Cold - A RotG Fanfic

--May contain minor spoilers--

 Jack had woken up, not surprised that he wasn't alone on the bed. The little boy had probably snuck in to his room in the middle of the night, and to prove his guess, the door was slightly open. He was sure that he had closed it before he had gone to sleep. The child was sleeping soundly, not waking up from the teen's movement. Still curled up close to him, seeking warmth. He couldn't resist smiling at him, knowing that he wouldn't see it. He looked so peaceful and...and he wished that he would stay that way.

 His room was dimly lit; its light source coming from the only window in the room. There was a shelf with some books neatly tucked inside, a tiny desk with a lamp resting on top of it, a bigger desk where he usually stayed if he had to study, and of course, his bed. It was big enough for one person, supposedly, but the sellers didn't consider a child squeezing in, it seemed.

 With a stifled yawn, he slowly got his feet to touch the carpeted floor without making a sound. Jamie had not stirred. That was good. Jack stretched his arms by raising them upward. He let out a soft groan, then a little sigh. His fingers went through his messy brown hair, not really fixing it, though it didn't really matter to him. Glancing around the room, his eyes rested on a staff that he loved to carry around. It had saved him and others a number of times, and he would be devastated if he had lost it or someone would break it. Without wasting anymore time, he walked out of the room and made his way down the stairs, already smelling some pancakes and hot chocolate. Mm, those were great. He couldn't wait to dig in, but his younger siblings hadn't woken up yet. He would have to wait.

 The teen had woken up early just to go out and enjoy the weather. It was much quieter in the early morning before many other people in the neighborhood would wake up. Either way, they wouldn't go out unless they had some thick clothes on. Jack was one of the odd kids that enjoyed the chilly breeze of winter without having to add any extra clothes. A hoodie, shorts, and some shoes would do.

 "Are you going out, Jack?" a voice came from the kitchen asked.

 "Yeah, mom. I'll be back in a bit." he answered in a casual tone.

 Clutching on his wooden staff, he turned the knob and embraced the wind like it was an old friend. Snow had covered the whole area overnight. The teen loved it when that happened. He loved this season more than anything else. It made him feel so alive.

 With a broad grin, he walked out of his house and glanced around, happy to see the pockets of white had returned. He couldn't resist reaching out to one of them and quickly making a snowball, big enough for him to easily play around with his hand. He tossed it upward and then caught it with his hand as he walked out of the backyard and in to the open road. Jack turned his attention to the sky, which was a bright blue and had puffs of white clouds. The thought of flying suddenly went through his mind. It was a fantasy that was never going to come true, but he loved to dream about it. If only...

 Just as he expected, no one else was outside yet. He was the only one enjoying the crispy, cool weather that winter could offer. He was probably the only one that could in his town. Nobody was as crazy as him to wander around the place with just one layer of clothing and shorts no less.

 How could you not get frostbite? he remembered his mom asking. He found it funny.

 Jamie and Sophie found it pretty amazing.

 They admired him, and he returned the favor by helping them if they asked for it and protecting them. He would protect them with all of his strength...

 Out of the blue, his whole body shuddered. It was the first time he had felt something like that...it couldn't be the cold, could it? Was this resistance finally fading away? No, he didn't feel like he was going to freeze to death...

 The trembling didn't last just one moment, one second, but it lingered as if trying to consume him. It forced him to wrap his arms around himself. He could see wisps of white coming from his short, shaky breaths. Jack needed to go back to his house.

 He turned around.

 The white was dying.

 His house was falling apart in to little shards like a crumbling painting. The colors faded from the roof, from the sky, from what was inside. What was going on? What about mom? Jamie? Sophie? His family? His home?

 The fragments continued to multiply, to break anything that came across it, that touched it. He thought that he would be enveloped by them and also be broken, but he was spared. The teen was left suspended in the dark. The cold, cold dark.

 This was the kind of cold he hated.

 That he would never learn to love.

 Suddenly, as if the world had been reset, the pieces formed back and connected. The fragments joined together to paint the picture that he knew, but...it was different. Gray.

 A little boy came out of his house, unharmed and smiling, running towards him.

 "Jamie, you're alright!" he shouted in relief. Jack knelt down and raised his arms up, ready to hug him, but he didn't feel it.

 The child passed through like he was a ghost.

 The teen was frozen in shock. He stood up and turned around, watching the child run to his friend's house. His little sister followed suit, and she too passed through him.

 He was suddenly invisible to them, the people that he treasured the most.

 And that alone tore him apart.

---

 Jack had woken up, not surprised that he was all alone, on top of a roof. He remembered falling asleep here, and it wasn't the greatest of places to take a nap. He wasn't exactly sure why he decided to sleep here, only to realize that the house he was on belonged to a family that he liked to watch over.

 "What a nightmare..." he mumbled, still clearly remembering what he had just dreamed about. Dreams were a rarity for him since he rarely slept (he didn't need to), so suddenly doing so was weird indeed. Why did he even dream about such a thing, anyway? Being in a family, in warmth...

 Not alone, not ignored, not being Jack Frost.

 A human.

 Not a spirit of some sort.

 He sighed and picked up his wooden staff. Standing up, he asked the wind to take him home, and it did as it was told. It wasn't fast and forceful, but gentle, as if it knew that there was something bothering the being that commanded it. He flew over the empty looking town with a small frown. It was night time now, so most people would be in their homes, sleeping or just getting away from the cold, away from him. He was the one that would summon the chilly wind and annoy people with his mischief. He, of course, meant no harm, but he wanted to be known too. This was the only way he knew how to get them to notice him...yet it never worked.

 He could be just standing right in front of them and they would never know.

 It didn't take long for the wind to bring him back to the icy pond. This was where he came from, the first memory in his mind. The moon tonight was like that first time, full.

 His bare feet touched the thin ice, creating ripples, patterns of fern-like crystals that spread across the icy sheet. He gripped his staff tightly; his mouth turning in to a scowl. "Am I destined...to be all alone..?" he looked up at the glowing circle far from his reach, perched above the clouds, immersed in the field of stars. "There must be a reason why I'm here! Why won't you tell me? Why?!"

 Jack hung his head; his gaze focused on the solid surface he stood on. Suddenly, the sheet became transparent for few moments, reflecting his face under the moonlight. A grim face, a confused one, searching for answers.

 He thought that his face would be like that forever.

 Lost, and simply wanting to be known.

 Was that so much to ask?