Chapter Rating: M - Minor Language
Morning light peaked through the patches of storm clouds. The water in the fjord became calm after the rain and wind disappeared, the waves weren't choppy, but the flow was peaceful, casting a reflection of the sky and the city of Arendelle by the banks of the shore. Silence covered across the land, giving the sound of the summer birds and insects, talking away on a quiet start of the day. The Frost manor was still asleep whenever the clock struck eight. No one except Jack woke up before nine during the weekends. After a reckless night at the hospital and sleeping through an overwhelming dream, he still managed to get up early and get ready for work.
After a quick cold shower, trying to avoid any distractions from his thoughts, he hurried out of his bathroom and picked out his outfit for today. He wasn't too picky on what to wear, but he always followed a dress code that requires him to pick out one suit, one tie, a pair of socks and shoes. Simplicity, at its best. He quickly took a gray suit that had a touch of silver and matched it with one of his favorite royal blue dress shirts. Jack held his towel tightly and approached to his drawer to reach for a black tie and socks. The man put on his outfit and grabbed a pair of shoes before rushing off to his studies.
Inside his home office, he rushed over to his desk to pack his father's old laptop and floppy disks into his messenger bag. Before leaving, he took a moment to check whether he needed anything else. Without wasting any time he skipped breakfast and grabbed his keys as he headed out. Tossed his bag onto the passenger seat and turned on his Maserati.
Jack left the estate and drove straight downtown, but instead he made a turn up the road, heading straight to the mountains. He was simply going to work this morning, but he had to go see something first. Driving to his destination wasn't a hassle. It wasn't a park or a small family restaurant, it was a spot where a small cross and a patch of flowers were set by the side of the road. Jack parked his car from the opposite side before crossing over to the small makeshift memorial. It was set by a railing that looked over the fjord and a valley down below. Jack kneeled down to get a better look of the memorial. On the cross was his parents' names written in black paint. He placed his hand on their names, gently touching the wooden cross while closing his eyes. The young man let out a tiresome sigh as he gradually opened his eyes once again. He looked at the flowers and the cross one last time before heading back to his car.
Back inside, he gazes down at the spot that took his parents' life away. According to Bunny, the Frost's car didn't flip over the railing, but crashed into it. It sent him chills running down his spine while looking at the death scene of his late parents. He shook any scary thoughts away before turning his car back on. The engine inside the sport car was alive, its mighty roar woken up Jack's senses, which gave him a little burst of energy to keep on moving for the day.
Downtown Arendelle was quiet early in the morning. Several cars and trucks driving by, some are going about their day. However, driving by the street of the recent crime scene that happened last night was empty, but the crime tapes were still there. Jack parked his car in the Enterprise's luxurious parking garages before heading inside his office. Good thing the cafe inside the main building was opened early for him to grab two cups of coffee and a box of pastries for him and Bunny. When he arrived in the main lobby of his office, it was no surprise for him to expect Emily and Geo already at work.
"Good morning you two." Jack greeted them kindly with his signature grin.
Geo and Emily stopped whatever they were doing and looked over the large lobby desk. Emily got up from her seat and greeted Jack a good morning in return. Jack gave her a nodded before heading straight to his office. However, Emily stopped him at his tracks to give him a quick preview of important meeting of his busy schedule that was set for him today.
"Sir, you have a meeting with the finance department an hour before noon today and today at three you're scheduled to sit down with the head of the research and development department." Emily read his entire schedule from her tablet.
"Thanks for the information. Also Mr. Hawkins will be here in a few minutes to have a meeting with me before my ten o'clock meeting with Mr. Robinson from FutureTech." Jack informed her while glance down at his schedule on his phone.
"Oh of course, I'll add that now." Emily's hand danced across the tablet screen like an ice skater on freshly frozen ice. "Anything else to add in sir?" She looked up to meet his fixed gaze onto her tablet screen. Jack shook his head. "Very well, sir, I'll tell you when Mr. Hawkins comes in…"
Suddenly, the two heard the elevator's familiar ring to signal someone was coming up.
"Maybe you don't have to," Jack chuckled. "That must be him right now."
The elevator doors opened to reveal a lonely figure leaning against the metal chrome walls. Jack approached to the feature with his hand extended to give his guest a friendly handshake. However, he paused for a moment and stood in the middle of the lobby with a puzzled look on his face.
"That isn't him." He bluntly acknowledged while tilting his head to the side to study the young figure that slowly emerged into the lobby. Emily and Geo took a moment to see what their boss was referring to, and he was right, it wasn't Mr. Hawkins at all.
"Hey there cousin," The figure greeted him in a cheerful British accent with a casual grin that was planted across her pale skin face.
Jack couldn't believe his eyes. First it was that unforgettable dream that took him straight to his father's last heartbreaking day with his grandfather, now a secret that his family kept from him was standing right in front of him - revealing a decade long mystery.
"Do I know you?" He quirked an eyebrow.
The young woman with long gorgeous raven hair chuckled. "I don't think so. But, I certainly know you." She was charming, confident, and quite witty for her appearance as someone who was around Jack's age.
Of course she would know me, the Media has been around my case for the last few days since the company's announcement of their new CEO, Jack reflected. Good thing the public relations department was smart enough to tame the news and tabloids - monitoring anything that would get in my way and mess with the public's mind of whom was Jack Frost.
"Um, okay. So what is your name?" Jack asked her politely.
"You're welcome to call me E.J." The woman smiled. Jack noticed the tiny glimmer of joy from her topaz-hazel eyes.
"E.J.? Very well. What brings you here then?" Jack had the tone of an authority than a loving family member. At the back of his mind, he couldn't conclude why he was acting protective of himself. Probably the statements from his late grandfather ringing inside his head reminding him to watch his back.
"Um, well, that's…" E.J. looked over Jack's shoulders to spot his secretaries looking at her with curious eyes, like little kids wanting to know what's going on. "Is there any way we can talk privately?" She whispered to Jack without giving any eye contact at the girls.
Jack looked over to meet his secretaries' gazes. He let out a sigh and nodded. Without asking why he gave her a kind gesture to follow him into his office. While passing back the lobby desk, he told Emily and Geo call him whenever Bunny arrived. The two girls politely respected Jack's orders and went back to work.
E.J. entered his office with an astounded look on her face. Jaws dropped when her eyes first gaze over his desk and looked through his high scale windows that had a spectacular view of the fjord and the morning sunrise. It was a picture perfect setting to have nature right in front of a modern day corporate office that was cluttered with papers and folders while being decorated with the latest technology and gadgets.
"The view is amazing!" E.J. commented happily. She had a spring in her old Converses that caused her to dash past Jack and plant her face onto the window, watching the city coming alive down below. "You don't see this in London every day."
Jack was still lost over the sudden turn of events. At the back of mind, he tried to fit the puzzles into place, if she said she was his cousin, he hardly found any features from his own blood. All he knew from his parents was that his mother was an orphan who was adopted into a small family of three. He knew his Uncle North was childless, which left the assumption E.J. might be his long lost cousin from his dream.
"You still haven't answered my question. What brings you here or Arendelle if I might ask?" Jack looked at her casually while placing his tray of coffee and bag of pastries onto his desk.
"Oh!" E.J. turned around to face him. "I came here to visit my dad and hopefully the rest of my family." She confessed honestly.
"Do you I know your dad?" Jack raised a brow.
"Well, yeah. And I know your's too." E.J. replied with a grin.
Before Jack replied back with another question, Emily called him from his desk telephone. She informed him that Bunny has arrived and is waiting for him in the lobby. Jack responded back to let her to send in Bunny.
"Who's Mr. Hawkins?" E.J. asked him.
"A long time family friend. C'mon, I like you to meet him."
Jack was a bit younger than E.J., probably a couple of years, but, the level of maturity she saw in him wasn't in sync with his appearance. He had the mind of a wise old man than someone who still hasn't had their life all straighten out. She only saw the seriousness through his sapphire eyes, but he still managed to smile when he felt like it. That was mainly her first impression of him, no thoughts on what if they knew each other years ago, would things be different for them.
Jack went over to open his door when he heard Bunny knocking. E.J. was standing right back his cousin, waiting, until she saw a tall slim man in a gray suit with a tribal symbol printed tie emerged into the room. His dark hair was combed back behind his sharp large ears that looked like elf ears from the side. She noticed the matching goatee underneath his chin. Overall, he looked sharp and professional.
"E.J. this is Mr. Hawkins my family's lawyer and a long time friend of my dad. He's like my uncle since I was born. Blood isn't everything you see." Jack exchanged a smile from Bunny then at her. "C'mon, let's start this meeting. You two can sit right there." He pointed at the large couch from the side of the office space.
"Well, it's nice seeing you again." Bunny chuckled while sitting down with E.J. The young woman quirked an eyebrow. "You might not remember me, but, your old man introduced me to you when you were very little." He smiled at her.
Jack looked at the two while a wave curiosity hit his mind. He sat down by a recliner and handed Bunny his coffee. He asked E.J. if she needed something to drink and offered her some pastries. She shook her head for the coffee, but, couldn't resist the delicious pastries. When Jack noticed his guests were settled in happily, he leaned back in his seat and began asking them some questions.
"Where can I start? I guess we'll start with you, E.J." He fixed his eyes on her. E.J. looked up and saw him looking straight at her. "Beside coming here to see your father, what else brought you here?"
E.J. cleared her throat. "Nothing really. Just came to visit my dad, whom I thought was the CEO of this company. But now I guess he isn't."
Jack eyes widen. He looked across the table to meet Bunny's calm and collective gaze. From his stare, Jack concluded Bunny has a lot to answer regarding about his family's dark past.
"So you're saying to me that Kozmotis is your dad?" Jack asked while taking a sip from his coffee.
"Took you a while, huh?" E.J. raised an eyebrow.
"So you know everything?" Jack looked at Bunny with a stunned expression on his face. "Why did my family keep this a secret?"
"Mainly both of your fathers kept this thing a secret." Bunny bluntly expressed casually while reaching over his cup of coffee. "You see before you two were even born, the Frost had a relationship between a powerful family who also ran an empire in Arendelle."
E.J. and Jack exchanged confused looks between one another. Who knew their fathers played an important part of their family's reputation? Jack wasn't surprised about the various family owned companies and the heated competition around the city, he was however surprised to know his own family had a troublesome relationship with one.
"And who's giving my family a bad reputation?" Jack asked Bunny.
"The Frollos." Bunny replied.
"The who?"
"The Frollos a powerful family that owns a very expensive shipping company here. But shipping isn't what this family only focused on." E.J. took a bite from her pastry. "Here, let me look up this article I found a long time ago." She dug into her ripped jeans front pocket to take out her smartphone.
"Why haven't I heard them before?" Jack looked at them like he was lost five year old that just found that the Tooth fairy and the Easter bunny was a lie.
"They like to stay private and away from the Media as possible." E.J. browsed through her phone until she found the article she needed. "Generally, our families have a long time history with them."
This is some weird Italian Renaissance family drama. Jack concluded.
"How did it all start?" He asked Bunny.
"Money laundering and tradings that went wrong." Bunny looked at Jack and then at E.J. "You see during your great grandfather's time the family business was failing very badly and he needed extra money to keep everything afloat. He kept the news of bankruptcy a secret, he told no one in his company and his family."
E.J. looked across the table and found Jack still looking dumbfounded over the stories she already knew. Of course, none of her parents told her about her father's step-family's years of corruption, but, she had ways to find the answers. From the small gaze and the way Jack moved his eyes and tapping his fingertips onto the arm of his chair, E.J. noticed how this subject brought anxiety into his mind and soul.
"So my great grandfather ended up asking someone in the Frollo family for some money?" Jack raised an eyebrow. Bunny and E.J. nodded. The young man shook his head and leaned way back into his chair. "I know where this is going. Typical money trade offering leads to more problems."
"Correct. Your great grandfather accepted the offer, but…"
"But what?" Jack rudely interrupted Bunny.
"But a member of the Frollo screwed our great granddad over. Claude Frollo. Secretly he was a judge in this city a long time ago, but also ran the family shipping business. Here read this." E.J. headed over her phone for Jack to look over the article about Claude and the Frost.
"So Claude got arrested a few decades ago? What was he shipping?" Jack saw the headline of the article.
"The typical stuff. Illegal drugs. Money. Sometimes people. Stuff that is found in the 'Black Market'" E.J. said it like it wasn't a big surprise or no big deal for her. Like she was desensitized to the subject. "Keep reading you'll find out how everything started."
Jack skipped through the article to later find out how an employee of the Frost was an undercover cop from the local city police department that arrested Claude for his illegal actions. The undercover cop received 'unknown' sources that the Frollos were destroying local fortune companies like the Frost Enterprise to gain more money and power to use these companies assists to control the city.
"I guess our great grandfather ratted out Claude then." Jack looked up from reading.
Bunny nodded. "But things got messy from here. Even though your great grandfather done the right thing to report to the authorities, he still used Claude's money to keep the family business going. He didn't even repay the Frollos anything after Claude conviction."
"You're saying a relative of mine stabbed someone in the back. Metaphorically speaking. Over money and power?" Jack handed back E.J. her phone.
"Pretty much. It's the old school ordeal of 'if you messed with my family, then I'll certainly mess with your's." E.J. replied.
"Then what does this has to do with you?" Jack pointed at E.J.
"Well, someone has caught up with the long time family soap opera." E.J. said sarcastically.
"Not really. I only know I have a long lost cousin that no one told me about. And I assumed it was you because apparently your father is my father's step-brother. Was it something about a forbidden marriage?" Jack looked at Bunny for some answers.
Bunny put down his cup and cleared his throat. "Your uncle fell in love with a Frollo."
Well, things went all Romeo and Juliet. Jack quietly concluded. As thing has not gotten any crazier since coming back home.
"What?" E.J. looked at Bunny with her eyes widen. "You're telling me I'm a Frollo too?"
"What your parents didn't tell you?" Jack asked her.
"I was young like you to know my family's dark past. Plus my mum died when I was eleven. Neither of them told me about this corrupted story." E.J. explained.
"Really? And your father never mentioned anything about this?" Bunny reached for his cup again.
E.J. shook her head. "He has stopped being my dad since my mum's death. He completely shut me out and sent me away from here. A genius plan to handle a death and raising a kid when she was in her most vulnerable state in life." She slouched in her seat with her arms crossed.
"And I thought my own folks did the same thing to me." Jack confessed without showing any regret of speaking coldly about his parents in front of Bunny. He saw his uncle's gaze and took the expression on face as a sign that he was surprised about his remark.
"Well, welcome to the club of broken orphans living in a messy world, little cousin." E.J. commented sarcastically.
"Now that's enough. You two don't understand it now, but, whenever you have kids you'll understand the actions your parents made." Bunny looked at the two like an actual parent with a classic disappointment expression on his face.
"But why did this happen?" E.J. turned around to face Bunny, face to face. "For years I've been finding answers for my mum's death. She can't just die from a car accident. I think something went down because of my dad's past."
Jack fixed her eyes at her. In his mind, he began to compare how E.J. and he had several things in common. Lost a parent in a car accident and shut away from their own family that led them into a journey of finding answers about their family's secretive past. He decided to get up from his seat and walked over to his desk. His two guests watched him quietly remove his father's laptop from his bag and connected a cable that was hooked up to a wireless router. The signals from the router simply communicated with the projector, showing the laptop's home screen anywhere in the room.
"What are you doing?" E.J. asked Jack.
"Doing the same thing you're doing, finding answers." Jack looked up from browsing through the laptop screen.
E.J. and Bunny got up from their seats and walked over to the empty wall where Jack projected the various journal entries from his father's laptop. They observed the entries like they were in an art gallery, hands behind their back and focused their attention on the written content in each opened window from the screen.
"Where did you get these?" E.J. asked Jack while reading a brief excerpt.
"I found these old floppy disks from my dad's old studies and dug up one of his old laptops at home."
"Yeah your father was always a hoarder." Bunny chuckled. "But a very resourceful one though." He continued to read a paragraph from one of the entries that was discussing about Jack's grandfather's passing. When he stumbled upon an information he never knew from his old late friend, his eyes widen and eyebrows crinkled. "Wait, go back up to that passage from July 26." Jack followed his instructions. "There!" Bunny walked up to the wall and pointed to his discovery.
"What is it?" Jack looked up from the laptop and find Bunny squinting his eyes at a particular spot.
"Come over here. There's information here that foreshadowed about your parents' accident. Why didn't the police find this?" Bunny was more astounded than the two young faces in the room.
"What do you mean foreshadows?" Jack stood right behind him and read the excerpt himself.
"Did you even read this entry?" Bunny asked him.
Jack shook his head. "I read a few. But, I only found these a couple days ago. I had other things to do besides skimming through my dad's journals."
"Other things?" E.J. titled her head to the side and raised an eyebrow.
"What's that face for?" Jack returned an annoyed look.
E.J. chuckled. "Nothing Frosty. Did you know anything about your dad having an argument with our grandfather? He mentioned about my parents in this entry." E.J. pointed to a short paragraph.
"Yeah, I knew something about that." Jack folded his arms and stared at the screen.
"Really? How? You just read this entry." E.J. looked at him with a confused expression.
"Don't laugh at me, but, I saw this moment in a dream." Jack confessed while keeping his eye fixed at the other entries.
E.J. looked at him with her eyes fixed at his seldom and quiet expression. She also said nothing and continued to find any clues inside the entries. At the back of her mind, she knew what Jack meant when he saw it in a dream. Despite her background with the law and her hobby of solving mysteries like Sherlock Holmes, she had a thing with psychology and the supernatural. Short story, she had a curious interest when it came to myths and ghosts.
"Dreams can always be helpful phenomena." Jack turned his attention at E.J. "Either they can be a portal that takes you to the past or future. Some are like spiritual messages in your mind while you rest. It's your way of interpreting them." She continued.
Bunny looked down at his phone and noticed his meeting with Jack just flew by. "Uh, sorry to break the meeting short but I have other meetings to attending to. You two continue finding clues and keep me posted on your findings." He stated while grabbing his cup of coffee and the remaining bag of pastries.
"Wait, you just saw these evidences that can help with my parents' old case. Don't you need these as much as I do?" Jack asked him.
Bunny shook his head. "I don't think it's not the best time for the police to bring back your parents' case. Just learn more about what happened and keep it that way."
"Wait, why? Does this have to do something about what happened last night?" Jack walked up to Bunny and stood in front of him. From corruption scandal and secret underground organization in the city, Jack made assumptions about how the law enforcements had a hidden war between dark criminals taking advantage of the city. And it was must have been a long battle between the two sides since he was born.
"What happened last night?" E.J. butted in.
"Jack, if you were my own kid and you too," Bunny looked at E.J. then back at Jack. "I would do my best to keep you two away from trouble. For now just keep on searching for answers about your family's past and I'll go to my meetings. You two have a great morning and promise me to stay away from trouble."
The two young adults watched the busy lawyer leave the room with a casual wave after closing the door behind them. Jack let out a sigh and went back to his desk to look at more entries.
"I think he's keeping secrets from us." E.J. assumed while looking back at him.
"What else is new? My family has been doing that to me for a long time." Jack sat down on his chair. "Then again, I've done the same thing to those close to me too." He confessed sadly.
E.J. saw him go back to his seldom state again. She walked over and place both of her hands on top of his desk. Jack looked up and met his cousin's serious topaz eyes glaring straight at him.
"What?" Jack annoyingly asked.
"Don't act like this is your fault. I have been in that place like you too. Desperately seeking answers but finding nothing." E.J. explained kindly.
"Thanks. But, you don't know what situation I'm in. You're just somebody that somehow showed up today after a crazy night I've gone through. Now if you don't mind…"
"No!" E.J. shouted causing Jack to flinch.
"No, what?" Jack raised his eyebrow.
"Just stop being so down on yourself. You're right, I don't know what bullshit you're in right now. But, this whole searching for answers shouldn't bring you down. You should be fucking glad you found something. I've been doing this alone for years and right now I can't believe I found someone else to help me." E.J. tried to smile, but, couldn't. "We're family. Blood isn't always everything. As long you have someone's back, might as well do the same thing back."
Jack sighed. She had a point, he said inside his head. "Fine. Just so you know I have another thing to worried about than this." He mentioned.
"Fine by me Frosty. Running an empire isn't easy." E.J. told him.
Jack shook his head. "No, I kept a promise for a friend that I help her with something."
"And that is?" E.J. quirked an eyebrow.
"If I tell you, you'll find me crazier than you think." Jack looked up again at her.
"Try me." E.J. smiled.
After a long hour or two explaining his crazy journey as a reckless lost adult to a naturally born CEO, Jack assumed he might have embarrassed himself in front of his cousin. E.J. on the other hand, never interrupted him during his story of drugs, alcohol, and luxurious lifestyle to how he was ill and ended up reuniting with a longtime lost friend.
"And that's pretty much it," Jack sighed while leaning way back into his chair while looking at his computer's clock to read the time. "And I told it in time before my first meeting of the day." He added. "So you're welcome to call me crazy or whatever I don't mind. It's a complicated ordeal for me."
E.J. shook her head. "No you're not crazy. I want the same thing you're going through too. Getting a visit from someone you used to love and having the chance to see them again." She explained. "So what are you and your friends doing now for Anna? If you don't mind me asking."
"We're just fixing up this old tree fort we used to have since we were little." Jack explained.
"That and this case you're working on. You're one busy dude, Jackie." E.J. commented. Jack nodded. "But, if you don't mind me asking. How did Anna find you? Why did she decide to come back now? Just for a wish?" She curiously asked.
"Good questions. But, I'm still finding answers." Jack told her while gathering the things he needed for his meeting.
"Quick question. Do you believe in the supernatural?" E.J. looked at him seriously.
"Back then. No." Jack confessed. "But, now I do. I never knew the afterlife can be…" He paused for a moment, trying to think of a word to describe his journey, but, nothing came to mind.
"Mysterious than ever?" E.J. quirked a brow.
Jack nodded. "You can say that. But, can this whole seeing ghosts and having dreams of your late loved ones be any more understanding? I just want to find clarity in my life." He reflected.
"Then go find it. But, you don't have to do it alone. If you want I can share you my findings about the supernatural and maybe find out why Anna came back into your life." E.J. kindly offered.
Jack stopped organizing his folders for a moment. He looked up and met his cousin's serious and determined gaze. From her caring face, he soon read the expression of glimmering hope through her eyes. He knew after moving back home, he couldn't handle finding Anna's wish alone. Overall, he couldn't handle all of these problems he has alone. Anna's wish and his parents' case. Lastly, he decided to put his family's business last because it seems to be running smoothly regardless of the years his uncle Pitch ran the place.
"Fine. I can't do this alone. Whatever you know about my case with our families and with my friend, please tell me. I seriously need all the help I can get." Jack's explanation caused E.J. to display her most cuteness smile that caused him to simply roll her eyes at her and let out a laugh or two. "But we can talk more about this later on. I have a lot of meetings today." He informed her.
"Okay, when do you want to meet up? I plan to meet my dad at noon." E.J. asked.
"I get off at five today. My friends and I planned to meet up at that time. You don't mind meeting them right?" Jack asked her. She responded with a nod. "Great see you later than." Jack took his belongs and began walking out of his office.
"Cool. How about your parents' case? Do they know about it?" E.J. continued to ask him.
Jack stopped from his tracks and stared at the doorknob. He never had the thought to bring up his family's case to his friends. The thought of them being involved caused him to contemplate if they should give him a hand. But, pride and privacy were strong in his mind that it was best to keep them away. He had a strong aching feeling, worried if they were involved, something might go wrong.
"No they don't and I think it's best to keep it private. It's my personal business not theirs." He bluntly explained.
E.J. narrowed her brows at him, but, hide away any comments about Jack's reckless move to provide more secrets for those closed to him. Of course she doesn't know his friends, but, she knew at the back of her mind and deep inside her heart that keeping more secrets will build up more regrets for him.
"If you say so. See you later at five then?" Jack nodded his head and walked over to her. The two both exchanged their numbers and said their goodbyes before departing ways.
"Just tell the girls when you're living and they'll gladly give you a ride if you need one." E.J. shook her head, but, thank her cousin's generosity. She informed that she'll gladly just walk around the city like a tourist until their meeting. From there, the young woman walked him away like someone she used to know.
Driving through downtown Arendelle wasn't a hassle on a Monday afternoon. Jack managed to dodge any traffic that was about to happen during the city's evening rush hour by taking shortcuts of narrow alleyways that hardly had any vehicles entering and exiting. Something he learned while living back in New York. E.J. was browsing through her phone along their way up the mountain and to the forest where the old tree fort was. Jack noticed her being quiet since he picked her up from a local bookstore where she was waiting for him. He wanted to ask her how her meeting went with her father. But he felt it was a bit too soon and too personal to ask. They just met and he wasn't the type who invaded other's privacies.
"So how is Uncle Kozmotis doing?" He asked her.
"He's doing okay." E.J. replied casually without any sense of interest.
"Oh. Is he enjoying retirement?" Jack smiled while keeping his eyes on the road.
"Yeah, kinda. He's starting to get bored of it though." E.J. avoided eye contact and focused her attention on the incoming wall of trees passing by.
"Ah I see. Well, good thing he's doing well." Jack shrugged his shoulder.
E.J. looked at him with the corner of her eyes and noticed the serious, quiet expression on Jack's face. "You seem to not like my dad." She said to him. Jack glanced over to meet her sincere face. "It's okay, I wasn't really looking forward to visiting him anyway."
"Then why did you come to visit Arendelle?" Jack asked her.
E.J. sighed. "My aunt told me to. She's not really my aunt. More like a friend of the family. She was my mum's best friend while growing up and she offered to raise me while living in London for half of my life."
"Seems like we weren't different after all." Jack told her with a genuine smile. "The life in the Orphan club, huh?" He chuckled.
E.J. chuckled along with him. "Yup, we're orphans for life." The laughter quickly died out after a minute or two. "I guess she was right though, my aunt. It's been years since I last saw this place. Technically, it's my birthplace. It's in you no matter how badly you want to run away from it, it will always somehow find a way to drag you back home." She placed her hands behind her head.
Jack took a moment to let E.J. deep statement sink in. She definitely had a point, he commented. Maybe Anna wanted me to come back home because of all the mess that was left behind. Her death, my parents' death, and this secret war with my family and the Frollos needed to be fixed.
"But why did she have to come back in order to tell me this?" Jack said quietly.
"What are you talking about?" E.J. looked at him with a raised eyebrow, confused whether Jack was talking to her or to himself.
"Hey, quick question." Jack asked her. E.J. fixed her eyes on him. "Can ghosts be angels? Like guardian angels?"
E.J. eyes widen. She placed a hand underneath her chin. "Maybe? I'm no expert with this guardian angels and ghosts connection, but, I have a friend who knows about these things."
"Care to look into that if you don't mind?"
"I see nothing wrong with that. Plus, I have a friend who knows, let me see if she's still awake back home." E.J. reached into her phone and started texting her friend.
"What your friend lives in London?"
"No, New Orleans." E.J. corrected him. Jack glanced over to see her texting away. "What Jackie, my friend has a grandmother who is an expert with the supernatural. She knows everything."
"That's cool, I have a friend whose family had connections with local rock trolls." Jack joked around with her.
E.J. rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right Frosty. Keep your eyes on the road." Jack chuckled. "Why do you think Anna is more than a ghost?" She asked him.
"I don't know why, but, it's just a feeling. I do believe she has an important reason why she came back here. Came back to us." Jack sounded hopeful with a touch of happiness.
"Sounds like a crazy and an awesome story to tell." E.J. commented. Jack laughed while agreeing to the statement.
The two drove up a familiar street that took them straight up the mountain and made a turn to a quiet dirt road which was the main trail that led to the fort. When they finally arrived, Jack's friends were already waiting for him. E.J. was the first one to exit out of the car after Jack parked his car.
Jack noticed the curious looks on his friends' faces. He simply smiled at them. "Hey guys, I would like you all to meet the newest member of our gang. My cousin, E.J."
A/N: Just blazing on through with this story, slowly, but surely finally having the guts and time to update. It's a slow burner for me, but, at least I'm getting there to finish this story. I want to thank once again for all the support from old and new followers, especially your reviews, reading them truly helps me back into the routine of writing again. So thank you so much! Whatcha think of the turn in events? Jack meets his long lost cousin? Stay tune!