Highland caught up with Emma after school. She and Jamie were laughing together as they walked home from the bus stop. Highland noticed that Emma seemed much happier than he had seen her since before Jack died.
"Hey, Emma!" he shouted, running after them. "Wait up!" She turned and saw him coming, so she waited until he caught up with them to continue walking.
"What is it, Highland?"
Highland looked a bit uncomfortable, but he said, "Well, when you were talking this morning, about Jack, I mean, well…" He gestured vaguely with his hands, but trailed off.
She looked at him mischievously, and Highland saw clearly her resemblance to her brother. "Do you really want to know?" She asked in a whisper. Highland nodded eagerly. "Then follow me!" She said, starting to run towards her house.
"I'll see you guys later!" Jamie said, turning down a side street.
"Bye!" Emma waved at him, but didn't slow as she rounded the corner to her house and sprinted into the backyard.
Highland followed her, breathing heavily. They ran a ways into the woods behind the house, then Emma stopped abruptly. She giggled. "He's excited for you to see," she said to Highland. She paused for a moment, looking up and to her left, and then said "Oh, yeah. Fine, I'll start from the beginning."
Highland stared at her. She giggled again and said, "You've heard of Jack Frost, right?"
Highland felt a little let down. "Jack Frost?" he asked in a disappointed voice. "Of course I have. But what's that got to do with-?" A large powdery snowball hit the side of his head. "Hey!" he shouted.
"Jack!" Emma said indignantly, "At least give him a chance!"
Another snowball hit Highland's shoulder. "Really? Again?" Highland said, spinning around to see who had thrown it.
No one was there.
"Jack!" Emma said again, running over to the area the snowball had come from. "Let me explain it! You can't just keep-!"
Then everything clicked. Highland staggered. Jack Frost. The snowstorms, the snowballs, the cave… The white hair, the blue eyes. He's magic now, Emma had said.
Blinded by realization, Highland fell backwards, landing on his butt in the snow. He looked up when he heard a familiar voice laughing at him.
Jack stood next to Emma, leaning on his staff and laughing at Highland. He might have thought he had gone back in time if Jack's hair weren't so white.
"JACK!" Highland shouted, jumping to his feet and tackling him. The two tumbled into the snow. "Oh my gosh, Jack, you're here!" Highland shouted, and he felt his eyes prickling with tears. He sat up, pinning Jack to the ground with his knees.
Jack looked up at him in absolute shock. "Nice to see you too, man." He said, laughing again. "Took you long enough." Jack wrestled Highland off of him and they both stood up, breathless from laughing so hard.
Highland insisted that Jack tell him everything. Emma went inside, deciding to leave them alone and go get warm, but the two friends stayed out talking in the backyard.
"So now you're Jack Frost, the spirit of winter?" Highland asked, still trying to wrap his head around it.
"Yeah. Or at least, that's what the Moon said." Jack said, shrugging. "I'm still not exactly sure how it works."
Highland looked puzzled. "Then who was Jack Frost before you? There has to have been one. The stories have been around for years."
Jack stared up into the cloudy sky. "I don't think there was one. I think the Moon planted stories in the human subconscious after I turned into Jack Frost, so it seems like the stories have been around throughout time when really they were created around me."
Highland shook his head. "You're bending my brain, man."
Jack laughed. "I don't know. That's just my theory."
"And what was up with the snowball attacks?" Highland said, trying to look angry but laughing at the same time.
Jack grinned. "I couldn't think of any other way to get your attention. And it worked in the end, didn't it?" He smirked at Highland, who shoved him playfully.
"Show me what else you can do, besides withstand the cold and make it snow." Highland said. "You've got to have some cooler powers than that."
"You bet I do!" Jack said, jumping to his feet and taking off into the sky.
"Woah," Highland said, watching Jack rocket above the trees. He went high enough that Highland could barely see him before coming back down.
"How's that for impressive?" Jack said smugly.
Highland gaped. "Pretty freaking cool, actually."
"And watch this," Jack soared up to Emma's bedroom window and tapped it with his staff. An intricate pattern of frost spread across it.
"Is that it?" Highland asked teasingly.
Jack shot him a look and began to draw in the frost he had just made on the window. He pulled a tiny dragon made out of ice from the frost, and it soared towards Highland. It was delicate and crystalline like glass, but supported itself on its own study little wings.
Jack landed beside Highland, who was staring at the creature open-mouthed.
"That's a new one," Jack said proudly, crossing his arms.
"Since when are you an artist?" Highland asked, half mocking.
Jack laughed. "Shut your mouth or I'll freeze it for you." The dragon exploded into a tiny flurry that swirled around them, and Highland grinned again.