I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! I'm trying my best to make it as interesting as possible but don't worry ;) I have plans for later on in the story. I'm trying to get the chapters out as fast as possible sooo just hang with me! And the more you leave comments the more motivated I'll become! Please comment cause I really want to know what you're all thinking and I'd really like your input and suggestions. I'd love that so much! Thanks again!

Church bells rang as the sermon ended and the crowd of townspeople began to leave the building. People were wearing their best clothes for the holiday prayer. But as people left the building a wind sent a chill making everyone start to bundle themselves up. The Frost family came out of the building ready to head for home.

"Popa?" Pippa looked up to her father as she clangs on to his hand while she held her new doll.

"Yes, Pippa?"

"Can Jack and I go out and play in the snow? Everyone is going sledding." Her big brown eyes pleaded with her father

Her father smiled at her but before he could speak a voice interrupted their conversation.

"Samuel Frost!" A man called out to Jack's father as he walked closer to the family. He was a stout man and a little on the heavy side. He wore a top hat and a fancy coat. "Don't you just love Christmas in Burgess? I've got to say, this town is much more joyous than any other I've been to.

"Mr. Dail, what a pleasant surprise," Jack's father said.

"Please, call me Henry."

"Of course, Henry, what can I do for you this afternoon?"

"I need my coat repaired," Mr. Dail showed a ripe in the coat he was carrying. "And my wife is insisting on getting my daughter a new gown. But more important than anything else, what I really need is a nice suit for my son. He's taking over the family business and he needs to be dressed in his best. So I thought why not go to the best tailor in town." Dail said motioning to Henry.

"Of course, sir, I'll start working on it right away."

"Great to hear, but I also want to talk about that money you owe me."

Sam looked at his family before answering. "Maybe we can talk about this in private," Sam said leading Dail away from the family.

The Dail family is wealthy aristocrats who came upon their fortune through family inheritance. They were landowners with a huge property outside of Burgess. They were one of the richest people in Burgess and they loved to flaunt their money. They seemed like they did a lot of work but really their servants did everything for them. Jack had no grudge against the Dail's and he wasn't jealous but he didn't appreciate the snobby attitude he usually received from the family, especially from their son. Mrs. Dail would always scoff at Jack and Pippa. She would tell Jack's mom things about how she wasn't raising her children right. She would say things like, "Why do you let that little girl play like that? She should be inside practicing her needlework," or, "That young man should have gotten a job by now, how is he supposed to make a life for himself," or, "How come Jack isn't married yet? He should have settled down with a nice young lady by now." It annoyed Jack but his parents were always polite and kind so he tolerated it. Jack also hated the fact that his father was in debt to them. A year or two ago when Jack's family was down in profit, Mr. Dail loaned them some money to get them through the hard times, but with business not going so well, Sam Frost hasn't been able to pay back Mr. Dail all the money yet.

Mrs. Frost wore a worried expression on her face as she watched her husband and Mr. Dail walk away. "Why don't you children go pick up some thread and fabric for your father, he's going to need it for Mr. Dail's order. Oh, and also here's a little extra for some food," she said taking some money out of her bag.

Jack looked at his father behind him and then to his mother. "No problem, we'll take care of it."

"We'll meet you at home after."

Jack nodded and took money from his mother. "Come 'on, Pippa, let's go." Pippa took Jack's hand and they began to walk through town.

Burgess is a small town with few buildings. However, most of the buildings in the town were made of wood and other materials. Markets and lots of other businesses could be found all over the town. Not many people live in the town so many townspeople know each other. Jack and Pippa waved and wished everyone they saw a merry Christmas. They bought the supplies for their father from a nearby market. Then they crossed the street to a store that sells food and groceries made from and traded by nearby farmers.

"Good afternoon, Jack, nice to see you."

"Nice to see you too, Mr. Morris." Morris was bald on top with grayish white side burns coming down his face into his mustache. Wrinkles covered his face but his personality made it seem like he was as young as ever.

"Oh, and who do we have here? Could it be little Pippa? Look how big you've gotten. It seems only yesterday you were such a small little thing and now everyday you grow so much." Pippa smiled up at the old man. "So what can I do you for?"

"We just need some food, did you get anything in lately?

"Well there hasn't been many crops coming up since it's winter. But I have extras in the storeroom."

Jack looked at the rest of the money in his hand. "How much do you think this will get us?" Jack showed the money to Morris, who looked at it, counting in his head.

"Hmm…If you include a shirt made by your father, I've got some nice apples, some bread, and a few carrots and such that will do just fine." Morris smiled waiting for an answer.

Jack returned the smile, "I'll get my Pop to start working on that shirt right away."

"Excellent! Hold on I'll get those goods for you in a jiffy. I'll even put it in a nice woven basket, how does that sound?"

"It sounds perfect, sir." Jack watched as Morris headed into the back room of the store. He came out with a basket full of food and exchanged it for the money.

"You two have a lovely day now!"

"And you as well, sir. Oh and Merry Christmas," Jack said as Pippa waved goodbye to the old man.

Pippa grabbed the basket out of Jack's hand as they both left the store. She put her doll into the basket so she could get a better grip on the rim. "Are you sure you can carry that all by yourself?" Jack asked Pippa.

"Yea, I'm fine," she said carrying the basket full of food.

They walked back through town and headed toward home. They rounded a corner of a building but were abruptly stopped by a group of teens.

Jack's eyes narrowed as the group blocked off their way. There were five boys surrounding him and his sister. Jack knew all these boys from when he was little and never got on the right foot with them. The boys were about Jack's age and had a bad reputation in town. "Well, well, what do we have here?" A sixth voice spoke from a shadow sitting near the building. "Jack Frost, haven't seen you in a while." The speaker stood up coming into the light. He was a boy with long, wavy black hair that went down to his shoulders and piercing pale blue eyes. He was about nineteen, just a year older than Jack. He wore a twisted smile on his face as he walked toward the two Frost's.

"Hello, Dail." Jack said eyeing the boy.

"What's wrong Jack? Not happy to see me?" Mr. Dail's son said.

"Why wouldn't I be happy to see you, Richard? You're so much fun to be around."

Richard smiled as if he was laughing at some sick joke in his mind. "So you're old man seems to be in a tight spot lately."

Jack frowned at Richard's words and anger began to rise inside him. "Pippa, why don't you get a head start going home. I'll catch up."

"But, Jack…" Pippa looked at her brother, not sure what was going on.

"Oh don't leave, Pippa. We would love for you to come play with us."

"No thank you, I'd rather just go home with my brother."

Richard leaned toward Pippa. "Why? Does the little baby need protecting?" Richard grabbed an apple from Pippa's basket and bit into it.

"Hey!"

"What are you gonna do about it little girl?" said another boy who came over and took Pippa's new doll and pushed her to the ground. Some food fell out of the basket and landed all over the ground. The boys laughed and pointed at the girl as tears welled up in her eyes.

But suddenly they all fell silent as Jack stepped in front of the boy with a threatening look on his face. "Don't touch my sister again," Jack eyes were full of fire; he would never let anyone hurt Pippa. "Now, give it back, Walter."

"Ha ha! You don't frighten me, Frost!"

"Calm down there, Walt," Richard munched on the apple he stole as he stood next to his companion. "We're not here to cause trouble. But I think Frost ought to know to respect his betters."

Jack turned toward Richard and smiled. "I'll let you know when I see them."

"I'm warning you Frost, don't push it." Walter growled.

"Oh I'm sorry, did I push your buttons too hard," Jack said sarcastically. "I know when you tend to think too much it hurts your brain."

Walter took a step toward Jack but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. "Let it go, you're drawing attention to us," Richard said to Walter as they both looked around at the townspeople glancing their way. "We'll see you soon Frost, very soon." The group of boys began to walk away following Richard's lead. Walter was the last to follow but eventually started walking as he threw Pippa's doll into a pile of snow on the ground.

Jack went and picked up the doll wiping the snow off of her. He walked over and bent down to Pippa who was still on the ground. "Are you alright?" Pippa only nodded her head in response not looking at her brother. "Don't worry, I won't let them bother you again." Pippa still wouldn't say anything. "Besides, that's my job." Pippa looked up to see Jack wearing the silliest face he could muster as he held Pippa's doll near his face. Pippa laughed and snatched the doll back giving it a quick hug. Then together, Jack and Pippa started to pick up the food and put it back into the basket.

"Falling again, Jack? You're such a klutz." Jack looked up to see a boy with sandy hair and green eyes. He had his arms folded as he smiled down at Jack.

"You're joking, right Aaron? You trip over your own two feet all the time." Jack stood up to face his friend. Then he spotted his other friend coming up from behind Aaron. The boy, Nathan, was a little shorter than Jack and had short brown hair. Nathan slowly snuck up behind Aaron and gave Jack the "look," as if they were sharing a mental conversation. Jack smiled mischievously knowing exactly what Nathan was planning. Nathan went down on his hands and needs putting his side toward Aaron's legs. He winked at Jack.

"I never fall; I'm probably the most balanced person in this country," Aaron said to Jack.

"Oh yea?" Just then Jack pushed Aaron and as Aaron stumbled backwards he fell over Nathan landing on the ground with a big umph!

Jack and Nathan started cracking up as they saw Aaron's shocked expression. When Aaron got his composure back he started to join in the laughter also. Nathan helped their friend up as their laughter subsided.

"Hello there, Pippa," Aaron said to the girl still sitting on the ground next to Jack. "Why are you on the ground?"

Jack frowned, "We had a run in with Dail and his group of low-lifes." Aaron and Nathan faces became serious.

"You okay?" Aaron asked Jack and Pippa.

Pippa nodded. "Those idiots just have nothing better to do. But they knew not to mess with Jack Frost," Jack said triumphantly.

"I don't know," Nathan said, "I have a feeling they're gonna take it too far one day."

Jack was in deep thought when he heard his name being called from a distance. "Jack!" Jack turned around to see his friends, Elizabeth and Lucy, walking toward them.

"Elizabeth, what're you doing here?"

"I'm just running some errands for my mom," the teen said. She wore a lovely dress with a fur coat over it. The blue from her dress made her red hair pop out in color. She pushed her ginger hair behind her ear shyly as she looked up at Jack with her green eyes. She always started to get nervous when she was around Jack. She constantly would twirl her hair or fiddle with her dress when he was near.

Lucy had dirty blonde hair and was much more energetic than Elizabeth. "Hi guys," she said to the three boys. "Wow, it feels like forever since we've all seen each other. Remember the good ol 'days when we all played together when we were little."

"Well, you haven't exactly come out of your house lately to see everyone," Nathan chimed in.

"It's my grandmother," Lucy said with a frown on her face. She stood up straight as she impersonated the older woman with a high-pitched, proper voice. "Playing outside with those young men is not lady-like. If you're ever going to make a good wife, you must learn to take care of your house and family."

"Oh."

"It's the same with my parents; I've been slaving over all the housework. My mother has been making me cook, clean, and take care of the animals. I've finally gotten a chance to catch my breath by running these errands for her," Elizabeth sighed.

"Well my father just got me an apprenticeship with the local blacksmith. He wants me to learn a good trade to support my future family." Nathan said proudly.

"Except no one will marry you so you should just forget about that future family," Aaron joked. Nathan gave Aaron a look that read shut up all over it.

"You might as well get a cat so you're not lonely," Jack added in.

"At least you're not even thinking about marriage yet! I'm seventeen and my parents are already starting to pick out possible husbands for me. They say that I'm old enough and that if I keep delaying I'm just going to continue being a humiliation to my family," Lucy said sadly. "I mean, Miles and Janet already have gotten married and they were two years younger than me, so maybe it is time."

Aaron understood where Lucy was coming from; he was also being pressured into marriage. "My mother expects me to ask for someone's hand soon. She thinks that it will help the family financially by choosing the right woman."

"Me too. My parents want me to marry before the summer." Elizabeth looked up at Jack with longing and hope that lifted up her spirits.

Jack looked around at all the grave faces of his closest friends. He hated to see them so depressed, especially Elizabeth. He couldn't bear to see her and all of them so miserable. "Listen; no matter what changes in our lives, we'll always be here for each other. Besides this is no time for moping, it's Christmas! You should try to meet me and Pippa later, we're all going sledding. Right, Pippa?"

"Yea!" Pippa said as she looked up at the older children.

Everyone seemed to brighten up. They all agreed that they would try to meet them and suddenly everything seemed alright again. That was what made Jack so special; he was always so enthusiastic and could make anyone feel better. The teenagers talked for a little longer but Jack and Pippa had to leave. "Sorry guys, but I have to get this stuff to my parents before they decide to kill me." They all waved goodbye and went their separate ways.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'm planning on trying to make the future chapters longer and more exciting! Thanks again for reading! PLEASE COMMENT!