Charleston, West Virginia, June 10th 2006
"Yea, so I don't get why he has to be such a dick about it-'' Anna chattered into her phone, clasped between her ear and shoulder. With a hand on the steering wheel, the engine of her Jaguar growled like a lion as it thundered through the pouring rain.
"It's because he likes you, don't you get it-"
Squinting between the sheets of pouring rain, Anna muttered back into the phone, "Hang on, let me turn the wipers on, I can't see anything in this fucking weather."
"What! Are you talking on the phone and driving again?" the voice screamed back, but she'd already tossed her phone onto the passengers' seat, where it landed next to an empty bottle of Jack Daniels and a blister pack of adderall.
Anna turned her wipers and lights on, but it didn't make seeing through the rain any easier. Still, she floored the gas pedal, knowing the dimly-lit suburban roads would end soon, and she'd be back at the campus. A speck of white floated into her vision, but an inebriated Anna dismissed it as a vestigial hallucination from the massive bong hit she did an hour earlier. The realisation that the shadowy figure on the road was real hit her a moment too late, and she slammed the brakes hard.
The wheels locked up, sending the car drifting down the water-logged road, before it struck the woman at full speed, sending her flying onto the median.
"Fuck!" Anna screeched, running her car onto the curb amidst the crunching of icicles. Throwing caution to the wind, Anna raced over to her in the pouring rain. The woman held out a hand to stop her from coming closer.
"Wait, wait, wait, I'm alright," she called out, clutching her chest, "Ok, I think I broke a rib, and my back feels sort of weird-"
"I just ran into you at eighty!" Anna screamed, dropping to her knees and grabbing at fistfuls of iced-over grass.
The woman, dressed in a thin, white dress, with matted blonde hair falling in tendrils on her shoulders, prodded about in her chest, before sighing, "yea, I definitely broke a rib."
"I'm going to call an ambulance," Anna shrieked, lips sputtering in the rain, before she raked a hand through her soaked hair, "no, no, too long, I'll send you there right now-"
"My back's fucked - you shouldn't move me-" the woman complained, right before Anna scooped her in her arms and hauled her off. The sudden movement wrenched a cry of anguish from her, and she gritted her teeth as Anna deposited her into the back seat of her car.
"P-please, please don't do that again," the woman grimaced, screwing her eyes shut from the pain, before a vague aroma hit her nostrils, "i-is that weed? Have you been smoking?"
"I'm getting you to the hospital," Anna said, looking over at her before putting the car into drive and tearing up the grass on the median, "nearest one is right outside campus."
"Oh my god, oh my god, please don't drive when you're high, that's probably why you ran me over in the first place."
Gripping the leather seats, she watched the streetlights flutter past while fire burned in her chest. She pressed a palm to her ribs, only to have a lingering numbness spread through her fingers. Recoiling from the sight of ice on her dress, she stifled a gasp and tried to distract herself with a mental game she'd played repeatedly during times like this. A game called "how did I get here?"
How did I get here?
I was walking down the road and then this bitch hit me with her car.
How did I get there?
I wandered off the forest path when the rain got too heavy and I didn't make out the road.
How did I get there?
Her mind drew a blank, as always. A sob bubbled up within her chest, and she bit down on her fingers to prevent it from escaping. With each breath she took, the fire in her chest burned more and more, and the ice in her hands began to harden. Until Anna's voice snapped her back to reality.
"What's your name?" Anna asked, looking over her shoulder, "or, what would you like me to call you?"
Again, her mind drew a blank. You're a pathetic disgrace, you can't even remember your own fucking name.
"I don't know-" she started.
"You don't know your own name?" Anna quipped.
"Look, I just can't-" she stammered, before her hands began to shake, and she frantically searched her brain for a random female name, "I'm Elsa, ok? Just call me Elsa."
"Oh nice! Like that Victoria's Secret model. She's blonde too-"
"What?" Elsa slurred, before a fragment of her memory shimmered inside her brain. Elsa Hosk. She'd seen her on a big billboard downtown; lips painted cherry red, megawatt smile, satin lingerie and angel's wings. The model's rail-thin legs had caught her attention for a brief moment, before she hurried along.
How did I get there?
Nothing.
Before she could panic again, Anna jerked the car to a halt, sending a spurt of agony down her spine.
"We're here!" Anna sang out.
"Where?" Elsa asked, before noticing the big words in red: EMERGENCY, and Anna outside, gesturing to nurses. Thankfully, the hospital staff were far more gentle with Elsa's svelte frame, and before long they had her strapped to a gurney and pushed into the emergency room.
Anna grabbed the nearest doctor she could find, and pointed at the woman's body disappearing through the double-doors, "Please, please, you've got to help her, I-I ran her over with my car."
The doctor adjusted his glasses, "Wait, you hit her with your car? How fast were you going?"
Anna hesitated, before she looked down at the ground and whispered, "Eighty, I suppose."
"Eighty, and she's still lucid and conscious, that's miraculous-"
"She said she hurt her ribs and back, I don't know what else," Anna said, clasping her hands in front of her.
"Wait, wait, wait, before we go into details, do you know this woman's identity, or if she has any insurance?"
"Oh for crying out loud, she's injured!" Anna gasped, rolling her eyes, "She said her name was Elsa, no idea what her last name is. And if you need insurance, just use mine!"
"Um, that's not how it works, ma'am."
"Look, look over here," Anna snarled, grabbing him by the elbow and pulling him over to a huge plaque, adorning the archway to the ER.
CHARLESTON GENERAL HOSPITAL, WISHES TO THANK THE FOLLOWING DONORS TO THE MERCY EMERGENCY WARD:
"The first name," Anna continued, pointing at the highest name on the plaque, "recognise it?"
"Ok, ok, we understand, Miss Styrke," the doctor said, wrenching his arm from Anna, "we'll make sure Elsa is taken care of."
Elsa stirred awake to the steady beep of a heart-rate monitor. The fire in her chest was gone, replaced by a lingering numbness which spread to her back and neck. She shifted about in her bed, dreading the pain that would surely come but feeling nothing but warmth and peace; like someone was looking after her. A guttural snore caught her attention, and she made out a slouching figure on the couch beside her. Anna's black Louboutins had been flung on the floor, and her legs splayed onto the coffee table.
How did she get here?
Right, she ran you over with her car.
A sigh of relief bubbled up from her lungs, and she resisted the urge to probe her brain further.
"Oh my god, you didn't have to stay here with me-" Elsa started, stirring the girl awake. She rose and stretched out with a yawn, disheveled red hair gleaming in the morning sun.
"You're awake," Anna slurred, rubbing her eyes.
"D-did you do all this for me?" Elsa asked, pointing around at the private hospital ward, and a bowl of profiteroles and steaming coffee beside her.
"Yes!" Anna quipped, popping a profiterole in her mouth, "I got the best trauma surgeon in town to look at you, he says you'll be fine as long as you don't move around too much."
"You really shouldn't have-"
"No, please," Anna said, sitting next to her, and placing a hand on her knee, "it's the least I could do, after hitting you. That was all my goddamned fault"
Elsa gripped the sheets, and tried to register some sort of anger at the girl. Deep down in her heart, she knew it was goddamned irresponsible to drive while stoned and drunk at the same time, but she found herself unable to speak a harsh word to her. Instead, there was something warm about the way she touched her, that immediately put her at ease.
Anna whispered, "y-you're not going to call the cops on me, right?"
"No, no, not at all," Elsa replied, daring to eat one of the profiteroles, "oh my god, it's filled with chocolate cream."
"Yea! I had to get it delivered from a hotel downtown, but totally worth it-"
"W-why are you doing this?" Elsa asked, taking a sip of coffee.
Anna looked down at the sheets, "This might sound really selfish, but I really can't get into any more trouble, my parents sent me away so that I could leave an old life behind me, but all I've been doing lately is get into more trouble. I'm afraid this would be the last straw and they'd cut me off for good."
"W-what sort of trouble have you been getting up to?" Elsa asked, locking eyes with the girl.
"The usual, y'know, drugs, alcohol, DUIs, violent crime, hanging out with the wrong kinds of people," Anna answered, looking away from her and out the window, "I've sworn on my life I'd get everything straightened out but it appears I've ran out of excuses this time, since I've nearly killed another human being."
Yea you should really get your shit together before you run over another person.
Elsa resisted the urge to chide the girl, instead gripping her hand firmly. That's strange, she thought, your hands are usually stone cold and filled with ice. Warmth spread through her palms, and then her cheeks. She searched her mind for the last time she'd felt this warmth before, and found nothing - like this was the first time, or she simply forgot how warmth felt.
"I hope you'll treat this as a wakeup call then," Elsa muttered.
"What's your story?" Anna asked.
Elsa shook her head, as her own thoughts assaulted her.
My name isn't even Elsa. I can't remember my name, or anything that's happened to me more than 10 minutes ago. My hands sometimes freeze over uncontrollably.
Did I also mention that I'm incapable of dying? I could be a thousand years old and not know anything about it.
Her eyelids fluttered shut as an ache spread through her chest. This time, she knew it's not her ribs, but rather an accumulation of frustration of not knowing a goddamned thing about herself. Elsa gripped the sheets, powerless to stop the tears from dripping down her cheek, and Anna quickly picked up on the sudden rush of panic welling up within the woman.
"Look, it's ok, you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Elsa sputtered, trying in vain to stop the heaving in her chest, "I just feel so helpless sometimes."
Her own face flashed in the periphery of her vision, and she glanced at the enormous flatscreen TV mounted on the wall. Her breath caught in her throat as she made out her own face from a police sketch, plastered on the morning news. The TV had been muted, but subtitles still scrolled across the screen.
POLICE ARE STILL SEEKING THE WHEREABOUTS OF AN UNIDENTIFIED WHITE FEMALE, SOUGHT IN CONNECTION TO THE MURDERS OF LUKAS AND JENS ULLRICH DURING A GRISLY HOME INVASION. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION-
That can't be me, I can't even recognise my own face, she thought, before catching a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror of the washbasin. Blonde hair, blue eyes, 5'7", the whole town would be looking for her now, over a double murder she had no idea about. Perspiration broke out on her forehead as she felt the walls closing in on her, but strangely, still no frost on her fingers, clasped firmly around Anna's.
"I really should get out of here," Elsa whispered, unsure of exactly where she'd go.
"No, please, you can't," Anna pleaded, gripping the woman's fingers, "Dr Robertson said you'd have to stay here for observation."
"I have to," Elsa argued back, wrenching her fingers from Anna's, "there's this sick and bad feeling inside me that something terrible will happen if I stay here-"
"Where are you going? Do you have a home, or family, anyone?"
Annoyance surged within Elsa. She cast a disparaging look at the girl, and gritted her teeth.
"I don't fucking know," Elsa seethed, rubbing her forehead, "maybe I'll just walk and walk until I get run over by another stranger again."
"Please don't-"
Ignoring Anna's whimpered pleas, Elsa spotted a white dress draped upon a chair to dry. She immediately got out of bed and stripped off her hospital gown to change. The sight of Elsa's glowing skin beneath the lights didn't go unnoticed by Anna.
"Oh my god," Anna gasped, hands clasped onto her lips, as her eyes roved down the curves of Elsa's figure, "you really do have a body like Elsa Hosk."
That name, again. Elsa bit down on her lip.
"No goddamned idea who she is," Elsa lied, before marching out the ward door. Torn from the warmth of Anna's presence, ice began to form on her hands again, and with each step she took, felt more and more numb to her surroundings. The urge to cry threatened to swallow her whole, but she folded her arms and brushed past nurses and doctors, muttering to herself, "be strong, be brave" over and over again, until a single voice cut through the fog of her thoughts.
"Come with me!" Anna called out, down the corridor.
Elsa turned, and stared at Anna. Warmth returned to her hands.
How did I get here?
People are looking for you, and you had to leave the hospital.
How did I get there?
This woman ran you over with her car.
Astounded that her memory could stretch more than an hour back, she stared at Anna trotting down the corridor towards her with her mouth ajar. The ice was gone by the time Anna swooped in next to her and took her by the hand.
"Stay with me, for awhile, or whatever," Anna said, pulling her away, "I'd hate to see you get hurt again."
Elsa opened her mouth to protest, but there was something about this freckled redhead which brought warmth back into her life, and helped her memories resurface. Dreadful of the cold that constantly plagued her, she allowed Anna to lead her down into the carpark, where a dented Jaguar was waiting. Her eyes widened at the size of the damage, and wondered how she could've left that there and still be walking.
Sensing Elsa's apprehension, Anna took pains to drive as slowly as possible. Elsa stared at the streets along their short drive, not recognising a single street name or building, but the urge to panic had deserted her, even as the girl led her into an unfamiliar building. Scores of Anna's dormmates passed them, greeting her in the corridors, and casting curious glances at the taller woman. It didn't take long for Anna to sense her shyness.
"They think you're hot," Anna quipped, tugging at her arm.
Elsa bit on her lip, not remembering what it's like to be surrounded by this many people, all with eyes on her. Amidst the hurried shuffling, a burly college male winked at her and attempted to strike a conversation, only to get shoved away by Anna.
"I don't really think you're in the mood for any of that," Anna said, leading Elsa into her room, which looked as if a tornado had torn through it. A pile of designer shoes was the first thing Elsa tripped over, and the entire room reeked of a mix of vodka and cannabis. Despite the mess, the artworks on the walls took Elsa's breath away, and she paused to look at each one of them, each brushstroke on the canvases telling a different story.
"You paint beautifully," Elsa whispered, eyes widening in awe.
"Nice of you to assume I painted them," Anna chuckled , "but thank you-"
There was even a painting in the bathroom; a watercolour with long cyan brushstrokes resembling angel's wings, adorned with flecks of gold acrylic paint. The pain in her ribs was gone as she stared at the painting, replaced by an inexplicable knot in her chest she couldn't unravel. Turning from the portrait, she gasped as she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. Pale skin, blonde hair, blue eyes that screamed of loneliness. Elsa pawed at her face, just checking that she was really touching herself. Frost crackled from her fingertips, studding snowflakes into her hair. She tore her gaze from the mirror, and took a shower with scalding hot water, just wishing it'd wash away the bitter cold that plagued her insides.
A closet overflowing with dresses greeted Elsa. She barely recognised any of the labels: Versace, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, but opted for a plain white Burberry pleated dress which fell to her knees. Her skin was still reddened and raw from the hot shower, and Anna was nowhere to be found. Taking a brush to her hair, Elsa stared at her own reflection as she brushed and braided her blonde tresses, unsure of the last time she had the luxury of doing her own hair, or how she even knew how to.
What the hell am I doing here?
Oblivious to the answer, Elsa allowed her eyes to wander around Anna's room, strewn with the remnants of college life: clothes, bags, electronics and textbooks. Framed paintings adorned the walls, depicting pleasant landscapes and animals and angels. An unfinished portrait of a sunrise over a fjord, sat on an easel - next to several empty cans of energy drinks.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Anna entering. Despite not even recognising her own face, the sight of the freckled redhead put a smile on hers. Anna clasped her hands around Elsa's.
"I hope you're feeling better," Anna whispered, looking up into her eyes, "but also, I, um, brought you here for a reason."
Elsa's lips pursed into a thin line.
Anna looked down at the hardwood floor, before continuing, "there's just something magnetic about you I can't put my finger on, it's such a mystery that you'd show up on the road one night just to get run over by me. I'm not normally one to believe in flimsy things such as fate, but there has to be some kind of divine purpose why you're here."
Elsa's chest contracted as Anna muttered the words divine purpose. Her eyelids fluttered shut, and for a brief moment, saw a flash of radiant light, before it faded away into darkness. Like always, she wracked her brain to find a connection to those words. Like always, nothing.
"There is a purpose for me, yes," Elsa whispered, clutching at Anna's fingers as though releasing them would unleash a torrent of frost, "but unfortunately, I haven't the slightest clue what it is."
Anna hesitated for a second, "...you don't have anything on you? No purse, no phone, no identification, and you're content living like this?"
"Look, sweetie, I don't even remember my own name. And I really must apologise for helping myself to your clothes, I've imposed on you for far too long-"
"Please," Anna pleaded, tightening her grip on Elsa's hands, "I want to help you."
The look of utter sincerity in Anna's eyes evoked dread in the pit of Elsa's stomach. A part of her longed to stay, but a menacing foreboding gnawed at her insides, as though something bad was bound to happen. The thought was enough to tear her hands away from Anna.
"I have to go, sorry I can't pay you for the dress," Elsa said, before turning to leave.
"Please don't, please-" Anna pleaded, grasping at her dress.
"I can't, please let go of me, something bad is bound to happen if I stay here another minute, I have no idea what, but it will," Elsa snarled, raking a hand through her hair.
"You can't, you can't," Anna begged, grabbing Elsa's shoulders, "I just barely met you!"
With a firm hand, Elsa shoved Anna away. A look of hurt flashed through the girl's eyes, right before she leapt forward and pressed her lips against Elsa's. Despite her history of impulsiveness, Anna had no idea why she did it, only knowing that she had to. Elsa shut her eyes and savoured the honey-sweet taste of Anna's lips, a split second before she wrenched herself from the girl and shot her a frosty glare.
"What...what the hell did you just do?" Elsa sputtered, wiping her mouth.
"I'm...I'm sorry," Anna whispered, looking into her eyes, "Actually, no, I'm not sorry."
The girl's unapologetic tone unleashed a torrent of emotion within Elsa. Warmth flooded her senses, and she shoved Anna against the wall as hard as she could, before kissing her with every ounce of fury she had within her. The sensation of Anna's warm, lithe frame pressed up against hers', drew out a long sigh from her lungs, sending Anna's red fringe fluttering against her freckles. The sight set Elsa's heart alight.
"I don't know why," they whispered in unison, on each other's lips, "it's like we were meant to."
"Oh my god I don't even like girls," Anna exclaimed, cupping Elsa's face in her hands. The woman leaned forward and traced her lips against Anna's neck, pausing to kiss each cluster of freckles. The sensation drove Anna's fingertips into her shoulders. With each passing moment, the dread and arousal in Elsa's body increased with ferocity, until at last they collided.
A chorus of panicked shouting from outside drove the two apart.
"Fuck," Elsa swore, "I told you something bad would happen."
Anna shot her eyes to the ceiling as the dorm's public address system erupted in a crackle of static.
ACTIVE SHOOTER, ACTIVE SHOOTER, ACTIVE SHOOTER, REMAIN INDOORS
ACTIVE SHOOTER, ACTIVE SHOOTER, ACTIVE SHOOTER, REMAIN INDOORS
ACTIVE SHOOTER ACTIVE SHOOTER, ACTIVE SHOOTER, REMAIN INDOORS
Disbelief gripped her, before the faintest rattle of gunfire took them aback.
"Oh my god, it's happening," Anna gasped, clawing at her face. The shouting from outside escalated into screaming, and Anna bolted for the door.
"No, no, no! Stay inside!" Elsa screamed, too late for Anna to open the door to get confronted with fleeing students. The stampede knocked Anna to the ground, and Elsa's eyes widened in horror as the girl was cut down by bullets.
A piercing cry of anguish echoed through the room as Elsa hurled herself over Anna. Frost erupted from her hands as Anna's blood spilled upon the linoleum floor, and Elsa's tears froze uncontrollably. She turned to face the murderer, a redheaded man, wielding an assault rifle. Dead students lined the hallway where he stood, slumped against the wall.
"There you are," his voice seethed, as he reloaded another magazine from his tactical vest.
The faintest whimper from Anna, still lying on the ground, drove a pang of grief into Elsa's heart, but she found herself unable to tear her eyes away from the shooter. He spat on the ground, "Of all the places you've chosen to hide, this one's the worst by far-"
"Who the hell are you?" Elsa shrieked, as snow billowed around her, "Why did you have to do this?"
"Look into my eyes," he said, voice low and ominous, "look into my eyes and see your enemy. Stare into my soul and recognise the man whose brothers you murdered."
Her hands froze over. Darkness filled her heart as she stared at the hatred emanating from his eyes. Fragments of her memory swam into focus as she screwed her eyes shut; amongst them, she could only recognise two men dragging her indoors, before she fled in a panic. None of what she recalled made any sense, apart from his name.
"Hans," she whispered, frost lining her breath.
"Looks like you aren't as forgetful as you make yourself out to be."
"What do you want from me?" Elsa asked, "Why did you have to kill all these innocent people?"
"I want you dead," Hans snarled, voice dripping with malice.
"Look, we both know that's not going to work out-" she answered, a second before he raised his rifle and unloaded a withering barrage of automatic gunfire at her. The bullets slammed into Elsa and knocked her to the ground, right before they fell from her frozen skin. Lead clattered around her, and she gritted her teeth at the pain blossoming across her frozen flesh.
"Eat shit," Elsa grimaced, leaping to her feet and flinging a bolt of frost at Hans. The impact hurled him into the wall, but he merely laughed at her endeavour. He took a brief glance at his frozen rifle, before flinging the broken contraption away.
"Useless mortal weapons," Hans seethed, flexing his fingers in front of him, before unleashing a piercing cry which sounded like it came from the depths of hell. He flung himself forward and collided into Elsa with such force that it sent both of them through the floor and into the gymnasium. Ice magic flowed into her hands as she threw him off herself, and she staggered to her feet in the middle of the icy crater she had left on the basketball court's floor. Frozen splinters of wood crunched beneath her feet, and she gasped in horror as Hans stood a half-court from her, eyes glowing with fury.
"Finally willing to shed your mortal disguise?" Hans' voice boomed around the hall.
Elsa looked at her feet. Her razed clothes had been overlaid with sheets of icy fabric, and frosty wings draped the gymnasium floor. Flames dripped off Hans' shoulders, as his body began to smoulder, before his skin glowed with fire.
"You'll pay," Elsa seethed, materialising an ice sword from thin air. A three-pronged pitchfork emerged in Hans' hands, and the two stared the other down for a moment. A rush of cold air filled the hall as Elsa's wings stretched to its full breadth, before she leapt into the air and dove down at Hans. Grunting with fury, Hans swatted at her, right before she drove her sword into his heart.
"Their souls are mine!" he seethed, a second before she drew her sword again, and hacked off his flaming head. Elsa casted a disparaging look at the still-smoking corpse on the ground, before it disintegrated into ash and embers. At once, she leapt to the upper level in search of Anna. Terror tore through her soul when she found Anna groaning in pain outside her room. Her sword vaporised, and she cradled the girl's head with shaking hands.
"You fool," Elsa chided, grimacing as the girl struggled to breathe, "I told you not to go outside."
Blood leaked from her mouth, but Anna still traced a finger along the icy feathers on Elsa's wings.
"I...I knew right from the start you were special."
Feather by feather, Elsa's wings disappeared, and with them, her memories from the past ten minutes. She gasped at the death and destruction around her, and the dying girl in her arms.
How did I get here?
She saved your life.
You saved hers.
The first thing Anna heard was the steady beep of a heart rate monitor, matching the thump of her heart. A voice floated into her consciousness.
"Alright, she should be coming out of it anytime now."
A dull ache invaded her senses as she opened her eyes, but the sight of her parents put her at ease.
"Thank god you're fine," Adgar said, placing a reassuring hand on Anna's shoulder, "try not to move around too much, they only managed to remove 2 out of the 3 bullets."
Her lips were parched, and she struggled to speak until Idunn helped her gulp down a glass of water. The sight of a bowl of profiteroles sent her head spinning. She looked around the ward, the exact same ward she was in yesterday, and felt a wave of guilt wash over her. The questions flew from Anna lips in a flurry-
"How many students died?"
"12-"
"Who did it?"
"Some man, he killed himself with an IED shortly after-"
"Who brought me in?"
Idunn and Adgar looked at one another, before shaking their heads.
"We don't know, the doctors said your wounds were frozen over, which didn't make sense. We're just happy you made it."
Anna stared back at her parents with her mouth ajar. She'd never felt close to her parents, and even after a tragedy like this, the distance between them was palpable. Still - there was something about the way she nearly died, which clenched at her heart.
"I'm sorry," Anna whispered, as tears sprung from her eyes, "I've been a goddamned terrible daughter and I'm sorry for everything."
Taken aback by their daughter's sudden confession, Idunn and Adgar stared at Anna with trembling lips. Unable to fill in the unspoken void between them, and hesitant to embrace their wounded daughter, they turned to Doctor Robertson.
"She will be fine, won't she?" Adgar asked him.
"Yes, she will, sometimes the painkillers affect their emotions, for awhile," Doctor Robertson answered, shifting his glasses, "I'd like to talk to you separately about other matters."
The doctor adjusted the dosage of morphine, before showing her parents out. At once, Anna felt herself drifting off to sleep. With a million questions still on her mind, she attempted to fight off the slumber on her eyelids. She nearly passed out, but jolted upright at the creak of the ward door. A lone figure sauntered through, wearing a tailored men's suit, and carrying a bouquet of flowers. The woman looked over her shoulder, before removing the enormous Dior sunglasses shielding her blue eyes. A single, blonde braid dangled against her shoulder.
"You're real," Anna gasped, as Elsa laid the flowers on the bed, "you remembered me."
Elsa hesitated, eyes brimming with tears, but she placed a quivering hand on Anna's.
"How could I forget someone like you?" Elsa whispered. She sniffled, before wiping at her eyes.
"...Please, please don't cry."
"I'm so sorry, Anna. I'm sorry for getting you hurt."
In her dazed state, it took all the strength within Anna to give the slightest of squeezes into Elsa's hand.
"No, you saved me, after everything I've done to you," Anna said, mustering the courage within her to make a final confession, "I think I'm in love with you. Please don't leave me again."
Hurt flashed through Elsa's eyes as she tore her gaze from Anna. She knew that telling the girl her exact purpose on earth would utterly wreck her, especially in such a fragile state, and there was never any chance she could love a mortal like Anna. No matter how much she was drawn to her.
"There's no future for us together," Elsa confessed, looking into Anna's grief-stricken eyes, "but I will always be watching over you."
"I couldn't ask for more," Anna lied, as tears dripped from her chin, "now that I've found you after searching my entire life."
The ache in Elsa's chest multiplied as she wrenched her hand away from Anna. Leaning down towards the girl, she planted a kiss on her forehead, followed by her lips. Warmth blossomed across her face, but like the brevity of a mortal's lifespan in the face of eternity, it was gone, and she started for the door. A frail whimper caught her attention.
"Will I see you again?" Anna asked.
Elsa turned, and sighed.
"Keep driving the way you do," Elsa whispered, putting her shades back on, "and you just might."