Chapter 4: Birds of a feather flock together.

The most beautiful voice I had ever heard sounded just behind me.

"I can't believe it! It worked!"

I turned around with a start and couldn't believe my eyes. The sculpture was gone, and in its place, a rosy blue-eyed redhead stared at her hands with a mixture of disbelief and excitement. My jacket rested on her shoulders and her face was exactly the same as that of the ice figure, but much more detailed, smooth and speckled with freckles.

"I love that little guy! He saved my ass! Hey, wait! Does that mean it's December?"
"July, actually," I answered knowing that at that moment there would be someone laughing at me. I didn't know how or where they had hidden, but the change had been praiseworthy.

The girl looked up, fixed her eyes on me, and surveyed me in the distance with apparent bewilderment.

"And you are…"
"Kristoff," I said holding out my hand to that dreamy woman who had just fooled me at her will.

The girl seemed to hesitate for a moment, but soon she moved her arm to shake my hand; however, as she did so, my jacket slipped slightly and she turned her attention to it. She took it carefully and looked it up and down. The jacket reached almost to her knees. Then, she looked at me again.

"Is this yours?
"Uh… yeah… it seems that way."
"You… saved me?"
"No, I don't think so. I did nothing."
"But… what about this…?" she said showing me the jacket.
"You seemed cold. Well, you know, the ice sculpture that was here a moment ago."
"Oh, yeah… That was me."
"Sure."
"Excuse me?"
"See. I have no idea of why you've mounted this little act, but it's over, okay? I've found it, I've read the letter, there's no ice… End of the show. I'm going home."
"I have no idea what are you talking about."
"I bet you get the best grades at the Drama School."
"What school?"
"Have a nice day, or night, whatever."

I turned again hoping to leave everything behind as quickly as possible and trying to silence the absurd rage growing inside me knowing the obvious: that Anna who had conquered my heart, never existed.

"Wait, wait, wait! Kristoff!"
"What now?"
"You say you've read the note?"
"To that novel, do you call note?"
"Fine, the brief letter…"
"I've read it. What with that?"
"Do you know what happened to Elsa? Has she returned to Arendelle?"
"What?"
"You said it is still July. This isn't so long. Maybe I'm still in time to uncover Hans and avoid his reign. What day is today?"
"Seventeenth."
"Great! Only one day has passed! Wao! Wait, I've been dead a whole day… Creepy, right?"

No doubt, she was a good actress, but, despite knowing that she was trying to cheat me, for some reason, I was liking her so much as the girl of the letter.

"Okay, Anna?"
"Uh-huh?"
"Okay, Anna, I'm heading home. And you should too; it's too late for walking through the forest."
"Yeah, I wish I could, but my horse is not here and there's a man who wants me dead in the castle, you know? I should think of a plan before going there. If I could get Elsa to come with me... surely he doesn't dare to confront her."
"Hey, look, I'm not going to deny you that it's being a very entertaining night, and weird, but I'm starting to feel irritated. How long do you plan to continue with this farce?"
"Oh, sorry that my misfortune is irritating to you."
"Not again…"
"Don't worry, I don't need your help. I haven't had it until now and I can continue without it. Thanks for the jacket."

She threw my jacket to my face and turned around going into the trees. That was my chance to get rid of everything. I just had to turn around too and walk; that was all.

"Arendelle is in the opposite direction."

The supposed Anna turned abruptly on herself and walked erect and proud by passing by my side towards Arendelle. I laughed at her attitude and, following her footsteps, I started my way home too.

I walked silently after her, listening to her random and tireless repertoire of comments.

"It's less cold than yesterday. Were these trees so high? It seems that the Northern lights have already finished… Arendelle is so far! How could I get to here while I was frozen?! Is it much further?"
"Are you three?"
"I'm eighteen. And you?"
"Twenty-one."
"Hmmm… What do you do for a living?"
"I just lost my job."
"Oh… I'm sorry."
"You don't have to."
"Don't you worry," she said stopping in her tracks to letting me reach her and facing me with an enthusiastic smile. "When all this is fixed, Elsa and I will make sure you find a good job."
"Oh, for God's sake!"

It was exasperating. I accelerated the pace and went ahead enough to put some distance between us, but not so much as to lose sight of her. Like I'd said, the forest wasn't a good place to frequent at those hours.

We walked this way for a good time until the lights of the city began to appear in the distance.

"Holy shit! Arendelle is on fire!"
"What?!"

I searched horrified the fire in the town and found no more than the typical and calm summer night. I waited for another little theater on her part, but the terror in her gaze was absolutely genuine.

"Hey, seriously, what's going on?"

Anna didn't answer. She started running with all her power to the town as if her life depended on it. I followed her not understanding anything and I stopped right behind her at the edge of the outskirts.

"What's this?" she said in a shaky little voice.
"Arendelle?"
"This place… Those lights… Those… houses? This is not Arendelle."

"I'm pretty sure it is."
"I mean, yes, it's similar. The mountains are the same, and the fjord, and even the castle, but… everything's… different."
"Where have you seen the fire?"
"No… it doesn't look like fire. I don't know what it is. Everything was shining too bright that I thought…"
"The streetlights? I think they were here yesterday," I joked with a chuckle.

Like the personification of fragility, Anna held onto my finger and started walking through the alleys looking at each and every detail: the closed shops, the manhole covers, the streetlights (she looked a lot at the streetlights), the facades… Everything seemed to surprise her in a more negative than positive way.

"Kristoff…"
"Tell me."
"There is no ice."
"July, remember?"
"Yes, but… Elsa froze everything. Where is the ice?"
"In the movie that you've made up?"
"Movie? What's that?"

For some reason, her expression started to scare me. What if she wasn't acting? What if she was insane and she really believed everything she said?

"I think I'm calling the hospital."

I pulled the cell out of my pocket and she abruptly released my finger.

"What is that?! Do you do magic too?"
"The cell phone?"
"Cell phone?"
"Yes, you know, that phone that is already like a mini-computer."
"Phone? Computer?"
"Anna…"

No longer that I knew what to answer. That was turning out exhausting. I rubbed my forehead in exasperation and, then, I heard it: her soft and muffled sob, like that of a hidden child. She broke me into a thousand pieces.

"Kristoff…"

"What is it?" I said softly taking her hand in mine.
"It's July, right?"
"Yuh-huh."
"Which year from?"

I looked into her eyes, I searched in them for proof that all of that wasn't real, but… the more I looked, the more real it seemed to me. Nothing made sense, and yet everything seemed to fit.

"Twenty twenty-one."

With a heavy gasp, Anna covered her mouth with her free hand and began to cry more intensely and bitterly than before. I shouldn't get carried away. That was theater, the best I had ever seen, but theater nonetheless. But I couldn't leave her, I preferred to be the biggest sucker on the planet than to leave her there crying helplessly. I held her in my arms and let her cry into my chest until she had no tears to shed.