Frozen Chains

Chapter 22

For the first time in one hundred and fifty years, things weren't terrible.

Okay, they were kind of terrible. An evil nightmare spirit wanted to recapture Jack and his brother, kill the Guardians, had already killed Sandy, and was currently in possession of their staffs. So no, not entirely great.

But they were getting better.

Jay was walking a little more, especially after they had been outside yesterday. And even though he got tired quickly, he always tried again after an hour two. Jack knew that his brother was trying to please him, which was exciting, because Jay had never been so eager to work for something like that in a long time.

Jack was getting better, too. His strength was returning. His stutter wasn't going away so far, but he could walk around all the time now. North had said that since they were doing so much better, they could have their own rooms, too.

Of course, they wanted to share a bedroom, but getting out of the infirmary was relieving. 

Jack stood back and looked about the room, his mouth open in amazement. Tooth laughed.

"Splendid, aren't they? Almost all the rooms are like this." She said.

Jay looked dizzy as he stared at the high ceilings. There were two beds, one on either side of the room, both with nightstands on either side. The pentagonal room had an elegant and ornate carpet on the floor, and the large windows had a window seat built into the wall.

Bookshelves contained hundreds of books, and the room had it's own bathroom. The lights made the room glow warmly. 

"W-wait," said Jack suddenly. "Th-this is f-for us?"

"Yep," said Tooth cheerfully.

"I-I've never had one before."

"What, a room?" Asked North with raised eyebrows. 

Jack shook his head. "A bed."

Tooth pretended she wasn't bothered by this, and took both of them by hand, leading them over to the bed. "Feel," she said. "See, it's soft. All yours."

Jay looked at the teeny stitches in the quilt and ran his fingers over it. Jack felt it too, but knew instantly that he wasn't taking it all in the way Jay was. His twin had always held a deeper understanding of these things. He didn't just feel them, he understood them. Everything has a story, even a single stitch in a quilt.

The difference between Jack and Jay was that Jay could read them. 

That was the hardest part about Jay not being able to speak. Jack sort of remembered what Jay used to be like, back when he could talk. He was so animated. Being able to understand everything he touched and then telling Jack all about them was one of their favorite pass times.

Then all that went away. 

Jack looked at his brother, who now had to turn his head slightly to the side to even see the quilt properly. God, first his voice, then his eye, what next? What else could Pitch take from them?

"C-can we get our st-staffs soon?" Jack found himself asking.

Jay looked up at him curiously. You don't normally like stepping outside your comfort zone, he seemed to be thinking, so why now?

Because you, Jack thought back, because I don't want you to lose anything else.

"We thought tomorrow, maybe," said Bunny, "but if ya need more time to adjust..."

Jack looked back at his brother. Jay was making swirly patterns on the quilt with his fingers, not looking up.

In a split second, Jack made a decision.