To Die, To Sleep

Nora? Nora!

Anna was standing in an idealized version of her apartment that she often visited in her dreams, one in which she and her sister had been able to attain their vision of finding a new home together. Across the way, sitting in an easy chair and staring serenely out the window was Nora. It was snowing outside and pale daylight bled into the apartment. All around them, the scenery was fuzzy and glowing with the incandescence of a brighter imaginary world that existed beyond the realm of possibility.

This dream was different however, for the version of Nora that Anna saw was older and the same age as she was. Nora turned to face Anna, and the pleasant expression on her face vanished into a sorrowful gaze. Her chestnut locks framed her blue eyes which shimmered against the washed out, rosy filter that Anna was viewing her dream through.

I'm sorry Anna…

What is it, what's wrong?

It's not time yet.

Not time? What are you talking about? I'm here, I made it.

Anna stepped forward and attempted to cross the distance to Nora but halfway, she struck a shimmering wall of glass that barred her way.

Nora smiled sadly, then rose from her chair and walked over until she was standing in front of Anna. Only a few inches separated them, but to Anna it felt as if Nora was light-years away.

What is this? Nora?

You can't stay.

No… no no no. I'm staying, I'm not going anywhere without you.

It'll be okay Anna, I promise. There's a time for us, but it's not now.

Wh- why are you saying this to me? Don't leave me again… please…

She needs you.

Who?

Nora turned her gaze out the window and when she did her hair caught the sunlight, causing parts of it to glow as bright and white as snow.

Elsa… and you need her.

I- I don't… I don't understand.

You will. Don't be afraid… I'm closer than you think.

The scenery of her dream collapsed, crumbled apart, and vanished before Anna's eyes, leaving her alone again.

Knowing that she had been merely dreaming once more, Anna took her time coming to wakefulness for the first thing she felt as her senses returned was pain all over her body. Her entire head felt as if it had been sawn open and filled with lead, her face felt puffy and swollen, her lungs felt as if they had been burned, and worst of all it felt like someone had taken a hot poker and jabbed it straight into the upper part of her left arm.

"Uuuuuugh," Anna groaned as she reluctantly opened her eyes.

There was something soft and warm sitting in her lap and when she looked down she couldn't help but smile at the mess of white hair that she found there. Elsa was sleeping peacefully, using Anna's lap as a pillow while she clutched her right hand with both of her own.

Oh… well this is nice, Anna thought.

She leaned forward and attempted to raise her left hand to stroke Elsa's hair, which was when Anna finally looked down and noticed something drastically different about her body.

"Woah! What… w- what the fuck!" Anna shouted in panic as she recoiled, knocking Elsa off while she raised her new limb up to her face. "What… how did… w- why… where did my… WHAT!?"

"Anna? Anna! Calm down," Elsa said as she immediately woke and stood up. "Try and relax, you've been through a lot."

"Calm down?!" Anna pushed herself up into a sitting position then waved her hand around in front of Elsa's face, then startled herself at how responsive and unnaturally natural the thing felt. "How in the hell am I supposed to calm down?! What happened to my hand!" she demanded, then held her left hand away from her as if it were on fire.

"Anna, please! Just breathe… look at me," Elsa said as she held Anna by her shoulders and looked her dead in the eye.

Anna tried, but her thoughts were racing and her entire body was in pain which made it difficult. She darted her eyes in panic and confusion, while her breath was rapid, shallow, and strained.

"Elsa? What happened? Where are we?!" Anna asked as she scanned their surroundings. "M- my hand!"

She shut her eyes and attempted to gather her scattered thoughts, which was when dark and bloody images flashed through her mind. Anna remembered a great white wolf; smoking from fire and stinking from rot. She remembered pain, intense and unrelenting pain from fangs that clamped shut around her forearm. She remembered the awful sensation and sound of her bones being crushed and her flesh being torn. Finally, she remembered seeing only a gaping maw filed with teeth that had closed around her entire head and after that, toxic flames that engulfed her lungs.

"Wolf!" Anna croaked as her eyes snapped open reflexively and she desperately searched her surroundings for any sign of the beast that had maimed her. "There was a wolf, there… was a lot of them-" she stopped when she started to wheeze and cough violently.

Anna bent over, hacking and coughing into her right hand as her bout of panicked screaming had wreaked havoc on her throat and her lungs. Each cough felt as if she was dredging up and expelling shards of glass from deep within her body and soon, she hacked up tiny droplets of blood onto her hand.

"Oh, Anna!" Elsa sounded as if she were in a state of panic as well. "I'll explain everything, but please, you must relax first."

After her coughing fit faded away, Anna nodded her head and held up a finger to Elsa signalling to wait a moment. "Okay," she wheezed. "Okay… just let me… let me catch my breath."

As soon as Anna regained her composure, she wiped the blood away from her mouth then looked over to Elsa. Her blue eyes were shimmering and round with tears, but her face was firmly set with grim resolve.

"Anna," Elsa started carefully. "You were injured very badly."

"Well… I figured that," Anna said weakly.

"That wolf, he… well, your hand… it was mangled so badly that I- I… " Elsa looked away and bit her lip, then exhaled heavily. "You were losing so much blood… and the wound would have become infected, so I… I had to amputate it. After that I… well, I took the liberty of installing the cybernetic prosthesis for you."

Anna glanced down at her metal hand, then back up to Elsa as she nodded slowly.

"I'm… so, so sorry Anna. I wish there was something else I have done but… I'm sorry."

With a long and drawn out sigh, Anna leaned her head back and shut her eyes. The pain all over her body was overwhelming her and the news that Elsa shared wasn't helping one bit. Still, she was alive and if it weren't for Elsa, she would be some wolf's dinner right now.

"Don't be sorry. You did what you had to do," Anna reassured Elsa as she raised her left and repeatedly opened and closed her fist to test it. "What else?"

"You were cut across the face," Elsa replied. "I stitched up your wounds and applied medi-gel, but I'm afraid there may be scarring."

"Hmm," Anna closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek, wincing when pain flared up from the still raw and tender cuts. "Ouch," she hissed, drawing her hand away.

"And after that wolf destroyed your mask, you were… exposed to a large dose of radiation. 451 rads. Serious enough to cause multiple organ failure and death if I- I didn't…"

Anna opened her eyes and looked at Elsa. "Didn't what?" she asked delicately.

"The Detoxicillin, I used all of it on you. It's purging your system as we speak."

"What?!" Anna shot up in bed, then immediately regretted the decision when she was overcome with queasiness. "But… but what about you? You gave me your mask!"

Elsa adjusted her hands so that they were gently gripping either side of Anna's neck beneath her ears, then she slid them up slowly until her thumbs caressed the soft underside of Anna's jawline.

"Your life is more important than mine," Elsa said firmly as she maintained unflinching eye contact.

Anna found that she didn't mind the touch of Elsa's skin against her own, nor did she balk from the expression of intense devotion and care. However, what she found was that in the face of such a selfless act, the gravity and implications of it had rendered her speechless.

"Elsa…" Anna murmured as she leaned into Elsa's comforting touch, squeezing her left with her right in return. "Won't you get sick?"

Elsa leaned back and as she did she took hold of Anna's hand then slowly set them down between them, after which placed her other hand over top. "I was worried about that, but it seems that somehow, I'm immune to the effects of radiation. If not, highly resistant," she said.

"Immune?" Anna asked. "What do you mean?"

"When I finished tending to your wounds, I performed a scan of my own body," Elsa replied. "The diagnosis reported no issues."

"I guess I'm not surprised, but still. You didn't even know? And you… risked your life anyways for me?"

Elsa nodded her head glumly.

Anna sighed and felt something twist around in her gut that wasn't the pain she was currently feeling. It was deep seated shame mixed with an intense feeling of unworthiness.

"I don't know how you can keep doing this," Anna muttered.

Elsa frowned. "Keep doing what?"

"This! Saving me… over and over again. Why?"

"Because you're the only good thing that's ever happened to me. And some people…" Elsa cocked her head to the side and made a funny face. "Some people are worth melting for. I mean that literally, in the sense that radiation poisoning could cause your body to melt from the inside out," she joked, bringing some much needed levity to the mood.

Anna laughed, truly laughed at Elsa's often quirky and odd sense of humor. Still, the lighthearted tone that their conservation had shifted to did not rob the emotional weight from what Elsa had said just before. Anna understood where Elsa was coming from, for she could say the same thing about her. She hadn't felt this type of contentment in a long time and she often doubted whether she could feel truly happy again at all.

"You're sweet," Anna murmured as she smiled tenderly at Elsa. "Thank you. I know I say that every time but… I really do mean it."

"I know," Elsa said softly as she returned the smile.

Anna then leaned forward until her forehead rested against Elsa's, then shut her eyes. They stayed like that for a long time, quietly drawing strength from each other until eventually Anna opened her eyes once more and took in their surroundings.

"Elsa, what is this place? How did we get here?" Anna asked.

"Gjallarbru," Elsa replied. "I brought us here after you… well, you know. I hoped that they would have equipment and supplies that I could use to heal you and it looks as though I was successful in that regard."

"Wait… Gjallarbru? Is… is VanirCorp- I mean are we-"

"No. There's nobody else here but us. For whatever reason, it looks like the entire facility is abandoned."

"Okay, so that's great for you right? Were you able to learn anything more about yourself?

"No."

"N- no? Isn't that why you wanted to come here? Have you looked around yet?"

"It can wait. I didn't want to leave your side for even a second. You need to recover your strength and we've still some things to discuss. Until then, I'm not going anywhere without you."

Anna shouldn't have been surprised, but once again, she was completely stunned and moved by Elsa's continued devotion and care. They had finally reached Gjallarbru, the place of Elsa's birth. Elsa was literally within grasp of the answers she had spent her entire life searching for and now that they were here, she was willing to push it off completely until she was assured that Anna recovered.

Not only that, but the last thing she uttered just then summoned the memory of Anna's latest dream to her mind. Again, when Anna looked at Elsa she also saw Nora. She was comforted and conflicted, confused and calmed for the same woman she was now falling for had the potential to be the resurrected form of her sister.

She'd really do anything for me, Anna thought. And I'd do anything for her.

"Right now," Elsa started as she slowly stood up, then bent down and retrieved their bags and brought them to the foot of the bed. "You need to eat. You've been unconscious for nearly 24 hours."

"Ugh, Jesus," Anna rubbed her forehead when a sudden wave of nausea and pain spiked up and rolled through her senses. "Uh huh, I think that might help."

Elsa retrieved a few food items from their bags, drawing out a can of chicken soup, a can of pears, and two water bottles each along with some utensils. Then, she placed the items on a tray and wheeled it over to Anna's side, where she sat down and busied herself with preparing their meal.

In the meantime, Anna occupied herself by becoming acquainted with her new limb. She turned her left arm around in the light, taking a closer look at the sophisticated piece of hardware while flexing her new synthetic muscles. She repeatedly made a fist, then tested each one of her fingers by curling them in and out one after the other. As artificial as it was, Anna was surprised with how responsive and natural the movement felt. If it weren't for the pain in the organic part of her arm, she would have thought nothing had happened to it at all.

"That is… wow," Anna muttered as she waved her left hand through the air. "Feels just like the real thing."

"It's connected to your nervous system, so it should provide realistic feedback. Touch, temperature… even pain, but you may disable that setting if you wish," Elsa replied as she observed Anna. "It'll also be stronger than your old hand, which will take some time for your body to get used to, so you should take it slow for now."

Anna tested Elsa's word by reaching down and gripping the metal handrail on her bed, squeezing with a moderate amount of pressure. Immediately, the metal bent and crumpled beneath her grip, which surprised her.

"Oooh hoo hoo," Anna chuckled deviously then examined her hand in awe. "Can… can it shoot fire? Or, like, does it have grappling hook?"

Elsa frowned and fixed Anna with a curious expression as she cocked her head. "No… no, I don't believe so."

"Huh, that would have been pretty cool. But this is still… kinda badass actually."

"You don't mind it?"

"Well I never did like the idea of cyberware, but I also like having a hand more. Between this," Anna wiggled her metal fingers. "And being lunch, I'd choose this. I'd be dead if it wasn't for you Elsa."

Elsa looked away for a moment, then when she glanced back to Anna her eyes were filled with relief and gratitude. Yet for only a second, Anna also saw fear which had vanished just as quickly. Almost as if Elsa feared that Anna would be mad with her somehow, which she thought was ridiculous.

"Good," Elsa smiled. "I'm… happy you feel that way."

Anna smiled in return, then tested out the dexterity of her new hand by easily picking up a spoon with natural ease. "Anyways," she started then leaned forward and scooped up some cold chicken noodle soup. "Let's eat."

Elsa nodded happily and together, they ate their meal in comfortable silence. When they finished, Elsa dutifully cleaned up and discarded their empty cans. Meanwhile, Anna's headache had worsened and the pains across her body protested with every miniature movement she made, leaving her quite exhausted and worn out.

"You should rest," Elsa said quietly after she returned to Anna's side. "We've been talking for a long time now, and your body needs to heal."

"What are you gonna do?" Anna asked, after which she yawned loudly while her head felt lighter and fuzzier.

"I'll be here, don't worry."

"Mmmkay," Anna murmured as she slowly but painfully leaned back against her bed, then shut her eyes.

Pain addled as her mind and body were, fatigue won out and soon Anna mercifully fell fast asleep and dipped into a realm of blissful numbness.

… … …

After just an hour of dreamless sleep, Anna shot up from bed and clamped a hand over her mouth. She was feeling incredibly sick and feverish, and bile had risen in her throat.

"Here, Anna," Elsa said from somewhere off to the side as a wastebasket appeared in front of Anna.

Anna retched horribly, throwing up the contents of her stomach into the wastebasket. After she finished vomiting, she dry heaved for several awful minutes, then spat out the remaining bile in her mouth. Her whole head was spinning and every movement caused dizzying lances of pain to shoot up from her arm, face, and lungs.

"Oh god," Anna moaned miserably as she leaned over into the wastebasket.

Elsa was holding up Anna's hair in one hand, while she held the wastebasket in the other. "Shh, easy. You're okay."

Anna spat a few more times, then straightened up and leaned back against the bed. "I don't feel so good," she whimpered.

"It's just the Detoxicillin. It'll take time to work its way through your system," Elsa replied, then held up a water bottle to Anna's lips. "Water," she said.

Anna swished water around in her mouth until it was clean, then spat it out into the wastebasket. She did that several times to completely rinse out her mouth, then swallowed down long gulps to quench her thirst.

"Better," Anna mumbled weakly. "Thank you."

Elsa frowned and placed the back of her hand against Anna's forehead. Her skin still retained its sickly shade but now it was clammy and damp with sweat.

"You're burning up," Elsa said. "It must be a fever. We need to keep you cool and hydrated. Can you sit up? I need to take that coat off of you."

"Okee doke, doc," Anna mumbled. "You can… take off more than that if you want," she said, intending to sound flirtatious but instead came off as delirious.

"Tempting, but I'll have to take you up on that offer some other time," Elsa said as she assisted Anna in rising, then gently removed the long-coat she wore before setting it aside. "Now drink some more water then try and get some rest, okay Anna?"

"Ooooookay," Anna said as she let Elsa press the water bottle to her lips.

The fever was taking its toll, turning Anna more lightheaded and incoherent by the second. In fact, she hadn't even realized the implications of what Elsa had just said as the subtle affirmation passed right over her head. She was hot and sweaty all over, but so weak that she could barely lift her arms or keep her head steady.

Once she drank her fill, Anna collapsed backward and turned her head to the side as she hacked and coughed violently. After she finished her bout, Elsa leaned over and wiped her mouth clean with a cloth.

"Elsa…" Anna croaked as she turned her bleary eyes up to the white-haired woman.

Her vision wasn't completely clear and she could hardly see anything past Elsa's face. Though she could see less and less through the fog that was wrapping itself around her mind, Anna focused on Elsa's brilliantly blue eyes, which guided her back to sleep.

"Shh," Elsa shushed gently. "It's okay Anna, just sleep now. I'll be here."

Anna could do no more to resist against the tide of weariness pulling her under, so she relinquished her grip on her consciousness and fell asleep once more.

… … …

Nora? Where are you?

Anna was back in the dream of her apartment once more, only everything appeared to be skewed and muggy, as if she were viewing it from behind a veil of amber.

Hello, Anna.

It wasn't Nora who turned around, but Elsa. She smiled serenely and approached the shimmering wall that separated Anna from her like the first time.

Elsa? What- how did you get here?

I'm… not sure.

Elsa looked puzzled as she turned her head to the side to examine their surroundings.

This is your apartment, isn't it Anna?

Yeah, yeah it is.

I- I don't belong here. I'm sorry… I need to go.

Wait, wait wait wait, don't leave!

Elsa had already turned around and was walking towards the same window as before. This time however, it was wide open, brimming with piercing bright light as soft snowflakes drifted into the apartment, blanketing everything in a thick layer of white.

Anna reached forward but was stopped when her hand struck the invisible wall. She pounded her fist against it to no effect, then collapsed to her knees. Elsa turned around, smiled sadly at Anna one last time, then stepped out the window into the blank world beyond.

No, no! Come back, please. Elsa!

… … …

She woke from her dream, panting heavily and sweating all over. Anna had slept for several hours and though she was weak and lacked an appetite for anything, her stomach growled with ravenous hunger.

"E- Elsa," Anna croaked out as she blinked wearly and turned her head to the side.

Even that tiny action alone sapped Anna of the remainder of her meagre strength, leaving her to lie completely slack and limp in her sickbed. The symptoms she was experiencing before had worsened by several factors, but now her whole body felt as it dipped and coated in molten lead. She was burning up inside and out and was nearly paralyzed so that she couldn't do anything about it.

"Anna? You're awake again," Elsa said as she straightened up in her chair and gently held Anna's right hand. "How do you feel?"

"Not great," Anna smiled feebly. "I could… I could eat."

Elsa tried valiantly to return the smile, but Anna could see from her eyes the plain worry and concern that was etched within them. "Of course, but you'll need to eat these," she bent down and retrieved the sustenance paste rations that Anna had brought on a whim. "I found these in your bag and since you can't keep down solid food, these will have to do."

"Oh god… please, no," Anna gagged at the mere sight of them. "I would literally rather die of radiation poisoning."

"I know you're being facetious Anna, but I'm not going to let that happen. You'll just have to bear with it until you're feeling better," Elsa replied firmly as she opened the packet of sustenance paste.

"It's just so bad," Anna whimpered.

Elsa nodded sympathetically as she squeezed out a spoonful of thick, unappetizing looking paste that was grayish pink in color. "I know," she sighed, then raised the spoon towards Anna's mouth. "But try? For me?" she smiled softly.

Anna repeatedly glanced down at the spoon, then back up to Elsa for several moments. Sensing that there was no way out of it, Anna took several deep breaths then nodded her reluctant affirmation.

Opening her mouth to accept a bite of the foul and unpleasant paste, Anna quickly swallowed so as to avoid tasting it as much as possible. Even then, she was still able to taste some of it and what parts she did only served to remind her that the flavor of sustenance paste still hadn't improved. The paste was thankfully odorless, but the taste was so awful that it completely defied categorization.

"How is it?" Elsa asked innocently as she squeezed out another spoonful.

"Like… rotten fish that's been left in the sun and wrapped with moldy cheese, and-" Anna gagged and nearly retched again. "Oof that's awful, and… stuffed inside… a pig's anus."

Elsa was taken so off-guard by the vulgarity of Anna's description that she recoiled sharply and covered her mouth with her hand as her eyes widened in disbelief. Anna had worried for a second that she had offended Elsa when suddenly, her eyes lit up with glee and she started to laugh. The giggles she had tried to keep trapped behind her hand broke through and soon, Elsa descended into a fit of bubbly joy.

It was the first time that Anna had ever heard or seen Elsa actually laugh before.

While Anna could certainly read when Elsa was in a good mood - usually whenever she made one of her odd jokes - the white-haired woman had never so much as snickered in Anna's presence before. That simple fact brought Anna an immeasurable amount of joy for being the first to make Elsa laugh, but also an equal amount of sorrow at the realization that she had likely never been happy enough in her life to do so.

The sound of Elsa's laughter was jubilant, unrestrained and ever so pleasingly melodious to Anna's ears. She found herself smiling as well, feeling slightly more rejuvenated not from the paste but more from Elsa's merriment.

"Are you- you're laughing at me," Anna said as she smiled more widely, despite the pain in her face it caused her.

"No no, Anna," Elsa snorted between giggles. "Your description was rather… candid, that's all."

"Well it's true."

"I'm sure, but here. Just a few more spoonfuls."

"Ugh," Anna groaned but did as she was told.

When the ordeal was over and after the taste was washed down with some water, Anna was feeling a little better. Her body and head still caused her a great deal of pain, but at the very least her hunger had been satisfied.

"I thought, as long as you're awake, I could take a look at your wounds," Elsa said as she set away the sustenance paste. "I need to clean them and redress your bandages. The worst of it is now over, but now the greatest problem is infection. I gave you some antibiotics, but I would still like to do my due diligence, if it's alright with you."

"Yeah, yeah," Anna nodded, then regretted her decision when her head spun for a moment. "Of course," she said in a strained voice.

Elsa squeezed Anna's hand reassuringly then went away to retrieve a set of clean bandages and a tube of medi-gel before returning to her seat. Then, she gently unwrapped the bandages covering Anna's cheek, exposing three cuts which were now mostly sealed thanks to the sutures and the medi-gel. Carefully, Elsa wiped the area clean with a sterilizing cloth, then once she was finished she redressed the area with a clean set of bandages.

"Be honest," Anna mumbled. "Does it look bad?"

"The cuts are healing well, but if you're asking about your appearance, I think you're still beautiful as ever," Elsa said then her voice turned somber as her joyous mood vanished. "I'm sorry, Anna," her voice nearly broke. "It was… it's my fault, I should have been quicker to get that… damned beast off of you."

Anna perked up for she had just experienced another first with Elsa. She never swore, either out of principle or because the usage of profanity just seemed beyond Elsa's grasp. But, she had done just so, and she had done so out of regret she felt for not being able to help Anna sooner. It was remarkably humanizing and Anna felt her heart pang with nothing but gratitude for her savior.

"It's alright Elsa," Anna said softly. "It's not your fault, I don't blame you. How could I? You saved my life. Again. For like… I don't even know how many times now, but you shouldn't be apologizing to me."

"If I'd just… acted sooner, you wouldn't have been hurt so badly."

"Shit, well then I guess I don't accept your apology because I don't want it. I can live with a shiny new hand and scars on my face, I can't live without you, Elsa."

Elsa's eyes widened with hope. "Really? Do you… do you mean that?"

"Ah, that was out loud again wasn't it?" Anna muttered.

It wasn't the first time it happened and certainly wouldn't be the last. Elsa simply just had the curious effect of making Anna say whatever she was feeling or thinking of at the time, even if she meant to keep it to herself. She tried to chalk it up to her fever talking, but Anna found that a part of her didn't even want to try and hide the truth from Elsa.

"I mean… um, yes?"

"Oh," Elsa murmured while a bashful grin spread across her face. "I feel the same way."

"Oh," Anna replied as she was taken aback by the sincerity of Elsa's voice.

As pleasant as their conversation had been, up until this point Anna was coping as best as she could with her symptoms, taking them in stride all the while Elsa had been tending to her. However it was now at that most inopportune moment when they both finally broached the topic of whatever it was they felt towards each other, that Anna began to be overwhelmed by her sickness once more.

Elsa had begun speaking again and whatever it was, Anna wished desperately that she could hear. Her voice was coming in muffled and distant, as if Elsa were being pulled away from Anna despite how close they were to each other. Before Anna knew it, her head felt unbalanced and heavy and she felt her eyelids being dragged down to unconsciousness. She struggled for a time, but ultimately it was in vain and eventually, Anna drifted off once more.

… … …

Anna landed back in her apartment, but by now she was frustratingly familiar with the visions she saw in her fever dream. She huffed then padded over until she arrived at the shimmering wall separating her from Nora where she pounded her fist against it out of confusion and frustration.

Nora was sitting across from her in the easy chair still staring out the window, same as before but she looked over expectantly when Anna approached.

Hey, what the hell is this Nora? Why can't I get over to you?

Nora didn't answer and looked past Anna as if she wasn't there, then turned her gaze out the window once more.

Hello? Nora! I know you can hear me, why can't you just let me in?

Again, her sister didn't answer. Anna felt irrational anger flare up inside so she repeatedly struck the shimmering wall with her fists and feet, punching and kicking and doing absolutely nothing against the impenetrable veil that separated her from her sister.

Talk to me damn it! I- I just want… I need to see you again. Let me in!

Your heart's not in the right place.

Huh?

Nora turned to face Anna and smiled sadly.

Your heart's not in the right place.

My… my heart? What does that mean?

Anna was then suddenly ripped from her dream as something pulled her out with incredible force. Before she could even consider what Nora had just said to her, she landed somewhere deeper within her subconscious mind. Anna fell into an endless pool of pitch black nothingness and above her through a hole that was rapidly shrinking, she caught one last glimpse of Nora before she disappeared entirely.

She was surrounded by emptiness, a void so barren that she could not make out anything at all. Anna was completely alone, floating through a vast ocean with no stars above to provide guidance or a horizon to steer towards. When she spoke in an attempt to fill the silence, no sound was produced. When she raised her hands to her face to reaffirm that she still inhabited a physical body, she found nothing. She was weightless, formless, voiceless, and feelingless.

Anna screamed then, or she tried to. All she could do was wait and watch, until her sensations were obliterated and thoughts vanished in their becoming. Time became compressed, drawn out and stretched so thinly along limitless vectors that seconds became hours and hours became days and days became years.

Unsure if she was alive or dead, Anna could do nothing, be nothing, and feel nothing. In that realm between life and death, sleep and wakefulness, Anna lingered for what she experienced to be forever.

Occasionally, after an indeterminate amount of time passed, Anna would be suddenly thrust back into her apartment.

Sometimes, Nora was there and Elsa wasn't, or Elsa was there and Nora wasn't. Each time, Anna tried desperately to break through the shimmering wall and reach either of them but she could never succeed.

Sometimes, Nora and Elsa would acknowledge Anna's presence and sometimes they wouldn't. Anna would strike the shimmering wall, kicking and punching and screaming in an attempt to feel anything and have the world feel her in return.

Sometimes, Nora and Elsa spoke to Anna, but always cryptically and in ways that offered no clues on how to escape her waking nightmares. Nora would always speak of Anna's heart, while Elsa would always claim that she wasn't where she belonged.

Sometimes she would actually wake up and resurface in reality, but she would only be lucid for a few fleeting moments. There she saw both Nora and Elsa speaking to her, or pleading with her, or just simply sitting alongside her. Occasionally, either of them would feed and make Anna drink, but she couldn't taste or perceive any sensations. Anna was vaguely aware of her surroundings, however she still couldn't tell if she had truly woken or if she had simply just fallen further into the dreamland that enveloped her mind.

After countless repetitions, Anna felt her grip on reality slipping. She didn't know how long she had been dreaming. She didn't know if she would ever wake. She would sleep, only to wake in a dream, and she would dream of returning to sleep once more.

In that realm of endless dreams, Anna became lost.