Chapter 1

[Crystal's POV]

I had a very over protective Childhood. Not that I blame my parents or anything. They were only doing what they thought was best for me. I ended up growing into a very realistic, serious person.

But there was always one part of my growing up that I loved ever year. Winter.

I first started to love it when I was three. I have a strangely good memory so I remember every detail. We had just moved to Virginia from Hawaii. So it was my first frost, and snow at the same time.

I had woke up early that day and saw that everything was white. My parents were still asleep so I went outside, still in my pajamas.

That was when I first saw him. An older boy, I can now say that he was about 16 or 17. He had a blue hood, perfect white hair and a tall wooded staff. He was kneeling down messing with the snow and hadn't seen me yet.

I was about to go over to him when another person walked right into him. I panicked and started to run at the person when I realized that he had walked right through him. I didn't know what to do. The boy looked up and saw me looking at him at the moment my parents came out to take my back inside.

"Crystal! What are you doing out here!" My mom ran over to me. I had a feeling that they could see anything but I decided to test them.

"I thought I saw a birdie." I pointed right at the boy. He sighed, looking around himself for the bird that wasn't there.

"Honey. I don't see anything." My dad bent down and looked right at the boy.

"Sweetie I think the cold is making you sick. Let's go back inside." I let them lead my in to the house.

I spent the entire day thinking about him. I wasn't like most kids my age. I was rather smart. I knew that people could walk through the boy and couldn't see him for some reason. I didn't understand why though.

That night I asked my mom when she tucked me in. "Mommy. If you can walk through someone and not see them, then what are they?" She looked at me funny.

"There is no such thing sweetie. Just like there is no Santa, tooth fairy, Easter bunny, or imaginary friends." I nodded and laid down. I hear my mom tell Dad and them both freak out thinking I had gotten so sick that I was seeing thing.

The next day I was taken to the doctor and to a psychiatrist. I didn't like. It was too close and personal for them to ask me all the questions about my imagery friends, which I didn't have, and what we did together.

When we got home. I saw the boy in a snow ball fight with some kids in the yard across the street. I didn't look directly at him, in case anyone saw. I watched the other kid and watched him out of the corner of my eyes. I saw him fly it seemed. I saw the wind blow on his clothes. I saw him turn things to ice with the touch of his staff. I longed to join them but If I tried my mom would freak out again.

Instead, every year starting in late fall to early spring, I would walk around my yard. When he noticed that I was outside he would come over to me. He first few times he would through snow balls at me. I would brush the snow off men and keep walking. Eventually he would just walk around with me.

When my parents decided that I did need some sort of exercise, I was eight, they had a small play ground in the back yard, inside the fence that is.

There was a small slide, a see-saw, and swings. The swings were by far my favorite. I would sit on it and start to push myself. Wind, that is what I came to call the boy because where ever he was there was some sort of cold wind whether it was a small breeze or a huge gust, would come and push me. He didn't touch me, but he would push on the chains of the swings.

I would talk to Wind and tell him about my day. I don't think he every realized I was talking to him, because I still acted like I didn't hear or see him. My parent didn't like that I talked to the wind but eventually got used to it. It was better to talk to an inanimate object, that I knew wouldn't talk back and call it what it was then to talk to nothing at all.

Now I am 16. I am allowed to walk around the neighbor hood, play in the snow with the little kids I babysat, and do other normal things. I was still homeschooled, but my parents were much better at letting me be normal.

It was summer though. I everyone was out of town it seemed. Wind wasn't here either because It must be too hot for him or something. I didn't know. I just knew that he wasn't here once it started to warm up again.

I was sitting at my desk in my room when my dad walked in. I was supposed to be reading but instead I was thinking about the fact that I hadn't seen Wind in 3 years. I really bothered me.

"Crystal. Come down stairs. We need to talk." I stood up. Glancing at my window quickly, wishing that it had suddenly started to snow in the middle of august.

When I went into the Family room, I saw my mom sitting on the couch fretting over something. I sat down.

"What's wrong? Did I do something?" mo looked up at me in surprise, then shook her head making her gold hair fall in her face.

"oh no dear. It's not you it's you grandfather. He died. Your Grandmother wants us to come take care of her till she dies." I thought about it. Grandma lived in Hawaii, where it didn't snow. I wouldn't see wind until we came back, If we came back.

"When would we come back?" I tried not to let it show that I was upset.

"We don't know. She has been very sick recently. It could be a week or it could be a year or two." I nodded and stood up.

"Then I'm not going." I started back to the stairs.

"Wait. Crystal, we never said you had to go. We were going to talk about you staying here while we go." Dad stood up shocked.

"We were going to ask Mrs. Charlotte to check up on you. You can keep doing your school work on the computer. We will still pay the bills." I sighed in relief. I went back to them and sat down again.

"I can stay by myself. I can cook. I can clean. I will keep babysitting." This was a huge break through for me. They didn't like to leave at home alone when they went shopping, since they both worked from home.

"We know you can take you can take care of yourself. We're worried about boys." My first thought was of Wind. Then I thought of all the other 'nonexistent boys' I was friends with.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." She nodded, seeming a little better.

"Well, ok. We will call every night. We will leave tomorrow night." I nodded. It took everything I had not to break into a grin.

"Ok. Well. I'm going to read in my room." I particle skipped to my room. The reason I was so happy was because my parents didn't realize I still talked to the wind. With them gone I could talk to him and not worry about people thinking I was crazy.

I couldn't wait till Winter came.