Katherine and the Truth About Jack

Chapter 11: Pitch's Tunnel

Katherine yawned, walking out of the library, feeling her heavy bag of books. She wouldn't admit it, but since the night before when finding out Jack was indeed Jack Frost she hadn't been able to sleep. She had struggled between scolding herself and scolding him for not telling her, later deciding that it wasn't worth her time. Only to realize it was time for her to wake up.

She almost wanted to go home and take a nap--

"Katherine!"

Jack's tall figure suddenly landed in front of her. She let out a squeal and stumbled backward nearly falling on the library's stone steps. She managed to fix her arms under her so that she didn't crack her head open. But her satchel spilled open, and she landed on her rump instead, in the deep snow. She glared up at Jack, her hand gripping the satchel tightly.

Realizing what he had cause Jack's ears flushed and he held out a hand. "S-sorry."

She tried to ignore him, instead focusing on picking out Qwerty from the snow.

"Look what he did to my pages!"

Jack jumped back, "Who--"

"That was me!" The book shouted, "Stupid, no good--"

"Oh, shush, Qwerty." Katherine began to wipe the snow off, "You've been through a lot worse, and you know it."

The book's pages fluttered, and she showed Jack the spine of it. It featured a somewhat frustrated face with a pair of fixed glasses and many arms, which it used to push up its glasses. "That's no excuse!"

Jack reached out to touch it, "Can all your books talk?"

"Not all books!" Qwerty shouted, "And I am no book, my name is Qwerty, and I am the rare, one of a kind Bookworm!"

Jack sneered, "You said it, not me."

"Why you--"

"Quiet you two!" Katherine said, putting the book into her Satchel with an air of frustration. She brushed the snow off herself, and with a pointed glare looked up at Jack. "He can be rather fussy, I'm sorry."

He shrugged, "No big deal, I can handle Wormy no problem."

"SAY THAT TO MY FACE YOU FROSTY THE SNOWMAN WANT TO BE!"

Katherine sighed at the bag and turned to him, "It would be wise not to provoke him."

"Maybe." Jack smirked, "Where did he learn to talk like that? I mean, books don't normally talk."

"He ate Ombrics entire library."

Jack blinked in astonished confusion and Katherine laughed. "It makes more sense in context."

"I...see... Anyway, I am sorry about pushing you into the snow like that."

"I know you are." She brushed the last of the snow off of her and began to walk down the sidewalk, "And where were you gone all day too."

"I went to go see Sandy," Jack said, putting a hand into his pocket as he walked beside her, "I had a few questions, and I was hoping he could answer them."

"Did he?" She asked, and brushed back her hair.

Jack stared down at her, "No, but I was hoping you--"

She jumped and pointed, "Did you see that!"

Jack swirled around, "See what?"

Without responding she ran following something Jack couldn't make out. It was small black, and scuttling like a rat over the grass.