Once upon a time, deep in the woods in the late hours of the night, when the moon was a barely visible crescent, a girl and a boy were walking home. Suddenly the boy, Brandon, grabbed the girl's hand to stop her. "Mickey?"
The girl, whose full name was Michelle, turned to face him. "What's up, Babe? Shouldn't we be going? My parents will be waiting." "Mickey, sweetheart, you know they won't care." It was true. Mr. and Mrs. Talson weren't known for their caring nature. While not abusive, they certainly walked the fence of neglect.
She paused. "Yeah, I guess." He bit his lip with anticipation, "I was wondering if we could take a detour to the old Smith place..."
When they were younger the 'the old Smith place' was reportedly haunted, but in high school it was a known place for couples who wanted to make out and participate in more heated activities. It was an easily spotted nonverbal question. She honestly should've expected it. They'd been dating for a little less than a year, and he was always so nice to her. He'd never overstepped his boundaries, and it would be foolish to think he didn't want anything in return.
Still, the thought made her a little queasy...
She had to do it. It was her duty as a good girlfriend. Besides, most of her friends had already lost their virginity. It wasn't that uncommon. "Sure," she said, after hesitation, "of course."
He was slow at first. Gentle and sweet despite her pain in being ripped apart. And then he got rougher, and she responded as well as she could, through the gradually lessening pain that gave way to pleasure. It was really nice. It was amazing. And then it ended.
And like a switch, he changed. Had his face always held that cold smirk? Shouldn't he too be smiling softly in the after glow of euphoria they'd both just experienced?
And then his face morphed into a monster's. His teeth became yellow, and his skin was ashen white. His eyes were snake-yellow, his soft brown hair a greasy black. He leaned in to her now terrified face and whispered, "I hope my son takes after me."
And like that, he drove a scythe she hadn't noticed straight through her heart.
She woke up to the cold feeling that she was disgusting, and had done something unforgivable. No one else was there, and she doubted anyone would care to be around. She was obviously unwanted. Besides, the building she was in looked too sullen for anyone to be around based on the scenery. She was already yearning to leave.
She went outside to find herself in further isolation. The woods surrounding her looked barren. Looking up, the sky was gray, perfect for her situation. Even with the depression taking over her soul, she still felt like she was forgetting something even more heartbreaking. It was almost bittersweet, like a rose had bloomed to its full and stunning beauty only to die a moment later. She was left with the gray rose.
Yet there was a moon in the sky. It didn't seem possible early in the morning, but there it was. "Hope," whispered a voice deep in her mind. Her name, she realized. Then the same voice whispered, "Isaac."
It was a few days before she realized what the Voice, or the Man in the Moon perhaps, had meant when He spoke the second time. It wasn't that she became rounder, but she just knew Isaac would be her future child. Plus, her pregnancy attracted Mother Nature, who only came to make sure she knew before returning to wherever she'd come from. Other than that one visit, she was all alone. Most days she spent talking to Isaac, simply because there was no one else to talk to. Three months after her birth as a spirit, she heard about the Guardians for the first time, and she met Jack Frost two months later. He was the first spirit to seek her out other than Mother Nature, so she welcomed the company. She never told him about being pregnant, and it wasn't obvious because her stomach never protruded very far. Besides, she didn't want to be someone's charity case.
She had nightmares. Jack told her about how he and the Guardians had defeated the Nightmare King, Pitch Black, how he had no power any more, but that only made them worse. She asked him if spirits could even have night terrors, and he said they used to. Not anymore. Apparently she was the only one; not that she told him that. She wanted to have as much of this normal friendship as possible. Jack already cared enough about her without any added issues of concern. He said to her once that he would be with her all the time if he could, but she knew about his duties as both the Guardian of Fun and the main Spirit of Winter. He had once been as alone as she was, he said.
Then he proposed that she meet the Tooth Fairy to regain her memories. As amazing as this new prospect sounded, she was scared of her memories being too much for her to handle. She told him she would think about it, but secretly she knew she wouldn't go near Tooth Palace until at least Isaac was born... whenever that would happen.