A Winter's Song

(This is the first chapter of a story im still editting. It's kinda weird, but hope you like it...)



Chapter 1

“Hey, Alba. How does this look?” shouted Emily across a busy clothes shop.
Whatever time of year it was, Emily and Astrid were always on the lookout for clothes. It was about a week into December, we were in “snowed over” France, I was up to my nose in thick scarves and here comes Emily, out of a shop changing room, wearing a particularly short skirt and a strictly-too-thin strappy top. I glanced at Jennifer who was also wrapped up tight in warm thick clothing. We both shuddered at the thought of how cold Emily must have been at that precise moment.
“Very sexy,” I replied. Emily seemed pleased by this answer and headed back to the changing room to get back into her winter gear. I nudged Jennifer in the arm and said:
“How can she go clothes shopping at this time of year? I would freeze to death if I put that stuff on! Even at the height of summer!”
We laughed and Astrid came out of the changing room she had been in, dressed as if we were in July. She was wearing black high healed boots, a black skirt and a frilly white blouse.
“How do I look?” she asked while miming a kiss and blowing it in our direction.
“Cold,” replied Jennifer.
“Good but … yeah cold,” I said.
Astrid rolled her eyes and walked awkwardly back to get changed.
“How can she get round in those boots?” asked Jennifer.
“Not a clue,” I answered, “they look so uncomfortable!”
“Tell me about it.”
After 30 minutes of Emily and Astrid trying to fit into outfits that looked like ribbons stitched together, we exited the shop, back into the bitter wind of December.

*****

After shopping, we headed back to Astrid’s. We went in, said hello to her parents, and went to lock ourselves in her room.
“Right, girltalk,” said Emily as soon as we had unwrapped the multitude of scarves and taken the layers of jumpers off.
Jennifer groaned and rolled her eyes at me. Jennifer and I weren’t very girly girls. We may have been of the female gender but we were more tomboyish, so the word “girltalk” didn’t really appeal to us. But hey, a bit of talking never hurt anyone. So we all sat in a circle on the carpet and Astrid said:
“Right, boyfriends. Any luck yet? Emily?”
“Nope.”
“Jennifer?”
She gave Astrid a blank stare, raising one eyebrow.
“Ok... Alba?” she continued.
“No luck so far.”
“And you?” asked Emily.
Astrid was about to answer she we all heard a noise behind the door. She stood up and crept over to the door quietly, swinging it open. In stumbled Albert.
“Albert!” cried Astrid angrily.
“Aw…,” moaned her older brother, sounding disappointed.
“What d’you mean “aw”? You didn’t think you would find out who my boyfriend is, did you?” shouted Astrid.
“So you do have a boyfriend, then,” said Albert gleefully, a big grin spreading across his face.
“Out!” shouted Astrid, “Go away!”
She slammed the door and came back to sit down.
“Don’t worry,” said Emily, “my brother’s exactly the same.”
“So, who’s the lucky guy?” I asked.
“Euh... James,” answered Astrid softly.
“Oh my God!” shouted Emily.
“Cute,” said Jennifer.
“Right, so you guys are, like, going out?” I asked.
“We fixed a date for next Wednesday,” she replied.
“That is so cool!” cried Emily cheerfully.
“Cute, just before Christmas,” I said.
“Yeah, no idea what I’m gonna get him though,” said Astrid.
“CD? DVD?” suggested Jennifer.
“Is he that type of guy?” asked Emily.
“Donno, I’ll ask him on Monday,” replied Astrid.
“What would you like for Christmas?” asked Jennifer, “I want our new house to be finished so we can move in.”
“That would be cool,” said Astrid, “I just want some stuff, you know, anything. Though, I wouldn’t mind a laptop.”
“Yeah, me too,” said Emily, “And the odd bit of cash.”
She giggled.
“I’d like a guitar, that would be cool,” I said, “Though I’d love this Christmas to be a white one. Last year was rubbish without any snow!”
“Yeah, I’d like that too,” said Jennifer.
“I know a song about that,” I said, and then quickly closed my mouth, wishing I’d never said that.
“Go on then, sing,” Astrid gave me a nudge in the ribs.
“Oh shhh...ugar...”
I lowered my head and muttered something incomprehensible about having a sore throat and not knowing all the words. Why did I even mention singing? I hated singing in public. I’d never had singing lessons, it was a natural gift, but stage fright took over every time I was asked to sing for someone. It was just the feeling of being watched. I hated it!
“Go on,” encouraged Emily, “you’ve got a great voice.”
“Ok, ok, I’ll do it,” I said, feeling a lump forming in my throat and a fluttery feeling in my stomach. I took a deep breath and started to sing. The song was “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby. After a few lines, I felt my fear ease a bit.
See Alba, I told myself, It’s not that hard after all.
I had just finished the first chorus when Emily cried out:
“Oh my God! Look! Snow!”
I spun round to see snow drifting silently towards the cold ground outside. Millions of snow flakes spiralled past the window, settling on the balcony railings and the chair outside.
“Wow, that is so weird!” said an astounded Jennifer.
“How did you do that?!” asked Emily.
“It’s not like I did it,” I replied, though a feeling inside me made me doubt my words.
“This is mad!” exclaimed Astrid.
“I know,” I replied. And it was. One minute I was singing about a white Christmas, the next, it was actually snowing! This was weird alright!
I went over to the window and touched the pain of glass. A sudden cold seared through my finger and up my arm. I gasped and pulled back sharply. As I looked at the place my finger had been, I saw that frost crystals had formed there.
“Oh my God,” I whispered to myself. I had just made frost form on the inside of a double glazed sliding door!
I looked through the glass into the blizzard outside. The swirls of snow flakes seemed to form shapes and figures. Strange figures...
Just then, Astrid’s mum came in and, commenting on how crazy the snow was, told us that dinner was ready. We all abandoned what we were doing to go and sit round the table. We had spaghetti that night. All throughout dinner though, I hardly spoke. I couldn’t stop thinking of the frost on the window, and how it had started to snow when I sang.
After finishing off the pudding (which was ice-cream and apple crumble) the four of us went to get ready for bed. The snow was falling thickly outside as we lay down the mattresses, and got under the thick winter duvets. We lay down and chatted for a bit. I lay there, staring out the window at the snow, thinking of the events of the evening. Why had the frost formed? It was quite scary actually. What was happening to me?

Hey ... Jenn has the same name as one of the people in the story!!! :O :O :O :O :O :O :O

...

YAY!

thats really good :D:D

Chapter 2

That morning, we all woke to find a thick carpet of snow waiting outside. The snow flakes had fallen all through the night. We had breakfast and got dressed quickly, excited about the snow outside. I always found snow a sure sign that Christmas was near.
I then called my mum to tell her I was all right and that I would take the tram home. She told me that they were almost snowed in up at the house. After hanging up, Astrid, Emily, Jennifer and I went out onto the balcony and had a snowball fight. Emily won. Well actually, she cheated. She stuffed snow down my top and boy was I cold after that! We went back in after half an hour of cold amusement, had a hot chocolate and I was able to change out of my wet top.
We then put a CD of Christmas song on and decided to go back into town and have a look round the Christmas market. I had to get a few presents before Christmas day actually came to pass, otherwise some people would be disappointed.
We headed out for town about an hour later and walked to Victor Hugo square. There, we went into all the usual shops: Pimkie, Etham, Six, Reserve Naturelle… the lot. After that, we had a look round the Christmas market. Astrid bought a scarf for her mum, Jennifer bought a few candles carved into flowers, and Emily bought a key ring of this little dude with big headphones on his head. Most of the stalls sold handmade things. I bought pencils for Luna and Mailie, my two younger sisters, made from branches with the bark still on, sharpened with a knife. I also bought some fingerless gloves and a straw woven box for my earrings. It was cold but we enjoyed it just the same.
Then, my phone rang. I answered;
“Hello?”
“Hi, Alba. It’s me,” came Mum’s voice from the other end of the line, “When are you planning on coming home?”
“Well…,” I thought for a second, “before lunch?”
“Alright, see you in about an hour then,” said Mum, “Call me when you’re on the tram.”
“Bye, see you then.”
I hung up.
“Your mum?” asked Jennifer.
“Yup,” I replied.
“When’ve you gotta go?” asked Emily.
“In about an hour.”
There were so many various stalls around the market. One I liked the most. It was selling bamboo poles with wooden dragons on the top. You put a candle underneath it and put incense above the flame. Then scented smoke came out the dragon’s mouth or nostrils. I was going to buy one with a turquoise and green dragon but I was one euro short.
After a while, I looked at my watch and told the others I should be getting back to the tram stop if I wanted to get home in time for lunch.
“Away already?” said Astrid when I told her I had to leave.
“Sorry,” I replied, “gotta be home for 12 o’clock.”
So I said my goodbyes and headed back towards the tram stop. A crisp wind blew as I stamped my ticket.
I turned round and examined the people waiting for the tram. A tall woman with a matching hat and scarf sat on the bench; an old man, smoke swirled up out his pipe, a yapping terrier at his feet, sat beside her; a boy who looked a couple of years younger than me stood with a pair of roller blades under his arm.
There was also a boy who looked about my age, leaning against the metal frame of the tram stop. His jet black hair was spiked up and his skin was unnaturally pale. We made eye contact. As I gazed into his silver eyes, I felt a frozen shiver run down my back. I quickly looked away and turned my head, my heart racing, to look down the tram tracks. I could here a tram coming. I saw it come round the corner and, checking that it was my tram, stepped forwards.
The tram stopped after several screeching noises, and people piled out of it. I waited for the last of the passengers to step out, and then boarded. I sat down, put my bag at my feet and looked around. The tall woman with the matching hat and scarf came on. And so did the boy. The strange boy. The one that had sent shivers down my spine. He sat a few seats away, took a book out of his bag and started to read. I caught myself staring at him. I couldn’t help it, he was just so… attractive. Dangerously so.
I forced myself to look out the window. The wind was blowing hard. People walking by pulled up their jacket collars to keep their necks warm while dead, crumpled leaves detached from the trees and spiralled towards the frozen ground… Just looking at it made me feel cold.
The tram stopped and the doors slid open. A few people alighted and boarded; but the black haired boy stayed put. Our eyes met once again and I hurriedly broke the eye contact, trying to suppress the shiver that ran down my limbs. Why was I shivering in the first place? I didn’t know. I looked out the window again, trying to look in any direction but his one. I tell you, it was hard. I kept turning round and, there he would be, staring at me with those cold silver eyes of his. It was freaking me out, big time!
The tram stopped once more and a dozen people stepped on, but the pale boy stayed seated and went on with his staring. Nobody seemed to even notice him. It was like he wasn’t there. Invisible to anyone but me. I had to admit it, I was scared. His silvery blue eyes seemed to pierce through me and I felt helpless and vulnerable to his steel glare.
After what felt like an eternity, the tram stopped at my stop. What I had been dreaded for the past fifteen minutes had become reality; the black haired boy stood up and got off. He was following me! I shouldered my bag and walked out towards the pedestrian crossing. He followed. I crossed the road to the car park where Mum was waiting for me in our silver Volvo. So did he. The last few meters to the car were hell on earth. He was close behind me. I could hear his footsteps. I had to act normally. I couldn’t let him know how scared I was. I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my forehead. I couldn’t take it anymore! I started to walk faster, and faster, until I was jogging and then finally, I ran the last few steps, swung open the car door, got in and slammed it behind me. Mum started the engine.
“Are you ok?” she asked as she pulled out of the parking space.
“Yeah,” I replied hurriedly, “I’m fine.”
Mum then put the car in first gear and we drove off in the safety of the vehicle. As we rumbled away, I turned round to look out of the back window. The boy had vanished.



(Here's the second chapter, it's wierd, but tell me what you think of it...)

Chapter 3

The next few days were quite boring really. I did the usual routine. Woke up at 6 o’clock, went to school, came back home, did my homework, went on my laptop, wrote a story I’d thought up lately… you know, the usual. Apart from the occasional fight with my sisters (do you have any idea of what the combined forces of a 7 and 9 year old can do to you?!) nothing exiting really happened. The week went by. Then the weekend. That was boring as well. Nothing. Nothing to spice up my life a little. Until…
It was Monday night. 6 o’clock in the evening. I stepped out of the school bus back from the pool onto the frosty pavement. My friends and class mates followed. A bitterly cold wind blew and my breath rose as steam in the still night air. I had just received a text from Mum saying that she was sorry, but I’d have to take the bus home because she couldn’t come and pick me up. Great! She probably thought it would do me good to have the cold wind blowing in my face.
Anyway, I said goodbye to my pals and waited a bit to see them board the warm tram. I saw Tia waving to me. I smiled and waved back, stamping my feet to try and warm them up a bit.
Then, as I turned round to face the frozen five-minute walk to the bus stop, I saw the black haired boy, sitting on one of the benches outside the school. My heart missed a beat. He had been waiting for me. Even under the dim light of the street lamps, you could instantly tell it was him. His skin had an eerie glow to it. His eyes, that cold and icy silver. My heart raced as I set off at a steady pace. Behind me, I heard him stand up.
Then, before I knew it, he was blocking my path, his icy eyes staring into my green ones. I took a step backwards, glancing at the departing tram where my friends sat. They sat with their older brothers and sisters. People I knew would help me defend myself against this terrifyingly attractive creature. I turned back to face the sinister young man in front of me. As I looked once more into those deep silvery eyes, my instinct told me that he was nowhere near human. I took another step back. The tram was long gone now, taking my friends with it. I looked around. No one. Nothing. The inhuman boy took a step towards me. My bag slipped from my shoulder; I was ready to run.
He suddenly reached out and took my hand in his. I felt a terrible cold seer up my arm and throughout my body. I took a sharp intake of breath as he pulled me abruptly towards him, and whispered close to my ear:
“Sing for me.”
How come he automatically spoke to me in English? This was France. But that wasn’t the problem. Those three words formed an order. I wasn’t going to obey it. Why? Firstly: he was a complete stranger and wasn’t actually human, and secondly: because I was too terrified to make even the slightest sound. He must have seen the fear in my eyes because, taking my other hand in his free one, he said:
“Alright then, let’s dance.”
A shiver ran down my spine as I felt him slip his arm round my waist. Even through my thick clothes I could feel his cold skin against mine.
Once again, our eyes met, but this time I couldn’t look away. Unable to do anything else, I placed one hand on his shoulder and felt my other hand slip between his frozen fingers. Without thinking, I started to dance.
Suddenly, I was in a completely different place. The school, the tram stop, the traffic… they were all gone. I found myself in a clearing surrounded by trees. No grass grew on the ground and replacing it were paving stones. A fountain gurgled nearby and the only sound to be heard was a soft breeze blowing through frost covered trees. I suddenly realised that my thick jacket and tatty jeans were gone too. Replacing them was a billowing silver dress, flowing down to my ankles. A silvery silk shawl hung loosely over my shoulders and a thin layer of ice crackled as I danced over it with my glittering silver high-healed shoes.
His outfit has changed as well. Instead of the jeans and hoody he had on before, he now wore a bleu silk waist coat with an embroidered silver snow flake on the breast pocket, and a white shirt with puffy sleeves underneath. He also wore tight bleu trousers and sparkling white buckled shoes. He had a silver ring in his left ear lobe and, as he twirled me round, the reflection in his eye took up the colours of the rainbow.
I didn’t feel anxious anymore. I was having the time of my life! Although my arms were bear, I could not feel the cold air surrounding us.
After a while, the handsome black haired boy twirled me around one last time and sat me down on the ledge of the fountain nearby. Then he took my hand in his and whispered:
“Come back with me. Come back to my kingdom. There would be dancing like this every night. And food, and drink…”
He held out his hand as if holding something, and ice crystals started to gather there to form a long stemmed glass. It was half full of a silvery substance that seemed to reflect an eerie glow. I took the glass but did not drink from it. Seeing this, the boy took it from my hands and swiftly but gently flung it away. As it hit the paving stones, it dissolved into powdered snow.
Then, as suddenly as he had plucked the glass out of the thin air, he leaned towards me and pressed his lips against mine. They were ice cold and I drew back at the shock.
“Wait,” I said. As I spoke, a white twist of condensation rose from my half open lips. “I don’t even know who you are!”
A half smile formed on his mouth as he said:
“Yes you do.”
At those words, the young man dipped his finger into the fountain’s water. It started to freeze instantly, capturing the jets in their elegant twists and swirls. Soon, the whole pool was frozen solid.
I edged away, knowing immediately who sat in front of me. Who had kidnapped me. Who had kissed me.
“Jack…” I murmured, “Jack Frost!”

Very nice Alba

Love it

YAY

LucyXX

thankyou!

Alba xx

Chapter 4

I couldn’t move. I had just been kissed by Jack Frost! All the parts of the jigsaw seemed to piece together now. The pale skin. The jet black hair. The icy, silver eyes. He was obviously not human! How could I have thought for one moment that he was from my world? It was impossible! He was impossible!
He leaned in closer and I noticed that his black hair wasn’t spiked up with gel, but frost. I could see the tiny ice crystals over the fine black strands. I started to tremble. I didn’t know how to get back! I didn’t even know where I was! I could be anywhere! Out of my own world even!
I stood up suddenly, ice crackling under my shoes. I felt the urge to run again. My instinct told me he was danger. Jack Frost sensed my fear and moved his hand in an attempt to take mine, but I was not taking any chances. I spun round, and ran for it. I heard him get up and follow close behind. I ran into the surrounding trees, my high healed shoes making it very difficult to clamber over the branches and toots.
Just be thankful they’re not stilettos, I told myself.
I ran until I could hear nothing but the thumping of my own heart against my chest. I was out of breath. Couldn’t go on. Had to rest. So I slowed to a walk and sat down on a tree stump to have a proper breather. I couldn’t hear Jack. Hopefully he’d given up the chase. I hoped so because I could run no more. I was exhausted! So exhausted that I had to lie on the ground to rest properly. So exhausted that I didn’t realise I’d fallen asleep until it was too late. I didn’t see the shadow fall over me. I didn’t feel the hands pick me up. I didn’t realise I was being carried away.

Chapter 5

I was running. Being chased. The floor sped by under my running feet. Weaving in and out of trees, glancing behind me every now and then to see if they were still behind me. I didn’t really know why I was running, but I knew that if I was caught, it would all be over. My clothing snagged on branches and my hair caught between twigs.
Suddenly, my foot caught under a root and I tumbled to the ground. I tried to get back up but I didn’t have the strength, didn’t have enough time. They were on me! I was trapped!

*****

I inhaled suddenly. I didn’t open my eyes but let the air blow slowly out of my lungs to calm myself. It had only been a nightmare. My heart raced as images of shifting shadows and gnarled roots and branches flashed in my mind.
A voice then whispered near my ear:
“Alba, please wake up. You’ve been asleep for hours.”
I stiffened, identifying the voice immediately. Even with my eyes closed, I knew I was still in danger. Jack Frost had found me.
My eyes opened and I realised that the forest had vanished and I was staring at a white ceiling. I was lying in a comfortable four-poster bed. It had its head against the wall opposite a door, a dark wooden table stood in a corner, and the walls were of an odd translucent whitey-blue. Almost like ice. I turned my head to look around the room, and saw him. Jack Frost was sitting on a chair beside the bed, anxiousness showing in his perfect silver eyes. Where was I? What did he want with me? I didn’t understand any of this.
I sat up, swung my legs out of the bed and stood. I looked down to find that my clothing had changed again. I now wore a silky white corset type of T-shirt with a multitude of buttons down the front, and a long, swishy ice blue skirt made of several layers of thin light cloth.
Jack’s head lifted sharply at the sudden movement. He got up from his chair with inhuman speed and his hand shot out, grabbing my arm. He looked into my eyes and his grip softened as he said:
“At last, you are awake.”
His hand slipped down my arm and took my hand.
“Come, I’ll show you round.”
Jack led me out the room into a corridor. We walked along it and I realised that we were on a sort of indoor balcony on one of the upper floors that went all around the walls of the huge hall below. As we walked, I noticed that the walls of the house were the same translucent blue as the ones of the room I’d woken in. They looked like ice but I could not feel any cold even though I wore short sleeves. Further along the balcony was a grand flight of stairs descending to the huge hall below.
Jack led me down the staircase which widened at the bottom, the banisters ending in ornate spirals. I touched the banister closest to me, but though it looked like ice, I didn’t feel the slightest hint of cold. The substance was as smooth as glass and had a slight glitter to it.
The hall was vast. There were columns in rows on either side of the room holding up the ceiling. They had dozens of evenly spaced snow flakes carved into them. These had been carefully painted silver. Behind the columns, tall arched windows stood along the wall to our right. A huge glittering chandelier hung from the high ceiling. It seemed to be constructed from thousands of tiny icicles, hanging from a mass of tangled silver wire. Strangely for a chandelier, it seemed to reflect the light from the tall windows rather than create its own. At the opposite side of the hall was a wide archway with words carved above it and painted silver like the column’s snowflakes. All of this was the same shade of icy blue as the walls.
As we approached the archway, I read the words carved above us.

Thee who enters this chamber without permission
Will find frost and snow halting their mission

I wondered what that could possibly mean, and followed Jack into a room as vast as the hall we had just left. It also had columns decorated with silver snow flakes and tall windows along the semi-translucent walls on either side of us, but against the opposite side of the room was a throne. It was the whitey blue on the walls and had savage spikes at the top. And sitting on it; was the Ice Queen.
She was wearing a fitting black V-neck dress with drooping sleeves which reached the cold floor. It was short at the front to show off her slender legs but long enough to drag along the floor at the back. She was seated with one leg crossed over the other, leaning on one arm of her huge thrown. Placed delicately on her head was a black tiara with a blood red ruby in it. Her beauty was overwhelming but, like her son’s charm, was a powerful warning. This woman was very dangerous.
The image of femme fatale was only broken by a long black staff she held in her right hand. It was slim and curved, and held a ruby at the tip to match the one on her tiara. The only difference was that this one was much bigger and reflected the light of the room. I suddenly felt the same shiver I had felt the first time I had seen Jack, and it told me not to get in her way. I dared not ever look her in the eye, feeling small and insignificant under her steel gaze.
“Darling,” she said to Jack in a voice filled with fake joy and false affection. You could tell she was not happy to see him in the slightest. She stood up and strode towards him. There was no love what so ever in her hateful eyes. I took a step back, instantly afraid of her arrogant stride and the way she glanced at me out of the corners of her black eyes. She leant over Jack, kissing his cheek with her blood red lips. When she pulled back, instead of there being a lipstick mark, I saw that her lips had left a bruised and frost bitten patch on her son’s pale skin.
“So, who have you brought me this time?” she asked in her loveless tone of voice.
Jack hesitated for a split second, before saying:
“I…I’ve found someone who can sing for you.”
Now there, I have to admit, I was confused. Sing for her? Who did she think I was? An entertainer? But before I could pluck up the courage to put my little comment in, the Queen was on me.
She grabbed my face with both hands and looked me over thoroughly. Her eyes were piercing, but unlike her son’s, her’s were as black as the infinity of her hatred. There was no doubt about it; she was pure evil.
“Hmm…” she pondered, still looking me over, “I suppose she’ll do.”
Then, she suddenly let go of my face and grabbed my left arm. Her strength startled me and I didn’t have time to defend myself. She placed the palm of her hand on my upper arm and I felt a terrible freezing sensation. I pulled back at the pain and looked down at my limb. There, I saw a snow flake with jagged edges, burned into my skin with frost.