Jack was skating around on his lake in the early hours of the morning. Being immortal meant he almost never had to sleep or eat. So he spent most nights out on his lake. Well, the nights that he wasn't pranking someone or making a snow day for the kids of the world. Just as he was about to go for another lap, he noticed a young girl sitting on the beach. She couldn't have been much older than ten or eleven. He smiled and walked towards her, wanting to hang out after being alone all night. As he drew closer he realized she was crying. He hated when kids cried, because they were too innocent to be experiencing emotional pain. Also because crying was no fun! He bent down, concerned and wanting to comfort her. He quickly discovered that she couldn't see him as his hand passed through her. He sighed, used to this. For 300 years that had been his life, never seen, heard, or believed in. Still, he wanted to figure out why she was up so early and why she was upset. So he stayed next to her. He was hoping that just by being there his fun energy could get her to cheer up, or at least that she would start talking aloud and he could understand what was troubling her.
The young girl wiped her eyes, and tried to calm herself down. She hated crying, but she hated it more if people caught her crying. Even though it was early she knew someone could walk out of the woods any moment. She stared out across the lake, her eyes puffy, but her mind numb. She had allowed her mind to become empty so she could rid herself of the pain. No thinking, no pain. She wasn't even wearing a coat, she was just out in the winter cold in her pajamas. When she had run out of her house she hadn't even noticed the cold. She sighed, then wrapped her arms around herself as the air suddenly got even colder. She looked around, trying to figure out where the sudden cold draft had come from. She stared at the ice, wondering how thin it was. She knew if it was thin enough maybe she could just drop right through it. She didn't realize that Jack was working on thickening it at that exact moment. But what she did know was the ice was suddenly beginning to look thicker and thicker. She also knew that she had to get a grip before the sun came up, or she'd really be in trouble. Lea sighed and put her chin on her knees. She looked around, making sure no one was around, then picked up a handful of snow and held it against her arm.
Jack saw the girl look longingly at the ice, and realized that if she went out, she would meet the same fate he did. it had become thinner since he was no longer skating on it. So he set about thickening it, just to be safe. He didn't want anything bad to happen to the young girl! He stopped though when he saw her roll up her sleeve and press some snow to her arm. 'She must be crazy!' he thought to himself. "It's freezing cold out here, and she is pressing snow against her arm?" he asked, thinking aloud. He moved closer, then gasped as he saw the cuts and bruises that were crisscrossing the young girls' arm. He wondered what had happened to such a young child that had produced injuries like those. He knelt by her and created more snow and ice she could use to heal herself. He couldn't exactly help, but he could give her something to help her help herself. He then stayed near her until the sun rose into the morning sky. Just a steady presence and cool breeze to play with her hair. Suddenly the peace was shattered by an angry voice yelling "LEA ANDERSON!" The girl jumped and sighed, getting to her feet. "Here goes another pointless day" Jack heard her say before she walked out of sight. "What does that mean?" he wondered, so he followed her.