What a ride we're on, huh? Hope you're enjoying it so far!

TW: anxiety attacks, co-consciousness, murder, anxiety attacks

Chapter 20- Lithium (Elsa, Alters, ?)

Elsa ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She hurried through neighborhoods, trees, bushes, anything in her way. She just had to get away before anyone made the connection between her and the snow. "I just have to get away, no one will ever know it's my fault…" Elsa panted, stopping for a second to catch her breath. "Why is this happening now? Why was I cursed with this stupid snow?!" Elsa swatted at the falling snowflakes. "Go away!"

'Elsa, please calm down, little Snowflake. That will only make it worse,' Nia was doing her best to keep calm despite her anger with Kiri. 'Remember what you were told. Your emotions control the snow.'

"I don't hear you, I don't hear you!" Elsa covered her ears. "My life was fine until you and those other voices started acting up. Now nothing will ever be the same!" The snow kept falling, a little faster now. "GO AWAY SNOW!" She got up and started running again, tears stinging on her cheeks. 'Why is my life a living Hell? Why me?' She tripped over a tree root and landed hard on her left elbow. "Shit!" Elsa sat up and held her arm, breathing heavily. "It feels like it's broken…Crap, crap, crap…What am I gonna do?" Elsa wished with all of her heart that she was half as brave as some of the guys she had seen in school. One in particular, Damien, who she looked up to like an older brother. Quite a few times he had stepped up to keep people from bothering her. He'd even stopped some fights involving Elsa a few times. Elsa remembered one time in particular. She didn't know what had happened prior, but when Elsa looked around, there were a few girls coming toward her. From the looks of it, they wanted to hurt her. One of them even had a knife in her hand. Just what had gone on while Elsa was blacked out?! Damien stepped in between them to calm the girls, telling them that Elsa couldn't help what she said and did sometimes. After a few minutes, the girls left and he turned to her. Damien ruffled her hair and walked off. Elsa really admired him. She wished she could be more like him. But no, right now she was this frightened little child who had gotten herself lost. She was nothing more than a frightened, lost, little child.

"Calm down, Elsa. Let me help." Nia took control of Elsa's right arm and tore a piece of cloth from Elsa's shirt, holding the fabric with her teeth. "I'm gonna wrap it up but we have to go back. If it is fractured or even broken we need medical help for it to heal right." Nia wrapped Elsa's arm up.

"I'm not going back. Surely by now they all know I can create snow. They'll kill me! Just like they did to my neighbor! I don't wanna die!" Elsa sat and looked around, still crying. Somehow she had run from the school to an empty field. "I'm lost…" Her heart started racing more now. "I don't know where I am or how to get home.."

'Elsa, please, the snow is getting worse. Calm down. Take deep breaths in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Imagine you're floating on a calm river, the sounds of the birds and gentle wind soothing you.' Nia stroked Anna's hair, still calming down the girl's breakdown. 'Anna, it's going to be alright. She didn't mean such words earlier.'

'But she said it and it hurt so much! I just want to be friends and she hates me, I just know it!'

'No she doesn't. She just doesn't understand what's going on, please, calm down. Anna, why don't you pick your favorite movie to watch and grab whatever food you want to eat. Curl up in a blanket and watch the movie. It'll help you relax, okay?'

Anna sniffled. 'Okay…'

Nia turned to Kiri, who was sitting in her chair with a tall glass of wine in her hand. "Kiri, until this blows over, you aren't to front unless I say. Understood? The last thing we need now is another temper break like the one that caused all of this. I am severely disappointed in you."

Kiri looked up guiltily. "I know, I'm sorry." She took a big gulp of the wine and returned her gaze to her lap. A wave of depression was hanging over Kiri. "What have I done? I could have handled that so much better. Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"Scolding yourself will do nothing to change this mess you've created," Nia shot an angry glance to Kiri.

"Nia, Arcy is scared. Why is she scared? What's going on?"

Nia tilted her head. Elsa's fear must be feeding into Arcana. "Because someone else close to you is scared. When you care about someone enough, you feel what they feel. Does that make sense?"

"When Nia says it, it does," Arcy climbed onto Nia and held onto her back. "She's sorry about your wings."

"Don't be, it's not your fault." Nia hugged Arcy as best she could. "Accidents happen. My feathers will come back and you can sit under them again." Nia's wings were half feathered but it didn't bother her. She was just glad it didn't trigger Arcy. She returned her attention to the observation window to watch Elsa. "This won't be enough. Arcy, stay here and watch cartoons." She set Arcana on the couch and left to be co-conscious. As she walked through the void, the fragments Nia had been watching for a while seemed to be moving closer together. She only hoped it wasn't Nassiri reforming. Elsa was in too bad a state to deal with that vixen again. But on the other hand, it could be someone else. Or it could just be fragments that would never come together. Nia pushed it aside as she took some control.

Elsa sat curled in a ball, rocking back and forth. The snow kept falling and falling. "Why? Why, why, why?"

Nia looked around for anything familiar. She saw trees, shrubs, tall grass and empty areas. 'Hm, nothing looks familiar. How far had she run? Where's north?' She looked to the sky, determining where east and west were by the position of the sun. 'Okay, the sun usually sets on the left of the bedroom, so west is this way.' Nia took control of Elsa's breathing to calm her heart. "Elsa, this is your guardian angel. I'm here to help you. But I can only help you if you let me."

Elsa hiccupped between sobs. "I, okay I guess…" She wiped her nose on her shirt. "What do I do?"

Nia took a deep breath and scratched her head. "First, we need to find out which way north is. Do you know which way the school faces?"

Elsa ignored the fact that her angel seemed to talk through her. She just figured that was how angels communicated. "I think it faces south."

"Good. And see the sun? It's setting on the right. That means that's west. So we know all the directions."

"Okay but how is this going to-"

"Shh, I hear people coming. Let's hide." Nia took them behind a tree that was near tall grass. "Don't move or make a sound. I have no idea what these people want."

Elsa kept her mouth closed as she watched from a distance. There were a few people, who looked to be guys, dragging another guy along. Elsa and Nia both watched, curiously, as the group stopped in an empty area of the field. 'What are they doing?'

'I don't know, little Snowflakes. Just stay hidden.' As the two watched, Nia noticed Elsa's snow had stopped. 'That's great. One less thing to worry about.'

Elsa tilted her head as she heard some shouting. What were these guys doing here? Why were they arguing? Did someone lose a bet?

'I have a bad feeling about this,' Nia frowned. 'Don't look, Elsa. I don't like what I see.'

'Just a little longer. I think this guy lost a bet and has to do something crazy.'

'No, Elsa. Look away now.' Nia tried to move Elsa's hands over her eyes but she couldn't force control.

She ignored Nia and kept watching the group. There was some more arguing before gun shots sounded and two people fell over. Elsa gasped and froze.

Nia covered Elsa's mouth to keep her from screaming. 'That's it, we're leaving.' But Elsa wouldn't move. She was frozen. And her snow was returning. Nia could tell that Elsa knew she just witnessed murder and things were starting to escalate. 'Not again. Come on, Elsa, we have to go now! Before they see us!'

'I, I…There's blood, and they're dead…Why? I can't…No, I can't…I can't deal with this…' Elsa covered her mouth on her own and cried a little, her stress and fear building more now. What if those guys saw her? Would they kill her? She pretty much already had a death sentence since her snow was seen by everyone at school. She was doomed to die one way or another. 'Everyone was born to die.' Elsa gulped and bit her lip to try and keep from being heard.

'Wow, that's depressing…' Nia kept trying to make Elsa move but shock and fear had her paralyzed. 'Elsa! We need to move!'

'Escape…I need to escape…'

'Elsa? Elsa! Wake up! God damn it!' Nia, nearly groaned. Elsa had gone unconscious, taking control of her body with her. Nia felt her blood pressure rising as the group started moving. 'Shit, shit, shit! They're moving and I can't get her out of here!'

'I've got this, angel. Take care of the kid.'

'What the?! Who the hell?!' The last thing Nia needed was someone new who might be dangerous. Her frustration kept growing. 'Who are you?'

'Worry about that later. We need to get this kid to safety before those guys realize what she just witnessed.'

'Okay, that I agree with. For now, I'll trust you. But dare you screw up and you'll end up like Nassiri, only by my hand.' Nia didn't have time to argue with this new person. On her way to the castle, she noticed the fragments were transparent now. What did that mean? Questions would have to come later, she only hoped that the new person would help Elsa. Nia carried her unconscious Snowflake into the castle and laid her on the couch. "Look what you've caused, Kiri."

Kiri bit her lip, hands in her hair. "I know, I know. I feel as if she just saw something terrible. My heart is racing."

"She just witnessed murder, so I'd say that counts." Nia crossed her arms.

"Oh fuck," Kiri groaned. "But if you and everyone else is here, who's out there?"

Slowly Elsa crawled away from the tree, careful not to crawl over any twigs or dried leaves. The sun was setting, the school faced south. That made the other directions easier to follow. So Elsa slowly and quietly came back the way she had come, finding the school within 45 minutes. There were cops waiting with Diane.

"ELSA!" Diane ran and scooped her up the minute she saw her daughter. "I was so worried sick! Don't ever run off again! What happened?"

Crap, what should be said? "Well, I got into a fight with a bully. She was going to hurt me and I just sorta blacked out. When I woke up, there was blood. I got scared so I ran off. I'm sorry."

The cops talked amongst themselves and came to Diane and Elsa. "Well, that story matches what witnesses told us. Except about the snow. Which we don't believe because it's spring. Kids have such imaginations. You're just lucky that the girl decided not to press charges on you. But next time, don't run off. And better still, don't get into any fights."

One of the cops noticed the wrapping on Elsa's arm. "You hurt, kid?"

"Just a bit. I dunno if it's broken or not."

He took hold of her arm and pushed in several places. "I don't feel any broken bones but you should still get it checked out. There could be a hairline fracture."

"You got it."

"Good," both cops got in their car and left.

Diane turned to Elsa, looking at her closely. "We'll take you to an urgent care first to see about your arm. Then we'll get home. It's time for dinner." She took Elsa to the car and drove them off. They waited at urgent care for a while before Elsa was called back. The situation was explained and x-rays were taken. A while later the results came back. There were no fractures or break, just a minor dislocation. They gave Elsa a sling and sent her on her way home with Diane. There was only silence as the two drove home, until Elsa spoke.

"So, how was your day?"

That was strange. Elsa never talked on the way home. Maybe it was one of her alters? Except Aya, she never spoke. Diane took glances at Elsa when she could, studying body language and expression. Nia always had the body language of a woman in a formal gown, Kiri sat somewhat formally, Anna was wild with her movements, Arcy and Aya both kept their arms and legs close to them. So who was this? Maybe it was someone new? But that couldn't be, Dina had identified all of Elsa's alters, hadn't she?

She stared out the car window, wondering. What was school going to be like now that Kayla had learned her place? What about the other girls? Jealousy obviously had a role in why they bullied Elsa. Guys didn't really seem to care that much, which was typical. "Man, chicks can be cruel."

"What was that?"

"I didn't say anything." Elsa herself was back, wondering what had happened. "Huh? How did I get here? Did you find me, Mom?"

Diane did a double take as they pulled into the driveway. "I think you lost some more time. You had run from school and came back later. Please don't ever run from school again. Find somewhere safe in the building to go if you need to but don't run away."

"I'm sorry, Mom, I panicked. I can't stand the sight of blood. It makes me panic," Elsa frowned.

'It happens to everyone squirt, don't fret.'

"Huh? Who said that?"

"Said what?" Diane inquired as she opened Elsa's door. "You were the only one talking."

"But I just heard someone say that it was okay…I am so confused!"

'Heh, nothing to worry about. It's normal.'

"There it is again!"

"Elsa, I think you need to eat and then take a nap. You've had a rough day." Diane picked her up and took her inside. "I'll call you out sick tomorrow. You need to recover."

"Yeah, recover, sure," Elsa murmured. She was hearing voices again. It was fine when it was her guardian angel but anyone else and just no. Elsa laid down on the couch and rubbed her eyes, her head pounding. She fell asleep within minutes, the adrenaline from the day finally fading away.

**"Where am I? What's going on?"

"Quiet, Elsa. You've been brought here because we have concern for you."

Elsa squinted against the bright light shining at her. "Who are you?"

"You could say we're doctors, in a way."

"What do you want with me?"

"Your magic."

"M-magic? I don't…"

Her father was standing beside her. "I tried to warn you, Elsa. Now they found out. There's nothing I can do for you now. You refused my help so now they have you." His voice faded as he slowly melted into the shadows.

"Daddy?"

"Elsa, Elsa how could you? I was trying to protect you…You got careless…"

"Mom?" Elsa looked around but couldn't see Diane anywhere. "Mom, where are you?"

"I can't protect you, they won't let me. Why, Elsa?"

"I didn't do anything, Mom!"

Elsa felt a breeze on her body and looked down to see that her torso was cut open. "Wha…What?!" A group of people in protective suits came towards her, needles and sparking poles with balls on the tips in their hands. "What are you doing to me?!"

"Finding out where your powers come from."

"Leave me alone!" She struggled against the restraints, which turned into hands and clawed into her wrists. "LET GO OF ME!" She pulled and twisted, trying to get free. Ice shard started flying from her in all directions, impaling everyone. "No, no, noooooo!"**

"NOOOO!" Elsa sat upright, panting and sweating. "What? Huh?" She frantically looked around, seeing the living room and Diane by her side. "Was that all just a dream?"

"Whatever it was, it was just a dream, baby girl. What happened today after you ran off? Maybe that's why you had a nightmare?" Diane held Elsa, who was shaking and hyperventilating.

"I, I don't know." Elsa replied, trying to recall the day's events. "Let's see, Kayla got beat up, I ran into a field, got lost….I can't remember anything after that…It's all a blank up until I woke up in the car."

Diane was increasingly worried for Elsa. She had lost time, someone new seemed to be around and something happened when she had run off. "We need to see Dina, immediately." Diane got up and called Dina, going into the kitchen to talk.

'What's going on with me? Why am I having these black outs? And what's with the voices? Am I going crazy?'

'Nah, you're just going through too much right now, squirt. You'll be alright.'

Elsa held her head. This migraine was killing her. What day was it? What time was it? Elsa grabbed the remote from the table and hit the info button, looking for the date and time. It was Tuesday, August 9th and 5:43 p.m. That didn't seem right, though. Last Elsa knew, it was Sunday. Where had the time gone?

"Get cleaned up, Elsa. Dina is going to come over. She agrees that you need to be evaluated immediately."

"Uh, sure…" Elsa went to the bathroom, washed up and changed her clothes. She went to the kitchen, to find something got eat. Looking in the fridge, nothing looked good. But she reached for ham, cheese, pickles and mayonnaise anyway. "I'm just over tired, that's all." Elsa didn't care that her hands ere moving on their own anymore. She just wanted it all to be over as she sat down to eat. 'This is getting to be ridiculous. I don't think I even know who I am anymore. I hear voices, my body moves on its own and I can't remember too many things. If I'm lucky, I'm going crazy. That would explain everything.'

"So, you never did answer my question from earlier. How was your day?" Elsa sat back, arm on the back of the chair and foot propped on the other leg.

'Whatever. I guess my body wants to sit like this. Might as well go with it,' Elsa sighed.

Diane raised an eyebrow. "It was alright, I suppose. Work was busy but when isn't it? What about your day?" Diane sat in a chair by Elsa and began writing down how this person talked and acted.

"Eh, it was alright. The girls in class were snobs as usual. I think they're jealous of Elsa because she's prettier than them without even trying. But I gotta say, squirt surprised me when she beat up Kayla. Though that chick deserved to be put in her place. But getting lost sucked. Good thing I know my directions or we'd have never made it back."

"I see," Diane was trying to piece together this new identity, starting with gender. Body language suggested a guy, since none of Elsa's female alters sat the way this one was. Who was it?

"Well, I make a mean sandwich. But, I gotta go. See ya later!"

Diane shook her head as the new persona left, leaving Elsa's body limp for a few seconds. Who would come out next? There was no way of knowing. Diane only hoped it would be someone she knew as she went to answer the knock on the door.

What's this? Could it be a new alter? Find out in the next chapter! As always, thanks for reading!