A/N: So I thought you guys would like to know that I'll be updating twice a week now because (a) I feel once a week is too slow for this type of story and (b) I think more interest will catch on if it's seen as fairly active. Hopefully even a review will come out of this change? I guess I'll see, but it'd be lovely of you to let me know how I'm doing. ^_^

Please read, review, and enjoy! :)


Chapter 7 - Unexpected Sights


Tooth hadn't helped Jack at all with his dilemma, but at least she had been more worried than North. Jack had been frustrated about the entire village ordeal and the other Guardians weren't much help. To take his mind off of things, he decided to visit Jamie again. Whether or not he would tell Jamie what was going on was another story: one he wasn't sure about anymore.

Whatever happened to him, whatever had flashed through his head was overbearingly familiar. But Jack knew he had never seen anything like it. It was impossible for a cloak to float in the air, let alone over a pond on fire. That part he didn't want to understand. But what tugged at his heart more was the sinister man with the yellow eyes on his shoulder behind Jack. Jack knew that man, he was sure. But at the same time, no memory of that man existed.

That's why he had gone to Tooth; he wanted to find answers (after dealing with a barely-helpful North). He thought maybe there were more memories that weren't salient at the time he needed them. Tooth had been willing enough to let him try to look, but when he actually wanted to look in the case, Tooth had snatched it away from him. Jack knew she would never hide anything from him, but her behavior wasn't saying the same.

Nothing added up. Why weren't the Guardians more worried about the fire guy? Why has the Man in the Moon not said anything? Then again, he was silent to me for three hundred years. I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't hear from him for three hundred more. Jack frowned.

But he couldn't let that get to him. Right now, all he wanted was a friend. And some fun.

Yeah, fun sounds about right, he smirked.

Flying down toward the pond, he saw that the kids were already there. They were separated into two small huddles, about to start another hockey game. He snuck up to the group with Jamie and the twins whispering closely about how to crush the other team. Jack casually leaned in with his arms around their backs.

"Any room for me on the team?" he asked smoothly.

"Jack!" Jamie exclaimed above a whisper. Then he looked toward the other team to make sure they hadn't heard or looked over. "Just in time, you'll be our secret weapon," he smiled mischievously.

Jack nodded and listened to their plan. He was to stay up in a nearby tree and wait until one of the others passed the puck that way. When they did, the opposite team was supposed to be confused as to why they were sending the puck to an empty part of the pond. That was when Jack was going to pop out and score a goal on the unsuspecting Cupcake, whom they were pretty sure was going to be the team's goalie. On break, Jack flew up high and landed on a tree branch overlooking the other team's half of the pond. He aimed his staff downward, acting like it was a hockey stick.

But when the other team broke, something changed. Cupcake walked up to the halfway point and stood defensively, with Monty a little ways behind. He still looked fairly fragile, but from what Jack had been told, Monty had become really good with the puck. At the goal, which was separated by two rocks on the ice, stood Pippa, as smug as could be.

Jack narrowed his eyes and glanced over at Jamie, who was staring at Pippa in disbelief. He looked over at Jack and smiled, nodding. We've got this, his look seemed to say.

I'm sure you do, Jack smirked and shook his head. Knowing Jamie, Jack figured he was going to try to take on Pippa by himself to show off. Jack laughed and watched to see what would happen.

One of the twins walked over with the puck, holding it above the space between Jamie and Cupcake. When he dropped it, the game began fiercely. Cupcake had taken the puck and was already toward the goal where the other twin shook fearfully. Cupcake shot the puck with amazing speed and the puck flew past the goalie and into the snow bank behind him. Laughing fiendishly, Pippa pointed and fell backwards. Jamie spun toward her with a mean look and swore under his breath. Jack was itching to plop down in the middle and take the puck away himself, but Jamie was still counting on him.

Once the puck was retrieved, Jamie and Cupcake stood at the center again. Jamie looked a little more fearful, but just as determined. Jack leaned forward excitedly, waiting for his chance.

By some miracle, Jamie was able to take the puck away from Cupcake and shoot down the other half of the pond. He passed it to one twin, who tried to circle around Monty. However, Monty was able to capture the puck and make his way to the other goal. He was about to pass it to Cupcake when Jamie shot out in front of her and stole the puck away again. Pippa steeled herself in front of the goal and stared at Jamie, intent on stopping the puck.

But instead, Jamie shot the puck upward into a nearby tree. Pippa knitted her brows in confusion and watched as the puck was about to disappear. She began to laugh and yell to Jamie that he was a bad shot and couldn't aim, when the puck flew past her into the goal. Gasping with surprise, she stared back at where Jamie had shot the puck. Incredulous, her jaw dropped as she saw Jack Frost floating with a devilish grin painted on his face.

"Jamie Bennett, no fair!" Pippa shouted indignantly. "You had an extra person on your team!"

"He's a spirit, so technically he doesn't count!" Jamie shouted back matter-of-factly.

"Hey!" Jack flew down and knocked Jamie's head with his staff.

"Sorry, Jack," Jamie laughed as he held his head from the sudden hit.

"He does too count, and you cheated," Pippa crossed her arms.

"Oh, come on. I'll switch this time," Jack put his arm around Pippa and gave her an apologetic look. Jamie knew Jack hadn't meant anything by it, but a spark of jealousy flickered in the back of his mind.

Pippa agreed and they went back to playing, with Jack openly on the other team. He gripped his staff upside down, with the curled part acting as the bottom of the hockey stick. When he didn't have the puck, however, he was using his magic to make the ice more slippery in certain places, causing the other players to lose control.

"Hey, you're cheating!" Jamie copied Pippa's voice while laughing.

"I don't count, remember?" Jack copied Jamie in a joking voice. He laughed back and deftly tossed a snowball at Jamie, knocking him over and sending the puck toward Jack. He stopped the puck and leaned on his staff, looking triumphant.

"That didn't stop you before, did it?" Jamie asked as Jack ran over the ice with the puck past him.

"And it won't now!" Jack tapped his staff back and forth, controlling the puck with ease past the other players. Stopping just before the goal, the goalie became focused. Instead of sending the puck through the goal, he passed it to the left, where previously no one had been. Pippa skated by and shot the puck through the goal with the goalie turned toward Jack still.

They played for a few more goals until it began to grow dark. Hardly anyone had noticed until they saw that the sun was almost entirely disguised by the clouds and mountains in the distance. Saying their goodbyes and groaning about school starting up soon, they left slowly. Pippa had stayed behind, talking with the others about the assignment that was due soon.

"Have you done the writing assignment yet, Jamie?" Pippa asked.

"There was an assignment?" Jamie's eyes widened as he remembered.

"I guess that answers your question," Jack remarked with a laugh.

Pippa sighed and shook her head. "Really, Jamie? Are you going to want any help with it?"

"No, I think I can get it done by tomorrow," Jamie declined.

Pippa frowned and Jack noticed she looked a little dejected.

"Alright, well, you can call me if you need help." Pippa paused, waiting for Jamie's response.

"I don't need help. I can totally do it on my own." Jamie sounded offended. "I'm not that dumb."

"I didn't say you were dumb," Pippa replied with another frown, but still she waited.

"Well, uh," Jamie stuttered, feeling awkward, "I guess you should get going."

"W-What are you going to do?" Pippa asked, eager to stay a little longer.

"I'm gonna stay with Jack for a little bit," Jamie answered.

Jack noticed that Pippa still looked sad, but she smiled anyway.

"Okay, see you at school with that assignment done, Jamie!"

"You know it. Bye!" Jamie waved as Pippa began walking up the hill.

After Pippa was out of sight, Jamie turned to Jack. "Why is she always so angry at me? I was just trying to have fun, she didn't have to go and frown the entire time."

"Well, you might have been a little rude," Jack suggested.

"How?" Jamie looked confused.

"You did call her a cheater," Jack started, "and you've said no to her twice now."

"What?" Jamie looked to where Pippa had disappeared. "But she didn't ask me out, did she?"

Jack laughed at Jamie's cluelessness. "She was inviting herself to help you out with your homework."

"That's not very romantic," Jamie commented.

Jack used his staff to create a heap of snow above Jamie's head and let it all fall on him. He laughed again as Jamie stuck his head back out and yelled indignantly.

"Come on, I think it's time you went home, too," Jack said after the laughter died.

"Wait," Jamie took Jack's sleeve, "what happened at the Pole the other night, Jack? What were the lights about?"

Jack stopped in his tracks and inhaled sharply. What was he going to tell Jamie? Turning around, he shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, just North thinking there was something wrong. It was nothing really, I just forgot to bring snow to one area and the other Guardians were flipping out on me."

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "The Northern Lights just for a little irresponsibility? Do they really know you, Jack?" He laughed at the absurdity.

Jack laughed back nervously. He had been thinking the same thing recently, but didn't want to admit it. He hoped it was just them trying to get used to there being a new Guardian around. "Come on, I'll walk with you."

They had walked up the hill exchanging ideas for pranks. Jack was about to promise that he'd come back soon to practice some of the more tricky ideas when they reached the top of the hill and onto the side of the road.

Jack halted. "Who's that with Sophie?"

Sophie jumped excitedly on the other side of the road and pointed to Jamie, then turned to the girl holding her hand. The girl nodded and looked over. Green eyes peered straight through him, but he was used to not being seen. Something about her look was different, however. She was still looking right in his direction, like she sensed something. Her red hair fell in her eyes and she blinked. Her face changed then, her features widening in consternation for the briefest moment. As soon as Jack noticed it, her countenance deadpanned. She looked to both sides of the street and began to be dragged by Sophie across, closing the distance between them and Jack and Jamie.

"I have no idea, maybe a babysitter?" Jamie shrugged.

"Hey, brother!" Sophie let go of the girl's hand and jumped up and down. "Where've you been? You're in trouble with Cinder!"

"Cinder?"

"You must be Jamie," the girl spoke up. Her red hair was illuminated by the sunset off to the west. Her sweater she was wearing looked ill-fit for the weather, especially now that it was getting colder with the sun almost gone. "I'm Cinder. It's nice to meet you."

"I thought Mom wasn't leaving for another week!"

"She told me to give you her regards, it got moved up and she had to leave," Cinder explained factually.

Jack leaned on his staff and said to Jamie, "Gee, I thought she'd be older. But I guess now we don't have to go easy on her."

"Excuse me? And you are?" Cinder looked to Jack with an astonished look.

Time stopped and Jack's jaw fell. She can see me?

"Are you one of Jamie's older friends?" Cinder asked again, insistent. She raised an eyebrow at him expectantly.

Before Jack could answer, Jamie stammered incredulously. "You can see Jack?"

"Finally someone gave me a name! And yes I can," Cinder answered. "Hello, Jack."

"Uh..." Jack was still staring at this girl in front of him. She must be his age, she was almost his height. There's no way someone her age could believe in Jack Frost, was there? "Hi..."

He looked down and saw that she had held out her hand toward him. She didn't look like she wanted to shake hands, though. Jack hesitated before holding out his hand. There was an intense heat in the moment, but Jack didn't think anything of it.

Before his hand came into contact with Cinder's, Jamie spoke up, breaking the gesture away.

"How are you able to see Jack?"

Cinder looked at Jamie in confusion. "Well, it's not because he's right in front of me," she said sarcastically.

"But older people aren't able to see Jack Frost! Why can you?"

"Jack Frost?" Cinder repeated skeptically. "You're joking. You're thirteen, right? I don't think fairy tales are a thing at that point."

"Hey!" Jack frowned, hurt.

"I'm fourteen, thank you," Jamie corrected her, "and I'm telling the truth! This is Jack Frost."

"I can show you," Jack added, holding out his staff to show her.

"Nice walking stick," she commented, ignoring his offer. "Come on, Jamie. I came because I was worried that you hadn't gotten home yet. I can't get in trouble with your mom just yet."

"Wait, just let him show you. Please," Jamie pleaded. Jack tapped Jamie on his back with his staff and winked. Don't worry about it, I have an idea, he thought.

"Let's get going, I'll make whatever you want for dinner," Cinder turned back toward the road. "Nice to meet you, Jack," she added at last, emphasizing his name.

"Ditto," Jack waved as he walked back down to the pond before flying away. He landed on the small cliff that jutted out over the far side of the pond and sat in deep thought.

She can see me, she can see me, she can see me! His thoughts raced with a mixture of disbelief and excitement. Someone his age could see him for once in three hundred years. Of course, kids seeing him were one thing. That was his center and purpose. He held that prized and above all. It filled him with the sense that everything was okay, and that becoming a Guardian was the right thing to do. She can see me! But someone who was his age that could see him─ and possibly believed─ that was different. It was new and frightening, but intriguing and curiosity filled him with a sort of elation and he wanted to know more. She can see me! It also gave him a reason to forget about recent events, and for that he was glad. Whatever the black sand on the globe meant, it could wait. She can see me!


Later that night, he came back to Burgess after his regular rounds of snowstorms across wherever he fancied. Calling to the wind, Jack was lowered down to the roof of Jamie's house. He'd been here many times before, a long time ago. After Pitch had been defeated, he saw Jamie a few times until he was called off to begin his duties. He hated leaving again, but he promised Jamie he would be back. Jack never imagined he would have returned four long years later. He would have returned sooner, and it hurt him that he couldn't have done so. Before doing what he set out to do in the first place, he walked over to Jamie's window and knocked, waiting patiently.

Jamie woke up with a start and Jack laughed at his stunned face. Jamie ran over and opened the window with ease.

"What the hell, Jack? I've got school tomorrow, you know that."

"Aw, Jamie," Jack pleaded playfully, "I just wanted to say hi, is that too much?"

Jamie laughed and motioned Jack inside, but Jack held up his hand. He still had other plans. He tilted his head toward the guest room's window and smirked impishly.

"Really, Jack? Now? It's late. I thought you meant we'd start tomorrow night."

"Suit yourself. You don't have to do anything. I'm just curious. We'll have to be sneakier now we know she can see me."

"What are you planning on doing? Watching her sleep? That's creepy, Jack." Jamie laughed at Jack's incredulous look. Recovering from Jamie's comment, Jack shot ice into Jamie's room and ice covered the floor instantaneously.

Jamie sighed. "I guess I deserved that. Oh well, at least it'll be a great ice show in the morning."

"I'll make sure to get tickets," Jack assured him with a bow. "And my work is done," he said as he fell backwards off the roof. However, he knew Jamie knew he wouldn't fall, and popped back up, only his head being visible from the window. "You go to sleep, alright?"

"Let me see if I can make it to my bed without falling, and I'll try." Jamie tried to skate over to his bed, wavering unsteadily.

Jack made sure Jamie made it without hurting himself and waved as he walked over to the other side of the roof. Standing over the window's roof, he looked over. To his surprise, the window was wide open and the curtains were flapping in the wind. He hopped down onto the window sill and peeked in between the curtains. He furrowed his brows when he saw Sophie sleeping on the far side of a bed that was pushed up against the window. However, what caught his attention more was the fact that the blankets were tossed, revealing the empty second half of the bed. Confused, he walked around to the other windows to make sure he hadn't just gone to Sophie's room instead. But he found all the other rooms to be empty. He walked back to the sill and stepped inside on the bed, next to Sophie.

Where is this girl? She left the kids alone! I know I'm irresponsible, but seriously? Looking around, he found clothes discarded in the corner by the closet. They looked to be Cinder's, but Jack knew better than to go through people's clothing... mostly. The room was noticeably warmer despite the window being wide open and it was hot enough that Jack was a little bothered by it. He turned to go back out the window and watch over the house until whenever this girl came back and saw lights shining outside. Frowning he ran and perched himself on the sill once more, peering into the night sky.

The Northern Lights were flaring, showering intense light all over the town. Again.

This better be important.


"Are you serious, North?" Jack threw his arms wide in annoyance. There was another town he "didn't send snow to" and North said it was worse this time.

However, all of the Guardians were gathered at the North Pole. Jack knew that more sand must have been found on the globe, enough to make them worried. About time.

"What's wrong, Frost?" Bunny snickered. "You mad that North's catchin' you bein' a bludger?"

"I─ what?"

"Jack, are you slacking off on your work?" Tooth asked with concern laced in her words.

"No, far from it. I've been busy since I went to the village with the house on fire─"

"Fire?" Bunny interrupted. "That place was on fire? All because you didn't make it snow?" Now he was being a jerk.

"No!" Jack was furious. "The fire melted my snow," he began to explain what happened, leaving out the attack that happened at the end. Tooth gave him a sad look, and he knew she didn't approve of him not telling the others. They deserved to know, but Jack wouldn't tell Bunny if he was the last living thing on Earth.

"I called you here because fire is back," North put his hand on Jack's shoulder apologetically. "And fire is bad. Bunny, you go with Jack."

Bunny dropped his boomerang he had been tossing. "What? Are you kidding me, North? I don't think it's a very good idea havin' us workin' together."

"Do not care," North waved him off, "we must find source of black sand. Bring back fire maker if you can."

"I'll do that and Frosty here can take out the fire," Bunny replied.

"Scared of a little campfire, are you, Kangaroo?"

"Now, see? There he goes again. I told you, I'm a rabbit, mate," Bunny's voice deepened in warning.

"Sure," Jack took the portal globe out of North's hands and whispered the name of the town. "Come on, we don't have time to argue."

Realizing the frozen idiot was right, Bunny nodded and hopped through the portal after Jack. They appeared on the ground so that Bunny wouldn't fall from the air, and the snow was practically slush. Bunny frowned as the wet stuff coated his feet and clumped his fur.

The bright orange light shone intensely over the ridge in front of them. Bunny clambered up the slippery slope cautiously while Jack easily flew up to the top, smirking at Bunny's apparent distress. He turned to look over the situation just as Bunny got to the top and stared at the village below. Both of their jaws dropped when they saw that the fire had already engulfed half the town.

"North wasn't kidding," Jack murmured in frightened awe.

"So," Bunny started suddenly, "you handle the fire and I'll handle that fire demon?"

Jack shook his head. "My ice can't melt this fire. It's too hot."

"Even for you, mate?"

Jack nodded in defeat. "Best we can do is save whoever we can, and get out of here."

"What about the thing that did this?"

Jack frowned, remembering what happened to him last time. "Whoever finds it: good luck to them," he said as he flew down and ran through the town while Bunny stared after him quizzically. He didn't know what Jack meant, but they didn't have time to bicker. Children were in those fires.

After an hour of constant stress and excessive heat, the two Guardians believed that they had gotten out every kid that they could. The adults caught in the fires were harder to free, but they were able to get them out through indirect means. They tore down walls where they were weak, they led the children in between the flames to grab their parents, and they tossed blankets on the flames to stop the flames momentarily. Intermittently, Jack kept trying his magic, and none of it was working still. He met Bunny in the middle of the town and they ran through the list of houses they had been through.

Before finishing the list, they heard a scream.

"We missed one!" Bunny was already off, focusing on where the sound came from.

"You get the kid, I have an idea!" Jack yelled. He kicked off the ground and flew above the city. Summoning all the power he could muster, He gathered as much snow above the town as he could. He was high enough that it wasn't melting, but the mental capacity needed was putting a lot of physical strain on him, weakening his arms with each new snowflake he formed in the air.

Then he saw something coming for him: another fireball. Releasing his power, the snow fell heavily toward the town. The closer it got however, the more it began to melt and turn into rain. That was his plan, but he hadn't been sure it would work. Thankfully, the snow he created turned into rain and began to dissipate the fires below.

Jack would celebrate later, though, because he had to dodge the incoming attack. He ducked just in time, the fireball blazing just above his head. Jack swore if any hairs were singed, he'd be upset because then Bunny would have new material with which to taunt him. But when he looked back to where the attack had come from, there was nothing there. He looked around in confusion. Not again.

"You again," a deep, multifaceted voice growled behind him. Heat was escaping from their words and giving Jack goose bumps.

He whirled around and stared, the cloaked figure floated at the same height, only ten feet away. His stomach fell as he was reminded of the floating cloak from the strange attack of memories. Here that cloak was, except there was someone underneath it. Cautiously, he held his staff in front of him.

"You did this," Jack could hardly contain the venom in his own voice.

"Do you like it?" The voice laughed.

"You could have killed people!"

There was a slight pause. "Fear is powerful, isn't it?"

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. No one could be this heartless except Pitch. Maybe even then, Jack didn't know if Pitch would ever kill someone. Fear...

"You work with Pitch. You're giving him fear!"

"Congratulations," the figure clapped slowly, bare hands visible. Jack thought he saw a blue tint flicker from the person's left hand. He made a note of it for later. "You're a smart one, aren't you?" The figure asked as it flew closer to Jack, a terrible heat leaking from the figure with every inch of distance that closed between them. "This could be fun... Later, ice boy," he heard it whisper before it flew away.

He lashed around and caught the corner of the cloak. It wasn't enough to stop the figure, but Jack was given a quick look. The hood almost fell backward off the figure's head, but he─ she─ it? ─ gasped and gripped it tightly, pulling it away from Jack's fingers. He could have sworn he saw a piece of red hair fly out, but it may have just been illumination from the remainder of the fires below. Still, he had something.

Maybe now the Guardians would believe him.