Chapter 6: Purpose?
Jeannie stayed with Pitch in hiding while he continued to work on his plans. Though, she went to her old home often to watch Colin marry another woman and have a beautiful family, watch Ivory grow into a beautiful woman, and watch her mother live a long life. Jeannie stopped returning after her mother's death, it wasn't her home anymore anyway. She found new things to focus on, she rejoiced as slavery ended and girls like Ivory were treated better. She cried when poverty stuck and children were out on the streets. She knew she had a purpose other than just helping Pitch, she just didn't know what it was.
Jeannie was wondering around Paris one morning when she saw a man kiss a woman and run away before sunrise. Jeannie stayed with the woman; she went back inside to a room where an elderly man lay. The woman took care of the man and told him that everything would be alright. Jeannie realized that the girl could not be with the one she loved because of her father who was dying. She waited for night and came to the elderly man. For the first time since she became Pitch's assistant someone saw her. "Are you here to take my soul?" the man asked her.
"Only if you are ready to go with me," Jeannie told him, unsure of why but feeling like it was what she was supposed to say.
"Well I am not!" the man snapped at her, his French harsh and spiked.
"Do you think of your daughter at all?" Jeannie asked looking at him with anger, "she is in love and you are holding her back from her future! Don't you love her?"
The man looked hurt, his features already curved in actual pain worsened, "I didn't know she was in love. She never told me. I thought she would be alone if I died. I am in so much pain I am ready to find a better world. Is the other side that good?" he looked at Jeannie like she held all the answers to his future.
"I do not know," she looked down, "I have never been there."
"Let me tell my daughter goodbye and I will go with you. Will you stay with me until then?" he almost begged her.
"Yes," was all Jeannie could utter.
The sun rose in the sky and the daughter rushed in the room. "Bonjour, mon père. I have brought you breakfast," the girl held up a tray.
"I love you and I only want what is best for you. So will you be honest with your old father? Are you in love with someone?" He asked bluntly.
The girl nearly dropped the tray, "I am so sorry father! I did not mean to disgrace you!"
"You have done nothing of the sort! Please, I just wanted to know so I could move on knowing you are happy," he held out his hand to her. She sat the tray down and ran to her father's arms he hugged her then asked her to go to the man she loved and tell him he had his blessing. When the daughter left he turned to Jeannie, "now, I am ready to go with you." Jeannie smiled and took his hand pulling his spirit from his body. The man looked young, he was handsome. "My wife is on this side of life and I have missed her so. Thank you, child!" He said as he vanished into a light.
Jeannie found her purpose; she was to give people a chance at happiness. She noticed that some of the ash shook off of her dress revealing more of the blood-red color. She soon learned that every time she helped someone find romance, have children, or find peace in the afterlife that her dress lost more ash and the red brightened. Also, people who were dying could see her, they thought she was the angel of death; she even started to believe it.
After almost three hundred years of helping people and Pitch, her dress was a solid red. The dress had a skirt that frilled out from her hips bouncing at mid-thigh. The shirt part X'ed at her belly and made a heart-shape on her chest the point being the top of the X. The sleeves were long, covering her fingers to her first knuckle; they fell off of her shoulders and flowed loosely over her arms. She also wore her black cloak that she had worn when she died; it was what kept her out of sight when she was around the others like her, Pitch, and Jack. Jeannie also gave herself a new name, Tragedy.
Pitch never found out where Jeannie went when she left but he was too busy working on his project to be concerned. He finished it the day Jeannie's dress turned completely red. "Jeannie dear?" Pitch called her, he never stopped calling her Jeannie, "I have a present for you my sweet child! It is complete!"
Tragedy came and closed her eyes and held out her hands. She nearly screamed when she opened her eyes to see a black shadowy horse nuzzling her hands. "I love it! What is it?" she pressed her face to its mane kissing its neck.
Pitch smiled, "it is one of your Nightmares. This is what I have been working on. She is your strongest Nightmare. She is the one of Jack. Put your forehead to hers."
Tragedy did and she was right back on that lake watching Jack sink into the ice. She stepped back panting, "wow," she looked at the mare and at Pitch, "I love her!" The Nightmare head-butted Tragedy's chest, showing that she felt the same.
"Jeannie?" Pitch spoke softly. When she looked at him concerned he put up his hand, "just listen," he took a breath before he continued, "I have to continue with my plans now. You cannot come with me. I do not want those dreadful Guardians to hurt you," Pitch stroked her cheek. He loved her; her fear was the best life force he could ever dream of and she was the only one who made him feel like the man he used to be. "The Nightmares will be attracted to you because you constantly emit fear. They are attracted to it because they are made from it. I want every child to have one of their own and I want those Guardians gone! I will try to get Jack to join us if I can but you must stay safe," he looked at her willing her to tell him she was okay.
Tragedy turned from him, she had never really heard his plans before and now that she had she was hurt. "You are going to use these Nightmares to hurt children?"
"No! Not hurt, just scare. Fear is how I live and if it works out the Guardians will fall because of this. Please understand!" he reached out to her and when she did not jerk away he continued, "Besides, you of all people should know, a little fear is an important part of growing up."
Tragedy looked at him, she cared for him and she had to admit a life without fear would be uneventful. "Okay Pitch, can I stay here or do I have to go?"
He smiled, "you can do whatever you wish! As long as you stay away from those Guardians, Easter is coming up and the Easter Bunny will be around," with that Pitch sank into the shadows and was gone. He never said goodbye to her, he never told her he loved her either but she had a way of knowing he cared.
Tragedy sank down covering herself with her cloak, was she doing the right thing? "What should I do Nightmare?" she sank deeper into her cloak shadow but the Nightmare sniffed her, "I guess I should give you a name," She pushed herself up, looking at the Nightmare questioning, "How about I call you icy?" Nightmare jumped and kicked, "No, that is too cheap for you. I will call you, Kōri, it means ice but it sounds cooler. What do you think?" The Nightmare looked at her confused but whinnied and head-butted the shadow she was hiding in. "Alright, Kōri it is!" Tragedy laughed as she petted Kōri's nose. She didn't know where she would go but she knew in her heart she couldn't stay in the tunnels alone. The tunnels lead to every bed in the world, Pitch could hide under any one he wanted. Jeannie jumped on Kōri's back, "let's go somewhere fun! Let's go ice skating!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone