lake a few times not daring to turn his back fully on the woods furthest from town before stopping. There was a rustle in the bushes a couple yards away, making his stomach sink. Cautiosusly raising his staff and adjusting his stance to a more defensive one, he called out.

"Who's there? I won't hesitate." His voice came out nervous but also stern. "Woah, mate! Its just me!" Bunny suddenly popped out from a snowy bush with his hands up in surrender. Jack instantly relaxed with a deep sigh. "I could have hurt you." He nearly spat.

The Pooka's ears flattened slightly, "jeez chill out, Frostbite." Bunny smirked at his own joke, and chuckled at Jack's unimpressed exression. "Ha ha, funny." The boy responded blankly. "What's got your feathers so ruffled?" Bunny asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh I don't know, being alone in the woods and rustling coming from the distance. Could have been slenderman for all I knew." Jack answered, shrugging nonchalantly. Bunny rolled his eyes, "No idea what a slender toes is but alright." Bunny shrugged with a shiver, hugging himself to keep warm.

"Think ya got enough snow out here?" The Pooka asked a bit snarkily, to which Jack looked away. "It was kind of an accident.." he trailed off. He wasn't lying, but he didn't want to tell Bunny why it had happened. "Why are you here anyway? You hate the cold." The last bit of his sentence came out somewhat judging.

Bunny raised an eyebrow again, "I'm rethinking that reason currently." Bunny tried to get a little of their friendly banter going with Jack. He could tell something was bothering the boy but figured Jack didn't really want to talk.

Bunny was a bit surprised when Jack didn't say anything but glared at him a tad. "Oi, mate. I came because I was worried." Now it was Jack's turn to raise an eyebrow. "I know we aren't that close but we got closer lately," the Pooka began.

"You've been through alot, and I uh.." he paused as Jack's expression became unreadable. "I'll admit that I'm worried." He finished. "I'm fine." The winter spirit stated as he turned on his heel to walk away. "Right, and I'm Santa." Bunny responded smartly.

Jack stopped and took a deep breath, "Bunny, I can't fully control my powers yet so I'd tread lightly if I were you." Jack warned, his tone only concerning Bunny more. "Look mate-" he took a step back as icy wind bit at his nose. "I want to be left alone right now." Jack retorted, spinning around to face Bunny.

Jack's eyes glowed a bright icy blue, the snow beneath his feet freezing to solid ice. Bunny stood still, wary of his friend. "I.." Bunny chose to swollow his pride today. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to check on you. Sorry for ticking you off." He stated, taking a step back before his nose froze off.

The winter spirit sighed deeply, the wind calming down and his eyes returning to normal. "I.. appreciate it, but I need some space. But thanks," he paused. "And I'm sorry too." At this, Bunny nodded with a small relieved smile. "I'm here for you, mate, but I'll go now. You know where to find me." And with that, the Pooka left.

"Yeah, thanks Kangaroo." Jack let a small smile grace his lips once Buny was gone and his nerves had calmed. Bunny did care after all.