I woke up feeling really bad.

Well, actually I had a very good sleep but then I woke up and remembered: Oh yea, I have no powers.

It was a great thought to wake up to.

I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings. I could hear all of the guardians talking at once, so that I couldn't hear what one of them was saying. I was at the pole, lying on a rather comfy couch. I sat up and rubbed my head. Not being able to take the noise anymore, I yelled out, "HEY!"

At once they all went quiet and turned around slowly to face me. They looked at me as though I was a ticking time bomb.

"Okay, I can tell that something is up but no one will tell me what it is. Knocking me out was not cool. Can you guys please just tell me what's going on?" I asked.

The guardians looked to each other and sighed. "Yea, alright," Tooth said. She grabbed a mirror and flew it over to me. I took it and looked at myself. I nearly screamed.

The guy that was looking back at me was not me. He had brown hair and eyes, a few brown freckles on his cheeks. I touched my face in wonder. It reminded me of when I was looking at my memories and seeing myself as Jackson Overland.

"What the heck happened to me?!" I asked.

"We don't know," Tooth said.

"And why are my eyebrows rainbow colored?" I asked.

"We've been trying to come up with some sort of antidote," Tooth explained. "That just happened with one of our tests."

"Cool," I said, smiling. Then I slapped myself. "I mean, not cool! How did this happen?"

"Like I said, Jack, we don't know." Tooth sighed.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "It's alright. It'll just wear off, right?"

"We don't know that either."

I looked at my staff and picked it up, weighing it in my hand. I then took aim at the wall and tried to shoot ice, but nothing came out. Sighing, I sat down.

"Don't feel bad, mate," Bunny said.

"I don't feel bad," I said. "I don't feel right. I don't feel like myself. I feel so...feel so..."

"Weak?" North tried.

"Yea." I nodded.

North clapped my shoulder. "It won't be safe for you in this state to go out anywhere. Pitch could take advantage of this. I suggest that you stay here and don't go anywhere. Deal?"

"But-"

"Deal?"

I could tell that no matter what I said, I wasn't going to get out of agreeing. Even if I said no, North would find some way to keep me at the Pole. I sighed. "Deal."

North nodded. "Now tell us what happened."

The guardians all listened as I told them about my encounter with Pitch. They frowned when I mentioned the black sand the covered me, but none of them said anything. When I finished, they all looked at each other.

"Well, Pitch must have come up with some sort of sand that can take away our powers." North concluded. "We're going to have to be careful from now on."

"What are we going to do?" I asked.

"Not you," North said. "Just us."

"WHAT?!" I yelled. "What are you talking about?!"

"We don't want to risk you getting hurt, Jack." Bunny said. "Just let us go. Maybe we can work it all out."

"But it's my problem as much as yours," I growled.

"Jack, you can't come. It's like what Bunny said. You're much safer here." Tooth said.

"Phil!" North yelled. The yeti came at once. "Watch Jack for us. And make sure that he doesn't follow." Phil grunted a reply, and then the guardians began to leave. "Make for the sleigh!" I stood up and followed them up to Phil. I stood next to the yeti, who put one of his hairy hands on my shoulder. I watched as all of the guardians left.

"What if you need my help?" I called.

"Don't worry about us, mate," Bunny called back. "We'll be fine."

That was another way of telling me, We don't need you.