"Look at you so grown up!"
"What a beautiful young woman you've become!"
"Your mother would be so proud!"
Elsa smiled nonchalantly as she half-listened to the compliments her father's associates gave her. That wasn't the first social event she had to attend, and shallow interactions like those were very common—so common that she had just gotten used to playing along with the usual sycophant snobs.
When your father owned half of the world and was planning on buying the other half, people tended to act as if they knew you better than you knew yourself. They acted like you were their best friend, or that you were their precious niece who they loved so dearly… You were part of their family, and they would do anything to show you how much they cared about you! Except for... actually caring about you.
Having been in the company of that kind of people from a young age, the Arendelle sisters had grown accustomed to the superficiality of those interactions. Grown-ups vomited empty words of pretend-politeness as they pleased, and God forbid Elsa or Anna responded with anything less than utmost courtesy. On one side, Elsa was quite used to playing along with the elite society's depraved etiquette. On the other, the cold glares still unsettled her greatly. Because when those pretentious millionaires looked at her, it wasn't really her they were looking at—not the real her. They only saw what Elsa was supposed to represent: The prestigious daughter of an important figure; The heir to a dynasty; The picture of sophisticated grace. To them, Elsa was a smart, elegant, perfect young lady, and had she not been able to live up to their expectations, she would be on the receiving end of some harsh, silent scrutiny and criticism.
So one of the ways Elsa had found to make things easy on her was to give them what they wanted. If it was a flawless girl they expected to see, it was a flawless girl that she would give them. It was all part of the acting: pretend to care; smile; show the best manners; ignore the soreness on her feet; look interested in whatever they tell her; laugh even when the joke isn't funny; hide her true feelings; fake her emotions; put on the 'perfect girl' façade... conceal, don't feel.
it scared her though, that the more time she spent polishing that character, the more blurred the lines got. It was getting harder and harder to sort out what she was, and what she pretended to be. Somewhere between then and now, the girl she always had to show in front of strangers was becoming the one she actually was. She kept her composure at all times, she never raised her voice, she maintained that distant demeanor even in the presence of friends. That perfect girl was becoming part of her. She was becoming her. She was her.
And that idea was suffocating.
"I can't find your sister," a gentleman said, looking around the large room. "Was she not here just now?"
"She wasn't feeling very well, so she went outside for some fresh air," Elsa said to cover for Anna. She wasn't completely lying; Anna probably was outside getting some air… for the past one and a half hours.
"Oh, dear Lord, I hope she is all right," someone else said with such dramatic startlement that it was hard to imagine how that reaction could've been in the very least sincere.
"I'm sure she is," Elsa assured the woman and all the other adults around. "She's probably just a little tired."
"My, I can imagine why. I hear you are both very prestigious young minds." The old man chuckled with a hand over his protuberant belly. "I attended the Academy as well, and I remember how strict they were back in my day."
Elsa just smiled along with the crowd, sensing how risky a comment could be. If she agreed with the man, she'd be taken as an ungrateful child who liked to play the victim card. If she disagreed, she'd be a cocky, prepotent little princess with a superiority complex.
"I also heard both you and your sister have nourished some artistic talents, have you not, Elsa?" the man continued in an intimate way, and as Elsa gave him a questioning look, he added, "You two seem to have inherited your mother's aptitude for singing."
Elsa felt her throat constricting, and she had to take a moment to center herself. Having her mother being spoken about by those people, even in the most innocent of ways, was not something Elsa accepted well. She pressed her lips in a smile and chuckled. "Oh, that would be my sister. She's the talented one."
"Such modesty!" Another woman shook her head like she was reprehending the girl, and all the other adults laughed.
She didn't know how that came to be, but before she understood what was happening, the adults all got into some kind of 'my horse is bigger than yours' disguised competition. They threw not-so-dismissive comments about their talents and their accomplishments with absurdly false modesty. They all seemed quite interested in whatever the others had to say but never started a sentence with words other than 'I'.
The conversation heated up quickly, so Elsa felt like it was safe enough to switch to automatic mode. She tuned out the blabbering, and her mind thanked her for the quick break. As she stood there surrounded by the talking adults, she heard what people were saying, but her brain assimilated little of the unimportant buzzing. She smiled, and nodded, and laughed, and looked surprised all by instinct as she let the conversation continue without her input. At some point, as the competition continued, a familiar voice popped in her head. She remembered a short conversation she'd had a few days ago. Ask yourself: What would Jack do?
She couldn't even imagine Jack Frost in that kind of stuffy environment. He sure would have some fun and colorful opinions about all those adults' shallow accomplishments. And that was just the beginning. Knowing what he was like, Elsa was sure he wouldn't stand the constricting atmosphere and would not stay quiet for long. He'd go ballistic and mayhem would fall upon the room. Hmm… What heretic action should he commit to next? Climb the ten feet tall ice sculpture in the middle of the ballroom? Slide from the handrail of the colossal double stairs? Start a food fight by throwing a piece of pudding at one of the guests? Countless and countless ideas came to her mind, ideas that sounded absurd, but at the same time, not unimaginable when it came to that guy. The idea of switching places with Jack Frost and having him there at her father's party instead of her accompanied her the rest of the night, and maybe, just maybe, a small part of her wished he was actually there with her.
After getting back from the horrendous party, Anna found herself apprehensively knocking on Elsa's door. "Elsa? Are you awake?"
"Come in," came her sister's reply.
With reluctance, she opened the door, right hand hiding Elsa's gift behind her. Christmas trees had become one of those long-lost traditions in the Arendelle household, and so they had to find less festive alternatives for the gifts exchange.
"Hey, you…" Stepping inside her sister's immaculate bedroom, Anna spotted Elsa in the middle of a comfy and cozy nest of pillows at the window seat with a book rested between her knees.
"Hi," Elsa greeted her, putting her book down.
Anna closed the door behind her and went to sit on Elsa's bed, keeping her hands behind her all the time. "Your lights were still on, so I figured I'd check on you—unless I'm interrupting? 'Cause I can totally come back later… Or, you know, tomorrow, or maybe not tomorrow, it's past midnight..." Anna abruptly got on her feet. "Yep, I'm definitely coming back in the morning... I'm gonna go—"
"Slow down, Anna," Elsa said with a chuckle. "You're not interrupting anything, I was just killing time."
"Oh... Okay." The younger Arendelle girl sat down again, and to keep herself busy, she started playing with the hem of her pajama shirt.
"So..." Elsa looked at her with a frown. "Not that I'm complaining, sister dear, but what brings you to my room this late at night?"
"Oh, right." Anna jumped up and sheepishly offered her sister the small box. "I just wanted to give you this. I mean, it is technically Christmas already…"
"Can I open it?"
Anna shrugged. "Sure."
Carefully, Elsa opened the box, finding a simple and elegant silver watch inside. A little crystal snowman in the corner of the dial sparkled with all the colors of the rainbow with the slightest of movements. With a bittersweet smile, she rested the box on her lap and looked up at her sister. "Thank you, Anna."
"I thought a watch would be useful to you, you know, because you're always so busy and all. And this"—she pointed at the tiny snowman—"was so adorable I couldn't not bring it home with me..."
Elsa took the opportunity to hold her sister's hand in hers. "I love it. It's perfect. And I actually have something for you too. Wait here." She gave Anna's hand a quick squeeze before walking to the nightstand and returning with a black velvet necklace box in hands.
"Merry Christmas."
"Oh, gee, Elsa..." Anna bit the inside of her mouth as she looked from the white gold snowflake pendant and chain set to her sister and back. "Are you sure I can have this?"
"You didn't like it?" Anna could hear the disappointment in her sister's voice.
"No, that's not it!" Anna added quickly. "It's... beautiful. I just thought that it would look beautifuler in someone like you—I mean, not fuller, but more... more beautiful."
"Anna, why would you say something like that?" Elsa squished her baby sister's face between her hands. "You are so, so beautiful, don't you ever doubt that." She squeezed her hands tighter. "This is yours, and I highly doubt that it would look good on anyone as much as it does on you."
With furrowed eyebrows and semi-immobilized lips, Anna mumbled, "Thanks, sis. But can you let go, please? My cheeks are starting to hurt."
Elsa's hands immediately went back to resting on her lap. "Sorry."
Anna gently took the jewelry and offered it to the older girl. "Will you put it on me?"
"Of course." Elsa fastened the clip and adjusted the chain around Anna's neck. Satisfied with her work, she took a moment to admire her little sister.
"See? I told you it would suit you."
"Jack! Wake up! Wake up!"
Cassie's yells nearly made his ears explode, and all the jumping over his body took all the air out of his lungs.
"Where's the fire?" the silver-haired boy muttered groggily, burying his face further under his pillow.
"It's Christmas morning!" Cassie kept yelling excitedly. "Which means presents, Jack!"
"Your presents aren't going anywhere, Cass." Jack still refused to open his eyes. "Couldn't you wake me up at a decent hour?"
"No!" Cassie shook his body impatiently. "Come on! Mom said I can't open my presents unless the family is all together downstairs! And you're family!" she finished, beating him with a pillow.
For a girl so small, she sure had some strength in those tiny arms, was Jack's conclusion. "Fine, fine." He breathed out a heavy, loud sigh and rubbed his still sleepy eyes. "Gimme a minute, I'll meet you downstairs."
Cassie squealed once more before sliding off his bed. Soon after disappearing through his door, Jack could hear her tiny steps dashing down the stairs and her excited shouts at her success in waking him up. Taking his time, Jack got out of his bed and stretched his arms over his head. He opened the window and peeked outside, letting the chilly breeze and pale early sun grace his skin. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath of the fresh, crisp air.
It looked like he was going to have a good Christmas morning that year as well.
"Oh, my Gosh!" Cassie squealed as she took her last present out of the box. It was a gray and white little bunny, and it was without a doubt the fluffiest and cutest thing the girl had ever seen in her entire life! Securing her new little friend in her hands, Cassie rushed to tackle her brother. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou…"
"Easy there, monkey." Jack put his mug down on the coffee table so his sister could climb onto his lap. "I'm guessing you like your new pet?"
"I LOVE it!" She fondled the little animal against her cheek.
"Sweetheart, don't forget that a pet means a lot of responsibilities," their father reminded her sternly.
Scrunching her nose, Cassie replied, "Don't worry, Dad. I know."
"Your bunny looks grumpy," Jack said, petting the bunny under its chin. The dark splotches of fur over its eyes gave it a grumpy aspect indeed. "Of all bunny colony, you had to get stuck with the grumpiest one ever!"
"He's not grumpy," Cassie argued with a frown. "Don't listen to him, bunny. He's an insensitive, mean boy," she whispered to the little ball of fur.
Jack leaned back against the couch and rolled his eyes. "Whatcha gonna name it, Casse?"
Cassie narrowed her eyes in an extremely focused expression. She rambled to herself for a moment before snapping her head up and locking eyes with her brother.
"Bunnymund?"
Jack bit his lower lips, but couldn't conceal his smirk. "Are you sure that name does justice to your grumpy bunny?"
"He's not grumpy!" Cassie poked Jack in the ribs, and pampering her precious little friend, she cooed, "Hi, Bunnymund."
"Hi, Grumpymund." Jack mimicked his sister's voice tone and tried to caress the little bunny. What he didn't expect though, was that it would take the opportunity to carve its little teeth on Jack's finger, almost as if the pet understood it was being made fun of.
"Hey! Do I look like lettuce to you, cottontail?"
"You totally deserved that." Cassie laughed and kissed Bunnymund on the head. "It's what you get for being mean."
"Don't make me wanna take that thing back to the pet shop, kiddo..."