Author's Note: ...
...
...So...um...I missed an update yesterday...QwQ And that's on me because I completely forgot that my family and I were going out to see family (like, completely OuO). So, yeah. I deeply apologize for that. XD
Anyway, hello all you awesome people! =D It's Moonie here, and I'm back with another chapter for "The Winter Child!" =D I'm in an extra peppy mood today since one of my top favorite ROTG authors just returned from a long hiatus (RainyRaven9, go check out her stories! =D And when you come to read this after binging all my other work, thank you so much for your shout-out! I never forgot XD).
This chapter I had a ton of fun writing this. It contains some more sister/brother Jack and Katherine for all you sister/brother Katherine and Jackie fans out there. =3 With that, I hope you enjoy this chapter! ^u^
~ XXVII ~
Icy Jealousy
She was his bestest friend
His bestest friend
So when she started avoiding him
Jack felt compelled to step in
...
It was a pleasant day in the village of Santoff Claussen as Jack skipped down the path leading to Big Root. The sun smiled down the quaint little village as everyone went hither and thither, creating magical inventions or tending to the daily tasks of the day. The winter breeze wrapped and tickled Jack's cheeks as he made his way to the large tree that stood in the heart of the village. He was on his way to ask Katherine to play, and he felt very much like an adult since North let him go by himself. As expected, he had to head straight home afterward, but Jack savored this moment of freedom. The little snow sprite waved to those who passed by and greeted those he spoke to him. Jack smirked proudly to himself. Yes, he was greatly enjoying this.
But aside from being able to walk out on his own—at least, for that particular day—you must wonder why our young snow sprite was off to Big Root. That had an obvious answer: to see Katherine! He wanted to invite her over to play. North had recently finished adding modifications to his train set. Steam engines were fun, but steam engines with wings? Now that was truly astounding. How North did it, Jack didn't know, but the train was capable of flying, and the winter child wanted Katherine to see it.
She had been rather busy lately, though Jack couldn't put a finger on why. So as he happily skipped his way to the Heart of Santoff Claussen, he hoped he'd find Katherine at a good time.
Luck was on his side, for when he arrived, Jack found the young girl sitting on the front steps, doodling in her sketchbook. After discovering the magical sketchbook in the library, North had gotten a new one for young Katherine so she could continue making her artwork.
Jack smiled as he approached. "Hey, bestest friend!" he called.
Katherine looked up upon hearing his voice. She smiled, closed her sketchbook, and set it aside. "Oh, hello, Jack! I didn't see you there. Where's North?"
Jack smirked. "North, let me walk here all by myself. I'm an adult now!"
Katherine laughed. "I think you still have a bit of growing to do, but I'm glad you feel independent."
Jack hummed. "Anyway, I came to see if you'd like to come over and play. North did something really amazing to one of my toys, and I want to show you!"
Katherine knew of the fantastical inventions that North created, so her eyes flickered with curiosity. But, surprisingly, she turned down the offer.
"I'm sorry, Jack, but I can't," she said. Jack faltered. "I have to help Ombric reorganize books in the library."
Jack felt disappointed; he was really looking forward to showing Katherine his flying trains, but he nodded. "Okay. Maybe some other time?"
"Definitely," Katherine replied with a smile. She ruffled Jack's hair and said goodbye, then headed inside Big Root. Jack turned around and walked back to North's to play with his toys for the rest of the morning.
…
Later that day, North and Jack set out to visit Aster. The Pooka had something he wanted to show North, and Jack wanted to join him (the snow sprite loved going anywhere with North). Jack carried Wawa with him as they walked through the village. As they made their way through, Jack spotted Katherine as they passed Big Root. He was about to call out a hello when he saw Sascha, Petter, and the youngest Willam walking with her. They all laughed about something Jack couldn't hear, and Katherine held the door open for them as they entered the tree.
Katherine had said she was busy with Ombric…but why were Sascha, Petter, and William the Absolute Youngest playing with her? An odd feeling rose in Jack's chest; he didn't know what to call it then, but what he felt was jealousy.
North and Jack arrived at Aster's cottage, and the young snow sprite played on the floor with his stuffed animal as Aster and North discussed behind him. He tried to show no emotion, but a frown tugged at the winter child's lips. He couldn't stop thinking about what he had just witnessed…Had Katherine lied to him?
Jack shook his head. No, she couldn't have! Katherine was the most honest person he knew! The girl probably had a good reason why she invited the three children over…Perhaps she needed extra help moving books in the library?
But wouldn't she have invited me too? Jack thought to himself. He set down Wawa and stared out the window. And they looked like they were having a lot of fun…They might not have even been working in the library. Jack's frown deepened into a scowl. But why wouldn't she have invited me?
North noticed the disgruntled look on Jack's face. "Jack? Are you alright, moy mal'chik?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine," the boy lied. North nodded slowly and turned back to Aster. Jack picked up Wawa and stared into her blue button eyes.
Tomorrow, he'd ask Katherine about what he had seen. He hoped that she had a good explanation.
…
The children were attentive and focused as Ombric reviewed the math they had covered in the previous week. A test was coming soon, and a child had requested a review, so Ombric kindly went through their previous lessons again and advised everyone to take notes. Jack tried his best to focus, but Katherine was sitting right next to him. He waited until Ombric turned back to the chalkboard, then seized his chance.
"Pssst…Katherine!"
The grey-eyed girl looked up and turned. Jack was looking at her.
"Jack? Do you need something?" she whispered.
"No, I mean, yes, but…" he shook his head. "I saw you playing with Sascha, Petter, and William the Absolute Youngest the other day. Why didn't you invite me? I thought you said you were busy."
Katherine tucked a loose curl behind her ear. "Oh…well, I was helping them with a project," she replied. "It was all very last minute."
"...Oh."
Jack was silent for some time, so Katherine placed a hand on his shoulder, rousing him out of his thoughts. "I'll make it up to you, bestest friend. I promise," she said.
Hesitatingly, Jack nodded. "Okay." And the two returned their focus back to class.
For the first time in their friendship, Jack had trouble believing her.
…
For the next few days, it seemed as if Katherine was avoiding Jack. Whenever he asked her to play, she told him she was busy or had something else to do. He sometimes found her doing nothing at all, and yet she'd say she was busy.
Jack would catch her spending time with the other village children. They would laugh and play and run off into the woods and wouldn't return until evening, laughing and smiling. When Jack asked the other children—the Williams, Sascha, Petter, or Fog—what they had been doing, they pretended they didn't hear him or replied with answers like, "Oh, you know…just playing with Bear." "Having a tag game with the fireflies!" "Sascha was showing us her new climbing gloves and shoes. We would've invited you, but you weren't around."
Lies, lies, lies. They were all lies, and Jack knew it. He started to wonder if all of his friends were evading him for something he did. Although Jack couldn't think of anything that he had done that could've offended his friends. He'd ask Katherine directly, but even she wouldn't give him an authentic answer. Soon, Jack stopped asking her to play entirely. The winter child had never felt so miserable.
Had he done something wrong? Did they not want to be his friends anymore? And what of Katherine? She had sworn that they'd be bestest friends forever. Was the pinky promise really as genuine as she made it sound? Jack felt like he was losing Katherine…and he didn't like that feeling at all.
Jack decided to consult North, who always gave him good advice. The ex-Cossack was in his study, working on a peculiar-looking funnel. On any other day, Jack would've questioned what it was. But today, he was focused on fixing his friendship with Katherine. He explained to North what had been happening, and the ex-Cossack listened. When Jack finished speaking, the ex-Cossack got up and walked over to the winter child.
"I'm sure she doesn't mean to ignore you," said North.
"But every time I ask her to play, she says she can't because she's busy!" Jack cried. "And then I see her playing with the other kids! Sh-She's…She's leaving me!"
Jack's eyes welled with tears at the thought of Katherine abandoning him. She was his best friend, his first friend. As much as Jack loved spending time with the other children, Katherine had been the first to interact with him in class. Jack loved Katherine's company; she was a wonderful friend. They had so much fun together…the winter child didn't want to lose her.
North softened and he lifted the boy into his arms to comfort him. The six-year-old buried his face into his red shoulder, crying softly. North gently rubbed his back.
"Why don't you go and talk to her tomorrow, da?" suggested North.
Jack pulled away and sniffed. "W-Will that work?"
North wiped Jack's tears away with his thumb. "It's good to talk when these things happen. Katherine may have a good reason why she is avoiding you, and you should ask her. I'm sure she doesn't mean any harm."
"I hope so…" murmured Jack. He wiped his nose and nodded. "Okay. I'll talk to her tomorrow."
North smiled. "That's my boy."
…
The next morning, Jack headed straight for Big Root. He was going to talk to Katherine. He hadn't seen the young girl in the village that day, so Jack assumed that she was at Big Root with Ombric. Though the morning was pleasant, Jack didn't pay much mind to it. He was too busy rehearsing what he was going to say to Katherine when he got to her.
Jack didn't know if Katherine was purposefully ignoring him, or if she was unintentionally doing so. He hoped it was the latter, for if it were the former, the winter child didn't know what he would do. If Katherine wouldn't be his best friend anymore then…who would?
Jack marched up the steps of Big Root and held his little fist to the door. He paused, having second thoughts about speaking to the young Shalazar. North had offered to accompany him, but Jack insisted that he wanted to do this on his own. He was grown up now; he could handle his own problems. Though now, he wished North were there to give him a bit of encouragement.
Jack huffed and shook his head. He had to do this—he needed to do this. So, he knocked on the door. Once, twice, thrice. Then waited for someone to open the door.
Ombric was the one who answered. "Why, hello, Jack," he greeted kindly. "What brings you here?"
"Is Katherine home?" asked Jack. "I, uh…I need to talk to her."
"She isn't here at the moment," replied Ombric. Jack faltered. "But, I did see her and the other children head into the forest some time ago. You should find her there."
"Okay. Thank you!" said Jack. He turned around and bolted for the great forest that surrounded Santoff Claussen. The village was surrounded by four lines of defense: a great hedge wall, the Bear, the ephemeral Spirit of the Forest, and the forest itself. These barriers kept Santoff Claussen safe from what lay beyond and protected them from those who came to the village with ill intent. Of course, those who had business with the villagers there or visiting family were allowed to enter, but those who came and left Santoff Claussen were checked and regulated.
The children often played with the woodland creatures that inhabited the woods. They were quite knowledgeable in most of the animal languages like caterpillar, worm, squirrel or chipmunk. The harder languages included lunar moth, firefly, or owl, but the children knew a phrase or two in these dialects.
Jack didn't stop to greet the animals below or wave to the ones that dwelled in the trees. He could hear the children ahead of him, and he slipped behind a nearby tree and watched the clearing in which they were standing. Everyone was there: Sascha, Petter, Fog, all the Williams, and Katherine. They were sitting around something, but Jack couldn't see from his position. What he could perceive was the laughter and fun that the kids were having…without him. Jack felt his heart sink as the children chattered and laughed together. And when Katherine began laughing too, something inside Jack snapped.
"I thought you said you were busy!" shouted Jack, stepping out of his hiding place. The children stopped laughing, suddenly, and Katherine turned around. Her eyes widened.
"J-Jack? What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I should be asking you that question!" Jack snapped. "You've been lying to me! You're always saying that you're busy, but then you go and play with everyone else!"
Jack balled his fists "I'm your bestest friend!" he cried. "But you never spend time with me anymore!"
Katherine faltered. "Jack—
"Katherine can have more than one best friend," Fog interrupted.
"No, she can't!" Jack shot back.
"Why not?" asked Petter.
Jack turned blue (snow sprites blushed blue when angered or flustered, but their blood is very much red mind you) and squeezed his fists, shaking with emotion.
"Because she's MY Katherine!" Jack exploded. And with that, he grabbed Katherine's wrist and dragged her out of the woods.
…
Katherine was more than shocked by Jack's sudden outburst. She had never seen the winter child so upset. To see the boy that was almost always happy shouting at her and her friends like that left Katherine wondering if she had made the right decision in participating in their little plan.
Katherine didn't struggle as Jack dragged her along with him, but she did stop him once they reached the edge of the village.
"Jack, wait," said Katherine. The winter child stopped and turned around, his childish features still contorted with a scowl. Katherine felt even worse. "I know that you're upset, but please listen to me. This is all a misunderstanding…"
"I think I understand clearly!" snapped Jack, but Katherine knew that he wasn't angry. By the young snow sprite's sapphire eyes, she saw that he was deeply hurt. "You don't wanna be my friend anymore, and you're gonna leave me all alone!" Jack's lower lip trembled. "You lied to me! You said we'd be best friends forever, but we're not!"
Katherine bent down in front of Jack. "Oh, Jack…it's okay to have more than one best friend you know," she said softly. Jack looked at her. The grey-eyed girl looked down remorsefully. "And…I'm sorry that it appeared that I was avoiding you. And for lying. You see, the others and I were acting so secretive because we were working on something special."
Jack's eyebrows raised, and from the woods emerged the other children of Santoff Claussen. Each held one part of a long banner that read "Happy Birthday, Jack!" In bright blue letters. It was decorated with charms, buttons, glitter, flowers, and trinkets. Markers and paint had been used to draw various snowflakes and shapes on the long sheet of paper. Jack stared, shocked.
"We were making a surprise for you," explained Katherine. "We wanted to keep it a secret, but I feel awful for lying. It was supposed to be an early birthday present…I'm so sorry, Jack."
"Us too," Sascha said.
"We hope you aren't too mad," said Tall William.
But Jack was too stunned to speak. All this time, they were making him a birthday present. And he had just yelled at all of them!
Tears welled in Jack's eyes, but they were tears of joy. Katherine and the other children thought he was still upset with them. The winter child shook his head and quickly explained.
"I…I'm sorry for yelling," apologized Jack. He wiped his eyes and looked at Katherine. "I'm just glad you guys aren't leaving me alone."
"I'd never leave you, Jack," said Katherine. She held his hand. "You're my bestest friend. And bestest friends stick together."
Jack grinned and squeezed Katherine's hand. The youngest William spoke up.
"Um…why do you guys call each other 'bestest friend?'" he asked.
Jack and Katherine looked at each other and smiled.
"It's a bestest friend thing," they answered in unison.
Author's Note: "Because she's MY Katherine!" - Jack Frost. I'm just going to go ahead and place this quote on my wall. XD
I know this story idea has been used...several times before, but it's just too cute. =3 And if you want some background on the "bestest friend" thing, go check out chapter seventeen "First School Day." =D
Anyway, that's all I've got! Thank you guys so much for reading, and I hope to see you in the next chapter! =3
Until the next chapter!
~BeyondTheMoon1203