When Jack next made an appearance, Nisha and her grandmother had just finished getting ready for the day. Nisha was feeling a lot better already, but with three days of rest according to Nana, it wasn't surprising. He came in like an autumn breeze, slightly chilly, as the temperature in the room dropped by a few degrees. He was wearing a hunter green long-sleeved shirt, with a white skull taking up all the space in the front. He had on jean shorts this time and again he wore no shoes or socks. He strolled in, an excited grin making his entire face light up. "Guess what-" he stopped in his tracks when he saw her, his eyes going wide.

She turned, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. She had put on a light blue turtle-neck sweater, since it was a little cold in this place. She also had on white slacks and white sneakers. She still wore her two necklaces, tucked in underneath her shirt, though the teardrop one freaked her out a little, after what had happened yesterday. She expected him to comment on her appearance, as he seemed to normally do. But he surprised her. He wasn't even looking at her outfit or body. He was simply staring into her eyes like he was mesmerized.

"I almost thought it was a dream...But here you are, right in front of me. Nisha..." His voice was very soft, almost reverent as he whispered her name.

She coughed, blushing, unsure how to respond. She heard Nana cough awkwardly as well. "Um...what were you about to ask me to guess?" she questioned gently. Even if it was misguided, Jack did seem to really care for her...possibly. He was so unpredictable, switching to extremes so quickly it was overwhelming.

He blinked slowly, looking as if he was waking from a deep sleep. He opened his mouth to speak, but a woman appeared at the still open bedroom door. Nisha watched her glide into the room; she was just that graceful, as if her feet didn't need to touch the ground. She blinked, looking again. The woman's feet weren't touching the ground, by half an inch!

Her grandmother came forward more, dipping into an awkward curtsy. "I-it is wonderful to officially meet you, my lady." The older woman's voice was fighting to be polite, but Nisha was able to pick up on the tiniest shred of sarcasm in her voice. Biting back a grin, she followed her grandmother's example. Not for the first time, and certainly not the last, she asked herself if all of this was real.

The woman, who was a few inches shorter than Jack and taller than Nisha, inclined her head slightly in acknowledgment. "I am very happy to meet you two as well, Grace and Nisha Caldwell. I welcome you to our world, Realm of the Others, and to our home here at the Winter Palace." The woman's voice was both polite and slightly cold, her dark brown eyes watching them closely.

Grace dipped into another slight bow. "I thank you for your welcome. I know our coming here was not...very regular. We appreciate your humble hospitality and thank you once again." Nisha dipped into another bow, following her grandmother's example again. But in her mind, she was reeling. Nana seemed completely unfazed, able to handle herself in a situation that would have left Nisha overwhelmed, had she been alone. She suppressed another smile. She wasn't sure, but she got the sense Nana was somehow kicking butt in a polite, subtle way.

The smallest amount of warmth entered their hostesses' eyes as she politely smiled. "Yes...Having a little more warning would have been preferred. But with a son like Jack, something like this is to be expected."

Jack, the troublemaker in question, was leaning against the wall, smiling brightly. "Aw, Ma, you's makin' me blush!" His mother turned a steely dark gaze on him, making his smile fall away. He sighed. "Yeah, yeah, okay." Stepping forward, he danced over to Nisha's side, holding out his hand in a weird show of gentlemanliness. "Come, my love," he said grandly. "Let us travel forth to break our fast among the lords and ladies of this castle!"

Hesitantly, Nisha lightly placed her hand in his. Deciding to play along, for once, she used the light blush that had come to her cheeks to her advantage. "But, my lord...I am not dressed for such a grand occasion. I-I will be looked down upon by the lords and the ladies will gossip about how drab my outfit is."

A smile filled his face, so bright and happy that she feared she'd go blind. His eyes sparkled with mirth. Slowly, he stepped forward, wrapping an arm around her back, pulling her against his side. "Nonsense!" he declared righteously. He turned them so that they were facing toward the exit. Then, his steps light, he pulled her forward, out of the room. "Your sheer beauty shines through anything you are wearing, my lady. In fact, the other lords will curse my luck at finding you. And the other ladies will seethe in envy, knowing they will never be able to come close to you." His voice was still playful, but there was a layer of seriousness in it that made her fall quiet.

"J-Jack," she murmured softly. They were out of the room and around a corner by now. "P-please let go of me." Suddenly it hit her that she had just encouraged her kidnapper in his fantasies. She should never have done that. It was a stupid thing, as it might make him think she liked him as well. And she did not.

His arm around her tightened its hold at her words. But after a tense second, he slowly released his hold on her, pausing for only a second in his steps before resuming to lead the way to wherever they were going. "Did I make you feel cold again?" he asked quietly, a tiny thread of worry in his voice. "I'm sorry. My emotions fluctuate so much and my powers are tied to them. It makes it very easy to accidentally freeze things. Again, Nisha, I'm sorry."

They were silent for several more minutes while she tried to figure out how to respond. Should she lie and say she was cold? Should she make up a different excuse? Or should she just tell him the truth? Which one was the better option?

She only paid enough attention to everything around her to follow Jack. Finally she decided. She would be truthful. She needed to be firm with him, help cement it into his mind how little she wanted to do with him. She shook her head. "No, I wasn't cold. I was uncomfortable," she said honestly. "Despite everything you and Nana say you really are a complete stranger to me. I don't remember you as a child and I certainly never remember asking you to marry me. And as a stranger, I don't want you touching me in such a...familiar manner."

He came to a complete stop, turning to face her, his expression terrifying. There was an intense amount of anger and hurt, which she had been expecting. But there were also traces of sorrow and fear in his blue eyes. He took five real quick steps back from her, his body flashing for half a second into the form he used with his powers. Three feet around him the ground froze over, the ice cracking softly. Once the burst of power had receded, he inhaled deeply, opening his eyes as the color returned to them.

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered apologetically. "I don't mean to hurt you, but I think it's best to be honest with you."

He was standing, his body shaking slightly, panting. His eyes studied her face for three more heartbeats. Finally, he exhaled out a long breath, nodding. "Thank you for being honest. I will do my best to...restrain myself if that is what you wish, Nisha."

She nodded as well. "It is. Thank you."

Footsteps sounded close to them. "Jack?" the voice of his mother called from further down the hallway. "What are you doing? The dinning hall door is right next to you."

Nisha raised her hand to give her grandmother a little wave. Grace was walking beside their hostesses, two steps behind her. Though their hostesses was doing that odd...levitating glide that she did earlier. Briefly Nisha wondered how she managed it and if she did it simply to seem more powerful. Shaking her head, she turned to face the door Jack had just opened. Her eyes grew wide at what lay beyond.

It was like a brighter, grander version of the dinning room in the Beauty and the Beast Disney movie. There were two large fireplaces, at the north and south end of the room. In the very center was a table long enough for five school buses to parallel park next to it perfectly. At the south end, closest to the door Jack had just opened was a trio. At the head of the table sat a man who looked just as Jack would at that age. He was dressed in a large royal blue housecoat, which was tied around his waist. She wondered if he had on fuzzy sleepers as well, but she couldn't see his feet under the table.

To the man's left sat two more people. The chair directly to his left was free, but right next to it was obviously another relative. He looked only a year older than she. His eyes were blue, but they were darker, closer to a navy color. His hair was a darker blonde, less white and more gold. He looked the same height as the man in the housecoat. With how he was sitting, all she could see was that he wore a dark red short-sleeved shirt. Sitting to the young man's immediate left was a girl of about ten. She looked like a miniature version of their mother, only with lighter hair. She wore a bright pink pajama shirt with white stripes down the front. A curious glint filled her eyes as she took in the two strangers.

The man in the housecoat stood as he saw the four of them enter, the other two rising as well. He grimaced, but quickly hid it behind a polite smile. "Welcome, welcome, Caldwell's." He motioned to the seats on his right. Jack stepped forward; pulling out the chair across from who she assumed was his brother. Nervously, Nisha moved forward, about to sit down. But the fleeting touch of his hand on her arm made her glance at him, pausing. It was then that she remembered it was probably better manners to wait until the hosts were sitting down before doing the same. She flashed a quick smile of thanks before turning her attention back to the man. She heard her grandmother moving to the chair on her right and then Jack doing so with the chair on her left.

Their hostess moved to the chair directly to the left of the man and it wasn't until then that he sat down, his wife right behind him. As one, everyone else did the same. Silently, as if materializing out of the shadows, servants dressed in uniform black appeared behind everyone's chairs. She flinched, biting her lip to stay silent. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her grandmother tense. But she too was successful in showing no other reaction.

"Father," the guy across from her began, his voice filled with distaste. "Why, exactly are their not one, but two humans in the WinterPalace? I thought I sensed something foul."

Nisha cheeks flushed, rage filling her. She desperately wanted to reach over the table and punch the guy. It wasn't like she had wanted to come here!

Jack's quiet voice filled the vacuum of sound that had come over the table. "Jacob, I don't appreciate you talking like that about my betrothed and her grandmother. I expect you to show proper manners to those who will become part of our family."

Jacob's eyes raged but he dipped his head in acknowledgment. "I apologize, Jack, for my lack of tact." His angry gaze shifted to Nisha and Grace. "I apologize to you two as well. I had no reason to attack you so."

Grace raised a hand, smiling in forgiveness. "Worry not, sir, as no offense was given. I'm quite proud of my humanity."

Nisha blinked, nodding, an awkward smile on her lips. "Um, yes. There was no offense taken."

The girl's voice cut in. She was so excited that she was very nearly bouncing up and down in her chair. "So it's true then, what the servants have been whispering and gossiping about?! My brother is really going to marry a human?!"

Nisha bit her lips. She really wanted to deny all of this. She didn't know Jack and she certainly didn't wish to marry him. But despite all this, the world seemed determined to throw them together. She coughed to clear her throat. "T-that does seem to be the rumor," she finally settled on saying.

Their hostess clapped her hands. As she did, servants appeared once more, placing trays of food on the table. "Let us eat and discuss all of this."

Ten minutes later, after everyone had gotten their plates filled and were starting to eat the man in the housecoat cleared his throat. "So, Jack. Your mother has thought long and hard about this and has decided what conditions will be enforced." Nisha glanced between Jack and his parents, taking in his annoyed expression.

"First off, we should let everyone know who everyone else is. My husband is Quentin Frost, I am Glacia, our oldest is Jacob, then Jack and Millie."

Nisha blinked, nodding. "Oh, uh, right. My name is Nisha Caldwell and my grandmother is Grace Caldwell."

Glacia nodded as well. "Perfect. Now that we've got that out of the way, I will explain. Nisha, you know nothing about this world, quite bluntly. When you marry Jack you will be put into a very powerful position in this world." Nisha's hands curled into fists under the table. She desperately wanted to scream that she wasn't going to be marrying Jack. "As such, you will begin your education starting tomorrow. In order to help expose you to different types of citizens who live in the Other realm, you will begin schooling. You have just started your junior year, correct?"

Nisha blinked. She couldn't stop the question that slipped past her lips. "You have schools here?"

Glacia nodded shortly. "Of course we do. The Other realm is essentially a mirror of the Human world. The only real differences is the people who live here and the fact that this world is filled with magic. As such, we have everything you will recognize. Schools, hospitals, police stations, universities, libraries."

Jack spoke up. "So, Nisha will be going to school with me, correct?" At his mother's nod, he grinned. "Alright. So when's the wedding?"

Glacia smiled, though it was cold and almost a little vindictive. "After you graduate."

Nisha let out a tiny breath of relief. So, she wasn't going to be forced to do anything she wasn't prepared for yet. Oh, thank God! she shouted internally.

Jack growled. "Fucking two years?!" he demanded harshly.

Quentin spoke up. "Son, calm down. Two years isn't that long. Besides, it's true that she does need to learn more about our world. Until then, you can cool your tits." Nisha's eyebrows shot up in surprised. That was certainly not an expression she would have expected from Jack's dad. Then she paused, shaking her head. Never mind. He was Jack's dad so it should be exactly what she should have expected. Besides, the man was bold enough to be in nothing but a giant housecoat among complete strangers. "Waiting two years won't hurt either of you."

Jack grumbled darkly under his breath, his bright blue eyes filled with a rebellious gleam.

His mother watched him for half a second. "But we will be moving the two of you into bedrooms right next to one another."

Jack's expression instantly lighted while Nisha tried not to cry out in protest. Did she really have no other choice but to follow what these people were saying? What's to say she couldn't try and return back to her home? Her mind paused, realizing. Yes, that's exactly what she would do! She'd study this world, like they wanted, but secretly search for a way back. There must be a doorway or something. Hadn't Jack said it was a common thing to come and go from here to the Human world?

The conversation fell silent as everyone finished eating. Ten minutes later everyone was done and the servants were quietly cleaning the table and taking the plates to be cleaned. Glacia rose to her feet, her dark eyes staring down at the two humans. "Grace, Nisha, please come with me."

Grace rose to her feet as well, her knees protesting slightly. "Where are we going, my lady?" Her voice was casual, like her and her granddaughter's lives had not been completely changed in the course of three days. Nisha had no idea how she did it, but her respect for her grandmother kept going up by leaps and bounds.

"Please, simply call me Glacia. We will all be family soon. In fact, I consider us family already. As such, there is no need for tiresome, stiff formalities." Grace nodded while Glacia glided around the table, stopping a few feet away from the humans. "We must go and enroll Nisha for school. As you are her relative, you need to be there as well. Nisha, prepare yourself. I have already called ahead and they have made a special test for you to take. Since you know nothing that a normal student here would, they had to go through and change the questions. You will be tested on your basic math, very basic science, and your literary understanding. History and high level science, as well as most literature had to be taken out, as those are all different here."

Nisha nodded, gulping. It was really happening. She really was going to have to go to a high school in another world. She tried not to laugh. Her life had gotten so screwed up in less than a week that she didn't know what to think about anything anymore. Rising from her chair, Nisha followed behind the two women. Out in the hallway, she finally took notice of her surroundings. This place really did look like a medieval castle, with the walls made out of light-grey stone. Every ten feet or so were windows, though these were modern, made out of glass and everything, carved out and set into the stone. The floors were made of stone as well, though the vast majority of the hallways were covered in a thick red carpet. They had to walk down two flights of stairs and through an entrance hall that made anything she had ever seen in a movie pale in comparison, before Glacia stopped.

She paused, turning to study them critically. Then, sighing, she snapped her fingers. "I apologize. I completely forgot that you two cannot handle the cold as well as I."

More of those shadow servants appeared, carrying with them two thick winter coats, gloves, and scarves. Nisha found the servants very interesting. They looked exactly like Shadow people; only the outline of a human body, filled in with a thick black mass of shadow. They didn't speak, which made her wonder how Millie had heard them gossiping, as she claimed. Perhaps there were other servants here as well; one's who were more vocal? Part of her hoped so. She wasn't sure she liked the sheer silence that the Shadow people did their job with. She reached out, taking the coat one of them held out for her. "Thank you," she murmured, slipping the coat on over her arms and zipping it up.

The servant froze for half a second before bobbing its head in a nod. It held out the gloves and scarf and she quickly put those on as well. Once both she and her grandmother were ready, Glacia turned back to the door. "I will push most of the wind away from us while we walk out to the car. Stay close behind me," she instructed before opening the door.

Grace reached out and grabbed onto Nisha's hand, squeezing it in encouragement. Nisha threw a quick smile at Grace before they were walking forward. Nisha had to squint her eyes to make out much. A very cold wind cut through all her layers, instantly making her feel frozen. She glanced over at Grace again, a little surprised to see she looked only slightly uncomfortable. But the sudden lack of wind made her attention turn forward once more.

Glacia's body was glowing, ever slightly, as she glided in front of them. There were no other sign of anything happening, besides the lack of freezing wind. But when she turned her head to motion them forward faster, Nisha saw that her dark brown eyes were now an icy-blue. The two of them hurried forward, moving to the navy blue sedan that was parked twenty feet from the palace entrance. A servant was standing by the doors, quickly helping the two of them into the back seat. Once out of the cold, Nisha felt immensely better. She let out a long breath of relief before turning to look at her grandmother. "You okay, Nana?" she asked. Her grandmother didn't look very cold, but she did look very weary. She wasn't shivering, like Nisha was a little, but her face was slightly pale.

"Yes," Grace said faintly. She coughed, clearing her throat. "Yes," she said in a stronger tone of voice. "I'm just not as young as I use to be and the cold was seeping into my bones."

Nisha nodded, reaching out to hold the older woman's hand. "I know this is an awful situation, but I'm glad you're here with me, Nana. I don't think I would be able to function without knowing you were nearby."

Patting the top of their intertwined hands, Grace smiled warmly. "Snowflake, I would never let you go through something like this alone."

Before the two of them could say anymore, Glacia slid into the passenger seat. The servant got behind the wheel. "Well then," the woman sighed. "On to your new school. The RoyalAcademy of the Other realm."

Nisha blinked, surprised. "Royal? It's not just a normal school?"

Glacia let out a short laugh. "Of course not. By being Jack's betrothed, you are now royalty. The school you will be going to is a smaller, private academy that only those of similar or higher standing than you go to. It's a very prestigious school. We can't have you going to anything less than your standing in society requires."

"Royal?" she repeatedly faintly, still in shock.

The woman turned her head in the seat, studying her. "Yes," she said firmly. "After all, in just two short years you will marry into the Frost family, one of the royal families that represents Winter. You will become the new Lady of Winter and will be in charge of this part of the Other realm. All eyes will be upon you. The fact that you are a human will be a source of curiosity, disgust, and lack of acknowledgment by your peers. You will have to be strong and quickly learn to ignore their treatment of you."

Nisha nodded, closing her eyes tightly.

She was going to have to find a way home as quickly as possible.