𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐈𝐂𝐄 》 JACK FROST

I. The Beginning

THE BEGINNING

55BC

Middle England

Darkness.
That's the first thing I remember.

It was dark, and it was cold - and I was scared.

A girl gasped, sitting up straight as she frantically looked around, her chest rapidly rising and falling.

She was surrounded by tall, towering trees that seemed to be closing in on her. She panicked, hyperventilating as she began to take quick, sharp intakes of breath. She had heard twigs snapping.

She scanned the ground, looking for anything that could help protect her. Within seconds, she spotted a large stick. From her sitting position, she managed to dive forward, scooping the stick into her grip as she scrambled to her feet, slowly spinning in a circle as she gulped. She held it up, the top pointing to the sky fiercely.

The dead trees - apparently it was mid-Autumn - stopped, seeming to back away from her as the shadows changed directions and no longer reached for her heels.

She sighed a breath of relief, glancing up at the stick thankfully. Only, she found that its wasn't a stick, but a scythe. She smiled, a grain of confidence growing within her.

However, said confidence left as quick as it came as she heard twigs snapping as a few trees tried to reach her. The evergreens were disobedient towards her silent command - 'Stay back!' - as their shadows reached for her.

Why weren't they like the other, bare, trees?

Why wouldn't they obey her?

Something in her mind clicked.

They were living. The thought disgusted yet terrified her. It only took one more crack of a branch. One more snap of a twig, in order for her to snap too.

She took of sprinting, willing herself to go fast, her bare feet hitting the ground. She panted, struggling to hold the Scythe as she ran. But she didn't have to struggle for long as it disappeared into a back fog. The girl shooed away the sense of shock and curiosity. She needed to run, not think about fog.

Eventually, she reached a clearing. Coming to a halt, she doubled-over, her hands on her knees as she breathed heavily.

There was a tug at her heart; an odd feeling that didn't quite hurt but wasn't exactly pleasant either.

Sensing what it was trying to tell her, she looked up, her eyes glossy as tears threatened to spill.

But then, then I saw the Moon. It was so big and so bright that it...
Seemed to chase the darkness away.

She smiled, sniffling as she whipped her eyes. She waved at the Moon before blushing at how stupid the action was, embarrassed, she rubbed the back of her neck. What she didn't know was that he had smiled back.

And when it did, I wasn't scared anymore.

She giggled before slowly walking back through the woods, making sure she had the Moon in her sight at all times, glancing up at it every few seconds.

After some time, her feet began to ache. She had been walking for a good hour, the Moon had began to lower itself, causing the girl to panic. She didn't know where she was, what would happen when the only thing keeping her safe was gone?