Who: Riley Matthews (and A Guardian) What: Guardians arrive! When: Very early hours Saturday morning Where: Riley's house Warnings: none Status: Complete narrative
Riley knew that things were bad in town right now. She knew that people were having bad dreams, really bad ones, and people were scared. A lot more than scared, and she wished there was something she could do to help. She’d seen a lot of things in Madison Valley, but this was the worst, and the hope she held onto that everything would work out okay and that everyone would be fine was faltering. Lucas had been sent over to stay with them, the nightmares at their house weren’t so bad. She’d seen her friends suffering. She wasn’t blind to what was happening around her and more than anything she wanted to help. She wanted to be able to call someone to come and help chase away everyone’s bad dreams.
She was sitting in the window when it happened. Curled up and staring out across the yard when the window began to frost over. Riley’s heart raced, the flickering flame of hope fanned. She knew magic existed, and if that did then why couldn’t everything else people told her not to believe in exist? That had to be a sign. Just when she’d been hoping for some sort of help.
Unfolding her legs, Riley sat up a little straighter, looking at the window as images began appearing in the frost, like someone was drawing them in with a finger. An Easter egg and a bunny. A present and a candy cane. A tiny person with wings and a...blob with pointy edges on one side. She wasn’t really sure what that one was supposed to be. Or all the Zs surrounded by little tods that followed. What she was sure of was the point behind it all. People had mocked her, called her childish and naive, but Riley had never stopped believing. She wasn’t sure why Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny had anything to do with nightmares, but she believed wholeheartedly that was what the symbols were telling her.
It only took a second for her to piece together that the frost was coming from someone. And he wasn’t the most famous person but it had to be the one people talked about when the cold came. It had to be Jack Frost.
As soon as she thought it, there he was, sitting across from her, hand against the window and smiling as he waved his hand over the pictures, bringing life to them.
“You’re real,” she breathed, eyes widening. “You’re here.”
His eyes snapped toward her, obviously surprised. “You can see me?” Riley just nodded, and Jack Frost’s grin broadened. “You can see me! This is great! That means….” He hopped up, reached out a hand to her. “Come on. I brought help. We’ve got to put an end to this reign of terror he’s got going on around here.”
Riley didn’t take the offered hand, still just looking at him with wide eyed wonder. “Who’s reign of terror?”
“Pitch. Black.” She probably looked as clueless as she felt because Jack sighed and elaborated. “The Boogeyman.”
Well if that wasn’t a perfect explanation, Riley didn’t know what was. She took his hand, it was cold and she should have expected that, and pulled herself up. “How do we stop him?”
“Come on. The others are waiting. I’ve got a plan. I think. It’ll probably work. You just have to believe. Can you keep believing, Riley?”
“I’ll always believe,” Riley assured.
“Then let’s go! We’ve got a town and Easter to save!” And just like that Jack Frost tugged Riley Matthews at the window, flying away to formulate a plan to save the day.