"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."

~Eleanor Roosevelt

Three weeks ago.

Chapter 1: On the road with you

By lunchtime, I had been driving for three and a half hours. Which is by far the longest and furthest I've driven anywhere outside of our little town of Arendelle. I moved my arm to roll down the poorly tinted window and reached over to Elsa's side to do the same, careful not to wake my sleeping sister. The hot prairie sun is quickly turning the old Ford Taurus into a furnace, and the open windows seemed to help, at least for a little while.

Past a tight turn on the narrow country highway, I found myself staring at the ugly beat-up back of a Volkswagen 'hippie camper' going 45 clicks an hour. On the bumper was taped one of those fancy electronic peace signs from Canadian Tire that flashed every time the driver hit the brake. I would know because this asshole hit the brake constantly. With a long exaggerated sigh, I flung my arms against the wheel without actually hitting the horn: one, I didn't want to be rude; two, I didn't want to be beaten up; three, I didn't think Elsa would appreciate being woken up by a maniacal, road-raging Anna.

"Heh, I didn't think I'd ever see someone drive slower than you." Elsa grinned, eyes still closed and pretending to sleep.

I turned slightly to look at the blonde girl with narrowed eyes. "You need a drivers' licence before you are legally allowed to complain," I teased.

Elsa didn't say anything back and I didn't really mind. Ever since we were kids, Elsa has always been the quiet and reserved sibling. She was and preferred silent company; the kind of people that would sit down, enjoy a cup of coffee, read a newspaper, perform open-heart surgery, pack up and leave, all without saying a single word. I guess she wasn't always half-mute like this, mama used to say Elsa was as talkative and hyperactive as me, but then she grew up and matured. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking. I dunno.

It was 5 long and agonizing minutes before I realized I can pass this crawling abomination of colours that should never go together. It was 5 more minutes before I mustered up the courage to actually do it. Small town driving lessons can be summarized as driving around bright orange pylons in an abandoned parking lot, and not so surprisingly, small town driving tests fit that exact definition as well. There was a grand total of 5 hours and 28 minutes between the first time I touched a car and when I passed with flying colours, and believe me, that's plenty of time for a town with twelve and a half paved roads. Regardless, I've gotten us around town safely for the whole year since our parents died. I think they would be proud of me.

What does a forty something goatee neck-beard in a prehistoric red pickup, a single mom in an overpacked Toyota Sienna, and the Google Earth camera car thingamajig have in common? They all honked at me as I tried to pass the repulsively slow hippie-mobile. By the time I cleared through that mess of noisy vehicles, my hands were shaking uncontrollably and drenched in sweat. Taking this chance, I wiped my right hand on my jean legs and grabbed Elsa's hands gingerly. She turned and looked at me funny.

"Elsa, on the off-chance that we die on this road today-"

Before I could continue, my sister giggled loudly. "More like definite chance," She muttered.

"Hmph. As I was saying, on the definit-"I turned slightly, "off-chance we perish in this car, I need you to know that I love you very much..." I paused briefly, fumbling the lid off of a McDonald's cup.

"…Madame Elsa, may I have your hand in the bond of holy matrimony?"

Elsa laughed. "Oh my God Anna, I thought you were gonna say something serious!"

I couldn't hold a straight face any longer, and it made keeping the wheel steady that much harder. "Well? My love?" I laughed as well.

The blonde girl brushed her braided hair aside playfully. "Ummm… Let me see the ring first."

"I see how it is," I swerved to avoid a large pothole, unsure of how much abuse the car can take before it breaks down. "Close your eyes, stick out your hand, and count to 3."

"Okay… One…"

I peeled open the 4 inner leaves of the plastic lid, leaving a finger sized hole where the straw is supposed to go.

"Two…"

With one hand on the wheel, I used my other hand to put the over-sized plastic ring onto Elsa's finger.

"Ooo this is big... Three!" Elsa opened her eyes, pretending to be surprised. Upon seeing the plastic drink lid, my older sister grinned ear to ear. "This is beautiful!"

"The finest diamonds from McDonalds Craftsmen, with a hint of coke!" I tried to mimic a terrible TV British accent.

"I'll tell ya what, Anna," Elsa said thoughtfully, "I will marry you over there in that Timmies for some coffee and lunch." She pointed towards a road sign. "You need rest and we need food."

"Mmm, alright." I nodded calmly. Thank God, I thought, I don't think I can keep driving for much longer.

That bit of sisterly bonding with Elsa was nice; rare, but definitely nice. By the time our parents passed away a year and a half ago, my sister and I had been drifting apart for many years. We went to the same K-12 school, the only public school in Arendelle, but 3 grades apart. For the first few years we were close, Elsa and I would eat lunch, go to our classes, and then walk home together. We were like normal sisters, except, you know, quieter. When I was in fourth grade, Elsa went to junior high. Although it was in the same building only meters apart, our time schedules became different. Elsa would get off early on some days, and at first, she would wait for me at the entrance of the elementary school wing. I remember the joy I'd get every afternoon from seeing Elsa sitting at the front steps of the school, book in hand and smiling. However, as time passed, I found myself walking home alone increasingly more often. At first it was the odd day she was busy, then it became the odd day she wasn't busy. Then, in grade 6, we just kinda stopped seeing each other outside of home.

When I was in grade 9, Elsa graduated from Arendelle Westergard School with full academic honours, top grade out of 27 graduates. The only reason she wasn't chosen as valedictorian was because of her strong aversion to public speaking. Much to the surprise of the town, my sister decided to stay and work for out little family business instead of heading off to a big city university. Like always, our parents were fully supportive of that decision. "Only you can know what's best for yourself," papa used to say.

Fast forward two years into the future, I was still in high school, and Elsa has definitely done well for herself. Our family's industrial refrigeration business has boomed, thanks to Elsa's natural talent for engineering and papa's needle sharp business acumen. We became the biggest name in our town; we were the big business family in a friendly way. After a while Elsa became the manager of daily operations of the company, and henceforth became known as the 'Ice Queen' to her friends; it was a rather interesting play on the fact she runs a refrigerator business AND the fact she's quiet and withdrawn. Five months before their accident, my parents bought an old junk yard and turned it into our factory warehouse. "We're expanding into bigger and more lucrative markets," they had told the two of us, "there's competing offers in both Calgary and Winnipeg." It was a happy time for both Elsa and I, she enjoyed what she did, I was good in school, our family was rich, and most importantly, our relationship has begun to thaw. On some days, I'd even see her waiting for me at the gates of the school with two ice cream cones and a warm smile.

When mama's and papa's plane crashed into the Rockies during a thunderstorm, everything fell apart. Elsa sunk into deep periodic depression, and became even more withdrawn than usual. My grades plummeted because I couldn't focus in school with all the condolences and sudden attention. Worst of all, the company, our parents' legacy, crumbled to the ground in the blink of the eye. We lost every contract out of town and foreclosed the factory warehouse with a net loss in the millions. I had to find a job for the first time at an ice cream parlour in addition to school, while Elsa struggled to keep the company afloat by working late nights until she passed out. That was the year we were supposed to hit $10 million in sales. Needless to say, we did not.

I stopped the Taurus in the far end of the Tim Horton's parking lot, away from the other dozen or so cars. My hands are still shaking when I got out of the car, but I don't think Elsa noticed. Elsa had gotten out of the car first for a stretch. She leaned against the dark grey door of the Taurus and waited for me to get out, one hand against her blue jeans and the other holding her hat against the dry prairie wind. I stepped out. With one hand on the car door, I turned to look at my sister.

Although not very talkative, Elsa is indeed very beautiful. In addition to a few gallons worth of cowboy hat over her platinum blonde hair, my older sister wore an unbranded purple hoodie and a pair of old jeans ripped around the left leg. Her single braid of hair fluttered in the warm summer wind against her shoulder. I could see how relaxed she was to be leaving the old life behind and starting anew. And to be honest, I was relieved as well.

"Well?" Elsa turned around, "shall we go?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "I'm gonna get a sandwich and the biggest chocolate milk iced-capp they have!" I said with a grin.

Elsa smiled but didn't say anything back.

We were welcomed into the restaurant with an icy blast of fresh AC. It was a refreshing change from the suffocating dry heat outside. I took a deep breath, inhaling as much of the cool artificial air infused with the smell of coffee as I can. Elsa went ahead and claimed a two-person table by the window. Ever since our parents' accident she's been shyer than usual, so I took the burden of tasks that involve speaking to people, like ordering food.

"Next please!" The cashier hollered happily. It was a 30-something Filipino man who looked rather funny in a hairnet.

"Howdy!" I approached the counter in my normal, bubbly self. "Two large chocolate milk ice-capps and two chicken salad sandwiches please." I paused. "Actually, make that one chicken salad and one spicy Italian. My sister really likes that stuff."

"White or brown bread?" The cashier asked.

"Brown."

"Toasted?"

"Yes please!" I giggled; Elsa was staring intensely at a pair of magpies playing outside with a curious look on her face. Somehow I found that to be funny.

The cashier looked at me quizzically, trying to figure out exactly what was funny about toasted sandwiches. "Alright, that'll be $11.35, ma'am," he finally said. Fumbling with my pockets, I handed him the credit card, but not before dropping it on the floor and awkwardly picking it up.

"Thank you, miss-" He paused, looking at the credit card, "-miss Elsa Bergström. Your food will be on your right." The cashier swiped the card and hovered his hand over the receipt machine.

"Wait-" He waved me closer, "your card has been declined."

I was confused. "No way, try it again."

"I did, twice."

"Oh… Sorry about that." I took the card in my hands and told the cashier to wait while I checked with my sister. It wasn't a busy afternoon and I don't think he minded waiting.

When I approached the table, Elsa was already standing up. She had seen the worried look on my face. "What's wrong?" My older sister asked.

"Els, your card, it's been declined." I told her, quietly.

Now Elsa looked worried. "Anna, are you sure?" She asked me, then, after a pause, "I got this a week ago at a different bank, right before they foreclosed the house."

"I know, Elsa… I guess they found out." I replied in a monotone voice.

"Anna… This was our last bit of spending money. We still got 2000 km to go, how do we do that with only the change in our pockets?" Elsa looked down at her shoes and fiddled with her hand, the way she always does it when she's distressed. "I'm sorry Anna, what are we gonna do?"

I took Elsa in for a hug and tried to comfort her. "It's okay, Els. We'll think of something like we always have."

A/N : Thanks for reading! I plan to continue this story, so if you have any comments at all (positive or negative), please do tell me!