Jack's POV
I hated that I was being forced to come to school early. Still, I couldn't help but admit that I have been slacking on my school work. Maybe it's because I don't want to do it. I honestly don't know, but I really can't concentrate during class so I suppose it's my fault.
I forced a smile on my face as I saw Ms. Tooth. "Good morning." I greeted. "Thank you again for finding me a tutor."
"Oh, you are going to love her! You've already met, so I'm sure you know how studious she is. She'll be such a great influence on you!"
I suppressed the urge to laugh; I'm sure some random girl can't magically fix all my academic problems. I'll let her try though. I mean, why not?
"So, who exactly is my tutor?" I asked, suddenly curious as to who the miracle worker was. Clearly, both the principle and Ms. Tooth think very highly of her.
"Oh, of course, it's-"
"Hey." A girl's voice interrupted. I'd know her voice anywhere. "I'm sorry; were you guys in the middle of a conversation?"
just smiled. "You're fine dear." She laughed. "I was just about to tell Jack you are his tutor."
I shook my head, my world spinning. Elsa? Out of the people, my tutor had to be her. "Why would my tutor be an incompetent person with no magic whatsoever?" Each word seemed to roll off my tongue like venom.
Ms. Tooth seemed startled by my reaction. I watched her face harden. "That is very rude of you to say." She scoffed, pushing up her rainbow-colored rims. "Elsa is top of her class in nearly every subject and it is quite generous of her to carve out time to help you."
"Miss. Perfect carved out time for me?" I eyed Elsa suspiciously. Surely she had misguided intentions.
Elsa, however, meekly nodded her head, her arms wrapping her in a hug. I watched as her fingers tugged gently at each other. I've noticed she has a habit of doing that. She suddenly grabbed a paper from her light blue backpack. I noted the way her platinum blonde braid flung around as she moved. I kind of liked the way she styled her hair, I admitted to myself.
"I came up with a schedule." She told me. "Well, at least the rough draft of one. We can edit it if needed."
We, I suddenly registered in my mind. Elsa and I were "we" now. I grabbed the paper from her small hands, scanning the content. "This is like everyday!" I exclaimed in annoyance. "I don't think my brain will let me study that long, especially with you."
Elsa's smile faded as if she just remembered she was here with me. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she dug her fingers into her palm. Still, I knew she wouldn't exchange any words, not in front of an authority figure.
Ms. Tooth, however, seemed about ready to yell at me herself. "You can and you will!" Her voice wasn't loud, but it was commanding. Chills ran up my arms. "If your grades do not improve Principle Moon will have no other choice but to expel you."
I knew I had to accept help. I couldn't let Elsa ruin this for me; I needed to stay at this school.
XXX
Elsa being my tutor quickly proved weird. We haven't even had a tutoring session yet, but things already felt different. I couldn't bring myself to say so much as a word to her.
Eventually, though, it came time for our Friday afternoon tutoring time. I sat down in the library on one of the plusher sofas, admiring the texture of the tan piece of furniture. My eyes suddenly found their way to my watch and I was surprised to find Elsa was supposed to have been here ten minutes ago. She was normally a very punctual girl, being Miss. Perfect and all.
Twenty minutes passed by I noted, playing games on my phone as I waited. There was still no sign of Elsa. Miss. Perfect actually seemed to be standing me up! Perhaps her Goodie Two shoe act really was an act.
"I'm sorry!" Elsa suddenly descended down beside me. It almost seemed she would fall had it not been for the couch. Studying her more closely, I concluded she would have.
Elsa was entirely out of breath as if she had just completed a marathon. More surprisingly though, was the black dust that coated her blue sweater. She had seemed to have a limp before she sat down. Even her braid was out of shape! What the hell had happened?
"What happened to you?" I merely chuckled, not voicing any concerned. Although, I admit I was a bit worried about her condition. Maybe we should reschedule.
The answer to my question, however, seemed to just be Elsa rolling her eyes. Finally, she seemed to capture enough air to give me a real explanation. "It's nothing to concern yourself with." Her voice was icy as if her condition was my fault. "Now, which subject should we begin with?"
"Oh, come on." I insisted, ignoring her question entirely. "You can tell me."
She rolled her eyes once again, a sigh escaping her lips. "If you must know I had an incident occur with Pitch. So, which sub-"
"Pitch?" I interjected. I had seen him a few times on campus. He had jet black spikes for hair, wore this odd cloak with black horses on it, and his skin was an unhealthy kind of grey. Why was he taking to Elsa?
"Honestly Jack, we should get to work." She blinked rapidly a few times. "But well, like you I suppose, Pitch finds it preposterous that people like me crowd this privileged school. It was my fault really. Walking alone like I was, especially through that shortcut through the forest. That is the sort of thing he would take advantage of, no matter how calm the forest appears." She paused, her hands gripping her textbooks far too tight as she replayed the memory. "What subject should-"
"You have to got to the Principle!" I didn't even care that I had cut her off again. Elsa seemed a bit annoyed though.
She scoffed slightly. "Of course not." She rolled her eye yet again. Geez, were her eyes not tired by now. "I do not go looking for trouble; unless you count walking through the forest alone. Going to the Principle is the sort of thing that would merely inspire people to pester me more. I'll be fine on my own."
An unusual pang of guilt hit my chest. Elsa thought I was one of those people. And now, because of it, she was injured and afraid to seek help. "History," I answered, changing the subject. "We should start there; I suck at that subject."
"Okay." Elsa agreed sweetly. My guilt seemed to be growing by the second as I watched her innocently flip through her textbook. In some ways, Elsa seemed like an angel; some pure form of magic. In the end, she deserves Winter powers more than I do.
No, she doesn't, I suddenly countered mentally. I was being ridiculous!
Elsa suddenly cleared her throat, her eyes focused intently on her textbook, each word receiving her utmost attention. Does that not strain her eyes? "So, to put it plainly-"
"That's the best way to put it with me." I hadn't even meant to interrupt her, nor to insult myself. However, listening to the gentle giggle that escaped Elsa's mouth it suddenly seemed worth it. Her laugh was kinda nice.
"Don't interrupt me, Jack." She corrected playfully. "Now, to put it plainly, magic is explained as a gift. It is believed that it all started with a young girl named Lily, whose best friend was the sun-"
"Okay, pause." Elsa gave me a look that was both annoyed and amused. "Please pause is what I meant."
"Fine." She allowed.
I chuckled lightly. "So why do I need to know this rubbage? If you hadn't realized it's impossible to be best friends with a star billions upon billions of miles away."
Elsa giggled again. "I guess you don't need help in astronomy. But, Jack, this so-called rubbage happens to be a myth for why there is magic in the world. I honestly don't believe it either, but we quiz over it so try your best to learn it. Eventually, we will get to the actual facts." Elsa paused, pushing back an escaped strand from her braid. "Anyways, Lily was very kind to the sun. One day, she sat and talked with the sun for hours. The sun was so grateful for its friend that is bestowed upon her a gift. That gift contained many different powers, your own included. Lily decided to share this gift with the world. She crushed it and set it adrift in the air to land on those we now refer to as the Chosen Ones."
"That made no sense whatsoever! I don't mind being called a Choson One though." I laughed, glad to find Elsa doing so as well. "So, don't you hold a grudge against this Lily person for not giving you a power?" I wasn't sure if I meant to say it rudely, or if I honestly wondered.
Elsa seemed to deem it as a real question and began to ponder it. "No." She answered. "I'm just glad she gave one to Anna."
I shot her a confused glance. Who wouldn't want a power? Talking to Elsa seemed to lead me to so many questions.
"So the dust landed on the Chosen Ones." Elsa continued. "And now it is inside them and gets passed down through families: parents to their offsprings."
"But Anna has powers and your parents didn't." I remember Elsa telling me that; Freshman year I think.
Elsa, who didn't recall this, seemed a bit taken back. "How did you know that?"
Blood was rushing to my cheeks. Curse my pale complexion! "Oh, well, know your enemies, right?"
Elsa shrugged slightly, seeming to debate her words. "I'd hardly say we are enemies." She glanced over at me as if asking my permission to continue. "I mean, we are practically alone in this library and you haven't tried to kill me, nor vice versa. Pitch, however, would have tried something within seconds. I guess he's my enemy."
"Yeah, I guess so." I paused, my hand reaching up to rub the nape of my neck. "So, does the theory have an explanation for Anna's powers?"
"Oh, right." Elsa laughed, remembering my question again. "It is believed that those like Anna got their powers from the dust still roaming the Earth, waiting for the right people. But, like you said, it's all rubbish. If the dust knew which people deserved powers then different people would be at this school." Elsa sighed, mumbling something to herself, a look of grief in her eyes.
"Yeah, it would be. This stupid story is honestly why I'm failing. Is it my fault some kid took three seconds to come up with a fantasy about how powers came to be."
Elsa laughed, yet all joy seemed erased from her eyes. "Rubbish." She repeated, seeming sad. "I admit it is far-fetched, just, I guess I still kinda like it. It would be reassuring if you had the power to know this magic dust thought you deserved it." She shrugged slightly. "And, if you were afraid of it. No matter how alone you were you could lean on the fact that you knew, with certainty, that your power was a gift, not a curse." Her eyes were wide and glossy as if her soul had been poured out in her words. Oh, to understand the mystery that is Elsa.
I didn't fret about it though. "Who would be afraid of a power as awesome as mine?" I laughed. "Only an idiot wouldn't want to control Winter."
I looked at Elsa, realizing she seemed far from amused pertaining to my comments. "It was off topic anyway." She dismissed. She quickly changed the topic, allowing a little over an hour more of studying.
"Well, that is all for today." Elsa began packing up her scattered books. "I hated that much less than I presumed I would."
"If only I could say the same." I guess the words sounded more serious than I intended them to because Elsa's face grew hard within seconds. Her icy glare I know all too well appeared.
"Goodbye, Jack." She didn't wait for my response. She just turned swiftly on her heels and left.
