It was the beginning of winter. Night has fallen in a small town of Hancock. Everything was covered in a thick blanket of snow. And just inside a small forest, a young girl was seen strolling underneath the trees. As she was walking through the forest, she couldn't help but admire the way the moonlight shined on the snow, the way the snow sparkled like the stars in the sky and how her black boots made a crunching sound when it collided with the snow. When little bits of snow fell from the trees and landed on her face, she shakes her head a bit, making her long, dark brown hair sway to the movement. She lets out a small giggle. Just everything around her felt…magical.
This is one of the traits that she wasn't so ashamed of, even though a part of her still feels a bit self-conscious about it; she loved anything that was magical and, in most cases, unbelievable. She wanted so bad for the things that she heard and read as a child to be real. Her heart nearly ached for it. But, sadly, there is a point in one's life where they have to grow up. In other words, they have to stop believing. If they reached a certain age and they still believed, they're considered as odd, crazy or nuts.
Sadly, the young girl learned this the hard way. When she turned thirteen and she claimed that she still believed in the magical world, she was automatically considered as a freak among her fellow teenagers around the town. After that event, she had a hard time make friends that were at her age. She was now fifteen and she still has a hard time making friends. The most friends she can make were among the children, obviously because it was easy for them to believe in the unbelievable (at least while they are young).
You ask, why does she still believe? Why didn't she just stop? Well, to put it simple: somewhere, deep inside her heart and soul, something is telling her that if she keeps on believing, something good will happen to her.
Little did she know that she'll get more than she had hoped for.
When a cold blast of wind suddenly hits her, she wraps her purple-striped scarf around her neck and tightens her purple beanie on her head to block her ears from the cold. She continued on walking through the forest until she exits it and came upon a small park with a jungle gym, a slide and a swing set. She walks over to the jungle gym and took a seat among its steps. For at least five minutes, she just stared into space, just absorbing her surroundings. Finally she looked up at the moon that was in full circle.
"The moon is beautiful tonight." She said to herself before letting out a small laugh. "Heh… The Man in the Moon. Mmmm…yeah, I can kind of see you." She lets out another giggle. "I wonder what you see up there. What you think of this world." She sighs sadly. "I mean…if you're real, that is."
Then she suddenly remembers something. She reaches into her right pocket and pulls out a piece of paper with musical notes and words on it. This was the reason she came out at this time day. She was hoping she could get some privacy and practice singing this song. She didn't feel comfortable doing it at home: there was a chance that her family will hear her and she didn't want them to. Even if they were not in the house and she was alone, there was still a chance that they will come home and hear her voice. So, she decided that the only time she'll get some real privacy was going to the park at nighttime, hoping that it was abandon and start practicing.
She looks to her left and sees no one. She looks to her right and still sees no one. She sighs in relief, believing she was alone tonight. She stands up from her seat, looks over the sheet, coughs a little and starts to sing.
Oh holy night
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night
Of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world
In sin and error pining
Til he appeared
And the soul felt its worth
A trill of hope
The weary world rejoices
For younder breaks
A new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angels' voices!
Oh night divine!
The night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night
Oh night divine!
As she continued to sing, snow begins to fall around her.
Truly he taught us
To Love one another
His law is love
And his gospel is peace
Chains shall he break
For the slave is our brother
And in his name
All oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy
In grateful chorus raise we
With all our hearts
We praise His holy name.
Fall on your knees!
Oh, hear the angel voices!
Oh night divine
The night when Christ was born
Oh night divine!
Oh night
Oh night divine!
Oh, O night divine.
When she finished the song, she sighs with a bit of a smile on her face. She folds up the paper, puts it back in her pocket and starts to head home.
That was, until she heard a voice.
"That's was really nice."
She immediately stops in her tracks, not daring to move a muscle. Her heartbeat begins to race and she can easily hear her breathing. Finding a bit of courage, she speaks.
"Who-Who…wh-who said that?"
There was a pause.
"You…you can hear me?" The voice that sounded like a boy said.
She suddenly felt a chill going down her spine. Not find the courage to speak again, she nods slowly.
"You can actually hear me?" The voice breaks into excitement.
Her heartbeat races even faster, realizing that the voice was just right behind her. She took a deep gulp and slowly looks behind to find a teenage boy who looked to be a few inches taller than her standing just a couple of inches away.
She shrieks and starts to run.
"N-No! Wait! Stop!" The boy calls out to her. She immediately hides behind the monkey bars. "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you." The boy looks at her apologetically and continues to speak in a gentle voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
As she tries to calm her racing heart (with the help of the sound of his voice), she finally had a good look at him. He looked about maybe sixteen to seventeen years old at most. His spiky hair was as white as the moon and his skin was as pale as the snow itself. He was wearing a blue hoodie that was almost covered in frost as well as the bottom of his brown pants. In his right hand was a staff that reminded her of shepherd's cane. What she noticed about the staff was that it was almost covered in frost. What seemed peculiar about this boy was that he was barefoot and his feet didn't seem to mind the cold in the slightest. But that wasn't what got her attention. What really got her attention were his eyes. They were a deep blue…as blue as the sea itself. In other words, they were the most beautiful eyes that she had ever seen. She couldn't help but be mesmerized by them. But then she automatically got out of her trance when a realization came to her.
"How-How…How much did you hear?" She asked him nervously.
The boy looked at her a bit confused. It took him a couple of seconds to realize what she meant by that. He smiles as he leans on his staff. "Enough."
Her face begins to heat up with embarrassment and she tries to hide it with her hands. The boy heard her sing. The boy actually heard her sing! 'Ohhh…he must think I was terrible!' She thought to herself. She turns around and starts to run again.
"Hey! Wait!" The boy called out to her. She ignores him and continues on to run. She hasn't even reached five feet away from the jungle gym when, suddenly, the boy was right in front of her! She gasped and was about to run the other direction until the boy grabbed her arm. "Don't run off." She continues to look down at the ground, refusing to look at him. He then speaks in a gentle voice. "Really, you sounded good. You do have a nice voice."
Her eyes widen in shock. He actually liked her singing. She slowly looks up at him. "Really?"
He smiles at her. "Really really."
She looks up into his blue eyes and sees that he was telling the truth. She felt her face flush. "Well…umm…thank you." She smiles up at him. Then, another realization came to her: she doesn't know who this guy is.
"W-Wait a minute…" She takes her hand away from his hold took a couple of steps back. "Who are you exactly? I don't remember seeing you around town before."
He sighs and shakes his head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
She quirts an eyebrow at him. "Try me."
Sensing that as a challenge, he smiles eagerly as hovers a few feet above the ground. She gasped as he few in front of her face just a few inches away before he floats back down, making her blush.
"You really want to know?" He asks with eagerness in his eyes.
Shill blushing, she nods.
He smirks and, the next thing she knew, he flies up into the air. She gasped in astonishment. He was actually flying! The young girl follows him back to the playground as he lands softly on top of the jungle gym. She stares up at him in amazement. He leans against the pole before speaking. "My name is Jack Frost."
She gasped as her eyes went wide. Jack waited for a few seconds before she spoke in shock.
"Y-Y-You're-" She shuttered. "You're Jack Frost?"
He nods.
Excitement grows in hers. "Jack Frost? As in The Jack Frost?!"
Jack lightly laughs and gives her a mockingly small bow. "Spirit of Winter and Guardian at your service." As soon as he said that, the snowfall stopped.
She felt herself smile with excitement. She couldn't believe it. The real Jack Frost was right here in front of her! She felt like she could jump high in the air. But then, reality starts to kick in on her. She shook her head and starts to walk away a bit. Jack looks at her curiously as she walked around in circles, muttering to herself.
"No…no. This is a dream. This is all a dream. This can't be him. Or maybe this is just my imagination. You want to believe in the magical world so badly that you're seeing thing. Yeah…yeah, he's just in your imagination. You just…want this to be real…" She then hears a chuckle and looks back at Jack Frost who was smiling at her. "What's so funny?"
He jumps off the jungle gym gracefully and walks closer to her with eager eyes. "In all my years of being a winter spirit, I never thought that I would meet a girl at your age that wants to believe in all of me and the world that I live in." He stops just a couple of inches away from her. "But you still believe, don't you. If you didn't, you wouldn't be able to see me."
She looks up at him and sighs sadly. "Actually, I…I don't know if I should believe or not." She admits, feeling excited but mostly uncertain. She wanted this to be real but how can she when, logically, it can't.
She continues to look down at the snow until she felt a finger at her chin lifting her head to look at Jack straight in his eyes.
"But you want to believe, don't you?" He asked her with a smile and eagerness in his eyes.
She looks deeply into his eyes and felt almost mesmerized again. She wanted to deny it, but looking into his eyes, she couldn't find herself doing it. She couldn't describe it, but she felt like she could…trust him somehow. She takes a deep breath and says,
"Yes."
He smirks at her and wraps his arms around her waist. She gasped in surprise and starts to shiver a little, which had little to do with the cold. Despite this, his smile never wavers.
"Why don't I make you believe?" He softly whispers to her with his eyes sparkling. She was about to ask him what he meant by that when all of sudden, he lifts her up and carried her bridal style. She felt a blush coming on her cheeks finding her face just inches away from Jack's.
"Jack? What are you doing?" She asked nervously.
"I'm gonna help you believe by having some fun." He laughs and the next thing that she knew, he rockets up into the air.
She screams her lungs out as she tightens her grip around Jack's neck and buries her head into his chest. She felt her stomach lift up like she was on a roller coaster. Her screams were drowned down by Jack's excited laughter as they both continued to sour through the sky.
She then felt they had slowed down a bit, but she refused to open her eyes.
"Hey, it's okay." Jack said in soothing voice as he tightens his grip on her. "You can open your eyes."
She was hesitant at first, but just hearing his voice seems to calm her down. She slowly lifts her head from Jack's chest and opened her eyes. What she saw was the most amazing thing she as ever seen. They were way high above the ground and everything below them, buildings, trees, the lake and the park that they were just at were as small as ants. Light below them gave the buildings a beautiful glow. And with the moonlight shining down on the scenery, everything gave out a beauty that she had never seen.
When she looked up, she noticed that they were so close to the clouds. With curiosity, she slowly reached up touched it. Filled with excitement, she moves her hand back and forth, making a pattern among the clouds as they went. Jack then flies higher until they were high above the clouds. The clouds were in a many shapes and patterns. Some were making pictures like a train letting out steam and a ship sailing through the seas. When they both looked at the moon, it looked so close that they felt like they could touch it. She couldn't help but look in wonder and excitement at what she was seeing. Then the clouds parted, revealing a city below them. She gasped in excitement when she notices the Washington Monument. They were flying over Washington D.C.
She laughs joyously. "Let's get a closer look!"
Jack chuckles as he flew down to the city at high-speed. She screamed but not in fear but with excitement. She couldn't believe how wonderful it felt to be in the air. She felt both fear and excitement. When Jack made loops in the air, she whooped and laughed with joy which Jack couldn't help but laugh with her.
They flew all across the city. They flew over the Lincoln Monument, the Smithsonian Museums, the Zoo, everything you can think of in the city of Washington. They even flew over a clock tower, which they both moved the big hand to the number twelve, making it dong on the hour. Once, Jack lowered them to the ground. Before reaching the surface, he puts her down and he makes an icy path on the streets. While Jack holds her hand tightly, they both speed slid and skated across the streets. When Jack made a loop on the icy path, he let's go of her hand in the mid loop and catches her in mid-air. Both of them were laughing as they continue to fly above the city.
After about thirty minutes of flying, they finally came to rest on the top of the Capital building. The spent the next couple of hours of just talking among one another. They talked about many things, mostly of things at random. Like about what was their favorite color, their favorite food (mostly on the young girl since Jack didn't need to eat), their birthdays, how Jack became a winter spirit in the first place, about the young girl's family and one of their most favorite of memories so far. On several occasions, Jack would make a funny comment which causes her to laugh and sometimes she would make a funny comment back which causes him to laugh. Right now, Jack was talking about his fellow guardians and the fight they had with Black Pitch (otherwise known as the Boogeyman) that happened on Eastern Sunday.
"So…all of them are real?" She asked him with eagerness in her eyes. "Santa Clause? The Easter Bunny? The Sandman? The Tooth Fairy?!"
"Yep, all of us are real." Jack said with a toothless smile. "Though the Easter Bunny looks more like a kangaroo than a rabbit." This causes her to giggle a bit. She sighs as they continued to look over the city.
"You are so lucky, Jack." She commented. "You get to do this every day. I mean…creating winter…seeing all of this. It must be so much fun and…" She paused for a bit and looked straight into his eyes.
"Yeah it's pretty awesome, isn't it?" He said excitedly. "I would often chuck up a bunch of snowballs and throw at the kids and start a snowball fight. It's cool."
"I would often throw snowballs at kids too." She said more to herself. She clasped her hand over her mouth, realizing what she had just admitted in front of Jack. She didn't mean for him to know that.
Jack blinked at her for a second before he burst into laughter. "I didn't expect that one coming, especially coming from you."
She punched him on the shoulder. "Hey! It's only for fun's sake. And I only do it with my little brothers and sisters."
Jack laughs a bit more before he winks at her, which causes her heart to speed up. "It must be hard. Taking care of them."
She sighs and looks back over the city. "I'll admit, even when I get some help, it can be a pain in the butt sometimes. But…" She then smiles. "I still love them very dearly."
They paused for a bit before she broke the silence. "Hey Jack."
"Yeah?"
"Your little sister…what was she like?" She asked him.
Then, all of sudden, his eyes became from something of child to a person that was beyond their years. When she looked deeply into his eyes, she found layers of memories that he held for past years of his life. She found happiness and sadness. She couldn't help but feel like she should hug him.
"To be honest…" He began. "I don't really remember much about her. Other than from what I've told you, that's just about it." He looks at her grey eyes with sadness. "I don't even remember her name."
She then saw something in Jack's eyes that she never expected to see. She saw tears. She couldn't help but feel terrible for him. About how he was separated from his sister and now he has so little memories of her. It nearly caused her heart to break.
"I-I-I'm sorry." She looked down sadly. "I didn't mean to-"
"It's okay." He said as he puts a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and he smiles softly at her. "I'm satisfied with the little memories I have of her. And I saved her life before I was reborn. It's enough for me."
They continued to look into each others' eyes for a moment until she, out of pure impulse, hugged him tightly. Jack was caught off guard by it, but then he hugged her back.
At that very moment, she started feel something she had never felt before. She felt cold but, at the same time, she felt…warm. She felt completely safe with him, like he can protect her from anything. She knew it couldn't be friendship, it was something else entirely. She didn't understood what it was, but somehow…she didn't mind entirely.
They continued to be in each others' embrace until she looked at her watch and realized that it was twelve o'clock at midnight. She slowly pulled out of Jack's embrace, even though she didn't want to.
"Jack, it's late." She said almost sadly. "I have to go home. My family will be worried about me."
Jack pouts. "Awww…you're no fun." But then he chuckles a little. "Alright, I'll take you home." He picks up his staff that was leaning against the Statue of Freedom. But then, he gives her a twinkle in his eyes. "But…only if…"
"…If what?" She asked questionably.
He grins at her mischievously. "If you sing one song for me."
"What?!" She felt her face flush with embarrassment. "Didn't I already do that?!"
"You didn't even know I was there." He said as he pinched her nose a bit. "No…I want to hear you sing a song. Right here…right now."
She couldn't believe it. Singing without knowing someone is there is one thing. Knowing that the person is right there with you is entirely different. A part of her was glad that he wanted to hear her sing again, but she wasn't so sure.
"I-I-I-I don't know…" She hesitated for a bit.
"Oh come on!" Jack gives her a pout. "Pleeeaaaase?"
When she saw he was giving her the puppy eyes, she couldn't help but fall for it. She sighs and grumbles. "Fine!"
Jack smiles triumphantly and he leans on his staff, waiting for her to begin. She tries to think of a song that she could sing for him. She didn't want to sing 'O Holy Night' again since he already heard it. After thinking over a few songs in her head, she finally picks the one that she knew in her heart. And it seemed to somewhat fit on what happened this night. She took a deep breath to calm herself and sang.
Children sleeping
Snow is softly falling
Dreams are calling
Like bells in the distance
We were dreamers
Not so long ago
But one by one we
All have to grow up
When it seems the magic slipped away
We find it all again on Christmas day
Believe in what your heart is saying
Hear the melody that's playing
There's no time to waste
There's so much to celebrate
Believe in what you feel inside
And give your dreams the wings to fly
You have everything you need
If you just believe
Trains move quickly
To their journey's end
Destinations are where we begin again
Slips go sailing far across the sea
Trust in starlight
To get where they need to be
When it seems that we have lost our way
We find ourselves again on Christmas day
Believe in what your heart is saying
Hear the melody that's playing
There's no time to waste
There's so much to celebrate
Believe in what you feel inside
And give your dreams the wings to fly
You have everything you need
If you just believe
If you just believe
If you just believe
If you just believe
Just believe
Just believe
When she finally finished, she looked up at Jack. "Well? How was it?"
What she saw was something she didn't really expected. He was smiling at her, almost dreamily. She couldn't but blush a bit.
"That was really nice." He commented. "You should sing more often."
She smiles a bit and couldn't help but giggle. "Give me a good reason to and maybe I will."
He laughs a bit as he picks her up bridal style. "Come on Wind! Take us back to Hancock!"
The Wind picked them up and carried them through the night.
They finally reached her house at around one o'clock. He sets her down on top of the roof before flying to her window and notices a rope that was hanging out of it. It was tied together by a bunch of different clothes.
"Someone was being a naughty girl." He grins up at her mischievously. She laughs nervously while scratching her head.
He opens up her window, flies back to her and carries her back into her room. She felt the warmth of the room as she took off her beanie, gloves, scarf and her white jacket (with the help of Jack, which she couldn't help but blush), revealing her long-sleeved white shirt with a blue shirt over it.
"You know…" Jack looked at her sheepishly. "After all our adventures today, I still haven't learned your name yet." He confessed guilty. She couldn't help but laugh a bit. She finds it very easy to be around him. But she couldn't blame him fully for not learning her name. She was so distracted by everything that has happened that she forgot to tell him.
"And we learned so much about one another." She commented which causes them both to chuckle a bit. "It's Crystal. My name is Crystal."
"Crystal…" He said thoughtfully as he tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear, causing her to feel a shiver down her spine.
She smiles up at him and said. "Thank you…for the adventure tonight. It was…beyond amazing. I mean… taking me flying, sliding across the streets. It was just…" She sighs dreamily. "…magical."
"So you believe me now?" He sounded almost worried. "You didn't think it was all a dream?"
Crystal smiles up at him. "Of course not." She then hugs him with tears in her eyes. "And thank you…for helping me to believe."
Jack smiles and hugs her back. "You're welcome, Crystal."
They stayed that way for a moment before Jack pulls away almost bashfully. "Well, I better go." He then reaches for his staff that was leaning against the desk. "You know…places to go. Things to freeze."
Crystal nods at him as he goes for the window. Then, a realization came to her. Before Jack could reach for the window, she grabs his wrist.
"Jack wait!" He looks at her questionably. "How did you know where I lived? I don't remember telling you that."
He sighs and looks at her sheepishly. "You really want to know?"
She nods. He sighs again as he puts his staff against the wall and walks towards her until he was just a couple of inches away from her. "To be honest, Crystal, I've been watching you for a while now."
Her eyes widened in shock. She wasn't expecting that. She wasn't creeped out or anything, just…surprised.
"And…" She asked hesitantly. "Why were you watching over me?"
He gently smiles at her as he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, you're different from the other girls that I've seen. I didn't know what it was at first, but I still felt that you were different." He then cups her face with his cold hands. "Before tonight, I only watched you from a distance, thinking that you wouldn't be able to see me. But now I know that you can, I'm glad I know now what attracted me to you." He smiles gently at her and Crystal couldn't help but smile back at him.
She then noticed something in Jack's eyes that she didn't expect. He seemed almost…nervous.
"Crystal, can I…" He pauses for a bit. "Can I ask you a favor?"
She nods her head.
"Would you-" He pauses again as if he was trying to compose himself.
"Would I what?" She asked him, urging him to continue.
"Would you humor me for a moment? I just want to try something." He replied. Crystal nods her head slowly. He smiles as he slowly leans his head closer to hers.
Crystal felt her heart race and her cheeks heating up a bit as he was coming closer. She couldn't help but stare into his blue eyes that looked at her grey ones lovingly until he closed his eyes. The next thing she stared were his lips that looked so soft. So enchanted by that moment, she felt her eyelids drop as she felt his cold breath up against her lips.
And that was when the real magic happened.
When his lips gently touched hers, she felt a sensation she had never felt before. All thoughts in her head ceased to exist and all she could think about was how wonderful she felt when his lips touched hers. She felt like she was flying again with Jack. She just felt…alive. She slowly kissed him back.
Feeling that she wasn't holding back, Jack wraps one of his arms around Crystal's waist and the other at the back of her head, wrapping his fingers into her hair, closing the gap between his and her body. Crystal gasped in surprise when she suddenly felt cold and warm at the same time. She felt her limps becoming soft as jelly. But that didn't stop her from wrapping her arms around Jack's neck, intertwining her fingers into Jack's white hair. Jack grinned against her lips from her movement and he begins to kiss her with as much courage and passion he could muster. Crystal felt a fire growing insider as she kissed him back with the same amount of passion and courage.
After a couple of minutes of this, they both pulled away, breathing hard. Both of their faces were flushed. Jack leans his forehead against Crystal's as he sees her cold breath. She bites her bottom lip, trying to prevent a grin that threatens to appear while Jack had a gleam in his eyes. Then both of them laughed lightly.
"Alright, Crystal. I think you had enough adventures for one night." Jack murmured and stepped back.
Crystal then pouts a bit. "Awww…you're no fun."
Jack chuckles, humored that she used the same comment he used earlier.
Then Crystal looks down sadly. "I won't see you again, will I?"
Jack sighs and lifts her head with his hand. He smiles down at her. "Don't worry, Crystal. I promise, I'll come back and see you again soon. You can't get away from me that easily. And, who knows, maybe I'll take to the North Pole and you'll meet the rest of my friends."
Crystal laughs lightly. "You mean it? You're not gonna make me wait for you for fifty years and then I see you again."
Jack laughs at this. "Honestly, Crystal! I'm not that bad! I promise I will see you again soon."
Crystal then smirks. "I thought you were the type of person that's doesn't like to be tied down by responsibilities."
"But that was before I met you, wasn't it?" He winks at her which makes her blush just a bit. He then cups her face. "I promise, Crystal. We will meet again soon." He gives her one last minty kiss, sealing the promise he made to her. He then turns around, picks up his staff and leaps out of the window.
Crystal runs to her window and sees Jack flying through the skies.
"I'll be waiting for you, Jack!" She calls out to him. "You can't get rid of me that easily!"
She hears his laughter echo through the air until it disappeared into the night. She smiles up into the moon and stars.
At that moment, she knew that she was right. She knew that if she tried her hardest to keep on believing, something good will happen to her. But tonight, she didn't get something good: she got the most amazing thing that has ever happened to her.
She had just met, had an adventure, gotten to know, and fell in love with the winter spirit, Jack Frost, all in one night. And she knew in her heart that her adventure with Jack Frost wasn't the end…
It has only just begun…
Hope you guys like this.
If you want to know what Crystal looks like, look in my profile and it should show you the links to the pictures I did on her. And, also, I did a few pics on Jack too, so check them out.^^
Oh…and don't think I'm done with Jack Frost and Crystal. I'm planning on doing another fic on them.^^
The songs don't belong to me:
'O Holy Night' belongs to Adolphe Adams and "Believe" belongs to Josh Gorban
And please leave a review. It will be greatly appreciated.^^