Warnings: Currently rated T for language, though liable to change in future chapters for dark imagery and mature content.
Disclaimer: I claim no copyright ownership to Rise of the Guardians or any recognizable characters depicted by DreamWorks, William Joyce, or other miscellaneous fairy tale creatures. However, the plot and original characters are my own.
"I try, but it's so hard to believe.
I try, but I can't see what you see."
Chapter Three
"Look at you, handsome man," Alice brushed her hand through the soft, short blonde hair.
Max was sitting on one of the stools near their island with a towel wrapped around his neck. Aunt Liza was perched behind him, evening out the base of his hairline before smiling triumphantly and stepping back to admire her work. Alice held up a mirror to gauge the boy's reaction and Max failed to conceal a grin.
"Girls are going to be chasing you down tomorrow," Alice waggled her eyebrows and Max made a face. It was a cross between disgust and a hint of curiosity as he pondered the possibility. Alice laughed.
"Go jump in the shower to get all the itchy hairs off," Aunt Liza patted his back and urged him off the stool. He carefully handed the towel to her. "When you get out, I'll style it for you. See how well that charm works," she winked and Max grunted, ears hot, before making his way into the bathroom.
Alice chuckled a little and shook her head, thanking her aunt for doing such a good job. It was a wonder the woman never went to beauty school. She was a natural hair-cutter. It was real handy having someone like her in the family – it'd gotten to the point with Pippa where Aunt Liza was the only one who knew how to cut her hair properly. Last time the eleven-year-old went to a barber, she nearly ended up with a mullet. Alice had to hold back her laughter during that particular Thanksgiving, not wanting to offend the then nine-year-old.
Pippa nearly had steam coming out her ears, face red as a tomato. Alice couldn't remember a time the girl wasn't sitting with her arms crossed, glaring at the world with her white beanie pulled down to her ears. That was how the infamous beanie came to be, and she had the habit of wearing it nearly every day since.
As it was early Sunday afternoon, the majority of the boxes in the house still needed to be unpacked. Aunt Liza volunteered to help and Alice was grateful for it. She couldn't wait until the house actually felt like home. The walls were cold and bare and unwelcoming, and she was still in that stage where the place repelled her, a voice whispering in the back of her head that it wasn't hers. Not yet, anyway. But it would be.
She was determined to make a home for her and Max. They'd never had any opportunities to before then. Thinking back on the past year, Alice could only see blurred images that whizzed by too fast for her mind to catch any real detail. It was one of those things she tried filing away in the back of her mind because it gave her a headache otherwise. Maybe one day she'd dig those memories back out and spend a couple hours really nitpicking at them like she knew she'd eventually have to, just for her own peace of mind. And perhaps some reassurance that she had, indeed, made the right choice.
Her and Aunt Liza occupied their time well, unloading books and movies and placing them in the empty shelves near the television. Alice found some nails and a hammer tucked away in one of her tool boxes (Uncle Kevin's idea of a great 18th birthday gift) and she took the time to hang some of her pictures. Most were just paintings she'd bought at yard sales back when she was in high school, going through that phase of garage-sailing in hopes that she might find some hidden treasure or artifact that was worth enough to put her through college.
Max returned about twenty minutes later, refreshed and smelling of soap. Aunt Liza commanded him back onto the stool and she went about her business of gelling his hair while Alice hanged some decorative mirrors in the hallway. Alice peeked around the corner about a minute into it and asked cheekily if Uncle Kevin knew she was using his hair products. Aunt Liza simply held a finger up to her lips.
"My masterpiece is complete," the older woman announced a few minutes later. Alice stepped back into the room with a nail between her teeth. She took it out and smirked at the boy who suddenly appeared embarrassed to be under such scrutiny.
Alice glanced at her aunt. "I bet you five dollars he'll have a girlfriend by tomorrow afternoon."
"Ten dollars says he'll have one before lunch."
"You're on."
Max squinted at them and hopped out of his seat, aggravated and red-cheeked.
"That is not going to happen," he stated, as if the concept was beneath him. He did take a few seconds to admire himself in the handheld mirror though.
She continued on with her decorating of the hallway as Aunt Liza cleaned up her temporary beauty station. Only two minutes of silence had passed before Max declared that he was bored, loudly enough to where he was sure Alice could hear him. She bit her lip to keep from grinning.
There was a faint echo of Aunt Liza's voice carrying down the hall from the kitchen, saying that Pippa was down at the park playing with some friends and that Max was welcome to join her. Once he got permission from Alice – it stilled her sometimes when he came to her first before doing something – he grabbed his coat and mittens and threw on his shoes before he was out the door. It was apparently engraved into every child's brain where the local park was so he didn't need directions.
The redhead and her aunt continued unpacking and decorating the house for the better part of the late morning and early afternoon, making small talk every once in a while when their paths would cross. Alice knew it was futile to attempt to have everything done so soon. It was part of the reason why she didn't start work until the following week, but part of her still wished she could have the house ready to go by nightfall.
Again, if she were the Incredible Hulk or maybe The Flash, it would be. Curse her humanity.
It was nearing the late afternoon when Aunt Liza bid her adieu for the day. They'd made steady progress and it was starting to look more like a home rather than a half-empty house. Alice thanked her for all her help and decided to give herself a break and make some sandwiches. She'd gone to the store earlier that morning so at least their fridge and pantry weren't completely empty. Once finished, she wrapped them in plastic and tossed them in a bag with some juice boxes before throwing on a warm coat and heading out the door.
She made her way down to the park. It was closer to her aunt's house than hers, but hardly far at all. She could hear the shrieks and laughter of the kids playing from her front yard. Gazing idly about, she walked. As expected, it didn't take long for her to come across a clearing diagonal from one of the neighborhood streets. It was a community park, large and open with historical relics and benches for resting and sight-seeing. There was a half-built snowman and a few large piles of snow scattered about the area, as if the kids had lost interest halfway through their constructs and moved on to something else.
Most of them were taking turns on a sled, and it glided along a decent-sized course she assumed had been created from the sled's wear on the snow. Max was playing with a small group and she quickly recognized Pippa amongst them. All of the children seemed to be older than Max judging by their heights, but that didn't seem to be an issue.
She smiled slightly, stopping to watch as they chased each other around, throwing snow at one another and yelling as they went. Part of her really missed being a kid. Everything was always so easy. She never saw how the vast world loomed over her, was never intimidated by the larger things that surrounded her. It was a shame adults weren't so fortunate; weren't so lighthearted and naïve, unafraid of the big bad world that was just waiting for the opportune moment to swallow them whole.
Alice was about to sigh and maybe feel a little sorry for herself until something cold smacked her in the head. There was a comical splat as she gasped, feeling the wetness settling into her hair and soaking her scalp and for a second she froze, too shocked to do or say anything.
The moment passed, however, and she shook her hair out, watching the clumps of snow fall to the ground before glancing up. There was a large, leafless tree resting precariously a few feet away, wayward branches sticking outward in all directions and coated with a fine layer of white fluff. None of the branches were overhead and she furrowed her eyebrows, baffled as to how any of it managed to fall on her head when she heard laughter.
She turned accusingly, her face feeling hot. Max and Pippa, she noticed, were laughing harder than any of the other kids, though all of them seemed to be thoroughly entertained. She scowled, wondering if any of them had anything to do with this. She held up the bag in her hands as a peace offering, having completely forgotten why she was there for a moment.
"Brought you lunch," she called to Max and his eyes lit up, turning back to the group to whisper something before bounding his way over to Alice with a wicked glint in his eyes.
He glanced at something above her and she immediately followed his stare, ready to bark at whoever threw the offending snow at her, but was quickly disheartened when she was met with nothing but blue skies and the tips of the snow-covered branches.
Alice made her way to the nearest bench, and behind her she could've sworn she heard Max utter, "Good one, Jack," as he followed her.
'Good one, Jack,' she mouthed scathingly in her own silent mockery.
They sat quietly on the bench as they munched on their sandwiches. Max seemed keen on paying more attention to his imaginary friend than her, sneaking mischievous glances just above Alice's head and every now and then snickering quietly to himself. She clenched her jaw, feeling oddly annoyed.
"What's so funny?" she finally asked, feigning disinterest.
Something about her question must've set him off because Max giggled again, ducking his head into his lap as he peeled at the crust on the remnants of his sandwich. Alice felt a cold, tingling sensation near her right ear and she shrugged the feeling off, too distracted to be bothered by it. In the back of her mind, she realized the feeling went away.
"It's just Jack," Max chuckled softly to himself.
Just be patient, she told herself. Kids do these things.
"What's Jack doing?"
Max quirked his lips, eyes glistening with mirth. "Just making funny faces at you. He's right behind you."
As a reflex, Alice turned. Unsurprisingly, she saw nothing. Shaking her head, Alice took a sip from her juice box.
"You should tell Jack it's not polite to make funny faces at people," she reprimanded him, trying to hide a smile. "If he keeps doing that, maybe his face will get stuck that way."
Max furrowed his eyebrows, fingers stalling their assault on his sandwich. Alice raised an eyebrow in return, finishing her own sandwich and brushing the crumbs off her pants before doing the same to her hands. Max looked like he was listening intently to something Alice couldn't hear.
"He said his face can't get stuck in a bad way, he's too good-looking."
Alice guffawed, not expecting a response like that.
"Where are you coming up with this stuff?" she laughed, wadding up the plastic and dumping it in the bag by her feet. She took the remnants of his demolished sandwich and threw them in the bag as well, knowing he'd never finish it.
"He said your big glasses make you look nerdy."
"Tell him it's not polite to tease people, either."
"He said he wasn't teasing."
"Tell him I said he has a big head," Alice countered childishly, stretching her legs out in front of her and squinting up at the sun. Too bad the sun wasn't doing its job. She was only beginning to feel colder and colder. A sudden gust of wind whipping at her face startled her and an involuntary shiver raced down her spine.
"He said his head is average sized, he's trying to show you. He said if you saw him you'd know that," Max paused, seemingly enjoying being the go-between. "He also said to not be a hypocrite and to take your own advice."
Alice abruptly stood, unable to shake the cold and feeling uneasy with the sudden drop in temperature. "Okay Max, that's enough. I think it's time to head home, it's getting chilly out."
Max jumped up from his seat as well, that adorable frown marring his expression again. "That's just because Jack is standing so close to you."
"Jack needs to learn personal space then. Come on, say goodbye to your friends," she wrapped her arms around herself in a fruitless attempt to stay warm.
Max whined but didn't argue and jogged over to the group, exchanging his goodbyes. Alice exhaled slowly, watching with mild interest as her breath fogged up in front of her. It stilled before something disturbed it and it wavered briefly before evaporating completely.
The blonde-haired boy traipsed back over to where Alice was patiently waiting and with a smile, she led them out of the park and onto the sidewalk. Alice hummed to herself for a few seconds, unwrapping her arms from around herself to cross them against her chest instead.
"Jack said you smell like candy canes," Max said suddenly, breaking the silence.
"He told you to say that?" Alice asked.
"No, he just said that you did."
Alice raised her eyebrows, unsure of how to respond, and chose to say nothing at all.
"Do I have to go to school?" Max whined the following morning as Alice handed him his knitted hat.
She was threatening to fall back asleep, hair falling slightly in her face and out of the messy bun she'd thrown it up in the night before. Why did school have to start so early? It wasn't uncommon for her to get up at the crack of dawn lately, but after spending half the day on a ladder trying to hang various items, her back was sore and all she wanted was to stay in bed all day.
"You could homeschool me," Max continued, smiling widely. "You could help me with all my work and we could spend all day together and eat junk food!"
Alice snorted. "You're dreaming, squirt."
She didn't mention how awful the idea sounded of trying to teach him math or science or some other horrible subject. She just graduated high school not two years ago. She would have to be dragged kicking and screaming back to elementary school, even for Max's sake.
Max deflated slightly as she handed him some lunch money. She kept a jar handy of ones and fives and change for the occasion and had been using it for the past seven months Max had been back in school. Every now and then she'd pack him a lunch, but it was apparently universal that all kids wanted to eat the school's lunch. Times must have really changed since she was subjected to the lunch lady's specialty.
"The bus is going to be here soon, come on buddy," she nudged him towards the door, crossing her arms tightly over her chest as he opened it and in surged a breeze of ice that almost made Alice want to scream. "Have a good day, be good, learn something."
He looked reluctant to leave, but smiled nonetheless and adjusted his backpack before walking down the pathway leading to the bus stop.
She watched until the bus arrived and he climbed inside with a few other children that'd been waiting. She was so thankful she had called the week prior to enroll him in Burgess Elementary. The elementary school he'd been previously enrolled at faxed them his transcripts, health information for the nurse, and other miscellaneous paperwork. The school emailed her a few forms she had to sign and she emailed PDFs back donned with her signature.
She loved how technologically advanced the 21st Century was. It meant she didn't have to sit a single foot inside a school ever again. Maybe parent-teacher conferences were now done via webcam.
After the bus disappeared down the street, she inched her way back into her bedroom for another two hours of sleep. As much as she wanted to sleep the entire day away, a technician was coming to install her cable and internet later that morning and unfortunately she needed to be awake for that.
The day passed uneventfully. After the cable and internet were installed, she spent a good hour or two watching reruns of Friends even though she had the full series collection on DVD. She sat slumped low on the couch, snacking on a bag of chips and being generally lazy until she finally decided to do something productive and continued unboxing.
It hadn't felt like eight hours had gone by, but before she knew it a flash of yellow dashed past her front window and she pulled herself away from spraying the windows with Windex.
Tugging her hoodie down from the coat rack she finally unboxed, she let herself out to greet Max on his trek up the driveway.
"Hey rugrat, how'd it go?"
Max shrugged as he made his way inside.
"Same old," he replied, kicking the snow out of his shoes on the mat.
"Were your classmates nice?"
"Yep," he said, popping the 'p'.
"What about your teachers?"
"Yep."
Now she knew how her parents felt whenever they asked her about her day. Max made for her abandoned bag of chips by the couch and shoved his hand deep inside.
"Pippa and Monty are going to be at the park again, can I go with them?" he asked through a mouthful, crumbs spraying from between his lips.
Alice faltered for a second, surprised that he was ready to go out again even though he'd just barely gotten home. It wasn't exactly typical Max behavior.
"I guess that's alright," she looked around unsurely, as if the answers were written in the walls around her. "Do you have any homework?"
"Not today," Max said. He wiped his hands off on his jeans. "Can I go now?"
Alice furrowed her eyebrows. She wasn't used to Max always wanting to go out and play right after getting home from school. Truthfully, she'd never seen him so excited to spend time with kids he hardly knew. Of course, she knew Pippa and Monty because wherever Pippa was the boy wasn't very far behind. Other than that, she didn't even know who the other kids were. She figured they were probably the ones Pippa had talked so animatedly about the other night – who supposedly helped defeat the Boogeyman.
Alice reckoned she didn't have a right to judge. It wasn't like she didn't trust anyone Pippa associated with. If Max was having fun, wasn't that all that mattered? She didn't exactly have much experience with overprotectiveness or commanding every detail of a child's life. She knew she always hated being smothered by her parents. They meant well, but every parent crossed a line at least once in their kid's life. Now was definitely not the time to cross that line. She would save that for later on down the road when he was sixteen or something and came home with a girl's perfume on his collar.
She quickly shook the thought from her head, finding the notion of Max actually growing up and becoming a teenager foreign and weird. Maybe because she was still just a teenager herself.
"Sure, go ahead. Don't stay out too late," she told him, unable to fathom up a reason as to why he shouldn't be allowed to go.
Max lit up like a Christmas tree and thanked her profusely before making a mad dash out the door, as if he couldn't get to the park soon enough.
It was just peculiar. He'd never been so excited to go out and play before.
Maybe I'm overreacting, she mused.
Like she'd said before, if he was happy and having fun, who was she to question it? If Jack Frost, relatively speaking, was the one making Max smile and laugh and somewhat an image of his former self then she wasn't going to judge.
Hell, she probably even owed the spirit of winter a thank you.
Edited 12/19/20
