Part 3: Fifteen
Christmas Eve was usually a time of celebration, of joy, of fun, of family. Lying in his bed that night, Jamie Bennett felt like none of that mattered.
He didn't look away from the mini-disco ball lamp as it cast multi-colored circles around his room, not even when he heard his window creak open. The cold nighttime breeze from outside didn't affect him nearly enough to move his heart.
"Hey...you okay?"
Jack's voice was concerned and confused. Jamie glanced at him, standing just inside the window with a small frown on his face, one hand still on the sill. He sighed and looked back at his desk lamp.
"Sorry. I don't...feel like playing today, Jack," he murmured.
"Ok, now I'm really worried." Jack silently padded over to Jamie's bed and sat down. "It's my first visit of the season and I don't even get a smile? You're always happy to see me. What's wrong?"
Jamie sighed and sat up. His covers slid down to his waist on the bed. He stared at his lamp for a few more seconds before averting his eyes to his hands in his lap. "My dad's gone."
Jack started. "He's-Did he...did he die?"
A shake of the head. "No. He...left. Mom and him have been having fights a lot lately. Yesterday dad said he'd had enough and walked out."
There was silence for a few moments. Jamie kept his eyes on his hands.
"That's not right. It's Christmas," Jack objected at length. "I'll be sure North doesn't give him anything for Christmas, ey?"
That light playfulness in Jack's voice caused Jamie to lift his eyes. Jack gave him a hopeful look and a smile that showed his teeth. Of course. This was the same Jack that Jamie had known for five years. He was happy and always making fun from sorrow or fear. He was one of Jamie's best friends, especially since Claude, Caleb, and Monty had all moved away.
Jamie managed a tiny uplift of his lips. "Santa only brings gifts to kids," he said.
Jack shrugged. "I think he could make an exception. That coal doesn't get too much use otherwise, you know," he ended with a grin. "Too many kids being too good. I'd say that means they aren't having nearly enough fun. What about you?"
Jamie's smile got a little bit bigger. "You have fun all the time, but you're still good."
A shake of the head. "I hold the record for the naughty list," he revealed proudly.
"Really?"
Jack nodded. "Yep. All the way up until I became a Guardian. Now North doesn't even keep track," Jack half-whined. "Now he just says that whatever I do is part of my 'job' or something. I don't know, I just think it's fun to make people slip and slide around town."
Jamie considered Jack for a moment, his staff leaning against his shoulder and a happy smile on his face. He rolled his shoulders. "Hey, Jack?" Jack turned his head to see Jamie better. "Could you throw one of your snowballs at my dad?"
"What for?"
Jamie shrugged. "He's seemed so angry lately, and I remember you made Cupcake feel better by hitting her with a snowball, so..."
He looked down at his hands again. Was it strange to ask that? Jack was a Guardian of children. Did his powers even work on adults? Should Jamie not have asked? He felt like he should be mad at his dad, and maybe later he would be, but right now he was just sad and wanted his father back.
A hand ruffled Jamie's hair and he looked up into Jack's glinting eyes. "It would be my pleasure, Jamie." Jamie gave a half smile, his lips pulling up and to the right. "But right now, I've got a Christmas gift for you."
Jamie's smile turned curious. "You do?" Jack had never brought a gift before. He'd drawn pictures on his windows or made snow creations outside, and always made sure that any day he visited was super fun, but he'd never brought a gift.
Jack shrugged. "Well, sort of. Watch this."
He held out a hand and blew on it. A ball of ice formed in his palm. Jack covered the ice ball with his other hand and shut his eyes, rubbing his hands back and forth just a bit. He blew on his hands again as he opened his eyes. When he pulled his left hand back, there was a small ice dog in his hand.
"Wow, cool! It looks just like Abby," Jamie cheered quietly. "But, you know, younger."
Jack laughed and the dog seemed to come to life. It bounded around on his palm and then leapt off into the air. Jack blew toward it and Jamie watched a breeze, barely visible by the ice particles it carried, catch the ice dog and help it prance around Jamie's head. It gave Jamie a cold, wet lick on his cheek and then pranced up above his head. Jamie laughed and looked up while rubbing his cheek.
The ice dog gave one soundless bark and then burst into ice flakes. The light from Jamie's lamp reflected off the ice, bouncing multicolored beams around the room. Jamie's mouth dropped open.
"Wow."
The ice seemed never ending. More kept falling even after the dog's ice was long gone, leaving Jamie's room bathed in moving color. Jamie watched it for a few more seconds before turning around to face Jack, but he wasn't there.
"Jack?"
Mischievous laughter echoed from outside and Jamie rushed to the window. He leaned out and looked both directions down the street but saw no sign of the winter sprite. His shoulders dropped. Jack left so suddenly. He left like dad.
"I guess the fun's over."
"Never," Jack's said as he dropped into view from above.
Jamie cried out and fell backwards onto his butt. Jack laughed and Jamie couldn't help but laugh too. Jack flipped in the air and landed on Jamie's windowsill.
"What do you say, Jamie? Wanna try flying again?" Jack asked, holding out a hand. "I'm a lot stronger than I used to be."
"Yeah, because of me." Jamie smiled broadly and jumped up, grabbing his jacket and taking Jack's hand. It was cold and smooth in his own. And even though they only saw each other a few days each year, Jack's hand in his felt familiar.
Jack didn't say anything in response. He just pulled Jamie out through the window and then they were flying through the sky. Jack looked up toward the moon for a brief moment, then off into the distance. He whistled and a brisk wind caught them up in a swirling ride above the city. Jamie couldn't help but laugh outright in pure exhilaration. When the wind stopped, they were left hovering above a vaguely familiar building. It was Burgess's biggest, though still quite small, hotel.
"Do you want to see him?" Jack asked.
At once, Jamie understood. Jack had brought him to see his father. Jamie nodded without a word and they floated down to the small balcony attached to the window of a room. It was barely more than an ordinary windowsill; just large enough to stand on. Jack knelt on the wire railing that surrounded the small space while Jamie stood on the floor and reached forward toward the glass door.
The blinds were mostly drawn, but a small break in the curtains allowed the teen to see inside. The room beyond was dark aside from the slim light given off by a desk lamp. His father was seated at the desk, reading some sort of book. His bags were lying by the foot of the bed. He looked lonely.
"I know you said you'd give him some fun," Jamie said quietly, so as not to draw his father's attention. "But could you do me another favor?"
"If I can."
Only moments later, the glass door was opened by Jack's icy fingers. Then the wind was carrying them up and away again. It blew into the room through the crack Jack had made, and the curtains blew away from the window. They hovered just close enough for Jamie to see his father hurry to shut the door again and also to watch as he saw the decorative ice curling across the glass. The whole of it was frosted in Jack's traditional fern frost, except for a spot just at eye level. In that perfectly circular spot was an icy artwork shaped like a Christmas tree with the moon just above it.
His own little Jack Frost Christmas Specialty.
Mr. Bennett ran his finger through the frost around the image, but it didn't melt. Then a small smile lit up his features and he looked out the window to the moon up above.
After a few quiet minutes watching his dad examine the frost in awe, Jamie shivered in the air and Jack began to fly them back toward the Bennett house. It was a much slower ride than the burst of wind over, but Jamie enjoyed it. Looking down on the city while the winter wind nipped at his fingers, toes, and nose, Jamie felt happy. For the first time in months Jamie thought, Everything's going to be okay. Even if everyone else would fail him at times, Jack Frost never would. And that was enough to give him hope for the rest of the world.
