"Jack? What happens when you drown?"

He looked up with curious brown eyes. "Huh? Why do you want to know that?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, sweeping a lock of dark hair behind her ear. "I'm just curious. I think it would be pretty scary, don't you? I mean, neither of us knows how to swim."

"I imagine you die," came the flat response, then he laughed and pulled the little girl closer. "But you don't have to worry about it. Not as long as I'm around."

"This summer, d'you think we could learn how to swim? Just in case, I mean."

"Sure, I bet we could. The pond would be a good place to try."

"Okay. Can we go skating later?"

"If you want. It's a good day for it."

She smiled happily then with innocent excitement, and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Jack, I'm scared!"

"I know, I know! Don't look down, just look at me. You're going to be fine. We're going to have a little fun instead."

"No we're not!"

"Would I trick you?"

"Yes! You always play tricks!"

"Well, well not this time. You just…you just have to believe in me."

In a split second he was under, suddenly submerged in frigid water and looking up at the thick barrier of ice separating him from everything he knew. He could dimly hear the sound of pounding against the ice as his little sister screamed his name and tried to get him out, to no avail.

He panicked, realizing that he was surrounded by water and there was no way to escape. He flailed around to find a way out, but there was none, just the crushing void he was sinking into. Pressure built in his lungs as he tried not to inhale, tried to hold onto his air and thus his one chance of survival just a little bit longer. Eventually he couldn't hold it in any longer, and inadvertently drew breath. Water rushed in through his mouth and nose, down his throat, and into his lungs. He coughed violently, but only succeeded in bringing more in.

The world around him began to grow dark and his struggles grew weaker, and it made him afraid. He was terrified that he was going to die, and he was terrified for her, the one he would be leaving behind. What was she going to do without him?

He sank down further, as though something was pulling him down, and his eyes began to drift closed, shutting out any light and sound. A blurred image of the girl's face flashed through his mind one last time.

…Who was she?

He was floating now, but he didn't know how long it had been. Hours, days, weeks, even months or years. Time seemed to have stopped. Who was he? Did he have a name? Everything was slipping away. Every time he thought he was coming close to an answer—who he was, where he was, what the pounding sound was—it left as quickly as it came. He felt like he was missing something very important, but couldn't remember what it was. He tried to remember, but wasn't strong enough.

He felt weak. He couldn't move, and that made him afraid as well. Shouldn't he be able to? At the very least, he should be able to breathe. Though, he supposed, that all depended on where he was. And that, he did not know. The thought didn't stop the fear though; he didn't know how long it had been, so was it possible he had been there for a long time? How much longer was this blackness going to last? Or was this his fate, to be condemned to the unyielding darkness for an eternity, unable to move or breathe or call for help?

He ran these thoughts through his mind over and over, feeling more hopeless with each passing moment. All he wanted was to get out. He didn't want to stay like this forever. He wanted someone to come out and pull him out of this crushing darkness and cold. It was so cold and lonely and frightening.

He wanted it to be over.

How long had it been? He had no way of telling. Suddenly though, it seemed as if he was moving upward. That was strange; of all directions to move, that was where he was headed? But he found he wasn't paralyzed anymore either. He stirred, wiggling his fingers and marveling in the feeling. It was still cold, but it didn't bother him as much as it had before. In fact, it was even sort of enjoyable. That was different. Where had he ended up?

He cracked his eyes open to look around at his surroundings, and immediately squeezed them shut again when they were assaulted by a bright light. After mustering up his courage, he opened them again and saw the silvery sheen of the moon shining through what looked like ice, though he wasn't sure how he knew that. He didn't know why, but at that moment all his fear rushed away and he felt a rush of relief. Everything was going to be alright.

The moon grew bigger, or perhaps it was just him getting closer, and the brief thought that he might be blocked by the ice flitted through his mind. However, to his mild surprise, he easily passed through and found himself being raised into the open air. Clear blue eyes widened as he gasped for breath, feeling comfort at the cool breeze caressing his skin. His eyes scanned the area before landing on the moon.

As he stared, a voice rang through his mind. It was ageless and wise and he felt an immediate sense of peace when he heard it, though it only said one thing.

You are Jack Frost.