Miles To Go Before I Sleep

Family Tree

Family Tree

...

Jack sat down on the soft grass in front of the worn, tilted stones. The surrounding vegetation had started to grow over the markers – the site no longer used and rarely visited by anyone. He had hardly paid the small graveyard and attention before he became a Guardian and got his memories back. But now that the faded names carved into the tombstones meant something to him he found himself unable to stay away.

'Here lies Emma Overland, loving daughter, wife and mother*'

The dates underneath were too far gone to be legible. Despite the gloomy atmosphere, Jack felt a small smile grace his lips. He could picture his little sister growing up into a beautiful woman. She would have made a wonderful mother. He was glad she was able to have a good life after he'd gone. His only regret was that he hadn't been there to witness it; if he'd known who she was he would have had a lot of fun watching over her and her family.

Jack turned to look at the tombstone to the left of Emma's. He recognised the name as one of the village boys they'd grown up with. Jacked hoped he and Emma had been happy together. A little further back was a joined grave-marker belonging to his parents. But it was the marker on the right of Emma's that really made his stomach drop.

'In loving memory of Jackson Overland, died saving the life of his sister. Gone, but never forgotten'

It gave him chills to imagine his own funeral. He looked down at himself. They wouldn't have even had a body to bury; he was living proof of that.

...

...

The sun was past its peak by the time Jack flew back into Burgess. The few hours he'd spent in the tranquillity of the graveyard, although depressing, had given him a little time to work through some of his thoughts, and to heal.

Figuring it late enough for Jamie to have gotten home from school, Jack made a bee-line for the Bennett household.

"Hey, Jack," Jamie greeted from his desk as Jack landed nimbly on the windowsill.

"What are you working on?" Jack asked, jumping down into the room.

"Our history teacher's making us draw family trees."

"Oh, like tracing your ancestors?" Jack moved to stand behind the boy, looking over his shoulder.

"Yep. Turns out our family's been in Burgess for hundreds of years."

Jack's heart froze as his eyes landed on a specific name a few generations above Jamie. "You…" his voice hitched in his throat.

"Huh?" Jamie followed his gaze. "Oh, she was my great great grandmother," he explained.

"You're related to Emma?" he whispered.

"You knew her?"

He nodded dumbly, following the lines to the names of his parents, and then down again to a solitary box with no further connections.

"Jackson was her brother," Jamie said slowly, noting what had caught the winter spirit's attention. "But he died saving her… Are you okay?"

Jack had gone several shades paler than usual. He felt like he was suffocating. To see his own name on a family tree, to realise that the words on his grave – Gone, but never forgotten – hadn't been a lie…

Then something deeper sunk in. Jamie and Sophie Bennett were related to him. Were descendants of his sister.

"Ah… yeah," he shook himself, sitting heavily on the end of Jamie's bed. "Just a bit of a shock."

"What were they like? I mean, do you remember anything that I could use in my report?"

"I can't tell you much about Emma – I didn't get to see her get much older than you," Jack laughed humourlessly. "Jackson, on the other hand, I can answer any question you have about him."

"Okay…" Jamie was looking at him strangely. "How did he die?"

"Ice skating. The ice cracked and he fell in."

"How do you know?"

"I was there."

"Why didn't you do something to help him, then?" Jamie frowned.

Jack heaved a sigh. "There wasn't much that could be done. Besides, if I had, I wouldn't be here now."

"What do you mean?" Jamie put down his pencil, giving him his full attention.

"I mean, if I didn't die I wouldn't have become Jack Frost."

Jamie's mouth fell open in a silent gape. "You? You're Jackson Overland?!"

"Surprise?"

"Do you know what this means?!"

"Uh… I owe you ten years worth of birthday presents?"

"I'm related to Jack Frost!"