Hey guys! Sorry for taking so long to upload. My brother and I got in a pretty bad accident and you wouldn't believe how hard it is to type with all those IV needles and everything poking in your arms! Anyway, now that I'm better, hopefully I can get more chapters out faster. Enjoy!

The snowball fight ended with a single snowball to the face. Somehow, by some miracle, the face had not been mine.

It was Jack's.

I had wadded up a large patch of wet snow, cleverly avoiding the freshly fallen fluff that would burst into a puff of white as soon as it left my hand. Once I had a decent sized ball of wet snow, I started pressing it together, trying to force my frozen fingers into shaping a sphere. I sniffed and wiped my nose on the sleeve of my dark blue dress. It wasn't only my fingers that were cold, I realized, but my whole body. My face was numb and my nose ran as if it were a small river. My cheeks were raw and aching from the bitter wind, but I didn't mind. My hands, once slender and delicate, were puffy and swollen, tinted a purplish red color. I had long since lost all feeling in my legs, my stockings only providing so much protection before the snow caused them to become wet and cold. My toes were most likely frostbitten, but I didn't care. I was having the most fun I'd had in my entire life!

After I'd shaped the snow into a ball the size of my fist, I wiped my nose one last time before rising out of my safe position behind a fallen tree. I quickly scanned the clearing for any sign of Jack. At first, I didn't see him, but I soon spotted his dark brown cloak. Honestly, if it hadn't been for the cloak, I wouldn't have seen him at all. His white hair and unnaturally pale skin blended in with the snow, creating the perfect camouflage.

With my sights set on the dark brown fabric, I envisioned a large dot painted right in the middle. I took a deep breath in an attempt to steady my shivering form, and sent the small projectile flying. I watched my snowball fly with a small sense of pride. It had not only stayed in one piece when I threw it, but it also shot as straight and true as an arrow. A mere seconds later, though, all that pride vanished as my stomach dropped in fear.

Jack had turned around right as my snowball was inches from connecting with the back of his head. It seemed that maybe my aim was a little off, seeing as I intended for it to hit him in the back, a good ten inches below where the snowball connected with his face. I barely even saw where my precious snowball had landed, I had turned and ran as soon as it trajectory had been made clear. Behind me, I heard a grunt as my snowball connected with Jack's face, followed shortly by a thud, as if he was knocked over by the force of the flying chunk of snow. My heart beat in my ears as I forced my frozen feet to carry me faster. I wouldn't have stopped running if it hadn't been for a certain spirit boy. One second I'm running for my own safety, the fear of God stirring in my soul, the next, I'm being crushed by none other than Jack Frost.

"Jack!" I groaned as I pushed him off of me. For being as small as a twig, the boy was surprisingly heavy.

"What? What did I do?" Jack asked, sitting up. A small giggle escaped my lips as I saw Jack's current state. His thick brown cloak was flipped inside-out over his head and the spirit boy himself was looking around, feigning confusion. I laughed harder. "Wait, where am I? Why can't I see anything?" I started laughing uncontrollably, and when I tried to take a breath, it came out as a little squeak. I quickly slapped my hand over my mouth, as if it would keep the sound from being heard by Jack. This only made us both laugh even harder.

After our laughter finally died down, my body seemed to remember that it was cold. I started shivering, wishing I had a jacket. Wait, Father's jacket! I left it in the clearing when I ran off! "Sorry, Jack," I said, attempting to stand on my frozen legs, "I have to go back. I left my father's jacket back in the clearing. He'll be angry if I lose it."

"Wait!" Jack grabbed my hand, his hand nearly engulfing my tiny one. "I'll get it. I can fly there and back faster than you can walk. I'll be back, quick as the wind!" With that, he was off. I tried to blink the amazement out of my eyes. Why was I amazed? He was a spirit, people could walk through him, so why wouldn't he be able to fly? I shivered again, hoping Jack would come back before I froze to death.

"Oh, why look! A fair maiden out all on her own!" I stiffened. I didn't recognize the voice, but that wasn't what frightened me. It sounded as if six men were all talking at once, and were all being muffled by something, though their volume was seemingly unaffected. "What better way to get my new little disease into town? Everyone always loves the maiden."

I turned around, and my heart almost stopped. Fear welled and festered in my stomach, clenching its hand around my heart. The man was easily two heads taller than me, his tall, sickly body being covered in a thick healer's jacket that skimmed the ground around his dark black boots. His face was covered by a mask. The nose was six inches long, and pointed like a bird's, and there were spectacles over the place where the eyes would be, if there were any on the person occupying the suit. All I could see in the eye holes was black. If any human being were in there, eyes or even a bit of their face would be easily visible. With my new knowledge of the existence of spirits, I had no doubt that this thing was one.

But the way he spoke, getting his new disease into town? My eyes widened as my mind connected the dots. I'd seen this man's outfit before. It was exactly like the ones the Plague Doctors wore back when the Black Plague had struck the world. I'd never seen one in person, the Plague was gone long before I was brought into this world, but I'd been shown pictures at school. Those mask-wearing doctors were the things that dominated every child's nightmare, not only with their appearance but also with what they meant. If Plague Doctors were around, then the Black Death was not over. This Plague Doctor, however, didn't seem as if he wanted to cure anyone of anything, but instead create something new to destroy half of the world as it did years ago.

"What are you?" I asked, my eyes narrowing and my stance becoming defensive.

"Oh, my dear, you are a believer! How... exciting. It's been a while since I've made a good deal." I could hear the smile in his voices, ringing throughout the forest and, seemingly, inside my head.

"I won't ask you again. What are you?"

"How rude of me. I am known as Pestilence, my dear, and I would like to interest you in a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Was I seriously considering this?

"You see, I am not only the spirit of famine, but also the Law-Giver. I weigh each mortal's heart and smite the unworthy ones. My deal," he pauses to laugh darkly, "is that you can save your entire pathetic village from my disease with just a shake of the hand." He offers his gloved hand to me. I hesitate. I have to think this through before I run around making deals with malevolent spirits.

"What's the catch?" Where is Jack? I can't stall for much longer and I certainly can't fight him off by myself. If Jack doesn't come soon I'd have no other choice but to take this demon's deal.

"The catch? Your heart has to stay pure. If you wish this on anyone else, you live and my new plague runs its way through your little hut-cluster of a village. If you wish this away, the same thing happens. Either way, if your heart does not remain pure and your reasons selfless, your heart is mine."

This is it. I had no time left. I couldn't wait for Jack any longer. It was now a matter of life or death. I grab Pestilence's outstretched hand.

"Deal."

My sad attempt at a cliffhanger. If you guys wouldn't mind, could you please, please, please review? It would mean the world to me!
Thank you all so, so much for reading!
Until next time!