I knew I was no longer at the Pole as soon as I regained consciousness. Not only did I feel myself standing on my own two feet, but I also felt a different essense wrap itself around me like a blanket. I didn't feel the ironic warmth of the North Pole, but instead felt the coldness of true evil. It consumed me and, in a matter of seconds, I immediately knew where I was and who I was with. When my eyes finally snapped open at the realization, they instantly connected with a golden pair staring at me just a few feet ahead of me.

A smirk was displayed on his face, whereas a snarl made itself known on mine. "Hello, Hallow Eve. I've been waiting for you."

Of course he has a seductive voice and of course he's attractive. Only the best villains are. "Pitch." I growled and wanted nothing more than to just run up to him and slice his head off with my syythe-wait, my scythe! Where is it?! "Where is my scythe, Boogeyman? What have you done with it?"

Pitch chuckles. "Don't worry, Witch. It's still with you. You're not really here, after all."

"And where exactly is here?" I questioned, not believing a word as I looked around. I can only assume that this dark gloomy place, which appears to be underground, is his lair. There are empty cages hanging above me from all over, and in random places there are holes, shining in light from the world above. If I had my broom I could easily just fly out of here; I still can, but I can't remember the spell. Shit. What the hell is the word? Of all times to forget it had to be now. It's not my fault I haven't flown on my own in years.

"Well," Pitch starts to walk toward me and I froze just as I had done with Jack earlier. Except this time it's much different. With Jack, me freezing up was due to...girly nervousness. With Pitch it's...fear. No, I am not afraid. This...this feeling of fear is not real. He's trying to make me feel this way. I knew what to expect from Jack, but with Pitch...I don't know what his intentions are. I need to stay alert.

Plus, with Jack I had my scythe. I don't have it now. I don't need a weapon to protect myself; I myself am a weapon, but it's faster to just start swinging the blade of my scythe than it is to conjure magic. It's easy for me to channel the magic within me, but it still takes effort and concentration.

"We're obviously in my lair," he continued, deliberately walking towards me in a slow pace, knowing it would get me anxious, which it is. "But at the same time we're not. Well, at least you're not. Both of us are asleep. Everything you see, including myself, is not real. It is but a mere way to communicate through sleep. Dreams."

Or nightmares in his case. Perplexed, I said: "So all of this is a dream?"

Pitch gives me a predatory grin as he starts to circle around me, making me tense up even more. I turn, keeping myself facing him, making sure to follow his every movement. Not because I was afraid of what he'd do behind my back.

"You tell me, Miss Evermore. Do you usually dream of me?"

My face twisted with disgust, but my mind raged with confusion. Evermore. I've heard that name before. Where have I heard that name before? Why is it so familiar? It's just as familiar as Jack.

"I usually dream of death," I reply, nonchalantly. "Perhaps this dream will end with you dead."

Of course, he wasn't phased by my threat. "Or you, Miss Evermore. Perhaps it is I who is Death."

There it is again. That familiar tug at the name. "It's just Eve by the way. I don't know where you're getting the other five letters from." I say, ignoring his last statement since it was so stupid. "It's Hallow Eve as you said earlier." I correct him, but not even my own voice sounded so sure. For the first time in my entire life...it sounded like a lie.

"Are you certain?" Pitch asked, smirking. He stopped circling me when he came back to his starting point and conjured a throne of black sand with the wave of his hand.

"Yes," I growled, hands turning into fists. "I know who I am."

"But," he pauses to sit down, the damn smirk never leaving his face. Looks like he and Jack have something in common. "Do you know who you were?" A knowing look gleamed in his eyes. It practically screamed that he knows something I don't.

The memory of the conversation that Jack and I had back in the woods of my home suddenly flashed through my mind, and my heart stopped. How does he...Oh my god…

"You were listening to us!" I shout, anger boiling my blood. "You never left. You were still there the entire time!" I took a step forward, ready to tear my nails into him, but one step was all I was able to take before something wrapped itself around my feet, keeping me in place. I look down and see black sand covering my feet. It moved around like it was alive and the more I struggled to get out of its hold, the more it moved up towards my knees.

"What the hell, asshole?!" I yelled at him. "Let me go!" He ignores me and merely watches in silence, that stupid freaking smirk still there!

I struggled some more and when my movements weren't working, I went to magic. Air. I need to use air. I can blow it away if I just-

And just like that, he took the opportunity to cover my hands with more black sand, binding them together like a spider would web its prey. I screamed in rage and go to blow the air magic out through my mouth, but he covered it with black sand as well. It was as if he was reading my mind-

"I am," he finally says, then stands up. "Dream Communication works by the linking of the minds. I can hear and see every thought you think of."

Then how come I can't hear or see yours?, I thought, knowing he'd hear it, and glared at him like never before.

"Because I know how to shield myself," Pitch answered as he started to circle me again.

So that's how you knew about me being someone else before I became who I am now, I say through my thoughts as I continued to struggle through my restraints despite knowing that it's useless. You just saw the conversation I had with Jack about it in my mind. Or were you really there to hear everything after all?

"Oh no, I left after I got what I needed. I don't have time to waste. However, I actually found out about your mortal life through a different way." Pitch answered, honestly. I knew he wasn't lying.

How? I demanded.

He shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that right now. It'll ruin the surprise for later. You'll find out soon though." He then changes the subject. "So you and Jack spoke of your former life? I wasn't sure of he would remember you or not. I had thought that despite seeing you in his memories that he'd still have no recognition. After all, not only have you two not seen each other in over 300 years, but you look entirely different from your mortal self."

Okay, hold up. Even if I was a mortal in a past life, which I wasn't, how in the hell would you know what I looked like? And for Manny's sake, Jack has no memories of me! He doesn't remember me, okay? I just met the guy a day ago. He also said that he's only looked into his memory teeth box once, which was years ago when your first resurface. He only ever said that I looked familiar to him, which that is not the same as actually knowing and remembering someone. And even if he did, how in the hell would you know?

"Wait, so he hasn't seen his any of his other memories?" Pitch asked, genuinely surprised.

He said it would have been too painful.

Pitch burst into wicked laughter, the noise echoing loudly. "Well, he will certainly be in for a surprise when he looks into them again. Which he will. So he doesn't remember you exactly, but you look familiar to him, correct?"

Why does it matter?

"I'm trying to piece it all together. It's amusing. Plus, if your pretty little green face looks familiar to him," Pitch pondered as he brought his hands up to caress my cheek, taking another turn around me as he did so. I jerked away from his touch as if he burned me. He chuckles and finishes his sentence, "Then surely he must be familiar to you too."

Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but he doesn't.

I answered too quickly, but no matter the pace, he knew it was a lie. Pitch throws his head back again and laughs once more. "The witch lies. Oh, this is brilliant."

What the hell do you want from me? I snapped, definitely fed up. Actually, I was fed up as soon as I opened my eyes. Why are you doing this? Where are my friends? You don't have them in any of the cages hanging everywhere, so where in Lucifer's name are they?! Whatever hatred you have for the Guardians, duel it out with them! Not me and certainly not my friends. Let them go! Let us go, you motherfu-

Pitch's body suddenly drops to the ground, becoming a shadow, and travels towards me before I could blink. Next thing I know, I felt one hand slide its way around my waist and the other around my throat. He wasn't choking me, but I still lost my breath and was struggling to breathe through my nose at the suddenness of it all. Oh my god, what is he doing? He better not do what I think he's going to do.

"You really do have no manners," he whispers in my ears, his lips brushing against them, giving me goosebumps throughout my entire body. And they were not the good kind. "And I must say that temper of yours, the attitude, the fire within you," he buries his nose into my hair and deeply breathes in, "It's hot."

I scowled at his pun and pathetically started to squirm against him again. I know that it's no use, but I can't stop trying to get away. I have to keep trying.

"Struggling is pointless, Hallow," he whispered in my other ear. "Now tell me, witch, if I were to do as you asked, what will I get in return?"

A burned body.

Pitch chuckles. "A burned body, you say? You mean like yours once was?"

What are you talking about?

I felt him shrug against me. "It doesn't matter. You'll find out soon enough. Now I'm going to ask again," his voice came out in a irritated growl now, "What will I get in return?"

My mouth and throat felt dry. For a moment I didn't say or even think anything. I swallowed hard, which his hand felt, and finally thought: What is it that you want?

I couldn't stop myself from thinking of him using me sexually, and I knew that he saw what I was thinking. He chuckles, but says nothing as his hand traveled up, moving away from my throat, tracing my jaw, drawing slow circles on my cheeks, and finally sliding over to cover my eyes.

His words came out in a whisper again. "In exchange for your friends' freedom, what I want from you, my dear Hallow Evermore, is…" he stops for dramatic effect, his grip around my waist tightening, and it was in this moment that I realized I was shaking.

I suddenly felt my head grow dizzy and my entire body weaken. My vision became blurry, and before I completely blacked out again, surrendering myself once more to the dark, I heard him finish his sentence with one word.

"You."