The Difference Between Real and Pretend

JACK'S POV

My eyes wander across the barren snow lands of the North Pole, the snowflakes kissing the ground ever so occasionally. Santa's workshop sits in the distance, and although I am suspended miles in the air, far away from his workshop, I can still see the merry, twinkling lights, and hear the jolly ringing of sleigh bells.

What am I even doing here, one might ask? Is it too early, or in my case, late to have a midlife crisis?

It's been three years since the showdown with Pitch, and since then things couldn't have been running more smoothly. According to North, AKA Santa, more children have been believing in all of the Guardians. The Guardians have never been stronger.

So, I guess that's a good thing, right?

In theory, it is. With the children's belief in us, nothing can stop us from spreading happiness. Pitch hasn't been heard of ever since we defeated him either.

Don't get me wrong, I love this new, safe world we created. But I'm Jack Frost. I know that the Man in Moon chose me as a Guardian. I know that my friends, the Guardians, reassured me that I do belong with them. And in a way, I do feel like I'm a part of their family.

Yet, sometimes I feel like I'm not.

I'm just Jack Frost. The only thing anyone will ever remember me for are snowballs and frost bites. Asides from defeating Pitch with the help from my friends, it's not like I'll be remembered as an important Guardian.

Wait, I let myself get sidetracked. Back to the original question. Why exactly am I suspended miles above the ground?

Well, to answer that question, it is because I'm testing if my snowballing skills are good enough to hit Santa's workshop.

As a Guardian who helped defeat Pitch, i could be helping the other Guardians keeping the belief up with children around the world.

But let's be real. What could I do? I'm just Jack Frost. I'm just a cautionary tale told to kids, so they'll throw a coat on during the colder days.

Sometimes I wish that I never died. Is that selfish of me? What would have had happened to the other Guardians, would they have had defeated Pitch?

I let the winds create a cool breeze around me. If I weren't an immortal being with the power of ice and snow at my fingertips, I suppose that would've made me cold, perhaps even evoke a shiver. But I felt nothing, just a breeze, neither cold or warm.

I begin to float closer to the workshop, gradually picking up speed as I fly. Soon, everything is a blur as I all but zoom to the workshop. The speed brings a broad grin to my face. Despite my qualms about my existence, the one thing I don't regret is the feeling of the wind tousling my white hair, the blur of everything around me, the ground seemingly invisible as I soar at incredible speeds.

Too bad that speed doesn't come with brakes though.

I come to a crash when I collide with a chimney on top of the workshop. I groan, as I peel myself off of the bricks. If I was still a human, I probably would be bleeding right about now.

Some elves on the ground shook their fists at me, their hats with bell jingling angrily. I can't help but snicker, as if their fury was enough to scare me into acting maturely.

Walking down the roof, I swing myself into an open window on the top floor, which is conveniently located in the room with North's globe.

North himself stood facing in front of the globe, which was lit up with golden lights. This basically means that as the Guardians, we're doing a good job at keeping up the belief with the children.