Jack Frost didn't have a care in the world. His job was to literally have fun, as long as he attended his monthly meetings with the Guardians and was careful not to become too carried away with the snow days. Currently he was on his way to Belson, Florida to give those children a rare glimpse of snow.
And that's when he saw her. She was sprawled out in the grass, porcelain skin shimmering beneath the sunlight. It was apparent that she had been sunbathing awhile by the leaves and twigs that had tangled within her flaxen hair. White, snakeskin high-waisted shorts adorned her wide hips and a black off-shoulder top accentuated her tiny waist. Jack slowly floated towards the Earth, openly gawking at the sight of her. Of course, no one could see the winter spirit, so why hide it?
He wasn't sure what caught his eye. Maybe it was her subtle curves and classic beauty. But he had seen plenty of girls in his day and he did not stop to ogle them. No, maybe it was the fact that she was sunbathing in the middle of winter. Even Florida was about to see a snow day. Girls should not be sporting summer wear and tanning. Should they?
Then, a scarier thought occurred to him. Maybe someone had dumped her here. He moved even closer, until he was floating directly above her body. Her lips had been painted red and there were no signs of deprived oxygen. After a moment, he saw her chest rise with air. The girl was only sleeping.
"Dodged that one, Jack," he laughed lightly. At the sudden sound, the girl's eyes flickered open and she was staring directly into his blue orbs.
"Ah!" she screamed and gave him a quick kick to the gut.
"Oomf!" Jack flew backwards and allowed himself to hit the ground as he cradled his wounded midsection. He glanced behind him to see the girl walking swiftly towards him. Balls of flame swirled around her torso in a furious hula hoop and realization smacked Jack like a freight train. "Wait! This is a misunderstanding!" He jumped to his feet and dropped his staff to the ground in surrender.
"What's to misunderstand, you pervert?"
"Pervert? I thought you were dead!"
The girl's mouth dropped in disbelief and she allowed the flames to dissipate. "If that's what you tell the girls then you probably aren't a very successful pervert."
Jack shook his head violently. "Can we restart? I'm-"
"Jack Frost," she snapped, but did not continue to introduce herself.
"I've obviously angered you, how about I apolo- Wait!" he yelled when the girl made to fly away. She hesitated but did not glide back down to Earth. Jack watched in awe at how the wind held her up in exactly the same way the wind supported him. Maybe fire and ice spirits are much more similar than he thought. How would he ever find out if she left? "Please don't leave."
"You don't know who I am?" she cocked her head to the side.
Jack looked around as if someone was playing a joke on him. "Should I?"
She sighed dramatically. "Do you at least know what I am?" Jack shook his head. "My name is Avery Ghoul. Ask your friends if you want answers. Sam would love to know they are thinking of him." With that, she shot into the sky before he could say another word.
And that's how he found himself interrupting Bunny, North, and Phil's card game to give a rehash of what had happened. All three gave him wide-eyed stares. "You don't know the Ghoul Squad?" North finally asked.
"Well, I caught their first album, but they've practically vanished since the scandal," Jack joked, undeterred by the lack of laughs.
Bunny looked Jack directly in the eyes, making sure to have his full attention. "Stay away from them, mate. They're trouble." Jack's eyes darted to North for help. The old man sighed.
"Sam is Samhain, the man in charge of protecting Halloween. If the people do not have some belief or… curiosity in the unknown, then Halloween just becomes about the candy. That's where the Ghoul Squad comes in," North explained.
"There's 11 of the monsters. Each has a certain post that they guard. Their job is to scare people randomly in their territories throughout the year. They keep the fear alive. They're part of Pitch's lot."
Jack remembered Avery vividly, but not as vividly as he recalled Pitch. The two definitely did not seem to be cut from the same cloth. North placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "I know you are not used to being around other magical beings, but trust on this one. Guardians and Ghouls are enemies. Stay away. You have been a wonderful Guardian so far. Give yourself more time to grow before you… what is it… make waves?"
When the boys went back to their card game, Jack broke out into his signature mischievous grin. He had no desire to anger his colleagues, but he had to see that girl again. There was a feeling he couldn't shake that she would prove to be a lot of fun.
