A/N: Okay I know I have like 23473497823 other stories to finish but holy shit I gave myself all kinds of feels while thinking of this story okay so shh and um also I put this under Jack Frost, Sophie and Jamie, but for some reason its only showing Jack Frost and Jamie so idk why but idk this is mostly a Sophie and Jack Frost thing so idk
Warning: Kinda a bit swearing ish? Kinda.
Disclaimer: William Joyce wrote the Guardians of Childhood, not me, and DreamWorks owns the Rise of the Guardians movie okay bye
I'm a Believer
"And if you graph it this way...then the parabola looks like a sad face..."
Silence.
"However...if it is graphed this way...then the parabola looks like a happy face..."
More silence.
"...Alright, turn to the next page..."
God, Mrs. Langley was trying a bit too hard to be funny in class. Or, at least to Jamie, anyway. Why were parabolas even being taught to him? When the hell would he need them in his life?
It was like the student in back of him heard his thoughts, because they let out a groan of frustration as if to answer him. Jamie rolled his eyes and flipped to the next page in his workbook, sighing when the teacher continued graphing more parabolas on the board.
Suddenly, a tap on the window Jamie sat next to was heard. At first, he ignored it and assumed it was nothing important, but when the sound persisted, he had no choice but to check out the source.
"Jamie!"
What-was that Jack? Jack Frost?
"Jamie!" Came Jack's muffled voice.
Oh God, he was calling him. He wondered if Pippa was able to hear him as well, and stole a quick glance across the room to look at her. She definitely heard Jack, Jamie concluded, because Pippa was staring right out the window behind him. When she noticed Jamie staring at her, she sent him a confused face, wondering why Jack was outside in such warm weather.
Jamie sighed once more and raised his hand.
"Mr. Bennett, do you know the answer?" Mrs. Langley asked him in her monotone voice as she raised an eyebrow.
Jamie put his hand down and put on a fake look of distress.
"No, Mrs. Langley, sorry, but can I go to the washroom?" He asked as politely as he could muster. At first, his teacher was quiet, as if thinking up a response, but then she replied to him with a smug look.
"I don't know, Mr. Bennett, can you?" She teased, earning a few laughs from some of the boys in the back of the classroom.
Jamie blushed a bit before looking back at Pippa for aid. She just smiled at him and let out a chuckle.
"Um, may I go to the washroom?" The teen asked, turning even more red as more giggles erupted from the classmates behind him.
The woman looked at the clock hanging from the classroom wall and eyed Jamie suspiciously.
"Mr. Bennett, there are only a few minutes of class left...I think you can wait..." She pointed out in her nasally voice.
Jamie cursed under his breath and pretended to look even more distressed than before.
"But I really have to go!" He whined, fidgeting in his seat slightly. By this time, even Pippa was laughing at him. Thank God Claude or Caleb weren't in his math class; they'd probably tease him for the rest of the month about it.
Mrs. Langley pinched the bridge of her nose with one hand and pointed to the door with the other. Jamie got up, nearly tripping as he did so, and dashed out the door as quickly as he could, before running back and poking his head inside to thank his teacher for allowing him to leave.
He walked down the hallway, three doors down, and stood there a while, leaning behind a wall-support so that if any teachers off duty passed by, they wouldn't see him. He waited a moment, figuring Jack would have seen the direction that he went, and just as suspected, he was suddenly greeted by the older boy.
"Jamie! What's up?" The winter spirit asked, floating in the air a few feet away from Jamie.
"Why did you call me out of class? What are you doing outside in like ninety degree weather? Why-"
Jack's face was completely erased of any humour, causing Jamie to stop talking. Apparently, shit was about to get serious.
"One day," Jack said, landing on the ground, "You're gonna stop believing in me."
He had said it so bluntly. To the point. No distractions. It almost broke Jamie's heart. Not knowing what to say, the younger was quiet a moment before speaking.
"I know." He said, being as direct as Jack had been, "But today is not that day. Why are you randomly mentioning this now?"
The light in Jack's eyes disappeared before he answered.
"Because you're sixteen now, Jamie. I need to be prepared for that day when you stop believing. I need to see it coming. I don't know what I'd do if I dropped by your house one day and suddenly you couldn't see me anymore..."
Jamie's lips formed a thin line. He didn't like where this conversation was going. He was about to retort when the bell rang, indicating the end of class. He held up a finger to Jack, motioning him to wait there.
"Hold that thought," He told the sprite, running down the hallway and slipping into his math class.
He walked up to his desk and grabbed his things, and just as he was about to walk out again, Mrs. Langley stopped him, asking him what had taken so long. He apologized but didn't give any excuses, instead just leaving his teacher to bask in confusion as he made his way back to Jack.
"Okay, so," Jamie started, putting his backpack on, "You're worried that I won't believe in you anymore?"
"Pretty much. You did just say it yourself a few minutes ago," Jack pointed out with a frown, "So I figured...until then...maybe we could just...do...whatever?" He suggested, suddenly feeling very awkward.
Jamie nodded somberly, avoiding eye contact with the older teen. For a moment, neither said anything. Jack sighed and floated up a few centimetres, the sudden breeze making his hair stick out in random places.
"I guess I'll go see your sister...or, something." He declared.
Jamie looked up at him, smirking a bit.
"She's only ten, y'know." He said, folding his arms and keeping his grin. Jack chuckled some, and ruffled Jamie's hair.
"So? That's how old you were when we first met. Don't worry, I'm only going to talk to her like I just did with you. You're a good big brother, Jamie." He told the sixteen year old with a smile. Jamie nodded and gave Jack a reply the sprite would probably never forget.
"You are too, Jack."
Jack nearly fell down from surprise, but kept his composure and gave Jamie a tight squeeze, sighing with relief when the younger hugged back. When they released, Jamie cocked his head to the side.
"You don't even know where my sister goes to school, do you?" He asked smugly. Jack gave him a look as if to say, 'Seriously? You're doubting me?'
"Burgess Elementary, right?" He confirmed cockily.
Burgess Elementary wasn't too far from its high school counterpart; Burgess High School of the State. It was pretty much all the way down the street of the town's name, and to a slight right. Nothing Jack couldn't make in under a few minutes.
Upon entering the building, Jack assumed he had entered the younger kids' complex, because small children started looking at him shyly. He smiled at the sight; it was nice to have believers, even though they probably only had a few more years or so of believing.
He landed and roamed the halls, every so often receiving waves and hugs from the children as he walked by. He eventually made it across the hall to where the older kids were.
"Lemme just put my stuff away, and I'll meet you guys at the caf!"
That sounded like an older version of Sophie!
Jack flew to the source, trying very well to stay hidden in the progress. He was led to a young girl, no older than ten, stuffing her locker with a text book and a binder along with a few other things she had probably just used for her previous class.
No doubt about it; this girl was definitely Sophie. She had the same blonde hair (though her bangs were pinned back a bit) and the same vibrant eyes. Jack hid in her locker when she bent down to pick up something she dropped, and when she looked back out, she let out a small scream. Her friends from before must have heard her, because from somewhere down the hall, Jack heard someone say 'That was Soph!'
Sophie must have heard it too, because she called out that she was fine and had only seen a spider.
She glared at the white haired boy in her locker and grabbed him by the wrist, yanking him out. Jack didn't say a word as the girl closed her locker and dragged him to the janitor's closet, locking the door behind them.
"Jack, what do you think you're doing?!" She scolded, placing her backpack on the ground, "Don't you have like, noses to nip or something?" She huffed when a strand of hair fell in front of her eyes.
Jack frowned and leaned on his staff.
"I just came to pay you a visit," He mumbled, "Is that too much?" He added sarcastically.
Sophie brushed some hair behind her ear and eyed him suspiciously.
"That's all?" She asked in a somewhat apologetic voice. To that, Jack nodded. They were both quiet, and Jack looked her up and down before smiling. She looked pretty much like she did six years ago, except taller, and the fact that she had pinned back a few of her bangs. She still had that cute baby face that her brother teased her about and that Jack had always loved; as a friend, of course.
"I might have also wanted to...talk to you." He said seriously. That got Sophie's attention and she sat on an old bucket, crossing her legs and folding her arms to listen to the boy. "You're gonna stop believing in me one day. Most of your friends already have. Most of your brother's friends already have." Sophie cut him off, shaking her head before speaking.
"I don't think I'll stop believing in you. I mean...I've met you and seen you and heard all kinds of crazy stories...I still see you, and I don't think I can just un see you." She said, slightly confused by his sudden worry. Jack shook his head in response.
"Seeing isn't always believing, Soph." He told her in a low voice.
Sophie thought about his words for a moment before speaking again.
"Yeah, but...I haven't only seen you, Jack. We've played together, we've told each other stories...you're probably still my brother's best friend...I mean, if I had to stop believing in you, I'd have to erase all of that from my memory...or, something."
In some aspects, Jack noticed, Sophie was exactly like Jamie.
Before he could say anything, though, the small blonde unzipped her backpack and reached into it, rummaging through its contents before taking out a small crystal ball. She held it out for the boy to see, and immediately, Jack recognized it as North's. His eyes widened, and he suddenly had a million and one questions, but the girl beat him to talking.
"Last year, I was cleaning out my closet and found this. I asked my brother if it was his, because I had never seen it, and he told me that you told him that it was Santa's." She had never gotten accustomed to calling the older man 'North', Jack realized, "Jamie then told me that, in your story, I had gone to Bunny's warren and helped out with decorating the Easter Eggs. I told him it was a stupid idea, and that I had never been to Bunny's place, but then again, I was like, four when this thing was last used, so...
"I mean, it makes sense if it doesn't work anymore, but every time I shake it," She shook it, "I see all these pretty sparkles that my friends claim to never see. Jamie told me how to use this thing, that I have to whisper the name of the place I want to be transported to, but like I said, I guess it doesn't work anymore. I wanted to put it by the milk and cookies we left for Santa last Christmas, but I couldn't part with it, so I kept it in my bag for good luck ever since."
Jack tilted his head to the side and furrowed his eyebrows.
"Good luck?" He questioned, shifting his position by his staff.
Sophie nodded, rotating the orb in her hand. The glitter inside never ceased to swim around in it.
"I assumed I was pretty much the luckiest girl in the world. Not only did I get to meet Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman and of course, the great Jack Frost," To this, Jack let out a laugh, "But I had also been to the Easter Bunny's home...via Santa's teleportation orb...thing!" She nearly yelled, smiling.
Jack finally found something somewhat intelligent to respond with.
"You know, Soph," He began, "If your brother had listened to your mother that day; if he had actually put on his hat by himself without her needing to rush out to him and give it to him...she would have never mentioned me to him, and I guess...he would've never believed in me. Neither would you, nor anyone." He said thoughtfully, remembering that day.
Sophie raised an eyebrow, not knowing what he was talking about. Jack smiled and shook his head.
"One day, when Jamie was with his friends, he had forgotten to put on his hat. It was cold, so your mom came out and gave it to him, saying she didn't want 'Jack Frost'," He put air quotes around his name, "Nipping at his nose. Jamie asked who that was, and your mom said it was just an expression, which, by the way, it is not," He added the last bit to try and make Sophie smile, which he successfully did. "Anyway, if he had actually put on his hat, I guess...I guess I'd probably still have no believers."
Sophie's jaw fell some, and she giggled.
"Thanks, mom." She mumbled, staring at the orb in her hands. She then gave the object to Jack, who sent her a confused look. "It was getting a bit heavy in my bag," She said sadly.
Oh, no.
There was a double meaning to that, wasn't there?
"Sophie?" Jack questioned worriedly.
She looked at the ground and fiddled with her fingers.
"I'll never stop believing, Jack, but I do have to move on at one point."
Fuck.
Jack's heart nearly stopped as he stood up, dropping the glass ball in the process. It didn't break, though. Not a single crack.
"Sophie," He called, taking a step closer to the girl, "Sophie, look at me." He told her. When she didn't do so, he held her chin and pushed her head up to look at him. "You can move on, but you don't have to forget." He said, bending down to pick up the ball from the ground. He moved his hand to her shoulder, holding it so firmly to keep his nerve wrecked limbs from shaking, and with the other hand, he gave her the orb, "You can believe, you can move on, but please, don't ever forget." He pleaded in a soft voice, eyes watering.
Sophie finally looked at him in the eyes, and nearly jumped back in surprise when she saw him on the brink of tears. She accepted the ball and held it tightly in both hands.
"Where do I put this? I don't want it sitting at the bottom of my bag anymore." She admitted.
Jack blinked a few times, clearing his eyes, and stood up. He nodded at her.
"You'll find a place."
Just then, the bell rang, indicating the beginning of lunch. Sophie stood up and put the ball in her bag, then slung it over one shoulder.
"Go eat," Jack told her. She hugged him tightly and he bent down to hug her back. She then ran out of the closet, not bothering to close it behind her as she ran to catch up with her friends.
"Hello?" Sophie called out upon entering her house. She heard her brother greet her from upstairs and ran up to join him. "Watcha doing?" She asked as he stared at the ceiling from his bed. He replied to her question with one of his own.
"Did Jack come see you today?" He questioned, turning his head to look at her.
The younger nodded.
"Good." Jamie replied, going back to staring at the ever-so-fascinating ceiling. Sophie rolled her eyes and walked out, making her way to her own room. She dumped the items of her bag out on her bed and grabbed the crystal ball. She shook it, and as always, she watched as the sparkles danced. Jack had told her she'd find a place to put it, and the second she glanced at her bureau, she knew he was right.
She moved a few hair accessories and her DS to the side of her bureau and placed the ball in their place. She then left her room when she heard her mother coming in, and went to greet her. From the girl's window, Jack smiled.
She had placed the orb right next to a picture of her family.
"You're a good big brother, Jamie."
"You are too, Jack."
Sophie would never forget her own family, right?
Right. Jack knew that.