A/N Wow. I am so sry it's been so long! I have a list of excuses: sickness, moving, writer's block, but I know that doesn't make it any better. I was a complete and utter jerk for not putting a note up letting you guys know what was going on. Please, my dear readers, find it in your hearts to forgive my stupidity. I'm trying to bribe you guys with another chapter, the longest so far. Please accept this peace offering.
Disclaimer: Yeah, I noticed I wasn't doing this. SRY! *clears throat* I do not own Jack or the Guardians. I just own Bliss. Thank you.
It's been four days since Jack Frost discovered me. Four days since he issued his, "This Winter will never be forgotten" challenge. It seems to me like he's gone out of his way to make sure that happens. The temperature has rapidly dropped and already American weather men are saying it may be one of the coldest winters in years. So far he has only stuck to making America colder, probably can't do the whole world, but one country is enough to throw me off balance.
Every five seconds there's a new blizzard or snow storm showing up somewhere and I'm left trying to fix the problems that they cause. Kids think this is great, they don't have to go to school, but adults are freaking out. I've had to work overtime to keep the spirits up for people over the age of fifteen; everyone younger doesn't seem to mind.
I've been tempted several times the past four days to hunt down Jack Frost and give him a piece of my mind. It's not exactly very Spirit-like of me but I just can't help it! It's very irritating to have my whole schedule thrown off balance because one Spirit feels like he has to get the best of me. I'd love to melt all this ridiculous snow but I know I can't. It's not time for Spring and bringing it early would only confuse the mortals.
I take a deep breath of air, wincing as the sharp cold burns down my airway. It's so cold out that even my naturally warm body is feeling it. I'm still in America, I like to stay in one place during my week of work, but this cold is getting harder and harder to take. I don't like the cold; I don't like the snow that's piled up all around me. It's only the mortals I must help that keep me here; otherwise I would leave without a backwards glance. They're the reason I've spent thousands of years on this earth, the reason why I exist. I owe it to them not to abandon ship at the first sign of trouble.
I'm watching ten children, all around the age of seven; swarm their teacher who is getting them ready to go to a small coffee shop close by their school. They're so excited to have a 'field trip' and their sweet smiles make my heart melt. They live in a poor part of town and getting to go anywhere to eat is a big deal, and a coffee shop with pastries and sweets is the greatest thing ever in their eyes.
I'm standing in front of a window, watching from outside their classroom to make sure everything goes according to plan for them. I would hate it if something was to happen and they couldn't do this one little thing, if those adorable smiles were to disappear. These children need joy, they have precious little in their daily lives. If making sure they make it to a coffee shop safely is all I have to do to bring joy into their hearts, I'll do it with all that's inside of me. They're depending on me, even if they don't know it.
Suddenly the hair on the back of my neck stands up as the air starts to rapidly cool, turning a cold winter day into an artic freeze. The wind starts to pick up, freezing anyone dumb enough to still be outside to the bone. My body starts to shiver and I wish that I had some sort of fluffy coat, a wish that has never before crossed my mind.
I wrap my arms around myself and land, the wind making it too hard to float. I can barely see into the classroom now, my rather short height bothering me for the first time in a long time. I peek in and am horrified to see another teacher talking to the first, gesturing outside with a worried look on his face. The first teacher looks outside and her face falls, taking in the strong wind and glancing over at their thermometer which says the temperature is somewhere below zero.
She looks back at the kids and winces, and I know that she's going to call off the visit to the coffee shop.
"No!" I yell, "Not now!"
The first teacher kneels down till she's eye level with the kids. She smiles sadly and puts her hands on two shoulders. Her mouth moves and I watch the kids, their smiles starting to slip and their eyes starting to fill with tears. My heart clenches when I feel how deep their sorrow runs and I can't believe how close I was to helping them.
I turn away from the window and stomp my foot against the snow. Stupid weather! Stupid, good for nothing, cold weather! I can't believe I failed those kids. I thought I had it! I thought I would be able to help them! I thought it was going to be ok! But no, reality apparently doesn't like me very much right now because it stepped in my way, bringing all my plans to a halt.
There are always times when I fail; I can't have it my way all the time. But I really wanted this to work…and it hurts to think I wasn't able to help. It hurts to think that all that's standing in front of me is the weather, nature, something that I can normally control. I normally don't interfere with nature but I think I'll have to make an exception today.
I hold my hands out and close my eyes, trying to raise the temperature just a bit but I can't. Something is working against me. I open my eyes and look around, trying to find the source of my opposition, but I see nothing. Frustrated I walk away from the school, heading to the edge of town, still searching for whatever it is that is holding back my warmth.
I haven't gone far when I see it. A huge mass of ice cold winds and snow is swirling just outside of town, building in strength. I raise my hands once again and blast it with warmth, giving it all I've got. But nothing happens. The storm cloud refuses to be bothered by my attempts to destroy it.
I stare at it, shocked that nothing happened. I've taken on blizzards before, there's nothing new to that, and won. What is going on here? Blizzards are just a product of nature; they don't have the power to defy my warmth! That goes against everything they are! The only way a blizzard could be unaffected is if my power is gone, which it's not, or if someone else is sustaining it.
Someone with powers over winter. Someone who can control ice storms and blizzards. Someone who is out to mess with me.
Someone very much like Jack Frost.
I clench my teeth and think some very nasty things about the stupid Winter Boy. I throw up my hands and blast the blizzard one more time, desperately trying to rid the town of it. I give everything I've got, the rest of my powers that I was saving to use to finish off the week. I want to make those kids happy, even if it's the last thing I do this week. Even if using this much power puts me in a coma for months. I want to at least try.
The last ounce of power drains from my body and I collapse into the snow, entirely spent. The last time I was this spent was right after I was created, when I was still learning how to control myself. For the first time in a couple thousand years, I have no power inside me at all. The feeling is cold and empty; I miss my warmth that usually resides safely inside. I miss the tingle of power in my veins, reminding me of my duty. They duty I swore The Man in the Moon I would do with all I have.
I wrap my arms around myself and stand up shakily, blinking the spots out of my eyes in order to see if the blizzard is still gathering. When I catch sigh of the whirling funnel of cold wind and snow, I feel my knees give out and I fall to the snow once again. All my power, all my strength, hasn't helped at all. The blizzard is still there, still strong, still tearing apart everything I have worked so hard to do in this town.
It hurts. It hurts so much to know that I failed. I haven't failed this hard in many, many, many years. It's humbling and heartbreaking all at the same time. I'm not all powerful, I can't always win. Spring does have to bow to winter sometimes; I do have to kneel to the power of Jack Frost. The realization infuriates me. I can't believe that Jack Frost, a complete jerk not to mention an extremely young Spirit, has bested me. Me! The very first spirit to be created, the very first spirit to walk this earth, the very first spirit to help mortals, the one who had no life other than this!
"It must be the age," a voice says behind me, "Grandma's losing her powers, eh?"
My head spins around, searching for the mocking voice that I instantly recognize. The sight of him leaning against a tree, not five feet from me, twirling his staff with a huge grin on his face makes me want to murder him. I honestly want to see him dead and the thought rather scares me. I'm the Spirit of Joy; I'm not supposed to be feeling this anger. It's not natural. It's not right. The fact that he's the reason I'm feeling this just makes me angrier but I can't let him know how much he's bothering me. I'm the older one, I must act mature. I must be the wise guiding Spirit I was created to be.
"Jack Frost," I greet him, keeping my voice calm and controlled.
He laughs and pushes himself off the tree and walks over to where I'm sitting. He leans over and offers me his hand, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Come on Gram, let me help you up."
His self-satisfied smirk nearly sends me over the edge. Stay cool, I chant to myself over and over, don't let him win. I have never had this kind of trouble before; I have always managed to keep a clear and calm head. It galls me that he can so easily destroy thousands of years of work.
"No thank you," I snap, "I am perfectly capable of getting up on my own."
"Oh, of course," Jack Frost says, straightening up and backing away.
I ignore the grin on his face and push myself up, my knees still weak. I wobble and I throw my arms out to try and regain some balance but they do no good. Before I can blink, I'm down in the snow again, my backside sore. I'm stuck between crying and screaming when loud snickers catch my attention. I turn and glare at Winter Boy who's making no effort to hide his mirth.
He moves forward to grab my arm and I jerk it away, unable to stomach his help. He ignores me and grabs both my arms, pulling me up. Once I'm on my feet, his arm slips around my waist and holds me up, giving my legs a chance to recover.
"You're welcome," he says cheerfully, like it isn't his fault I ended up like this to begin with.
"Thanks," I say icily, "Thanks for destroying my work, exhausting my power, and then helping me up afterwards. Your kindness amazes me."
The frigidness of my voice surprises him and it surprises me too. I have never used that tone of voice, never! What's happening to me? Why am I so angry?
He recovers from his surprise and rolls his eyes.
"Look Gram, it's not my fault you went all crazy and tried to blast my blizzard. Next time, don't mess with things you don't have power over."
"I had to!" I yell, making him wince.
"Watch it!" He says, frowning at me, "You just about killed my eardrums. You don't have to scream, I can hear you just fine."
I breathe out through my nose and try to calm myself down a bit. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, trying to relax. The feeling of such intense anger is completely foreign to me and I'm not quite sure how to handle it.
"I had to," I say again, this time quieter, "You're blizzard is ruining my work!"
"How on earth is it ruining your work?" He asks, looking at me like I'm crazy, "It's not even spring yet."
I snort.
"Don't play innocent! You've been stalking me trying to prove that winter is better than spring! You've been purposely doing things to make my job harder hoping to throw me off so I won't be able to focus on spring when it arrives! Don't deny it!"
He looks at me, studying my face slowly. Then he busts out laughing. I grit my teeth and push away, finally able to stand without his help and disgusted by his touch. The feelings of rage bubble inside and it's all I can do not to claw at his face.
"Stop laughing!" I tell him, my voice getting less angry and more desperate as I rein in my anger, "It's not funny! You're not just affecting me; you're affecting the humans! You're supposed to be a Spirit; Spirits help humans, not harm them! All you're doing by bothering me is harming them! Please, please, stop!"
He stops laughing and stares at me.
"I'm not purposely trying to interfere with your work!" He says, and at my look of disbelief continues, "I mean, yeah, I've been working extra hard to keep America especially cold but believe me, I was just as surprised as you to find you here. Honest."
The look of sincerity in his eyes makes me believe him, even though I don't want to. My shoulders slump and my anger flees, leaving me cold, weak, and empty. I'm ashamed that in my moment of weakness, without my power that keeps me sane, that reminds me who I am, I turned to anger to fuel me. I can't do that. Anger is a dark emotion, a wrong emotion and I, as a pure Spirit, shouldn't be allowing myself to use it.
Taking another deep breath I then expel it slowly, calming my mind and allowing peace to return. I'm still empty but at least now I won't be turning to a dark emotion. I hold onto the calmness inside and look up at Jack Frost, trying not to hold it against him that it's his fault I allowed anger to take a hold. Resentment isn't any better than anger. Being annoyed by someone is one thing, letting anger for that person take over is quite another.
"I believe you," I say slowly, "I'm sorry for getting angry. I lose control of my emotions when I'm powerless."
That's the reason I make sure to rest every week and build my power up again. I can't allow this to happen. Dark emotions destroy pure Spirits, turning them into Demons. I have seen it happen, I should know better.
"Don't worry about it Gram," Jack Frost says, his carefree attitude returning, "I get it, you're old age is making you crabby. It's ok, I forgive you."
I feel my eye twitch and I swallow hard, trying to keep control of the calmness inside. Why does he have to do that? Why does he have to push me like that? It's like he is trying to make me lose control! Honestly, doesn't he know what happens when a Spirit gives in to dark emotions once too many times?
"Thank you," I say, as graciously as I can.
I turn to walk away, not able to muster enough strength to fly yet. It looks like I'm going to have to sleep down here, a prospect I'm not looking forward to.
"Hey, Gram!" He calls out from behind me.
I turn back and raise my eyebrows in question. He gestures to the blizzard and when I look at it, I notice that it's starting to lose power. I watch, wide eyed, until it fades all together. The sky clears and the sun once again is out, trying to warm the freezing world. I look back at Jack Frost and he's looking at me with a smirk.
"Didn't want you to worry," he said, "Worry is bad for women at such an advanced as yourself."
He winks, still grinning, then turns and flies away. I watch him go until I can no longer see his blue hoodie. Turning once again back towards the town, I start to make my way through the snow. It's not as cold now that the blizzard is gone and my natural warmth is starting to heat my body again. I don't look forward to sleeping down here, but I know I'll manage.
The day has ended up not being as awful as I had thought it would be when I first realized I had failed. Sure, Winter Boy had caused me no end of trouble, but at least no one was really hurt by it. He was irritating, but that wouldn't kill me. I would just have to learn to get used to him and his infuriating habit of driving me crazy without getting angry.
Jack's face, grinning as he dismantles the blizzard, pops into my mind and I suddenly feel warm inside. It's a warmth completely different from the one I'm used to. I briefly wonder what's wrong with me, if perhaps the anger has affected my mind, but then his twinkling blue eyes fill my thoughts and everything else lessens in comparison.
A/N So, did my peace offering work? Let me know! I know I don't deserve any reviews, but…I would still really like some…just one? Please? *puppy eyes*
~Sunshine