Luna slipped on her gray coat and walked out her back door. She stopped for just a moment to take in the beautiful snowy landscape before stepping into the woods. It was December first- the first snow day of the year. And Luna planned on taking advantage of it.
As she ventured through the forest on her favorite path, a light snow began to fall. Luna stopped and smiled. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the cold winter air. She could have stood there for hours. Winter always had been and always would be her favorite season. Luna bent down and scooped up a handful of snow. It felt great. She rested it in her hand for a few moments, but (as usual) it didn't melt in her icy grip.
She continued to walk, her worn sneakers trudging through the sparkling snow. Then something caught her eye. A flash of blue. Luna turned her head in the general direction of the blur. To her surprise, she saw a boy. He was standing several yards away and held a tall, hooked object that Luna couldn't identify from a distance. He appeared to have... white hair? Luna watched as the boy tapped a tree with the hooked object and a white frost swirled up the trunk. Her eyes widened. She was frozen in place, unblinking. The boy laughed, then turned his head Luna's way. He seemed slightly shocked to see her. He slowly made his way over to her.
The boy stood right in front of her, yet he leaned his neck in until his face was only inches from hers. Luna's eyes got even bigger. She studied his face; pale white skin, the faintest hint of freckles, and glistening blue eyes.
While she memorized every detail of his face, he did the same with hers. Light skin- nearly as pale as his own. Large, brown eyes with bright blue rings around the pupils. Long, dark lashes. Tons of freckles and dark lips. Brown and blonde curls down to her waist. They stood and stared at each other for a moment.
"Can you see me?" the boy asked, breaking their silence. Luna, who hadn't moved a muscle since she first saw the boy, nodded. A crooked smile spread across the mysterious boy's face. He chuckled. It was the sort of laugh that makes you trust someone. Luna relaxed a bit.
"Is that how you usually start a conversation?" Luna said, one eyebrow raised.
"With someone your age? Most definitely," he said.
"My age? And what are you, about nine months older than me?" Luna countered. The boy smiled.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked. Luna looked him over. A blue hoodie with... frost?...around the neck and sleeves. Tattered brown pants. Spiked white hair. But most interestingly, no shoes. Luna looked the boy straight in the eye.
"It's absolutely impossible and totally illogical, but if I didn't know any better, I'd say I'm speaking to Jack Frost."
"I'd say you're right," said Jack. "And your name is...?"
"Luna."
"Well then," Jack said, holding out his right hand. "Nice to meet you." Luna shook his hand, pausing when she noticed that it felt like she was holding a snowball.
"Does this by any chance just happen to be some cruel joke?" Luna said with a smile.
"What do you think?" said Jack as he hovered several inches above the ground.
"I think I'm just crazy enough to believe in made-up things like Jack Frost, even at age fifteen."
"Obviously, or else you wouldn't be able to see me right now," said Jack.
"So then that's true? That you can only see if you believe?"
"Yep. So how exactly can you see me? You're a little old, don't you think?"
"I tend to live in my own impossible fantasies more than I live in the real world," she said matter-of-factly.
"I'm in your fantasies?" Jack teased. Luna's cheeks turned slightly pink, but her expression didn't change.
"Of course. After all, you are the personification of my favorite season."
"Oh, I'm flattered," Jack said, touching his chest and tilting his head to the side. He closed his eyes and straightened his back. "I am pretty great, huh?" he said jokingly.
"Yeah, you're wonderful," Luna said as she sent a snowball flying into his face. He looked at her, and a devilish grin danced across his lips.
"You'll pay for that. Soon you'll be bowing down to my awesome snowball fighting skills."
"You clearly don't know what you're up against," Luna smirked. Jack made a snowball out of thin air and threw it. Luna got a face-full of snow. "I hope you know that this means war."
"That's what I was hoping for," Jack laughed. Within seconds, there were snowballs flying in all directions. They stayed out in the woods for hours. Snowball fights, sliding down hills penguin-style, and an enormous snowman filled their day. When they finally sat down for a rest, Luna judged it to be sometime after noon.
"Oh. I should probably get home. My sister will be wondering where I am."
"You have a sister?" Jack asked, thinking of his own sister who was long gone by now.
"Yeah. She's two years older than me."
"Oh. Why didn't she come out with you?"
"She's not really an outdoorsy kind of person. And she doesn't like the cold. No offense." Luna stood up and smoothed out her coat. Her hair was dripping with melted snow.
"None taken," Jack said as he stood up. "We should do this again," Jack said with a smile, which Luna returned.
"Well, I'll tell you what. Tomorrow's Friday, and if you give me another snow day, we can."
"Deal. How's 9 o'clock?"
"Perfect. See you tomorrow."
"See ya."
