Remember (one-shot)

Jack stood at the base of the stairwell, looking up at the ice castle towering above the winter forest. It was a spectacular creation, and for several minutes, he wondered who had built it. It was so intricately made, the ice sculpted to perfection. There was no way this had been carved by a knife or by any human. His fingers attentively touched the beginning of the staircase's banister, thinking it would just disappear. But no, he could feel the coolness leaking from it's smooth exterior, filling up his every bone. The smell of pine clung to the sculpture, deepening the wintry connection. And he could almost taste the first snowflake that had been used to build this on his tongue.

"It's real," Jack whispered to himself. It was an unnecessary clarification; it was just that he was still in awe of the creation. However, what really shocked him was that it seemed familiar. His gaze trailed upward again, a thought slamming into him as an image appeared. He didn't recognize it, nor could he distinguish whether it was a hallucination he's conjured up. It was a memory, something in him informed him. He could see himself on one of the spokes that erupted from the roof, breathing in the winter breeze beside someone. He was grinning, shining, in response to a melodious laugh.

It's been a while since he's seen himself like that. In the memory, he completely let himself go, letting her happiness ensconcehis soul and flow out in waves.

Jack was suddenly ripped out of the memory by an urgent thought, Stop it. You can't go back in there. You mustn't. His fingers coiled away immediately as the panic and warning shined brightly in front of him. But he didn't know why. It seemed as if everything in him was fighting itself, and Jack couldn't discern who was winning. Nor could he identify what they were fighting about.

Then, as if the wind had pushed him, he was climbing the staircase, one step after another. His thoughts were settled for a while as he was set on route up the stairs. It was like he was on autopilot, his footsteps and some distant memory guiding him into the foreign palace. In a few seconds, he found himself in front of the door, the large pieces of ice looming over him, warning him. But about what?

Jack couldn't find a reason to turn away. He couldn't understand why he was battling himself on exploring this beautiful creation. He'd have thought that he would be wholly invested in exploring a home that was made purely out of ice. He even had a brief thought of making it his home for the rest of his eternity. That's not the first time, another voice muttered desolately.

What?

"This is getting out of hand," Jack murmured to himself as he shook his head from the contradicting thoughts filling up his mind. He was determined to go in, determined to discover something, find something, find someone- find her.

The thought plunged through the barrier he had put up from his thoughts, slowly enlarging and taking up his focus. It became so large that it filtered through his lungs and accelerated the beating of his heart. He could smell the familiar minty scent, hear the sound of hair flying in the breeze, the sound of humming, giggling, and as he blinked, flashes of a face appeared. The lips, a smile, two big blue eyes, and they were looking at him, focused and aimed on him.

Jack's heart raced in anticipation. Something in him knew that whoever it was- whoever she was, was inside. But who's inside? Who is this girl? Butterflies began to flutter alight in his stomach, as laughter floated its way through the door. It was hers. He knew that with every bone in his body.

His head whipped upwards, towards the sound of the voice. He could imagine a girl in blue, white-blonde hair billowing behind her from the winter breeze, laughing. He could see her calling him over, to dance, to play in the snow, to create snowmen. He could feel her anticipation as if it were his own to play with their powers, to see what the two of them, together, could make.