LEAH

My grandmother tells the same old story every single goddamn Christmas.

She usually starts off slow, explaining how she knew him and what they meant to each other. I just nod and smile, pretending to know exactly why she feels the need to tell me every single darn detail about her affair with Jack Frost.

Don't get me wrong. I love my grandmother- but sometimes, she can get a little too much. Sure, maybe she loved and "believed" in him when she was younger, but she's not that oblivious teenager anymore. She's well into her sixties- living a dream that doesn't deserve her attention.

I guess I should explain myself.

My name is Leah. And up until my thirteenth Birthday, my nan was always subtle with things such as the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, Santa Clause, Sandman... well, you get the idea. She never brought any of them up, knowing that I never believed in that sort of nonsense. Hey, what can I say? I had parents who were 24/7 busy with their jobs. They simply didn't have time to entertain me with dull-witted tales of fictional beings- therefore I never believed in them myself.

"Ah, yes. He was a lovely fella. Always took his little sister out, never forgot to feed the dog. I remember, he'd climb up the branches and dangle over them like he had the agility of a three year old," Gran would say. "We were in love."

Beware. Because this part of the story gets real deep.

"Whatever happened to him, nonna?" My little sister, Cass, would ask. We were both used to the story, but this way, we could watch our grandmother relive her old life and fall in love over and over again- which isn't a bad favour to do for a senior who has no idea what an iPhone is.

"Oh, I don't suppose I should tell you." she'd say. "I wouldn't want to be a dapper on Christmas eve."

I shook my head, pretending to know exactly what a dapper was. "You're not dapping anything, nan."

"Well, if you're sure," she'd smile.

"Jack Overland Frost, was his name," Gran would look off into the distance- which was hard, seeing as her bedroom window faced a pine tree. "He was, well, great. The jokester of the village. My best friend, my boyfriend, mine. We'd lie under the stars, and he'd tell me I was the prettiest girl in the world- I would feel so special. We'd kiss and hold hands and do all sorts of stuff us teenagers did back then. " she sighed. "Then, one day... Jack went to go ice skating with his little sister, Amelia. Lovely little girl. There was a frozen ice pond just next to their cottage, and he'd take her there every winter."

"What happened?"

Gran looked down, sadly. "The ice started cracking underneath his sisters feet. In order to save her... well, he had to do something that wasn't easy. He used a stick to pull her back."

"Well, he should be okay then!" Cass smiles, but it's not enough.

"He wasn't, my dear. He fell through. Never to be seen again."

Wait for it.

"Until, of course," she grinned. "He came back. Obviously he was different. He had white silvery hair, and a staff he carried with him everywhere he went. He visited me as often as he could- but winter never stopped, all around the globe, countries were expecting blizzards and snowstorms and frosted pavements. Jack Frost was not mine to keep anymore," she'd look away from all of us- me, Cass, my cousins. "Eventually there came a time when I had to say goodbye. I met your grandfather, and we fell in love. I had to accept the fact that Jack Frost... well, he belonged to the world now. And I had to move on."

Yeah. Like I said, real deep.

I was thirteen when she told that story. Now, every time we go to visit her, she replays it like a broken record on one of those old spinning thingies they use to play at ballroom dances.

I'm sixteen now, and thinking that maybe I should give her a chance. Obviously I don't believe that she could have possibly met Jack Frost, or that Jack Frost is real at all, but it's nice to see her hoping for him to return. And who knows, maybe he will. In her dream or something, which is probably why Cass thinks she sleeps a lot.

"Leah!"

I jolt awake, my bones and back aching, head spinning and arm throbbing.

Ah, how wonderful. I think. Yet another accident.

I open my eyes to see a distraught looking Cass dangling over my head. She's holding a half chewed peppermint leaf, the other half making it's way down her throat.

"That's disgusting!" I sit up, ignoring the painful protests given to me by my whole body. "You don't eat peppermint leaves."

"Are you okay?" she asks, helping me prop myself up. "You don't look too good."

"What happened?"

"Sledding accident. Jamie says he saw you go head first into the tree."

"Jamie lies," I tell her, standing up. "Where is he?"

"Over there," Cass grins. "Playing with Jack."

"Jack?"

"Jack."

Me and my sister share a small moment of silence, and it's interrupted when she starts whining.

"Jamie told me he can't let me have a snowball fight with him and Jack," Cass says. "And it's not fair because I'm older than him."

I make a face. "You're both nine."

"So? I'm four days older."

I roll my eyes and make my way towards where Jamie's pelting snowballs and making conversation with thin air. Cass runs off to play with her own friends, who are doing the exact same thing- except they're talking to someone who's actually real. Jamie notices me and waves. "Oh, hey Leah! How's your head?"

"Been better," I say. He smiles and carries on throwing snowballs at his "opponents" (two twelve year olds who have no idea Jamie even exists) all while talking to, you guessed it, nothing.

"Jack, did you see that?! That was awesome!"
"Jack! Over there!"
"Don't make a fort, Jack. We'll look weak."

I frown. "Jamie?" I say. He turns his attention towards me. "Who are you talking to?"

His eyes widen with excitement. "Jack! She wants to know who you are!"

I cross my arms. "Is it another one of your imaginary friends?"

Jamie laughs. "No, Leah! Okay, look. Do you believe in the Guardians?"

JACK

"No, Leah! Okay, look. Do you believe in the Guardians?"

Jack leans against his staff, smirk evident on his pale face. He was laughing inside- this girl just had no idea.

Leah rolls her eyes, a gesture Jack started to notice was her habit. "No, Jamie, no I don't. And if you're even thinking about telling me that this "Jack" guy is a Guardian, I'll be convinced that you've completely lost your mind."

Jamie nervously looks over at Jack, who's smirk was wiped off his face altogether.

"Hey!" he says, starting to get defensive. "I am a Guardian. I mean, I'm no Easter Kangaroo, but kids like what I do."

"Leah, maybe you shouldn't have said that," Jamie says, backing away from them both. "I think Jack's mad."

"Let him be mad. I've heard enough stories about him to last me a lifetime."

What? Jack thought.

"Ask her what she means." he tells Jamie, who nods timidly.

"Jack wants to know what you mean."

"I don't have time for this, Jamie." Leah mumbles, stuffing her hands into her pockets and stalking off.

Jamie glances over at Jack, who is now gazing emotionlessly at the floor. Wow, he thinks. So I really am invisible, huh?

"Jack, don't worry about it."

He looks at his friend, who's crooked smile lifts his spirits a little. "Leah's always been like that. She's a tough nut to crack, but she's lovely once you get to know her."

"But what did she mean by that?"

"By what?"

"That she heard enough stories about me. You know, not a lot of people know who I am, let alone hear stuff about me. It's not very often I see a girl my age talk about me like I'm some school subject she's sick of learning about." Jack sighs, resting against his staff. "This sucks."

"Please don't tell me you like Leah," Jamie whines. Jack chuckles.

"No, kiddo. It's not like that. Besides, you can't like a person already just by meeting them for the first time. Or, in my case, seeing and hearing them for the first time."

LEAH

You can't like somebody just by meeting them for the first time.

Which is why, as I'm walking home in the dark city lights of Burgess, I'm intrigued to find out that my parents are tending to a homeless man they met on their travels. I'm sent pictures, videos, audio tapes. The occasional group photo of the trio.

I reach my house in matter of minutes and decide that it's okay to crash sleep on the couch- until I realize that the living room has no heat whatsoever. I make my way upstairs, where I leave the window open just a tiny bit.

I'm home alone. Cass went to sleep at her friends house, which basically gives me peace and quiet for however long she decides to stay there. I marvel in the silence, lying in bed with just a tank top and pyjama bottoms on.

JACK

It's not everyday you see a flickering light at 3am in the morning, especially not in the quiet city of Burgess. Which is why Jack had no hesitation to make his way towards the flickering light, oblivious to the fact that it belonged to the girl who had a mini rant about the Guardians earlier on that day.

"Huh," he whispered, floating and resting against the frame of her bedroom window. "Leah's room."

The girl wasn't even trying to get ready for bed, lying on her back and scrolling through her phone. Loud music blared through her speakers, the sound slightly muffled since the bedroom window wasn't fully opened.

Jack sat there for a while, just looking at her. Sure, it was stalkerish. And sure, maybe he would get caught by some of the children in the neighbourhood who believed, but he didn't seem to care at that moment in time.

There was something about Leah that Jack found intriguing, whether it was her facial features or the way she acted. How she blasted music and sang along to it, how she didn't seem to have a care for anything.

It all seemed familiar to Jack. If only he knew why.

Yes okay I know I haven't posted a new story in a year (a little over) But I don't know... I kind of lost my "touch" and I'm slowly trying to get into the knack of it again. I've missed FanFiction and I've missed writing stories and fangirling as I wrote them xD

So yeah. Really hope you guys enjoyed!