Elsa sat with her face pressed miserably against the window of her grandparent's car. The tears fell silently from her eyes while she watched the familiarity of her home fading away.
Memories of the last 17 years of her life played in her mind as the car wove through the tree-lined streets of Arendelle, Norway. Her blue eyes glossed over the colourful buildings that she adored and the hills in the background. She let her eyes wander to the far distance where the imposing North Mountain stood watch over the city. She heard a happy shriek from outside her window and turned to watch. Her eyes settled on a young girl, no older than five, who had run to pose in front of the old Arendelle castle. She let out a small chuckle as the girl's father pulled out his camera to snap a photo of the youngster.
She looked over the large castle-turned-museum and the people that were weaving through it's gates and she smiled. Suddenly, a memory of her own time at the castle came to mind and she shook her head.
As children, her and Anna had been fascinated by the grand castle. They used to love to hear stories of the time when Arendelle had been a kingdom and was ruled by kings and queens. Together, they would beg their parents to take them to visit the castle while they were dressed in their prettiest dresses. Once they had arrived at the grounds, they would curtsy and spin around. They used to love to pretend that they were royalty and would eagerly announce themselves as Princess Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle to all who would listen.
"Elsa," her mother's voice called before she leaned back to softly place a hand on her daughter's knee. "It will be okay. Arendelle will always be here to visit."
She turned to look at her mother. She could see the concern in her mother's hazel eyes as she looked at her, patiently waiting for her response. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she offered her mother a bleak smile and turned to stare at her sister, who was casually flicking through a teen magazine.
Sighing, she leaned back against her seat. She couldn't understand her sister's flippant attitude towards their move. While she loved Anna dearly, it often felt like they were two different people Especially when it had come to the move.
Their neurosurgeon father, Walt, and mother, Lillian, had gathered them six months earlier to tell them the bad news. Her father had accepted a position at Great Eastern, a large hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and would be uprooting their family. Their reactions had been completely different.
Anna had been overjoyed. Her mind had filled with the promise of American life that was depicted in various teen movies and television shows. Stereotypes or not, she was convinced that her new life would consist of her joining the school cheerleading squad, accompanying school sports stars to a variety of dances and spending her weekends browsing the mall with her new friends. Elsa had tried to warn her sister that their was more to their new country than what was depicted in fiction, but had given up and had allowed the 14-year-old to keep her optimism.
She, on the other hand, was dreading the move. She was not as outgoing as her younger sister. Whereas Anna found it easy to make friends, she took her time warming up to people. She had a small, select group of friends that she'd had since the first grade, Ingrid and Martine. Together, the trio had managed to fly under the radar and had remained largely overlooked by the kids at their school, which was exactly how they had liked it.
"Papa, when we arrive in the United States I will call you Dad and Mama will be Mom," Anna sad, watching as their father stepped through the security at the airport. "In America they say Mom and Dad."
Walt chuckled. Turning around, he smiled at his youngest daughter. "Alright, Anna, if you insist. So long as you still listen to us. That is all that your mother and I ask for."
Elsa frowned and turned to look between her parents. With all her concern at leaving her home, she had not stopped to consider what else might change. She'd never even thought that she might be expected to change the way she approached her parents. Instead, she had been too focused on the prospect of having to rely almost entirely on English as her primary language.
Both her and Anna could speak English. They had learnt it from an early age. However, their approach to the language was different. Anna was confident in speaking it and would regularly listen to music, watch movies and converse in English with native speakers. She, on the other hand, preferred to speak in her native Norwegian. Academically, her grasp on English was perfect and she could read and write with few problems. However, when it came to her oral and aural English she lacked confidence. All of a sudden she would find herself stumbling over pronunciation and sentence structure as her knowledge seemingly went out the window.
After a long flight, which had lasted just under eight hours, their plane had touched down in their new home of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Elsa had been tired when she had stepped off the plane. Groggily, she had followed her father while he had led them through customs. He had happily presented their papers to the customs officer who had politely welcomed them to their new homeland. She had then allowed herself to be whisked through to the baggage carousel where a hospital representative had been waiting for them from behind a small sign. The stranger had then greeted them cheerily and had gone with them to grab their baggage.
Once they had collected their luggage, they had headed for the car. She had lagged behind and had watched while her father had talked with his new co-worker. Anna had remained close to their father's side and had happily quizzed the stranger about the must-haves of American life.
The car ride to their new home had been glum. She had sat in the backseat with her sister and mother and had listened patiently while her father had explained how the hospital had organised a furnished townhouse for them to rent and how they had even helped him to lease a new car.
"The hospital staff have been fantastic. They have really gone out of the way to help make this transition as smooth as possible," her father had said while he'd leaned back to beam at his family. "Of course, once we settle in, we can look at finding our own home and filling it with furniture of our own choice."
She had simply nodded before she'd redirected her attention to the foreign scenery outside the window. She hadn't wanted new furniture, or a new home. She had wanted Arendelle.
After a thirty minute drive, they had finally arrived in their new home in the suburb of Burgess. Her eyes had widened when the car had pulled into the driveway of a two-story townhouse in a small cul-de-sac. Stepping out of the car, she had stretched her legs and looked around. Each home in the neighbourhood appeared remarkably similar. A small portion of the homes had the American flag on display, which only served to remind her that she was a long, long way from home.
"Our home is in a relatively new development," her father smiled, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. "I have been told that there is a nice park right around the corner. There are also bus stops close by that will take you right into the city, or to a shopping mall."
She smiled at him and moved towards the boot of the car. Carefully, she hauled her suitcase to the ground and followed her father as he led her inside the new house. She stopped in the entrance to look around at the strange furnishings that filled the adjacent rooms. A loud shriek could be heard from upstairs as Anna lay claim to one of the bedrooms. A small card lay on coffee table along with a bouquet of flowers to welcome them to their new home. She let out a sigh. All around her people continued to repeat the word home, but this place was not her home. Arendelle was, and always would be, her home.
Her home was loaded with memories and well-loved furniture. Furniture such as the couch that had somehow managed to survive over the years, despite the fact that Anna loved to jump on it whenever she was excited. Or the small recliner by the window in the lounge room where she loved to curl up with a blanket and read- especially on rainy days. Her home had warmth and love. This house was something out of a display catalogue. It looked nice, but it had no heart.
Sighing, she made her way upstairs to the room that had been left for her. Pushing open the door, she took in the large bed with the matching bookcase, desk, bedside table and the built in robe. Everything about the room was bland and uninviting- even the plush white comforter that lay on the bed added to the blandness of the room.
"I know that it's not much right now, but we will go to the shops soon. Your grandparents have sent us a bit of money for you and Anna so that you can personalise your rooms," her mother said, smiling as she entered the room. "Your father is currently on the phone. He is organising for our belongings from Arendelle to be delivered."
Elsa and her family had been residents of the United States for a week. In that short time they had been quick to set themselves up. Her parents had wasted no time organising social security numbers and bank accounts for them all. They had even seen to it that her and Anna had been enrolled in the local high school.
As promised, her mother had taken her and Anna shopping at their local mall. There they had purchased school supplies as well as accessories to decorate their new bedrooms. She had opted to not purchase a lot of things and had chosen to stick to the belongings that she'd had sent over from Arendelle. However, Anna had wasted no time in shopping for herself. She had eagerly pulled items off the shelf and had dumped them into their trolley.
"Are you girls ready for tomorrow," her father asked, pausing in between mouthfuls of Kjøttkaker. "It's a big day for you, starting school."
"Of course, Dad," Anna replied, swallowing a lump of food. "I can't wait to meet everyone. I think that I'd go crazy if I had to hang around here any longer."
Frowning, she watched the exchange. She could sense her sister's excitement and knew that she was eagerly anticipating the start of the school week, but she wasn't as eager. She didn't feel that she would ever be ready to start school. Her mother had been quick to point out that Burgess High was considered one of the best public schools in the city, but she wasn't convinced.
"What about you, Elsa" her father asked. "Are you ready for school?"
She swallowed the last of her potato and glanced at him. "No, Papa," she replied, honestly. "Sunday night always seems to come too quickly. I'm not ready for school."
"Oh, Elsa, it will be fun!" Anna broke in as she reached over to nudge her. "We are talking about cheerleading, dances and hot boys. I definitely plan on finding a hot American boyfriend to impress my friends back in Norway with. You never know, you may even find a boyfriend as well."
She chuckled. Shifting in her seat, she turned to raise her eyebrow at her sister. "Anna, I don't need or want a boyfriend," she protested. "I am far more concerned with my grades and being able to understand my teachers and classmates."
"You will be fine, Elsa," her father began, fixing his gaze on her. "You are a very smart girl. You just need more confidence with your English. You can start by using it more around home. From now on, I want us all to try and rely mostly on English when at home."
She nodded. Shifting on her seat, she could see the wide smiles on her family as they looked at her. Taking a deep breath, she affixed a smile to her face. She carefully tidied her plates and excused herself, placing her used dishes in the sink before she left the kitchen. Anna's happy voice trailed through the house as she climbed the stairs that led to her room and she smiled.
For Anna, the United States was her new home. It possessed excitement and was chock-full of endless possibilities. For Elsa, the country was nothing more than the place that she was stuck in. It was a small blip on her radar until she had completed her senior year and could return home to Arendelle.
A/N- Hi, welcome to my new story. I hope I can do it justice. I would like to point out that I am neither Norwegian, or American. Instead I'm a born and bred Australian with no knowledge of moving to a foreign country. So there will be a lot of research put in, as well as talking with friends who have knowledge of Norway, learning English, Deaf/ hearing impaired issues, Pennsylvania state, USA and what it's like to migrate to the USA.
Kjøttkaker
Minced beef rolled into balls and then fried. Served with gravy, mushy peas and boiled potatoes.