Two
During the remaining of that summer, Elsa and Anna stayed under the care of Sophie Westergard. Liv and her husband would usually pick them up right after work in the evenings and then take them back in the mornings, except for the weekends, where they spent all of their time with the girls.
The first two weeks of this new arrangement were the most difficult ones. Without talking, Elsa openly showed that she didn't like to be in a house of people she didn't really know. That included Hans' father too, Allan, which both sisters met the first day they were left at the Westergard's. The majority of those days, always carrying her dear snowman with her, Elsa remained quiet and close to her sister when she was awake. When Anna slept, she mostly stayed on her own. Sometimes she ended up in tears, sobbing that she wanted to go back home to Norway to be with her parents and her Grandma, after which Anna would follow suit and cry too. Every time this happened Sophie felt heartbroken. She tried to console both sisters as best as she could, but in a couple of instances Liv herself had to come from work to calm Elsa down.
Hans watched from the distance, feeling impotent, not really knowing what to do. He was used to being the little and cheerful king of the house, the one that always brought a smile out of those around him. But that didn't seem to be working anymore since the Norwegian sisters had arrived. His initial thrill of having breached to the fair girl plummeted very fast after that first meeting. He tried to interact with Elsa like he had done on the sofa of Mrs. Callahan's living room, with little success, for she mostly ignored and avoided him. Sophie noticed his son's helplessness and tried to keep his spirits high:
"Keep trying, honey, don't give up. Remember that this isn't an easy situation for them," she encouraged caressing his reddish hair.
Liv and Sophie worked together to ease both Elsa and Anna into the new routine. They spoke daily of how the day had gone and strained their minds to make activities that could help the three kids connect between them. It didn't work much at the beginning. At night, when Liv went to tuck in the girls, she almost always found a little wall between her and Elsa. Only on the days when Elsa had the opportunity to talk with her grandmother on the phone did she seem more like herself.
"Do you want me to read you a book?" she would ask fondly. However, she always received the same negative answer.
"No," would reply the furrowed and rosy lips of the little girl.
Seated on the side of the bed, Liv would sigh.
"Did you have a good time at the Westergard's today?" she would inquire with hope.
"No," Elsa would say in a sullen mood, and after that she would turn on her side with fluffy Olaf between her arms, giving her Aunt her back to dismiss her.
Liv unloaded her worries with her husband. She told him she knew Elsa was mad at her for leaving her and Anna with their neighbors. Additionally, she voiced her concern about Elsa wetting her bed at night, something she knew the girl didn't used to do while she lived in Oslo, for Idun had told her during one of the weekly telephone calls they used to share. That only meant it had been triggered by the death of her parents and Liv had no idea how to reverse it.
"I'm trying to do the best I can with what we have. I don't know what else to do to content her or to make her feel better," she wept, hurting for her incompetence to make Elsa feel more comfortable with her new home and her new life.
"Babe, this isn't something that will settle in a day or two. It's normal that she behaves that way and that she wets her bed. She misses her parents the same way you miss your sister. The difference is that she's too young to understand that no matter how angry or sad she is, her parents won't return," Greg tried to soothe her. "She doesn't know yet that the world keeps turning despite our problems and suffering. Give her time, she'll adapt." He embraced her pregnant wife. "Everything will be alright, she'll be fine," he murmured in her ear. "You'll see."
By the third week, adaptation sank in and everything started to have a sense of normalcy for everyone. Two things helped both girls with the change of lifestyle. The first one was the presence of Cora, the adopted Germand Shepherd dog of the Westerguard family. Elsa and Anna started to spend more and more time with the animal, for it reminded them of the Brittany dog they had had back in Olso, Bestla, which was now living with Uncle Jarle's family. They played and laughed with Cora like they had done with Bestla in the past, finding a very welcomed support in their new canine friend. The second one was Hans himself. Through observation, the boy found the key to win Elsa over: her own sister. The attention Elsa rejected from him he poured over Anna, which ended up having its reward. The two-year-old ginger haired fell under his spell very quickly. She started to follow him around the house, to ask him to pick her up, and to get on his lap when he sat on the sofa to watch TV or on the floor to play video games. Anna made it her mission to become the center of his attention, since the prize was that Hans played with her and made her have a good time. Hans welcomed her sweet and energetic personality, for he had craved some company after his two older brothers had left for their own vacations with friends that summer. It didn't take too long for the first word to come out of Anna's mouth the moment she entered the Westergard house every morning to be 'Hans'.
Elsa felt Anna's abandonment and behavior as a betrayal and it pained her. She would see and hear her sister smiling and laughing out loud with Hans, which only made her want to isolate herself more. However, she wasn't aware of who her little opponent was. Hans noticed Elsa's coldness and serious faces every time Anna was with him. Therefore, he decided to change his tactic and use Anna as a link between them. If there was one thing Hans had learned fast enough it was that Anna loved Elsa dearly, and vice versa, so he took advantage of it.
At opposite sites of the living room's floor, the two red heads on one side and Elsa on the other, Hans kept trying to bring the blonde girl closer, just like her mother had encouraged him to do.
"Elsa, your sister says if you want to play with us, right Anna?" he would ask the toddler right next to him.
"Yes," Anna would answer in her bubbly baby language while playing with her toys.
Hans would exchange a hopeful look with Elsa across the room, but in return he would only get a cold shoulder.
"Anna, go play with your sister. I'll play with you later," he would whisper to the merry little girl.
The two-year-old infant would usually listen to him and go play with her elder sister. This normally cheered Elsa up and made her more approachable. Hans tried this plan several times, sensing he was getting closer to his objective, for Elsa's looks weren't so hard or angry anymore. However, to his surprise, one day Anna finally achieved easily what he couldn't have done on his own.
Lying face down one afternoon over the house's front lawn, holding his weight on his elbows, Anna sitting next to him, Hans murmured:
"Don't you want your sister to play with us too? Tell her to come play with us." From his position, he could see Elsa seated on the porch steps, talking and playing with Olaf and another teddy she had brought with her that day.
"Elsa, come play with us," the freckled toddler babbled turning her head to look at her. For the first time that summer, Elsa truly ignored her younger sister, acting as if she hadn't heard her. Anna tried a couple more times with some joyful "Elsa come!", followed by a worried "Elsa?" when she didn't get any response. Instantly, her beautiful chubby face wrinkled as she started to cry her sister's name. Hans opened his vibrant green eyes wide, struck with fear for a moment; he didn't want to get in trouble. He knew it wouldn't take long for her mother to come out if the toddler kept sobbing that loud. He got on his knees and tried to console Anna to no avail.
The moment Elsa heard her sister crying, she dropped her soft toys on the ground and went running to her. Hans moved away when she got on her knees and hugged her sister strongly. "I'm here, Anna, I'm here," she whispered to her reassuringly, kissing her soft hair.
Suddenly, the tears disappeared as fast as they had come and Anna smiled brightly returning her sister's embrace with one arm and extending the other one towards Hans. "Play with us?" she said looking up with shining blue eyes.
Both Hans and Elsa realized what had happened. Crocodile tears, the boy thought impressed. He took Anna's small hand and shared a look with the fair girl.
"She knows how to get what she wants," he mentioned warily, although with a hint of a smile on his thin lips.
"So do you," she answered with her chin on top of Anna's head, showing also a small smile and a look too smart for her age on her azure eyes.
A couple of days later, while preparing lunch, Sophie Westergard heard a burst of childish and melodic laugh unrecognizable to her, followed by the cackles and giggles of Hans and Anna. Smiling to herself, she went out of the kitchen cleaning her hands on a dish towel and spied on the kids, who were playing in the living room. Indeed, the three of them were having a good time together, specially Elsa, who seemed to not be able to stop laughing. Wait until I tell Liv, she thought with glee. An idea came to her. Going back to the kitchen, she put the frying pan with the onion that was cooking aside for a moment and then went to her bedroom to get the camera. She appeared in the family room when another fit of laughter was taking place.
"Kids, look at me!" she called. Hans, Elsa and Anna turned their heads still smiling.
Click!
The sunny light that entered through the windows bathed their young and happy faces, capturing the sparkle of their eyes. That photograph became the first proof of their recent started friendship and it marked the beginning of a journey that would last for many years into the future.
That weekend
"Do we have everything?" Liv asked in the entrance hall holding Anna in her arms, ready to go. The main door was open since someone had already sneaked out.
"Yes, I think we do," Greg replied, checking his pockets and grabbing the stroller and the keys.
Once outside, they saw Elsa chit-chatting with Hans on the following driveway, little plush Olaf hanging from her hand. Sophie and Allan were also there, near their grey SUV, the woman holding Cora by a leash. Both families, dressed nicely for the occasion, greeted amiably for a couple of minutes until they decided to leave.
"I'll follow you," Greg told Allan before getting on the car.
Looking out the opened window while they drove to the city, the air playing with her hair and the sun still high on the horizon, Liv felt excited for the evening. It was going to be the first special family experience since Elsa and Anna had arrive to Chicago and, if that wasn't already good news, it was also going to be shared with the Westergards. She looked in the wing mirror and saw Anna's reflection, seated in her baby car seat in the back, singing to the tune that was playing on the radio. She smiled. Things hadn't been easy since the return from Oslo. Going back to work had been stressful, for she had had to catch up on a lot of projects, and economically, they had had to spend more money than expected for things Elsa and Anna needed. That wasn't without including the emotional part. Every time she thought of her beloved sister her heart shrunk and a knot tied on her throat. Why had destiny been so cruel? She thought of the girls and of everything they had gone through and the only idea that crossed her mind was that she had to be strong for them. She was going to do everything in her power to make Idun and Agdar proud, wherever they souls were.
"Aunt, were are we going?" asked Elsa from the back, interrupting her thoughts.
Liv turned to see her and admired how pretty she was in her green and yellow summer dress. "It's a surprise, honey. I know you'll like it."
Elsa smiled and continued looking to the skyline of buildings that kept getting nearer and nearer.
Greg and Allan parked the cars in a garage. Hans already knew where they were going, but for the sake of the sisters, specially Elsa, he remained quiet. However, he couldn't hide his excitement for the evening ahead, jumping and asking his mother in whispers, with Cora smelling him and moving her tail happily, if they would do this and that. Both families went outside to the ground floor and started to walk towards the destination.
Anna was seated on the stroller driven by Greg while Elsa went by the hand of her Aunt. The adults talked animatedly, discussing some of the day's news and the good weather they had had lately. At some point, Elsa pulled from Liv's hand and pointed to a place in the distance.
"Look!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm.
Liv watched in the direction the little girl had signaled. "What is that, honey?" she asked her with affection.
"A wheel, a big wheel!" she exclaimed still not believing her eyes.
"That's where we're going, sweetie, the Navy Pier", Liv replied with a big smile on her face seeing her reaction.
"Really?" The amazement was evident in her candid voice
"Yes. I told you, it was a surprise," her Aunt reassured winking at her.
"It's one of Chicago's most visited places," mentioned Greg adoring her lit and innocent expression, "and it has a lot of entertaining things to do."
Hans, that had been walking between his parents, got closer when he notice the surprise was out.
"You'll love it, Elsa, it's very fun!" he uttered capturing her attention.
"Is it like the TusenFryd?" she asked him.
"TusenFryd?" he repeated not understanding, gazing up to Liv for translation, starting to be accustomed to Elsa speaking foreign words.
"It's the amusement park in Oslo," she clarified to him. "It's not exactly an amusement park, honey," she said to Elsa, "it's a combination of a lot of super cool things. Are you ready to have some fun?"
"Yes!" Elsa shouted giving a small jump, mini Olaf jumping with her.
"Yes!" Anna repeated from the stroller, infected by the joy of her elder sister.
When they reached the main entrance, Sophie and Liv stopped Hans and Elsa for a moment.
"I want you two to listen to us carefully," Sophie started. "There's going to be a lot people here today and we don't want you to get lost."
"That's right," continued Liv, making both kids turn their heads as if they were watching a tennis match. "We know you'll want to do and see many things this evening, which is okay, but please, do it together."
"Always give the hand to the other, alright?" the older woman highlighted.
The children nodded and a small pause took place.
Liv bit her lip somewhat unsure of if her niece had really understood what they were asking, her being the youngest one. "Elsa, what has Sophie just said?"
The girl looked timidly to Hans' mother and then stepper closer to the boy, taking his hand. She felt Hans grabbing her small hand better.
"That's it, dear, very good," Sophie said with an approving smile.
Her Aunt crouched in front her and put some rebel blonde locks behind the ear. "Yes, honey, always stick close to Hans or to us."
A couple minutes later, while crossing the red metallic banner that announced the access to the pier, the Callahan's ahead of them, Sophie put an arm over his son's shoulders.
"I know it won't happen, but just in case, this entrance will be our meeting point if you get lost. I will look for you here, okay?"
"Yes, Mom," Hans answered in a resigned tone. Still, he knew why she worried. Seven months earlier he had gotten lost while doing Christmas shopping with his two older brothers in a mall. He had panicked at the beginning, the idea of being alone in a sea of people strolling up and down the decorated and lighted aisles choking and making him very nervous. He wandered on his own for what seemed an eternity, his brothers nowhere in sight. Fortunately, after some time, he had the cold blood to calm down and analyze his situation. He looked for an adult that could help him and after almost half an hour reunited with his brothers, who embraced him in strong bear hugs, scolding and kissing him at the same time.
"Good, baby," said Sophie squeezing once before releasing him.
"Don't call me that," the boy complained with a grimace. "I'm not a baby anymore, I'm going to be seven pretty soon. Anna's a baby," he pointed out.
"You'll always be my baby, son, the same way your brothers are," the mother confessed tenderly.
"You don't call them that," Hans snorted.
"I do sometimes... I can't help myself."
The auburn haired kid snorted again, shaking his head.
"Anyways, look out for Elsa this evening. Take care of her the same way Vincent and Sebastian take care of you," she said referring to her seventeen and fifteen-year-old sons. "You are the big brother now and Elsa and Anna are like your little sisters."
"I know, Mom. Don't worry about it," Hans appeased before approaching his father when he suggested going to the museum.
The kids had a blast that day. They started going to the Children's Museum, a three-story high building full of interactive and educational exhibits that was part of the Navy Pier. The men were the ones to accompany them, while the women went for a walk outside with Cora, enjoying the summer breeze and the views of Lake Michigan. Hans, Elsa and Anna dug for bones in a real scale dinosaur expedition, made a big splash in a squirting, pumping water playground where they put on raincoats (though that didn't stop them from getting wet), built different kinds of structures using wooden struts, real tools and authentic gear with the help of Greg and Allan; and painted, printed, sketched and sculpted in a large art studio and gallery, letting out their creative streaks. Hans and Elsa even climbed a four-story schooner, from cargo hold to crow's nest, he always helping her when she got behind. By the time they left the museum to reunite with Sophie and Liv, more than two hours and a half later, the little ones couldn't stop talking about all the things they had done.
Next they went to have dinner at an outside food court, where Cora was allowed. They ate and drank happily, the men telling hilarious anecdotes of what happened inside the museum. Hans and Elsa tried to correct their versions of the stories between jokes and laughs, while Anna, for once, observed contently from her baby booster seat. When the desserts were served, Sophie got an incoming call from his eldest son. She talked to him for some time, asking him how was his vacation going, if he was having a good time and what were his plans for the night. Then, she passed the cell phone to Hans. "Your brother Vincent, he wants to talk to you."
Hans talked to him for awhile, telling him of his day so far. Both Vicent and Sebastian had already been put up to date by their mother about the arrival of the Norwegian girls and of the tragic reasons of why they were now living in Chicago. They both knew that the girls were spending most of that summer at their house and that Hans was enjoying their company enormously. "You and Sebastian are already history," had jested Sophie to his first-born son regarding Elsa and Anna's sudden importance in Hans' life.
Hans ended up passing the mobile to his father so his older brother could talk to him. Elsa noticed that Allan started to speak in a different language, one she felt she was familiar with but that she couldn't really understand.
"What is he speaking in?" she asked the boy seated across from her.
"Danish," he answered savoring his chocolate cake. "He always talks to my brothers and me in that language."
"Why?" Elsa wanted to know.
"Because my father was born in Denmark and he wants us to learn it, and because he says it will be helpful for us in the future," he explained. "It's the same thing as you and your Aunt talking in Norwegian."
"Oh, okay," the fair skinned girl said satisfied with his reply, licking the chocolate bits from her lips after the last bite. "And where is Denmark?"
"In Europe, not far from Norway. I've never been there, but my brothers have."
Elsa's face saddened abruptly. "I want to go back to Norway," she confessed leaving her spoon on the table, not hungry anymore.
Liv, who was seated at Elsa's left side and who had been discretely listening to the conversation expected the worst after the mention of the girl's home country. Still, she decided to not intervene yet, hoping it wouldn't be needed.
"Why?" he inquired tactfully and a little bit hurt by the fact that she still wanted to leave.
"Because I miss Momma and Poppa," she said with her eyes starting to dampen, hugging teddy Olaf in her lap.
When Hans saw the mournful look in her large and bright eyes he immediately stood up, dropping his spoon on the plate and screeching his chair on the floor. He went around the table to her side and put an arm over her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Elsa. I didn't want you to get sad," he apologized slowly. Many days had passed since the last time she had cried and he didn't want her to start now for his fault. "I know you miss them, but they're not in Oslo anymore." He saw a single tear run down her cheek and he was fast to erase it. "Hey, you know how you're always there for Anna, to help and support her?" he whispered trying to make her think in something else. Elsa nodded, looking at Anna for a couple of seconds, seeing how Greg was playing with her. "Well, I'm here for you… if you need me."
"Are you serious?" she said weakly turning her head to gaze up at him.
"Of course," he replied tightening his embrace on her. Elsa leaned into him and magically, the unshed tears disappeared.
Sophie, who had silently caught up with what was happening, exchanged an euphoric look with Liv. She was so proud of her baby.
"Do you want to go see more things?" Hans suggested. Elsa nodded and got down from her chair.
The boy asked for permission for them to go play on the side walk.
"Fine, but be careful," his mother allowed. "Remember what we told you earlier."
"Don't go too far, always where we can see you," Liv added.
Hans grabbed Elsa's hand and the two of them went to investigate what was out there. It wasn't after several minutes later that Liv noticed fluffy Olaf had been left behind on the empty chair.
After dinner, both families went to play at the 18-hole mini-golf, an attraction of the Pier Park located on an outdoor landscaped area next to the Crystal Gardens, the beautiful indoor botanical garden where Liv and Sophie had been earlier while walking with Cora. The Westergard's played against the Callahan's, both teams trying to make each hole with the less number of strokes. Elsa and Anna jumped full of jubilation every time they were able to put the ball inside the hole. The Westergard's were the winners at the end, although no one really cared, for Hans and Elsa went running to the next attraction with eagerness. The Carousel, the remote controlled boats, the Light Tower Ride. Hans didn't stop at anything, like in the museum, and Elsa simply followed him. She wasn't able to get on the Wave Swinger due to her height, so instead she just waved to him from the floor while he spun up high in the color changing sky. The Ferris wheel was left for last. Sophie, Liv and Anna got up on one gondola, while Allan and Greg got up in another one with Hans and Elsa. The seven minute ride gave them enough time to enjoy the views as they gained altitude. Allan and Greg pointed out to the kids some of the tallest and most charismatic buildings of the Windy City, like the black colored and crowned by two antennas John Hancock Center, the tinted glass exterior with a curvy form of Lake Point Tower or the white granite squared structure of the AON Center.
"This is now your city, dear," Greg told Elsa while she admired the skyline through the protection glass of the gondola.
"And what happens with Oslo?" she asked, afraid to forget the place that had seen her come to the world.
"Oslo will always be your city, Elsa, but now you also have Chicago," he answered caressing her hair sweetly.
"Chicago…" she repeated to herself in a state of wonder looking again at the majestic picture that the skyscrapers presented.
The final attraction of the night was a shoreline cruise over Lake Michigan. The two families got on and seated down, relaxing after all the activities of the evening. They reveled in the sound of the water nearby, the nice temperature and the last minutes of the sunset. Little by little, the darkening of the sky gave notoriety to the lights of the buildings and the city on the horizon, offering a spectacular sight. However, said sight was surpassed once the fireworks display of the Navy Pier started. Elsa opened her mouth impressed by the deafening noise, the beautiful colors and the sparkling shapes that flooded the firmament in front of her, not wanting to close her eyes in case she missed anything. It reminded her of the snowflake fireworks her beloved Snow Queen performed in the film Frozen. And then, when it was over, the intense cheers, the long applause, the joyful shoutings and roars of the people everywhere wrapped around her like in a dream.
"Happy fourth of July, Elsa!" Hans shouted at her with a beaming smile while his father kissed him on the head.
She smiled broadly, feeling all the energy and the emotion of that unique instant inside of her little body. "Happy fourth of July, Hans!" she yelled in return extending her hand to him. They never got to touch, because Liv picked her up to hug and sink her in a sea of kisses, but the connection between them was there, floating, in a state of readiness, about to start growing exponentially one day after another.