Beautiful. It's all she can think as she stares out at the snow that falls gently across the country-like area. It wasn't really out in the country, but houses were far enough away that it might as well have been. It probably once had been the country before Augusta and Andover had expanded so far that they were nearly on top of one another now... they were literally about 10 minutes away from one end to the other. At 14 years old she could appreciate the snow, she had just turned 14 actually. Another snow on her birthday. Then again, she'd pretty much come to expect it now. Almost no snow on Christmas, but there was always some around the day she was born... sometimes it came days before... but still it was there just the same. She looked out the glass porch door, watching it drifting down in the pre-dusk sky. It would be dark soon. She didn't see the winter spirit who crouched on the wooden porch outside. A sad look on his face, his eyes gleaming like icy teardrops.
"I wish you could see me... I know you know I'm here..." Frost began to spread on the very edges of the glass and Kari sighed as it began to obscure her vision of the snow. She still didn't like the cold, but tonight she did something she hadn't ever done before and Jack's eyes widened as she opened the door and stepped out into the cold snow in bare feet. She stood in jeans and a blue sweater, but the wind that toyed with her hair didn't seem to bother her as she stood just inches from the winter spirit. Startled she'd come out, he knew there was no hope that she would ever see him; she was past the point of believing. His eyes widened a little as she seemed to look around, her breath puffing out in the cold evening air; her eyes had tinged to a dark green as she had grown older, something he'd puzzled over and wished he could ask her about. He'd never seen anyone whose eyes changed colors like hers. He'd spent years trying to talk to her... but nothing. She'd never responded to him, so he'd pretended sometimes that she could hear him and talked to her when he could. It was better than nothing, but now she was practically an adult and no adult believed in the Guardians. What chance did he have now? He nearly lost his balance when she spoke.
"I know you're there... I can feel you... Why is that? I can never see you... never hear you... but... I know you're there... Like a guardian angel... always watching over me." He was silent, eyes wide. Could she really feel his presence. He reached out to touch her, she shivered but his hand didn't fully go through her... but at the the same time she didn't reach back either.
"I don't know who you are... I wish I did. I just want to thank you... I guess..." Jack flushed a little, but he was also confused. Why would she be thanking him? She couldn't even see him and yet he swore she was looking at him when she turned and seemed to meet his eyes, but her eyes were hazy and she closed them after a moment.
"I can't see you... but thank you... for the snow all these years." Had he been that obvious? Why was it she'd noticed this and not thought it was Mother Nature like most people? She was different... he could tell... but ... he wasn't sure just how she was different. Only that she seemed to know things that he'd never heard from anyone else. Like tonight... She smiled a little.
"Maybe it's just my imagination... but after all these years... I just have this feeling that you've been there. That there really is someone. Someone who looked out for me during winter and maybe that's why I wasn't scared when the truck spun about that one time that I was in it when the man I was with, with my mom, hit black ice. I guess I knew I'd be okay no matter what. So... thank you. My Winter Angel."
Jack flushed as he watched her walk inside and gently close the door. How had she known? How could she have possibly known that he had been there that day when she was 12? That he had shifted the ice beneath the truck to right it again after he'd seen the truck spin out of control? There was no way she could have known. She'd never seen him... not once. Never spoken to him until now. He felt like he'd been bowled over. She'd said thank you... Even confirmed that she knew he was there even though she rarely ventured outside... He sighed and soared up above the clouds. She would be inside, safe, for the rest of the evening, but he couldn't get out of his mind what had just happened. He was pretty sure that simple act would be enough to keep him going for a good long while. She KNEW! After all this time his efforts weren't in vain! He whooped as he flew through the sky and darted off above the clouds to bring more snow days to children. She knew! Oh Moon... she KNEW! He laughed, he was finally making progress! Okay, so she hadn't seen him but she was so close! And even grown up as she was she could still feel him! That was such a wonderful shock! He spent the rest of the evening whooping and laughing as he brought snow to the planet. What a great time to be alive!
While Jack was celebrating what he considered a small victory, Kari curled up with a cup of hot coco on the couch. She was thinking about the events of that summer now; her life had suddenly turned upside down. She didn't like to think about it, but aside from making a new friend she'd also discovered that she was as... not normal as she'd always thought. She had discovered the ability to control her own dreams. Even affect the dreams of others if she found those dreams. Her peaceful mood had been shattered, she'd become somber now as she considered what had happened in the short amount of time that had been summer; things had changed for her and she knew she'd never be the same. Still, her winter angel was still there. That much hadn't changed... but how long had they been there? How long had she had someone looking out for her? The more she considered it the more she felt sad she couldn't see them... whoever they were... An invisible angel she wished she could see. A protector of sorts who she was sure had been following her around most of her life if not all of it. Another thought came to mind that made her flush a little, she hoped that her winter angel couldn't come into her bedroom... She'd been discovering herself as a woman lately too... part of growing up and since she didn't have a boyfriend or anything to help her deal with that... well... She'd been dealing with it on her own. She'd been hearing about such ideas and stuff since she was twelve... she wasn't sure where she got them exactly, or heard them, but she had. Lord but that was embarrassing to think about! She just really hoped that wasn't the case, just in case she ever met this guardian of hers. Boy wouldn't that be awkward? She shoved the thoughts away and finished her hot coco before going to her room to play some Pokemon. She needed to distract her mind with something more pure before that not-so-pure part of her decided to chime in and wreak havoc in her mind. That was another thing she'd been a bit surprised to discover... she had someone else in her head. Someone who wasn't evil per say... but was older and yet it wasn't like a split personality where she would suddenly take over her or anything like that... at least she was sure that wasn't the case because wouldn't people around her who spent most of the their time with her have noticed if she had a split personality? Plus she could hear the other's thoughts... They weren't all that pleasant either, but she wouldn't say they were evil... just... Well she wasn't quite sure.
