Fury ignited in my veins, my face burning red as I angrily paced the living room floor, my arms crossed tightly across my chest.
"I can't believe you! I CANNOT believe you! I don't know what kind of sick trick you're trying to pull, but now I have a criminal record of prank calling the police! If you're as magical as you claim you are, you better pull some money out of your ass to pay my fine", I shouted, my voice trembling with frustration.
"Whoa, chill!", he responded, gingerly laying a hand on my shoulder. They were so cold. Shuddering, I smacked it away from me, turning to him with fire in my eyes.
"Who are you? Where did you come from? And why did you just so happen to choose me as your little victim to your immature game?", I questioned, circling him.
With a sigh, he said back "I already told you, my name is Jack Frost. You don't seem to remember things very well, do you?". Rolling my eyes at his little remark, I pressed on.
"I remember things fine! It's just believing crazed hellions I lack skill in. Why are you so convinced that you're some fancy prance-y wintry mascot?"
Scoffing at my description, he exclaimed, "Hey! It was a phase, alright! That cheesy kinda stuff was in back then. I'm more of a roll-with-the-times kinda guy, alright? And I'm telling the truth!". With that, he quickly turned me to face him, his hands grasping my shoulders, as he leaned down to stare into my eyes, just centimeters away from me. "I am Jack Frost". His eyes...that magnificent blue...that frigid body...my mind was seized with memories all flooding back, a mental tsunami. Breathing was suddenly a foreign concept.
In the midst of all this nonsense, I ceased to realize that Jamie had woken from his slumber, rubbing his eyes standing halfway down the stairs. "Amanda? What happened? Why were the police in our yard?"
Gasping for air (and words), I choked out, "Visitor". As soon as he was more awake, Jamie suddenly realized the presence of this so called Jack Frost, gasping his name with a wide grin as he bounded down the stairs.
"Hey, kiddo!", the alleged mental patient smiled as he wrapped Jamie in a big hug. The exchange sent a discomforting tingle down my spine.
"You know each other?", I interrogated suspiciously. Jamie nodded and, pulling the teenager towards me by the wrist, he replied:
"This is my friend, the one I was telling you about who helped save Easter. Amanda, I'd like you to meet Jack Frost". My eyes widened. How did Jamie know this kid, and about his little roleplaying charade that had gone a little too far? Jack just smirked, an "I told you so" look painting his face. I scoffed, then turned to Jamie for explanation, who just grinned in delight when he realized I could see his friend. "I thought you said you didn't believe in Jack Frost, though!", he shouted excitedly.
"I don't", I replied, darting a sinister glance at Jack, who just chuckled. Why was my frustration so amusing to him? Jamie tilted his head in confusion at my response, then looked to his friend for explanation.
"Amanda's an old friend of mine", Jack replied. Now this caught my attention. My head snapped up from it's fixed gaze on the floor. Jack took a seat on the arm of the couch, twirling a large shepherd's crook in his hands as he told, "You see, one day Amanda was in trouble- she was about four and fell in the pool. Almost drowned, actually. That is, of course, until your sister pulled you up from the bottom and saved you". Then it finally clicked.
"Wait, why did you-? How did you-? You were? And you saw-? And?", I stammered in shock. Jack just nodded, his eyes fixed on his twirling staff. Suddenly desperate for answers, I reached out to steal the little toy away from him and looked him dead in the eyes. "How did you know about that?".
With genuine honesty, the teenager in front of me looked up into my eyes and replied with "Because I'm Jack Frost, and I'm a Guardian".
Turning to Jamie for clarification, he just nodded and explained that Guardians were all of those fantastical childhood characters we had heard so many stories about time and time again. They all vowed to protect the children of the world, whether or naughty or nice, from danger like the Boogeyman.
"But if you're Jack Frost, why were you out and about in the summertime?", I questioned. Jack opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by the flickering of lights and a low, ominous whine erupting from nowhere...