Chapter 6

The second she saw me, her emerald green eyes widened at the sight of my presence as she stopped pulling me up.

The window seemed more like a wide doorway because the opening was so huge that one could have easily stepped onto the wooden ledge without their heads touching the top.

I quickly stepped onto the ledge in case she snapped out of her horror and involuntarily decided to let me go. She backed away slowly, her fearful eyes not leaving mine.

I waited for a few seconds to gather myself- and letting her gather herself too- before I raised my hands in front of me as an assuring gesture and said, "Please don't freak out, don't kill me, don't push me off the window. I just need your help. That's all." She took another step backwards, but her expression remained the same. Well, this was awkward. I guess that meant I had to make the first move.

I stepped from the ledge and onto the wooden floor cautiously, my feet soundless. She took a few more steps backwards and leaned against a wooden table.

"Who are you?"

Her voice was girlish and light, as if she were merely singing instead of speaking, and she had full control over it. I couldn't hear a trace of fear. I remembered what she sounded like when she sang, when I was waiting at the bottom of the tower.

I opened my mouth hesitantly to answer her very general question, but got distracted by the blot of green sitting on her left shoulder. I stared at it. I think it was a lizard. She moved on to her next question, not bothering to hear what my answer was to her first one, "What do you want?" My eyes darted around the room, searching for the perfect words to the perfect answer. I wanted to tell her that it was a really long story, but I saw her hands reach behind her to the table and she pulled out a frying pan.

"If you're here for my hair, the- then back off! I'm- I'm armed!" she exclaimed, holding out the pan at an arm's length.

I ruffled up the fluff of gravity- defying hair at the back of my head. Standing right in front of me now is a girl armed with a frying pan, thinking that I, innocent ol' Jack Frost, was going to take away her 70 feet of golden hair.

I am speechless.

I placed my hands on my hips and cleared my throat. "Um, sorry to burst your bubble, but no, I am not here for your hair," I said, glancing at her through my lashes.

She stared hard at me, frowning slightly. "I don't believe you," she softly said.

This girl was my only hope of not going crazy in an entirely new planet with a reindeer as a companion. So, I told her everything. I told her who I was, how the moon affected the Guardians, and how I got here. I didn't tell her about Prancer, though.

She listened, but her expression told me she wasn't entirely amused or even convinced by my story. But still, she listened.

"So… here I am now," I shrugged, ending my story. She was seated on the table for quite some time already, with her frying pan on her lap. The lizard sat beside her. She looked down and fiddled with the scorched areas at the bottom of the pan. She slowly shook her head and murmured, "I'm sorry, I can't help you."

The lizard shook its head.

I slowly nodded and bit my lip. "It's alright. I'll find a way. Who else lives around here?" I asked, glancing out the window.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" I repeated, and turned to look at her with surprise.

She sighed and got off the table. "I've… been here for a very long time."

I narrowed my eyes. "How long?"

Shaking her head, she said, "All my life?"

"Really?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "I mean, at least you HAVE been out a few times, but-"

"No, I haven't."

My arms hung limply by my sides as I stared at her. "You have a really awful mother."

She laughed, but it wasn't a sincere one; it sounded a bit pained, as if I were telling the truth. "She's not awful… She's just… over-protective. If only she'd let me out just once…"

I took a good look at her as her words slowly sunk into my head. She had green eyes, bright emerald ones. The area around the bridge of her nose was lightly dotted with tiny brown freckles.

She looked down at her lap and continued to fiddle at the peeling bits of the pan. She breathed in and said, "Every year on my birthday, I'd look out of my window to watch a massive flock of floating lights in the night sky, and I can't help but feel that they were meant for me… They're not stars; I'd observed them enough to know. I want to know where they have come from, why are there so many of them and what are they for especially."

I stared at her. 'Aliens' was the first thing that came to mind, and I actually considered for a moment on telling her that, but I don't think she would be exactly humoured.

"I can't believe I'm actually telling you this," she said, and stared right at me. Her expression wasn't pleasing, it looked almost murderous. "In fact, I can't believe anything now at all." The lizard nodded in agreement.

I just stood there and looked at her. I drank her in, and tried absorbing what she was feeling at the moment. If I were her, I wouldn't have believed myself either. But this wasn't new to me. People have never believed in me for nearly three hundred years, but that could be changed. I could change her mind. And I knew exactly how.

I looked out of the window. It was dusk already and the sky was scattered with rays of orange, yellow and pink. I climbed onto the edge of the ledge and peered to the ground below.

"Careful," she said. I glanced back at her and gave a swift smile. I was surprised she felt concerned. "I will."

I could see Prancer pacing around at the base of the tower as if he were waiting for me. I almost couldn't believe it. "Prancer!" I called out. He stopped in his tracks and looked up at me. "Come on up!"

He bellowed a low reindeer noise in response. I looked behind me. "Hey, do you happen to have any carrots?"

"Yes, I do. Who's that you're talking to?" she asked, looking confused.

I ignored her question and looked back down at Prancer again. "Prancer, there're carrots up here." I didn't need to shout. I knew he could hear me perfectly. Just as I said the word 'carrots', he hopped with excitement and flew straight up to the tower window right in front of me. I grinned and patted the fuzzy space between his two horns.

"What is that?" Blondie asked.

"Meet my reindeer, Prancer," I said, jumping off the ledge to make way for the reindeer to enter the tower. He stepped onto the ledge and stared at me.

I grimaced and mouthed the word 'sorry' to him. Turning to Blondie, I added, "I mean, he isn't exactly my reindeer. Just a reindeer by himself. I mean- just a travelling companion." Prancer looked away with satisfaction and shyly walked towards Blondie.

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "He's beautiful," she said, raising her hand towards him. He snorted and gently pushed his head against her palm. Slowly, she stroked his forehead and lifted her other hand to touch the base of his majestic horns. The green lizard that had been sitting on her shoulder all the while, crawled across her arm and sat on top of Prancer's head to inspect him. I realized it was a chameleon.

She then turned away from him, saying, "I'll get your carrots." She ran towards the kitchen and started to rummage through some cupboards and baskets. I walked towards Prancer and placed my left hand on his warm back. He nuzzled through my dark brown hair and snorted. I rubbed his neck playfully. The lizard that was still sitting on top of his head stared at me.

Blondie came back with an armful of carrots and Prancer turned away from me to snatch one from her hands. She smiled and placed the rest on the floor in front of him. She looked at me. "He can fly," she said.

I nodded. I glanced at Prancer swiftly and back towards her. I think the moment was just about right. I squinted my eyes in attempt to make my face look thoughtful.

Apparently, North's reindeer still had magic in them, an the blue moon had not affected them at all.. One of the things I had discovered after spending loads of time with North is that reindeer had amazing psychological powers, and the fact still amazed me up till now.

"Hey, uhm..." I started, and she looked up at me. "I don't think you believe what I told you exactly... And I really needed help-" I sighed. "Look... I... Prancer?" He looked up at me, still munching on the carrots. "Could you- could you do me a favour?" He stopped eating and stared at me. "She doesn't believe," I said, and that was all I needed to say to make him understand.

"Just touch him, then you'll understand," I told her.

She did, and almost immediately, her face had a blank expression and she stared straight ahead, looking at nothing in particular. Seconds passed as I watched her closely.

Prancer showed her everything that was necessary, just to bring that spark of belief in her eyes. Then, I thought of home. I thought of North, Tooth, Sandy, and even that big cotton-tail. I miss everyone already. I miss the way the wind would carry me in her arms, throwing me about. I miss my staff. I miss the cold.

"Jack Frost."

I looked up at the immediate mention of my name. She stared straight at me.

"Jack Frost, I believe. I believe in the Guardians, the Moon, everything. But most of all... I believe in you."