Warning: If the first chapter didn't clue you in, please note that this is rated T for a reason. There will be violence, cursing, and anything I feel like putting in. Probably no romance or sexuality.
2: Why Winter and Summer Never Touch
"Incoming!" Jamie Bennett dove out of the way as Jack zoomed by, laughing at the spray of ice dust left in his wake. Now fourteen, Jamie had developed a surprising resemblance to his best friend, the only real differences being coloring, clothes, and hair length. While no longer a child, Jamie and his friends were still believers, and Jack loved being able to spend time with people near his physical age.
On a scorcher like today, Jamie, Claude, Caleb and Monty knew there was only one place they could go with the winter spirit: the Burgess skating rink. Jack, never a fan of the heat, had been thrilled with this little piece of December, zipping around while the believers struggled for balance. Jamie groaned as the white haired teen snagged his sleeve, dragging him along. "I'll never learn if you keep doing this!"
"So? You'll never have to learn if you keep inviting me," Jack twisted, narrowly preventing a face-to-wall collision. "See? We're fine." Rolling his eyes, Jamie grabbed the railing along the rink, letting his friend show off moves perfected by three centuries of alone time.
Roughly an hour later, the human trio had retired to the benches, massaging aching ankles and waiting for Monty's brother to arrive. Jamie thought it was pretty unfair that they couldn't just take the bus back, but their parents were kind of protective, especially Monty's. That meant waiting, and Trevor was twenty minutes late, so everyone was getting annoyed. "Let's just go," Caleb tried. "Last time your brother was late, we were stuck for an hour." Monty nodded, wincing at the memory of being trapped in the art museum. "Works for me. Jamie?" The unofficial leader of the group, Jamie usually had the last say in decisions like this. He thought it over carefully. On one hand, Monty's mom and his parents would probably be pissed if they went back alone, but they were teenagers. Plus, Jack would be there, and he was sort of an adult. "Let's go." The three started off, knowing Jack would join them after taking a minute to brace himself for the heat. Returning their skates to the bored looking desk clerk, they walked through the front doors, pupils automatically shrinking in reaction to the influx of sun. Ever since meeting Jack, Jamie swore he had lost all tolerance for heat, and today was awful. Blinking in the glare, it took the believers a minute to notice the crumpled form several feet away.
"Trevor!"
HSHSHSHS
"Trevor!"
Inside the skating rink, Jack Frost's head snapped up at the sound of a believer's yell. Abandoning the ice, Jack raced out the door in time to catch the collapsing Monty.
"Jack! Over here!" Carefully laying Monty in a patch of shade, Jack joined Jamie and the twins. "Hey, what's wr-
Jack gasped at the sight before him. A teenage boy, maybe two or three years older than the believers, lay motionless on the ground. His skin was red, burned by the sun, dark eyes were wide open, gazing unseeingly at the sky. Blood trickled down his nose, pooling onto the pavement where the temperature had already begun to dry it out. And those cuts…
All along the boy's (Trevor, Jack remembered this was Monty's older brother)torso there were thin, wicked looking scars. Not even cuts, since they weren't bleeding. The skin along them was pinched and brown. They were almost…cauterized? Quickly kneeling beside the boy, Jack brushed a fair-skinned hand along Trevor's skin, leeching away the warmth. "Jamie, call an ambulance!" Jamie nodded, phone already out. Calling to the wind, Jack had it form a cooling cocoon around Monty's brother, protecting him from the worst of the sun's rays before sitting back, tired. Normally, this was simple for him, but he normally wasn't around during the summer months. He'd only come because he hated to spend more than a couple weeks away from the Burgess believers, but he'd known he'd regret it from the moment he felt the sun's rays beating down.
Craning his neck, Jack looked for the ambulance. Trevor wouldn't last long without medical help. Parking lot, cars, flash of red hair. Wait. Getting up, Jack ran to where he had seen a form a moment earlier. Nobody was there, but there was something on the ground. Crouching down, Jack dipped a finger in the red liquid. Blood. Trevor's attacker had been there. Ignoring Jamie's calls, Jack took to the air, following the trail of red drops. Nobody hurt his believers' families!
HSHSHSHS
Jack zipped through the trees, hands gripping his staff, face contorted in anger. The blood trail has stopped much earlier but the wind pushed him on, seemingly in agreement of his goal. Though he had no proof, Jack knew somehow that Trevor's attacker wasn't human. Yes, he'd only caught a glance, but one immortal could always spot another. Besides, what human could've cut him like that without anyone else hearing or seeing anything? It was right outside a busy skating rink for crying out loud!
The wind stopped abruptly leaving him in the middle of a clearing. Blue eyes narrowed, scanning the surroundings. Despite being in a forest, the clearing was entirely devoid of life. There wasn't even grass, just dead, sun-bleached dirt, little clouds of it puffing up from where his feet touched down.
"Come out," he said, voice carrying through the clearing, "I know you're here." Nothing. "Show yourself!" A fly buzzed halfheartedly by his ear. "My name is Jack Frost, winter spirit and Guardian. Answer me!" That got a response.
Jack fell to the ground, narrowly escaping a burst of flame that his a tree behind him, instantly igniting the dried leaves. Scrambling to his feet, he faced his enemy, staff stretched out in front of him. His jaw dropped as Trevor's attacker came into view.
A girl. A beautiful, glowing, monstrous yet beautiful girl dressed in red, orange, yellow and black. He barely noticed the details, gaze fixed on her eyes. Jack had seen spirits with odd eye colors before. The April Fool had purple eyes, cupid had pink with red pupils. Hell, Sandy's eyes may actually be made of sand, but they had nothing on hers. At first glance, they were bright red. But then he noticed movement. It was almost like looking into a fire or a stream of lava rolling down a volcano. Red and orange twisted and clashed, fighting for dominance and swirling in unity. Looking into those eyes made Jack painfully aware of the surrounding heat, leaching the winter chill from his body. Only years of experience prevented him from backing away.
"Winter spirit?" The girl was quiet, yet perfectly clear. "What do you want?" At that, Jack snapped out of his trance, taking a step forward. "This town is under my protection. You had no right to harm that boy!" The girl smirked. "Which boy?" Which boy? That meant there could be others! Jack felt the chill return to his body as anger filled his mind. "What do you mean 'which boy'? Who are you?" Enraged by her obvious enjoyment, Jack acted. A surge of icy energy shot towards the unknown immortal, freezing everything in its path. The blast collided, sending a smokescreen of snow through the clearing. Through the clouded air, Jack stepped forward, ready to collect the frozen body. He'd bring her to the others, maybe they knew who she was. The air cleared. The other was gone.
Jack whirled around, eyes wide. He'd seen her get hit! There was no way she could have avoided being frozen! The ice around the clearing began to melt, the air humidity soaring and making Jack cough at the unpleasant feeling.
"So weak," a crackling laugh filled the air, seemingly coming from nowhere and everywhere. Jack felt a burst of fear. Even Pitch hadn't been able to get to him like this. "Little traitor. So weak, so very alone." That one stung. He hated being reminded of his life before joining the Guardians. And what did she mean traitor? By this point, the girl's voice was almost a murmur, as if she was speaking to herself instead of him. "Mother's disappointment."
That was it. With a yell, Jack once more sent out his ice, this time in a circle blossoming out. There! Jack felt as the ice twenty feet to the east began to melt. He charged forward, dodging a blast of golden energy. Fire and ice met in a burst of steam as Jack slammed into the slightly smaller form, sending them both to the ground. Jack screamed in pain as fair skin met tan. Her skin burned like fire, singeing the hair from his arms and sending bleeding lines of black through his sleeves. He heard the girl gasp in pain as water vapor rose from their touching skin, and realized that his inner chill hurt like her heat hurt him, but not as much. Knowing he was outmatched, Jack rolled off. His arms hurt so much, the delicate skin bright red and beginning to blister. Icy tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.
Seeing the redhead's distraction, Jack abandoned the fight, taking to the skies. He heard the firey spirit scream in rage but the wind carried him out of range at top speed. Blue eyes closed as the direct sunlight stole the last of his energy. He knew the wind would take him to safety. With that in mind, Jack Frost slipped into blissful unconsciousness.