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"Elsa," Her mother had drawled out, a hand in the small of her back. Elsa sighed. She wondered why her mother was busy for everything but this. "She is going to be your new nanny. Her name is Gothel."
Elsa crossed her arms stiffly as she stood beside her mother, glowering darkly at the dark-haired woman before her. She didn't like the way Gothel was looking at her, with hooded eyes and an ever-present smirk.
"You're so very pretty," Gothel cooed, gnarled fingers reaching forward and pinching her cheeks. "You remind me of a little snowbug. Can I call you that?"
Elsa's eyebrow twitched, her head lifting, shoulders straightening.
"No, you may not."
The woman – Gothel, her mother whispered in her ear, as if she would forget - drew her hands back immediately, an awkward silence falling upon the room. Her mother had cleared her throat.
"Well, I must be going. Gothel, I'm leaving my daughter in your hands." Elsa leaned over subconsciously to let her mother press a kiss to her cheek, before twisting away and gliding up the stairs, silently fuming. Her mother had sighed before her door slammed shut.
Her mind raced as she lifted the hem of her shirt, scrubbing insistently at her cheeks.
Elsa would not be standing for this.
If she got rid of her new nanny, she would get Gerda and Kai back, no doubt. A smirk played across her lips.
Her new nanny wouldn't last a day.
"You have a day off?" Anna asked in surprise as she peered into the living room, catching sight of her aunt in the armchair. She was reading an old children's book, with a worn cover and aged pages. One of Elsa's, she supposed. Her aunt startled. Anna lifted a brow and shifted the long-board under her arm.
Aunt Gerda had hesitated before letting out a weary sigh. "I'll tell you later," She had promised, rushing on as Anna opened her mouth to protest. "When Rapunzel gets home, alright?"
"Alright," Anna agreed begrudgingly, backpack hanging low on her back. Her hair fell into her eyes as she tugged on scuffed shoes, fiddling with the laces. Her aunt Gerda had chuckled, her darling niece looking every bit as young as she did years ago.
"Please be careful."
Her lips curled into a cheeky grin as she strolled through the front door. "Always am!"
Elsa had been gone for five minutes.
"What do you think you're doing?" Elsa asked simply, setting her heavy books aside. Icy blue eyes took in the sight of her new nanny and her unorganized clothes. Her reading on dinosaurs could wait until she was finished dealing with this mess.
"Oh, Miss Elsa," Gothel had practically drawled, continuing to claw through her clothes as she sent her a smile. Elsa's skin crawled. "Your outdoor clothes were mixed with your indoor clothes! I was merely rearranging them."
Elsa's jaw set. "Out."
Carefully kept brows shot up in surprise. "I'm sorry, Miss, I didn't mean—"
Elsa pulled the door open, standing stiffly by the doorway. "Out." She didn't spare the woman a glance as she sauntered out. A hand worried through her hair, a breath puffing past her lips as she glared at the mess her nanny had left behind. She shook her head before getting to work, kneeling before her clothes.
Elsa, as she placed the reds with the reds and the blues with the blues, decided that her nanny definitely wasn't going to last a day.
"What do you mean you were fired?" Anna questioned in disbelief, sitting on the edge of her seat. Rapunzel had remained in stunned silence, clearly in as much disbelief as she was. Eugene sat silently beside Rapunzel, his hand steady on his fiancé's shoulder. Her aunt and uncle shared a look and released equally tired sighs.
"I told you, Anna," Uncle Kai had replied. "I put Elsa's life in danger for the second time. That's one time too many. I shouldn't have brought her there. It was only right."
"But it wasn't your fault!" Anna almost slammed her hands on the table. It was hers. It was her fault. She sunk down into her seat, head swimming and stomach churning with guilt. "It was my fault. If I had just been a little more careful that day..."
"No, Anna," Aunt Gerda had interrupted, cutting her off with a stern look. "All we can do now is accept it. Besides, Elsa's father had been kind enough to provide us with financial support. Your uncle and I could use a break..."
"But Elsa—"
"Will be fine," Her uncle had interjected, though his eyes gave him away. Elsa was as much a daughter to them as Rapunzel was. Anna's throat tightened. "She'll be just fine."
Anna met Rapunzel's gaze briefly before they were onto their feet, engulfing the older pair in a tight embrace.
Anna could only hope that they would be just fine, too.
Elsa had always been very... pale, for the lack of a better word. It had been one of the many features that she'd inherited from her mother, and it surely came in handy for times like this.
Elsa crept along the side of her home, hood pulled low over her head, a flashlight tucked under her arm. She paused with every turn of a camera, with every step of a guard, soon reaching the window to Kai and Gerda's old room. Elsa peered into the room, smirking at the sight of a slumbering Gothel.
Showtime.
Elsa knocked loudly on the window, ducking low as Gothel startled awake and peered out. She held her breath, praying the woman didn't look down. Her knuckles rapped against the window once Gothel began to grow comfortable, now standing beyond the glass. She flicked the flashlight on, the light casting a ghostly glow on her face.
"Boo," She uttered simply.
It didn't take long for Elsa to be standing in the doorway of her room, hiding her smirk as an inconsolable Gothel tore out of her home.
'Dear Anna,
I miss them.
I thought what I did tonight would make me feel better. That watching my mother, in her silk robe and mismatched slippers, try to console Gothel as she left the house would make me feel better.
It didn't.
I just miss Kai and Gerda more. I know they would have been mad at me, if they found out I did that, but I can't just let them go without a fight. Even if my fight is just flashing a flash light under my face. I don't think there's much else I can do in my condition.
I wish I could tell them how much I miss them, but Mama won't even let me use my phone to call them. I don't know what I can do for now. I wish you were here to help me.
Love, Elsa.'
Anna stared forlornly down at her piggy bank, fingers tracing over the worn pink plastic.
She followed the scratched in name on the bottom. She remembered the Christmas she received the piggy bank, nearly cutting her finger as she hastily scratched in her name.
There was just enough money for tuition now, but not nearly enough for the rest of the expenses college would bring. Of course, the financial support Elsa's dad had offered helped somewhat, but it was mostly for taking care of the house and buying groceries. Without her aunt and uncle's steady incomes, Anna was left with no other choice.
"I need to get a job."
"Elsa," Her mother had sighed wearily, blue eyes narrowed suspiciously. Elsa blinked innocently, gloved hands folded neatly before her.
It had been an entire week since the Gothel incident, and coincidentally, the rest of her nannies had been spooked away by the 'white lady' haunting the mansion. Her most recent, Yzma, was the only one who remained, and only because the woman was more terrifying than she was.
Elsa barely repressed a shudder at the memory. The books she'd retrieved a week ago lay abandoned at Yzma's arrival. She didn't think she'd ever be able to look at dinosaurs the same way ever again.
"Behave, please," Her mother had begged wearily, kissing her forehead before heading off, heels clicking all the way down to the car. She rubbed absently at the lipstick mark on her forehead. Elsa wondered how many more nannies it would take until her mother caved and brought Kai and Gerda back.
She spent most of the morning cooped up in her room, losing herself in the books she'd brought up from the library. It was when she had stretched and her hand smacked into her intercom that an idea popped into her head. Elsa hummed and decided to experiment, pressing down gently on the button.
"Yzma," She called through the intercom. "Bring me up some fruits, please. Peeled and chopped. Thank you." Elsa soon sunk back into her bed, returning to her book. She flicked to the next page as she answered the knock on her door. "Enter."
Yzma stalked into her room, the tray in her hands trembling somewhat before she set it down on Elsa's bedside table. Elsa plucked an apple slice from the bowl, holding it between her fingers with a hum. Her eyes rolled up to meet Yzma's expectant ones. "I've changed my mind. Can you bring me chips, please?"
"Certainly," the woman – was she even qualified for this job anymore? - drawled out before slipping out of her door, returning with a bowl of potato chips in her hands.
Elsa pursed her lips as she eyed them. "I meant tortilla chips, actually. Thank you, though. You can leave those right there."
Yzma had merely sent her a look before walking off once more to fulfil her wishes. She barely managed to muffle her giggle against her hand, the door clicking to a close behind her nanny.
Elsa carried this on for another hour, her requests only growing more ridiculous and her nanny only growing more exasperated. Elsa was disappointed to find that Yzma was only mildly winded. How could this woman have better stamina than her?
Her book snapped shut. "Do you know how to play xBox?"
Yzma merely blinked. "xBox, miss?"
A grin spread slowly across Elsa's lips, eyes twinkling with mischief. "We're going to have a lot of fun."
"Have a nice day," Anna called out to the customer rushing out of the door, before releasing a silent sigh and readjusting the cap on her head. It had been a week since she'd realized her situation, a week since she'd landed a low-paying job in a too-busy café in the middle of the city. Anna supposed, however, as she wiped down the counter once more, that she couldn't complain. This was all going towards her future. She would do anything to make the best of it. She had to.
Her head lifted when the bell above the door chimed, signalling a new customer. A balding man with thick-rimmed glasses had stepped inside, wearily rubbing his temples. Anna was beginning to feel just as weary as he approached the counter. "Double shot espresso."
"Coming right up," Anna chirped, turning away as the man began grumbling about ghosts. She decided that, as intrigued as she was, she wouldn't ask. She shouldn't. Corona had been notorious for thugs and bandits in the past, ghosts were the least of their concerns, truthfully.
Anna soon set the drink before him, a kind smile on her face. "That'll be 2.95."
The man grunted in acknowledgement, digging into the pocket of his stained trousers. Anna didn't want to think about what stained them in the first place.
"Do you like your job, kid?" He asked, not looking up from a cracked leather wallet. Anna startled, not expecting the man to say anything else to her.
Anna's eyebrows rose at the question, but found herself replying, regardless. "It's okay. A future college student can't really be picky with summer jobs."
The man dropped a crumpled bill on the counter, meeting her gaze for the first time. Anna straightened at the near-desperate look in his eyes. "You good with kids?"
Anna blinked. "Well, yeah, I've babysat a few—"
"You want a job?" He had interjected, leaning forward. His breath stunk of stale coffee. "It pays well, and all you have to do is watch one little kid."
Anna cleared her throat. "I don't think I should be—"
A worn piece of paper was slapped onto the counter, the man's sausage-like fingers closing around the drink. "That's the address," he rumbled out, making his way towards the door. "If you change your mind."
The door swung behind him. Anna's eyes remained glued to the sheet, taking in the address and letting out a low, impressed whistle. Her fingers drummed against the counter. Checking it out wouldn't hurt.
How bad could one little kid be?
"She fainted?" Her mother had stressed out, pacing before her, heels clicking on the wood ominously. Both her mother and her father had come home early, called in from the office to ensure that none of this would go out to the press. Because the press' opinion is more important than her own. Of course, of course, of course.
Elsa wrung her hands together, giving an innocent shrug. She had Yzma play her unused sports games, watching the older woman jump around in front of her TV before she finally collapsed. The sound of ambulances grew farther and farther away with each second that passed.
"I didn't think she would," She admitted, peering up from her seat on the couch. Her papa remained silent in the background, pinching the bridge of his nose. His jacket lay on the armchair beside him.
"This cannot go on, Elsa," Her mother had snapped, towering over her. Elsa's shrunk back despite herself. "Enough of this childish play. I will not have you risking your own life for this foolishness, nor will I have you risking anyone else's. You are not getting Kai and Gerda back, and that is final."
"Mama—" Elsa jumped as her father cut her off.
"Your mother is right, Elsa." Elsa gaped at him, eyes swimming with disbelief and betrayal. "You are too old for this. Your mother and I are picking someone out and you're going to be stuck with her, whether you like it or not."
"Excuse me?" A nervous voice called out. Three pairs of sharp eyes cut toward the sudden intrusion. A maid stood, squirming in the doorway. "You have a visitor, ma'am. It's about the job opening as Elsa's nanny."
Her mother had straightened and brushed her hair back. "Oh, yes... Let her in." Cold blue eyes cut to Elsa, silencing her immediately. Elsa had turned her head away, focusing on the sound of sneakers on the sleek floors of their home.
Wait. Sneakers?
"Hello, Mr and Mrs. Hávadr-Ásdís," Anna had greeted with her charming little grin as she stepped into the room. Elsa's chest tightened as those torturous teal eyes flickered over to meet hers for the briefest of moments. "My name is Anna Almstedt."
Elsa could only sit and stare as the next few words left Anna's mouth.
"I'm here for the babysitting job."
'Dear Anna,
Not you. Anybody but you.
Love, Elsa.'
