The other four guardians and I landed on the ground in the town of Burgess. I looked at my surroundings and saw that Jamie and his friends wee still playing in the snow. They soon noticed us and stopped what they were doing and came over, "North, Tooth, Sandy, Bunny, Jack! What are you all doing here?" asked Jamie.

"Pitch is back and we're scouting the area," North boomed in his loud voice.

"North!" I shouted, taking in all the scared looks on the kids face. "You don't just flat out say that to children," I said in a you-should-know-that kind of way. I was perched at the top of my staff, Bunny was leant against a tree, tooth was hovering in the air, and North and Sandy were just standing there.

"That is a harsh way of breaking the news mate. You have to tell them as if..." Bunny waved his hands around, trying to think of something, "... as if you're talking to Jack."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" I said pointedly.

"Means you're delicate, mate," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah, says the kangaroo."

"Hey, I am not a kangaroo," he continued getting angrier.

"Oh yeah," I smirked, leaning in closer from where I sat, "says who?"

"Says me, the Easter Bunny, emphasis on the bunny."

"So basically the kangaroo himself testifying that he is not a kangaroo. Makes so much sense."

"Whatever snowflake," he said and the next thing I knew I was lying on the ground, his foot outstretched.

"That's it," I said annoyed, leaving my staff on the ground and pouncing on him. We fought for sometime while the other guardians were trying to break up the fight and the kids helped. "Boys! Stop it!" "You're acting like little kids." "Cut it out!"

This went on for a good five minutes then they pulled us apart, me by North and Bunny by Tooth and Sandy. Cupcake, Jamie, Monty, Pippa, Caleb, and Claude were standing between us. "Bunny, Jack, stop fighting or so help me we are going back to the pole!" North shouted.

"Sorry," we both mumbled. We glared at each other one last time then I turned around to retrieve my staff. I stopped dead in my tracks. My staff was gone. This can't be, I left it right here, I told myself. I started to retrace my steps.

"Jack?" Tooth asked, clearly worried about the look on my face. "What's the matter?"

I turned to everyone quickly. "Have any of you seen my staff," I pleaded, hoping against hope that this was just some sick joke and one of them would just whip out my staff from behind their back.

I saw their eyes widen as well, finally understanding why I was so frantic. Then I heard a clapping noise from my right (their left). It started out slow but soon became faster and louder.

"I didn't expect to see you all here so soon, or maybe I should have," said a voice that I would never forget.

"Pitch Black," North spit out.

"You guessed it. Well, well, the big five. All here. And whatnot, the children. The poor, little children."

"Stay away from them Pitch," Bunny and I yelled.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt them. I'm going for something else.

"Huh, you, Bunny, I would expect, but Jack. How brave, facing me without a weapon," he sneered.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "How do you know that?"

He laughed then pulled out my staff from behind him. "This really is a beautiful... stick. You really are nothing without it. I wonder..." He pointed the staff at me and I had just enough time to scramble out of the way before a blast of ice shot past me.

I was really mad. How dare he use my own weapon against me! I lunged at him and so did the other guardians but all I touched was air. He laughed one more time and disappeared in the shadows, taking my staff with him. "No!" I screamed, punching a tree.

"Jack, don't worry," said Tooth calmly. "We'll find your staff."

"You don't understand. I am nothing without that staff. I can't fly or shoot ice. In the wrong hands, it can do really bad things, which it kind of is."

"Don't worry mate, well get it back. We won't stop until we find Pitch and beat him up for doing this," Bunny assured. Sandy and North agreed.

"Ok, thanks guys," I said with a smile. I turned to Jamie and his friends, I almost forgot they were there. "Hey, you guys okay?" I looked at all their faces which were scared but quickly washed away.

"We're okay Jack," they all said. Then Jamie stepped forward. "You just gotta find your staff Jack. I don't want to lose you."

"Hey, hey," I said soothingly. "Don't worry about me. You go do what you do."

"Ok," he said reluctantly. I ruffled his hair and he started to laugh. He playfully glared at me and I turned back to the guardians.

"Well, let's go find the boogeyman."