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Chapter 20

When I woke, the sun glistened off of the ice. Glittering shapes danced across the floor in beautiful blues, purples, and yellows. I stretched my arms, trying to get the feeling back in my sore limbs.

"Jack?"

Climbing from my bed, I headed for the balcony. I opened the doors and basked in the warm sunlight. I sighed with contentment. I glanced around, but Jack was nowhere to be seen. It made my heart ache, but he was the embodiment of winter. So we must be busy bringing winter to another part of the world.

"I wonder when he'll be back."

The sun had already risen high. I had been sleeping for several hours and I felt completely rejuvenated. Suddenly there was a resounding knock from the door downstairs. It echoed and reverberated throughout the entire palace.

"Jack?" I whispered.

Excitement swelled in my chest. Picking up the skirt of my dress, I hurried down the spiral staircase. Using my magic, I opened the front doors. I wonder why he didn't just come through the window? He didn't have to use the front door.

"Elsa?" a female voice echoed. "I-it's me. Anna."

I froze. Anna? Why was she here? I couldn't just turn her away. It made me happy that she came, but she should be down in Arendelle with Prince Hans and the others. Taking a deep breath, I composed myself and walked out into the main hall. I stood at the top of the stairs and gazed down at my sister. She was wearing warm wool clothes. The colors suited her but they were common clothes—not the beautiful green gown she had worn the night before. Her hair hung in two braids, a single white strand peeking out from the vibrant orange.

"Whoa!" She slipped but quickly regained her balance.

"Anna."

She looked up at me, her eyes wide with wonder. "Whoa. Elsa, you look…different." She gasped, realizing her words could have been taken the wrong way. "It's a good different!" She looked around her, gazing at my handiwork with awe. "And this place, it's amazing."

A proud smile spread across my face. "Thank you." I looked around at my palace as well. "I never knew what I was capable of."

Anna started to climb the stairs toward me. "Elsa, I'm so sorry about what happened. If I had known…."

I backed away, unsure of what I should do next. Should I send her away? I wanted her to stay, but it was best if she went home. "No, it's okay," I said quickly. "You don't have to apologize. But you should probably go." I turned away from her, wringing my hands nervously. I could feel the fear started to seep in again. "Please."

"But I just got here."

"You belong down in Arendell."

"So do you."

Her stubbornness was going to be an issue. I sighed. "No, Anna, I belong here. Alone." An immense sense of sadness and loneliness stole over me, washing away the joy I had felt the night before, with Jack. "Where I can be who I am…without hurting anybody."

"Actually…about that." Anna laughed worriedly.

"That's sixty!" someone shouted from outside. Anna quickly looked toward the door.

"Wait." I followed her gaze. "What was that?"

Short, squat little snowman came bounding through the door. He waved excitedly as he approached the stairs. "Hi! I'm Olaf! And I like warm hugs!"

I couldn't believe it! It was Olaf…the snowman Anna and I used to build as kids. And he was talking! "Olaf?"

"Yeah!" he said, stopping beside Anna. "You built me, remember that?"

This couldn't be happening! How was this possible? "And you're alive?"

"Uh…." Olaf glanced down at his little stick arms. "I think so?"

I stared at my hands in amazement, flexing my fingers. All my powers could do was create ice and snow, so how could Olaf be alive? Did my magic do that as well? My sister knelt beside him.

"He's just like the one we made as kids," she said fondly.

"Yeah." A smile broke across my face.

"Elsa, we were so close. When can be like that again."

Just the mention of our closeness as children brought the memories flooding back. Because of my ignorance and because of my irresponsibility, Anna had been hurt. I had struck her with my powers and damaged her, leaving behind a white streak of hair as a reminder. It was there to remind me that I was dangerous. I had to be careful, or I could hurt someone else as well. The events of that night flashed before my eyes as if they had happened just yesterday. Panic started to rise up from the pit of my stomach and my breathing quickened. I took a step back.

"No. We can't." Wrapping my arms tightly around myself, I hurried to the stairs. "Goodbye, Anna."

"Elsa, wait!"

"No! I'm just trying to protect you!"

"Please, don't shut me out again!" she cried. I could hear her footsteps echoing as she followed me up the stairs. "For the first time in forever, I finally understand. I always wondered why you kept your distance, but you don't have to do that anymore! We can go home together and fix everything."

"Anna." I turned to her. She stood in the doorway, a good several feet away from me. "Please go back home. Open the gates, enjoy your life! Everyone needs you. You even have Prince Hans."

"Yeah but—"

I lifted my hands to silence her. "I know you mean well, but just leave me be."

"All by yourself?"

"I might be alone, but I'm free. And I'm happy." Anna took a step closer. I recoiled and backed away from her. "Just stay away and you'll be safe from me!"

Anna averted her gaze. "Actually, about that…. We're not really safe, per say."

"What do you mean?"

"You mean you don't know?" she asked.

"Don't know what?"

Anna wrung her hands nervously. "Arendelle's in deep deep deep deep…snow."

It felt as if my heart dropped to the base of the mountain. "What?" I whispered.

"You sort of set off an eternal winter. Everywhere."

"Everywhere?!"

"Well, that's okay! You can just unfreeze it."

"No I can't! I don't know how!" Panic swirled inside me. It was all a big mess and it was all my fault! Arendelle was in trouble, and I was the one who did it.

"Sure you can!" Anna said confidently. "I know you can!

She kept talking, trying to encourage me, but her words never made it through. Thoughts buzzed in my mind like a raging hive of angry bees. What do I do? How can I fix it? I don't know how to stop winter, just how to create it. There was no way I could fix something like this by myself! She said something about fixing it together.

"Anna, please, you'll only make it worse!" I turned away, running my hands through my hair. I'm scared. I don't know what to do! Jack…where did you go? I could really use your help right now. A wintry gust picked up and snow swirled around me in a mini blizzard. The more my panic rose, the heavier the winds became. Soon I could barely see Anna at all.

"Don't panic," Anna aid gently.

"I can't!" I shouted. I felt a powerful burst of magic escape me. The wind died almost instantly. I stood there as I took deep breaths to calm myself down, my back to Anna. Finally I turned and she was on the floor. She groaned. Oh my God…what have I done? The panic swelled anew. Did I hurt her? Oh…it's all my fault! If only I hadn't been born with this curse. If only I had never been born at all….

V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V*

The wind had died. The whole forest was silent as I raced toward Elsa's ice palace. She was in danger, and Anna was missing. It was all spiraling out of control. I just hope I can fix it all in time. A light breeze stirred and a let it lift me up. I glided on the wind, determined to make it back before the soldiers headed up the mountain. Down below I could see footprints headed in the same direction. I left before the search party, so there was no way it could be theirs. So whose was it? All at once the wind picked up to an incredible speed. Snow swirled around in an angry blizzard, centered over the North Mountain.

"Oh no…." Elsa's emotions must be running out of control. She was scared. "Elsa!"

As I drew closer to her ice palace, I spotted a reindeer seated in the snow at the base of the stairs. The front doors burst open and a huge snowman with icicles for fingers emerged. In one hand he held Anna and a rugged looking man with blond hair. And in the other, he held a smaller snowman.

"Put me down!" Anna demanded.

"Whoa!" I nearly avoided a collision with them. Why was Elsa throwing her sister out?

"Go away," the larger snow creature said in a deep voice. He tossed the two of them down the stairs before throwing the smaller snowman after him.

"It is not nice to throw people!" Anna gathered up a fistful of snow and packed it into a snowball. She pulled her arm back to throw it, but the man grabbed her by the elbow.

"Whoa, feisty pants!"

I chuckled. "You don't know that half of it." Anna had always been trouble.

"Just let the snowman be!" he insisted.

I had to find Elsa. Shooting up into the air, I glided up to the balcony where I had left her the night before. There was a shriek from down below. I glanced down to see the snow creature chasing Anna and the other guy down the mountain. Landing softly on the balcony, I hurried inside. The once crystal clear ice was frosted over and cracking. The edges were slowly becoming jagged and small spikes stuck out of the walls in places.

"Elsa?" I called.

She was pacing the floor nervously, arms wrapped around herself. She walked back and forth across the room, muttering. It was like she hadn't even heard me.

"Get it together," she muttered. "Control it! Don't feel…don't feel!"

"Elsa!"

She looked up quickly, her eyes full of panic and terror. Tears were welling up in her eyes. "Jack…help me! I don't know how to control it! How do I stop the winter?!"

"Just calm down! Everything's gonna be fine."

"No it's not! Arendelle is frozen over because of me!" More spikes of ice jutted out of the walls as her panic increased.

"It's gonna be alright. Uh…." Think! Think! Maybe if I do what I did with my sister and with Jamie…. I have to use my center. "Let's have a little fun instead."

"This isn't the time for games, Jack!"

"I know, I know. But it'll help you calm down. Okay? You're gonna be fine. I promise." I smiled at her. "Just trust me."

A look of anguish crossed her face. "How? I can't even trust myself…."

Chapter 21 coming soon!