Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome back to "The Winter Child!" =D So, my family and I are going to be traveling to Indiana tomorrow for a friend's graduation, so I won't be making a post tomorrow or over the weekend. This chapter is somewhat long, so I hope it'll kinda make up for those missed days. XD

And for those of you wondering where the heck Jamie is in this fanfic...I think you'll really like this chap. =D

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!


~ LVI ~

Copy Cat

He was admired by most in his village

Though the road to getting there was rough

Jack didn't know how much he was admired

Until a certain young boy began to mimic his demeanor

...

School days in Santoff Claussen were as interesting as they were fun. Ombric's lessons were never tiring, and nor could they be described as worrisome. The children enjoyed learning from the wizard. Whether it was new formulas, magic-making, inventing something, or even just reading, the children did their best to stay engaged in every aspect of Ombric's classroom.

Today, however, was a slow day. The children weren't partaking in lessons of action but doing the most common thing that anyone has done in a classroom: test-taking. While tests weren't at the top of the "fun" list for the students, they understood their importance, and the time to assess their knowledge was due.

To make things less difficult for them, Ombric divided the test into sections. There wasn't a rush, as they would only be working in class, and they had all week long for them to complete it. But the children didn't take advantage of this long period—they had learned better than that. But they eased themselves and tried not to rush as the clock ticked away the hours of the first half of the test-taking session.

No distractions were allowed, and fidgeting too much would disrupt the quiet atmosphere of the classroom. Unfortunately for young Jack Frost, staying still was something he had always struggled with as a child. And the silence of the classroom was almost piercing to his sprite ears. Outside was a wonderful winter day, and the sun was calling, beckoning for him to step outside. The Wind breezed by, and Jack could hear her pleas to join her on her gales and glide through the skies, free.

Jack gripped his pencil. No, he had a test to take. And he was quite deadset on completing it. The snow sprite turned his attention back to his paper, but he had been stuck on this particular problem for a few minutes now, and Jack didn't know how much time remained.

The snow sprite fiddled with his writing tool and chewed his lower lip, having a hard debate between two of the answers when Ombric's voice suddenly broke the silence. "Jack, could you join me outside please."

Jack could feel all eyes land on him at the mention of "joining Ombric outside." Everyone knew that when you were called outside by Ombric, it was either because he wanted your help, or you've done something wrong. Regularly it was the latter. And considering the number of pranks Jack had pulled the past few weeks, none of the children thought Ombric would be congratulating the winter teen on anything.

Jack gulped and set down his pencil. From behind him, he could hear whispers of good luck from his classmates. But the snow sprite couldn't place what he had done wrong; he had been focused on the test and nothing else! Had he been fidgeting too much? Perhaps had hit his pencil against his desk too many times. Oh, and there was that moment he sneezed, causing everyone in the room to flinch. Jack cringed. Ombric had several things to reprimand him for. But surely the wizard wasn't that frivolous…right?

Jack followed Ombric outside the classroom, and the wizard shut the door behind him. He turned, about to speak with Jack when the snow sprite interrupted, "If this is about me sneezing earlier, I'm really sorry."

Ombic blinked "Jack, you aren't in trouble."

"I tried to hold in it, but I couldn't! I didn't mean to cause any—wait, I'm not in trouble?" Jack asked.

The wizard laughed. "No, you are not. Why would you be? You've done absolutely nothing wrong during this time."

"Oh," said Jack. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I got worried over nothing…"

Ombric smiled. "Anyway, I called you out here to discuss something with you. Next week, we'll be having a new student joining us, and I want you to show him around."

It had been a while since Santoff Claussen had received any newcomers, so Jack was intrigued to hear that they would be having someone new joining them.

"I guess I could give him a tour," Jack said. "What's his name?"

"Jamie Bennett," replied Ombric. "He's six years old, and his family recently moved to the village."

Jack smiled. "I'll be sure to give him a good tour. Ah, rephrase—a grand tour."

Ombric shook his head, smiling lightly. "I knew I made the right choice."

"You're going to be showing someone around?"

Jack nodded, poking his fork into his vegetables. "Yep. His name's Jamie. And he's six. Is just me, or does this seem very familiar?"

North chuckled. When Jack returned home from school, he told him of the job that Ombric had given him. The snow sprite seemed rather excited about showing someone new around, but Jack did admit that he was a little nervous, since he had never done this sort of thing before.

Jack had been living in Santoff Claussen for most of his life. He knew the place inside out and outside in. Every secret and nook and cranny had been touched at least once by his pale hands. The boy knew who everyone was, and where everything was, so showing young Jamie around wouldn't be much of a problem.

But if it wasn't…then why did he feel so anxious? As he and North ate their dinner, Jack had a number of worries running through his head. What if he said something silly, or ended up getting Jamie lost? What if the boy didn't like him? What if he thought he was…weird? Jack knew that everyone was aware of the numerous snow sprite rumors, but if Jamie had grown up in an environment where they were widely disdained, then that was sure to cause some awkwardness between the two.

But Ombric wouldn't have chosen him if he wasn't fit for the job. Jack sighed and set down his fork. "I hope I don't mess things up for this kid. I mean, first impressions are important. And if I do one thing wrong, I hope I don't end up scaring him off."

"You won't, moy mal'chik," North reassured. "You'll do just fine. And you have all week to prepare."

Jack nodded. "I'll just do what Katherine did for me on my first day." He paused. "Except I don't have a treehouse. North? How fast do you think we can build an amazing hideout?"

North laughed. "I don't think that'll be necessary. Just be yourself."

Jack hummed thoughtfully. "I'll try."

The testing week flew quicker than Jack expected, but scores wouldn't be released until the end of the week. But test scores were the last thing on Jack's mind as he arrived at Big Root for another day of learning. Today was the day that Jamie would be joining the classroom, and Jack was feeling both nervous and excited. When Ombric called the class to settle down, Jack tried his best to ignore the butterflies that whirred in his stomach.

"Good morning, everyone. As I'm sure most of you are already aware, we have a new addition joining our classroom," Ombric announced. The children looked at each other and began to whisper excitedly. Ombric quieted the class once again. "I'd like you all to give a warm welcome to Jamie Bennett."

At that moment, a young boy stepped into the classroom. Jack couldn't help be see a reflection of his younger self as Jamie shyly introduced himself.

"H-Hello," he said. "Um…I'm Jamie."

"Welcome to Santoff Claussen, Jamie. We're really excited to have you here," Katherine said kindly. Jamie's nerves seemed to ease a little at Katherine's words. She had that effect on people, always making everyone feel welcome, no matter who they were or where they were from.

After everyone gave their words of greeting, Ombric said, "You'll be sitting next to Jack. Third row to the right."

Jamie slipped into the extra seat that had been placed out just for him. The little boy still seemed nervous, so Jack introduced himself.

"Hey there. I'm Jack. I'll be showing you around once lunch rolls around" the snow sprite said.

Jamie nodded quietly. Jack understood how he felt. The boy was in a new place surrounded by new people. It wasn't a surprise that he was acting so closed off. Still, Jack helped Jamie adjust to the classroom routines and lessons. About ten minutes before lunch would begin, Ombric released the two so Jack could show Jamie around.

The snow sprite showed the young boy the main entrance, pointed out the bathrooms, and did a quick sweep through the library. It was so vast, that Jack couldn't go over it all in the short amount of time they had, but Jamie was still awed by the hundreds of books that lay on the shelves and the fact that its caretaker was an actual bookworm. Jamie started to open up a bit more. He told Jack how he liked to draw, read, and play games. He asked Jack more and more questions about Big Root, the village, and the school as the tour went on. He was curious, just like Jack had been when he was young. Jack didn't realize how many similarities he had had to this child.

When lunch arrived, Jack introduced Jamie to his friends. This time, he didn't act as shy. He recognized Katherine since she was the first one to welcome him to the classroom. He was introduced to Petter, Sascha, Fog, and all three of the Williams. Everyone was very kind, and Jack watched as the small group talked and chattered. He smiled, happy that Jamie was already beginning to make friends.

"You know what I just noticed?" Tall William mused out loud. He turned to Jack and smirked. "You're being awfully well-behaved around Jamie."

Jack scoffed. "What are you talking about? I always behave."

Sascha burst into laughter. "Oh, you're funny, Jack!"

Confused, Jamie turned to Katherine. "What are they talking about?"

Jack sent a look in Katherine's direction, silently telling her not to elaborate. But of course, the grey-eyed girl pounced on the chance to tease her best friend.

"It's not that Jack isn't well-behaved…he's just mischievous," she said, a playful gleam in her eye."

"The most mischievous of them all," Fog emphasized.

"Jamie, don't listen to them. They're liars, all of them," Jack said.

"Don't act innocent!" Sascha exclaimed. She slipped down from Big Root's root and said, "Remember the time Jack filled Ombric's wizard hat with stardust?"

"Or the time that he replaced all the glue with cream?" Petter added.

"Do you guys remember that one prank where he convinced the bugs to hide in our desks?" the Youngest William said.

"And the time where he put too much catalyst in his lab experiment, that it exploded before Ombric could grade the assignment?" Fog giggled.

Jamie stared at Jack in disbelief. The snow sprite shook his head.

"You guys are just wonderful," Jack said. The children only laughed. "I don't mean to cause any trouble. It just happens. It's natural."

"You call making explosions natural?" Sascha jeered, raising an eyebrow.

Jamie giggled and Jack huffed. "I didn't mean it like that!"

Katherine laughed and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "You have nothing to be ashamed about, Jack. This stuff just makes you more lovable."

"Yeah. If it weren't for you and the bug prank, I never would've heard Sascha scream so loudly," Petter joked. He yelped as Sascha elbowed him.

"No one knows how to pull off a prank like Jack," quipped the second youngest William.

"And it's not just pranks. He's also really fun and helpful," the youngest William chirped.

"And even after you caused that explosion with our science experiment, you still redid it and got an A," said Sascha. "Though, I still think my climbing gloves and shoes were much better."

"Wow," said Jamie. He turned to Jack. "I hope I can be just as nice as Jack one day."

"You should," said Katherine. She turned to the snow sprite. "He really brings out the best in all of us."

You never know how much you're appreciated until one acknowledges you. And in that very moment, Jack had never felt anymore touched.

After school, Jack walked Jamie home and showed him a few places in the village. As they walked down the path leading to Jamie's house, the young boy said, "You're a snow sprite."

Jack wasn't surprised—his ears were a dead giveaway anyway. The teen nodded. "Yup. In the flesh," he said.

"Can you do magic?" asked Jamie.

Jack pulled out his staff and waved it. In a burst of blue, a short snowfall began over the both of them. Jamie stared awed.

"Whoa! That's amazing!" he cried. Jack smiled. "Mom said that all the snow sprites are gone, so I was a little surprised to see you."

"I'm the last one," said Jack. He shrugged. "So I understand why your mom would think that."

Jamie tilted his head. "You're the last one? But what about your parents?"

"I was adopted by North," explained Jack. "He's the man who runs the Workshop I pointed out earlier. As for my biological parents…" Jack's expression grew somber. "I don't know what happened to them."

Though he was thought to be the last of his kind, Jack still clung to the hope that his parents were alive somewhere out there. He knew that the chances were beyond slim, but Ombric always taught the students to believe in the impossible. Perhaps they were alive somewhere. Perhaps they still wondered what happened to their baby boy. Jack could only hope and dream.

Sensing his forlorn, Jamie decided to tell Jack about his family. "I live with my baby sister Sophie and my Mom. We live kind of near the edge of the village. Um…my dad passed away a couple of months ago because he got sick. We used to live in Burgess, a small town in Olsolustria. We moved after Dad passed away to try and start over."

"I'm sorry for your loss," said Jack.

"Thanks," said Jamie. He looked up at the teen. "I'm sorry you never got to see your parents."

Touched, Jack ruffled Jamie's hair. "Thanks, kiddo."

The two arrived at Jamie's house and Jack said goodbye. He returned home and found North in the study, this time working on an ice sculpture.

"Ah, welcome home, Jack," said North. "Did you meet Jamie?"

"Yeah," said Jack, placing his backpack and staff aside. "He's a pretty nice kid. I think he kind of idolizes me."

North laughed. "Well, you are a person to be admired."

Jack rolled his eyes with a light smile. "Eh…I guess so."

The next day, Jack returned to school. He was surprised to find that Jamie had gotten there before him. The snow sprite assumed that he had woken up earlier, but what stunned him, even more, was Jamie's demeanor…he was acting exactly like him!

The boy had only known him for a day, but it was clear who he was trying to impersonate. "Jack, I think you have a twin!" Sascha joked as Jamie walked into the classroom with Jack's disheveled hairstyle, a small cloak of his own, and a long stick that looked like one he just found on the side of the road.

Jack blinked. "Whoa…not what I was expecting this morning."

"Morning, everyone!" Jamie chirped. "Perfect day to build a snowman, huh?"

"Uhhh, does Jack have a double?" Petter remarked.

"I guess so," said Jack. Jamie slipped into his seat next to Jack and smiled.

"I decide to get up early so I wouldn't be late. The early bird gets the worm!"

"Well he's got the charm down," said Sascha. She smiled impishly. "Let's see how long he can keep this act up."

"This isn't a competition," Jack said. He turned Jamie. "Jamie, what's going on?"

"Nothing's going on," Jamie replied. He smiled. "Just trying to be a good student!"

Katherine hummed. She suspected that there was more going on beneath the surface, but before she could question Jamie, Ombric called everyone back to their seats, and class began.

For the rest of the day, Jamie continued to act like Jack. At first, the children found it humorous but as time wore on, they grew more and more confused. Especially Jack. Whenever he tried to ask Jamie what was going on, the boy would brush him off as if he hadn't said anything. Then, Jamie tried going out in the cold without shoes or a coat, since Jack never wore them outside.

Thankfully, Jack was able to get Jamie to put his winter gear back, but the boy still caught a cold and had to stay home from school the next day. Jack's worry for Jamie only expanded, and he went to Katherine to ask what he should do.

"You need to go and talk to him," said Katherine. Her brow creased with worry. "He could've seriously hurt himself yesterday."

"I will after school's over," he said. The snow sprite sighed. "Hopefully he doesn't ignore me this time."

After school was over, Jack went straight to Jamie's house. It was a small, cottage-looking structure and overall looked very cozy and warm. Jack had passed by the house a few times, and the village was planning on doing something else with it. But Jamie and his family had managed to purchase it. Jack was glad. Even though he didn't live in the house, he liked the design.

Jack knocked at the door and a young woman opened the door. Jack assumed that she was Mrs. Bennett.

"Hello, Mrs. Bennett," said Jack. "I'm here to see Jamie. I have some of his schoolwork from today."

Mrs. Bennett smiled. "Oh, thank you! I almost forgot to stop by and pick up Jamie's work. You're Jack, I'm assuming?"

"The one and only," Jack replied. Mrs. Bennett chuckled.

"You're just as amusing as Jamie says you are. Come in, but try to stay quiet. I just put Sophie down for her nap."

Jack nodded, and he stepped inside. Mrs. Bennett led Jack upstairs and pointed to Jamie's bedroom at the end of the hall. She left to start dinner, leaving Jack outside the boy's door. He entered Jamie's bedroom and found him lying on the bed inside. Jamie was staring at the ceiling, his nose and cheeks flushed. A bored expression was written across his face.

"Well, you look like you're having fun," Jack drawled. Jamie looked up, surprised. Jack smiled and held up some worksheets. "I brought your homework."

"Oh. Thanks," said Jamie, though he didn't sound too excited to see Jack. Jack paused. No, it wasn't that he wasn't excited. He just sounded… embarrassed.

The snow sprite set Jamie's work on his desk and pulled up a chair next to his bed. Jamie glanced in his direction and then looked away. Jack let out a short sigh.

"So…that was a crazy stunt you pulled yesterday," the snow sprite said. Jamie cringed. "Why did you run out in the cold like that?"

"Uh…no reason," Jamie said.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Come on, kid. I know you're lying."

Jamie fiddled with his covers. "I just…" he sighed. "I just wanted to be like you. Everyone thinks you're amazing. You're smart nice and funny. I just wanted to be you."

Jack softened. "Jamie…you know there are somethings I can do that you can't. I can withstand the cold. For people like you, it's better if you wear a coat. And why be me when you can be you?"

"Because I'm not interesting," Jamie pouted.

"You said that you draw sometimes," said Jack.

Jamie shrugged. "Well, there's that, but—"

"And drawing takes a lot of creativity, so you probably have quite the imagination."

"I guess…"

"Don't doubt yourself, Jamie," said Jack. Jamie looked up. "You're a nice kid, and I know it's difficult adjusting to a new place, but if you keep being yourself, you're sure to make lots of friends."

"Really?"

"Really," said Jack.

Jamie smiled, feeling a bit more confident in himself. "Thanks, Jack."

"Anytime," the snow sprite said.

"Um…do you mind staying a bit longer? It's kind of boring being stuck in bed by yourself," said Jamie.

Jack chuckled. "Sure."


Author's Note: I haven't written Jamie in SO LONG that I think this can be considered an ROTG fanfic sin. *Sighs* I really need to get my game together. ='D

Also, I can relate far too much to Jack being called out by the teacher, I don't know why, but whenever I'm called outside (or into a breakout room in my virtual school case =')), I start listing out all the things I possibly could've done to get pulled out. XDD

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'll be back on Monday with the next one! =D

Until the next chapter!

~BeyondTheMoon1203