Chapter 1

On a winter morning in the town of Burgess, a boy, no older than 12, with hazelnut eyes and chocolate hair could be seen with his friends walking to the frozen lake, ready for fun. One could hear the boys laughing as they talked about miscellaneous things— from memories, to fears, to dares and teases— the things young boys normally talk about. As they walked, the boy with the hazelnut eyes and the brown hair simply listened. Then, he heard a melody. A beautiful song coming from the woods which his group occupied. He wondered just who could be singing. Swiftly and quietly he stepped away from the group and towards the voice which his friends seemed oblivious to.

As he walked, the laughter of his friends slowly faded until the only sound was the sweet melody. Going past the trees, through the snow, he finally reached a little pond. One he had never seen as it was always looked over by others as they headed towards the lake. It was beautiful to say the least. The water was frozen over and the ice on the trees hung like diamonds on a string. The light reflected off of them to create beautiful colors he had never dreamed of. And then, standing by the lake, was a girl, a bit younger than him. Humming that elegant tune which he was searching for. It amazed him of the beauty of a young girl's voice. But not as much as the natural beauty she contained. Her platinum blonde hair was long and straight, falling down her back like a waterfall. She wore the same clothes which many other girls in the village wore: fur boots, a long brown skirt, a cream blouse, and a simple brown cloak with elegant designs in the shapes of snowflakes hemming it.

The boy watched as the girl maintained sitting at the edge of the water, gliding over the ice with her hand, humming that lovely tune. He wondered how he had never seen her before. The village was quite small and most of the kids knew everyone, so how has he not met her yet? He had not heard of any new people who have moved into the town and their school was only so big. He wondered just who this mysterious girl was. And as he closed his eyes and listened, he unconsciously leaned towards her voice. Wanting to hear more, until suddenly, his foot slipped and he fell down onto the pond.

The pain of the impact hurt immensely, but he felt lucky that the ice was frozen solid and could not break. The melody was no longer present and all he heard was a gasp. He sat up and rubbed his head. When he opened his eyes he was met with two beautiful blue orbs which resembled that of the sea. He felt lost, entranced by the color and the purity contained in them.

"Are you ok?" The girl asked. Her voice was soft and delicate, much like that of her singing. The boy blinked a couple times to regain consciousness. "Yeah I'm fine" he managed to say as he got up. The girl held her arms out, scared he may fall. The two of them walked to the edge of the pond and sat down in the snow. "I'm sorry for intruding" the boy said, trying to show his sophistication. "It is quite alright" the girl said, nervous for she has never been alone with a boy before. The girl watched as the boy continued rubbing the back of his head. An awkward silence filled the air.

"Does it hurt?" she asked. The boy flinched slightly, surprised that she spoke. "Not really. It's fine" he said. Never has he not been talkative before. He wondered what the feeling in his stomach was as well as the heat in his face. He thought that perhaps it was due to the impact of the fall. Yeah, that's what it was.

"Are you sure?" the girl asked. She felt nervous, for sure. But she also hoped to become friends for she did not have many. "Yeah I'm sure." The boy replied. "I'm Jackson, by the way, Jackson Overland. You can just call me Jack though." He said as he held out his hand for a shake. "I'm Elsa, Elsa Winters" the girl said as she took his hand. Her hands were soft and delicate in comparison to his calloused and strong hands. "Nice to meet you, Elsa" Jack said. "You too. Is it alright if I call you Jackson?" Elsa asked.

"Sure, I don't mind. But why?" Jack asked. Curious as not even his family calls him by his whole name. Unless he is in trouble, of course. "I don't particularly like nicknames. I never understood why people don't just want to go by their real names. I find it much more meaningful to call someone by their real first name. It adds a deeper connection and it makes me feel special because I am able to call them something that not many other people do." She explained. Jack thought about it for a reason and smiled. He liked the idea of her being special to him and them having a good connection, so he went with it. "Very well then. You will be the only person who is allowed to call me Jackson" he said.

Elsa blushed at this arrangement, but was happy nonetheless. The two children continued sitting in silence, unsure of what to talk about still. Suddenly, Jack decided to break it. "You have a beautiful voice," he said blushing and rubbing the back of his neck. Surprised and flattered, Elsa blushed and said "Thank you, but I really don't." Shocked at her lack of confidence, Jack blurted out "of course you do. You're crazy to think you don't. It's the most beautiful voice I've ever heard'' he said. Elsa smiled and hummed her gratitude.

"Can I ask something though?" Jack said. Elsa nodded. "Why are you out here singing in the woods all alone? And why have I never seen you around the village before?" Jack turned his body towards Elsa as a sign of attentiveness. "I could say the same to you" Elsa replied smiling. "Touché" Jack said.

"I didn't exactly come here just to sing, perse. I mostly just came here to feel free. It is a beautiful pond and the woods are just so isolated, it's like no one can control me. It's like I can be who I want without anyone watching me" she said as her eyes shined with hopes and dreams. Jack hummed his acknowledgement and simply continued listening.

"As for your second question, I guess it's because my parents keep me pretty sheltered. I have a sister who has loads of freedom. I always envy her for being able to do whatever she wants. But because I am the eldest, I have to be proper. I have to make a good example of our family. I go to school, come home, and learn to be a proper girl, my parents are preparing me to be a proper wife so that one day they can wed me off to someone who can benefit our family's reputation." Elsa brought her knees to her chest and continued staring at the pond.

It surprised Jack both of the knowledge she contained and her lack of control over her own life. It seemed to him that she was not a girl who was able to have a lot of fun and that she was closed off from much of the world in order for her to stay under the destiny her parents have assigned to her. "So how are you out here now?" Jack asked. She smiled slightly.

"My parents promised me that on my birthday I do not have to stay home and be a wife. I can go out, like other kids do for one day. However, due to my busy schedule, I don't really have any friends, so I simply come out here by this pond and enjoy my day of freedom." Elsa explained. Then it hit Jack. "Wait, so does that mean today is your birthday?!" he asked in surprise. Elsa laughed at his tone and simply nodded.

Jack enjoyed the sound of her laughter. It was quiet but elegant. It seemed to make the air around them warmer and buzzing with life. "Well, then happy birthday," he said. "Thank you," she replied. "How old are you?" He asked. "11 starting today."

"Oh, so you're a year younger than me!" he said. "I guess so," Elsa replied a smile on her face from the laughter. "That means you have to listen to everything I say," Jack said jokingly. The smile on Elsa's face faltered slightly. Jack noticed this change and immediately regretted his words. "I- I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that" he said, trying to make up for it. "It's fine," Elsa immediately said.

Guilty of his words, Jack stood up and held out his hand to Elsa. Elsa looked at him confused but he simply smiled and gestured for her to take it. She hesitantly put her hand in his. Jack helped her up and then walked to the center of the pond. There, he began gliding on the ice, holding both her hands in his. At first, Elsa was hesitant and confused, but then she understood and slowly began to follow Jack in his movements. Soon enough they were dancing and laughing as the glided on the ice of the pond. Their laughter filled the woods and it was as if nature had created music for them to dance to.

Overall it was a beautiful scene where both of them forgot the world around them and were simply, free. Eventually, they slowed in their movements and simply look each other in the eyes. Never had Jack felt so drawn to someone and never had Elsa felt so happy to be in the presence of another. "So Jackson," Elsa began. "I answered your question about why I am here, what about you?" she asked. Jack smiled.

"My friends and I come out into the woods all the time, especially in the winter. There's a lake not too far from here that all of the kids go to for skating. We were on our way there when I heard you singing," Jack answered. Elsa blushed at the mention of her singing.

"So wait, you just left your friends? Shouldn't you get back to them?" she asked. Scared that they might report him missing. "Why you don't want me here?" Jack asked jokingly. And also a bit worried that she might not actually want him to be there. Elsa blushed more. "It's not that, it's just I'm worried that they may think you've gone missing and then freak out. For all you know they could be wrecks looking for you right now" she said, the worry clear in her eyes.

"Don't worry, they probably didn't even realize I left" Jack said, trying to reassure her. "And besides, if I didn't leave, I would've never run into you, literally," Jack said chuckling. Elsa giggled at the memory.

They soon got off of the pond and went back to their spots in the snow. "You know Jack, I think you are my first real friend," Elsa said with a slight sigh. "We're friends?" Jack asked. Not disappointed in the least. More excited that she considered him a friend. "Are we not?" Elsa asked worriedly, hoping she didn't get the wrong idea. "No, no, no, of course we are! I want to be friends," he said hurriedly trying hard not to hurt her feelings. "I'm honored to be your first friend," Jack said. Elsa smiled at this.

The rest of the day, the two of them just talked about all sorts of things. Jack told Elsa all about his family and his little sister which he absolutely adored. Elsa found it sweet that Jack cared so much for his family and could tell by just looking how much he loved them. Elsa told Jack about her times with her little sister and Jack too could tell how dearly Elsa loved her sister. The two talked about their hobbies, their likes and dislikes, all the things which brought them even closer than what they had become.

As the talked, the sun began to set slowly until the day came to an end. The two noticed the change in the sky and felt sad to leave the friend they had just made. Prepared to part ways, Jack had one last idea. "Elsa wait!" he called out to his friend who was about to walk back to the village. Elsa turned to look at Jack. "How about we carve our names into the tree, as a way to remember our friendship and all the fun we had today?" Jack asked. Elsa nodded her head eagerly.

The two went to the tree by the place where they sat. Jack took out his knife and began to carve their initials into the trunk. J+E, was what was inscribed. They both smiled at it. "We can meet here again, right?" Elsa asked. Jack nodded. "Are you out any other times in the year?" Jack asked. "I'm normally not, but I can try to sneak out," Elsa said. "I wouldn't want you to get in trouble," Jack said worried.

"But I want to see you more than just once a year," Elsa said, both of them blushed at this. "How about every full moon?" Jack asked. Elsa nodded. "Every full moon and on my birthday. We can meet at this spot again. Only until I'm 18, then we can begin meeting more often," Elsa said. Jack smiled and nodded. Elsa began walking away once more until Jack grabbed her arm. She turned around and was greeted with a quick kiss on her forehead. "Goodbye, Elsa," Jack said as he ran off. Elsa, stood, shocked by what had just happened. Suddenly the heat rose to her face and butterflies grew in her stomach. "Goodbye, Jackson," she whispered.