New Year's Eve at Twin Knolls Park was the same as it was every year; cold, wet, and somewhat frosty.

It was very frosty. Icy even.

Every year the parks department promised to remember not to run the sprinklers, and every year to present, they failed to uphold the promise.
While it never snowed in Driftwood, California, for some reason on New Year's Eve, after the sprinklers were done sprinkling, and the park lawn done being watered, it never failed to see the ice crystals shimmer over every individual blade of grass, every leaflet of every tree, across the bark, and flowers in the park gardens; there were no white Christmases in Driftwood... but the shimmering faceted crystals always delivered leading into the new year; they always delivered, and how they glittered beneath the colorful display of fireworks when one past midnight struck the clock in the tower at city hall.

Every year since he could remember, Jonathan - bundled in his many layers - spent the festivities alongside Nadjia. They would play until they were too tired to play, and then sit on the icy knoll an watch the sky until they were too cold to merely sit. Moms, and dads would apply liberal sums of warmth in layers of wool blankets, and there Jonathan and Nadjia would fight sleep - and fail - into the new year.

Last year Jonathan fell asleep first, bundled beneath all those blankets, and Nadjia sneaked up to him, kissed his cheek and fell asleep on his shoulder.

Moms, and dads didn't know.

Jonathan didn't know, and Nadjia never told.

Far as he knew, they fell asleep the same as every year.

...but this year was different.

They were seven now, and sleep could not, in no uncertain terms, ever conquer the will of a seven year old.

Not when there was night time, and plants that glittered like treasure, and fireworks, and the most important part of course, being right there in the moment with your best friend in the whole wide world.

They still played in the park... but they didn't play the way they used to; somewhere along the way the park toys grew too small to play.

They chased one another, and never grew tired of the chase. Nadjia would tag Jonathan, and run - perhaps a little slowly - and Jonathan would tag Nadjia, and play duck, and dodge. He would roll, an weave, moving with incredible reflexes.

...yet Nadjia somehow always managed to tag - and catch him, anticipating his next moves with uncanny perception, somehow knowing his next moves within ten steps of tagging her.

Jonathan, of course did not get it, the thick headed boy. Nadjia let him catch her.

She allowed it.

They were having easily the best time they had ever, and then for no particular reason, Jonathan crossed a line; there were boy jokes, and girl jokes, and jokes shared between boys and girls.

Jonathan licked his finger and wiped it on Nadjia's nose.

He declared her it, and said she had his germs.

Nadjia was in no way amused.

✟ ☧ ✟

"Nadjia!" Jonathan's voice echoed through the park, carrying through the frost glittering juniper pines. "Nadjia, come out! We're going to get into big trouble if you don't come out and show yourself!"

"You're a big jerk, Jonathan Walker." Nadjia's voice echoed from all around.

"Well you're it! You've still got my germs!"

Silence, and a cold breeze through his hair. Jonathan nervously scratched at the back of his neck. "I'm not sorry, Nadjia!"

A twig snapped to the left of him, and Jonathan dodged fast as he could, turning sharply to the right, ducking, dropping onto his knees below Nadjia's open palm.

He rose from his knees back to his feet to turn and run, and ran right back into Nadjia's open palm. Jonathan saw stars, and fell on his rump, holding his stinging cheek. Slowly the sting turned to uncomfortable warmth, and gradually spread out across his face.

Jonathan fought back tears. "Ouch."

"Tag." Nadjia laughed. "You're it."

Jonathan groaned. "Ugh. So what? You've still got my germs."

Nadjia narrowed her eyes, her blue eyed gaze as cold as the night's air. She swatted at him, half playfully, half angry. He ducked the first swat, and rolled away from the second. Nadjia chased him, and in moments he was on his feet again, running, ducking, rolling, and dodging her.

"Admit it!" Her voice echoed toward him, between heavy breathes.

"Never!"

"You're cheating, Jonathan! Admit you're it!"

"Fine!" Jonathan looked behind, over his shoulder, and dug his heals into the loose, frost covered earth. He twisted his body, turning onto a knee, and ducking low. He felt the crunch of old pine needles, and frozen mulch in his hands as he dug his fingers into the ground, skidding along his former path until he slowed to a stop.

Jonathan looked up from the messy trail he created, his eyes bright green in the cold night, pupils dilated large in the dark, drinking Nadjia in.

Nadjia, still in mid chase began back peddling, sliding along her heels like an off balance speed skater, moving stiffly along her trajectory toward Jonathan. She swung her arms in large circles trying to keep her balance, but to no avail, and she came skidding to a halt on her bottom until she was only a few feet from Jonathan.

"I'm it." Jonathan whispered, and stood on his feet. He offered Nadjia a hand. Wide eyed, Nadjia accepted his hand.

"Nadj?"

"You've never called me Nadj before..."

"Huh." Jonathan pulled Nadjia to her feet.

"No one's ever called me Nadj..."

"Do you like it?"

Nadjia felt herself hefted to her feet, but it did not matter. She found herself lost in his eyes again. "I do."

"Good." Jonathan smiled, showing teeth. His were straight, white, an even though they were not all pointed, somehow they were. Or they seemed like it. "Nadj?"

"Yes?"

"I'm it... but you still have my germs. Also..." He patted the top of her head. "Tag. You're it."

Nadjia felt her cheeks flush.

✟ ☧ ✟

Nadjia screamed in his face, pushed him hard in the chest, and ran.

That was a little while ago.

Too long ago, for a little while, but not so long that he needed to tell an adult.

Not yet.

Frosty mist rose from the ground now, a crystalline fog that shimmered from the park lights that felt like they were forever away. Closer perhaps than he realized, or maybe farther away than he judged was safe.

He did not call for her this time.

He did not want to win, or tag, or play. He wanted to find her, and his need was not born out of any single emotion, or animosity, but some deep rooted irrational fear that somehow Nadjia was gone. Not that she went home, or went back to sit with her parents, but gone away, gone somewhere he could not reach her, or find her.

He darted between juniper pines, feet tied right into sneakers, navigating the slick ice crystals over the loose earth and mulch as though it were not there. He did not blink, lest he miss the slightest movement in his field of vision; his eyes searched left, and right even as he darted right, and left, under logs, and over; he arched his neck to listen, his ears twitching at the slightest sounds; an owl somewhere in the night, screeching, not hooting; something small scurrying away from his path; a jackrabbit speed on frantically away - cross in his path for a moment, and narrowly avoiding collision.

Jonathan stopped suddenly, catching the scent of lollipop shampoo just beneath the scent of pine.

He knelt to a knee, calming himself.

The trees were quiet. The crunchy, icy mulch was quiet, he could still smell the faint lollipop shampoo wafting from beneath the scent of pines, but not so much where from its origin.

"Tag." Nadjia's voice was in his ear. Her hand brushed the back of his head. "You're it."

Jonathan rolled to the side, and back into his feet. Nadjia stood aross from him beaming, bare feet on the cold ground, shoes dangling in one hand, and her other waving cutely. "I can be all wild, too."

"That's cheating."

"Nuh-uh." Nadjia shook her head. "All's fair in tag."

"I'm not going to play with you if you're going to cheat, Nadj."

Nadjia's cheeks flushed a little. "I'm not cheating, you just hate the idea that you got bested by a girl."

"No! I wouldn't care of I got bested by a girl, if a girl bested me fair and square, but you cheated. We're not playing hide and seek, we're playing tag."

"...and you're it." Nadjia nodded.

Jonathan leapt from his place, higher than he expected - higher than Nadjia imagined anyone could - and caught Nadjia at the shoulders, tackling her to the ground. "I win."

Nadjia's eyes welled up with tears.

"Shhh!" Jonathan panicked. "Shhh-shhh-shhh-shhh! Don't cry, okay, okay, I'm sorry. You win!"

Nadjia's eyes brightened, and she smiled. "That will do. Get off me. Help me up."

Jonathan felt dumbstruck.

What just happened?

He stood, dusting himself off. There were ice crystals down his shirt, and frost clinging to his sleeves. He could feel pine needles tangled in his hair. He offered Nadjia a hand, and once more she took his hand in her own, and found herself hefted to her feet with little effort on Jonathan's part.

"That was fun." Nadjia's voice was barely audible.

"You scared me."

"When I totally got you?"

"No. When I was looking for you, and couldn't find you: I thought something happened. Something maybe bad."

"No way. I'm going to live forever, or did you not know that?"

Jonathan shook his head. "I thought I lost you."

"You can't lose me Jonathan Walker. There's no getting rid of me. I'm going to live forever, and if I don't, I'll haunt you forever."

Jonathan felt a chill run down his back, and deep on his bones, but it wasn't from the cold. He made a worried face.

"Chill out. I'm okay, you big baby."

Jonathan nodded, and swallowed. "Can we take a break from tag?"

"Are you willing to admit I actually won?"

"For now." He nodded. "Yes."

✟ ☧ ✟

"My arms are sore." Jonathan yawned. He, and Nadjia sat at the top of their grassy knoll, back-to-back, staring up into the sky.

"Well, if you didn't spent the past two hours picking in me I wouldn't have to spend the past two hours beating you up."

Jonathan snorted.

"You want to go again?" Nadjia turned her head looking over her shoulder. She could see a small bit of Jonathan's jawline.

"Nah, I'm pretty comfortable. The moon's waking up tonight." Jonathan pointed. The moon was a thin sliver of waxing crescent.

"My mom told me that's my dad's fault." Nadjia said.

"How is the moon your dad's fault?"

"Mom says he's messy. He clips his fingernails and doesn't clean up the nail clippings."

"That's gross."

"Tell me about it. Mom says she nags him, and he just dusts them into his palm and takes them outside to throw into sky."

"Well what does it mean when there's a full moon?"

"It means my dad needs to wear pants that fit, and a belt."

"What does that have to do with his fingernails?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Dad just needs to pull his pants up."

They laughed.

"Can you take your germs back?"

"No. Once you got'em, they're yours."

"Are there tag backs?"

With germs?" Jonathan shrugged. "I'm pretty sure there's no rules to how that's played."

"...and I could just spit on you."

"What the heck? No! You don't spit on a guy to give him germs. That's just gross."

Nadjia shifted until she was sitting alongside Jonathan. "Can you show me what to do?"

Jonathan sat quietly, a thoughtful expression settling over his face. He nodded, slowly. "Ok, Nadj. I think I understand what you're asking."

"Good." She smiled, feeling warmth in her cheeks. Maybe Jonathan was not as thick headed as she thought.

"Okay. Sit across from me."

Nadjia obeyed, sitting on her knees with her hands in her lap. Jonathan sat across from her the same.

"Close your eyes."

Nadjia looked up into Jonathan's eyes. "Do I have to, Jon?"

"...did you just call me Jon?"

"Well, you called me Nadj. I just thought it would be nice to have a name only mine for you."

Jonathan held eyes with Nadjia and tilted his head. "I like it."

"I do, too."

"Close your eyes."

Nadjia obeyed.

She sat in comfortable dark silence, the sound of her pulse thundering in her ears. She could hear herself breathing, her heart beating, and she could hear Jonathan leaning on toward her. She considered puckering her lips, and decided against it. Suddenly there was a very unpleasant wet sound, and a squishing sensation in her left ear.

Nadjia's eyes opened wide in shock of the sensation, and she saw Jonathan jump to his feet. He leaned in, knees bent, green eyes bearing down on her wildly, and an absurd grin spread across his face.

"Wet willy!" The volume of Jonathan's shout hurt one ear, but was muffled beneath the wet layer of spit in the other.

He turned and ran.

That's it Jonathan. Nadjia's eyes narrowed, bearing in on Jonathan as he grew smaller and farther away. She glared. "I'm going to get you Jonathan Walker!"

✟ ☧ ✟

"Help!" Nadjia ran down the top of the grassy slope, slipped, slid half way down, caught her footing, and began running again. She could see hers and Jonathan's parents lounging in one of the park gazebos.

Clayton was the first on his feet, running for Nadjia, even as Nadjia sped toward him into what could only be an imminent collision course.

Behind Clayton, whose distance already covered half Nadjia's, Emily, Amir, and Nida were running frantically to her aid. Amir slipped over a the icy grass, rolled, cursed in a long string of Arabic as he struggled back to his feet, and continued running in tow of Nida.

Nadjia felt herself hefted into Clayton's arms, spun in a full circle, and away from the direction he came. Clayton ran fast as he could, Nadjia curled tightly under his arm as he passed Emily, Nida, and Amir still running in the opposite direction.

He carried her as far as the gazebo, set her down behind him, and drew a pistol. Emily, Nida, and Amir caught up shortly after, heaving, coughing for breath as the cold air burned their lungs.

Clayton's eyes scanned the horizon, pistol and sight picture following his field of vision, left to right, right to left, sweeping the horizon back and forth. "Is she okay?"

"Yes!" Emily's voice called from behind him, a moment after Emily assessed her.

Clayton felt some relief. "Is it Jonathan? What happened?"

Silence.

"Where's Jonathan, Nadjia?"

"I killed him." Nadjia's voice cracked, barely audible. She began crying - bawling - into her hands as Nida, and Amir exchanged horrified looks. "I killed Jonathan!"

"What?" Clayton turned, holstering his pistol.

Nadjia, runny-nosed, sniveling, and red-eyed looked bravely as she could up at Clayton. "We-we-we..."

Amir shook her by the shoulders. "Speak, girl!"

"Stop it, Amir! Give her a moment. Nadjia, where is Jonathan? Where is my son?" Clayton's serious face, and calm demeanor was betrayed by the wild panic in his eyes.

"He..." Nadjia's chin, and bottom lip began to tremble. "We were playing tag on the other side of the knolls. He kept putting his germs on me, and finally he gave me a Wet William..."

"Who is this William?" Nida knelt beside Nadjia, and put a hand over her cheek. "Could William help explain this, too?"

Nadjia shook her head.

Clayton coughed. "Wet Willy."

Nadjia nodded.

Clayton would have burst into laughter were the circumstances different. Were his son not in danger, or worse.

"He gave me that wet willy, and ran, and laughed, and I was angry. I took a rock, and I threw it, and... and..." Nadjia began bawling again, coughing, and explaining in a long stream of broken, barely intelligible english, and arabic.

Clayton's superficial calm solidified into a genuine sense of ease. "Nadjia, could you take us to Jonathan's... to Jonathan?"

Emily sniffled and began to cry, as did Nida.

Nadjia nodded, wiping her runny-nose on her jacket sleeve.

"I want you to take me, and only me so you don't feel too afraid."

"Okay."

✟ ☧ ✟

Jonathan was a little farther away than Nadjia remembered. By the time she and Clayton arrived, Jonathan was sitting comfortably, staring at the stars.

"Boy. Are you okay?" Clayton's calm voice carried across the short distance pulling Jonathan's attention away from the stars. He had a marble sized lump on his forehead, and he was holding a stone in his hand about the size of an acorn.

Nadjia ran past Clayton fast as she could and tackled Jonathan onto his back, and punched him in the chest. "You idiot, boy!"

"What?"

"I thought I killed you!"

Jonathan wedged his arm between he and Nadjia, and held up the acorn sized stone she used to peg him in the forehead. "With this little token of your affection?"

Nadjia blubbered, sitting up off of Jonathan, nodding her head. "You're such a jerk!"

"I'm okay, Nadj!" Jonathan sat up with little effort, and propped himself on his elbows, ignoring his father. "I'm okay."

Nadjia hugged him, and held him. "I was so scared."

"To get into trouble?"

"No, stupid face. I thought you were dead, and I thought I was going to be all alone without you."

Jonathan carefully got onto his knees, and stood. He offered his hand to Nadjia, who looked up at him. She reached for his hand, and hesitated.

"No tricks, I promise."

Nadjia took his hand, and he raised her up onto her feet. "Are you sure you're okay, Jon?"

Jonathan laughed. "I might be a little less dumb, even. Come on. Dad's just standing there staring at us with that face he doesn't make."

"What face is that?"

"That whole face he doesn't make when he's okay with something he's not supposed to be."

"Oh."

"I'm really sorry. Let's go wait for tomorrow."

"Okay." Nadjia felt Jonathan's fingers lace with hers, and she felt the falling sensation in her stomach.

Clayton watched Nadjia forgive Jonathan, and found himself relieved, and satisfied. The boy wasn't particularly hurt, but he probably learned a decent lesson in how to behave with Nadjia.

They would have to talk, of course. Jonathan would have to start learning his role, bit-by-bit, piece-by-piece, in Nadjia's life.

It was more than a future in his life, or hers depending; Nida and Amir would suffer dire consequences if anything happened to Jonathan, or Nadjia.

Still.

Jonathan had to soften up a bit with the girl. He was too chummy with her. He treated her with a casual distance he might treat any other friend, and Nadjia was anything but any other friend. Betrothal was