Betrothed to Jack Frost (REWRITTEN)

5)A homicidal fairy tale character

Jack Frost.

Elle stared at the man, paralyzed by terror. Her knees felt as though they might buckle beneath her. Wasn't Jack Frost supposed to be a small, benevolent elf who delighted in snow? More than that, wasn't he a mere myth, confined to the realm of fairy tales? Desperately shaking her head, Elle tried to make sense of the chaos before her. "Why are you d-doing this? Why are you here?" she whispered, her voice barely audible, as though speaking too loudly might provoke him.

"Isn't it obvious?" the man said with a wicked smile. "You are my betrothed."

Elle stood frozen, unable to process his words. Her disbelief was so profound that she could only stare at him. The man took a step closer, twirling the dagger in his hand. The lack of any reaction from Elle caused him to raise a skeptical eyebrow. "It seems you still struggle with understanding large words," he said, his tone dripping with sardonic amusement. "You didn't grasp it at four, either. I hoped seventeen years would have expanded your vocabulary, but at least you grew up not to be hideous."

Elle's face remained a mask of shock, her brows furrowed deeply. She struggled to keep her mouth from hanging open in stunned silence.

"W-what do y-you w-want?" she stammered, her voice quivering with fear. What does one say when confronted by a figure from fairy tales, especially one holding a menacingly sharp knife? Jack Frost's demeanor was far from friendly; it was chillingly hostile.

The man grinned, once again toying with the knife he held. He carefully moved it in-between his fingers in a near casual move. "Oh gods, there is so much...Freedom, a kingdom where I do not have to worry about monarchy laws...But, there is something I want much, much more than that," he nodded seriously. "Your blood to spill out onto the ground as I kill you." The man grinned, stepping forward in a bid to plunge the knife into Elle.

Luckily for her, she was too quick with her sudden jerking. She lunged out of the way, causing the dagger to only stab into her right arm. Elle hissed a shocked gasp as his knife made contact with her soft skin. It was ripped out as quickly as it had stabbed her. She suddenly made a mad sprint for her house, ignoring the bleeding arm wound that shot a huge amount of pain up throughout her body. Elle was lucky. If she hadn't made a quick movement, that dagger was going straight for her heart.

Elle knew she couldn't do the one thing she felt like doing; crying. She felt like bawling as if she were a little kid again but she knew she couldn't. If she didn't fight, this stranger known as Jack Frost was going to kill her. The how's and why's of the situation did not matter. Locking the door, Elle shoved a small table in front of the door as she thought about her next actions. She needed the police! But before she could react, fingers knotted in the back of her hair from behind and caused Elle to cry out in pain. She kept forgetting this stranger had the magic ability to appear behind locked doors within the blink of an eye.

"You are a quick little thing, I'll give you that." The man laughed lightly with amusement. "Now hold still, I need to kill you."

"Screw you!" Elle seethed, roughly back kicking the man's shin with her heel before jerking her head up to hit him to the jaw by using the top of her head. She remembered this much from a self-defense class she and Lucy had taken their junior year of high school. The pain in her arm was enough to cause Elle to realize she would have to put everything she had into living. She was literally in a fight for her life. The bloody knife wound that tore a huge grisly gap in her arm was enough to make Elle realize this stranger had full intent on killing her.

The man released Elle after she headbutted him, rubbing his jaw with a flicker of anger in his gray eyes. Though her blows seemed to have little effect on him, he was clearly taken aback. Seizing the moment, Elle grabbed a vase from a nearby shelf and hurled it at him. It shattered against his face, but he barely reacted. Undeterred, Elle grabbed candlesticks and picture frames, launching them at him in a desperate bid to fend him off. She sprinted up the stairs two at a time, determined to reach her bedroom and her cell phone. Just as she neared the top, Jack Frost appeared in her path, his smirk widening. "Going somewhere?" he taunted. The sight of him startled Elle, and she lost her footing, tumbling down the stairs. Her ankle twisted painfully, and she landed awkwardly. A cry of agony escaped her lips as she struggled to stand.