The small girl sits bolt upright in her bed, her shoulder length bright red hair a mess around her head, her teal eyes are wide with fear. Her freckled face is stretched as she screams in terror. Her screams echo around her room, leek out through her closed down and fill the house with her sounds of terror. She's shaking terribly, but not from cold, not from the crackling ice that is slowly spreading out around her, covering her bed. The ice is spilling over onto the floor and clawing its way up the walls, further ruining the already chipping paint.
She's gasping for air as she looks around wildly searching for the source of her terror. They're gone. She swallows hard and blinks slowly as she looks around at the ice. She's shaking more now as she breaks her blanket free and pulls it up over her head. Under her covers she's safe, nothing can hurt her.
"We're okay" she mutters in her soft little voice. "They're gone and we're okay" she nods curling up tighter "We need to sleep" she says over and over growing quieter with each repetition before sleep finally takes her.
Its late afternoon and the little with the bright red hair, now tied into little pig-tails, is leaning against the window frame staring longingly out into the front yard, the window was slowly frosting over. She didn't notice the white Lincoln that pulled into the driveway, nor did she hear the slamming of the car doors. She was lost in her own little world. A world where she got to roam the streets and play with the other kids she could see enjoying the snow and each other's company.
"Anna~" came a sweet melodic sing-song voice from the front door "Anna come help Mother with her shopping and the groceries" came the voice again, accompanied by the slamming of the front door.
The little girl, Anna her name was, was on her feet in seconds and ran excitedly to door, her previous thoughts abandoned as she hugged the legs of the woman who had just entered the house "Mother, you're home!" She cried happily, she nuzzled her face into the woman's side "I missed you!"
The woman, Anna's mother, smiled down at her, wrapping her arms around the girl's shoulders "I missed you to Anna, I missed you to." She straightened herself to her full height and tossed her long wavy black hair over her shoulder and clapped her hands together "Now then, Anna, why don't you make yourself useful and help Mother out, hmm?" she asked as she stooped to grab the grocery bags off the floor.
Anna beamed at the thought of being useful and nodded "Of course Mother! What can a do?" she tilted her head as she asked the question.
Her mother had already made it to the kitchen and called back to Anna "Just take Mothers shopping up to her room. That would be wonderful of you"
"Yes, Mother" Anna called back and turned to the bags as the sound of her Mother humming as she stocked the cupboards drifted out into the halls. She frowned slightly "These look heavy" she took a deep breath and huffed "I can do this!" she told herself as she took one massive bag in each hand and lifted them with a hmpt of effort. Her arms were shaking as she turned to the stairs and began walking, each foot placed with great purpose as she made her way up the stairs. She made a great deal of effort not to let the bags hit the steps as she went.
She rested at the top of the stairs for only a moment before she began to hurry down the hall. Suddenly she was sliding, slipping and twisting down the halls, just barely managing to stop herself before hitting the wall at the end of the hall. She set the bags down before she turned slowly to see what had caused her to slip. There was a small trail of ice in the middle of the hall, right where she had stepped. "Elsaaa" she groaned quietly as she looked around "Why would she do that? You could have got us in trouble!" she whispered.
"Anna? Is everything alright up there?" came the sound of her Mother's voice.
Anna hurried over to the ice and began to stomp on the ice, breaking it up.
"What's all that banging, Anna?"
"Um" Anna looked from the ice to the stairs and then back to the ice again before stomping one last time, shattering the ice "Just, uh, dancing! Yeah I was dancing!" she called back as she kicked the ice shards under a table that sat off to the side of the stairs.
"Well, if you could dance a little quieter" there was a hint of aggravation on her voice.
"Yes Mother" Anna glared back up as she picked up the bags and fished taking them to her Mothers room, setting them on the bed "See what you did, Elsa? You made her get mad at me!" she grumbled as she crossed the hall and peaked into her room. She sighed in relief when she saw that most of the ice had melted. That would save her a lot of trouble later.
Anna hummed a little tune to herself as she hopped down the stair and skipped into the kitchen "I put the bags on your bed, can I watch TV?" she asked sweetly as she twirled her foot on the floor.
Her Mother looked over at her from where she stood chopping onions and sighed "Yes, yes. Whatever you wish my pet."
With a grin, Anna hurried into the living room and leaped onto the couch. She flicked absently through the channels absently before settling for a cartoon. Anna giggled as the coyote in the show was caught once again by the sheepdog that was watching the field. The little redhead was thoroughly enjoying her rare cartoon time, but it wasn't long before frost began to creep along the screen "Elsa" Anna mumbled, the frost kept spreading "Elsa stop it" she said louder "You're going to get up in trouble!" When the frost didn't stop, Anna flicked through the channels to one of the educational ones, the frost instantly stopped, even receded a little. "You have such boring tastes, Elsa" the little girl mumbled grumpily as she crossed her arms and slumped down on the couch.
"Anna" her Mother called "Can you go into the garage and get me the soup pot" she paused before clarifying "The big one, Dear?"
"Yes Mother" she scrambled off the couch and went over to the door that connected their house to their garage. She took a deep breath and opened the door slowly. The garage had always filled her with a strange sense of fear. It was where her mother kept all of her strange trinkets and mementos of the life she had before Anna, she had been told that when she had put her Mother in a particularly bad mood one day. She shook her head, her little pig-tails swaying with the motion. No time to think of that, she had to get the pot for mother.
She reached out in the dark, fumbling for the light switch. She smiled when she felt cold air guiding her hand to the pull chain. "Thanks Elsa" she muttered as she grabbed the chain and pulled. Light flood the garage and suddenly it didn't seem so scary. Anna almost laughed at herself for thinking such silly things. There was nothing in there that could hurt her, so what reason did she have to be afraid? "None" she told herself as she marched her little legs down the steps and began to weave in and among the shelves that filled the garage.
"Soup pot. Soup pot. Soup pot?" she reached into a box and pulled out an odd looking bowl "Nope, not a soup pot" she said as she continued her search. She groaned when she finally found it at the very back "Of course it would be way over here" she grumbled as she lifted it up with a grunt. "Stupid heavy pot she grumbled as she started walking back.
She heard something rattle behind her and she peered over her shoulder "Elsa?" another thing moved on an upper shelf. "Elsa, if that's you stop it! This isn't funny" Anna was walking faster not, her knees bumping the pot. Just as she was calming down, the light above her burst, as did the next on and the one after that in a chain until the garage was dark. Anna screamed and began running, her knees now bumping painfully against the pot. She could hear things moving violently behind her "Elsa, help me!" she cried, feeling a very light frost tingle across her skin as she ran.
It felt like she had been running around for ages when she finally burst out of the dark garage and into the brightness of the hallway, and bumped into her Mother "Anna? Anna dear are you alright?" the soup pot was taken from her and she felt her face being held by her Mothers long fingers. She nodded slowly "The light burst. It scared me"
"Oh my poor dear. How about this, why don't you go play in the backyard and calm down, I'll make finish making your soup and I'll call you when it's done." She tilted her head and smiled "How's that sound?"
Anna nodded and went to the front hall and put her boots on and went to the door.
"Anna" Her Mother "What are you doing?"
"What do you mean? You said I could go outside soooo"
"Where is your coat?" She paused a moment pursing her lips "And your hat, and your gloves and your scarf?"
Anna groaned loudly "Mother why?"
"It's cold out Anna!"
"But the cold doesn't even both-"
"I don't care if it bothers you Anna, it is cold out now go and put on your snow stuff"
Anna groaned "Yes Mother" she returned to the front and horridly put on her snow stuff before running to the backdoor "Can I go now?" she asked, barely waiting for her Mothers affirmative before she was out the door. As soon as she was sure her Mother wasn't paying attention, Anna shucked off her winter gear and ran into the yard in only her boots and sweater.
She twirled in the snow a moment before freezing, a delighted smile spreading across her face. Their earlier bickering forgiven of more than likely just forgotten, Anna dropped to her knees and began making a ball of snow "Hey Elsa? Want to build a snowman?" she asked, taking the sudden swirl of snow as an obvious yes Anna began to roll the ball, she stopped and started another one that rolled itself around next to her "This is going to be our best Snowman ever!" Anna cheered as she lifted the smaller ball and put it on top of hers. She crossed her arms and stepped back, tilting her head to admire their work "I think he looks great, what about you, Elsa?" she nodded slowly "Yea, he does need a face… Let's go find some stones"
She was searching was a broken fence of fence when she heard the laughter of children "I got you Ted!"
Kneeling down, Anna pulled the board to the side and peered out to see what was going on. It didn't take her long to figure it out. A snowball fight! She had to get in on that. She paused "Of like you're one to talk about getting in trouble, Elsa. You've been frosting the house all day! Besides, it'll be fun!" she smiled before adding "And together we make the best snowballs, it would be a shame not to share them" with that, Anna scurried out the fence and into the street. Kids were everywhere and laughter and snowballs filled the air.
Anna hide behind a car and held out her hand. "Okay Elsa, I'm ready. Do it" Her fingers tingled as a ball of snow began to form in her palm. She grinned wickedly "Perfect" she giggled as she stepped out from behind the car and let the ball fly, whooping with joy when it hit its mark, knocking off a boys hat. She hid again making more and sending them sailing at the other kids, and getting hit by more than a few herself. She was having a great time.
Or she was until one of her snowballs hit the boy Ted, square in the face. All of the kids fell silent as he stormed towards Anna, pausing to scoop an armload of snow off a car. Before Anna could react, the snow was tossed harshly into her face, the force of it knocking her over. She blinked in shock trying uselessly to wipe the snow from her face but then he was right there, shoving more and more snow in her face. Elsa may have been able to protect her from the cold the snow brought, but she couldn't protect her from suffocating under it. He was pressing her face into a snowbank now, she could hear his laughing. Her lungs were burning and she could feel Elsa's panic and fear, and then that fear turned to rage.
There was a scream of pain followed by screams of fear. The weight pressing her face into the snow was gone and Anna hurried to her feet, coughing and gasping for air. She turned to see what all the commotion was only to see Ted on the ground crying in pain, clutching at his hand that was slowly turning black from extreme frostbite. She took a step back "Elsa" she whimpered.
"They're over there, Madame Gothel!" a child's voice called followed by the sound of two sets of footsteps.
Her shoulder was shaken violently and she looked over to see her Mother. She whimpered as tears welled up in her eyes "I didn't mean it" she whimpered.
Her Mothers gray eyes were cold "I don't care if you meant it or not Anna! You are making a scene, killing this boy's hand. Stop it!"
"I-I can't" she shook her head "Elsa won't listen"
"Elsa, always Elsa, take responsibility and stop this! Now!
Anna was crying now "Elsa! I'm fine, stop, please stop Elsa. Don't do this" she pleaded "Please"
The creeping blackness on Teds hand stopped its progression and her leapt to his feet "Sorcery" he spat "Witch! I'm going to tell everyone about you! Maybe they still burn witches! You'll pay for this!"
He continued to rant on but Anna could hear what he said, as her Mother had roughly grabbed her arms and was dragging her back to the house. "Get in" she snapped as she all but threw Anna into the house, locking the door quickly "What the hell was that out there Anna!?" she demanded "What did you do to that boy!?"
"It wasn't me, Mother!" Anna cried "It was Elsa! She was just trying to protect me!"
"Enough, Anna! Elsa this Elsa that, well where is she now? Don't answer that. She's 'attached' to you." Her Mother was shaking with rage "Well until you learn to control that… That thing, I forbid you from leaving this house. Not even the damn yard, Anna! Do I make myself clear?" she looked down at Anna's feet and her scowl seemed to deepen when she saw ice spreading from her feet. "Bed, now. And I don't want to hear a peep from you!"
Anna stared at her feet "Yes Mother" she muttered as she climbed the stairs, ice trailing after her as she went.
She changed into her pajamas and curled up under the covers. She had no idea how long she lay there before the muffled sound of her Mothers raised voice reached her ears. She rolled over "No Elsa. I don't want to know" she shook her head "I said no!" she sat up quickly as she felt Elsa drift away "Elsa come back!" Anna clamped her hands over her ears as her Mother's voice became clear. But the sound was in her head, Elsa could hear her, so she could hear her.
"No, no I don't think you understand Commander, this is getting out of hand! Yes I know I sighed a contract. Yes I understand that but I did not sign up for this! Better? No it is not getting better, if anything it is getting worse. More and more ice. Wait, what the hell do you mean by 'that's better'!? You is trashing my house, I can't deal with this, Commander! I am not getting paid enough for this! Sure she was fine a babe, but now? I did not sign on to take care of this… this" she could seem to find the word she wanted "This Devil child!" she spat words out "You get me a doctor who can deal with her, calm her down, and then we'll see about me keeping her. I-Yes, yes sir I understand. Thank you sir" she hung up the phone.
Elsa had returned to Anna who sat on her bed hugging her knees "Lets…. Let's just get some sleep Elsa" she muttered as she curls up under the covers.
Sleep was just about to take over them when the lamp on Anna's bed side table fell over. She curled up tighter "No, leave us alone. We didn't do anything to you" she pleaded as a shelf was knocked onto its side. "Please!"
Madame Gothels head shot up when Anna's scream reached her ears "Anna!" she was on her feet in seconds, taking the stairs two at a time. As angry as the girl made her, as terrifying as her abilities could be, the raven haired woman had given up seven years of her life to raising and caring for the girl. She was loath to admit it, but she did feel something for the child, deep, deep down in her heart she cared for the girl, and her screams drew a very maternal response from her.
Grabbing the handle of the door she turned it and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. She could hear crashing beyond the door, and without a second thought Madame Gothel through her weight against the door, shattering the ice that had been holding it closed "Anna!" she looked around the room. The room was trashed, and the only light came from the flickering lamp on the floor. Anna?" her eyes fell on a pile of snow in the corner and she slowly approached. The pile shifted and Anna emerged from it. Ignoring the cold and her earlier anger she pulled the girl into a tight hug. Don't you worry, Mothers here, you're safe. I'm going to take you to someone who can help you, okay?" the girl nodded "Good, let's get you dressed and we'll go.
She helped the girl dress and then the two of them left the house, hand in hand.