Sorry I haven't updated in so long guys! Here's the next chapter, hope that it's not too confusing, and I'm sorry, it's a bit lame. I had a bad writers block, and I'm still getting over it! But here you go, and I hope you like it! :)
"So wait... you- I'm- you're- what the hell?" I stuttered, pointing in disbelief at the white haired 'teen.' Jamie laughed nervously. "Yeah... he's Jack Frost... cool,
right?" I rolled my eyes. "Har har, very punny. So, when you were talking about your friend Jack you were talking about him!?" "'Him' has a name you know."
Jack Frost interjected. I glared at him. "Shut up, I'm still getting over this. Be quiet for a few minutes, please!" His blue eyes brightened. "So you do
acknowledge that I'm real?" I snorted. "You're sitting right in front of me, how could you not be real?" Jack was sitting on top of the tall staff. I'd forgotten
about the cold, now focusing on the strange happenings going on. "Well," he started. "When the rare teenager sees me, she or he usually thinks they're going
insane and seeing things. They've gotten used to a 'realistic' life and they don't expect the unexpected." I looked down at the snow, and my paling feet. "Well,
I've had enough of the 'unexpected' to accept what comes my way I guess." Jamie looked up at me. "What do you mean?" I snapped out of it and suppressed
the urge to cover my mouth with my hands. "Ah, nothing... I'm just... cold. Can we go inside?" I lied. I wasn't cold anymore. Too much was going on to focus on
anything as simple as temperature. Jamie shrugged. "Sure. Jack's usually fine with it. Right, Jack?" The Spirit of Winter nodded eagerly and flew over to the
door. I didn't even blink an eye. That, I guessed, was normal for him. I shook my head to clear it and darted up the steps, feigning desperation. I was good at
acting at least. I wrenched open the door and threw myself inside, pretending to shudder. "Thanks." I muttered. Jack was eyeing me with amusement, clearly
not fooled by my act. I ignored him and shuffled into the living room before collapsing into a chair. "What the fuck..." I murmured under my breath. Jamie took
off his coat and shoes, grumbling lightheartedly about not needing them after all, and came to sit on the couch. His eyes flicked nervously between the spirit
and me. I regained myself and it suddenly started to dawn on me. The Spirit of Winter, Jack Frost, my favorite of all the other spirits, was standing on the other
side of the living room, gazing at me with a mixture of excitement and curiosity. I huffed and pushed myself out of my seat and with three long strides, I'd
crossed the room in no time. Before anyone had time to react, I'd reached out and touched his hair. "Huh?" Jack blinked. I drew my hand away and laughed.
"You're real! I knew it!" I caught myself and tried to calm down, but it didn't work. I couldn't believe it... yet, from what they'd briefly explained, I'd have to
believe it to see him. I laughed again and pinched my cheek. 'Shut up Nicole, you look like an idiot!' Jack and Jamie exchanged worried glances. "Uh,Niki? Are
you okay?" Jamie asked hesitantly. I grinned widely at him. "Okay? I'm fantastic! Jack Frost is standing in front of me!" Jack raised an eyebrow, a smirk on his
face. "You know, just a few minutes ago, you were about to take your belt off and whip me with it." He stated. Jamie whipped his head around to look at me.
"What?!" I blushed. "I was not! I have a swiss army knife in my pocket, I would never stood so low as to use my belt as a weapon!" 'Yes you would... you're
just like your father.' I gritted my teeth. 'Shut up, me!' I, of course, had no such knife in my pocket. As if my dad would ever buy me one, or even give me
enough money to buy one! It seemed to fool them though. If there was one thing I was good at, it was lying. "Why would you wanna hurt Jack though?" Jamie
looked confused. "I was only doing it to protect you." I had blurted it out before I'd thought about, and I blushed. "B-because I didn't know who Jack was! I
just thought he was some creepy guy who was gonna-" "But you saw the letter on the window right? I hadn't run up to you screaming about some weird guy
right?" My mouth opened and closed. The kid had a point. I finally stopped acting like a fish out of water and muttered, "I've just had bad experience with men,
that's all." Jamie stared at me quizzically. Jack's eyes were narrowed. I clapped my hands together and said, "Well, this is exciting, and I personally I feel like
I'm about to die of a fangirl attack at any moment, but-" I began to walk for the stairs. "I also feel like I may faint from sheer exhaustion. I'm going to bed now.
Jamie, you can stay up until ten, but you have to go to sleep at that time. If you two are going to be talking, be quiet, because I want to sleep. And with that,
I'll take my leave." I ruffled Jamie's hair and tromped up the stairs wearily. I had to go to sleep. This was probably all a dream anyway, it certainly felt like one.
Maybe I'd wake up and I'd be back at my old home in New York. I hoped not. I closed my door behind me, walked over to the bed, and collapsed. I crawled in
and pulled the blankets over my head, and passed out.
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Flames raged around me and I coughed. I was choking. I stumbled around in the flames, light-headed and dizzy. I was vaguely aware of someone calling my name, but
I was focused on my task. I didn't know what it was, but I had to do it. I couldn't not do it! He would die! He? Who's he? What was I doing in here? Was I trying to
save someone? That must be it. But, no, I'm too much of a coward to do anything like that! I'm weak, and scared! I couldn't do that! Never the less, I moved onward,
searching through the burning house. "Nicole! Help!" A familiar voice shouted. Who was that? The voice was distorted and blurred. It could be someone from my old
school, it could be my late mother, it could be a boy, it could be a girl! Who? Who!? I dashed towards the voice. I could see a figure bent over in the room ahead of me.
"Help! Nicole!" I took a deep breath and plunged through the flames blocking my entrance. They burned me, melted my flesh, sending my hair up in a blaze. I ran in
and grabbed the figure by the waist. I looked to see who it was, but the smoke and my weirdly blurred vision prevented me from making out any distinct features. I
knew that the kid was small, and I buried the child's face in my jacket in an attempt to cut off any smoke inhalation. But it also meant I had to move quickly. I ran
through the maze of burning wood, searching for an exit. Red lights flashed outside. Outside!? I darted towards what I know knew to be an exit. So close... so close! I
felt the cold air from outside and made a run for it. I placed the kid on the floor and pushed him forwards and out. I saw the body tumbled out the door and down the
front steps. I went to leap for the exit, eager to get out of the mini hell, and I was nearly out.
CRACK!
The sound came from above. I looked up in time to see a portion of the ceiling collapse. It fell, and I went down with it. That should have been it. I should've died there,
but my whole upper body was left out, leaving me at the mercy of the fire. My legs, trapped and obviously broken, flared with pain and I screamed in agony. The flames
engulfed my vision and everything went black.
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I sat bolt upright, cold sweat dripping down my face, whimpering. I clutched at my pounding head. I'd kicked off the blankets during my sleep. I pressed my
palm against my forehead and mumbled quietly, "What the hell was that...?"