It was late. Or early. It depends on your perspective. Sandy came here hours ago. Manny watched the night silently. The sun would rise over the horizon eventually, but until then, this portion of the world was asleep under a blanket of snow. My snow. Covering Burgess in snow takes more thought than just swinging my staff and letting frozen water fall. No, I have to lay enough snow to cover the town, but not so much that there isn't any water vapor left in the clouds for snow days when school starts again.

Jamie's fourteen now. He won't believe forever. Caleb, Claude, Cupcake, Monty, and Pippa could stop believing any day now, thinking that the Guardians and I are childish fantasies. The other Guardians would be fine; they have thousands of believers and gain more each day as they lose some. I only have a handful.

I yawned, my lake coming in sight. This place was secluded. Undisturbed. Even the animals rarely made a sound here. Finding a tree with snow-laden branches, I hid away, pulling my hood over my head and finding sleep. When I wake, I thought, I'll give them more snow. Not enough to be a storm, but enough to cover their tracks. I don't want "Hurricane Sandy" to happen again. Sandy had nothing to do with it.

Hours later, snow crunched below the tree. The footfalls were soft, as if they were tiptoes. They stopped at the trunk, a soft plop sounding upward. Leaves blocked the view underneath me. The sounds stopped, so I went back to sleep, I was exhausted. Odd.

"Hey!" a girl called. I sighed. Maybe she'll go away? I turned into the tree's trunk.

"Oi!" She shouted. She's going to wake the hibernating animals with her ruckus. "You in blue!" Someone else is with her? Great. Just great. I groaned, thunking my head on the bark. Suddenly, a snowball hit me in the head. No one, not even Jamie, is allowed to do that to me. My head whipped up, my hood falling off. I grabbed my staff, glared at the thrower, and jumped down to the ground.

She was surprised. I didn't particularly care; I'm Jack Frost, I can jump ten feet from a tree without getting hurt. Picking up a book near my knees, I walked toward her, nearly struck to a halt in my tracks. She had beautiful hair that framed her face, highlighting her amazingly shaded eyes. She wasn't thin, at least, not like America's so-called "models." She wore a green coat with frosty stitching on it along with a Laplander, jeans, and a pair of boots. My eyes reached hers again, and that's when I noticed that she wasn't looking through me like other people her age would.

Knowing I'd probably look like a fool, I asked, right as she questioned me, "Can you see me-?"

"Aren't you cold-?"

"Sorry," we both apologized simultaneously. "Stop that - you first - cut it out!" I laughed quietly, watching her expression. Her eyes were downcast. She glanced back up. I saw then that I was at least a head taller than her. I could use her head as a chin rest. In my mind, I imagined hugging her from behind as she laughed, the two of us fitting together like a puzzle. The sun would be setting on a white valley, causing the snow to seem golden. I snapped out of my thoughts. I didn't even know her name.

"Name's Jack," I told her. "Mind telling me yours?"

In return, she said hers, her voice giving a faint lilt. The name was perfect for her.

"Lovely name, Snowflake," I nicknamed her. Her sweater's stitching didn't bring it to my mind, but the way she carried herself, beautifully, individually, yet fragilely if one touch could harm her. Her exterior gave that away, if she hadn't realized it already. She didn't seem to, just as all girls don't unless they use it to their advantage to indulge in questionable affairs. Surely someone as pretty as she isn't alone. "Why hang 'round here?"

She paused, thinking. Her nose scrunched slightly. "Hmm..." she mumbled. "It's beautiful here in the winter, free of the city's influences."

I smiled, shaking my head. She has a way with words. "Why are you alone, I mean, don't you have any friends to hang with?"

"No," she replied slightly stiffly. "I'm new to this city. I just came near Halloween. No one seems to notice me here."

Her words struck a chord. At least she can be seen by people. I nodded at her words.

"Why," she started, "are you here alone, without any friends?"

"Well," I began, "I consider you a friend of mine-" It's true. If she doesn't have a friend, then she has me. The friendzone means nothing to me. Don't newly married couples say that they married their best friend?

She interjected, "Acquaintance seems more likely, given we've just met."

I ignored her remark for the moment. "-but other than that, not many people notice me either. At least, not people who are my age. Kids do though." I gestured with my staff, accidentally drawing her eyes to it. It pulsated blue.

"Why does your staff glow?" she asked. I really didn't want to have to explain that. It brought back my family. Talking about them was like squeezing lemon juice into a deep gash. I stumbled with my answer.

"Umm... Batteries! It runs on batteries."

"Right." She saw through my feeble attempt at misleading the truth. "Batteries definitely work in weather 20 degrees Fahrenheit."

I pulled the book around from behind my back. "And every sane person definitely reads a book out in the same temperature. Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King. You read the Guardians?"

"And I've seen the movie-" she nodded before she froze, whispering, "Jack Frost."

She stunned me. I didn't expect she'd get it so quickly, but she's smarter than she looks. Still, I couldn't believe it. "Sorry?"

"Jack Frost," she repeated. "It explains why you were in the tree, you don't have frostbitten toes or fingers, and why your staff glows."

"Right, but, you also believe in me to see me." I smirked.

"Right." She glanced at her watch while I stared at the sky. I must've slept longer than I intended. A note of worry came to her eyes. She looked as if she was in flight mode. To me, she remarked, "I have to go now."

I took her warm hand in mine, asking, "Need a ride?" Before she could answer, I pulled her into the air.

Hi, Royals (fans of my stuff, for the new people)! Here's One Wintry Spirit's Morning! When I have writer's block, this might be updated more than One Wintry Morning. How do y'all like it so far? Review, please. -Z