Believing is Seeing

Authors Note: I've jumped onto the band wagon for the series! Please gentle, I'm writing in a perspective I detest writing in. Also, this story has been brought to you by a writing prompt

Rated: T

'Bundle up or Jack Frost will be nipping at your nose'

It all started with that simple phrase.

Mother and the other adults in the town would always mention something along the lines of that during this time of year, but I never understood who exactly this Jack Frost was. Is he supposed to be like the Easter Bunny, Sand Man, Tooth Fairy or even Santa Claus? Next thing someone is going to tell me is that goblins are real...

I trudged through the heavy snow on my way back home from school; I absolutely loved snow days! They were the breaths of fresh air that I needed when it came to being cramped in a building for seven plus hours. It was like eating your favorite dish after a year of not having it, or hearing the sweet sounds of your mother's voice for the first time after being born deft.
That is what snow does to me... even the bite of the cold felt like electricity, and it was brimming in the air.

Now that I thought about it, it had already been a year since those weird incidents, teeth would not being swapped for cash and Easter never came. There was even a freak blackout somewhere to the east- it had messed with anything electrical from lights to radio signals- the whole situation was just down right freaky and the news had made little to no sense when questions were asked; just that it was a fluke waiting to happen.

It didn't matter anymore because I stopped trusting what adults said a long time ago.

"Why didn't I wear snow boots," I huffed and puffed while climbing a hill in a pair of sneakers.

Traction in the winter wonderland was nearly impossible in the constant falling snow and eyeing the amount that was falling around me lead me to believe that the snow would only get deeper. As if on cue, the wind picked up a staggering amount, causing me to lose my footing at the top of the hill. My scream bounced off the naked trees, the endless clouds and was carried with the wind while I slid down the hill. Well, I say hill but the reality was that it was part of the old rock quarry that was abandoned and I just walked through because it was the fastest way to and from school. I just needed to stay away from the edges that curved into a steep drop into a pit of sharp slabs of rock.

"Never go through the quarry, Tea'em. It's not safe and I'm not ready to lose anyone else," My mother would constantly scold me every time she found out, "you are an accident just waiting to happen."

My name wasn't even Tea'em; it was just a nickname; a nickname that should have died.
Tea'em was a play on words paper wise- that was pronounced 'T.M.', an abbreviation for 'trouble maker'.
My real name was Charlemagne, in case anyone was interested in knowing.

As I was slid down, I tried to grasp onto anything to slow down but the gravel and snow were quick to uproot and fall with me. Crap.

"Help me!" My single cry to the world as my fingers slipped past the ledge where met with a bittersweet beauty of nature. The sky- while it snowed- was absolutely perfect. It was the type of day where it could be one o' clock in the morning and it would still be bright outside even without seeing a single sliver of sky. The silence of everything when it snows was beautiful, breath taking. Just watching as the snow fell with me was beautiful. Yeah, I guess it sucks that it's cold and you have to shovel it out, but coming in from the cold and putting on warm clothes, sitting in the heat, and drinking hot chocolate would have been so relaxing.

'I'm going to miss those memories.' I thought as I closed my eyes, accepting my fate.

"Hold on!" Shouted a voice that jarred me out of my pseudo-peaceful moment. My eyes shot open to see a figure dive off of the ledge, his form steadily growing closer like he was being pushed by the wind.

'What is that guy doing?! Doesn't he know that he would die too?'

Is this man real or was he just a figure of my imagination that my mind conquered in my final moments of life? I have to give myself a pat on the back because this guy was fine. Lithe built, pale, snowy white hair and the deepest blue eyes I've ever gazed upon and he was so close I could see such determination burning from deep within.
He really thought he could save me...

Wait, were his clothes frosted in ice?

"Charlie! Give me your hand!" I must have been nuts, like acorns. There I was falling to my doom, and I'm ogling this guy like a piece of meat; what an attractive steak indeed…

And he knew my name. What?

When he was close enough I swung up and clasped my hand just below his elbow and he did the same, quickly pulling me into his embrace, tucking my head under his chin as we both plummeted. I clung to him for dear life and squeezed my eyes shut, awaiting impact.

But it never came.

Over the roar of the wind, came that titillating spiraling sensation which sent my stomach up into my throat. It felt like I was on one of those wicked roller coaster rides at a theme park! His voice rang through his chest as he continued to hoot while riding the wind, completely oblivious to my queasy state of mind. I think my savior was having a bit too much fun at my dispense. It was only when we touchdown that all was calm and quiet. Man I could not believe that just happened to me...

"Wow that was a close one, huh?" His laugh reverberated through his chest, right into my ear.

"Huh?"

I didn't need a mirror to know that I looked dumbstruck, anyone would be too if they fell to their death only to be snatched at the last second by someone who was as cold as ice.

'Speaking of ice…' my mind switched into gear and assessed the situation. We were a safe enough distance from the Quarry just beyond the borderline of the woods where no one could see us.

"Hey, you" I poked him hard in the chest, sight seeing was officially over.
"Are you crazy?!"

That earned him another harder poke and an 'Ow' escaped him. Who in their right minds would jump off a ledge just to save someone they barely even knew- not to mention the fact that they are not wear shoes!? Yes, I did look down and noticed that.

"Usually I get thanked for saving someone's life," he said while rubbing his chest. A quirk of the brow and a smirk on his face was just what I needed to become flustered.

"You're a mad man!" Was the only thing that my mind could conjure. What the hell brain? Don't turn to mush just because you were saved by a cutie.
"I mean, I'm grateful for the rescue, really. Truly I am. But, we both could have died! What would your family say to that? And you're not wearing shoes! You'll get sick!"

His laugh broke the tension and he tousled his hair, bits of snowflakes fell and fluttered to the ground as he walked around a tree idly. With a flick of his staff, the snow tumbled into the wind and danced before them. She could have sworn he just ignored her. What was his deal?

"If you're going to ignore me then can you at least tell me how did you know my name?" I knew I should be weary of strangers but for bizarre reasons beyond my knowledge, it felt like I was meeting an old friend after years of separation.

"Oh, I know everybody's name." He didn't even bother to look at her as he spoke. He just let his feet wander wherever they would take him, in this case, they took him behind an old oak tree.

"Whatever. Be mysterious for all I care." I crossed my arms and turned my nose to the sky, "I don't care."

"Liar."

His voice did not come from behind the tree like it should have, instead, it sounded as if it came from above. My head shot up to see the boy perched on a branch where frost crystals were starting to reach outwards from his feet. My perplexed expression brought about another smirk from him as he stood and gracefully walked along the branch.

"You're not a normal person, are you? Nobody I know has hair as white as snow or can fly. Plus I'm pretty sure that branch should have easily snapped under your weight."

"Hey, don't call me fat, I just saved your life!" His pout made him even cuter. Damn. "Wouldn't someone your age have the common sense to stay away from the Quarry?"

His jab made me mirror his pout and I had hold my arms crossed tighter in order to behave; somewhat. How dare he-

"Don't you dare call me old!" I stomped my foot in the snow and glared up at him. Who the hell did he think he was anyway? "Who the hell are you? For all I know you could be pedophile trying to lure me away with sweet, delicious candy."

'That would explain the white hair…'

Without losing a beat, the boy dropped down from the tree only to float briefly above the snow. He stabbed his staff into the ground to hold it steady so that both his hands were free. His gaze never faltered as his hands swooped around, collecting snow and ice, meticulously molding while he spoke.

"My name is Jack Frost and this," his hands opened to reveal a small thing of ice. He blew on it and it quickly bloomed into an ice rose, "is for you."

The gesture caught me so off guard that I could only sputter out a thank you while taking the flower in my hand. It really was made of ice! As I continued to gaze upon the gift, Jack's eyes flicked back over to the quarry, a look of worry flashed onto his face.

"You need to be more careful, Charlie. Or that nickname of yours will never go away." I looked up to meet his gaze and simply nodded, showing him that I've heard. "People your age are a dying breed and sooner or later you'll stop believing in fairies, magick- even me- and you'll grow up."

You guessed it, I still believed.
The situation had come about because of my mother who tried to convince my father and I otherwise, but it was he was the one who would not hear of it. My father was the one who taught me to believe, that not everything could be explained by science and that you didn't have to see to believe.
He believed all the way up until the very end. It was the thing we shared and cherished and I would not let anyone take that away from me. Ever.

"Jack," I placed the flower behind my ear for a bit so that both of my hands could be free to cup his face, "I'll always believe in you, but there will come a day when I'll have to go and you can't stop me."

This familiarity I had for Jack was unraveling my memories. There was no doubt that I did know him- but from when? How?
He tried to protest but I clapped my hand over his mouth.

"Shush, I'm not done. You can't keep saving me every time I'm in danger. You just can't stop the ever spinning circle of life. "

His hands reached to pull mine away and held it between us. His hands were so cold… as if, he was no longer human. The thought brought a chill down my spine, which he noticed.

"I know. I've been watching you since you were a baby. You always loved the snow- just as much as I do. I remembered all the things you would create in the snow and how you'd play all day until your feet were frozen. It's just hard to watch as you get older."

Well that was a surprise, and I felt like a dweeb for acting so harshly towards him. He had been watching over me? That would explain some of the weird stuff while growing up. Like the random snow days when I would plead to the moon, or the snowballs, or even the footprints.

To explain I would have to go back in time to when I was younger. I had developed the habit of exploring at a young age; being an only child helped to nurture this. There was a time when I would dash outside in the winter to marvel at the sight of the snow, but one day, I had got carried away and became terribly lost in the woods, and it was getting dark. I remembered how scared and cold I was; the fear had me running from every shadow and noise and it was hours before I made it back home. The only thing about that day that never faded from my memory were the footprints I followed that helped me get back home. When I told my parents about that my mother just laughed, saying that it was impossible for someone to be out this far from civilization in this weather. My father on the other hand claimed it was my guardian angel watching over me. I guess the old man was right.

"You've been there the whole time?" I couldn't keep my voice from breaking as I spoke. Such dedication. Such…. Love?

Jack's smile was not ignored as I threw my arms around him, sending us both into the snow. He had always been there, watching, helping and caring. This feeling, it was how I used to feel before my father's accident. I felt loved once again.

"Jack?" I wasn't sure he had heard my whisper until his hand came to rest upon my waist.

"Yeah?"

"If you've been watching me," I buried my head into his chest, it was my only attempt to smother my sob, "why did you let my daddy die?"

His eyes flew open in horror to the day she was referring to. That day was not like it was today, cloudy enough to distort one's perception of time. Instead it was the polar opposite.

A day of darkness.

Her father had been driving his eighteen-wheeler across the country during the same time as Pitch's rampage. He was one of the few casualties brought on by the guardians fighting. It was the swarm of black sand that did him in; the sand that put him to sleep, a sleep so deep that his rig ran off the mountain and into a quarry similar to today. Jack simply could not have saved him. He was too busy fighting nightmares. And Pitch. He was protecting all the children in the world.

"I… I'm so sorry" he clung to her, wrapping his arms tightly around while pressing his face into her hair. He felt like a failure. Like it was his fault, and in a way, it was. Jack could have stopped it all; could have, if he had not had been so selfish to find his memories.

Those simple words had been all she needed to hear. Her arms wormed their way around his neck and she returned his hug, while whispering her words of forgiveness into his neck. The sight of them comforting each other was breath taking itself. There was no need for lewd contemplation, or words really. The two just cried.

Jack, for letting down someone important and Charlie, for closure. It was what they both needed.

Years had pass since that fateful day. Charlie no longer felt jaded about her father or his death. Instead, she carried herself with pride everywhere that she went. She had grown into a fine young lady who cared deeply for the children; she even opened a fantasy bookstore called, "T.M." which stood for 'The Make-believers' where she'd read to children religiously, filling their heads with wonder, hope and fun. She spoke fondly of the guardians of childhood; those that protected the innocence while in return, where protected by the children as well.

But time would not be so kind to her. Charlie grew older but did not grow up. Her life had brought joy to many children and numerous would continue to pass her stories down to their kids for generations.

Some would say that if a person truly believed in the guardians, and that the moon was full during the winter season, you could see two figures holding hands as they walked above the snow- giggling and frolicking through the glistening fields.

Strangely enough, if one was ever to visit her grave, there would always be fresh flowers and some Easter Eggs. Maybe the world wasn't so black and white as adults would have hoped.

Believing is Seeing

This is the end of Chapter One! I do plan on posting this story in three parts. It will be Rated-M so prepare yourselves. Call it a special feature because this story has acquired so much... hype! Thank you all!

(P.S- I like your shoe laces.)