The Girl in the Snow
"YOU! SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG!"
Music blared through the small and old car and Pete sang along to it, irresponsibly head banging as he did so. How could he help it? It was his favourite song! He sang the lyrics loudly; it hurt his throat but he didn't really care.
It was a cold night, unusually cold for July. It was around 2am, and Pete had just finished his job as the designated driver and was heading home to drink some beers and pet his cat. He reached to the control panel of his car and turned the heat up; he noticed that he had begun to shiver. Warm air soon streamed through his vents, and his car was a very comfortable temperature.
He continued to sing along to the song, and it made him think of Rachel. He smiled at the thought of her. He made a mental note in his head; I'll ask her out tomorrow when everyone comes round for the movie. She always leaves after everyone else, which has to mean something. She had been at the bar tonight too, drinking a chocolate cocktail like she always did. His smile widened when he remembered her little chocolate moustache. His loud and horrible singing was interrupted, but not stopped, by a giggle. She looked really pretty tonight! He wished he could see her again, but she would probably be crashed out on Anne's couch by now. I'll see her tomorrow. I'll ask her on a date tomorrow!
Snow began to fall then. Little drops that could have been rain but fell too lightly. Snowflakes fell onto his windshield and dissolved into water then slid down smoothly.
Pete hated snow! With an aggressive passion! They had a long winter this year, and now, in July of all months, it was back? This just isn't fair! He slowed down his car as snowflakes started falling faster, heavier. Feeling weary of the situation, he even turned down his music. A new song had come on, just as good as the last one but still not his favourite. He never did like driving through snow, it always made him feel uncomfortable. One day, when he was 11, he arrived to school and was taken immediately to an assembly. The faculty were mourning the death of a teacher, whose car had been found crashed into a tree. He was driving too fast, apparently, and the snow caused his car to just go crazy. They never found the body. Some kids thought that he had gotten out of the car to walk to a hospital, but died somewhere on the way. But those were just stupid rumours made up by kids. Still, Pete was always a tiny bit curious about the death of that kindly man. He was a great guy.
But that was years ago. Years and years ago! Pete couldn't think about it now, when he was driving in snow. It was getting heavier and heavier, it now rested on the road and on his car hood. It's fucking July, he cursed internally. Fucking July! Give me a break.
Quickly, he checked the behind him, to the back of his car. No, he had not brought a jacket or a hoodie. This afternoon was so warm; he didn't think he'd need one. The weather predictions were all great, they predicted a warm evening. It was even warm when he left the club.
He drove on and he noticed the snow getting deeper and deeper, falling more and more heavily. He shook his head, displeased with this outrageous weather.
He shook his head, but stopped after he noticed a figure outside the left window. He slowed down. Was that a girl? Looks like it. A young one, at that. Why was a young girl out at 2am in the snow, wearing only a green dress? It looked so old fashioned, what was she up to? She wasn't even walking, just standing there. Pete had helped his friends by being designated driver, and the night was still young. He may as well help a freezing stranger.
He pulled the car over to the area in which she stood. She was a metre or so away from the road so he got out of his car and approached her. He didn't get too close, this was a weird situation. She could be dangerous!
"Hey," Pete called to her. Her head snapped up immediately, and her icy eyes locked on his own at once.
Moonlight illuminated the girl; her red hair shone in the night and a white streak snaked down her braid. Her cheeks were freckled and laugh lines around her mouth were strong; she looked like the kind of girl who would grin a lot, but not her face was lifeless and pale. Pete felt uneasy, and took a step back. To his surprise, she stepped forward, slightly. "Have you come to help me?"
Pete looked up at the sky, aware that it was still slowing heavily. However, the snow seemed to evade the girl. She stood in it, it seemed to reach half way up her shins, but there was no snow in her hair, her dress, or even resting on his shoulders.
"What do you need help with? D'you need me to call somebody?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He had four bars of signal but nearly no battery left. He could make one phone call with it, he predicted.
She looked away from him and sighed, suddenly looking extremely upset. "My sister, she froze my heart," she told him. He noted the quick rise and fall of her chest. She seemed to be really worked up about this, but what did she mean? Her sister froze her heart. Did they have a really bad argument? Maybe this is just the best way to describe her feelings, maybe it's a metaphor?
"I'm sorry to hear that," Pete replied. His phone blinked at him, low battery! Typical. "Do you want me to drive you home? Or call for he-"
"I would love for you to drive me home," she interrupted him. He felt his eyes widen in surprise as she started walking towards him, slow and stiff through the snow. He opened his door to the passenger seat and she stepped in, elegant and eerie. He closed the door for her and quickly made his way round to the driver's seat.
He knew the car would be as warm as it could be, but he felt a chill. He wished he could offer a hoodie to the girl but he had neglected to bring one. He was about to start up the engine again, but first he asked her name.
"My name is Anna," she told him. She started unblinkingly out of the window, not at him. Her presence made him feel very uneasy but taking her home would be the right thing to do.
"I'm Pete," he replied. He offered her his hand to shake, to maybe make her feel more comfortable, but she just stared at it.
She grimaced, almost apologetically. "My hand is really cold," she said. Pete supposed this meant no handshakes.
"Alright then," he murmured. The car vroomed alive and he began to drive forward, cautiously picking up speed. "Where am I heading?"
"Just keep driving. I'll tell you when to turn," Anna said. "Y'know, a long time ago, this guy who was a stranger took me to see my sister on a snowy night. He was a nice guy."
"Oh? What was his story? You seem to take a lot of rides from strangers," Pete reflected.
Anna chuckled. "I never really thought of that. But he was a good guy, I don't see him anymore?"
"Why is that?" Pete asked, glancing over to her.
She said nothing. Just stared out of the window, not blinking, was she even breathing? Her eyes were wide and big, as blue as ice. She was a pretty little thing, but what was her deal? She was so odd. Pete turned on his radio, his favourite band began to sing again and she didn't seem to mind.
A slower song filled the car with its slow beat. Pete could feel a chill spreading through the car and desperately wished he had brought a jacket. He glanced to Anna, who did not shiver or seem cold at all. Hey, had there been more than one white streak in her hair before? White coloured her second braid prominently now. He probably just didn't notice outside.
She pointed right at a fork in the road, so Pete turned right. Outside was a blizzard, a wild and raging storm. He drove on and on, for what seemed like forever in the cold. He checked the time; it was 2:45am. He really had to be home soon, his housemate would be becoming worried. Maybe he was asleep? Maybe he was playing whatever nerdy console he had in his room. I'll be home soon, Pete told himself hopefully.
He didn't notice Anna's hand move towards him, and touch his own arm. He looked up at her quickly, and she was staring at him. She whispered, "I'm sorry."
And then his arm was frozen. Literally frozen solid and blue like her eyes. He couldn't take it off the steering wheel; he couldn't move it from the steering wheel! Before he could move his other arm, her hand was on it and then it was frozen too. She raised her arm away from his and pushed the steering wheel and then the car was out of control!
"SHIT! Anna, what are you doing!? Sto-!" Pete was screaming, incoherent and terrified.
He could scream no longer when his car, the car he had had since he was seventeen, crashed into a large and formidable tree. His head crashed against the wheel and he felt a sharp pain in his arm, like a break. Then he was out cold, knocked out.
Anna pulled him out of the car, ice cold tears streaming down hair face. She could feel it, her hair turning white. She didn't want to do this but she had to. It was the only way to stop the winter, to stop her sister. When the snow started falling, she knew she would have to bring him someone new.
Elsa did this every now and then, when she felt morose or raging. She would start the winter again, make it snow and turn water to ice. Her winter was dangerous, deadly. Anna had to stop it as soon as it started. This was the only way. Unfortunately, Pete seemed nice. She held him by the shoulders and dragged him along the snow. Red trailed in the white as she led him away.
Pete began to gain consciousness again, and as the girl led him through the snow he felt unnaturally warm. It was dissolving, he knew. Fading away and turning into water. What was happening? Was he really going to die, like that teacher from his school? Crashed into a tree on a snowy night, his body would not be found. What would this weird girl do with him? Why is she doing this to him?
"Go to sleep," she cooed, her voice an icicle. She squeezed his shoulders and he felt an icy chill throughout his body again. He counted her steps, how many times she dragged him. One…two…three. Fifty four…fifty five…fifty six. One hundred and eight, one hundred and nine, one hundred and ten… He couldn't count any longer, he felt himself drift out of consciousness once again.
Anna reached the top of the hill and dropped the limp and cold body onto the ground. The snow was slowly dissolving into the grass. She brushed the remaining snow off of the headstone, it read her sisters name and who she was. The Exiled Ice Queen, who would only be satisfied by having other lost souls to her. Anna pulled Pete closer to her until he was lying on the headstone, where Elsa could have him. She sighed and rested her head against his. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She got up and walked down the hill, and made her way back to where she was standing, to where Pete had stopped. She would wait there, for Elsa. Wait for her to become angry again, wait for the snow to fall. Then Anna would bring her someone new.