Britain was colder than Allie expected, and shivered to try and warm herself up through her padded clothing. But she didn't have any real kind of winter protection, though had that season started early here or what? Moving along the airport personnel, she tried to avoid the people as much as she could since it still bitterly reminded her that she couldn't talk to anyone.
After speaking with Santa it was a big contrast to then and now. And just because she was in Britain she shouldn't have expected everyone to start seeing her; it would be stereotypical to think that after all. And even if they did see her, how was she supposed to convince the people she was the real deal?
Now that she was here, Allie realized she'd spent so much time thinking about just getting here that she had no idea what she was actually going to do. Maybe if she went exploring an idea would come to her for where to go from here. Well, as long as she was just going with the flow for now until inspiration struck she decided on going sightseeing.
She'd just travelled across the ocean to another continent after all.
Swiping a map on the tourist stand rack, she opened it up and after deciding on seeing Big Ben, she closed the map and sped off in that direction, and though she really tried to avoid people, she still went through some here and there. It wasn't pleasant any of the times she had to do it. Allie raced along the sidewalk of the city of London, shivering every time she had to stop to avoid a car hitting her.
It was really cold here.
Allie nearly tripped on the ice like the people behind her, but she steadied herself and heard laughter coming from above her and looked up to see a white-haired teenager with a Sheppard's staff and he seemed to be unaffected by the cold. "Hey you!" she shouted in annoyance. "What's the big idea?"
The laughter abruptly cut off as the teenager stared at her, and for some reason he seemed to recognize her. "You again? Wait, you can see me?" he questioned and jumped off the building he was on, and just as Allie was about to shout, he flew downward and landed in front of her. He peered at her and poked her in the shoulder with his staff, and Allie was surprised to see ice start forming on her coat, but while she was amazed, he looked disappointed. "Oh, so you're not a real kid then."
Allie pulled the ice off and glowered at the teen. "What do you mean 'not real'?" she snapped and shoved back at his shoulder, her hand feeling even chillier on contact. "I can touch you obviously, so I am real." She said and reluctantly added, "and according to Santa I am still a kid apparently."
The teen's mood seemed to shift and he became more interested. "You've seen the workshop? Man, now I really wish they'd let me come in with you."
Allie stared blankly at him. "What are you talking about?"
"No one told you? Well I found you lying in the ice cave and got one of the yetis to take you back because I thought you were a real kid." The teen replied nonchalantly. "Good to see you didn't freeze to death, though since you're like me you probably wouldn't have."
"You're immortal too?" Allie questioned and didn't know there were young ones too. "Um, you don't look very old."
The other teen shrugged. "I've been like for 300 years if that's what you meant."
"Wait, we don't age either?" Allie questioned.
"What were you expecting? That you get to grow up?" The other shot back and Allie winced. He grimaced and looked away. "I've never seen another spirit that looked around my age either, so…"
"This is awkward." Allie finished and could agree with that. "Uh, my name's Allie."
"Jack." The other replied. "Can you do anything? Like this?" he asked and tapped his staff against the ground where ice formed.
"Uh, nothing like that, but I am fast." Allie replied. Both froze as the crowd crossing the street passed through them. "Uh…l-let's have a race, t-to Big Ben."
"Right." Jack said shakily. "You never get used to that."
Allie gulped. "So I've been noticing."
Neither of them really wanting to spend more time in a spot where being passed through was an inevitability, both of them respectively ran and flew to the tower overlooking London, and despite Allie's speed, she still needed to take time out to get to the clock tower. The blonde glowered at the other teenager sitting on the ledge and smirked at her.
"You lose." He said simply.
"Well you can fly." Allie shot back and walked over to him. She looked nervously at him. "Can I ask you something? I know it's going to sound strange and everything, but what was it like when you woke up?"
"You go first." Jack said evasively.
"Fair enough." Allie conceded. "I was confused and scared about what was going on, but the feelings only got worse when I realized…no one could see or hear me and the first time it happened hurt me right here." She said placing a hand over her chest where her heart was located. "And then finding out why I'm like this…"
"Did the moon tell you?" Jack asked.
"Sorta, more like he showed me when I was at the North Pole and that was only after like two weeks or something." Allie replied. "Did the moon speak to you?"
"Yeah, told me my name after I woke up, and that's all he's ever told me." Jack replied. "What'd you get?"
"How I was murdered." Allie replied softly and Jack winced. "Apparently it was by someone who really wanted me dead because of a prophecy." She said and looked around furtively. "I'm just worried he might realize I'm still around and try a second time."
"Who's this guy that's got you so worried? He's probably not a regular human." Jack said.
Allie looked around once more before her voice lowered. "Santa called him Pitch."
Jack stared at her incredulously. "You've got the Bogeyman after you?" he asked and Allie nodded. "What did that prophecy of yours say about you anyway?"
"That I'm supposed to stop the darkness." Allie replied and Jack blinked before looking out at the city thoughtfully.
"Well, that's a pretty strong motive I guess for him to kill a kid, but then Voldemort tried to do the same to Harry and look how that turned out." He replied and Allie snickered despite herself.
"I can't believe you brought Harry Potter into this conversation." She said chuckling louder.
"Well it sounded similar to that situation, right down to the part where he failed." Jack replied stubbornly.
Allie snorted. "I'd never thought of it like that; maybe if I ever see him I'll throw that in his face and it'll give me time to run away."
"You've never seen him?" Jack raised a brow.
"No, but I think what made me believe he was there was that he never actually showed himself and I only ever heard his voice." Allie shivered. "He was certainly real as he held me under the water, that's for sure."
"You drowned? What a horrible way to die." Jack commented and Allie grimaced. "Though I guess it's sort of good you can't actually remember it and was just showed what happened."
Allie frowned to herself. She'd just assumed that they all kept their memories and realized she'd got off almost lucky with keeping her own. Waking up on a river was bad enough with her memories of what had happened; she didn't even want to think of the possibility of how she would have reacted without her memories intact.
"How do you cope though?" she whispered.
"I work on trying to be believed in, give myself something to do, just to be acknowledged." Jack replied and looked at the blonde. "Sorry about saying you weren't a real kid earlier, you're actually alright. Even if it is kind of sad that the first kid to talk to me is like me."
"No, you're right," Allie rebuffed, "I suppose I don't really count since I'm never going to get any older. My age is just what keeps me classified as a 'kid,' if barely really."
"Not to mention you actually do look like one." Jack commented idly and Allie rolled her eyes. "But who knows, if Pitch doesn't get you, you might live as long as I have."
Allie was about to retort with something spiteful before she saw the expression on Jack's face, it almost looked like he was pitying her. "Ageless, alone, unseen…it's enough to make me almost consider handing myself over to Pitch."
"Well, can't do anything about the age thing, but I can do something about the loneliness thing." Jack said and bumped his fist onto her shoulder, a light frost appearing instead of the ice. "What do you say, Speedy? One week, we both meet up here again."
Allie mulled over the idea in her head, and she didn't want to let this potential friendship die. "Sure, why not. At least I'll have something to look forward to in this sad state."
"Yes, because being young forever really is a tragedy." Jack said neutrally, and Allie glanced at him, but whether he was being serious or not, she still had to agree. "Though just to be clear, I'm the older one."
And just like that, the somber mood was chased away, leaving Allie to feel a type of camaraderie she couldn't have with anyone else.
Because here was another teenager like her in the same state as her, but after 300 years was still just as lively as any upbeat teenager.
Allie couldn't help but grin; with a friend like Jack, maybe being young forever wouldn't be so bad.