"JACK LOOK OUT!" The brunette boy sat up in his bed, clutching his covers around him and panting heavily. His latest dream had been quite real, so vivid that he feared for his friend's life. He put a hand to his chest to steady his breathing and his eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. Feeling a chill come over him, he flung the covers off and jumped to his feet. The floor was freezing but the boy did not shiver; he felt a calm settle over him and he remained standing where he was for a moment. He walked barefoot to the light switch and sighed with relief when light filled the room and the darkness was banished. He walked to his window and pushed his hand against the frosted glass. He tried to see outside but the snow was too thick to see anything. He pushed the window open and felt the cold enter his room and wrap around him, like an old friend greeting him. He smiled and closed his eyes as he welcomed the freezing cold. He leaned out of the window for a moment, trying to feel his old friend. His idol. His fantasy. Jack Frost.

The boy trudged back to his bed and burrowed under the covers, staring at the snowflakes that were drifting into his room. His mother would go crazy if she came up and saw the window open but at the moment, he didn't care. Any way to feel closer to Jack, he had no problem with doing it. He glanced up at the light but decided to leave it on. Darkness and shadows would not haunt him tonight. Surrounded by the cold and the snow, the boy finally felt at ease as he settled into his bed and closed his eyes.

A pale boy with white hair and blazing blue eyes leaned against the window, his eyes on the sleeping boy. He allowed a sad smile to cross his face before he tapped his staff against the floor and disappeared in a glowing light.

"JAMIE BENNET, what is WRONG with you?!" Jamie sat straight up, awoken by his mother's livid voice and the slamming of a window. Jamie blinked several times and shook his head.

"What's the problem?"

"The problem, Jamie, is that it is less than 20 degrees outside! Snow is coming INSIDE your room. You will catch your death in a week. What were you thinking?"

"I was keeping it open for a friend."

"A friend," his mother said slowly. Jamie shrugged halfheartedly.

"Jack Frost?" His mother rubbed her eyes and shook her head.

"Ok Jamie. You're eighteen years old. You can stop all your pretending any day now. Sophie doesn't make up nearly as many stories as you do."

"Sophie barely pays attention to anything other than her gross boyfriend," Jamie remarked with his nose turned up. His mother merely rolled her eyes.

"You act surprised that your sister is growing up. I wish you would too. Still believing in things like the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy and—"

"They're real! All of them are. And I'll never stop believing." His mother gave him an alarmed look.

"You truly believe that, Jamie?"

"Truly," he answered, his arms crossed over his chest. His mother swallowed and nodded slowly.

"Breakfast is ready. I'll see you downstairs." And she hurried from his room as if she couldn't get away fast enough. Jamie watched her go and huffed, throwing the covers back and walking to his window. He sat on the window ledge and leaned his forehead against the frosted panes. He thought he had seen the ghost of a handprint but it disappeared quickly and he was sure he was imagining things. Sighing, he turned to the closet to get ready for his day. Another day of feeling like an outsider, a freak, and a fool. He had been speaking the truth; he would never stop believing in the Guardians. He had met them, many years ago, and he knew they were real. But his friends had stopped believing, even his little sister Sophie had not believed for some time now. Only Jamie remained loyal and he was punished for it every day. That's why he kept an eye out for Jack. He thought Jack Frost might come visit him, knowing that he was in need of some social interaction. As Jamie dressed, he could not fathom how his friends could forget about the Guardians. They had had the same adventure when they were young, in which they had all saved the Guardians from the Boogeyman, a terrible shadow who called himself Pitch. Their belief had returned the Guardians to their former strength and glory and Jamie and his friends had helped them save the day. Now, years later, he had not heard from any of the Guardians and his friends had slowly forgotten everything from their childhood. Not Jamie though. He would continue to believe.

When Jamie entered the kitchen he heard his mother talking on the phone and she quickly hung up. He helped himself to some toast and ignored his sister's glare.

"Jamie, what are you doing after school today?"

"Dunno, thought I might go to the gym," he replied, shaking his dark hair out of his eyes.

"I'd like for you to stop by this office. There's someone who would like to talk to you." She lay a piece of paper in front of him and with one glance at the address, he leaped to his feet.

"You're sending me to a SHRINK?!"

"A counselor," she said gently. "He just wants to talk to you."

"No way. I'm not crazy, Mom."

"Honey, you told me you still believe in Santa Claus. You're eighteen years old—"

"So what! Why does believing in something mean I'm crazy?"

"Uh cause you are," Sophie said in a bored voice, her messy blonde hair hanging in her eyes. Jamie glared at her and turned back to his mother.

"Mom, please. I'm not crazy. I don't need to talk to anyone."

"We're all worried about you, Jamie. You don't really have any friends, you keep to yourself all the time. What kind of life is that to live?"

"I'm fine with the life I live," he said dismissively but she shook her head and pushed the paper toward him.

"Please. Stop in and talk to Dr. Connors. It will do you some good." Jamie shook his head and angrily flung his bag over his shoulder, leaving the house with the slam of a door.

"I say we have him committed," Sophie said, glancing at her manicured nails.

"Sophie," their mother said sharply. Sophie shrugged and excused herself from the table. The woman with tired eyes and greying hair sighed and covered her face with her hands, closing her eyes only for a moment to escape to the darkness and leave the light behind.

Jamie kicked the pebbles in anger as he stomped to school. There was snow on the ground and patches of ice all over but he refused to acknowledge them. He was angrier than he had ever been. At his mother. At his sister. At Jack. At himself. He couldn't understand why Jack had not come back to see him. He glanced down at the large frozen puddle at his feet and his eyes narrowed. His heart raced as he panted with rage. He stomped, as hard as he could, on the ice. Angry that it did not break immediately, he stomped repeatedly and ignored a couple of younger kids who jeered at him as they passed in their car. The ice was not even cracking. Inhaling a deep breath, he looked around and held out his arms.

"I'm breaking your precious ice, so where the hell are you, huh? You don't like to see your work wrecked, do you? Everything you do, everything you make and create, I want to destroy! And who the hell is going to stop me? Not you! Not you, Jack!" Angry tears streamed down his cheeks as he stomped and felt the ice give. He jumped on top of it and broke the ice into tiny shards. He started laughing, jumping even harder.

"See what I'm doing, Jack? Or do you even see? No…no you don't." His fists fell limply to his sides as he stood still for a moment, then he clenched his fists angrily.

"You don't because you don't exist. I don't believe in you anymore." He said it very quietly, very faintly, but it seemed to echo in his mind. He heard a cracking and then felt his feet break through the ice and plummet to the darkness below. He yelled all the way down, as he was sucked into a dark tunnel and all sight was taken from him as darkness swallowed him. He never even saw the bottom, only felt a sickening thud and then felt no more.