Love As Cold As Ice (Jack Frost Fanfiction)

Chapter Six: Gone

He's not here. My heart pounded and my brain whirled, as well as my stomach. Where could he be? Jack wasn't at the playground like he usually was. I didn't know where else he could've possibly resided. Like Jack said, he didn't have a specific home, so I couldn't really go somewhere to find him and know he'll be there.

Have I lost him? Did he leave me? A voice in my head whispered and I shook my head.

"I can't lose him!" I cried out loud and then realized what I had said to the world. My voice grew quieter until it was almost tiny, like a whimper. "I can't lose the only person who understands what's going on. Who knows me."

I tore through the playground one last time, searching for any hint of blue or white. But he wasn't there. You might say that I'm crazy and that he might just have forgotten. But Jack and I... even though we say "see you around", we always meet up with each other. Every day. I can't help but be worried. He was my friend, the only one who knew me and the only one who acknowledged that I exist, other than the moon.

Jack Frost, please come back. Please, please, please... I whispered in my mind, hugging myself as I sat down on a nearby bench, curling my knees to my chest until I had almost become a non-existent ball. Deep down in my heart, I knew he wasn't going to show up. Even if I waited until the end of the day and whispered a million prayers to try and bring him here, he wasn't coming. Something had happened to him. And he isn't coming back here.

-:-:-:-:-

I closed my eyes and did the only thing I could do.

I left all memory of Jack Frost buried in the back of my head. I stayed home, ignoring the urge to head back to that playground and wait for him. I focused on mending the one problem I had in my life. My dad.

We were always arguing and it was almost painful to go back to him every day, arguing about the same petty things. I can predict what every single argument is going to be about. It was awful, to be honest, to even interact with my dad, knowing that we're going to fight. He just.... He just never listened to me. He was always obsessing over his own problems of not being seen... that he never really cared about mine. At least people gave him a thought. No one even knew I existed.

"Kiara?" I heard Dad say as he walked back into the place we call home, "Are you home, daughter?"

"I'm here." I said, slamming the book I was reading closed.

"Ah." My father opened the door to my room and he lifted one dark eyebrow at me, "I thought you'd be out, frolicing in the human world. You seemed to like to do that for the past few days."

"Oh, so you noticed." I sighed, "Just to clarify, I wasn't frolicing. I was observing, thank you very much."

"Observing what?" Dad asked and I shook my head.

"Nothing important now." He's gone. "I don't have anything to do today, so I'm just... home." Locked away like you want me to be. Your secret weapon.

"Good. I was always worrying that the Guardians would see you. You know what they'd do to you if they found you, right?" Dad asked, still standing by the doorstep.

I gazed down at my book and nodded, "Yep. They'd use me to expose you to the world and they'd take you down once and for all. Yada-yada. All the good stuff. I know, I know."

"Exactly. And we cannot have that happening. Not at this moment." Dad shook his head and I sighed yet again, brushing my hair back and wishing that he'd just listen to me for once. For once, he'd relate to me and know what I'm going through.

"Why? Wouldn't you at least get a bit of a reputation?" I asked.

"Because I am planning my big revenge against the Guardians." Dad grinned cruelly, shadows lacing his forearms and darting around my room, some brushing against my face like an affectionate touch. I flinched away from them, disgusted. The shadows that my father was controlling all darted back to him and ran up and down his figure.

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow, pretending to feign interest.

"Yes." Dad lowered his voice, "I'm going to attack Toothiana's palace."

Toothiana. The tooth fairy. I barely refrained from showing my shock. That was a low blow, even for Pitch Black. Yes, I found the tooth fairy annoying with her collection of teeth and her always darting around to remind people of their oral health, but she still didn't deserve this. Finally, I said, "... I see."

"I'll attack her tomorrow." Dad shook his head, a gleeful and maniacal smile forming on his face, "She'll never see it coming. Just like the other Guardians will soon fall."

"Great plan, Dad." I muttered, even though I didn't mean it at all.

"Fear will reign over those children's hearts soon enough." Dad cackled, "I will be the most believed out of every spirit. And soon... your time will come, too."

I froze. My time will come soon. But I didn't want to be known because of someone else's falling. I wanted to be known because I... I didn't want to gain my reputation out of the tooth fairy's downfall. But how was I going to warn the Guardians? I have strictly been forbidden to ever come in contact with them. Besides, I don't even know where most of them are.

So all I said was, "Good luck, Dad."

"Thank you." Dad grinned, "I'll set off on my journey to the tooth palace now. Goodbye for now, Kiara. You will be known soon!" And with a whirl of black sand, he was gone.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling completely overwhelmed. I can't do this. I can't let Dad go. I can't let Toothiana fall. I brushed a lock of my hair aside and looked up when Shade snaked through the window crack, purring when he saw me and my distressed expression.

"Hi, buddy." I whispered, stroking his head. "Dad's finally taking down one of the Guardians... and I'm going to be known. So why do I feel so nauseous and horrible?" I rubbed at my face, scrubbing away some of the tears that fell.

Shade looked up at me with his intelligent, auburn eyes before he huffed, pointing his nose in the direction of the playground. I shook my head.

"No. I waited for him there for the whole day. He's not coming back, wherever he is." I sighed, "I've lost him, Shade."

Shade nudged himself out of my grip and then started climbing up to the window, glancing back at me meaningfully one last time. I floated up to him and then looked over at the playground. It was empty because of all the frost and ice, but... it felt like I should be there right now.

"Okay." I looked over at Shade, "One time. And that's it."

Shade snorted, rolling his eyes back, and I hopped onto his back, and we zoomed over to the playground just as the sky started to darken with the night consuming it. It felt like my father was still reaching out to me, even though he left for Toothiana's tooth palace. I urged Shade forward faster, and we outran the night.