Sunshine and Frost

5. Friends?

I growl in annoyance as the thin lead from my mechanical pencil breaks again. School went on Christmas break two hours ago, but my mother refuses to let me go anywhere until all of my homework is done.

How did I get so far behind anyway? I place my pencil down and slump on my desk, knowing exactly how I got so far behind.

It's been a week since the winter spirit jumped out my window and a week since I saw the Bennetts. I've seen Jamie at school but as soon as our eyes meet he walks the other direction.

The only way I could see Sophie is with Jamie outside of school, but they haven't been at the park all week. As for Jack, he's a winter spirit who can travel the globe, he could be anywhere.

My search for the trio hasn't helped my adjustment to my new home either. Between trying to find the siblings and the winter spirit my grades have slipped, making mother very angry with me.

Now that mother has settled into her new office she's sealed me in my room to do my schoolwork. She hopes by locking me in my room my grades will go back up, but I can't focus until figure out what's going on.

I let out a sigh as I begin to rewrite my biology notes again. I mean Sophie might still be mad at me because of what I did, but why would Jack and Jamie avoid me?

Just as I get to the last chapter of notes I feel my brain overheat. I shove my notebook away to make room for my head to hit the desk.

Going against my mother, I get up from my desk and grab my coat, gloves, and beanie to go for a walk. I don't know, or really care, where I'm going but I just need to get out of my bedroom. I know that if mother catches me sneaking out she would send me back to my makeshift prison. So I decide to take a more daring route out of the house, my window.

I slide the glass panel up and remove the mesh screen, I make my way onto my roof and adjust my footing so I don't slip. I close the window and inch towards the tree that stands beside my house. I reach the edge of my roof where a five foot jump to the tree stands between me and freedom. I peer over the edge and stare at a fifteen foot drop from the roof to the ground.

I sallow the lump of fear in my throat and launch myself at the tree, I get a face full of leaves but manage to grab a branch. I lift myself onto the thick limb before making my way to the center. After about two minutes of making my way down I jump to the ground and greeted by a blast of wind. I look around and see that it's only affecting me, I grin knowing who's in control of the wind. I break into a sprint in the direction of the breeze, which takes me to the park.

I stop to search the open field for the siblings and Jack, it's mostly adults but a group of children are playing by the statue. I don't find the Bennett siblings, but I do see a teen with white hair watching the kids having a snowball fight. He sits on the ledge of the stone base with his foot swaying in the air below him.

I smile as I walk over, "Hey, Jack!" I wave my hand at him. He looks over his shoulder and our eyes meet.

I can see discomfort in his clear blue eyes, he scrambles to his feet before taking off into the sky. I run after him confused, "Jack wait up!"

He continues to fly away from me, "Why are you running?" I yell over the wind that carries him.

"Just leave me alone!" I hear him call.

He flies into a forest area, making me lose him amongst the trees. I slow my run to a jog, trying to find him in the branches.

"Jack!" I yell to the trees, "I just wanted to talk to you again!" I scan the leaves around me, "Why are you hiding from me?!" I ask him.