Frostbitten Wildflowers

Chapter 1

Meeting Her

Jack flew through the air laughing at the expressions of the kids below, as the waved at him frantically. He landed in the snow softly and let the kids stampede over him, knocking him over and sending everyone including him back into fits of laughter.

"Jack! Thank goodness you're here!" One kid called through giggles.

"Yeah! We were sure we weren't gonna see you this winter!" Cupcake tried to pout.

"Come on guys, let him up." Jamie grabbed Jack's hand to help him out of the pile of kids. "Hey Jack, what took you so long to make your way back to Burgess?"

"Aw, you know. I gotta make fun for other kids in the country too. But you know I'm always gonna stop here to see you guys at least once before the end of winter." Jack smiled at the cheery faces around him. It was wonderful to finally feel wanted, to feel noticed and believed in.

It was at that moment that the wind changed, and the air came in a bit warmer, laced with the feel of spring and the scent of wildflowers that had yet had the chance to bloom. Jack let the air flow around him as he took in the scent. He was later than usual this year and was cutting time out the next season by being in Burgess, and he hadn't even thought of it. He looked around and saw that the kids seemed to notice the change too, as Cupcake began to smile into the warmth of the air and Jamie took a deep breath.

Jack's smile became at bit sad as he realized it was definitely time to leave. But that didn't mean he couldn't leave this little town with a bit of fun before winter fully faded out. He scooped up a handful of snow and let his magic brush over the flakes before letting a mischievous smile slide into place on his face. He reared his arm back as the other kids were busy marveling in the sudden change of weather and laughed.

"Jamie! Think fast!" Jamie turned just in time for the snowball to smash him in the face. He wheeled backwards for a moment before catching his balance and shaking off his surprise.

"Hey!" He called as he scooped up a ball of his own and throwing it at the closest voice he heard before cleaning the snow out of his eyes. He managed to hit the girl next to him who laughed and kicked snow at him and hitting Cupcake. And with that the last snow war of the year had begun, and Jack watched the fun from above, smiling to himself as he floated on the wind.

He sighed and let the wind carry him backwards as he watched the scene. Without warning, he crashed into something. A high pitch came from behind him as a set of limbs that definitely weren't his began to cling to him in a desperate attempt to regain balance on the wind. He panicked and felt the wind stop under him, and suddenly, both he and the person clinging to him were falling from the sky. He called out to the wind, and at the same time, heard his call echoed from behind him. The cool winter wind picked him back up and he felt the clinging at his back cease as a warmer, floral scented wind mingled with his and lifted the body at his back into the air.

Jack whirled around and came face to face with the poor soul he had crashed into. He felt his eyes widen and so did hers. In front of him floated a girl, no older than him, that was floating on her own warmer wind. Her skin was pale, like dogwood flowers, with freckles over her nose. Her eyes were the colors of freshly bloomed lilacs and they twinkled in the sun, looking bright against the stark contrast of her skin. Her hair was wild and wavy, the color of the woods with fresh leaves and flowers laced in the locks. She was wearing a lavender tunic like top that flowed freely around her small frame and a pair of white capris. He looked at her and couldn't fathom a coherent thought. She had an airy way about her that felt so sure, and so easygoing, it made him want to say something, anything really.

He stuttered a bit, but before he could come up with a full sentence, she twirled around took off into the clouds. On the wind, all he caught was a soft 'sorry' with what sounded like a bit of tinkling laughter. The sound of her voice caught him even more off guard; it was playful yet a bit shy and didn't seem to fit someone who had looked so confident just a moment ago. He looked into sky after her, and felt a smile slip on to his face. He didn't know who the mystery spirit was, but he was definitely going to find out.