History Tends to Repeat Itself

"Come on, Sophie! We gotta get there before dark!" I shouted back to her as she staggered after me, a smile plastered on her face. I could hardly contain my excitement; we had finally convinced Mom to let us go skating, and we were currently on our way to do so on this cold, December day.

With my skates slung over my back, I raced farther ahead of my sister and down into the clearing where the lake stood, surface frozen solid. I smiled wide, and sat down before kicking off my shoes, pulling the skates off my shoulder and onto my feet. I stood up and tested my balance, leaning back and forth of them with my arms extended.

Sophie ran down to me, sliding in the snow and falling to her bottom. She giggled and grabbed her own skates, taking off her shoes and pulling the skates on. Looking up at me, she grinned shyly.

"Can you tie them, Jamie?"

I smiled and nodded, leaning down to help her tie the laces, looping the strings around each other. Once I made sure they were tied, I sat back up and extended my hand to her, helping her to her feet. Slowly, we made our way to the ice where I put my hand out in front of her.

"Wait, let me test it first." I prompted, and she nodded, stepping back slightly. I was hesitant as I put one foot on the ice, slowly shifting weight onto it, and lifted my other foot onto the frozen surface. I crept out onto the ice, watching and listening for any change in the ground below me; there was none.

I looked back to Sophie, who was now standing with her hands behind her and rocking back and forth. I smiled, and waved her forward with my hand. "You can come on! Its safe!"

Her face lit up and she eagerly staggered out onto the ice, clumsy in her skates. I held back a laugh as she slipped and slid over to me, nearly falling over. I reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders, letting my laughter out. She tried to hide behind her hair, and I smiled again, moving her hair out of her face. "Oh come on, Soph. Here, I'll help you."

I moved my grip down to her hands, and I felt her grasp them in response. I slowly moved my feet, pulling her along with me. I started by just getting her moving, going left and right, up and down on the ice. Soon, I let go of one hand and gently swung her around me, and I heard her starting to giggle. She released her grip, and started skating on her own, twirling around slowly as our laughter filled the air.

"See! There you go! You got it!: I cheered, and started doing tricks of my own. I picked up speed and skated around her in circles, letting my feet take over. I made figure-eights, tried to do full turns, I even tried to jump once, and landed shakily on my feet but lost all momentum. Sophie did the same, trying to mimic my movements, but achieved very few of the tricks. All the same, she had a smile of joy on her face.

Now we were both in closer to the center of the lake, enjoying ourselves, yelling and screaming and falling down. By now it was a little after four in the afternoon, and the sun was already beginning to set. I could hear Sophie's teeth chattering, and I felt myself getting chills. I slowed down, and started to stretch out my arms when I heard a small gasp. I turned around, and I felt terror make its way into my mind.

Standing farther out in front of me was my little sister, cowering in fear as she balanced on a patch of cracked ice. My breath caught in my throat, and I saw tears starting to run down her face as stared at the frozen lake. Panic started to rise in my chest, but I shoved it down and forced myself to speak.

"S-Shh, Sophie, everything is going to be okay, alright?" I spoke softly, reaching my hands toward my little sister. Her head shot up, and she started to shake.

"N-No its not..." I shook my head, and smiled softly.

"Shh, you're going to be okay. I promise. Just, don't move," I looked around, hoping to find something that would help me in this situation; not even a twig could be seen with all the snow. I swallowed slowly, hand going to the back of my head as I scratched it thoughtfully. My arm brushed my scarf, and an idea formed in my head.

Quickly, I pulled off my scarf and unraveled it, and tossed one end out as far as it could go. I bit my lip as it only made it halfway to Sophie, and I looked at her, noticing her scarf. I grinned partially.

"Sophie, take off your scarf and toss it towards me!"

She looked at me, face still wet with tears as she nodded and slowly removed her scarf. She balled it up and threw it over as hard as she could without shifting her weight. It landed on the end of my own, and I quickly pulled it in, picking it and the end of my scarf up. I wrapped the end of her scarf around my own, pulling it tightly into a knot. I smiled and looked up at my sister, and opened my mouth to say something when another noise rang out.

CRACK.

My eyes widened as the ice split, and Sophie screamed, jumping back as part of  the ice collapsed under her. My heart stopped as I screamed out her name.

"SOPHIE!" I threw one end of the scarf towards her and held the other tightly in my hand, and I felt my breath return when she caught. it.

However the joy was short lived, as her footing slipped and I watched my little sister fall into the icy waters, her head plunging under the ice. I lunged forward, no longer caring for my own safety as I screamed in horror. I reached my hands into the water trying to get a hold of her, and panic filled me when I couldn't find anything to grab.

"No, no, no no no!" I cried, and banged my hands on the ice, desperately wishing it had I who had fallen in instead. Tears ran down my face and I buried my head in my hands.

Suddenly a shadow fell directly over me, and my head shot up, hoping to see someone who could help. My hope was fulfilled as I saw Jack flying straight towards me, and I instantly called out to him. "Jack! Jack! Sophie fell in!"

I saw his eyes widen, and I literally felt the temperature drop at least ten degrees before it shot back up as he rushed to my side. He stood staring at the whole in the ice for a moment, and then jumped in. I felt my heart nearly burst.

"Jack!"

I scampered away from the whole in the ice, kicking off my skates as I did, but I did not let my gaze drift from it for a moment. I stood up shakily, hands clenched in fists.

My breathing became harsh with each second that passed, and I was about to race back over to the water when a figure flew out. My heart pounded against my rib cage as I recognized it as Jack, and a smile quickly returned to my face when I saw Sophie in his arms. He looked down at me and then pointed his head back towards the town. I nodded and quickly ran off the lake as he flew as fast as he could ahead of me, cradling my unconscious little sister in his arms. I sprinted after him, praying that he had gotten her out of the water in time.

Once we reached the town, Jack veered off towards my house, and I did the same. Taking as many short cuts as I knew, I reached it quickly and ran inside, grabbing the phone and dialing 911. Jack landed in my backyard and wasted no time rushing inside and handing the Sophie to me. He then raced around the house grabbing coats and blankets as I talked to the operator.

Shortly after hanging up the phone, my mother walked in the front door and I yelled to her, causing her to sprint over and take Sophie from me. She quickly pulled the wet clothes off of her and wrapped her in the pile of blankets and coats Jack had collected. He stood next to me now, his grip on my shoulder comforting but growing harder with each minute.

Soon I could hear the ambulance outside, and my mother commanded me to go to the door and lead them back to her and Sophie. I did so without hesitation, and watched as the paramedics worked over my sister before putting her on a stretcher and placing her in the ambulance. My mother climbed in after her, and sharply told the paramedics that I was coming as well after they said I needed to stay.

They let me ride shotgun as we drove to the hospital, but I hardly paid attention to anything around me as I stared out the window fretting about my sister, watching Jack fly down the road next to us.

When we reached the hospital, the doctors came and took my sister away. My mother demanded to go with them, but was told no, so she sat me down in the waiting room and told me that she needed to make a few calls and I was to stay put. As she walked into the ladies room, I sat upright in my chair, unable to take my eyes off the door behind where my sister had disappeared.

Jack appeared next to me, face as rigid as mine. We sat there in silence for a good ten minutes before he finally spoke.

"Jamie, I'm-"

"It's my fault." I cut him off, finally muttering the words I had been thinking since he rescued her. I glared at the far wall, anger at myself rising in my chest. I felt Jack rest a hand on my shoulder, but I refused to look at him; I knew what he was going to say.

That didn't stop him from saying it. "Jamie, don't think that. It is not your fault; it's not anyone's fault. You couldn't have known the ice was thin there. Please, do not blame yourself."

I clenched my hands into fists and moved my gaze to the ground. Part of me knew the winter spirit was right, but I couldn't shake the anger I felt. The room seemed to get darker as the voice in my head kept screaming at me.

It's your fault! It's ALL your fault! It was your idea to take her out there, you should've kept an eye on her!

I smacked my hands over my ears and shut my eyes tightly, wishing for the voice to stop. I felt Jack touch my shoulder again, this time both of his hands firmly grasping my shoulders. He shook me, trying to pull me out of my thoughts. My eyes flew open, and I found myself staring into his worry-filled eyes. I felt my eyes begin to tear up, unable to pull away from his gaze. His expression softened, and I let him pull me into a hug. Silently, I gave in, returning the gesture and started to cry. He picked me up and sat in the chair I had previously been in. He held me close.

"Jamie, it's not your fault." he whispered softly, and I felt his head rest on mine. I thought I felt something wet drip into my hair, and I looked up slowly, only to find Jack's eyes wet with tears as he stared at nothing. I sniffled, and pulled away slightly, sensing there was something he wasn't telling me.

"J-Jack, what are you thinking about?&" The winter spirit let out a shaky sigh, and looked at me.

"I uh, need to tell you something, kiddo." I raised an eyebrow at him, and he repositioned me in his lap before sighing once again.

"Did...did I ever tell you of how I became Jack Frost?"

---

A half hour had passed before my mother finally returned to the waiting room. By then Jack and I were sitting in our seats again, both of our eyes red and faces stained with tears. I was thankful for Jack sharing part of his history, but I can't deny the fact that it made me worry more for my sister.

Another half hour passed before a man came over to us and pulled my mother aside to talk to her. I watched them, but did my best not to read their lips; I was too afraid to hear the news. Jack must have noticed, because he ruffled my hair as he watched them as well.

I felt my heart skip a beat as my mother started crying again, my mind instantly jumping to the worst possible conclusion, but I quickly calmed down when I saw the smile underneath the tears. My own eyes watered again as well, and I let out a shaky breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I heard Jack do the same next to me and ruffle my hair again before he leaned back into his chair, smiling at the ceiling muttering she's okay quietly.

As my mother came back over, I jumped out of my chair and ran to her, stopping her in her tracks. She leaned down and gave me a hug, and quickly took my hand. We followed a nurse down a long hallway before stopping at a closed door, Jack right beside me. The nurse smiled gently and opened the door, reminding us to be quiet before stepping out of the way.

There inside, lying on the bed was Sophie, sleeping soundly and safe. My mother slowly approached the bed, and I could hear her holding back a sob. I stood back, letting my mom see her first. Jack stayed next to me, resting a hand on my shoulder. I smiled, glad he had stayed.

I watched as my mother slowly relaxed, running her fingers through Sophie’s hair, talking to her quietly. Ten minutes passed before a doctor came into the room and requested to speak with my mother again. She nodded and followed him, smiling at me and motioning toward my sister. I nodded and quickly went over to the bed, where Jack quickly picked me up and set be on the end of it. I let the tears fall once more, relief flooding me again. I turned to the Guardian.

"Thanks, Jack." He ruffled my hair again, looking at Sophie happily.

"It was nothing, kiddo."