Anna and Elsa's last name in this story will be Summers. Kudos to the author, Julia Rider, for coming up with it!
The three hour drive to the academy flew on by like it was nothing. I got annoyed though because Anna kept on droning on about how this school year will be the best and other means of nonsense. I only responded with low grunts and nodded my head thoughtlessly whenever she would directly ask me something. To my relief, she fell asleep two hours into our traveling, and has been like that until now. I pressed down firmly on the brake pedal as an upcoming stoplight turned yellow, then eventually was replaced by red.
I watched as streams of cars drove pass. There were so many cars that I could barely see the other side of the intersection. I didn't think anything of it; Fantasy Academy is a tremendous school, and over 10,000 students attend it, all different grades. The first year that I went to the academy, I got lost at every nook and cranny that the school had to offer. Thankfully a nearby campus counselor helped me in finding everything okay.
I waited patiently for the light to turn green, and drummed my fingers along the steering wheel. I had the radio on at the low volume so that the music wouldn't wake Anna. I bobbed my head up and down at the irresistible beat of a Calvin Harris song:
Now everything I do, is all for loving you
It's not something that we're used to
No other way to say, I need you everyday
And I'm gonna change my ways
And it's a part of you, I never wanna lose
I'll do anything you want me to
Like any other day, you know I'll find a way
And if ever I'm alone you'll say…
(A/N: This song is "Thinking About You" by Calvin Harris ft. Ayah Marar)
The stoplight switched to green and I snapped out of my musically enhanced trace. I proceeded forward and kept a steady pace along the busy road. The city that the academy was located in was one of the most popular and bustling places in New York: the City itself.
After briefly stopping at a stop sign, I turned a right and there it was. Fantasy Academy stood like a royal castle upon a massive mountain; there were many building structures that housed dormitories, club hideouts, sport centers, and classrooms. The academy offered every single sports team, club, fraternity, sorority, and academic class that you could ever think of.
Tall golden gates surrounded the perimeters of the academy, forbidding any outsider who didn't belong to the school to enter. I drove the car into the parking lot, which could hold more than a thousand vehicles. Even though it was only 11:30, there were already so many cars pouring in and people meandering around.
Soft snores interrupted my hearing, and I glanced over to see Anna still fast asleep, her neck bent at an odd angle and mouth gaping over. I winced; she was definitely going to have a sore neck once she wakes.
"Anna?" I say, my eyes not leaving the road ahead.
No response, and instead she lets out a snort in her sleep.
"Anna." I say again, louder this time.
Still no response.
I groan softly and crank the radio louder. Hopefully the banging musical rhythms of the Ke$ha song now playing will bring her back to reality. It works, and she shifts around, letting out a loud yawn.
"Are we there yet?" she asks groggily.
"We sure are." I say as I find an empty parking space and maneuver the car perfectly in.
"Yay!" She perks up and her eyes widely scan the towering academy before us. Her excitement fades as a painful hiss escapes her lips, and she rubs the back of her neck. "Ow, why is my neck sore?"
"Well, because your neck was bent the entire two hours that you slept. Come on, Anna, it's pretty obvious." I press down the button holding my seat belt in place and it retracts. Before I even open the car door, Anna is already out and prancing around like a wild leprechaun.
"Anna!" I get out and walk quickly up to her, grabbing her arm. "You're embarrassing me."
"Chill out, Elsa!" she says and I arch an eyebrow coincidentally. "I'm just really thrilled about being back. This school is amazing." I purse my lips as I open the trunk and seize the handle of my suitcase, muscles straining.
"I know, I know, sorry. I'm just a bit nervous, that's all." I lug my suitcase out and place it onto the ground. Anna leans over the edge of the trunk to get her own suitcase.
"Don't be!" she says as she pulls it out. "It's a new school year, and it's going to be awesome."
"Elsa!" I hear a familiar and high-pitched voice call to me from behind. I turn around and smile brightly at the girl with very long golden hair and sparkling green eyes running toward me.
"Punzie!" We embrace tightly and I pull back, admiring the classic outfit she was wearing today. She wore blue skinny jeans, fuchsia Converse shoes, and a black t-shirt with the Batman symbol across her chest. Many colorful bracelets hugged both of her wrists, completely blocking out any skin in that area. Her blonde hair was shorter than it was last year, but it still draped down her back and stopped at her armpits.
"It's so nice to see you again!" she exclaimed and when her eyes grazed down my dress, she gasped. "And you look so cute!"
I chuckled. "Thank you. It's one of my favorite dresses."
"Punzie?" Anna poked her head up from the trunk and scuttled over.
"Anna!" The two hugged and before I could allow them to get caught up in a day long conversation, I grabbed both of their wrists and yanked them toward the entrance gates of the academy. The line was already long and gradually growing, so we found our places and waited. Right in front of the golden-gated entrance was a lengthy table with at least five people sitting, interacting with students and signing them in.
"How was your summer?" Rapunzel asked Anna and I as the line slowly began to move.
"It was okay. Most of the time I was bored and Elsa always bossed me around." Anna said.
I rolled my eyes and snorted. "No, I didn't. I just had to control you from hurting yourself."
"Huh? When did I ever get hurt?" she asked, lips puckered in confusion.
"Well, luckily I was there to stop you before you did. But remember the time when we went to Six Flags and you nearly got into a fight with a five-year-old?" Rapunzel covered her mouth with a hand to suppress a giggle and I grinned a little.
"What? I was so hyped to ride the Superman: Ride of Steel and that kid freakin' butted in front of me!" Anna remarked, crossing her arms. Rapunzel and I both laughed at her.
"You're lucky I was there to drag you away before he tattle-tailed on you to his mother." I said.
"Oh my God, that is funny." Rapunzel commented, and I nodded. In a matter of minutes, we found ourselves at the front of line and standing before a young man with neatly-combed auburn hair and emerald eyes. He had sideburns all the way down both sides of his face. I saw Anna perk up as soon as she saw him, and I smirked.
"Hello," he smiled up at the three of us. "Names and grade, please?" Rapunzel went up first and scribbled down something on a piece of paper. As she did so, Anna slid up to my side and elbowed me.
"Wow, he's hot," she whispered to me and looked straight at the man sitting down and talking to Rapunzel. I nodded but said nothing. He was handsome, I can admit that, but he was definitely not my type. After Rapunzel was finished, Anna went up next and I saw her shudder with nervousness.
"Name and grade?" he asked.
"Anna Summers and I'm a freshman in college," she stated, her body slightly jittery and hands clasped behind her back. As Anna and the man talked some more and potentially flirted too, the woman sitting next to him called out to me and gestured toward her. I walked over to her and leaned against the table, staring at her. She looked to be about my age, maybe a year older. Her hair was dyed, or perhaps naturally, a bright red and her eyes were light blue. A lavender hoodie loosely hugged her slender torso.
"Hey there," she said cheerfully. "Can I have your name and grade, please?"
"Elsa Summers and I am a junior in college."
The girl wrote down on a piece of paper and slid it to me, handing her pen to me as well. "Great! I just need you to sign right here and I'll give you your new dorm number." I did as she did and I noticed something as I scribbled down my signature: she was staring at me the whole time, or should I say observing. I finished signing my name and handed the paper back to her. Even after I straightened up and waited for her to give me my dorm room number, she still looked up right at me.
"What is it?" I ask. "Do I have something on my dress?" I frantically rubbed my hands over my stomach and down my thighs.
"Oh, no, no!" she finally spoke. "I was just admiring your figure. You know, you have the perfect swimmer body."
I slightly blushed. "Swimmer? Oh no, I don't swim."
"Do you? Tell me, Elsa, can you at least swim?" she asked, her watery blue eyes trained on mine.
"Well yeah," I say. She looks up at me with inspective eyes.
"How would you like to join FAST?"
I blink at her. "Is that a club?"
"Not precisely. It's the Fantasy Academy Swim Team." she says.
"Swim team? Since when did the academy get a swimming team? Last time I was here, there was no such thing." I frowned at her.
"We just created one over the summer. The academy is known for having a team for each sport possible, and I noticed swimming wasn't here. So I founded the team."
"You're the leader?" I asked her.
"More like the team captain. My name's Ariel, by the way." she holds out her small hand and I gently grasp it, marveling at how delicate and soft it felt. "I hope you don't mind, but I'm looking for swimmers to recruit on the team and you look perfect for it."
"Well, I don't kn-" I pause and think for a moment. My parents have not only pushed me to do well academically, but physically too. They always wanted me to join a sports team. My mom said that I would be a great cheerleader, while my dad said I had the legs for a soccer player. I refused their suggestions, since I hated both of those sports. Maybe swimming would be different. I always loved going to the pool and beach over the summer whenever I had the chance to escape the heat.
"I will think about it," I say, and Ariel smiles.
"Okay, that's fine. Here, take this," She hands me a blue flyer that says 'Do you love swimming? Do you love the feeling of winning a race? Then join FAST today! FAST is Fantasy Academy's one and only swim team, and we would love to have you be a part of it! If interested, tryouts will be held Friday, August 29th at 7 pm at the Watterson swimming pool directly in the center of campus.'
"If you decide that you do want to join, come to the pool at this time and date," she points to black-inked font with the information. "Now, back to the task at hand, eh?" She picks up a bulky folder and looks through it. "Ah, here you are, Summers."
She gives me a key with a piece of paper attached to it that reads "Room 278".
"You will be residing in the Crystal dormitory, and you will be in room 278." Ariel hands me the key and I stick it into my purse. "And if you're wondering who your roommate is," she takes a glance at the clipboard in front of her. "You will be with Merida Grizzle."
I nod, but a feeling of sadness flushes my insides. I'm disappointed that I won't be with either Anna or Rapunzel, but I guess the joy of a new school year is making new friends. Hopefully this Merida girl isn't too much of a hassle.
"Thank you." I say to Ariel.
"You're welcome. Have a wonderful new school year. Oh, and I hope to see you on the swim team, Elsa."