Plague • A Rise of the Guardians Fanfiction

Plague

Chapter One

There were times when she doubted her place in the world.

It wasn't like others welcomed her. Heck, people did whatever they could to ward her off, but it never worked. She hadn't been around long, but stories of her work had existed since the creation of life.

She wasn't death. Death was an idea, a thing without form. She was something much less welcome. She was a messenger, a giver of gifts. She brought things into the world that most wouldn't find as intriguing as she found them. She was a scientist, an experimenter. She could bring her ideas to life. She was an artist, a designer. She created the things she envisioned with the precision of an arrow.

Soteria was plague. She was a giver of disease. She was an experimenter of sickness. She was a designer of pain. And though she may not have been death, she was, undeniably, a dealer of it.

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Soteria was, by no means, an evil spirit. Simply misunderstood. All life ended, most of the time on its own, but sometimes it needed a little help. Disease was Soteria's way of helping. Sometimes it was controlled-a heart attack or stroke in an old body-though sometimes it was not. Children who caught colds during the winter were usually the ones who passed through her (being invisible was a strange concept).

Winter was Soteria's favorite season. It usually meant runny noses, hacking coughs, and chapped lips, discomforts not caused by her. She loved to watch the children, to pretend she were mothering them. Though she was the dealer of disease herself, Soteria absolutely adored pretending to nourish children back to health. It seemed to be the lone consolation she had in her lonely world.

The spirit was currently walking the busy, icy streets of Manhattan. After five hundred years of it, she'd have thought it would've been easier to walk through people. It wasn't. It was just as painful, just as shocking. She would have dissolved into the air, but there was a very particular section of Manhattan she needed to get to.

And there it was. Lenox Hill Hospital. Soteria waited for the door to be opened by someone from the inside, but with a shiver felt someone pass through her and open the door. She sped through and away from the door, making her way calmly up the stairs to the second floor. Her feet seemed to dissolve into black dust as she walked, scrambling to reform itself as she moved.

Soteria herself was wearing a pair of black jeans, a black T-shirt and an aviator jacket. She wore no shoes. Her clothes didn't date back to her time period, but she'd adapted to the present style many years ago. Aviator jackets weren't as "in" anymore, but it was better than the ragged dress she'd been wearing before. Her hair was black-not the dark brown that natural pigments could just reach, but a silky black darker than one's natural perception of darkness. It fell in subtle curls to her shoulders. Her eyes were a
liquid-y gold, swirling with little flecks of silver. They were entrancing, but no one else had ever seen them. No one had ever seen any of her.

And it was unlikely that anyone ever would.

Soteria reached the door she was looking for. Grasping the handle, she entered the room slowly, closing the door silently behind herself.

The occupants of the room hadn't even looked up. Which was to be expected. Mourning during the departure was only tradition.

The spirit knelt to the right of the hospital bed, watching it's resident intently. A small, mousy haired boy lay quietly, seemingly asleep. Around the bed, his family was gathered, almost every member crying. A few of them gripped the bed sheets, shaking as they sobbed.

Soteria sighed, removing an old, deerskin sack from her shoulder. Reaching into it, she rummaged around until she retrieved her hand. Clutched in her pale fingers was a small, silver hourglass on a delicate, silver chain. Black sand poured through it's body, coming to rest at the bottom.

There were only a few grains left.

There was something about death and the way it connected one's physical form to the spiritual realm that had always allowed Soteria to touch dying people-as soon as the sand turned black. She reached out right her hand, gripping the hourglass in the other. Her hand hovered above the heart of the small boy for a moment. Finally, she pressed her fingers to his chest, and the boy gave a noticeable shudder as he heaved his final breath.

The last grain of sand in the hourglass fell.

The hourglass dissolved. Focusing her attention back on the now-dead boy, she reached out once more to collect the glowing orb hovering over his heart. The downside of collecting the souls: she had to send them safely to the afterlife.

Cupping the gaseous orb in her hands, Soteria shouldered her rucksack and dissolved from the room in a whirlwind of black dust.

To deliver a soul to the afterlife, Soteria simply needed to find the graveyard that the body would be buried in. Luckily, the plague spirit had a knack for this type of thing. She knelt in the selected yard, a small graveyard constructed off to the side of a small church.

The orb grew warmer beneath her hands. Soteria sat on a stone bench beneath a dying birch tree. Opening her hands, the orb spun out into the night air excitedly, finally disappearing as it made it's way to the afterlife.

The glow of the orb left an impression on her retinas. Staring into the night, Soteria waited for the image to disappear in pursuit of it's creator.

Checking her bag, Soteria found another hourglass. This one was the same size as the earlier one, but the lining was black obsidian instead of silver. Inside, silvery sand swirled around, filling up the entire space within, leaving no room for any sand to fall.

There were only a few other hourglasses like this one-an hourglass of an immortal spirit. This was hers. It allowed no room for death-just endless sand.

It confused her. Soteria understood the concept of death better than almost anyone. Why would there be an immortal being? How could that possibly happen?

No time to dwell on it-the spirit had death to deal. Reaching into her sack, she immediately found the next hourglass. A healthy, gold-sanded, silver-lined life. There would be no death there.

The Man in the Moon must have had a special message.

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Jack Frost was eager to reach the North Pole. The Northern Lights, sent by North, suggested a meeting of high importance amongst the Guardians.

Jack reached the workshop quickly. Entering, Jack was taken aback by the sheer number of yetis bustling around. Christmas was in four days. Toy production was in full swing. Elves were still choking on tiny green and red lightbulbs.

The main platform of the workshop wasn't too hard to find-Jack had been there many times already. He walked in, nearly getting beheaded by flying fairies in the process. They twittered in excitement, swooning over the absolute perfection of Jack's teeth. Of course, he was used to this by now, but it didn't make it any less strange.

"Ladies!" Tooth's sharp call brought them to attention. "We've got an incisor in Finland! Business first!" The tiny hummingbird-like creatures sped away.

If the attack of the tiny tooth fairies hadn't been enough, their queen was now tackle hugging Jack excitedly. "Jack! It's been too long!" she cried, examining him quickly. Her head twitched about in a most bird-like fashion.

And of course, you couldn't finish any assault without a rib-crushing embrace from Saint Nicholas himself. "Jack! Is good to see you!" His voice was thickly accented Russian. Most people were surprised to find that Santa Clause was Russian, but after a while it was hard to think of him any other way.

"Good to see you, mate." At least Bunny's greeting lacked physical contact. Sandy gave a little sleepy wave.

It had been almost a month since Jack had seen them all. Reigniting belief in the children had taken some work, but after the disappearance of Pitch, several of the lights on the globe had relit themselves. Nevertheless, they'd been off to accomplish their own things. Jack had even gotten a few more believers, with the help of Jamie and his friends.

"What's the problem, North?" Jack asked, leaning on his icy cane. The enormous globe in the center of the workshop glittered with light.

North wasted no time in explaining. "I fear Pitch is coming back," he said, staring dramatically around at the others as he paced.

Tooth let out a small gasp and held her hand up to her mouth. If possible her wings seemed to flit faster. "Pitch?"

North nodded, but Bunny stepped forward, shaking his head as if to clear it. "Whoa whoa whoa. Hang on. We beat Pitch... not even a year ago. How could he be back already? And don't say you felt it in your belly."

North looked irritated. "What other proof I have? I was right last time."

"Yeah, but that doesn't count." Bunnymund replied, delicately painting a small egg. It's white surface had been stained a dark violet.

Suddenly, a light filled the room. Each Guardian turned to face the broad skylight-even Toothiana halted ordering her fairies around.

The Moon smiled down upon the five, casting His glow over them.

"Man in Moon!" North cried gleefully, stepping forward importantly. "It has been so long!"

No reply came from the Man in the Moon, as was to be expected.

"What brings you here, friend?" North ventured, his smile fading slightly as he sensed the seriousness of this meeting.

Though Jack wouldn't have known it, the following events were almost an exact repeat of those of just months earlier.

In the light of the moon, a long shadow grew into the form of a slender man. Bunny looked mildly surprised, though mainly irritated. Tooth looked nervous. Even Sandy had gone silent.

"It is Pitch," North confirmed grimly, scratching his white beard.

Jack's stomach twisted. He recalled the recent battle. Hadn't they destroyed him? The winter spirit grimly recalled Pitch Black's words: You can't get rid of me! Not forever! There will always be fear!

Jack, being the spirit of winter, didn't normally shiver.

"What do we do now?" Tooth asked, landing on the ground nervously.

Jack swaggered forward. "Easy," he said, resting his cane on his shoulder. "Round up Jamie and his friends, throw some snowballs and save the day."

North shook his head. "Pitch would not be back so soon unless he had discovered way to regain his power."

Jack tapped his cane on the ground, frowning. "Then... what do we do?"

In answer to his question, a crystal pedestal rose from the ground at Jack's feet. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, stepping back quickly.

The other four Guardians stared at the crystal as if mesmerized by its appearance.

"Uh, anyone wanna tell me what this thing is?" Jack said, gripping his icy cane tightly.

"He is choosing new Guardian!" North said excitedly, his face lighting up like a small child on Christmas.

"That doesn't really answer my question, but okay." Jack complained. He was silent after realizing he wasn't going to get a straight answer.

The Moon's light sparkled on the surface of the stone and a blue projection was cast from it's surface.

The hologram was hard to make out at first. It seemed to be a person wearing a thick jacket with long, dark hair. Jack squinted, trying to make out more details. The image seemed to be of a girl. She held out her hand, a small hourglass on a delicate chain slipping through her fingers. Her eyes were hidden by the shadows of her choppy bangs, but her smile was clear. It didn't seem cheerful-much darker, actually. Insane, even.

"Who's that?" Jack asked flatly, unimpressed. Glancing at the other Guardians, he was concerned by their expressions. Tooth's wings were flittering nervously. Sandy looked shocked. Bunny's mouth hung open and his ear was twitching wildly. North appeared troubled.

"But... She's no Guardian." Bunnymund stated, perking his ears with determination. Sandy nodded vigorously in agreement. Tooth looked unsure as she stared at the others.

North stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Why choose her, Manny?" He asked. There was no reply.

"Who is she?" Jack asked, more forcefully this time.

Tooth glanced at him, her hands fiddling with each other nervously. "Her name is Soteria," she replied, looking around as if expecting an attack. "She's... she's not exactly the first person you'd think of when selecting a Guardian."

"Why? What does she do?" Jack persisted, staring around at the other Guardians. North seemed to come out of an unpleasant daydream.

"Soteria... is very complicated person. She is spirit of the plague, of sickness and things such as that. Everyone has met her once, knowingly or not."

Jack leaned on his cane, staring at North skeptically. "Well, I've never met her. I thought spirits didn't get sick?"

North shook his head. "All creatures can be ill, Jack. A visit from Soteria is often considered omen of death. She guides lost souls to afterlife, so it is said."

"Why is she a Guardian?" Jack asked, staring at the hologram. The tiny hourglass had caught his eye. What did it represent? Time?

North opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by an interjection from Bunny. "She is not a Guardian!" he exclaimed, eyes wide.

Jack guessed the bunny's instincts were screaming danger. Animals naturally feared death. Then again, Bunny was unlike other rabbits.

North raised a hand to silence him. "The Man in the Moon chooses her, she is Guardian." The finality in his voice seemed forced, and Jack could see the reluctance in his eyes. "We shall split up to find her!"

The crystal pedestal was lowered. The five Guardians dispersed, Jack heading over towards Europe to search that continent.

__________________________

Athens, Greece. Historic capital of Europe and the place Soteria had first woken up.

It was around noon there. A house stood backed against a cliff-face, its white facade shadowed in the late light. There was no front yard-just sidewalk and street.

Soteria stood in front of a window around back, gazing in at the occupants of a room. A small child played delightedly with a round ball. Soteria remembered him-he was one of her favorites. Timothy, the family called him. The plague spirit leaned into the wall, dissolving into dust as she came into contact with the solid surface and reforming inside the room. Timothy didn't notice her.

She knelt beside him. "How's it going?" she asked sarcastically, not expecting an answer. She spoke in Greek, a language she'd spoken for as long as she could remember. The child giggled and dropped the ball.

Soteria sighed and sat all the way down, leaning back on one hand. This house had always seemed more welcoming than the others, if possible. Familiar somehow. Maybe that was why she visited the residing family so often-it was a twisted show of appreciation.

Timothy crawled over, unknowingly passing through her leg. Soteria shivered and pulled her leg towards herself. She pulled out the hourglass from earlier.

"This is yours, you know." She told him in Greek, staring at the shimmering golden sand trapped within. "You've got a long life ahead of you."

The small boy gurgled and fell on top of his ball.

Soteria stood, brushing off her aviator jacket and pushing some of her black hair behind her right ear. She leaned over the child, inspecting his face as he struggled back onto all fours.

"The Man in the Moon told me to come here," she told him. "But you don't seem vulnerable to sickness at the moment."

Soteria gazed out of the window. The Moon wasn't visible in the afternoon sky.

"I guess I'll just leave you alone, then." She concluded in Greek, moving towards the wall again. "See you, Timothy."

She evaporated through the walls once more, appearing on the other side. If the Man in the Moon had summoned her here, why wouldn't he tell her why?

"Why am I here?" She asked no one.

The question went a lot deeper than its surface let on.

__________________________

Jack Frost soared over Greece, having searched a few other countries nearby. He didn't know why, but for some reason Athens felt like the way to go.

He scanned the ground for any sign of the girl he'd seen in the hologram. Jack spotted several dark haired people, but none of them were Soteria.

Touching down on the top of a cliff, Jack looked down upon the countryside, observing the little houses below. He could have sworn he'd just seen something near the wall of a house just beside the cliff, but was sure it was just a trick of the light.

"How am I suppose to find this girl?" He asked no one, falling onto his back with a grunt.

Ever since the fight with Pitch, Jack thought he and the other Guardians would be able to have some peace and quiet for a while. Get a few more believers. Show a few cities a white Christmas. Hang out with Jamie. Obviously, with all of this stress and work, fun needed a Guardian.

A small sound made Jack sit up quickly. Looking down over the cliff, he spotted a distant figure below. Dark hair, from the look of it. He listened carefully.

"Why am I here?"

Jack stiffened, staring incredulously down at this person. The voice didn't seem to match the cocky confidence of the hologram. It was brittle and barely audible, but still sounded clearly through the empty air. The voice made him nervous, like he should avoid it.

Swallowing, he jumped over the cliff, against his better judgement.

The girl didn't see him at first, which made him think she wasn't who he was looking for. A moment later, she turned around, and Jack knew she could see him.

Her face was deathly pale. Her hair... it was as though darkness itself composed the pigments. It was that black. Her eyes glinted behind her long, choppy bangs-a dim gold, flickering with silver. Dark circles rimmed her eyes, as if she hadn't slept in days. Her gaze was intense, her eyebrows furrowed scrutinizingly. She wore a simple black T-shirt underneath an aviator jacket, black jeans and no shoes. This would've struck Jack as odd, but he didn't wear any either.

Jack stepped forward, not really sure how to approach this girl. She didn't flinch.

"Uh, hi!" He tried tentatively, his hands in his pockets. She didn't react, but if her gaze could've hardened any further, it did.

Jack cleared his throat, trying to shake his nerve. "My uh, my name's Jack. Uh, Jack Frost."

The girl, now definitely Soteria, quirked an eyebrow. "Jack Frost?" she mused. Her voice was low and melodic, sounding unused yet entrancing. When she said his name, Jack wanted to curl up into a ball and hide. Her thoughtful tone unnerved him.

"Y-yeah," he replied. Her brow lowered. Her right hand twitched slightly. Jack noticed a small, leather bag hanging on her shoulder.

"I have not seen you before," Soteria replied, folding her arms and shifting her weight to her left leg. Jack caught a glint of mischief in her eyes, the same glint he'd seen in the hologram. So this was the same person. Maybe she was just really good at hiding her true emotions?

"Well, yeah. I get around a lot." Jack was beginning to relax a little, now that the look on the unfamiliar spirit's face was familiar. It reminded him slightly of himself.

"What do you want?" Soteria asked. A small breeze passed them, disturbing her hair.

"You really do like to get to the point, don't you?" Jack observed light-heartedly.

Soteria frowned, her eyes darkening again. And Jack thought Antarctica was cold. "No one seeks me out." She stated flatly. Jack was waiting for some "unless" or something. Nothing came.

"Well, I did. Or am. Or, you know what, that's not the point." Jack shook his head and held up his hands to prevent any further argument. "You need to come with me."

Soteria blinked, then rustled in her bag distractedly. "Actually," she said, pulling something out and examining it with thoughtful scrutiny. "I need to take care of something. If you'll excuse me," she stepped back. "I have a child to see."

This caught Jack's attention. The spirit before him seemed as though she were about to proceed with some sort of travel. She closed her eyes, beginning to fall backward. Jack rushed forward.

When in doubt, grab a wrist.

Soteria gave an indignant cry, but it seemed to work. She and Jack fell through the earth, dissolving into what seemed to be black dust. Jack was sickeningly reminded of Pitch's Nightmares and the black sand.

Moments later, the two solidified inside a small cottage. Soteria looked absolutely furious.

"What did you do that for?" She yelled at him. He backed away nervously. Glancing down at something in her hand, she sighed and pressed her fingers to her temples.

"Okay, you know what? Fine. Just-don't get in the way."

She turned around. Jack realized they'd appeared at the bedside of a young child. He slept peacefully, unaware of the presence of the two spirits. Jack wondered if they'd come to give the kid protection from bad dreams or something. Then, recalling that was Sandman's ability and not Soteria's, he fell back into his unsure state.

Soteria stepped forward. She knelt beside the child, holding out her hand to observe what was held there. A small hourglass, lined with silver. Inside, brilliant gold sand shimmered inside, reminding Jack of dream sand.

The girl reached out. Her pale hand pressed lightly to the boy's chest, and he immediately began to cough roughly.

"What did you do?!" Jack shouted accusingly. She turned to him slowly, looking irritated.

"I'm the spirit of the Plague, Jack. What did you expect? Sunshine and rainbows?"

Her voice was bitter and cold. Jack stared down at the once-peaceful child. How could anyone like Soteria be a Guardian? All she seemed to do was spread disease, and that had never seemed like a good thing to Jack.

"You said you needed me to go somewhere?" Soteria said blandly. Jack could tell she was trying to take his mind off of her horrifying performance. Jack was happy to oblige.

"Uh, yeah. Let's go." He said. She cleared her throat. "Destination, please."

"North Pole." Jack replied confidently. Soteria winced suddenly and looked away.

"I don't go there anymore, Jack." She said. The winter spirit wondered what she meant. "Don't worry, North sent me to get you."

She flinched again, absentmindedly swiping her bangs away from her eyes. Jack could tell she wanted to object, but he placed a hand firmly on her shoulder and said with finality, "Let's go."

She tensed noticeably under his hand, but obliged. Jack wondered if she were usually so cooperative.

"North Pole, here we come." He muttered as they fell back into the darkness.

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So, what do you guys think? Interesting plot? At all? Character? Comment about what I need to improve on! I'd love to hand out some shout-outs next chapter.

To everyone who's read the Sacred Sickle-don't worry! I'll update soon!

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Much love,
-RL.