Prologue
Jack smiled down at the masses of children that scurried about on the ground below him. Snowballs flew through the air at random, and they would laugh whenever hit, flinging balls of their own.
Occasionally, the excitement would wean off a bit, however, that was quickly remedied by a few well-placed spheres of snow, seemingly coming out of nowhere. The bits of magic they had spread like a plague of joy, quickly infecting the others and re-igniting the playful atmosphere.
However, the fun did not extend to all.
Eyes of the purest azure zeroed in on a small girl huddled against the side of the school building trying desperately to avoid the bits of powdered ice that showered the air. It seemed in vain, though, for every so often, one of the children would approach her with handfuls of snow, pelting the shivering girl with much more force than necessary.
"Aw, c'mon, Kira! It's just a little snow! Gonna go hide behind your stupid fairy tales?" One boy mocked, a nasty edge to his tone.
"Just leave me alone, Trey!" she shouted, but the boy just laughed.
"Or what? Is the Easter Bunny gonna do something? Or maybe Santa Clause! No, you're just a stupid little girl who won't grow up." he said, before returning to the snowball fight.
Jack's brows furrowed. The winds shifted beneath them as they carried him gently to the girl. He landed a few feet away from her, when she sat curled with her head resting on her knees. He heard a light sniffle.
"Hey, kid, are you okay?" he asked, not expecting an answer. He was rather surprised when she lifted her head and looked at him, her eyes reflecting tears she was trying hard to not let fall.
"Oh, um... yeah, I'm fine." She mumbled, trying to be subtle in swallowing back her emotions.
"Are you sure? That guy said some pretty mean stuff." He said, crouching down to her level.
"Yeah, that's just Trey. He's always saying mean stuff like that. Almost everyone does, but I try to just ignore it." she told him.
"That's good. You can't let people get to you like that, um, what's your name? I'm pretty sure it's not Kid, because that would be pretty strange." She giggled and he grinned.
"My name's Kira Caecus. What's your name?" Kira asked.
"My name is Jack Frost." he said, ruffling her short, brown hair.
Her eyes widened when he told her. "Wait, you mean like the Jack Frost that nips people's noses?" she asked, bubbling with excitement.
"Yep, that's me." He reached out and lightly touched the tip of her nose, bringing forth a gasp from her when a thin layer of frost blossomed beneath his finger.
"Hey, don't nip me!" she laughed, playfully pushing his hand away.
"But I'm Jack Frost! I bring the snow and nip the noses of little girls so they aren't sad anymore!" he protested.
Her grin faded ever so slightly, and she said, "I'm not all that sad. I'm used to people teasing me, so it doesn't usually bother me."
"Well, it seemed to bother you when that Trey kid was making fun of you for believing it fairy tales." he pointed out.
"Yeah, well he's wrong. I mean, you're here, right!" she said, gesturing to him.
"Well, I hope so, because if I'm not, then you must be crazy and I'm a hallucination." he said, but she didn't cheer up like he hoped she would. In fact, it had the opposite effect.
"Everyone already thinks I'm crazy. I mean, I'm eleven, and I still think people like Santa and the Easter Bunny are real." she said, looking down.
"Hey, no, they're just being mean." he said quickly. "In fact, you're right, they are real, and so are the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman. I know them."
At that, she brightened. "Really? Can I meet them?!"
He chuckled. "I'll have to see. I'm sure Tooth would love to meet you, Sandy too, but I'll have to get back to you on the others."
"Oh, okay. But I can meet the Tooth Fairy and Sandman?"
"Sure thing, kiddo. I just need to know where your house is, so I know where to find you." he said.
"Oh, I live in that house across from the old antique shop, the one painted that funny color of blue that my dad loves, but my mom and I think is ugly." Kira directed, and Jack chuckled again as he stood.
"Okay, thanks. I'll come and see you really soon, hopefully with some friends." he told her.
"Promise?" She also stood, looking at him with wide eyes of warm teak.
"I promise, Kira."
(*)
Winds buffeted Jack through the air as he flew to Kira's house, now painted a more subtle beige. He landed on the overhang just below her bedroom window at its rear, a light green curtain that hadn't been there before drawn closed.
He tapped his staff against the glass, waiting a few minutes, before realizing no one was there. He circled to the front of the house, but was met with the same silence.
"Where could she-" he stopped when he saw the picketed sign in her front yard, the bolded For Sale leaving a knot in his stomach. Not wanting to believe the evidence, he circled the house until he found a window without a curtain or blinds, peering inside.
His heart sank at the flat expanse of empty space.
"She's gone." he whispered. When he had left just six months ago, the house had been a warm, lively place. Kira's parents and younger brother had all lived there, she and her sibling getting along surprisingly well.
But why had she left? Surely not because she had wanted to.
Curious, he began flying around the house again, to see if, by chance, there was some sign as to why she would have left.
At first, he didn't seem to be finding anything. After a while, though, he noticed some rather odd things. All of the windows on the upper story were new, as well a few on the bottom, and the entire roof was brand-new. In the rooms he could see into, all of the floors had been replaced and the walls had been repaired of their small, thin cracks and repainted. Most of the furnishings and appliances were also different.
Why fix up the old house, just to leave it?
He looked at the for sale sign again, seeing was slightly faded, so it had been there a good few months. So she had only moved a month or two after he had left for the summer.
He wondered if she had any way to contact him. She had already met all of the other Guardians, except North, so maybe Tooth would be able to find her.
He gave the abandoned one last look, before taking to the skies, wondering if he would ever see the quiet, but bright, girl ever again.