Love As Cold As Ice (Jack Frost Fanfiction)

Chapter Five: Faded Ghosts

I leaned against the tree, picking at a piece of grass that had shown through the snow, its jade green such a contrast to the snowy white that Jack had covered the land in. The moon was high in the sky, the sky around it darkened like ash. I should probably be home by now, but I heard Dad rummaging around the house earlier than usual, so it probably meant he wasn't going to be home until tomorrow, at the least.

"Hey, Jack?" I called out into the lonely night. When there was no answer, I stood up, fidgeting with my ring necklace again. "Jack Frost?" I whispered out again and I stood up. Where is he? Suddenly, I found him, sitting on a rooftop, staring at the pale face of the moon. I floated up to meet him, standing behind him as he stared at the moon, his hood up, his face sullen.

"If I'm doing something wrong, just tell me! I mean, I've tried everything, but yet... no one sees me." Jack hugged his knees to his chest and I winced, feeling bad for him. Just like me, he wasn't seen. He wondered why, but I knew why. Jack looked back up at the sky, his eyes glistening with the hint of tears, "You put me here! The least you can do is tell me why!"

I stood there as Jack brooded, his hood on his head, his legs hanging over the roof, his gaze hard and cold. I hoped that Jack would never look at me like that. I walked over and then sat down next to Jack, wrapping my arms around my knees. "Hey."

"Oh. Hi." Jack slid his gaze over to me and then looked back down at the ground below us again, "I'm sorry. I thought that you had already left by now."

"No worries." I whispered and then added later, "I heard what you said. To the moon." I nudged my head at the big, white sphere in the sky.

"Oh, you heard that?" Jack tightened his grip on his staff.

"Yeah..." I trailed off. "Jack..."

"I'm just so mad at the moon, you know?" Jack snapped, his knuckles turning pale as he gripped his staff hard, "He left me down here without any explanation, not letting me be seen by anybody for such a long time. He didn't tell me why he cursed me like this. But all he's done... he's just... he's left me. Alone. Unbelieved in. Just a story."

"You're more than a story, Jack." I tilted my head, "You're my friend."

"No one believes in me, Kiara." Jack shook his head, taking off his hood, "It's painful, knowing that no one can believe in you. No one has any hope in you. So soon, I'm going to... I've been living for 300 years as a faded ghost. No one knows me."

"I know you." I said.

"Yeah, but..." Jack trailed off, but I knew what he was going to say. But you're invisible to everyone else, too. Not believed in.

"I know that I'm not believed in, too, Jack." I snapped harshly, making him wince. I caught myself and then whispered, "But isn't me knowing that you exist better than when no one knew who you were? I know who you are, Jack Frost. You're a chosen spirit by the man in the moon, despite the answers you lack. You're someone who cares for the children of the world, despite that stunt I heard about."

"What stunt?" Jack asked me, even though a grin started to creep up onto his face, making me smile as well.

"Oh, you know. Where this kid named Jamie that lives somewhere in this neighborhood went on a freak sleigh ride and barely managed to not get hurt. He lost a tooth though, much to the tooth fairy's delight." I shook my head, "Jack, you're going to get someone killed."

"Oh, relax. He's fine." Jack was smiling uncontrollably now, "He's totally fine. Totally, totally great."

"I bet you had fun." I snorted.

"I was busy protecting the kid like the noble Jack Frost I am." Jack put his hand in front of his heart and lifted his chin, making me roll my eyes with a smirk, "But yeah, I did have a lot of fun, actually."

"Very nice." I shook my head, my hair falling in front of my face.

"So..." Jack looked over at me, "Is it okay if I ask you who your dad is, since... you haven't really told me anything about you, but you know a lot about me?"

I winced. My dad was the only thing I could never tell Jack Frost. I looked down and fidgeted with the ring necklace, trying to think about Mom and a diversion that I could throw to Jack instead. I looked up and said, "I can't tell you that, but I can tell you about him. Is that okay?"

Jack deflated a little bit, but he nodded with a smile. "Sure, little miss secretive happy eyes." He teased me with a laugh.

"Will you stop calling me that?" I groaned exasperatedly.

"Nope. It's a beautiful nickname that will stick forever." Jack laughed.

"You're so annoying sometimes." I shook my head, "Well... my dad's kind of always been the absent kind of parent. He's always out doing who knows what, messing with God knows who. I don't ask him about his work. I don't see him often anyways, so..."

"Really absent parent." Jack grimaced.

"Yeah. That's my dad." I whispered. Ghost. Faded. Never really there unless he really needs me. He's Pitch Black. I wished I could tell Jack, but he was a future guardian. If I told him, he'd be in danger from the wrath of my father.

"Are you not going home?" Jack asked, "I don't even think I have a home to go back to, even though I always tell the wind to take me home."

"Even if I go home now, the house is empty." I rubbed the back of my neck, "Shade is probably out, doing whatever he does."

"Geez, absent parent and absent panther?" Jack shook his head, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Maybe I should've left that snowflake mark in Shade's chest as a threat so that he'll never leave you again."

"Jack!" I swatted at his shoulder, "What a thing to say!"

Silence passed between us as we both sat there, staring at the moon, wondering what he was thinking, wondering what secrets he kept from us, wondering why he chose to make us both so faded but for different reasons. But most of all, I was wondering why he brought Jack Frost back into my life again.

"You know," Jack said, "I'm glad that you're in my life, Kia. I'm glad that you exist and that you believe I do, too."

"I'm glad that I'm here with you." I smiled at Jack, who leapt up from his seated stance.

"Welp, I should probably get going. More kids to play tricks on as I go." Jack put his hands on his hips and then extended one hand down to me. "Here." He pulled me up and I smiled at him, brushing snow off my dress and leather jacket.

"Okay. I'll be heading home now. See you around, Jack." I floated into the air and turned around, meeting his blue gaze with my golden one.

"See you, Kia." He whispered and I flew towards the direction of home, feeling a weight that I hadn't even realized was there floating off my chest. Just like a ghost.