The Child of Frost

Unstable Winter

Fawn's P.O.V.

After hearing the story from Father Time, I grew even more afraid of the man who has Jack. How can I possibly stop someone who holds the power of nightmares and winter? There's no way a simple human could handle a rescue this big? What would happen if I fail to save him? What would happen to Jack? What would happen to winter?

Just as I was thinking this, snow flew in every direction, almost as if in a state of panic. It hit the windows with a loud thud, making it seem as if it would break the glass at any moment. The wind roared as if it was warning that something was wrong. The temperature had dropped dramatically, making it seem as if we were standing in the middle of the storm.

"Father Time, what's going on?!" I shouted, hoping he could hear me over the roaring wind. As if frustrated, he took a hold of my hand and pulled out an ancient hourglass. With a beautiful design and never ending sand, he turned it to the side as if to stop time. As he did this, everything grew still. No sound could be heard for miles except for the sound of Father Winter's footsteps.

He drops my hand and says, "do you see this? The wind is panicking, and the snow... I've never seen the snow like this. Winter itself is in trouble."

"Father Time, what is happening?" I asked again. "Why is everything acting so strangely?"

He touched the window, taking a look at the weather outside. "Jack's life is in trouble. Being the master of time, I'm constantly aware of a shortened life span. Take a look at this." With a wave of his hand, a specific hour glass appeared in his hand. It was a beautiful winter blue with pale sand flowing through, but the difference between that one and the first one was that this one wasn't regenerating the sand.

"Is that someone's life span?" I asked, wondering who's it could be.

Father Time nodded before putting it down on the small table. "As you can see, the sand isn't regenerating. This particular hourglass is supposed to be never ending, but something is happening to this person. Whatever is happening, it ended with him having a human lifespan, meaning that he will meet his end soon."

"Please don't tell me that it's Jack. Please don't say this," I begged. If it is Jack's lifespan, what am I going to do if I can't save him in time? Most importantly, who's going to control winter?

"Unfortunately, this one does belongs to Jack Frost. Fear had discovered a way to kill a child of Frost, something that has never been done before." With a worried look in his eyes, he looked down at me as he said, "Father Winter has warned me about missing children of Frost, but when their lives come to an end, there is nothing more to do. I do not want to see this happen to Jack."

I wouldn't want to imagine a world without Jack in it. No, more like I couldn't imagine a world without the mischievous Jack Frost in it. Jack's been alone for most of his life, and it wasn't until recently that he found someone who could understand him. The thought that his smile could disappear from the world forever made my heart ache. His beautiful blue eyes closing forever was impossible.

"How could I save him? Is it possible for me to save him?" I asked, knowing what I have to do. "I'm not going to let him die like that. I'm going to try."

"It just may be possible, but I warn you that it will be dangerous. Take a few children of Frost with you. They will assist you as much as they can on your journey. If you are serious about rescuing the poor lad, stay safe and be careful." With that, time began to move again. I was alone in Jack's home again, wondering who I should bring with me. Who would be willing to help me rescue Jack?

Just then, a knock came to the door. When I opened it, standing there was none other than Marcus and two more boys behind him. Without waiting to be let in, Marcus walked past me, leading the others in as well.

"What's the plan?" he asked, turning to me. "How do you plan on rescuing that little twerp?"

"Umm... How did you know about that? I literally just spoke to Father Time about it," I asked, wondering how they found out so fast.

He stared back at me coldly, as if it should be obvious. "Father Time can manipulate time, stupid girl. Just tell us what you want us to do, and we'll go bring him back for you."

"Excuse me? I'm going with you," I haven't known Marcus as long as Jack has, but I can see why he finds this guy so frustrating.

Marcus shook his head no. "This is a man's job, not a walk in a meadow. Why don't you just stay in the kitchen where you belong."

Angry now, I glared at him as I shouted, "listen here, mister! I'm not a fragile little girl who runs away from the smallest things! I'm not afraid of whatever goes bump in the night, nor am I going to let you take off and leave me behind. Jack trusts me, and probably wouldn't hesitate to hurt you. Now if you don't want to get your butt frozen again, I'm coming along. Who else is going to save you when you fall into trouble."

While ignoring Marcus's angry chanting, the other boys decided to introduce themselves.

"My name is Shard, and it's nice to meet you, Fawn." The boy with light freckles and green eyes held out his hand for me to shake. "I'm an archer, so feel free to depend on me."

"Nice to meet you, Shard. Glad to have you on the team." I turned to the other boy and shook his hand, "what's your name?"

"Ron. I'm a great tracker, especially when it comes to Jack Frost." With a smile, he asks, "what's the plan, captain?"