Frozen Hearts Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Going Back

The next morning came quicker than it should have.  I awoke to see Jack’s face as he crouched down beside the bed near me. “Good morning, Miyuki,” he cheerfully said. “Come to the kitchen.” With that he left the room.

I wiped the sleep out of my eyes before stretching and taking a great big yawn. I groggily swung my feet to the floor, sitting on the bed before finally getting up.

Eventually I made it to the kitchen and I was surprised at the sight before me. There Jack was standing near the table, with about three fish, frozen completely solid, just lying on the table. At some point, Jack must've changed clothes because he was now in his blue hoodie again.

“Jack…?” I asked blinking my eyes at the incredulous scene. I was fine with fish for breakfast, but frozen fish was what I was concerned most about. What do you expect though from Jack Frost? I sighed putting my hand to my forehead, “Why is there frozen fish on the kitchen table?”

He looked very cocky and proud with a huge grin on his face, “It’s breakfast!”

My hand remained on my forehead, still not able to believe this, “Why are they frozen? And how are we supposed to eat them?”

He smiled before laughing nervously, “That’s just how catch fish.” He rose up his staff mentioning to it, “I use my staff to freeze them in midair when they jump, then drag them out of the water with the crook of my staff. Sometimes I just catch them in the water with the staff. And sorry about that, I don’t know much about fixing food. I don’t have to eat, being a spirit and all.” He rubbed the back of his head nervously.

I sighed and briefly close my eyes as I grabbed down one of the old pans that was left by the previous occupants. For once, I was actually thankful for the one thing I learned from my mother. I sighed again as I put the pan on the old stove, “Thankfully, I learned how to cook from my mother before things went…” I paused thinking of the right word to say, “south with my parents.” I turned on the flame underneath so it could get warm enough. I smiled as I looked to Jack, cutting the heads and tails off was the part I hated the most, “Jack take these fish outside and cut the heads and tails off. I don’t care how you do it.”

Jack grabbed up the frozen fish and took them just outside the cabin. A loud thump of his staff hitting the fish before a loud strong wind came could be heard inside the cabin. He came back inside mere minutes later carrying three headless and tailless fish. He then placed them back on the table. I picked up a fish, as I did I noticed the small crystals of ice where the slice was. Of course, he used his powers to cut them. I put the fish, or what I could of them, into the pan and waited for the long wait for the fish to thaw out. In the silence of the wait, I thought back to the memories of my mom in the kitchen as I helped her.She taught me so much. Where did things go so wrong? Why did they have to start arguing so?

After a few hours, the fish was finally ready to eat and I sat out two of plates left in the cabin on the table, one for me and one for Jack. The fish wasn’t anything much, no added spices, no breading, no special ingredients, and yet it still tasted so good. I looked at Jack; thankfully he ate it even if he didn’t have to eat. But I was still bothered by the memories from my childhood, and soon he took notice.

“Miyuki, something wrong?” He looked at me and I managed to get my head up to look at his blue eyes. Never before had I seen so much concern for me in someone else’s eyes.

I smiled slightly, “I was just thinking of those times with my mother in the kitchen.” I sighed looking down at my plate and half-eaten fish, “Things were so much simpler back then.”

Jack quietly put his plate in the sink and came over to me. He kneeled down beside me, sighed and put his hand on my cheek as a few tears rolled down to meet his hand. He could tell I was sad from the very memory of my parents. “You’ll feel better after you go see them later tonight,” he said giving a slight smile.

More tears flowed down from my hazel eyes, wetting Jack’s hand, only to freeze. I stuttered with quiet hiccups from crying, “H-how do you know that Jack? W-who says that everything will go as well as you think it will?”

He smiled, “I don’t know. But any closure between you and your parents is better than nothing at all.” He stared into my eyes in silence, his smile contagious as I start to smile too.

I threw myself out of my chair on to Jack, wrapping my arms around him and burying my face into his blue hoodie. I tried hard to choke back the sobs, but in the end, they won out and I let it all out. All the pain and sorrow from my parents arguing came out as tears, soaking Jack’s hoodie.

Jack was shocked after my body landed against his, his arms out to the side. After he heard my sobs, his eyes softened and he sighed as he put his arms around me, rubbing his hand comfortingly up and down my back. Immediately, I felt better.

I lifted my head out of the blue cloth, looking up at Jack’s face. I managed a slight smile through my tears, as I hugged him tightly, “Thanks, Jack.” As we parted, we both looked down to the blue cloth where a big tear stain now was.

I laughed nervously, “I’m sorry, Jack. I didn’t mean to mess up your hoodie with my crying.”

He laughed sincerely as the wet spot soon frosted over, blending in with the other frost patches on his hoodie, “See, you didn’t mess up the hoodie.” He smiled sweetly at me, “If anything, it looks better. Now I have a patch of frost that means something to me.”

I smiled up at him and gave a small laugh, “Thanks again”. I gave him a hug once more before finally getting off of him.

Jack smiled at me, “It's no problem, Miyuki.”

I got back up in my chair and finished my fish breakfast. After putting my plate in the sink, I followed Jack outside for some snow fun.

Once we made it near the pond, I noticed some young children there. I recognized them from around town but I didn't know their names. I assumed they were there because Jack had made a snow day for them.

I stood beside Jack as we watched the kids play in the snow. Soon one kid called to a young brunette boy, "Come on, Jamie. Come play with us in the snow!"

The boy called Jamie ran along with his friends. I soon remembered the young boy. I was only ten when his parents moved into the neighborhood with the young toddler.

Jack soon flew off towards the kids. I sighed as I followed after Jack. I just hoped they would remember me and that if they didn't see Jack that he wouldn't take it too bad.

I tried to stay hidden as Jack started a snowball fight with the kids. Unfortunately for Jack, none of them could see them. Despite that, he still got enjoyment from playing with them. I knew I couldn’t join in without things getting awkward, since I knew that they could see me and most likely knew me or at least knew of me. But eventually I got involved anyways. A stray snowball hit me and as everyone looked in the direction of the snowball, I was seen. I laughed nervously as they did, not sure of what to say. Either they knew who I was or they wondered who I was because every single one of them silenced.

Soon Jamie spoke up, “Aren’t you Miyuki, the girl that disappeared? The whole neighborhood is talking about you.”

I stuttered horribly, as I looked to Jack for some kind of help but got a simple shrug instead, “Y-ye-yeah. I-I’m Miyuki Winters.”

Jamie lit up, “Wow it’s so good to see you. Your parents have been worried sick about you.” There was a long silence before he finally sighed and smiled at me, “Well, you wanna join us in a snowball fight?”

“A-are you sure?” I looked at Jack to see what I should do, responding in a nod, before I looked back to the brown-headed boy.

He smiled, “Of course.”

I smiled back as a snowball hit the back of my head. I turned to see who it was, expecting it to be one of the kids throwing it. My eyes narrowed as I realized it was Jack that threw it. Soon another snowball hit me, this time from Jamie. I formed a snowball and joined in, throwing a return at Jamie and throwing some at the other kids.

When none of the kids were looking, I turned to Jack and threw a snowball at him, hitting him in the face. I whispered loud enough for him to hear but quiet enough that the kids couldn’t, “Pay back!”

Somehow during the snowball fight, I stumbled underneath a tree. Jack took this as an opportunity for his revenge. He tapped his staff on the tree and a pile of snow fell from a tree branch right into my shirt, sending a chill down my back. I heard his cheeky laughter behind me, a scowl coming across my face.

After what seemed like hours of playing, it finally got dark and Jamie and the other kids went back to their homes. Well now that they have seen me, I have no choice but to go back, I thought as soon as they left. After the final child left the area, I turned to Jack, an angry expression on my face, “You are so dead, Jack!”

He looked at me confusedly, “What?” He gestured innocently, “What did I do?”

I reminded him of the cold snow down my back as I picked up a handful snow and put it down his shirt, which failed horribly, as it had little effect on him. Duh, cold skin, I thought stupidly.

Thankfully, he let it go, not trying to get back at me. Instead he kissed me passionately on the lips before looking at me sadly, “Well, I guess it’s time to take you back to your house. There’s no way around it now. I’m sure the kids will tell your parents soon.”

I had almost forgotten about that with the whole chaos from the snowball fight. I was having so much fun that I had forgot that we were going to do that tonight. I let out a sad sigh, “Well, then let’s go back.” I looked sadly to the ground.

“Everything will be alright,” Jack whispered to me as he put an arm around my waist, lifting me in the air. I smiled slightly, both from his comforting words and the feel of being in the air.

Soon we were landing on my windowsill in the room where it all started.