Chapter 20: Finding Elsa
The phone dropped from Anna's hand and clattered on the floor. Anna was staring at the photo on her laptop. For a moment, Anna thought that maybe she was hallucinating but it was her. It was definitely her. The photo clearly showed that it was Elsa. Anna couldn't believe it. She ran her fingers through her hair. So this was how she was finally going to locate her sister. Anna examined the photo. The location said that the photo was taken in a town called Burgess in America. Anna had never heard of that place but then again, geography wasn't exactly her strong suit. So, Elsa had been in America this entire time?
"Anna?" Kristoff asked her. "Anna?"
Kristoff waved his wand in front of her eyes but she didn't see a thing but the photo. Her eyes were still on Elsa in the photo. Her entire body was focusing on that photo. Anna couldn't believe her eyes. Elsa had gone to America? What was she doing there? Studying? Working? Having that fresh start that she wanted? Or all of the above? Anna then had a crazy thought. It was time to investigate this with her own eyes. She needed to know the truth about this and she needed to know now.
"Anna!" Kristoff waved his hand in front her of eyes more vigorously than before.
"What?" Anna jumped to her feet. She finally had realised that Kristoff had been trying to get her attention. Kristoff looked shocked at her reaction.
"You went into a random trance like state," Kristoff said. "Are you okay?"
"Look," Anna pointed at her screen. Kristoff peered at it for several long seconds. Then a shocked expression came over his face and Anna knew he had seen what she had seen.
"Elsa," he breathed. "But…but….what is she doing in America?"
"I have an idea," Anna's brain had suddenly kicked started. An idea formed in her brain. What if Elsa had gone to America not just to get away from it all and to start a fresh but maybe to start university? After all, that would be her next step. She had left when she was eighteen. Anna knew that Elsa had been looking at universities before she went. "Wait for me here. I think a small trip is in order. I just gotta do one little thing."
Kristoff looked perplexed but didn't say anything. He just stared at his girlfriend. Anna dashed out of the house after grabbing her coat and bag. Kristoff still didn't say a single thing. He just let her go. He knew that she needed to do what she needed to do. She quickened towards her car and jumped into it. Twenty minutes later, she came to her old house – the house which she and Elsa had grown up in. She took a deep breath. She hadn't been here since the shooting of her father. Her body was trembling. Calm yourself Anna, she told herself, it's just a building, just a building. However, she remained in her car. She just sat in her seat with her seatbelt still pulled over her chest. She breathed in and out.
Eventually, she didn't know when, she found herself walking towards the house. Her feet were leading her body – her brain was numb. Her shaking fingers reached for code to allow her into the house. She punched in the four numbers – 1123 – the four first digits of the Fibonacci sequence (her father was quite into maths). Somehow her fingers were able to push the door open to reveal the inside of the house. She remained in the hallway – for how long, she couldn't say. Memories of the house poured into her brain – birthdays, Christmases, the whole lot. She could practically see the ghosts of the past running about the house. She could even see her mother coming up towards her with a big grin on her face.
"Anna, dear, are you okay?" her mother's voice was so real that it made her jump.
Stop it Anna, she whispered. She had a job to do. She wasn't here for a trip down memory lane. She was here for Elsa.
Anna walked up the staircase – her fingers brushing against the bannister as she walked up the stairs. Anna paused outside Elsa's bedroom. It felt wrong for her to be there. The many years of Elsa pushing her away and not letting her into her bedroom rang loudly in her ears. Elsa would have gone ballistic if she knew that her little sister was entering her room without permission. She forced herself to ignore it. She was doing this for Elsa. The bedroom door swung open at a slow pace as if it was hesitant to reveal its secrets.
Inside Elsa's bedroom was what Anna expected to see. There was her bed, bookcases, a closet and her desk. It looked nearly identical to how Anna remembered it from all those years ago. Anna sat down at Elsa's desk and sighed. She gazed at the empty space on Elsa's desk. Elsa obviously took her laptop with her when she left which was a shame as that would have important information on it that would have been useful for Anna to do a little digging. Alright, Anna told herself, if I was Elsa where would I hide stuff? Anna started to search everywhere. She started in the bookcases. Elsa was an avid book lover so maybe she hid stuff in a book. Anna tore down book after book but nothing. Next, she looked in the closet but she only found leftover clothes and other stuff that Elsa left. Anna even looked under Elsa's mattress but still, nothing.
Well that only left one place left; her desk. Anna thought that it would have been too obvious for Elsa to have left anything there so that was why she left it for last. If Elsa had wanted to keep anything from their father, their desk may have been not the place to have kept anything that was worth hiding. It was too out in the open. Well maybe Elsa may have left something there after all so she opened the drawers. Anna searched through all of them but there was nothing. Anna sighed. It was a longshot, she knew that. Maybe nothing was here after all. She leaned back in the chair and sighed. Was this a just a waste of time? Anna sighed once more. However, there was a feeling inside her stomach. Something told Anna to check the drawers again. She didn't know what was guiding her but it had been right so far. Anna opened the drawers again but this time she took a more thorough look. This time, she was rewarded for her efforts.
The top drawer on the right had a false bottom. Anna was surprised to see it. So Elsa was hiding things in plain sight after all. Their father wouldn't likely have looked much deeper than the false bottom. She took it out and underneath it was a series of brochures. Anna took these out and looked at them. They were all from universities. So Elsa had been looking at universities. That didn't surprise Anna nor did surprise her that Elsa had these hidden. Anna knew that their father was trying to plan her future and perhaps even hers when she got a little older. Well, if Elsa was hiding them it meant that their father didn't want Elsa deciding on what she did with her future. Looking back, he had been quite a controlling man when it came to that subject. Abusers like to control their victims so that wasn't a surprise. Maybe their father wanted Elsa close so that he could keep her under his thumb.
When Anna flicked through the brochures, one instantly jumped out at her. It was for the University of Burgess. Burgess, was that where Elsa was? The photo had Elsa taken in it was taken in the same place. Anna opened the brochure and saw that it had one of the best law schools in the world. Anna knew that Elsa wanted to be a lawyer and so a world class law school would be where she wanted to go and according this brochure it was one of the best in the world. Anna stared and stared at the brochure. There were writings all over it – what looked like usernames and passwords – in Elsa's handwriting. The other's didn't which told Anna that Elsa had been planning on attending this university. So this was where her sister had gone after she had been acquitted. This had been where she made new friends, made new memories and tried to get through what had happened to her. Tears flooded her eyes and dripped onto the brochure.
Anna didn't know how she managed to get back to her apartment. Her feet carried her all the way. Her brain was miles and miles away. She kept thinking about her sister. Eight years ago, her sister left Arendelle and travelled to Burgess. She must have been planning it a while. The brochure proved that.
"So," Kristoff said when Anna opened the door to their apartment walked inside, "what was your idea?" For an answer, Anna showed him the brochure. Kristoff took it and gave it a good looking over. "So, she went for university. Why does that not surprise me? Are you planning a trip out there?"
"Well, actually no, not to the university anyway, Elsa would have graduated by now," Anna said. "I just wanted to know what Elsa's life was like. This gave me a small insight into it and I want further insights."
"You miss her," Kristoff said simply.
"Yes," Anna admitted. She sighed and dug her hands deep into her pockets. "I never wanted to admit it. Hating her was just easier I guess. Holding onto that hate was even easier but somewhere along that way, deep down, I realise that I did actually miss her. She was a good sister which was something else I definitely did not want to admit. She tried to keep me out of trouble – Hans, my dad, to name a few. I just didn't see that. Instead I took our relationship as face value – the fact that she locked me out, the fact that she never seem to want to be around me – I guess I took it to mean that she hated me and so I found it easy to return the hate."
More tears came out her eyes. Kristoff pulled her into a comforting embrace.
"Off to Burgess?" he asked her as rubbed a few tears from her eyes.
"Off to Burgess," Anna repeated and she nodded, "but first, we gotta find out where that photo was taken. Otherwise, we could just be on a wild goose chase."
Anna pulled out her cell phone and dialled Tyra's number. The phone rang several times before her cousin answered.
"Hey cuz," Tyra's American accent came out Anna's phone. "Been a while since we chatted."
"Yeah, wasn't it at your mum's wedding five years ago?" Anna said.
"Hard to be excited at your mother's third wedding," Tyra said. "So I gather this isn't a social call."
"No, sorry cuzzie," Anna said. "I want to know where you went in Burgess. You see, Kristoff and I were planning a trip away for our anniversary and we need to get away. The photos you took in Burgess looked amazing – small and quiet seem perfect for a nice relaxing time away from the hustle and bustle here."
"I wouldn't exactly call Arendelle a place of hustle and bustle," Tyra gave a small short laugh. "I would have said it was the poster child of a small and quiet."
"So where did you go?"
"Whatcha doing?" a small knock and a friendly voice brought Elsa's attention away from painting her kitchen and towards the door that was open. Standing in the doorway was Moana. She was leaning against the doorframe with her arms folded and had a smile stretching across her face.
"Well judging by the paint splatters across my clothes and the paintbrush in my hand with paint next to me, I would say I was playing chess."
Moana laughed. "Yeah, I guess it was a little obvious."
"So," Elsa put down her paintbrush and walked over to Moana, "what brings you down the hall?"
"I was wondering what you and Jack are doing on Saturday," Moana asked with her smile growing even larger.
"Dunno," Elsa shrugged. "Nothing probably, pourquoi mon amie?"
"Well how about that sailing trip?" Moana suggested. "I'm training for the next couple of days, so Saturday is really the first day I can do it."
"Well, I'm game," Elsa said. "Will be nice to get back onto the water."
"Your dad owned a boat right?" Moana asked before Elsa nodded. "Cool! Anyway, just dropped by to let you know. Saturday at noon! Don't be late!"
Moana quickly dashed off and almost bumped into Jack who was on his way home from work. He looked confused as Moana raced off without saying anything but a hurried 'sorry'. Jack walked into the apartment and threw his coat onto the kitchen counter.
"What did she want?" he asked as Elsa resumed painting of the kitchen.
They were getting closer and closer with the painting job being finished. Somehow the job was taking care of itself. Well, Elsa and Jack managed to rope Astrid, Jamie and Bunnymund to help out.
"To know what we are doing this Saturday," Elsa replied.
"Not that blasted sailing trip," Jack whined. Elsa could have laughed. Jack really wasn't a water man and Elsa didn't understand why Jack loved everything to do with ice and snow like her but try and get him onto a boat was an impossible task. Maybe it was because the last time Jack was on a boat (when they went fishing with some of Jack's co-workers about six months ago) he got very seasick. Elsa gathered that he did not want to repeat the experience. He definitely did not like being off land. Elsa, on the other hand, was the opposite. She loved getting on a boat and going on an adventure on the open waters.
"Oh come on," Elsa gave him a wide smile. "It will be fun."
"No it won't," Jack crossed his arms and gave his wife a scowl which Elsa just laughed at.
"Would you rather spend the day here painting?"
"Good point," Jack said which made Elsa laugh even harder.
"Flight 702 from Arendelle to Burgess has now arrived," the voice of the captain over the intercom said. "The weather is nice twenty four degrees Celsius and the sun is shining. Please take care when exiting the plane. Thank you for flying with Air Norway. We hope to fly with you again."
Anna grabbed her bag from the overhead compartments and followed Kristoff off the plane. She and Kristoff had called in some of their leave time in order to come to Burgess as quickly as possible as Anna wanted to find her sister as quickly as humanely possible. They had left on a late Friday night – slept on the plane – and had arrived in Burgess on a gorgeous Saturday morning. Anna couldn't stop her heart pounding. It felt like it was going to pound right out of her chest. The reason was because she was a mixture of excitement and nervousness. She could be seeing her sister soon but that was also terrifying. What was she going to say to her? Was she going to be angry? Sad? Or happy? Who knew? Regardless, Anna still had to try. She needed to mend bridges no matter how difficult.
Anna and Kristoff left the plane and headed straight to their hotel – The Burgess Hotel – they were exhausted from the long plane ride but it didn't matter. There was no time for rest. They needed to get going as soon as possible. Anna pulled open the door to room 5617 which was their room number. Their room was a decent size. One large double bed dominated the room with a TV set opposite it. There was a nice closet where Anna placed both their suitcases to get them out of the way and there was also a good bathroom for them to freshen up. Kristoff opened up the sliding door to reveal a small balcony that looked down onto a garden. Anna threw herself onto the double bed and bounced up and down. A giggle escaped her mouth which made her boyfriend smile.
"Having fun are we?" Kristoff asked.
"Maybe," Anna giggled again.
"So now what?" Kristoff asked as he plopped onto the bed next to her.
"Now we find Elsa!"
"Nice boat Moana!" Elsa said as she examined it.
"Thanks," Moana smiled. "So come on, I'll give you a tour!"
Moana's boat was medium size sailing boat. When they disappeared beneath the main deck they found a spacious living quarter complete with bed and a small kitchen, presumably for Moana when she was on her sailing expeditions. It couldn't host more than a couple of people for long periods of time. Elsa also spotted several cool gadgets for when Moana was out on the ocean. There was plenty of space on deck, however, for all three of them including Moana's parents who had decided to join them.
They had travelled – by train – to New York early in the morning so that Moana could take them out on her boat on the wide open seas. Moana wanted to share her love of the sea with the two Frosts which was well received – well by Elsa anyway. Jack wasn't having much of it. He wasn't a good sailor and it was showing. Maybe Jack should have stayed home and painted the apartment after all. He could have had some fun with North and Bunnymund who had both volunteered to help with the apartment. Although, Jack hated painting, he said that the fumes got to him and made him feel ill. Well, it turned out that he was in a lose/lose situation. Poor Jack. Nothing was going his way today.
"So what's on the agenda?" Jack asked who was already looking a little green.
"Just a small trip and maybe some fishing?" Moana suggested.
"You okay Jack?" Sina asked as she peered at him. "You're looking a little seasick."
"He'll be okay," Elsa said. "He's had those sealegs tablet things."
"Remember that's the stern of the boat," Tui said, gesturing with his thumb. "When you wretch, that's where you gotta be unless you wanna get a face full later."
"Gross dad," Moana made a face but then smiled. "Let's get sailing!"
Soon, Elsa found herself on the seas with the wind blowing through her hair. Memories of her childhood streamed through her mind. The same sense of freedom that flowed through her then, flowed through her now. Elsa could have laughed out loud but she restrained – well until she took notice of her husband. He was looking quite green and standing at the back of the boat. Maybe Jack wasn't fit for sea journeys after all. The boat was sailing very smoothly so it wasn't the rough seas that were causing the sea sickness.
"You okay hun?" Elsa asked him when she headed over to him so that she could check on him.
"I think so," Jack said while Elsa gave him a sympathetic expression.
"Elsa, you busy?" Moana's voice called out. "I could use some help."
"Sure!" Elsa quickened over to her.
Moana gave her some simple instructions while Elsa set things up. Moana was going to sail them up and down the coast before they headed back. The whole thing was going to take several hours. Moana was planning on showing them some sights from the sea which Elsa was eager to see.
"Fancy being the navigator?" Moana asked.
"Sure!" Elsa said. "But don't you have a GPS?"
"I like to navigate old school style," Moana said. "The truth is I'm practicing to become a master Wayfinder – like my ancestors!"
Moana grinned at Elsa while she looked confused.
"Wayfinder?" Elsa asked.
"So you know how the Polynesians were like master voyagers?" Moana asked while Elsa nodded. "They travelled the wide Pacific Ocean using no advanced techniques or technology – they used like stone tools and wooden boats. These techniques are the ones I'm using. My ancestors used the stars to map where they are. No need for GPS!"
"Well the Polynesians were definitely some of the best voyagers in history."
"Right you are," Moana winked at her. "So that is why I try not using modern technology."
"Ah cool."
"My teacher Maui thinks I'm gonna go far."
"Maui? Isn't that the Polynesian trickster god?
Moana laughed. "Yeah, he lived up the name too. So Elsa, let's see how good you are at navigating."
"There's no stars. It's daylight."
"We can read the wind on the skies when the sun is high," Moana sang out.
"Forgive me if I prefer modern technology."
Moana laughed again. "It's okay, we can use a map after all. I'm sure my ancestors used them."
Tui handed Elsa some maps and Elsa studied them. They weren't very complicated to make out. She could see the places that Moana wanted to show them.
"Okay, Moana, you want to go port side."
Many hours later, they had docked back at the port. All of them we tired, hungry and – in Jack's case – sick. Jack hadn't had quite the adventure that his wife had. He had been sick for most of the journey. Maybe the next time that Moana invites them out on the boat, Jack should stay at home. However, Elsa loved the trip. Sometimes she felt like she had sailing in her blood. She was actually quite good at it. Moana was singing her praises. Elsa gathered that she had made a friend for life in Moana and her family.
"So what are you guys gonna do now?" Tui asked them.
"Maybe go back home?" Elsa shrugged. "Caroline – my mother-in-law – is probably hard at work concocting dinner."
Tui laughed. "Moana has to sign up for the competition, so we are heading off now. They've done a late night sign up this year."
"Good luck!" Elsa sang.
"Thanks," Moana said.
Elsa and Jack watched the retreating backs of their three new friends. She grinned. It was going to be fun with them next door – even if it was only going to be for a short while. Who knows, this could turn into a pen pal thing. She never had one of them before. It could be fun. There was something special about getting a letter in the mail or maybe an email. Sending letters around the world may be expensive.
"Elsa?" Jack's voice said, bringing Elsa back to the planet earth.
"Yeah honey?" Elsa replied to him.
"Next time they invite us onto their boat, please, do not invite me!"
Elsa laughed. He did have a point.
Anna sighed as she collapsed in the park. It had been hours since she and Kristoff had left their hotel room. They had wandered around the park that Elsa had been in the photo all day and found nothing. Anna didn't know how many people she talked to but none of them could identify Elsa – both Anna and Kristoff had brought a picture along and was asking people if they knew her. It wasn't going very well. It was starting to cause Anna to become very disheartened. She thought that she would come here, find Elsa and make up by the end of the day. However, reality decided to pay her a visit. Of course it wasn't going to be like that. She felt silly for thinking so.
Anna sighed again. She can't keep doing this. She needed a plan. Anna pulled out her phone and looked at the area. Maybe by examining the area may give her some clues to where they should look next. Anna had a feeling that Elsa was around that area. She had this theory that the park was one that Elsa frequented. Elsa did look quite cosy in that photo. Anna brought up the maps and studied them. There were several coffee shops around that park. Hmm, maybe that should be her next destination. Down the road from the park were apartment buildings. Could Elsa live in them? Hmm, would be tricky. Anna couldn't waltz up to these buildings. There would be security such as codes to get into the door as well as the doorman not likely giving away personal information about its tenants and besides, Elsa's name may not be on the letterbox.
"Anna?" Kristoff collapsed onto the bed next to her.
"Yeah?" Anna acknowledged Kristoff.
"What's the plan?"
"I think we should check out some of the local coffee shops," Anna said, her eyes never leaving her phone. "Who knows, maybe one of the regulars or the workers may be able to point us in the right direction."
"You sure that she lives around here? She may have come this way to visit a friend or maybe for like a job interview?"
Kristoff was dead on the money. How did she know that Elsa wasn't just popping into the neighbourhood instead of living here? Well, Anna had a deep gut feeling that was driving her. However she did have her reasons. Anna pulled out the photo and showed it to Kristoff. He looked a little confused as to why Anna was doing this.
"Elsa is reading a book in the photo," Anna explained. "This could just be me but I doubt she would take a book to a park she wasn't familiar with which means that this would be a park she comes to quite often. In my head, that means that she lives in the area. That's just my opinion."
"Logical to me," Kristoff said.
So that was how both Anna and Kristoff found themselves in Burgess Coffee Shop the next morning. It was the third coffee shop they had been in behind Starbucks and Sophia's Bistro but nothing. No one had recognised Elsa. Neither the regulars nor the staff did. Well the staff probably see a hundred people a day so it wasn't a surprise there. The regulars probably only pay attention to what they're doing and not what others are up to, so again, no surprises there. So what was a girl to do? Anna didn't know. Still, Anna persevered. You never know what could be right around the corner.
Anna approached the counter while Kristoff walked around asking people. Anna was a little nervous. She always got a little tongue tied when talking about her sister. It froze up her brain as well.
"Can I help you?" the girl behind the counter said in a friendly tone with a smile on her face.
Anna gulped before gaining some confidence. "Yes, I was wondering if you know this girl."
Anna pulled out the picture of Elsa and showed it to the girl. The girl stared at it, rubbed her chin and stared at the picture.
"Looks familiar but I couldn't say," the girl said. "Hey Brad, Toni, come look at this and see if you know this girl."
Two fellow employees walked over from the coffee machines. They took a look at the picture and shrugged.
"Couldn't say," Brad said.
"I think she comes in with that girl Tooth," Toni said. "I remember because I did a double take at the name but I think it was just a nickname, why she was called that, I couldn't say."
"Where can I find this Tooth?" Anna was weirded out by the name but she was sure, like Toni, it was just a nickname. Maybe she was a dentist or orthodontist or something.
"Dunno," Toni shrugged. "She comes in every other week but I haven't seen her in a while."
"So she hasn't been in today?"
"Nope," Toni shook her head.
"Do you reckon she will?"
"No," the first girl suddenly spoke up. It looked like she remembered something. "I just remembered that she and her fiancé are in Australia. I remember because she wouldn't shut up about it."
Anna could feel her heart sinking. Her only possible lead was gone – on a different continent and hemisphere. So what was she going to do now?
"Thanks anyway," Anna slumped away.
She sat down on a bench outside the coffee shop. Maybe Kristoff was having more luck than her. Last time she saw him, he was talking to a guy at the back of the shop. It looked like quite the intriguing conversation. Kristoff had been grinning and nodding. Anna was just hoping that the guy was giving him some good information. Kristoff emerged from the coffee shop ten minutes later. He certainly took his time.
"Well?" Anna asked.
Kristoff shook his head and Anna's heart sank even further.
"What about that guy you were chatting to?" Anna asked him.
"Oh we were discussing strategies in For Honor."
Anna could have rolled her eyes but didn't. Well, that was a cool game so maybe she could forgive him. However, this begged the same question again; what was she going do now? The answer to that was that she doesn't know.
Astrid Hofferman walked down the street towards Hawthorne Circle – the street which Elsa and Jack lived. She hadn't seen them in a while due to her being busy not only with her job as a reptile keeper and battle re-enactment helper and also her wedding plans. So that was why she was walking down Hawthorne Circle on a sunny Sunday.
"Hey Elsa," she said as she walked into her friend's apartment.
"Yo," Elsa walked towards Astrid.
Elsa had been painting her walls. It looked like she was nearly done with her living room and kitchen and was going to move onto the finishing the kitchen. Astrid made a whistling sound that showed that she was impressed with Elsa's work. Elsa had done a really good job on choosing the colours. For the kitchen, she had chosen a light grey colour while in the living room was a shade of blue.
"Like it?" Elsa asked.
"Love it," Astrid grinned at her friend.
"Wanna help?" Elsa held up a paintbrush to temp her friend.
Astrid laughed. "No way. Besides, I only have a minute to say hi. I'm meeting a co-worker for lunch around here in about ten minutes but I thought I would pop round to see how the painting is going."
"It's going great," Elsa said.
"So after the painting, what's next?"
"What do you mean?" Elsa gave Astrid a confused look.
"Well you and Jack have been married for over year now, ever think what's next in your life?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Elsa was still confused.
"What about having kids one day?" Astrid looked eager. "I wanna have a cute godson or goddaughter."
"What makes you think you're gonna be the godmother?" Elsa cocked her eyebrow at her friend. "Besides, kids are way into the future." Elsa really stretched out the word 'way'.
"I know Jack wants kids," Astrid giggled. "Also I would bet good money that Caroline wouldn't say no to some grandkids."
"They are going to have to wait. I am only twenty six after all. Still plenty of time to have kids."
"True," Astrid shrugged her shoulders. "Hiccup wants kids too one day. Maybe after we are married and have settled down."
"Yeah," Elsa agreed. "I want some time to myself before getting into the crazy world of having children."
Astrid laughed again. "So what is next for you two?"
"Jack and I have thought about travelling. I would love to go back to Europe."
"See your family?"
"Hell no," Elsa shook her head. "I never want to set foot in Norway ever again."
Astrid looked a little shocked at Elsa's words but didn't say anything. That sounded a little extreme to her but decided against pushing the subject. Talking to Elsa about this subject was touchy for her. Astrid knew why – it was to do with her father and Astrid didn't blame her for thinking the way she did. Her father had tainted that part of the world for her – permanently. However, Astrid thought that maybe going back to Arendelle and facing her family – maybe even telling them the truth – but she doubted that Elsa would do that. She instead decided on going to her meeting with her co-worker instead of jumping down this rabbit hole. It was almost time for her to go anyway.
Astrid makes her excuses to Elsa – her words had caused the room to become very chilly anyway – who looked sad to see her go. Astrid got into the elevator of Elsa's building and headed down to the ground floor before heading out onto the street beyond. Astrid checked her phone. She had a text from her co-worker saying that she was going to be a few minutes late. Astrid sent off a text saying that she will be there soon before her phone suddenly died only mere moments after the text sent.
"Fuck my life," Astrid whispered. It was her own fault. She had forgotten to charge it overnight and there hadn't been a lot of battery left anyway. Astrid sighed as she put the phone back in her bag. Well, she hoped that maybe once she was back at work she would be able to charge it. If not, she would be in serious trouble for the rest of the day – like now, if she couldn't find her friend there would be no easy way for Astrid to contact her. Astrid continued to walk down the street when she accidently bumped into a girl.
"Sorry," both girls said to each other.
When Astrid finally got back on feet, she took a good look at the girl and got a shock. She thought she recognised the girl but didn't know why or where she saw her from. The girl had strawberry blonde hair that was done up in two braids. Her blue eyes looked familiar too – like they reminded her of someone. Why was the girl familiar to Astrid? Had she seen her somewhere before? Maybe at university or maybe at work? It was on the tip of her tongue. Where had she seen here?
"Are you okay?" the girl asked Astrid.
"Sorry," Astrid said. She had realised she had been staring. That would have appeared odd to the girl. "It's just that you remind me of someone."
"I guess I have one of those faces," the girl smiled. "Hey, are you around here often?"
"Yeah," Astrid shrugged. She was kind of especially since Elsa and Jack had just moved in. She hadn't been in this neighbourhood before then. "Why?"
"Do you know this girl?" the girl produced of a photo of a girl and it wasn't any girl. It was Elsa. Astrid gave a small gasp. Why was the girl showing around a picture of Elsa? Astrid didn't know.
"Yeah I do," Astrid said. "Are you looking for her?"
"Yep," the girl nodded and looked quite excited. There was something seriously bothering Astrid. How did she know this girl? "So where can I find her?"
Then it hit her. She knew why she knew the girl now. It wasn't just anyone that Astrid had bumped into – it was Elsa's sister Anna. Astrid remembered her now. She had seen her in a photo that Elsa had shown Astrid years ago but what was she doing here? Astrid always thought that the sisters were estranged – they haven't spoken in years after all and Elsa certainly wasn't in any rush to get reacquainted. Anna was part of Elsa's past – a past that Elsa didn't want to acknowledge or go back to.
"Anna?" Astrid said which threw Anna off her game. It was clear she wasn't expecting Astrid to know her name.
"How do you know my name?" Anna looked a little confused.
"I know your sister quite well," Astrid explained. "We are friends."
"Friends?" Anna said, she sounded as if she had just won the lottery. "What can you tell me about her? Where is she working? Any relationships? Other friends?"
Anna's voice was fast and feverish. All the words just came out of her mouth in one long continuous breath. Astrid didn't know if she caught everything that Anna had said but she hoped she did.
"Calm down," Astrid said.
"Sorry," Anna said. "It's just that I need to know about my sister. I haven't seen her in nearly a decade."
"So is that why you're here? To know about her?"
"And to apologise," Anna said, her face falling. "I don't know how much you know but I am sad to say that I was a real jerk to her. I need her to know that I am sorry. So I need to know where she is before it's too late. I want a relationship with her. I don't want another day to go by where she hates me. Can you help me?"
Astrid weighed it up in her mind. Her brain was spit in two. She knew that Elsa needed to make amends with her sister if she was ever going to get past this and start her healing and moving on. Astrid knew only a little about Anna. Elsa didn't like to talk about her much and so Astrid always got the feeling that they were never on good terms which Anna just confirmed. The only real time that Elsa talked about Anna was about five years ago when she showed her a photo of Anna. Astrid had asked a few questions but Elsa didn't go into much detail. Astrid had never found out what happened between the sisters though but she guessed that Elsa hid their father's abuse from her sister and that might have caused Elsa to be distance and cold kind of like how she is whenever Arenelle is mentioned.
However, Anna had said that she was a real jerk to her so maybe there was fault on both sides. Astrid knew that Elsa was in recovery – she still saw the same therapist she did in university – and a part of that was to face what happened and admit it. She always thought that Elsa's solution was to run from the problem instead of facing it like how she moved to America to get away from it all in Arendelle. That was the main reasoning behind telling Anna where to find Elsa.
On the other hand, if Astrid did tell Anna the truth would Elsa see it in the same light as her or would it be stabbing Elsa in the back? Astrid knew that Elsa didn't want anything more to do with her family or Arendelle so telling Anna where Elsa lived would be in direct violation of that. Elsa was one of Astrid's closest friends. Astrid could never hurt her and she knew seeing Anna would hurt her bad – maybe send her into a depressive state like she had in the past (Astrid knew all about Elsa's depression after all, after the whole episode with Jack's father there was no secrets in their friend's circle). Would it cause all that pain to come back right at the moment where Elsa was starting to get her life back together? Probably it would and that would make it all that worse.7k,
Astrid knew what she had to do alright. It would hurt Elsa to see her sister but it would hurt her more if she didn't face what had happened. Astrid may lose Elsa over this, Elsa may see it as a major betrayal but Astrid had to fight for the greater good. For years, she has tried to get Elsa to face her past but alas, it fell on deaf ears. Elsa was quite stubborn when it came to this and Astrid knew why. Elsa was scared to face the truth. She was scared to face the past. Elsa may be forced to do those things but it was for the best.
Astrid then was struck by a nasty though; should this be her decision though? Did she have a right to let Anna into Elsa's life when she so clearly knew that Elsa didn't want it? Surely, it should be Elsa's decision whether or not she wanted a relationship with her sister? If she did, she would have done it by now. So what should Astrid do? Astrid sighed. It may be against everything she held – loyalty for friends, breaking trusts, breaking rules – but she knew she had to do it.
"You okay?" Anna's voice snapped Astrid back to reality. Astrid blinked and stared at Anna. She realised that she had been quiet for several minutes.
"You got a pen and paper?" Astrid asked Anna.
Anna could have skipped to Hawthorne Circle where that lady – Astrid as she had introduced herself to be – said that Elsa was now living. It was finally time for Anna's atonement hour to arrive. Anna had to set on a bench to catch her breath. It was starting to be too much. The last time she had seen Elsa hadn't been a great moment for the pair of them. Elsa had gone ballistic on her. It had been after their father's funeral. Anna had suffered a few minor injuries after that scrap. Obviously, something had triggered her sister. It didn't surprise Anna in the least to know that Elsa has PTSD.
Anna breathed in deeply. The air travelled down into the deepest parts of her lungs and calmed her down. She often wondered what this moment was going to be like. Would her sister be glad to see her? Would she slam the door in her face and tell her to never darken her doorstep ever again? Well, Anna just hoped she could plead her case. She missed her sister and it wasn't just her – Rapunzel, Merida, Kristoff and the rest of her family did as well. Anna felt the wind brush gently across as she stared up at the sky, her thoughts wandered back to the last time she saw her. What was her sister like now? What kind of life did she lead? Well, if she was ever going to answer that question and to beg for forgiveness was ever going to happen, she was going to have to get off this bench and walk up to Elsa's door and knock. However, that was going to be a mission. She was going to need to summon up every bit of strength she had to do this.
Anna took in a deep breath in and headed into Elsa's building. That girl – Astrid – had given her instructions on how to get into Elsa's building. There was a combination to get into the building. Anna punched in the numbers – 6347 – and then opened the door when she heard a buzzing sound that signalled the door was unlocked. Anna ducked inside and walked passed a women working at the reception desk. She had her head down and was working on some sheet of paper. Anna didn't want to be questioned by her just in case it was she wasn't allowed entry into the building. An elevator was just ahead. Anna pressed the 'up' button and waited, rather impatiently, for the elevator to arrive. She did a little jig while she waited. What was taking the elevator so long? Anna let out a small groan.
Finally a 'ding' sound was heard and the elevator on the left (there were two) opened up to reveal an empty elevator. Anna hurried in and pressed the button for Elsa's level – level four. The elevator soon opened up onto Elsa's floor. Anna hurried down until she found apartment 4C – Elsa's apartment. Anna took another breath in.
She knocked on the door.
Elsa was currently painting her living room. The room was a mess. There were tarps laid out all over the floor and there were paint splatters all over including her clothes and skin. Well, at least they were old. She was just wearing an old oversized shirt and some very old jeans. The only thing that was lifting her spirits was that the work would soon be over. All the extra help from her friends really made a difference and hurried along the time. Her phone beeped. Elsa put down her brush and washed the paint off hands. She didn't want paint all over her new phone. Elsa picked it up and read the message. It was from Jack. Elsa grinned when she saw it.
Ugh, you know it's a boring day when you wish you were painting.
Elsa laughed out loud when she read it. She quickly typed out a replied.
How ironic because I would rather not be painting.
Another ping from her phone.
Maybe we should rethink hiring a painter?
Elsa quickly replied.
There isn't much point in that now as it's almost done. Besides, I seem to recall that you wanted to do this yourself and I'm not seeing much of that.
Jack replied back to Elsa's text was almost instant.
I plead the fifth on this.
Elsa laughed at this. She was about to reply to Jack when she heard a knock on the door. Elsa was puzzled as who that could be. Could it be Astrid returning? Did she forget something? Elsa didn't think so. She certainly didn't see anything Astrid left behind.
"Astrid, is that you?" Elsa called out.
She headed over to the door and pulled it open. When she opened it, she stopped dead. To say she had the biggest shock in the history of the universe was an understatement. She couldn't fathom the sight that lay before her. The person she saw at her door was the last person she ever expected to show up on her doorstep.
It was Anna.
"Hey," Anna whispered.
What was she doing here? Why was she here? Elsa didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to say. Her brain had shut off. Her heart was hammering. She could feel the blood pounding through her veins. All that was going through her brain was one word; run. Elsa quickly slammed the door in Anna's face. She had to get away from Anna. She couldn't face her sister. She just couldn't.
Suddenly, Elsa's legs gave away. Elsa slid down the door and started to cry.
Anna watched as the door to Elsa's apartment swing open. Then suddenly her sister was standing before her. It was the first time she had seen her sister in over nine years. She still looked the same. The same blue eyes, the same blonde braid the hung down her shoulder and the same frightened look on her face.
"Hey," Anna said in a voice that was barely more than a whisper.
That was all Anna could get out. Her voice got stuck in her throat. She didn't know how to react. The sister she once knew wasn't the real Elsa Winters. The real Elsa Winters was someone who endured pain for eighteen years – pain that Anna never saw or even heard a whiff about.
Anna was soon met with a door slammed in her face. When Elsa had realised who was standing in front of her, she had shut it. Anna didn't blame her. Their relationship wasn't the best. Henry VIII had a better relationship with the Catholic Church than Anna did with Elsa. So it wasn't a surprise what Elsa's reaction was.
Anna tapped on the door, gently. "Elsa, it's me. Could you open the door? I really need to talk to you."
There was no response. Anna could hear Elsa crying through the door. Seeing Anna must have brought up bad memories. Anna knocked on the door, harder this time.
"Elsa!" Anna called out. "Please, Elsa."
Still nothing. Was Elsa just going to ignore her for the rest of their lives? Well, to be honest, Anna wouldn't blame here. Anna did treat Elsa like dirt for a lot of the time Anna knew her –not to mention that Anna blamed her for their father's death. Well, in defence, Anna was grieving for their father and she didn't know the full story but was that just excuses Anna was making to excuse her behaviour? Perhaps.
Anna knocked on the door one last time.
"Elsa," Anna's voice was lower this time. "Please, I am not going away." There was a small silence but there was still nothing. Anna didn't know what to say next but she pressed on anyway but this time in an even smaller voice. "Elsa, I know about the abuse. I know what Dad did to you."
There was a silence. Anna leaned on the door.
"Please Elsa," Anna said in a whisper.
There was a small silence before Anna heard the door creak open. Anna was relieved that Elsa had finally decided to talk to her.
"You know?" Elsa said in a voice that was barely a whisper through a slit in the door.
"I do," Anna whispered back.
Elsa hesitated as if she was contemplating of what she should do. Anna just hovered there, desperately hoping that Elsa would let her in and allow them to talk. After what seemed an age, Elsa stepped back and allowed Anna to walk into her apartment. Anna walked in and was surprised at what she saw. There were paint tarps, brushes and paints all over the apartment. Anna saw paint splatters all over Elsa's shirt and pants. It didn't take a genius to see what Elsa was doing.
"You're redecorating," Anna noted as she looked around the room.
"Yes," Elsa said. "Tea?"
Elsa was hovering by the kettle – it seemed that she didn't know what to say or do. Anna knew how she felt because that was how she felt. How was she supposed to communicate with her sister? Anna didn't know how to be around Elsa anymore. Well, did she really know her sister? Anna just stood there in the apartment while Elsa made tea. There was a really uncomfortable silence that hung in the room. It was so thick; you could cut it with a knife. The only sound that could be heard was Elsa making the tea and then the kettle boiling. Elsa put two cups of tea on a little table that was in the living room and in front of the kitchen. Anna hesitated at first but then sat down.
More silence as they both drunk their tea. Anna's eyes were fixed on her sister who was determinedly looking anywhere but in Anna's direction. Anna wanted to say something but what could she say? Hundreds of topics went through her mind but all of them seemed weak and pathetic. She looked over at her older sister. Elsa was still determinedly not looking at Anna. Anna looked wildly around for a topic of conversation, anything would do. Her eyes landed back onto the paint brush that was sitting in a paint bucket.
"Nice place you got here," Anna said after several minutes.
"Thanks," Elsa's voice was low and soft. "I've been here for only a short while."
Silence fell between them once again. They really didn't know how to be sisters anymore. Well, did they know how to be in the first place? Too much has happened between them. Anna decided to just get into it – jump right into why she was there. It couldn't be anymore awkward than it could be so maybe it was just for the best to jump right into the deep end and ask Elsa her questions. Elsa was probably wondering when she was going to anyway.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Anna finally blurted out. "Why didn't you say something to me or….or…..grandma…or….or Uncle Klaus? Anyone!"
Elsa stared hard at her cup of tea and slightly stirred it with the teaspoon that was still in there. "Would they have believed me?"
Anna felt stumped. Would she have believed Elsa? If Elsa had come to her years ago and told her what had been going on, would she have accepted? Anna did not believe Merida when she came to her. In fact, she adamantly denied it.
"No," Anna admitted.
"See?" Elsa said.
"I would have eventually believed you though," god, it sounded like Anna was trying to backtrack on what she said. Nevertheless, she ploughed on. "I do admit, when I found out, it was hard to believe but then everything made sense – the fact that you always seemed to injure yourself, the reason why you never got close to anyone, your constant injuries over the years."
"True," Elsa sighed. Then she realised something. "How did you find out?"
"Merida," Anna said simply.
"Merida?!" Elsa looked both shocked and confused. "How does she know? I never said anything to her."
"Well you should have," Anna said. "Merida would have believed you in a heartbeat." Anna gave Elsa a small look before she rambled on. "Well Merida remembered something about your past – it was a PE lesson in which you had bruises all over your body. She then realised that they were the result of child abuse when she saw a little girl at the hospital in the same bruises on her body. She put two and two together –"
"And came up with four," Elsa finished. "I guess she knew more than I ever gave her credit for."
"Yeah she did."
"Who else knows?" Elsa asked. "You've probably told Kristoff."
"I have," Anna admitted. "He is the only other one we've told though."
"Not even Rapunzel?" Elsa looked a little confused. "I would have betted good money that Merida would have told her something."
"Well she is in the dark like the rest of the family," Anna said. "Speaking of, when are you coming back home?"
"Home?" Elsa looked confused.
"I thought that you ran away because you couldn't face our family. Now you can as you have me on your side. We can face them together."
"Anna," Elsa took a deep breath in, "I am home. It was a lot more than just not being able to face my family, it was more to do with Arendelle being filled with bad memories for me. Every day, there would be something that reminds me of what happened to me. Here, I could start over and not be that person I once was; the girl who was abused growing up and had to escape. Here, I am just…well…me."
Anna fell silent. She realised that Elsa was telling the truth but did this mean that Elsa was never going to come back to Arendelle? Anna wanted her to come back. She needed her sister in her life again. She couldn't just leave Elsa here alone. Well it may look like she might have to but she refused to let that happened.
"Tell me what happened," Anna said.
Elsa turned white. "I can't." Elsa's voice quivered.
"You can," Anna – almost instinctively – reached out and grabbed Elsa's hand. Anna then realised what she had done and pulled it back as did Elsa as well.
"You don't understand," Elsa started but the door opened and in walked a man who looked around Elsa's age. He was tall with short white blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes. Anna looked and him and he looked back. Who was this guy? What was he doing here in Elsa's apartment?
"Elsa," the man said. "You didn't tell me we have a visitor."
"I didn't know until now," Elsa muttered.
The man looked at Anna up and down and his face split into the biggest grin Anna had ever seen. It looked like he recognised her.
"You must be Anna," he said. He grabbed Anna's hand and shook it quite vigorously. "Elsa's sister right? Elsa showed me a photo of you once."
"Yeah," Anna was getting more and more confused. So this guy knew her? What had Elsa told him about her?
"I'm Jack," the man said. "Jack Frost."
"Hello Jack," Anna replied. "How do you know my sister?"
"Ah, she doesn't know?" the man who calls himself Jack looked over at Elsa.
"We didn't get quite that far," Elsa said to him. Elsa turned back to Anna. "You see Anna, Jack is my husband." Elsa held up her left hand and for the first time, Anna noticed a wedding band on her ring finger.
"Husband?" Anna was confused. Elsa was….married? When did this happen? Why didn't she know about it? Why didn't anyone know about it? Anna looked over at Jack and took a deep hard look at him. Who was this guy who was now her brother-in-law?
"Yeah, we got married about a year ago," Elsa mumbled, sensing Anna's shock.
"A year?" Anna repeated. "You didn't think to give us a call – 'Hey Anna, guess what, I'm getting married', something like that?!"
"No actually," Elsa's voice was firm.
"Why not?" Anna was getting angrier now. She knew she had no right to be angry but she was. Elsa had hid herself away from all of them and now Anna was just discovering that Elsa had moved onto a new life without letting anyone know. "Surely we should have known that my sister was getting married."
Elsa sighed before looking over at her husband who nodded. Jacks seemed to be taking a passive role in their disagreement.
"Because I am done with being a Winters," Elsa said simply. Anna just looked at her sister in disbelief. Did Elsa not want to be a part of their family anymore? Elsa continued sensing Anna's disbelief. "Look," Elsa was firm in her tone, "you have to see it from my end. My whole life I thought I was abandoned by my family. I thought that no one saw what was happening to me. I thought they didn't care. Here, I found people who did. Here I found what I was missing my entire life – love."
"Elsa…" Anna tried to say something but her words just trailed off into nothing. She didn't know how to respond to this.
"Look, maybe you should just go?" Elsa said quite suddenly.
"Elsa," Anna's courage returned. She wasn't backing down. "You gotta know that we all wished this never happened."
"All?" instead of being calmed down by Anna, Elsa looked shocked. "You said that only Kristoff and Merida knows. So was that a lie? Does everyone know? Grandma? Uncle Klaus?"
"No," Anna admitted after a short pause.
"Good, I don't want them to know."
Elsa was blunt in everything she was saying. Anna continued to be shocked by Elsa's words. What Elsa was saying – it was different to everything that Anna knew about her sister or maybe it was just Anna not used to Elsa speaking her mind.
"Why not?" Anna spluttered. "If they know –"
"If they know, they wouldn't care," Elsa sternly said. "They didn't care for fifteen years and they don't care now."
"Elsa that's a little harsh, they are your family."
Elsa made a small sound that sounded like a scoff and a laugh combined. Anna knew that they had reached an impasse. This conversation was just going to go around in circles. An uncomfortable silence engulfed them. Anna knocked back and forward on her heels. What was she going to do now? How was she going to convince Elsa to forgive her and their family? She seemed dead set on staying here in America.
"Well girls," Jack took advantage of the long silence, "so this weird thing happened at work today."
"They're more your family," Elsa suddenly said, interrupting her husband. "They always have. You were always the favourite of the family. Dad thought so. Everyone thought so. I was pushed to one side to make way for Princess Anna. Dad always had you on a pedestal but not me, oh no. I was the mess of the family."
"Dad was an idiot," Anna said bluntly. "Look, isn't this whole mess in the past? Shouldn't we learn from it and move on? What good is it festering on the past? We need to face it and move on with our lives."
"Anna, just leave it," Elsa seemed to have finally gotten to the point of no return, "just leave it. It's in the past. I want it to stay in the past."
"Fine," Anna seemed to have given up – at least for now, "if you wanna stay hidden here in America, then so be it."
"I'm not hiding," Elsa said.
"Yes you are!"
"If I was, how did you find me?"
"That's a long story," Anna said. For the next few minutes Anna relayed how she managed to find her sister after being hidden for so long.
"Astrid," Elsa muttered, "I knew it. Well it's no surprise there."
"I really think Astrid was looking out for you," Anna said.
"Maybe," Elsa sighed. "Look Anna, it's getting on with the day, I think it's time for you to leave now."
"Leave?" Anna was in disbelief. "Elsa, I only just found you! I don't want to lose you again."
"Anna you've had your fun in playing detective but it's really time for you join the real world. You found me, I'm okay, it's time to move on. Go back to your life in Arendelle. I gather it's a good one – you're what, a nurse now? You always wanted to be one. So go back home and forget I exist."
"Elsa, my life back home isn't whole. You're not there!"
"Funny how that's suddenly become an issue," Elsa said under her breath. "Look, just leave Anna. Stop pretending you suddenly care now that you know my story. I was abused, I will admit that now. You don't need to pretend that changes things between us. I was the person who took your loving father away from you. I was the one who attacked you after dad's funeral. I was the one who shut you out for years. We've never had a good relationship. I doubt we ever will. So please go."
Elsa opened the door for her and gestured for Anna to leave. Anna was on the verge of tears. How could Elsa say these things to her? She thought that they were getting along like they used to when they were younger. Well apparently not. It seems that Elsa was still healing. Elsa nodded again to the door but Anna stood her ground. There was still one more thing she wanted to say to her sister before she left.
'Fine," she said. "If you want me to leave, I will but I will tell you one thing. We all love you Elsa and we all miss you. Every single one of us. Myself, Cousin Astrid, Uncle Klaus, Aunt Greta, Grandmama, Rapunzel, Merida, Kristoff – to name a few. We all want you back in our lives Elsa, to know what you have been up to. Believe it or not, we do love you and wish for you to be a member of our family again. Please Elsa, come home."
Elsa didn't say anything. She just stared at her younger sister. Anna turned to leave but she held back for one more thing.
"Oh it's Grandmama's eightieth coming up," she said. "We both know she would love it for you to be there."
With that, Anna left the apartment. Once the door was shut behind her, Anna let out some tears. She was upset at the way Elsa had turned so suddenly against her. Well, she did have a point. Maybe Anna was just going to have to come back and make her point again. Who knows if her sister would actually listen to her?
Anna set off down the hall, brushing tears out of her eyes as she walked. So Elsa had this new life, new apartment, new friends and of course, the big one, a husband. That was certainly a surprise on Anna's part. She guessed that she never really saw Elsa having a relationship as Anna never saw a hint of it growing up. Well, their father was never big on having boys over. The whole Hans incident proved his point. Anna didn't know the first thing about this guy but she hoped he was good for her. She hoped that he was exactly what Elsa needed in a partner and not some jerk that takes advantage of her.
Anna tapped the down button on the elevator. Guess she was going to have to go back to her hotel room and tell Kristoff that she failed in getting Elsa home. Anna was about to step into the elevator when she heard her name.
"Anna!" Anna turned around and saw Jack running towards her. Anna was puzzled. What did he want?
"Jack right?" she said.
"Yeah," he nodded when he caught up with her. "I only got a minute – I told Elsa I forgot my phone in the car so we can chat even if it's for a few seconds. We never really got a proper chance to have a chat and get to know each other."
"No we didn't," Anna said.
"I'm sorry about Elsa," Jack said. "She's had a rough life and she finds it hard to let people in. Trust me, I know. It took me a while but once she lets you it, it's worth it."
"I understand that," Anna sighed. "I feel like I don't know her anymore – that she's no longer Elsa Winters anymore."
"She's in there," Jack said. "It just takes time for her to let people see the real her. She's so use to being on the defensive that it's hard – practically impossible at times – for her to let people see the real her. Anyway, I gotta get to the real reason I'm here since I don't have too long. Look, Elsa and I are having a bit of a home warming in a couple of days. The apartment is almost ready and we figured we might have a bit of a bash to celebrate getting the apartment. How about it? Feel up for it?"
Anna smiled. "I'll be there."
A/N: Hey guys sorry for the late chapter, been super busy with work, so like no time for writing but I do try my best to get these out as fast as possible. I am sorry to say but I am going to put this story on a teeny tiny hiatus just because I am off to Europe for a few weeks next week so no time for writing. Don't worry, when I come back late September, story starts up again - this story is going to be finished, so please guys hang in there! Anyway, yay, Elsa and Anna have found each other, where will this lead? What about the housewarming? Will Elsa go back to Arendelle? Find out in the next chapter! Anyway, enjoy the chapter. Review please!
One more note; I did get a review expressing concerns about the themes in this story. The themes in this story are about facing your demons, having the courage to speak up and to not to run from your problems (similar to what is expressed in Frozen) not what is explored in this story. I know some of the things explored in this story are dark but this is that kind of story, this story is dark which is why there is a warning and a M rating. I apologise if anyone has taken this story the wrong way but this isn't a happy story. It does have issues which aren't often touched upon but is important to. I have done research into this topic and I don't put things that aren't unlikely to happen or untrue facts into this story. Everything that is touched upon has truth written it in. If you feel differently, I suggest you do your own research into this. Anyway, I hope this clears things up and I apologise again.
Reviews:
littlefoxx1692: Glad you enjoy this story! I hope you liked this chapter.
Guest: Thanks so much, I like doing a lot of background, I feel like they put a lot more depth to the story.
theFamousStoryTeller: Yeah I am continuing this story, it just will take some time. Thanks so much for the kind words, they mean a ton. Thanks so much for seeing the true message in this, "Anonymous" didn't see it (see my A/N for more details). That is not my message. The main message is to tell if you're getting abused but it also touches upon the difficulty of doing that (like in the show SVU). Yeah, not gonna delete it, it's gotten a lot of positive remarks so I am going to continue it. Thanks so much, really appreciate it.
LexiLove241: Updating!
Guest: Sorry for the wait, updated!
SkittlesKitty: Thanks so much. Haha the wait is over now! They have reunited! It is time for that, it's coming up. Yeah it is but that song was over fifteen years of their lives in the movie, I just stretched it out a little. Thanks again!
Anonymous: See A/N.
Mixybell: Am continuing, just taking a while, sorry! Haha yeah she kind of does.
Guest: Updating!'
Demi Brackensick: Really glad you have been enjoying this! Haha yep, major cliffhanger, maybe another one for this chapter too. Updating!
Guest: Thanks! Updated as requested!
Tigerflight: Thanks so much! Yeah I know it's a different route but that's what I like to do, see how characters react in different situations. Nice, Canada! Always wanted to go. Giving you a wave from NZ! Yeah I love that too. Honestly, I have no idea if Jelsa kids are going to be in this. Was considering it for the epilogue but only if I end up doing one. Thanks for the offer but I have names in mind hehe. Omg, thanks so much for your awesome words, they mean so much. Haha, aww, if you need help, feel free to give me a buzz, always happy to help out a fellow author. Haha, long reviews are more than welcome!
solarlunastar: Yeah, I decided to write her differently in this story but she does get better! I promise! As seen in this chapter. Thanks!
sanaa11: Thanks so much, I am trying to lengthen my chapters. Thanks! Yep, I'm a graduate now, sheesh, becoming an adult, nooo!
Riddler-kun: I update when I can, it's just that I'm busy with work so not a lot of time to write, but updating!
sakura aesthetic: Thanks so much, yep time to kickstart it!
Snow queen: Thanks! I believe your question has been answered with this chapter.
iZombieslayer: I try to update as much as possible but I don't have a lot of time due to work. Sorry. Haha, awesome!
Gracie: Thanks so much! Yep, now a graduate, wow, so official now.
JackElsaforeve: Thanks so much. Haha Merida didn't come, only Anna and Kristoff. Thanks!
AkaNeko-Sesshy: Haha yep, but the big reveal is still to comeeeee.
Kimchee2222: Sorry to hear that, hopefully things are now better, aww glad that brightened your day. Haha, here's another for you!
NightCrow712: Thanks! Yep, now graduated, wow old aren't I? Thanks so much, I do try to update as quickly as possible.
FAIRY4LIFE: Updated!