(Cyndra's POV)
It is cold, but not as cold as I thought it would be. It was as if where I fell asleep and where I am waking up were two totally different places.
I move my arm and find that I'm covered up with something, something to keep me warm.
I open my eyes and find that, indeed, I am not where I fell asleep. There are four unpainted wooden walls around me, and I am laying down on a bed. It is very cold in here, but there was enough warmth that I have a little heat. I sit up and look around the cold, wooden room. It is quite homey, and definitely better than sleeping outside on the cold ground.
Wait, how did I get here. I glance around the room again, and find that I am not alone.
Jack is sitting over in the corner of the room, watching me. It's kind of scary, how he just sits there and watches. Kind of cute, too.
"Jack?"
"Who else?" It was a playful, melodic voice, that made me smile just from hearing it. It was strange having him as my friend.
He laughs at my smile. "So did you really think I was going to let you freeze outside? On your birthday?" It wasn't like I expected to meet Jack. He was always kind and caring. Nothing seemed to bother him, except when someone else seemed upset, like yesterday when I started crying. It bothered him and he became worried.
"Ummmmm... Yes?" I kind of did expect to sleep outside.
He laughs. That is an amazing sound. It was like he was made to laugh. I look up at his face, still smiling down at me. His eyes caught my attention. There was something hidden there that I just couldn't read, as if there was another reason I was here and not at the lake. I guess I should ignore it, but it's going to bother me for a while if I never find out what that reason is.
"So... where am I?" I don't know where I am, ok? I can be halfway across the world, what do I know?
"Don't worry, we aren't far from the lake. I just took you to a place I knew about, around here."
"Thanks." And then I was crying, not my usual silent tears either. It was just that everything I had done yesterday seemed to affect him."And I'm sorry I ran after you yesterday, I was worried and scared. You looked so hurt. I didn't mean to-" Jack cut of my words by staring at me. It was weird for him to stare at me like that. I didn't mean to upset him yesterday. He lashed out at me and I was scared. And then it was as if nothing had happened. I look down at the ground. Sierra was laying at my feet still asleep.
The tears were still hot as they continued to run down my cheeks. Jack walks cautiously over to me, he looks like he wants to help, but he's not sure how. He ends up sitting next to me. It was a little awkward with him next to me while I was crying, but I couldn't help it. I was making things harder for him and I knew it. I could feel my tears start to slow as he took his arms and turned me to face him, with a stern look in his eyes.
"Cyndra, you haven't done anything wrong. I am in fact, glad to have you as my friend. And it seems that you need one of your own." He smiles and I smile back. He was such an amazing person, such an amazing friend, that it was odd he was always alone.
And he really was worth meeting yesterday morning. It was my birthday after all. It didn't mean much, but it was.
He reached down a hand to help me get up. I was perfectly capable of getting up myself, but I took it anyway. It couldn't hurt me to accept a little help here and there.
"So Jack, is there school today? Or do I get to meet you at the lake?" My smile widened when he smirked back at me for an answer. Then I think about how I am still wearing the same clothes I was yesterday.
"But, ummmm... How do I get home?"
"That's easy, because now that you are awake I can fly you home, with your help, of course." He smiled, this time showing those perfectly white teeth of his. It is amazing the butterflies that seem to keep fluttering in my stomach, causing me to be so shy. I've never felt like this before, but I kinda like it. Downside, I always blush.
Jack always catches it, too, making me blush deeper. Why am I like this? What is this?
I guess it doesn't matter, so long as I like it.
(Jack's POV)
"That's easy, because now that you are awake I can fly you home, with your help, of course." I smiled at her. It is weird though, I feel like I've known her for years, yet we just met yesterday.
She smiles in response. That is one amazing smile. Her brown hair draping down onto her face in just the right places, her beautiful brown eyes peering through it. She wasn't an ordinary girl, though. There was something special about her. She never seemed to hurt anyone elses feeling, even when she would break down and cry. She never acted in violence. She seemed to care about everything. Maybe that is why the man in moon had taken me to her house that night. Maybe he knew that she was special and that she would, someday, need a friend.
Thing was, she's a mortal. I haven't met any mortal who has had as much potential as she does, though. And more than that, something about her makes my heart beat a little faster. She's different than most people, she should be too old to still see any of the guardians, but she saw me. She shouldn't have come after me yesterday but she did. Just when I needed her to. I needed a friend and she was there.
I look back up at her, bringing myself from my thoughts. Her cheeks are tinted pink and whenever I look at her, they turn darker pink. I wonder why she's like that. Well, I wonder why I am the way I am with her, too. It's like I get at a loss of words and then I just know what to say.
"Ready to go?" My question rings out from the silence it just broke.
I see her nod her head.
"Do you trust me?"
"If I didn't I wouldn't be standing in this room right now." It was sarcastic, but it rang of truth.
"Okay then. Lend me your hand." I place my hand out so she can grab it.
Her hand slides into mine as she accepts my request.
"Now, keep a good, strong hold of that hand." I look into her eyes and find fear. It was there, but it was as if she was trying to ignore it. "Are you afraid of heights?" It was a simple question.
"N-no." She pauses for a minute, thinking. I stare straight at her. "Fine, yes, I'm scared of heights."
"You shouldn't worry, I won't drop you. I don't know of anyone who would drop you, as nice as you are."
She blushes a deep pink at my remark.
"Here." I wrap my arms around her waist. "Close your eyes, and when I say go, stick your arms out. It will be fun. I promise. I'l make it a game for you." I am the guardian of fun, why not?
She sighs and grips tighter to my hand. "Ok."
I look out the window. Luckily, the sun still hasn't risen.
I steadily rise into the air and move towards the lake. It was amazing from up here, especially when it was just before dawn.
Snow fell around us as I paused over the lake. It was covered in snow and ice, while the trees around it sparkled in the growing light of the day.
"Cyndra, open your eyes and stick your arms out." She doesn't look too happy about it, but she opens her eyes.
"Oh! Oh, Jack. It's wonderful. Even better than looking at it from my favorite tree." Slowly she sticks both of her arms out.
"This is amazing, I don't even feel scared."
I fly off towards the lake, with Cyndra laughing in my arms as we flew. It was quite a sound. Like little tinkling bells that ring with the purest of sounds.
I think I should tell North about her when I get back, he would be interested to hear about her. She sees me after the age of 12. She doesn't act out with violence. She follows and cares without thinking of what bad could come out of it. She wasn't... normal. She was different from anyone else, just having man in moon show her to me that night, tells me that on it's own.
I smile and do a loop with Cyndra. Her laughing immediately stops and she grabs onto my arms. I guess she wasn't ready to have a lot of fun yet.
I fly around for a few minutes more before asking her where to go. I was at the lake, so I knew she would know where to go from there. She took me on a path through the trees, studying certain trees along the way. I have to fly close to the ground so that she can see them, but I don't mind. It's nice to have a friend again. Jamie got too old and couldn't see me anymore, so I was left alone again. I had the guardians, but they were always busy, and almost never had time for fun.
I could just make out Cyndra's house in the distance, as we flew farther from the lake. I remember her house being close to the woods. It was always the little things that mattered. The woods close to her house. The child in the house. The mother. The story. Every detail was important if I was to figure out why I came to her house that night. Every detail.
Gray clouds, made for snow, cover the sky as I float around next to Cyndra's favorite tree. I made sure there was no school so that I could see her today.
I remember how it was a long time ago, before I was a guardian. No one believed in me and I was alone. Then when I became a guardian, I had the others. Now I have Cyndra. And Cyndra has me.
"Jack?"
It was a soft voice, just barely able to be made out. And because I could barely hear it I couldn't tell who it was.
Nothing. No more sound after that. Just the wind blowing through the trees and snow falling on the earth.
I close my eyes. Everything was quiet. I open them again, turning to face the trunk of the tree.
"Boo!" I jump back and hear Cyndra's tinkling laughter. I'm not sure how she scared me, much less snuck up on me, but she did.
I begin to laugh with her. She really was something else. I look at her closer as I laugh. She is still wearing the same hoodie, not to mention that it's the same color as mine, and a pair of dark blue jeans. She has her straight brown hair draped down and a huge smile on her face. She was amazing.
"Gotcha." She says in between a fit of laughter.
"I know. Don't worry, I'll get you back later." We continue to laugh for a while before Cyndra climbs up into her tree and sits up on a branch. I fly up to the snow covered tree and sit next to her.
She feels warm in comparison to my normal cold. It was a perfect mixture though, and I could tell she didn't mind.
We just sit and look out at the frozen lake for a while.
"At least Sierra made it home safely." It was a simple statement, designed by Cyndra, to start a conversation.
"Yeah, I guess I forgot to take her with us, but at least she got back home." I look over at Cyndra. She's staring down at the ground.
"Is something wrong?"
"No... I just, I feel like everything is perfect. Like nothing can go wrong. Yet, some things really aren't perfect. When I go home tonight, I get to be alone again. And tomorrow I get to wake up and be alone, because tomorrow is Saturday, and I don't have school on Saturday."
The way she said it would make anyone sad that they have to leave.
"What if I visit you? Everyday during the winter?"
She looks up at me with hope in her eyes. "Would you really?"
"It's not like I can visit anyone else. No one else can see me, remember?"
I raised my voice slightly.
She looks at me as if she had said the wrong thing to me, as if she didn't want it to lead back to me not being seen and people walking through me.
"Jack, I-I didn't mean-"
"I know you didn't. Don't worry. You worry far too much. I just need to be careful, that's all."
I really didn't mean to yell at her, she never raises her voice. She never lost her composure. I always seemed to.
Cyndra coughed and then shivered, taking me out of my thoughts.
"I think it's time to get you home, you shouldn't be out in the cold for so long."
"But Jack, I don't want to leave. I want to stay here." I saw the look she was giving me. She really did want to stay. She didn't want to be alone again, now that she had a friend again. I could see all of that in those brown eyes of hers.
"I won't leave, I promise, but you really should get home. I'll take you. I'll even stay. I know what it's like to be alone, and you don't deserve it."
Did I really just say that? I watch as her face turns scarlet. It really brought out her eyes. She seemed almost reluctant to accept going home though.
"Fine, Jack. I'll go home. But please don't leave me by myself, I just got a brand new friend." I smirk at her. She seems devastated.
All I did was smirk because that friend happens to be me, what could have possibly devastated her so much.
"Jack, You're right. It's freezing out here."
"Told you." I smile again.
She laughs. "Alright, alright. I get it. Go home, but you won't be alone?"
"You've got it."
I scoop her up into my arms, making her land bridal style in them. She was shocked the whole time as I flew to her house, carrying her as such.
I land gracefully on her front porch, setting her on her feet so she could unlock the door. I hear the lock click before I scoop her up again and carry her into her room, shutting the front door with my foot.
I place her on her bed and look down at her. She's still shocked, but that will melt away before long.
She sits back up on her bed and stares at me.
"How, exactly, do you know where my room is?"
"I happened to be at your house 8 years ago?"
"Oh, yeah. Well, It still scares me, what you seem to remember, what I don't know."
I laugh. "Well, I guess I should go now." I walk to her window, trying to hide my smile.
"W-What? You're L-leaving?"
I open the window, pretending to get ready to leave. I stick both of my feet out of the window and jump.
I stop halfway down and slowly float back up to her window. Cyndra is sitting on her bed, staring at me.
"Jack, you really scared me. I really thought you were gonna leave. I guess you would have to, but I didn't want you to."
"Cyndra, I am the guardian of fun. I won't leave you like that, especially not you. You've only got me. And actually I don't have to. There are other winter sprites out there, making it ice and snow, but I am the most well known, and a guardian. We don't break little children's hearts like that." I smirk as I say children. All it does is make Cyndra laugh.
"Jack, if I could only have one friend, I would be glad if I could just have you."
I feel heat rise to my face. Odd, Normally I am freezing, without much warmth.
"Jack! You're blushing!"
That explains the heat. "Would you really? Would you really be happy if you had just me as your only friend?"
"Of course. No one else is like you. You are one of a kind and a really great friend!"
"You know what? You wanna go somewhere? Somewhere that's not, technically, freezing?"
She nods in agreement, smiling.
"Where, Jack?"
"Surprise."
I grab one of North's snow globes from my pocket, softly whispering"North Pole" before throwing it at Cyndra's wall. Picking Cyndra up the same way I brought her into her room, I jumped through the portal, landing agily on my feet.
"Woah." Cyndra's shocked voice fills the empty room.