*Jamie P.O.V.*

He could not believe his eyes. He knew that he was staring, that his face was probably slack with incredulity, but he didn't care. The strange girl they found encased in a ball of snow, who looked over the age of believing, could see Jack. And that was impossible.

Jack was even more surprised than he was, coming close enough to her that he could probably see her pores. Ella looked frightened, as if she'd said the word 'bomb' in an airport and was waiting to be attacked. Everyone else looked like they were just waiting for Jack to put his eyes back into his sockets. After five minutes of total silence, Jamie decided to break the tension."Are we going to find the hill soon? We have to be back by lunchtime" he said, though he wasn't really all that interested in sledding anymore. But Jack acted as if he hadn't heard him, rubbing a pale hand over his chin in the motion of stroking an imaginary beard, his face deep in thought. Ella, however, jumps on the notion like it is a lifeline and she is on a sinking ship.

After another short period of staring, Ella turns away, forging ahead into the dense forest with Sophie clinging to her back like a koala. Nobody moved instantly after Ella, they paused and looked at one another with uncertainty, then decided it was better to follow than be left behind in the dark woods. Jack, however, had not moved an inch since Ella turned around. Cautiously, Jamie approached, uncertain how his friend felt at that point in time.

If Jamie hadn't known better, he would've said that Jack was a statue. A statue with downy white hair, a blue hoodie and dirty brown pants. "Jack?" Jamie whispered, waving a hand in front of his friends eyes. No movement. "Jack?" Jamie asked a little louder, pinching Jack's nose. Nada. "Jack!" he said, raising his voice, snapping him out of his paralyzed state. Jamie had expected an explanation, or at least an apology for freaking him out like that. But the older boy only grinned at him. "Things just got interesting"Jack said, floating off after the rest of the group.

*Pitch P.O.V.*

If there was a better word for the feeling Pitch was overcome with at that exact moment, other than 'stunned,' he wasn't aware of it. The sphere that he had tried so hard to open and had so easily been demolished by mere children had only contained another child? Granted, she was more of a teenager than a child, but she was still young, and it nauseated Pitch to know he was outdone by a girl. However, power was power, and just as he was preparing to come forward and remove the girl from her protective shelter, Jack Frost had appeared, making his approach impossible.

Cursing, he retreated, forced to watch the events from the sidelines in disgrace. As the children socialized with the girl Pitch tried to get a reading on her, looking for fears, looking for anything that filled her with dread and haunted her sleep. But there was nothing, not even a trace of despair in her soul.

Something was wrong, every creature had fear, even himself on varying occasions. Who was this girl who had no reasons to be afraid? She was special, powerful, and exceptionally dangerous to him. One immune to fear would undoubtedly be an unpredictable card to play, but still one he would rather have in his hand. If she was unaffected by his nightmares, then there was an even greater chance of her being invulnerable to all types of magic.

Things were getting exciting, and Pitch like the way the tables of fate were turning. With a plan forming in mind, Pitch withdrew, slinking back to his home with a dark grin plastered on his face.

)****(

I can feel Jack's eyes on my back the entire trip through the forest, I consider turning around and punching him several times, but restrain myself when I think of the tension I would create. But after twenty whole minutes of walking and staring and finding no hills, my patience grows thinner and thinner. I am on the verge of snapping when I hear a strange sound, it reminds me of a rabid bear fighting a rabid dog, or any rabid creature really.

The noise emanating from the child riding on my back. "Sophie?" I ask, glancing at the girl with a raised eyebrow. She looks dreadfully embarrassed, her face a bright pink color. "I'm hungry" she says in a whispery voice, her eyes looking at me hopefully. Crap, I should've known that none of the kids could hold out for long just running around in the forest. And now we're deep in a forest with no food whatsoever. I am a genius.

I hate the thought of disappointment blooming on her face, but I can't tell her I have food, we're in a forest in the middle of winter for crying out loud. Then an idea occurs to me. I turn to Jack, who nearly rams into me when I stop too quickly. "Jack, do you know anything about trees?" I ask, scanning the leafless giants with a glint of interest.

Jack stares at me as if I have just suggested he should eat jell-o while riding a unicycle and playing the ukulele, a very unimpressed look indeed. Though I guess he understood from the serious look I was giving him that it was not a time for joking, or maybe he just noticed my fists clenching and unclenching and knew it was not the time to test me.

"Um, yes? Why?" he asks, coming closer and standing next to me, while I take a step to keep a healthy distance between us. "Which of these is an apple tree?" I ask, completely ignoring his question. Glancing upwards, Jack points out one of the skinnier trees with dead leaves still clinging to it's branches.

I walk over to it, examining it like the tree itself is encrypted with a secret message that only I can read. Then I touch the bark, I close my eyes, imagining life returning to the hunk of wood, energy running through it's core. Colors flash in front of my closed eyelids, hot pink, electric blue, dark I open them, the tree looks healthy again, the bark no longer dark and the branches bursting with leaves and fruit.

*Author's Note*

Sorry it took so long guys, I was on spring break and just having a good time, I feel bad for neglecting my story..But here it is! Read and Review!

-AngelxWings14