Holy crap, I'm sorry guys! It's been sooooo flucking long since I've updated! It's been really busy, with every thing going on in my life, so, I'm really sorry! T^T Ples Forgeve Meh! Lol, love you guys, here, sorry it's kinda short!

I hadn't seen Jack in two days. Jamie and I hung out the day after we'd caught that... thing, but I kept what had happened to myself. I didn't need to worry Jamie, he had enough on his plate, what with school and all that.

My dad had come back from taking care of Jamie and Sophie, tired and disgruntled. He'd come into my room, took one look at the wall, and hit me hard. I had held my tongue as he yelled at me, saying that I'd have to get a job "as well" in order to fix the wall. As if he had any job anyways, I'd be the only on with a job.

I was hanging out with Jamie today as well. And I was having a hard time explaining away my bruise.

"I fell out of bed and hit my jaw, it's not that bad!" I insisted as I at the snow. I was sitting next to him on a park bench. A man chased his two year old around the white covered earth, while his wife stood to the side. I watched with jealousy until Jamie cut into my thoughts.

He scoffed. "Niki, in order for you to get that from falling out of bed, you'd have had to hit a doorknob!"

"Look, I dunno how I managed it! Maybe I bruise easily!" I muttered, leaning down and picking up some powdery snow. I let it trickle through my fingers in a steady stream of white dust.

"Niki, I can tell when something's wrong with you." Jamie whispered.

My head whipped towards him. His eyes were turned towards the ground, and he kicked a pile of snow with his boot. I smiled, feeling a little twinge of happiness inside of me. "Hm. Thanks, Jamie." I reached over and grabbed his shoulder. He looked back up at me. "I'm just a little down right now... it's ah, girl stuff." I lied. But it worked, and he averted his eyes again awkwardly. "But really, I don't know how I got this bruise, it just happens, I'm a really clumsy person, in case you hadn't noticed." I said, forcing a laugh.

Jamie sighed. "Okay..." He stood up and brushed snow off of the back of his thick jeans. "I believe you. Now," he said, holding out his hand. It was stained with watercolors, blue and green. I vaguely wondered what he'd been painting, before taking his hand and letting him help me to my feet. "Let's go meet Jack."

I cocked my head. "What do you mean? Have you talked to him?" I asked. I felt a little hurt. Did he talk to Jamie? Was he avoiding me? What was wrong?

Or worse.

I felt panic flare in my chest. What if he found out? What if he saw my father hit me? What if he-

No, he couldn't have possibly seen that, he probably would've come straight to me, not wait two days.

Jamie shrugged. "Really briefly. He just showed up at my window last night and told me to tell you to meet him in the woods. He told me that I shouldn't stay, but I guess..." He sighed. "I dunno. I'm the only person who knows where this is, and I guess he doesn't want you alone in the woods." I tugged my arm and gestured for me to follow him.

I frowned as I trudged through the snow. Ellie had given me some of her old snow boots, so my feet were much warmer than they were when I only had those old sneakers, but the snow still stung against my ankles. I was wearing my shorts, because my dad spilled whiskey on them, and I needed to bring them to a laundromat. I didn't need to encourage any more suspicious questions by smelling like a liquor store. Besides, I'd never drink. I didn't want people to think I did.

The sunlight darkened a bit as we entered the forest. It filtered through the thick pine branches, which were laden with snow and leaning down to touch the frozen ground. Snow fell in small, powdery clouds, glittering as the sunlight filtered through them, making it look like shards of diamonds were falling from the sky.

Jamie led me off the worn path, where the snow had been beaten down by innumerable sets of footprints. My skin was feeling numb. He led me through the woods, twisting and turning at apparently specific places.

And when he stopped, I looked around.

A tumble of rocks created a shockingly gray contrast to the pure whites and greens of the forest. No one was around except for us. A rabbit had made it's way through the clearing, leaving tracks in the powder snow. I smiled.

"It's so pretty here." I said, half to myself.

Jamie grinned at me. "Yeah. Not many people go here, 'cause it's so far out, and most of the kids don't play in the woods anymore." I could hear the hint of wistfulness in his voice as he said it, but the light in his amber-brown eyes didn't change. "Okay. I guess I'll head out. Jack promised he'd be here, and he doesn't break promises." He began to walk back the way we came. "See you later?" He asked over his shoulder, pausing with one foot slightly off the ground.

I smiled. "Maybe. See you!" I said, feigning happiness. He grinned, turned, and began to run into the woods, following our footprints.

I let my smile drop. I looked around nervously and rubbed my arms. What was this about? I was nervous. I knew he probably didn't know about my dad, but... oh, it was probably about that weird oil-like thing.

Just remembering it made me look over my shoulder in unease. Was there only one? Was it the one that was following me? Or were there more? Were they after me specifically? What if-

"Nicole."

I gasped and whipped around, my messy, strawberry blonde hair stinging my cold cheek slightly.

Jack stood in front of me, his face grim. But it was only that way for a moment. He smiled, but it was sad and nervous, and he was obviously trying to hide those aspects. But I'd know what that smile was, seeing as I was a master at perfecting fake emotions. Jesus Christ, that was emo, disregard that last thing.

"Nicole, I found out what... what that thing was." He said slowly, cautiously, like he was treading lightly on ice that was ready to crack and plunge him into something unwanted.

I forced myself to relax and turned fully towards him. "Oh? And...?" I murmured, urging him to continue. "Ah, more importantly, it won't come after me anymore, right?" I added, a tinge of desperation creeping into my tone.

Jack scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, um... just... just let me say what I found." He muttered, averting his amazing, blue eyes away from me. I waited and he sighed. "This is awkward. Um... so I took it to the North Pole, to my friend North-you'd know him as Santa, I guess-and we did a little research. It..." his eyes met mine for a moment, before he looked away again. "It wasn't hard to find it. It's..." He swept his bare foot through the snow.

I huffed and stomped my foot, startling Jack. "Just tell me!" I shouted. As soon as the words left my lips, I realized I'd let my temper get the better of me. I clapped my hands over my mouth, and Jack stared in shock. I guess he'd never seen me lose my temper before.

I cast my eyes downward. 'You're just like your father...' A sneering voice in my mind whispered to me. I blinked back tears and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. Please tell me." I said.

I flinched when a hand was placed on my shoulder. Gently. I let myself accept it, and Jack softly squeezed it, comforting me. He took a breath as well.

"The embodiment of depression, Nicole."

All relaxation left my body, leaving me rigid. Every nerve multiplied by ten, and suddenly the hand resting on my shoulder felt like a thousand needles piercing my skin. My eyes snapped up to meet his.

"Hah?" I said intelligently. He stared evenly back, his blue eyes swirling with sadness and sympathy.

"The thing was the product of when a person is severely depressed, apparently. Most people can't see it, but those with... well, the book we found it in said, 'those with open minds and exceptional sight can see them.' Don't know exactly what that means though," He chuckled weakly, then continued. "They're called Spiorad Bás or something like that, some Irish word. But, Nicole," He took a step forward, towards me. Closer. The hair on the back of my neck prickled, but I couldn't move. "Why don't you tell someone?" He asked.

I meant to step back.

I really did.

So why the hell did I step forwards?

But it didn't really matter, 'cause I did. I took the remaining step between us and destroyed it, wrapping my arms around his thin body and hugging him. Tears leaked from the corners of my closed eyes and rolled down my cheeks, cold and wet. My back shuddered with the temperature and my badly suppressed sobs.

"Because I don't have anyone who I can tell." I whispered. 'Shut up, shut up, shut up! You're ruining everything and you know it, Nicole, this is not going to end well!' My conscious mind screamed mercilessly at my stubborn instincts. Or something.

Something was making me talk.

I felt Jack hesitantly rub my upper back, between my protruding shoulder bones. "What about your dad?"

I tensed a bit, but Jack probably didn't notice. "I... I don't want to cause any more trouble for him." I lied. 'He wouldn't care.' I answered him in my thoughts.

Silence.

"Nicole. How bad is it?" He asked. When I didn't answer, he went on. "How bad? The Spiorad don't take form unless the victim is severely depressed, the question I want to ask you is, how bad?"

I bit my lip. "Not... not bad... I wouldn't say that I was severely depressed, just-"

"Please don't lie to me."

"... it's bad." I rasped.

Jack pulled away and took my hands. "Are you... hurting yourself?" He asked. He sounded scared.

I blinked hard. "No. I wouldn't do that." I said.

I thought it sounded entirely believable, but his eyes just narrowed. "Nicole..." He pressed.

I blinked again, and I took my hands away. I backed up a few steps. "E-even if I was-which I'm not-it wouldn't be any of your business!" I yelled.

Jack followed me, stepping towards me with my every step back. "It is my business! Not only am I a Guardian, and it's my job to protect kids, but you're my friend!" He reached forward and grabbed my wrist. I gasped and shrieked at the sudden, violent movement, and felt myself beginning to really break down. My head throbbed.

"Let go!" I sobbed as he yanked my sleeve up.

He blinked. I felt a small flame of relief rekindle in my chest.

Old scars.

Nothing new.

He looked me in the eyes. "You-"

"I never said I didn't used to. I don't anymore!" I shouted. My knees went weak and I collapsed. 'Liar. You fucking liar.' I could feel every single fresh cut on my thighs. 'Pathetic.' "Please leave me..." I started to say, before my eyes closed and I keeled forward, passing out, overwhelmed by everything that happened.