Hello! This is Megan here, with my absolute first story. I am nervous. If only you could see me now... As you can tell from my amazing (by amazing I mean crappy) summary, this is going to be a Rise of the Guardians, JackFrostXOC story.

Please by all means review this if you like what you see. I would love to hear your personal opinions on this story, bad or good!

Yeah... I better get to the story now, shouldn't I?

Well, enjoy!

(I do not in anyway own Rise of the Guardians or participate in the making of this fantastic film, even though it is my deepest desire.)

~Chapter 1~

Laughter.

It is all I remembered from that day, except pain and misery.

I re-live the same moments over and over again, each night the screams from my own mouth waking me up in cold sweat, tears dripping down my freckled face.

Never will I ever be able to forget the terrifying chain of events which happened on November 13th, 2004.

My 7th birthday.

~10 years ago~

"Mama! Mama! Look what I found!" I squealed, running towards the parked car my mother was filling with suitcases, ready for my holiday abroad.

"What is it, my little princess?" She asked, as she bent over to inspect the object in my hand.

"Isn't it pretty, Mama?" I opened my enclosed hands slowly to reveal a purple emperor butterfly, which had been fluttering slowly in my small, pale hand.

"I found it in the snow and it was all scared and I saved it!"

She shook her head, and slowly taken the butterfly out of my hands. She walked over to our house, and laid it upon one of the dead flowers at the side of the front door.

"Leave it be, it must want to go home. It will know its way back from here." She exclaimed, while taking my hand and leading me to the car.

"Are you ready to go to visit grandma?" She whispered in my ear, while opening the back door to the vehicle.

"Yes, of course! I love Grammy, shes so nice." I said, while climbing into my booster seat mama had set up earlier.

~2 hours later~

"Daddddddd, as we there yet?" I whined, getting restless. I started fiddling with the window operator.

"For the last time Lucinda, NO! And stop playing with the equipment." He muttered, while turning on the windscreen wipers.

A snowstorm which had been reported in the area had been getting stronger and stronger, to a point that you could barely see 100 yards forward of the car.

Suddenly, a loud crash caused my dad to swerve and skid on the ice which laid upon the road.

I squealed loudly, as my mother gasped with horror. "John!" She shouted, clutching the side of her seat so she wouldn't bash into the side door.

He tried gaining control of the car, but the wheels slid and we swerved off of the road down a steep hill.

My mother quickly unbuckled herself and lunged towards me.

"What's happenin-"

I silenced myself when my mother embraced me tightly, whispering silent nothings into my ears.

I looked out the window, seeing white, black and evergreen colours wizz past, too fast to recognise what the objects were.

"Dad, what's going on?" I asked quietly, while I gazed over at him. His eyes were transfixed on the tree, hurtling towards us from in front.

"I love you, Lucinda."

A force crashed into us, causing my mother to scream. I felt gravity twist, just as my vision soon faded to black.

I woke up panting, my breath deep and ragged. My clothes were drenched in sweat, and my eyes were filled with tears.

Not again... I thought, calming myself down to a point that I could breath normally again.

I squinted my eyes at the digital clock beside me, that read '04:21'.

"Oh well. Better now then never.." I muttered to myself, dragging a hand through my short blonde hair. I stretched, then stood up.

I dawdled over towards my closet, and pulled off my pyjamas. I quickly dressed into some sweats and a tank top, then pulled on my trainers.

Sneaking quietly, I crept down the stairs of my foster parents home, and out into the back garden. I picked the shed key off of the hook, and collected my bike. I didn't need my helmet; I never used it anyway.

I locked it back up again, and headed out the side gate to the main street. I looked up at the night sky, full moon taking all the glory tonight.

I jumped on my bike, took a nice deep breath then set off, pedaling as fast as I can towards my 'secret' spot.

I use that place as a hideaway from the real world...

A place where I don't have to worry about chores or homework or money or jobs.

A place where I can just sit and relax, take my mind off everything.

A few minutes pass, but I end up reaching the old, narrow cobble path I have grown to love. I hop off of my bike, and decide to walk the next part of it, pushing the two wheeler so I don't disturb the wildlife surrounding it.

I take a deep and meaningful sigh, enjoying the cool winter breeze.

I soon reach the end of the trail the usual dead end popping up. I push my bikes out of sight, and amble over to the far left corner, and kneel down.

A small opening just big enough for me to fit through is hidden by some decaying autumn leaves. I gently sweep them aside and crawl through, not caring about the condition of my hands and knees at this point of time.

As I reach the openings climax, a beautiful array of colours open up before my eyes. In front of me was an abandoned glade, wildflowers and a willow tree placed before me.

But, something was different. It was covered in a thin layer of untouched frost, giving a slight shimmer to it all. The mysterious, new look seemed sinister, but in the moonlight it was the perfect sight for an night owl like me.

And, for the first time in a month...

I smiled at myself.

I tiptoed in, and sat in my usually spot underneath the elegant tree, the grass worn away due to myself being here a lot.

I pulled off my green backpack from behind me, and grabbed at my iPod and headphones. I hastily typed in my code (9900) and brought up my music. I tapped a few icons, until it started playing.

I pulled my headphones over my ears, and identified the song almost immediately after it started playing.

'The Noisy Freaks - Selection' was playing, my favourite dubstep of all time. I nod my head in time with the loud, fresh music, clearing my mind.

Song after song, I listen quietly, hours ticking by like seconds.

And, like all good dreams, they have to end. My music came to a halt, as I peered at my watch. Reading '10:49', I huffed and stood back up.

A shiver raced down my spine, as I took note of my surroundings. It had started snowing. The tree had been protecting me from it, which was probably why I didn't notice before.

I muttered a quick 'thank you' as I left, not forgetting about my manners towards Mother Nature, seeing as she was the reason I am still alive now.

I crawled out of my little escape, emerging on the path to the real world. The sun was just rising, a painters pallet of colours everywhere. I grasped the rails of my bike, and started wheeling it once again down the old path, leading to the reality where I belong.

As soon as it emerged onto the road leading out of the woods, I pedalled faster and faster so I could get home before my curfew was up. But as it was snowing, ice had formed. When I tried slowing down near the main street, the wheels wouldnt obey.

A look of terror formed on my face as I tried desperately to stop. I was getting dangerously close to the main road...

I gasped as another moving object caught my eye. A car was hurtling down the main street, just as I was.

I reached the opening to the main street and saw I was going to be directly in front of this speeding vehicle.

I squeezed my eyes shut, as a loud horn blared and a woman screamed.