Sam rolled her eyes. "No, I'm auditioning for the insane asylum. I've been working on this hallucination for months. You think I'll get in?"
The sprite relaxed his shock-stiffened posture, leaning casually against the staff he carried. "You're very sarcastic, for someone who's just seen something most people don't believe in."
Sam shrugged. "I see your kind all the time. It's nothing new." She slung the bag in her hand over one shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me." Sam brushed past the sprite and stalked off into the snow, ducking around a corner in the path.
He straighted, abandoning his casual pose to hurry after her. "Hey!" he shouted at her vanishing figure. " Please don't leave! I hardly ever get anyone to see me! You didn't even tell me-"
Suddenly, a feminine scream of pure fear echoed from beyond the trees.
"Okay. That's definetely not good," Jack muttered to himself, before taking off to find the girl.
It didn't take long to find her- she was barely along the path. That was the good news. The bad news, though- that was the monstrous shadow-thing blocking the way forward. It was like a wraith- an eight-foot tall creature draped in living shadow.
Jack let the wind drop him back onto solid ground. "O-kay."
The girl- he still didn't know her name- had gone deathly pale. "Oh, shit. I haven't seen them since- I thought they'd gone! I'd hoped- Oh, why the hell can't they just leave me alone? The Nightmares are bad enough!"
Jack looked at her, astonished. "You've met these things before?!"
She looked at him sharply. "You again? I thought you'd've swanned off by now; to go make more trouble for the rest of the world."
Jack smiled winningly at her. "Well, not me. I didn't get your name. You see these things alot?"
"All the time. They like to follow me around." The girl said, her terrified gaze turning back to the wraith-creature.
"Why?" Jack asked, always curious. That was going to kill him one of these days. Well, as killed as an immortal could be.
"How should I know?" The girl hissed at him. "I can only See- it's not like I'm psychic!"
Just then, the shadow thing lunged forward, covering the dozen or so yards between it and the two teenagers in a sort of gliding motion.
"Okay, whatever-your-name-is, what do you usually do when you meet one of these?"
She stared at him. "I run, idiot."
The thing was nearly upon them- perhaps four or five feet away. Jack sighed internally. Saving a girl with an apparent grudge against immortals was not on his top list of things to do. But he was a Guardian- and she was still technically a child. He assumed.
"Alright, time to go. Hold on." He told her, mentally calling his wind.
"Why-" That was all she got out before he scooped her up in his arms and launched himself into the air- and her words were cut off with a strangled shriek of surprise.
"Put me down you stupid, idiotic winter sprite!" The girl yelled, her fingers clutching at his sweatshirt for lack of anything else to hold.
"Hey!" he said indignantly. "I'm kind of doing you a favor, here!"
"Not really, you're not." She said, screwing her eyes shut. Jack glanced back down at the ground. The shadow hadn't followed them- it seemed content to wait on the ground. Well, it would be waiting an awfully long time.
As if the thought had spurred it, he heard a voice in his head. Unlike the only other voice he'd ever heard, this one made him want to cringe away, to find some corner to hide in. He shuddered, only the kindness of his wind keeping him in the air as he reeled in shock from the voice.
We will come for the half-child, the Second-Sighted One. She is ours- and his. Our lord and vessel commands her return. He begot her- she thus has no means of escape from this contract. Fight it as long as you choose to, Guardian. Or save your strength and prepare for the war to come.
The thing laughed, horribly, before vanishing. The girl winced in his arms. "I heard that." She said, "And I damn well wish I hadn't. Now, you annoyingly stubborn sprite, could you set me down before I throw up on your nice soft hoodie?"
Jack suppressed both a flare of annoyance at being called a sprite- he was not a sprite- and a flash of incredulity- she finally said something nice, and it was about his hoodie?!- and hastily landed, back at the same park bench they had met at just about fifteen minutes before.
Gently but quickly, he set her down on the bench. She moaned as she sat up, putting her head on her lap.
Jack felt a twinge of concern. "You alright? 'Cause if I did something-"
The girl moaned again. "The sudden takeoff didn't help. Now, could you just shut up and give me a minute?"
"Oh. Sorry."
"'s alright." she muttered, and after several heaving, deep breaths, sat back up. "'M alright now. Now, what the HELL were you thinking?" she yelled at him. "Why couldn't you just be like the rest of your kind and just be a good little flighty sprite? No, you had to mess with it- and now it's angry."
The girl paused to draw breath, hints of pink appearing in her cheeks. As she did so, Jack decided he'd had enough.
"Oh, that's a great way to talk to someone who just saved your life? Don't I get a thank you?" He yelled back. "And I'm not a sprite." He muttered.
That stopped the girl dead in her tracks. "Oh." She considered that. "Then what are you?"
Really? Did he have to go around telling everyone? "I'm a Winter Spirit. THE Winter Spirit."
"Oh?" She arched an eyebrow, and for a moment, he thought about just how attractive the puckish expression looked on her. Then he shook off his momentary lapse. "I've heard of a lot of those. Which one, presicisly, are you?"
"Jack Frost, Guardian of Fun, creator of snowdays, blizzards, ice, and all things winter."
She blinked in surprise. "Well, the May Queen's real. I shouldn't be so shocked that you are to." She said to herself. Jack shrugged. "It's not just me. Sant-"
The girl snorted. "I know it's not just you, ya moron! Weren't you listening before? I can see things. I can see all the things people tell stories about; all the legends and myths that other people don't believe in." She shivered. "That's what the Shadow meant. I'm Second Sighted. I see them whether I want to or not."
Now it was Jack's turn to cough in suprise. "I've never heard of something like that before."
"Doesn't mean it can't exist," The girl said logically, "Especially when I'm standing right in front of you."
Jack made a mental note to mention this to North immediatly after he got done here. A shadow wraith he'd never heard of before and a girl who could see him without believing. Definatly waranting a trip to the pole.
"I agree with you. What was your name?"
The girl eyed him suspiciously for a moment before relenting. "Samantha. Samantha Broulet. Most people just call me Sam, though."
"Alright; nice to meet you, Sam."
Sam actually smiled- the first smile he'd seen her make. He couldn't help but notice, though, even as he tried to ignore it, how really rather pretty she was. A few strands of black hair had escaped her ponytail, softly framing her pale, heart-shaped face. Sternly, he told himself to stop it.
"I'd say nice to meet you to, but then again, you nearly made me throw up. But, nice to meet you all the same, Jack Frost."
He nodded, smiling back at her casually. Then he remembered. "Jamie! Umm- Sam, I kinda promised a freind of mine-"
She shrugged. "Go ahead- me the mortal's hardly gonna be able to stop you. You're a spirit; I'm sure you've got things you gotta do. You lot always seem to have to be doing something. 'Sides, I've got lunch to make. See ya around, Frost?"
Jack suprised himself by nodding. "Sure. See ya around." And then, before he could promise anything further to this mysterious girl he'd only reluctantly met, he let the wind carry him off to go find Jamie. This snow day was for him, after all.