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3. Unrealized
Fall's end was near, mostly all leafs had already switched their places from the plants to the earth. The ground was painted red, yellow and brown in autumn's colors. The wind blew harsher and colder, the earth had cooled down and thin sheets of ice formed in the night to melt once more in the morning.
Children were waiting anxiously for the arrival of winter. Days full of snowball fights, building snowmen and sledding filled their heads. Adults were afraid of winter's harshness that was about to come. They didn't think about all the fun in the snow they could have. They worried about how they were going to get enough food and wood to keep them full and warm before the cold season began.
In no time at all winter arrived and so with it so did Jack Frost. It was him who brought the first snowfall and it was him who left beautiful patterns of frost on every surface he touched. Every snowflake, every frost pattern was unique.
Fortunately he didn't have to consciously come up with each design or it would take him far longer to spread ice and snow around the world than it did now.
"It's good to finally be home again," the boy cheerfully said to no one in particular. His 'home' as he fondly calls it is actually a village near the place he woke up from for the first time. Inside a small forest there was a pond surrounded by trees. It wasn't an unusual sight to see children play on its frozen surface during winter and swim in its warm water once summer came.
Every time Jack saw kids play around on the ice there were adults not too far away. Of course he understood that they were just trying to keep their kids safe but it still irked him slightly every time he spotted them. They couldn't possibly know he was there but he still watched after the children every time they set foot on his pond, doing his best to keep them out of danger.
It was his pond after all. It was the place he experienced his first memory, where he had learned his name and had explored the powers he wielded. And it was over this particular pond the Moon spoke to him. The first and last time someone spoke to him, had known he existed.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by children's laughter that rang across the main area in the middle of the village. Boys and girls alike ran out of their homes to play in the first snowfall of the season.
Big smiles and rosy cheeks adorned their faces while they enjoyed winters arrival.
Jack laughed as he watched their enthusiasm, glad he could bring joy to them by simply being there.
A now familiar weight that had settled in his chest disappeared and soon he was running along with the kids, his laughter ringing along with theirs.
When enough snow had fallen Jack gathered a handful to form a snowball. A smirk spread across his face and with an eager chuckle he breathed onto it to harden the snow with ice. He looked around searching for a target, his gaze flying around until it landed on a girl with brown hair and eyes that sat alone and hadn't joined he other's. Instead she was watching them while they played around. Her head was bowed slightly, her hands wrapped around her knees that she had pressed against her chest.
No child should look that sad while he was around to cheer them up. And that was exactly why he had to brighten her mood no matter what it cost.
Jack took his time aiming at her, making sure he wouldn't miss. After he had thrown one of his special snowballs that always managed to cheer others up, he leant against his staff to enjoy her reaction. Instead of smiling or getting annoyed like he expected her to she merely looked around as if searching for someone. After a few moments of silent searching tears gathered in her eyes and with a sob she stood abruptly up to run away, disappearing inside the forest.
As he watched this, his eyes had widened and his previously still outstretched arm had fallen limply down at his side. "What…did just happen?" As he looked around he noticed the serious and sad expressions that had appeared on the children's faces. No one was playing around anymore after the girl had taken off.
Did they know what all that was about? He wished they could answer his questions to clear his confusion and ease the guilt that had begun to build in him. He didn't mean for that to happen, he merely wanted to cheer her up a bit, to have fun with her. What had happened instead was no fun at all.
"She's always so boring now since you-know-what happened," a boy around twelve years old muttered frowning. The girl next to him pushed her elbow harshly into his side and shot him an angry look.
"Stop talking about it," she hissed, "everyone's missing him but what had happened hit her the hardest even though many winters have passed since. My mom told me all about it." Various children nodded in agreement. A few moments passed until they reluctantly went back to their game although it was with less enthusiasm than before.
Even more confused than before Jack looked in the direction the girl had run off to, than back to the other kids. He wanted to know what all that was about but he also wanted to enjoy his first day back home with the kids. "It's not like I can't play with them tomorrow again…" Convinced he turned around and took off into the sky unnoticed.
Freshly fallen snow covered the ground burrowing dead leafs and plenty of tree branches. Silence rang around the forest. Even the animals' sounds were softened by the snow, barely audible. A few birds' tracks were scattered across the snow but most of it was left untouched.
A lone set of footprints disappeared from the village deep into the forest. The boots that had left the track were too small to be from an adult but too large to be from a child. Jack left no trace behind while he followed the teenager's footprints.
Reaching his destination he spotted the girl standing at the edge of his pond. She stood there not making a sound, her hands balled into fists at her sides. Her back was straight, her shoulders tense.
Strands of her hair had been blown into her face but she didn't seem to notice or just didn't care about it. Eyes fixed on the water she began to shake after a shot moment where he hovered in the air watching silently. First it her fists began to shake, her arms soon followed. It wasn't long until her whole body was shaking.
It didn't seem to be caused only by the cold, it rather looked like she was doing her best to not shout and rage because of too many emotions inside of her. Her brows were furrowed, eyes damp and her mouth pressed into a thin line.
He could understand how she felt; he knew what others would see when he felt that way. He had seen it often enough reflected off of ice. His face then looked exactly like hers did right now. The similarity was almost scary; their expression looked so much alike.
Jack didn't know what made her feel so miserable but it really shouldn't matter because no child deserved to be in such a deplorable condition. Not when it could be so easily solved, having people that loved them and were able to cheer them up and help them. But this girl was alone right now safe for him but she didn't know he was there. Either no one knew how to help her or there was no one to do it.
No one like there wasn't anyone who was there for him when he needed it.
Frost spread on top of the water when he hovered in front of the girl, above the pond's surface.
Tears fell out of her eyes while she watched the frost spread. He thought it was beautiful but she didn't look like she agreed. Instead her shaking got worse until she sank to her knees, sobs wrecking her slim body.
"…", his mouth opened but no sound came out. He didn't know what to say. It didn't matter either way since she couldn't have heard him anyway. He wanted to calm her down so much but when his hand reached out to touch her shoulder he stopped before he touched her. "Stupid. She can't see you anyway," he muttered, his shoulders drooping. With a sigh he wrapped his hand back around his staff.
Jack wanted to make her happy but she hadn't reacted well anytime he had used his powers. Talking to her wasn't an option either so what was left that he could do?
"Maybe…Hey Wind!" he shouted. The response he got propelled him a few feet into the air which caused him to laugh loudly. "You see the girl that's moping at the edge of my pond Wind? Make her laugh!" He was grinning like a loon, eagerly anticipating her reaction towards Wind's antics.
But no matter what it did nothing seemed to lift the girl's spirit. Her expression stayed mournful and her eyes never wavered from the spot somewhere in the middle of the pond she had fixed her gaze upon.
"Hm…what to do now?" he asked tapping his fingers against his chin.
Before he could come up with something else to do, a noise he hadn't expected startled him out of his musings. Lowering to the ground again to look her in the face he listened silently while she spoke.
The girl had closed her eyes. "Jack…" she began her voice thick from tears but she didn't finish whatever she wanted to say, instead squeezing her eyes shut more tightly and sobbing.
"Did you…did you just…?" he stuttered with wide eyes. Was this really happening? Could she really see him? Hope blossomed in him leaving him unable to think clearly, ignoring the fact that she hadn't reacted to anything he said or did before.
He had been alone for so long it physically hurt him when he thought about it too hard. But maybe this could all end now…Maybe his only wish would finally come true!
Jack kneeled down in front of the first person that could possibly see him.
Slowly, hesitantly his arm reached forward, towards her but before his fingertips touched her he hesitated. Doubts filled him and fear rushed through him.
What if…what if it wasn't real? What if all of this was a dream and he would wake up as soon as he would touch her? He didn't want to wake up, not when he came so close.
He shook his head before he determinedly lowered his arm onto her shoulder-
just to pass right through her.
His hand snapped back as if burned and a pained whimper escaped him. The all too familiar ache that always came before he had to cry left him curled in on himself. Soon tears spilled down his cheeks to freeze on his pale face, two children crying together and still all alone.
She couldn't see him…no one could see him. He was and will be on his own forever. He couldn't let himself believe anything else; it hurt too much when his hopes were shattered again and again.
"I'm so sorry," the girl whispered as if in answer to his anguish, "I miss you Jack. Every day I remember all the games and tricks you played. I wish you were still here…Everything's just so dull without you. Nothing is fun anymore." With a deep sigh she rose, wiping tears onto her sleeve and took one last look around before she turned and made her way back home, not realizing that she left her dead brother behind to wallow alone in his misery.