Devils of Burgess: Chapt 1 New Friend

an: OK I'm debating on whether or not I should call Jack Frost by his human name since it takes place during his human life. 

Burgess, PA 1700s

It was a beautiful autumn day. School was starting. Jackson Overland Frost was shaken gently by his mother and kissed on his freckled cheeks. She stroked the tousled mop of brown hair, the boy stirred in his sleep with a smile. He didn't want to get up...he was so comfy in bed, enjoying his dreams.

"Wake up, Jack," said his mother. "It's time to get up for school."

Blinking his sleepy brown eyes, he saw a blurry image of his mother. Jack buried his head under the pillow.

"I don' wanna," he whined sleepily.

"C'mon now," she said with a laugh, knowing her son and his drole attitude. "You got to walk your sister to school. It's her first day."

Jack sighed and gave his mother his usual crooked smile. "Alright," he said, giving in.

Once they went through their morning routine, the Frost children bade their mother farewell and promised to be safe. His sister, Emma, tugged at Jack's hand eagerly. She was excited about her first day. While they walked towards the schoolyard, he looked at the usual faces that he recognized. He saw one he didn't...a new face...

A girl with blonde hair plaited into pigtails with a dress of green. She was barefoot. She was cute. With a smirk, he decided to do his usual showing off when it came to meeting new students. He climbed up an oak tree and hooked his legs around the tree branch that was low enough. When the opportunity was just right, he dropped down, hanging upside down by his knees.

The girl passed under the oak. She was nervous on her first day at school...well, in America. She failed to notice where she was going, nearly bumping into something...all she saw was a pair of chestnut eyes and freckled cheeks. 

"Hey," he said.

The girl screamed, startled by the boy's sudden appearance...her books flew all over the place. Jack laughed.

"Fer Lord's sake!" she said with a brogue, clutching her chest. "Ye scared me!"

"C'mon, it was funny," he said, doing an acrobatic flip from the tree branch and landed on his bare feet.

"No, 'twasn't! Ye scared the bejaysus outta me!" She scowled at the boy, then looked at her scattered books. "Now look what ye did, ye stupid ejit!"

"Here, lemme help."

He bent down and picked her books up, handed them to her. Upon reaching for her quill, they touched hands. Blush appeared on their faces. Jack got a better look at the girl: dark green almond eyes and light freckles across her cheeks.

"Is that how ye greet each other in Americay?" the girl asked. "Scarin' people t' death?"

"Well, no," laughed Jack. "That's just me. I don't recall seeing you before. You don't look like you're from around her."

"I'm not," she said. "I'm from a land known as the Emerald Isle."

"Oh? Is everything there emeralds...even the people?" he joked.

"I'll be havin' none of yer jokin', good ser," the girl replied irritated.

"I meant no offense, Emerald Eyes," he said. "You talk funny, you know."

The girl glared; her eyes glittered. "Ye have some kind o' problem with the way I speak now?"

Jack's face fell. Clearly he offended her.

"No, no! I'm sorry," he apologized in an attempt to excuse his actions. "Please. I joke a lot and sometimes I don't realize that I've hurt people's feelings. C'mon, don't be mad! How about I walk you to school?"

"I can walk meself, thank ye very much," the girl replied, flouncing away.

Of course, Jack laughed to himself as he was told off by the girl. He decided to be late on purpose, of course...start the school year with a big laugh. He swaggered arrogantly into the schoolhouse. The schoolmaster glared at the devious little hellion who always had to be the center of attention.

"Jackson Frost," he declared loudly upon seeing the devilish smirk of the boy.

"Sorry I'm late," he said with his usual routine as he leaned against the door, making the students snicker.

"Well, what's your excuse this time?" sighed the schoolmaster, weary of this boy's jokes and showing off.

"Oh, I stopped to help a girl pick up her books and we got a-talking," he said with a shrug.

The girl rolled her eyes as she heard this...blushing a little, knowing she was that girl.

"You are an idle wastrel full of arrogance, Jackson Frost," said the schoolmster. "Have you no shame in yourself?"

Jack just shrugged with a nonchalance with a smug grin. The class was holding back their laughter as much as possible.

"I'm going to have to punish you, young man," the schoolmaster said sternly.

Jack looked around and saw an empty seat next to the blonde girl. He smirked crookedly.

"Oh, please don't," he whined playfully, making a sad face. "Any punishment is better than making me sit with the girls."

More snickers from the class. The schoolmaster just smiled gleefully.

"Why, thank you very much, Mr. Frost. You put just the ideal punishment in my head. Now go!"

The class rang out with laughter, especially the girls. The schoolmaster shushed them with a scolding 'ah-ah'. Jack swaggered towards the empty seat next to the blonde girl, who rolled her eyes and shook her head. The girls stared and sighed dreamily at the boy with charming, devilish good looks and a comedic personality as he walked by them, twittering excitedly.

Jack slid in next to her, purposely bumping his hip into hers. She glowered at him, annoyed by his presence.

"Well, hello again," he said. "What a coincidence! Your seat happens to be the only empty one."

"Ye did that on purpose," she hissed low.

"And so what?"

"Yer a rather prideful, boastful lad, Jackson," the girl replied. "Pride is a deadly sin, ye know."

"Oh? Well, I guess my spot in Hell is already reserved," he replied amused.

The girl merely sighed and went back to paying attention to the lesson. Jack just stared at her. He thought of thousands of ways he could tease her: pull her pigtail, poke her, make silly faces, draw or write silly stuff to make her laugh. Still, she was cute.

"You never told me your name," he said.

"Are ye flirting as well? Because I'm not interested," she whispered. 

"Who said I was?" he teased. "I just want to know your name."

The girl sighed, exasperated. "It's Irene Sinead O'Shea."

"Nice to meet you, Irene. I'm Jackson Overland Frost. Everyone calls me Jack though."

Irene raised her eyebrows with a nod. "So I heard. Yer quite a buffoon, aren't ye, Mr. Frost?"

"And you're quite a hardboiled egg, Miss Emerald Eyes," he countered playfully.

Irene scoffed. "Just shut yer gob and pay attention, Jackson!" she hissed low. "I don' want t' get in trouble. We're not supposed t' be talkin' in class."

"Talking in class, are we, you two?" the schoolmaster said.

The girl let out a funny 'eep' noise as that sounded like a hiccup. Her heart fluttered and her speckled cheeks flushed red. Jack sniggered.

"No, no, ser!" Irene insisted quivering.

"I tried to stop her, sir," Jack said smiling. "I told her we'd get in trouble for talking during class. But she didn't want to listen."

"Ye did NOT!" Irene nearly shouted angrily; the Irish temper inside her boiling.

"Miss O'Shea, ladies don't shout," the schoolmaster said. "And nice try, Mr. Frost. I saw the both of you talking. Now get up here...right NOW!"

He grabbed them by their ears and marched the both of them up to the front of the class; cries of pain came from both children. Jack was amused since he was used to it. He got punished often for playing tricks or joking around; he always came prepared for a paddling by stuffing one of his shirts down the back of his trousers for cushioning, then he would pretend to cry in pain, trying not laugh when the punishment was given.

"Now, stand in the corner, both of you...and no talking!" the schoolmaster said.

Their faces were against the wall. Jack smirked. Totally worth it, embarrassing the new girl. She glared at him.

"Thanks fer getting me in trouble, ye jack arse!" she hissed.

"Funny," he giggled. "I didn't think ladies cursed."

"Ah shut yer gob!" said Irene sulkily.

They stayed in the corner until lunch hour. Irene was very sullen. That wee devil named Jackson Frost got her in trouble...and embarrassed her...on her first day of school in America!

Damn him to Hell! she thought

When the lunch bell rang, Irene went for a walk in the woods. Jack smirked and decided to follow the fiery girl. There was just something about her that peaked his interest.

While alone, Irene sighed, looking up at the colors of the autumn trees. She missed her homeland: the green fields, the misty mornings, the smell of bog...America was not like Ireland: it was strange and unfamiliar. While walking towards a bridge, there was the tousled brown hair of that ejit boy who got her in trouble, balancing on the rail with a smug look.

"Hey, Emerald Eyes," he said.

"What do ye want?" she said annoyed.

"Just want to talk to the lonely girl," he replied with a nonchalant shrug.

"I'm not lonely," Irene snapped.

"Jeez, you're not sore at me for getting you in trouble?" he said with a frown, dropping into a seat on the railing. "Because I'm awfully sorry. I was just teasing you."

"Oh, is that what ye were doing then?" Irene replied sarcastically. "Well, thank ye fer clarifyin' that."

"C'mon," said Jack. "What can I do to make it up for you, Emerald Eyes? I kinda like you."

The Irish girl thought for a moment. She had to admit that something about this boy brought out a desire to be devilish. He may be annoying, but he seemed to have an air of fun. Something she wanted for the longest time. She wasn't interested in being prim and proper, behaving like a lady: sipping tea and gossiping about stuffy things she could care less about, wearing dresses, corsets and petticoats. She was jealous of her older brothers who got to play and do stuff she wanted to do.

With an impish smirk and green eyes glittering, she pushed the boy off the bridge. He let out a yell and fell in a tumble of arms and legs...landing with a splash in the stream below. She was surprised herself she did this...and giggled. Oh yes! The wee devil of a lad was working his magic on her already.

Jack sat up in the stream, shivering and soaking wet, spitting out water. He moved aside his wet hair away from his eyes, then looked up at Irene and burst into laughter.

"Guess I deserved that," he said.

"Indeed!" said Irene. "Yer not hurt, are ye?"

"Nah," he said, picking himself up, pulling at his soaked, heavy clothes. "I am gonna have to go to school wet though."

Irene giggled as she watched Jack struggle to climb out of the stream and onto the bank, looking so silly.

"Whoo! The water's really cold," he said, waddling up to her.

"I bet 'tis," she said. Taking pity on the shivering boy, she handed him her Irish knit shawl so he could dry himself off.

"Thanks. I'd better wring out my clothes," he said, pulling off his vest and shirt...then went into the woods, standing behind a bush.

The Irish girl flushed and quickly turned her back to protect the innocence of her eyes as she got a brief glimpse of the half-naked boy. Too late, the image of his lithe body was burned into her mind. This was uncomfortable.

Jack stripped out of his wet clothes, standing there naked as a newborn babe. The cool autumn air made him shiver a bit...but the afternoon sun felt good on his skin. He dried himself with the shawl.

Irene tried to resist the temptation, but her will was weak and dared herself to look...then averted her eyes again. Her cheeks burned with shame. She didn't see very much except a glimpse of the lissome back, the shapely thin legs and a little of the round bottom. All features that God had graced him with.

Now I'm goin' to Hell fer sure now. Irene thought. I best be goin' to confession tonight about impure thoughts while gazing at a naked boy.

"Not peeking, are we?" Jack called teasing.

"No," Irene replied with a slight quaver in her voice. "I don' look upon a man's shame until he's my husband."

"Oh? Is that what they call it in the Emerald Land: shame?" he respond with a chuckle.

"Oh shush and get yer clothes back on, ye devil!"

Another laugh from Jack. He finished wringing the water out of his clothes, shook them out and dressed again. They were still wet, but he might as well deal with it until he got home. He walked back up to the bridge.

"Are ye decent now?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied.

She turned around slowly to face the devil of a boy. She was blushing red as a tomato and hoped he wouldn't tease her about that.

"Um...let's not tell anyone about this, if ye don't mind," said Irene.

"Fine by me," said Jack, seeing the girl's pink cheeks. "So, what do you say, friends?"

She guessed he wasn't too bad. Her first American friend who she had an awkward moment with. But why not?

"Alright, friends," she said.

The two of them shook hands.