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"It is possible to believe that all the past is but the beginning of a beginning, and that all that is and has been is but the twilight of the dawn. It is possible to believe that all the human mind has ever accomplished is but the dream before the awakening."

-H.G. Wells

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Even after a year later, Anna still remembered everything about Elsa. Anna knew that Elsa hadn't been a dream. A light blue coat that Elsa had given her was still hung in the deepest corner of her wardrobe. She had observed her mother and noticed that she would always open a left side of her cupboard, not the right one. So, right side, deep further back, her light blue coat had been serving as a reminder.

After her meeting with Elsa, Anna's life had never been the same. She would go to school, doing her homework, and go to bed. However, she had spent more time daydreaming in the class. Even her parents and teachers concerned for her. Anna didn't understand her worry though, she was still in top of her class and performed her usual activities at home.

Her mom said that she had been distant. While her father commented one night about how Anna needed to go out more, perhaps doing some sport.

Then one Sunday, when Anna was reading her favorite book, her mother came into her room. She peeked up briefly, wondering why her mom would enter without knocking.

"Anna. It's Sunday and the weather is very nice outside. Why don't you go outside and play with your friends, dear?"

Anna eyed her mother carefully. Her mother, Cassandra Summers had been looking tired lately, yesterday Anna had spotted some white hairs among her mother's red locks. Her mom wasn't even 30 yet.

"… I'd rather finish this book first." Anna excused herself. She had actually finished reading the book in her hand for the third time this week.

"You're always holed up in your room when holiday comes. 2 years ago, usually you would go out to play with your best friend… Carter wasn't it? The sweet boy that lives 2 blocks from here."

Anna snorted. Sure, the boy had been sweet but that was 2 years ago. Now, he was a bully.

"No." Anna shook her head.

Her mom sighed. "You know, dad is going to install a DSL for our home…"

With that, Anna's eyes twinkled. She beamed at her mother. "Really?! We will have internet?! That's fantastic!" Anna jumped on her bed and began to dance around.

"That, young lady… will not happen if you're not spending time outside too. You know that your dad is worrying about you being anti-social."

Anna tilted her head. "I'm not anti-social. It's just… my friends are all stupid like all the time!"

Her mom smiled, "That's my dear… it's because you are too… advanced for kids in your age. You got that from me." She said proudly, gesturing on her own head. "The brain."

Anna pouted, crossing her arms on her chest. "So… if I go out today… hypothetically, we will have internet tomorrow?"

"Hypothetically, if you go out to play with your friends today and every next holidays… we will have internet next week."

Anna narrowed her eyes, "You drive a hard bargain, mom."

"And you are a tough negotiator, sweetheart." Her mom chided playfully.

The red-head girl lifted both her arms in defeat. "Fine. I will go out today. I hate to look at you stressed out anyway. I will play outside if that makes you less sad."

Her mom seemed taken aback by her words at first but then she smiled softly. A smile that Anna had been missed lately. A smiled that Anna used to see everytime her mother was proud of her.

"Alright then."

After her mom left her room, Anna gathered her sketch book, a sunscreen, a cap, and a mineral water. Going to play outside felt like a mission impossible when she had obviously preferred to read or doodled away inside her room.

On the way she passed through the kitchen, Anna caught her mother making a call to DSL provider to install for their house tomorrow.

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Nice weather outside meant that super hot air blowing to all directions. Anna hated hot air. It made her all sweaty and her skin burned.

Deciding to sit away for the day, she walked to the nearest playground in the neighborhood. It was Sunday, the playground was full of toddlers running around, mothers pushing baby strollers, also father and sons, and dogs playing Frisbee.

The playground was crowded but not noisy. Anna could deal with that.

She took out her sketch book and sat on the only empty bench left. The bench faced directly across the sand dune where some toddlers were building a sand castle and other shapes that Anna had guessed best as donuts. A lot of donuts.

For the next an hour and half, Anna was busy with her pencil. She would doodle aimlessly. Since she never knew what she was drawing, she let her hands made any shapes randomly.

While her hands drawing away and her mind in thousand miles thinking, suddenly, Anna's sketchbook was yanked away from her lap.

"… this is rather nice drawing, Summers." A boy's voice that she had been very familiarized with interrupted.

Carter.

"Give it back, Carter." Anna tried to ask nicely. Afterall she didn't want her time playing outside ended badly. Her mother would cancel the DSL and Anna would never let that going down. There were unlimited sources of information in the internet. Anna could use that to learn more about what had occurred to her a year ago. The books in her school did not have what she wanted, and her dad's collection was placed in the highest shelf. She could've asked her father for help, but he would be asking why she would be needed the entire series of encyclopedia in relativity.

"I will give it back if you play with us." Carter said, looking down at her. Anna spotted three boys that were standing few steps behind Carter, boys that Anna hated since they like to make girls cry in school.

"What are you? 5? I do not like your games anyway. You always shove me away and mock me whenever you are with your friends."

"We will play tag. You run fast, the fastest in school right?" Carter grinned.

"So what?" Anna didn't like where it was going.

"There are four of us. If you can outrun four of us in 10 minutes and finish untouched… you win."

Anna wanted to yell 'NO' at his face but she held back in.

"It's really complicated…" Anna was thinking hard to find a way without having her to obey his poor excuse of game. "Why do I have to listen to you?" Anna stepped closer to Carter that now he and her sketchbook was only a reach away.

"I have your book." He reasoned.

With a strong push, Anna shoved Carter's big body while she wrenched her sketchbook from his hand. Carter fell on his ass, and she had managed to get her book back.

"Or I can do this."

Then Anna ran.

She ran and ran, faster than she ever had.

She ran without recognizing how the scenery had slowly changed around her. The suburb neighborhood now had changed into an industrial complex and some old brownstones, while the asphalt had turned into a paved path, the cars and bikes that were parked on side of the street were gone and replaced by carriages, and carts.

Her mind was too busy to get away from Carter and his goons that she hadn't been paying attention when she took a turn in the last alley path.

She collided with something hard, that it felt like she had crashed a wall.

Anna fell, landed ungracefully on her butt, while her things were scattered around her.

"Oh my… Are you alright?"

Anna startled. She didn't even feel the pain while she was aware that her butt had met the ground harshly, she didn't feel anything the moment she heard the voice. Her voice. Anna's mind was running while her eyes hesitatingly were looking up to the source of the voice.

There, the face she had sorely been missing in this past year. There, the woman with the bluest eyes and the gentlest smile, was standing. Few feet before her, exactly as she remembered.

Gorgeous.

"Elsa." Anna breathed.

Elsa by now had knelled in front of her with a concern look. "Are you alright, Anna? I am really sorry, I was too preoccupied looking for you. Of course you would turn up from the most unexpected turn… it's always only you that able to surprise me." Elsa offered her hand to Anna to help her stand.

Anna accepted as Elsa effortlessly lifted her up. "Are you really alright?" Elsa asked again, this time her hands were traveling on every inch of Anna's body, checking for injuries.

"Yeah." Anna shrugged lightly, again, her face felt hot.

After seemingly satisfied not finding any injuries, Elsa inspected the redheaded girl from head to toe. "Let me guess… you are 10 years old?"

Anna huffed, "I wish! I am 9." How she wished she was taller to get to see Elsa's pair of blues better.

"Aw, you are really cute, Anna." Then Anna found herself again being embraced in a cold hug. It only came to her now that it wasn't only Elsa's hand that cold. Anna didn't really mind since the hug was nice compared to the hot weather surrounded them both.

"I'm not cute. I'm a big girl." Anna said lowly as Elsa's ears were right on her lips.

"Alright. As you wish, my angel." Elsa released her hug and then gathered Anna's scattered things from the ground.

"You look out-of-breathe…" Elsa commented. She handed Anna's sketchbook and her small backpack.

"Bullies." Anna murmured, getting annoyed by only recalling the previous event. She had no time to deal with neighborhood bullies anyway.

"Where and when are we?" Anna looked around her. The scenery didn't have any much difference than the last time she had met Elsa.

"Corona, 1900. Before you ask, they have some interesting candies shop around here." Elsa answered and took Anna's hand with her. "Do you want to go there?"

"Uhm… sure." Anna suddenly felt insecure. Her appearance didn't really mix well with the environment. She observed how the women all wore big dresses with long skirts while she was in her modern clothes with her black jeans and white t-shirt. If she had known she was going to 1900, she would've packed for at least things that would not attract attention.

As if she could read her mind, Elsa lightly squeezed Anna's hand. "It is alright, my dear. You look like a boy in this time." Elsa said reassuringly. "A very beautiful boy."

Anna blushed. "I'm not a boy." And will never be. She thought that boys were disgusting and stupid. At least all boys that she knew were all noisy and rude.

"My apologies. You are a big girl." Elsa chuckled as she led both of them to venture the street of Corona in 1900.

In next few hours, Anna had toffee apple in her hand and several candies in her pocket. She had eaten her chocolates inside the candy shop. It wondered her why the past was more entertaining than her current home.

"My… I've spoiled you too much, haven't I?" Elsa bit her lip, staring at Anna's mouth that had been busy chewing various kinds of sweets.

Anna grinned, "Not really. Spoil me more."

"Be careful, young lady… You may hurt your teeth if you eat sweets too much."

"Why don't you eat too? You have chocolate smell on you though…" Anna licked her apple before she took a bite.

"Do I? You must really love chocolate if you smell that on me…" Elsa mused while gracefully led Anna moving among the sea of people.

"Yes. You have the best smell around here. This century and place is kinda reek… uhm." Anna scrunched her nose. Anna had witnessed how the people in this time would throw away their trashes and waste carelessly. She had caught once how people in upper floor of a building just dumped which Anna didn't want to know what, onto the street. The redhead shivered upon the thought.

"Here is where I live." They stopped in front of the nicest looking brownstone in the city.

"This is your home?"

"Temporarily. My home is wherever you are, sweetheart." Elsa said casually. Her words had caught Anna off of guard as she stumbled upon the stairs suddenly. Elsa caught her before she kissed the bricks.

"Careful there. It is alright, don't worry… the place is clean." Elsa fished out keys from her dress and opened the door.

By clean, Elsa had meant as spotless. Even hospital was nothing like this place.

"Let's wash your hands and brush your teeth first." Anna followed Elsa to one of the bathroom downstairs. Elsa gave Anna a new smaller toothbrush after Anna finished washing her hands and her face.

That moment, Anna spotted two toothbrushes on the sink. One was blue while the other was red.

"Whose toothbrush is that?" Anna unconsciously asked out loud. It meant Elsa was living with someone else in this place.

"The red one is yours." Elsa replied. She was brushing Anna's hair and now braided them like it was the most fun activity in the world.

"But… this is mine." Anna gestured to the smaller toothbrush in her hand.

Elsa smiled, her eyes twinkled. "I meant the older you."

Anna was confused but didn't ask for more questions.

"When I was 8, I met you and we watched an opera… Flying Dutchmann." Anna said. They were in the living room. Anna was reading Elsa's book, the first print of Hamlet that Anna had never had a chance to read before. Romance wasn't really Anna's favorite since her parents had said those types of books were for adults. Elsa gave it for Anna to read anyway.

"Yes." Elsa nodded. Her gaze was on Anna while her both hands were knitting what Anna had guessed as muffler for winter.

"That was year 1843… but here… you said it's 1900." Anna's voice trailed off.

Elsa didn't react as if giving Anna more time to ponder.

"How come you are not a grandma already?" The redheaded girl finally asked.

Elsa laughed from the phrase of Anna's question.

"Do you want me to be a grandma, Anna?" There Elsa did it again. Anna had been counting how often Elsa would answer her question with another question.

"… I don't know. I mean… you are beautiful. I think you will still be even if you are… old" Anna tried to imagine Elsa with wrinkle face, gray hair, and frowns… yup, Elsa would've been still beautiful.

"That's so sweet of you, Anna." Elsa smiled Anna's favorite smile. "I think you have been showing great potential to be a hopeless flirt since very young age, young lady. Not that I haven't seen those potential bloom successfully." Elsa set aside her knitting threads.

"You are right that I should've been aged since our first encounter. Most women would've been a very old lady. However… I am not most women. In fact, I'm not like most human…"

Anna's frown deepened. She didn't like this feeling. She couldn't understand Elsa's words. It was like when she encountered with a very difficult math problem that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure it out.

Elsa, being the one that understand how confused Anna had been, finally decided to explain it in a simple way.

"I am not human."

Anna's jaw dropped. Well… She should've known. Elsa was too beautiful anyway.

"Are you an angel?" Anna tilted her head slightly.

Elsa blinked, but then laughed heartily. "No, sweetheart. You are the angel. Not me."

Anna winced. "I'm not an angel. I am… just Anna." Anna couldn't come up with any better self-description.

Elsa nodded, still smiling to her. "You are right. You are a lot better than any angel." Elsa winked.

Anna sank into her seat, fighting the heat on her face. Who is the teaser now?

"Anyway… what I have been saying is, I am not human, nor an angel." Elsa continued.

"Who are you then?"

"Not who… it's what. What am I…" Elsa seemed to think for a few moments before her pair of blues came back to focus on Anna again.

"I am a vampire."

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AN: Thank you for your amazing reviews! By this chapter, I hope you all have a wider glimpse of what will happen in this story forward. You can speculate, but let's remember that time only take what it gives.

Until next chapter, I would really like to hear your theory, or opinion.