Staring at the green grass from that tree, so high up, I realised that I'll be the one to make that healthy green turn into a sick yellow and brown colour. I turned onto my back and looked at the sky, thinking about nothing in particular. And the mug came back into my mind, not his, but mine.

And I'm saying goodbye to you.

I let out a soft moan and let my arms hang down. And then it dawned on me, as I heard all the voices in the park, giggling, playing, having fun, I was so lonely. It hadn't really occurred to me nor did it bother me, until now. A few days with someone and I felt the full meaning of the word: alone.

"Alone" I whispered into the warmth of the day. It was such a powerful word and no one really knew what it meant until they were left alone. Not for a day, not for a week, but for months. You never can understand loneliness until you experience it's full fury. And it reminded me of him.

I turned onto my stomach hoping to see someone or something to distract me, to save me from the grief I've brought onto myself. Everyone was leaving, going home before the sun sets, except for one little girl. The spot of blonde hair and blue eyes stared at my tree from across the whole park. Wait, she wasn't looking at the tree, she was looking at something in it… ME!

"Sophie!" I sighed in relief, flying down the tree and running to her. "Sophie!" I shouted to make sure she could hear me.

"Hazel!" She waved at me and ran in my direction with a stuffed bear in her hand.

She giggled when I caught her and threw her into the sky just to catch her and set her down with a warm breeze. I earned a 'weee' for sliding her down the wind.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her. "It's getting dark."

"I wanted to see you and the Easter Bunny promised he'll take me here!" She giggled.

"The Easter Bunny? Well, where is he?"

"Here, mate." An Australian accent stated behind me.

"Bunny hop hop hop!" Sophie screamed when she saw him.

"Aw, someone likes you." I teased.

"Well," he said picking her up. "who doesn't?"

"Uhhh…" I heard an unfamiliar voice say.

"Oh, shut up!" Bunny said, turning. "You and Frost don't count. You two little-" At the mention of him my gut twisted. Hard.

"Bunny!" The voice exclaimed sarcastically, coming from behind me now. "Not in front of the kids!" And I felt warm hands cover my ears. I quickly turned to look into almond brown eyes and to hear a deep-voiced laugh. Not as deep and pure as his. I thought, but waved the thought away.

"Who are you?" I asked the boy, much taller than me (but then again, everyone was), with sandy blond hair and freckles all over his face. He was wearing a tank top and shorts going all the way down to his knees. The sunglasses on his head glistened in the fading light, as did his eyes.

"Me? Oh, dear. You don't know who I am?"

"Oh boy," Bunny grunted. "Here we go again."

"I am the summer spirit. Giver of joy and slayer of the horrible SCHOOL. And of course I am completely handsome." He was… but he was too self involved. Maybe he was trying to make a joke, but Hazel didn't like it.

"I asked for your name." Hazel said. "Not for how pretty you are."

"Okay, okay." He raised his hands in defense, but still smiled. God, he reminded me of him! "My name is Hunter Wave."

"Hunter. Are you some kind of guard dog or something?"

"Very funny."

"I know I am."

"Hm. I like her." He said turning to Bunny. "What's your name, honey?"

"Honey? Really?"

"Just tell what your name is, please."

"Hazel. It's Hazel Fall."

"She also has a middle name." Bunny shouted.
"You know that too?" I asked furiously.

"I ran into Jack when he was leaving my place. We talked for a while. The kid was devastated." Bunny said. My gaze sunk to the ground, like I've done something wrong. But I didn't commit a crime, I just broke a heart. His. But he stole mine.

"So what's your middle name?" Hunter asked.

"Audrey."

"That's a beautiful name. But not as beautiful as 'Hazel'."

I started rubbing my wrist… at the spot where he had hurt me.

"Wow! What a compliment!" I heard a breeze whisper into my ear. I freezed at the voice. The others must have noticed my fear, they started calling my name and looking around like lunatics. But I knew they wouldn't find anything. "He just wanted to look at your ass all the time. Has he even made eye contact with you... have you noticed that? And I…"

I collapsed to the ground.

"I noticed your eyes right away."

But I got up and started to scream, a terrible, blood chilling scream. Sophie started crying and I could see, from the corner of my eye, as Bunny takes her away.

"Hazel... " Hunter carefully places a hand on my shoulder. I shook it away and wished the voice in my head would disappear. "Wha-"

"It's him!"

"Who? What are you talking-"

"He's in my head! I'll never get rid of him!"

"Wait! Who ever this is… Are you sure you want to get rid of them?"

No! Every part of me was screaming: NO! No. I want him here. Beside me, holding me. I want him to stop messing with my head. But he hurt me. I hurt him. And we can't go on hurting each other.

"Hey." I whispered to the wind. "Take me away from here." Nothing happened. Hunter stared at me like I was going crazy, which I probably was. But I tried again. "I want to talk. Please."

A cold wind picked me up and flew me up to the sky. Hunter screamed after me, but before he could follow I told him not to. He seemed to have understood. The wind took me to his lake. He stood at the other side of the lake like a ghost, a silhouette in the moonlight. His head hung to his right, his gaze fixed to the water. Where his staff touched the water it froze. He stood in the lake just beside the edge, in knee-deep water. I didn't care for my boots and clothes, I made my way to him, through the water. The last few meters (where I could stand) I ran. Right into him. Slamming hard into a hug. I gripped the back of his sweatshirt and held on.

"I'm so sorry." I cried into his chest. "I was such an idiot. I missed you so much. I was so stupid for thinking I could ever go on without you. Winter was bad enough. It took you only a few seconds a year and a half ago to make me spend a year thinking about you. I just want you to stay here, with me. Just for a while." Tears soaked his sweatshirt and I realised my hair was wet. He was crying too. But his arms hung limply at his sides. I pulled away just a bit to look into his eyes.

"Jack?" My voice shook.

"I-" He took a deep breath. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know, I-"

"But you meant to hurt me." He croaked. I didn't know what to say, so I just mumbled.
"Ja- I'm- I didn't mean-" Completely exasperated I released him, completely. I backed into the lake, sinking deeper into the water.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't know. I can't think without you."

"You said it yourself: I don't even know you and all you know about me is my name and how I became immortal. We don't know each other."

"I don't care! I was so stupid! But I wasn't, at the same time! I just- You know what? Sometimes I wish that I never met you. Every day would be much easier."

"Hazel." I was already deep in the lake when he said that, the water up to my neck. "Here's what I think: I want to be around you. I want to get to know you. But I'm afraid of hurting you. And I am slightly afraid of you. You hurt me so much sometimes…"

"I don't know what to say anymore." I exclaimed stopping then going out of the lake, freezing. I wanted to pass him, to avoid him, but he let his staff fall onto the ice he made on the surface and hugged me. He hugged me so tight, so warm…

"I don't want you to go... " He whispered into my shoulder. "We just need to figure this out."

"Are you serious?" And it was the first time in a long, long time I heard his laugh. It filled me with such warmth.

"Yes. I want to stay here, with you. I want to be your Guardian." And I pressed my lips against his.

So here it is! The next chapter! I'll let them be happy for a while…. for a while, but not forever. Sometimes I feel like Satan for writing this.

THANKS FOR READING!