Jack Frost: The Last Fairytale (Jelsa)

Zie

Cole had found a two-story apartment, a kitchen and living area downstairs and a bedroom and bathroom upstairs. It wasn't large but it was easy to pay for. Cole talked with his aunt for about twenty minutes before she had to leave and he finished his food before cleaning up and retiring to his room for the night. While cleaning up he received a message from Zie:

Are you still awake???

Cole responded quickly as he always did:

Yes, I just finished eating.

Cole waited as he finished cleaning up and returned to his room, but there was no response. When he opened the door to his room, he saw a girl typing on her phone outside his window. She looked up and rapped on it with her knuckles.

Cole walked over to the window and opened it. "You know you can come through the front door now?"

"I know, but what fun would that be?" Zie teased as she climbed through the open window.

She embraced Cole in a big lingering hug. "I hope your day wasn't a total disaster."

"It was fine," Cole lied. In all honesty, he hadn't expected to get away from today without a scratch and the beating hadn't been his worst. What was worse, was the woman who kept showing up during the day, now that unnerved him.

Zie pulled away from the embrace ever so slightly so that she could look into his eyes, "be honest with me Cole, you're not hurt too bad?"

"I didn't wince when you hugged me," Cole smiled through his sheepishness.

That broke Zie's heart, it was true, there were some days when they had ambushed Cole that Zie couldn't even touch him without hurting him more. Once, he even had to miss school because he couldn't get out of bed. He convince his parents that he was sick from something that he ate and they didn't make too much of a fuss about it.

Cole had always hidden his beatings from his parents, not from embarrassment but from the knowledge that it would have only caused them more troubles had they known. Anyone who had tried to do anything about Hans and his tyranny had always been fired from their jobs, even if they didn't work for the school, and got slammed with a law suit for slander. Once when concrete evidence was gathered and justice seemed like it was going to be served, the people pursuing it disappeared with all the evidence. All the records of it also vanished as if it had never happened the police pretended it didn't exist and nobody talked about it for months like it was jinxed. Everything from rumors of pay offs to murder and dirty cops circulated in hushed whispers as Hans and his family reigned supreme, untouched by anybody.

The system was broken and everybody knew it, but Zie admired Cole's strength in putting up with it, especially after his parent died. Cole was one of the strongest people that she knew and she adored him for it. She couldn't help but see his as an unbreakable wall of a man, but at the same time she could see the broken soul at his heart.

Zie smiles as she rubbed Cole's arms lovingly, she took it upon herself to be there for him. She knew that he talked to his aunt almost every night but that wasn't the same as having some to talk face to face with.

Cole took her by the hand and sat down on the bed with her, "if it is all the same to you I would just like to hear about your day."

This is how it usually went even when his parents were around, it was as if Cole was living a happy life through Zie and didn't want to burden her with his troubles.

Cole loved the way Zie saw the world it was so beautiful through her eyes, he could almost imagine it being a happy place. Life experiences had taught him otherwise, even when his parents had been around they ignored him and doted on his younger sister. Not that he cared, he was happy to be left alone. There were times that they almost felt like a family, like when they went on vacations together. Most of the time, his parents were absorbed in their work, his father was a contractor and his mom was a doctor. They both worked all the time and Molly always had friends around or was at a friend's house.

Zie always had time for him though, she was his best friend and most trusted confidant. Even though he didn't like his life, he loved her and hers. She was pretty and talented and was always making time for him. They would sit in his room for hours and talk about whatever they wanted to. They read books together, mostly the classics, which were Zie's favorites, and would talk about them for hours. Cole never felt like he was particularly interesting but Zie always managed to make him feel needed.

Zie was the only thing in the world that made Cole feel safe, sane, or wanted.