Well... this chapter sorta came out later than I had hoped...
Sorry!
But thank you so much for the kind reviews! They really made my day, and motivated me to write this! Anyways, here's chapter 2!
A Little Surprise
Elsa woke to the sound of her alarm, which rang in her ears as she clambered out of bed and into the bathroom. Merida was still asleep, and Elsa decided to let the red-head get a few more moments of sleep before she woke her up. She studied her face in the mirror, which looked slightly worn out.
'Nothing a shower and a little make-up can't fix,' Elsa thought to herself. She turned on the tap and splashed her face, the cold water giving her a wake up call. She loved the feeling of the cold, relieving her warm skin as she attempted to take away the tiredness. Suddenly, the cold water brought back a memory from the past.
'Elsa! Wake up! Wake up!' Anna giggled excitedly as the older girl slowly opened her eyes.
'What is it, Anna?' she asked, although she had a feeling she knew what Anna was gonna say.
'Do you wanna build a snowman?' Anna asked mischievously. Elsa glanced up, responding with a grin.
A few moments later, and they were outside in the backyard, gleefully throwing snowballs at each other.
'Catch me if you can!' Anna cried as she began climbing a massive hill of snow. It was 8 metres tall. However, the talented strawberry blonde scaled the hill within minutes, teasing her older sister down below. She stood up tall on the top of the hill.
'Haha! You can't get me!' Anna taunted, doing a stupid dance. Elsa quickly grabbed some snow and transformed it into a snowball. She looked up at Anna, who was facing the other way. Then, she threw it. The snowball shot through the air, and hit Anna clean on the back. Elsa was about cheer, when Anna began to fall forward.
Time slowed. Elsa could see Anna flailing her arms uselessly, her scream piercing the air. Elsa stood in shock, not moving a muscle as she watched her younger sister fall to the ground. There was a loud crunch as she collided with the snow. Elsa could hear voices behind her, and then her parents were there, rushing to the aide of the unconscious Anna.
'Anna!' their mother cried as she knelt down and cradled the girl's head. Her breathing was steady, but her arm was in an awkward angle and she was shivering badly.
'How did it happen?' their father asked Elsa. Elsa looked at them, refusing to let tears spill.
'She- she- she fell off the hill,' she lied, afraid of what would happen if they knew the truth. Their parents looked back at Anna.
'It'll be okay, Anna. Everything's gonna be okay,' their mother whispered.
Elsa shivered at the memory. Her flashbacks were coming back again. She needed to learn how to control them or she might black out in the middle of a class.
'Elsa?' a groggy voice called form the room. Elsa's ears perked up.
'Merida? You okay?' she asked as she looked through the door and saw her friend sit up in bed and yawn, her hair as messy as ever.
'I'm fine. What's the time?' Merida asked. Elsa glanced at her watch.
'10 past 6,' she replied. Merida yawned again.
'When's first class?'
'8:45.'
'Why so early then?' Merida asked. Elsa blushed.
'I was going to see if I could do some studying in the library. You know, so I can get a good first impression,' Elsa said. Merida smirked.
'Guess I'll come along with you. If that's okay with you, of course,' Merida said. Elsa smiled.
'It's perfectly fine. I'd like some company,' Elsa replied.
'You better go shower so we can be early,' Merida suggested. Elsa nodded.
'Yes, ma'am,' she replied as she got back in the bathroom and had a quick shower and brushed her teeth. She came out and Merida went in. She quickly changed into her school uniform, which consisted of navy socks, a black and navy tartan skirt, a white blouse, a navy tie and a navy blazer. She tied in her black shoes and got her books together just as Merida walked out.
'Do you want me to wait for you outside?' Elsa asked. Merida nodded.
'Don't leave without me,' Merida warned. Elsa grinned.
'We'll see,' she said as she grabbed her books and waited outside the dorm room. She didn't see any lights on under doors, so she assumed that most of the other people were still asleep. She closed her eyes, and imagined what her teacher, who she found out was Mrs Merryweather, was like. She imagined a lot of bright colours, and a bright personality. She thought of a massive bright pink top hat with feathers, and even a multicoloured boa. She imagined a bright personality to rival her appearance, and quirky glasses which were much to big for her. As she was getting to the shoes, Merida hurried out the door with a few books in her arms.
'Ready?' Elsa asked as she looked at Merida's slightly disgruntled appearance. Merida nodded.
'Let's go,' the red-head decided as they headed off to the library, which was down the stairs and somewhere near the front doors of the school.
'This is it, right?' Elsa asked as they stopped in front of two large black doors. Merida nodded enthusiastically as the platinum-blonde reached forward for the handle. Almost immediately, the doors burst open a familiar boy ran into Elsa.
'Sorry!' Hiccup apologised as he helped Elsa up.
'It's all good,' she reassured, glancing at the slightly flushed Hiccup. He smiled bashfully.
'What're you guys doing here?' Hiccup asked.
'We're studying. You know, to get a good first impression,' Merida replied. Hiccup smirked.
'Who's your homeroom teacher?' he asked.
'Mrs Merryweather. Who's your's?' Elsa replied.
'The same. She doesn't play favourites, though, just thought you might want to know,' he informed them. Merida raised an eyebrow.
'What's she like?'
'She... wears a lot of... blue,' he said thoughtfully. 'And she's kinda on the short side.'
'Great description. I meant her personality,' Merida said. Hiccup blushed.
'Oh. Right. She's feisty, sometimes pessimistic, but quite resourceful.' Hiccup said. Elsa smiled.
'Well, you asked us what we were doing here. How 'bout you?' she asked.
'Oh, me? I was studying too, like usual,' he stated.
'Usual?'
'Yeah. I always study. It's become a sort of hobby.'
'Well, anyway, we should be getting inside now. See you in class, Hiccup!' Elsa finished as they waved goodbye and the two girls entered the large space.
'Even though we were here yesterday, this place never ceases to surprise me,' Merida said as they walked further in. It was a quite modern library, with sleek black shelves and white walls, with so many stylish study desks Elsa gave up trying to count them all. There were a few students, but other than that, it was quite empty and quiet.
'Let's go over there,' Merida motioned toward two study desk situated side-by-side. They wondered over there, set their books down and opened them up.
'Well, let's see if I can still do quadratics,' Merida muttered quietly to herself as Elsa giggled quietly.
A Little Surprise
'Jack! Wake up, you lazy idiot!' Hiccup whispered loudly as he brought his pillow down and smacked Jack on the side of his head. He immediately jolted awake.
'Dude, it's the first day of school. Give me a couple more minutes.'
'It's 8:30, you douche bag,' Hiccup said. Jack groaned.
'Already? I could've sworn that it was 6 o'clock 5 minutes ago...'
'Just get out of bed, Jack,' Hiccup urged. Finally, Jack relented, purposefully dragging his body out slowly and glancing at his immaculate looking best friend. Jack raised his eyebrows.
'Trying to make a good impression on a certain someone?' he asked. Hiccup hit him over the head again.
'Okay! I get it! I'm going!' Jack yelped as he sped to the bathroom, securing the lock behind him. He looked in the mirror, and stared at his untidy silver hair. He shrugged. It wasn't like that wasn't what his usual hairstyle looked like.
He took a quick shower, brushed his teeth and changed, all in just under 9 minutes.
'Quick! We have to go now or we'll miss class!' Hiccup said. Jack looked at him.
'I haven't even styled my hair yet!' he tried to come up with an excuse. Hiccup stared at him with an amused expression on his face.
'Since when do you style your hair? Oh, that's right, you start flirting with girls today. I should've known,' Hiccup said sarcastically. Jack threw a sock at him and it hit him in the face.
'Ugh! Jack! That's disgusting!' he cried as he gathered his things and sped out the door. Jack grabbed his own belongings and followed his trustworthy friend down the halls, down the stairs and to his locker.
'Which one's mine again?' he asked Hiccup. He pointed to the one next to him and he speedily unlocked it and stuffed his things inside. Just as he was closing his locker the bell rang for first class.
'Here we go. Another year at Macedon Academy!' Jack said with a forced enthusiastic tone as he and his real enthusiastic friend headed off to their classroom, Room 12. When they got there, there were already at least 10 people waiting patiently in line for the teacher.
'Good morning, Hiccup. Long time no see, eh?' Elsa greeted him as they approached the lines. Hiccup shrugged as Jack raised his eyebrow in confusion.
'We met him at the library,' Merida explained when she noticed Jack's confused expression. Jack smirked.
'Of course you did. I should've known,' Jack said as he glanced knowingly at his friend. Hiccup rolled his eyes.
'And I wasn't surprised to find you still drooling on your now damp pillow when I got back,' he fired back. Jack smirked.
'I can just picture you drooling now because of-' he didn't get to finish his sentence as Hiccup slapped his hand over Jack's mouth and shot him a death glare. Jack looked at him innocently. Elsa and Merida glanced at each other in confusion.
'-the fact that we're starting school today,' Jack finished when Hiccup had removed his hand. Merida looked like she was about to ask a question when a young man silently swung his arm around Jack's shoulder.
'Hey, dude,' Flynn said. He looked at the two girls and whistled cheekily. 'Already flirting with newcomers, are we Jackson?'
'Of course not, darling. You know I'm all yours,' Jack replied swiftly with a high-pitched voice. The five of them cracked up, drawing attention from the other students waiting there.
'So... how's things with Rapunzel?' Hiccup asked, winking at Jack, who sniggered. Flynn raised an eyebrow as the two girls raised theirs.
'Say what now?' Merida butted in. Flynn looked at the red-head.
'These two are clearly delusional-'
'He's got a crush on her,' Jack interrupted.
'Ooohhhhh,' Elsa and Merida chorused as Flynn flicked Jack on the forehead.
'He's just joking, aren't you?' he said, shooting Jack a playful glare. Jack just rolled his eyes.
'I hope you are, dear. Wouldn't want you turning your back on us,' he said, resuming his girly voice. They all sniggered once again.
'Good morning, class!' a female voice suddenly called out as the door to their classroom swung open and revealed a woman with black hair done up in a bun, a blue dress and blue hat, and blue heeled shoes at her feet.
'Wow. You weren't joking about the blue,' Jack heard Merida whisper to Hiccup. He nodded.
'Wait 'til you see the inside,' he whispered back.
'Okay, girls, come in please! I've assigned seats, so please stand to the side,' Mrs Merryweather ordered. The girls filed in, and the boys followed close behind.
It looked like a ball of blue had just exploded in there.
There were blue posters on walls, hanging blue feature paper balls, blue stickers, blue chairs, blue carpet, blue shelves, blue cupboards. The only things that were white were the celiling, the walls, the tables, the projector and the whiteboard. Other than that, everything was decorated with intricate designs that were, obviously, blue.
The tables were set up in four rows of six, situated right in the center of the room, facing the left (the front of the room). Along the back wall (which would be the right wall when walking in) were the blue shelves with little objects, souvenirs and mainly a lot of books.
'Alright, so I know you want to take a seat, so I'll display the seating plan on the projector and, just, well, go to your seats accordingly,' Mrs Merryweather instructed as she connected her blue computer to the screen. It flicked on, and Jack studied the screen to find his name.
'I'm next to you, bro,' Jack commented to Hiccup, who feigned disappointment.
'When I finally thought I'd get a break from you,' he sighed. Jack smiled.
'You know you love me,' Jack said.
'Hey! What about me?' Flynn asked, mocking hurt. Jack rolled his eyes.
'You sit on the other side of the room, honey. Guess this ain't gonna work,' he replied sassily, flicking pretend hair behind his shoulder. Flynn laughed.
'Okay, okay, you got me,' Flynn said through his laughs as he walked over the the end of the third row. Jack took his seat on the second table of the second row, and found Elsa on his right, Merida beside her.
'Well, hello again,' he said as he sat down, Hiccup next to him. Elsa smiled.
'I would say it's a pleasure, but I still don't know you all that well, so we'll see,' she replied. Jack laughed.
'Well, my favourite colour's icy blue, if that helps,' he offered. Elsa rolled her eyes.
'Riiiiight. So if, like, someone puts me at gun point and demands to know everything about you and your life, that's definitely gonna help me,' she said sarcastically. Jack sniggered.
'Hey, to be fair, I don't even know your full name,' he argued. Elsa shrugged.
'True. It's Elsa Wynters, if you really wanted to know so badly. Oh, and my favourite colour's baby blue,' she added mockingly. Jack smiled.
'Well, good morning class. Some of you might remember me from last year-'
'You're the one who fell out of the tree when you were saving Naveen's soccer ball!' someone called out. The class laughed, and Mrs Merryweather gave a knowing smile.
'Yes, that was me. Not exactly my proudest moment, but definitely something I won't forget. Anyways, some of you might be wondering what in the world I'm talking about. Well, to those people, my name is Mrs Merryweather and I will be your homeroom teacher for the rest of the year. I will also be teaching some of you English, History, Chemistry or Art, depending on your choices from earlier this year when we sent out the application form, and which teacher you've been given. Unfortunately, all of you do have at least one class with me. I know. So sad.' she said as the class laughed at her last comment.
'But anyways, a few things about myself, I love helping people, so if you need a hand I'll definitely help you with anything, just come talk to me. I also consider myself quite pessimistic, so if I do say a few sad things that make happy things seem depressing, just let me know and I'll immediately tell you that the world isn't fair and we just have to deal with the horrible things that happen to you,' she said jokingly as the class laughed again.
'Anyhow, enough about myself, let's get to know some of the new students this year,' she said. Jack felt Elsa slightly stiffen besides him and he glanced at her, noticing a bit of nervousness in her demeanour as she fidgeted. She glanced at him, a bit of worry in her blue eyes, but her nervousness quickly disappeared as she smiled determinedly at him. He smiled back, hoping that she felt a bit better about introducing herself.
'So could all the new students please come up to the front?' she asked. Elsa, Merida, and two other students he didn't recognise (obviously, because they were new here) stood up and made their way to the front.
'Ah, let's start with you,' she said as she pointed to one of the ones Jack didn't know. It was a girl, with brown skin and a black bun, cleverness shining in her brown eyes.
'Well, um, hi, my name's Tiana, I love cooking and baking and those sorts of things and I like the colour green,' she said. The teacher nodded thoughtfully.
'What's your favourite thing to cook, Tiana?' Mrs Merryweather asked. Tiana didn't hesitate when she answered.
'Gumbo. It's a dish with stock, meat, vegetables and a secret ingredient I can't give away,' she said mysteriously. Mrs Merryweather smiled.
'And why, if you don't mind me asking, do you love cooking gumbo so much?' she asked. Tiana smiled.
'As a child, me and my father used to make it together. He'd let me stir it, taste it, and help make improvements. Cooking sorta became my passion. But, my father passed away, so when I make gumbo, I remember him, and sometimes I can hear his voice whispering 'just a little more of this' or 'it looks lovely, Tiana," Tiana said honestly.
'I'm sorry to hear about your father, Tiana, but it's lovely to hear that he seems to have passed on his talents to you,' Mrs Merryweather said. Tiana smiled and it lit up her face.
'Now, how about you?' Mrs Merryweather said as she pointed to the other new student Jack didn't recognise. It was a boy who has brown eyes and dark brown hair, and- a ponytail at the back?
'Hi, my name's Jim. I, uh, like pirates, I guess,' he said, obviously unsure of what else to say.
'Why do you like pirates so much, Jim?' Mrs Merryweather asked, attempting to encourage him to say more.
'Well, my dad disappeared one day, and I kinda fantasised that he went out to sea and became some sort of pirate,' Jim answered, keeping his answers brief. Mrs Merryweather blinked a few times in a moment of silence, before turning to Merida.
'How about you introduce yourself now?' Mrs Merryweather said. Merida nodded.
'My name's Merida, and I love archery and riding horses, especially my horse Angus. I have three little brothers who are very much troublemakers, but I guess they're kinda cute,' she said. Mrs Merryweather smiled.
'What are their names?' she asked.
'Harris, Hubert and Hamish. They're triplets,' she replied. Mrs Merryweather smiled.
'And finally, you.' she said as she looked at Elsa. She bit her lip.
'Um, my name's Elsa Wynters, and I like to play piano and sing, I guess,' she said, her voice considerably quieter than when she was with her friends.
'Why do you like singing so much?' Mrs Merryweather asked.
'I guess it helps release emotions, and when you write songs, it tells a story you might be able to express in just words,' she said, a little more confident than before.
'I'm sure you write beautiful songs, Elsa,' Mrs Merryweather said. All of a sudden, Elsa gasped. Her eyes turned a little glassy, and she froze. Her gaze passed silently around the room, and landed on Jack. She stared for a few moments, tears slowly forming in her gorgeous eyes. She choked for a bit, before seemingly gathering herself enough to race out of the room, tears spilling down her face. Mrs Merryweather looked shocked.
'Did I say something?' she half-whispered.
'I'll go after her, if that's alright with you,' Merida said. Mrs Merryweather nodded, so Merida raced out the room, following close behind Elsa. Jack racked his brains, thinking about everything Mrs Merryweather had said. They hadn't been mean at all, so it must have been something she said that triggered, perhaps, a memory from the past?
Or maybe she was just making a scene, like what Quincy did.
No, of course not. Jack thought to himself. He'd known Elsa for a day and a bit and he already could tell that she was not that type of girl.
So what was up with her?
Jack sighed. He didn't think he'd ever understand girls.
A Little Surprise
'Elsa! Come play with me!' an older Anna from the previous flashback called out to her 14 year old sister. Elsa grinned.
'Coming, Anna!' Elsa called back as she raced to get her coat and mittens. When she had finally found them, she ran back down the stairs and out into the backyard, joining Anna out in the cold.
'Do you wanna build a snowman?' Anna asked mischievously. They shared matching cheeky grins as they set to work building a massive snowman. It had a slightly wonky head and the weight was kinda squishing the small round feet, but it was beautiful in the two sisters' eyes.
'I name it... Olaf,' Elsa declared as she admired her masterpiece. Anna giggled.
'Olaf the snowman. I like it,' she said.
'Elsa! Could you come in for a minute? This young man would like to speak to you,' their mother called out. Elsa looked nervously at Anna, but she gathered up the courage when she saw Anna's beautiful beaming smile. When she ran back inside, there was a very pale, tall man who was dressed in all black. His eyes were sort of shallow, and he had ebony hair.
'Elsa, this is Mr Black.' Elsa's mother began.
'Pitch, please,' he interrupted, revealing a scary sort of tone in his voice. Elsa also shivered at the coldness of his voice, and she practically never got cold.
'Well, Elsa, Pitch would like to take you into his school, because you are apparently an exceptionally smart student,' Elsa's mother continued, seemingly unfazed by Pitch's frightening actions.
'Yes, Elsa, you are incredibly talented, and we only accept the best of the best. May I speak to you privately?' he gently asked her. Elsa was about to protest, but her father spoke up.
'Well, actually, we think that-'
'It would be better if I spoke to her. Alone.' he butted in, emphasising on the 'alone'. Her father coughed, before he looked at his wife, who was slightly worried now, and they quietly left the room. Pitch looked at Elsa, his eyes running up and down her body, which made Elsa extremely uncomfortable.
'Well, Elsa, what types of talents do you have?' he asked. Elsa looked at the grand piano at the corner of the room.
'I can play piano, and other instruments,' she replied, attempting to keep her voice from wavering. Pitch grinned, which wasn't exactly making her feel any better.
'I actually need a drink of water. Would you be so kind as to go sit on the piano stool and wait for me while I'm gone?' he asked. Elsa nodded, slightly confused, as she took her seat on the piano stool. Pitch stood up from his position on the couch and left the room. Elsa breathed a sigh of relief as she gingerly place her fingers on the keys, and began to play. She didn't need the sheet music, it was all in her head, and she poured emotion into the song as her fingers danced across the piano. Somewhere a little past halfway, she heard a bit of commotion coming from a different room, as well as some muffled voices. Elsa stood up, about to go to venture further, when an ear-splitting shriek cut through the air. It was piercing, loud, helpless.
And it belonged to her mother.
Elsa was on alert. Her mother never screamed. And her alertness was turned up to full power when she heard her dad scream from the same area. She paused for a second, not knowing what to do, and then, after the two screams and a bit more commotion, it was deathly silent. For some reason, the silence was a lot more chilly than the screams. Elsa was about to go see what was wrong when Pitch burst through the door, still with a calm look on his face and a half filled glass of water. His hair was slightly ruffled, but other than that he looked exactly the same as before. He raised an eyebrow when he caught her staring.
'A problem, Miss?' he asked.
'Where's my parents?' she demanded. He looked at her, without a bit of compassion in his shallow eyes.
'They're watching a horror movie, dear. Nothing to be worried about,' he replied. Elsa sighed. At least they were okay.
'Now, about the song?' he asked, gesturing towards the piano. Elsa obeyed, walking gracefully towards it, taking a seat and placing her fingers carefully on the piano. She started the song. A bit after she had begun playing, he heard Pitch come closer towards her, until she felt his presence right behind her. She played on, but got even more uncomfortable when she felt his hands on her shoulders. They went slowly forwards, until they were around her chest. She immediately stopped playing, and turned around, her eyes wide.
'What are you doing?' she asked, her voice a little shaky. He smiled.
'I just wanted to see you play,' he whispered into her ear. 'Do you write songs?'
'I- sometimes,' she mumbled as she felt the hands make their way down the length of her body and to her upper thighs. She heard Pitch sigh.
'Do you like the songs you write?' he whispered huskily into her ear. She was panicking inside, her instinct telling her to run as far away as she could, but her body wouldn't react.
'Ye- ye- yes. I- I think they're good,' she mumbled. She twisted her head again slightly, and found herself looking straight into his eyes. They looked like he was loooking straight into her soul, and she felt his hands slowly went to her waist, and he locked her in his grasp. She gasped, wiggling a bit, but she couldn't manage to get free. She felt his lips once again pressed next to her ear.
'I'm sure you write beautiful songs, Elsa,' he whispered.
Everything around her turned black.
It was two weeks later when she woke up, finding herself in a hospital bed, Anna's face hovering above her own, showing sadness, shock, then full-blown delight as she watched her sister wake up. She hugged her tightly, before breaking to Elsa the horrible news.
She had been stabbed 3 times.
Her parents had been found dead in her house.
And Pitch was nowhere to be seen.
The mirrors reflected what Elsa already knew was true. Her face was flushed and messy, tears streaming down her face. As soon as Mrs Merryweather had repeated those exact words, the flashback hit her will full force, and wouldn't go away. It had taken her all she had to run away, and to try to not make too much of a scene on her first day of school.
'Elsa?' a familiar voice called as the door to the female bathroom swung open and was replaced by a red-head. Merida spotted her immediately, and the two friends rushed towards each other. Elsa was still crying, but she felt a bit better, her friend making her feel better.
'What happened?' Merida asked gently. Elsa slowly unclasped herself from Merida's hug and she looked at Merida. She hesitated. No one really knew about her childhood, her past, as she had tried so hard to keep it hidden. But Merida looked so concerned, so worried, about her, and Elsa felt that Merida deserved an explanation. I won't tell her everything. Just this flashback. Just until we have a stronger friendship.
'It's a long story,' she eventually said.
'I have time,' was her friend's reply.
A Little Surprise
'What happened?' Jack asked as he, Merida and Hiccup walked to their lockers during recess. Elsa was currently talking to Mrs Merryweather.
'One of the new kids reminded her of this creepy neighbour she used to have that scared her by stalking her while she walked back from her old school,' Merida explained.
'Was it Jim?'
'You know Tiana's new too, right?'
'Yeah, I know, but I just don't imagine her being evil.'
'True. And yeah, it was Jim. Apparently they have the exact same hairstyle,' Merida said.
'I hope she's all cool now,' Hiccup said.
'Hey guys,' Elsa' voice called from behind. The three of them whisked around. Not a trace of sadness was to be found on her face, instead replaced by a genuine smile.
'Hey Elsa. Hope you're okay,' Hiccup said. Elsa grinned.
'I'm okay now. Just had a fright. I'm guessing Merida told you what happened?'
'Yep. She just couldn't keep her mouth shut,' Jack teased. The two girls rolled their eyes as the two young men opened their lockers and placed their books inside.
'What's after recess?' Jack asked.
'Me and Merida have Physics and History. Don't know about you two.'
'I have Chemistry and History. I think you have the same,' Hiccup said to Jack. He nodded and popped his head back in his locker to prepare his books before pulling out a green apple and shutting his locker.
'Yo Jack!' Naveen suddenly called out from 5 metres away. Jack smiled as he approached his friend.
'Who're your new victims?' Naveen teased, eyeing the two girls. Jack rolled his eyes.
'I don't know what you're talking about,' he replied.
'Denial!' Naveen said in a sing-song voice.
'Yeah, what is he talking about?' Merida asked, slightly interested but mainly teasingly. Jack glanced at the two of them and innocently shrugged his shoulders.
'Eh well, see you 'round Jack. Presumably the ice hockey team?' Naveen said.
'You bet,' he replied. Naveen gave him a knowing look and walked off to his friends.
'You play ice hockey?' Elsa asked curiously. Jack looked at her.
'Pretty much been the Captain if the school's ice hockey team since I came here,' he replied smugly. 'Do you play?'
'Yeah, I guess. I also like ice skating,' she replied.
'I like ice coffee,' Merida interrupted. They laughed as Hiccup finally finished setting up his books and joined the three of them as they strolled to the girls' lockers, which were also conveniently next to each other.
'Do you play sports, Hiccup?' Elsa asked. Hiccup stared at her for a bit, then burst out into laughter.
'Nice joke,' he said, making fun of himself. The other three laughed along with him.
'JACKIE!' came a shrill voice through the crowd, piercing the bubbly atmosphere. Jack groaned.
'I'm gonna go to the bathroom,' he muttered, glancing at Hiccup. They both looked at the girls, who seemed to have a vague idea of the current situation and were unhelpfully smirking, before they quickly disappeared from the crowd as fast as they could.
'Is the coast clear?' Jack whispered as they hid in the boy's bathroom, Hiccup carefully peering out through the door.
'She's still in this area,' Hiccup replied. Jack groaned again.
'When will she learn that I'm not interested?' he complained out loud.
'Or that you're pretty much hopeless?' Hiccup added. Jack snorted.
'Low. Real low. Much like your social skills,' Jack returned. Hiccup grinned.
'Hey, you shouldn't be talking, Jack. I remember the first day I met you.'
'Why is this school so big?' Jack thought to himself. It really was. Macedon Academy was probably the most prestigious school in the country, featuring many different... well, features. Academic, athletic, art, music, drama, cooking, sewing, languages, Macedon Academt was basically everyone's dream school. Not only was it focused on good grades, though, it was an incredibly fun school. Many games, the 'Gender Wars' matches and parties, Jack couldn't believe his luck when he got accepted here.
'Hey, new kid!' A voice called out. Jack felt his face flame up as he turned around and faced the face of the voice. He was tall, dark skinned and handsome, and seemed to have all the confidence in the world.
'What's your name?' he asked. Jack tried to form words in his head, but nothing would come up.
'Hello? Are you deaf?' he asked, seeming to genuinely want to know. Jack shook his head.
'My name's Jack,' he managed to stumble out. The boy nodded.
'Hey, Jack. I'm Naveen. Think you're in my grade. Anyways, got to go! Meeting up with all my friends, and stuff,' he rambled as he took off, disappearing in the crowd. Jack gulped. He hoped he hadn't just shaped his reputation as a weirdo.
Jack decided the best thing to do was to follow the crowd, and so he did just that. He pushed his way through the crowd, offering a quiet 'sorry!' Here and there. As he got out the other side, he found himself next to the boy's bathroom. He decided to pop in, just to regain his composure and hopefully his dignity.
Unfortunately, luck wasn't in his favour as when he walked in he found 3 boys loping around in there, one of them smoking a cigarette and the other two laughing at something the smoker had said. Jack was about to walk right back outside when the smoker turned around and grinned in a creepy way, sending shivers up Jack's spine.
'Why hello, there. Who might you be?' he asked in a raspy, low voice. Jack swallowed, wishing he could say something but just as before, he couldn't form any words. Apparently, this smoker was quick to anger as immediately his face contorted into fury as he dropped his cigar and leaped towards Jack, grabbing his collar and slamming him against the wall.
'I asked you something, snowman,' he sneered, as Jack's face went as white as his hair and he felt his heart begin to beat faster. It didn't help that there wa slash a searing pain in his back, which didn't seem to go away.
'Hello? Are you deaf?' It was the exact same words Naveen had uttered earlier, but this time there was no compassion, instead replaced by pure menace.
'No. My n- name's J-jack,' he stuttered, failing to keep the fear out of his voice.
'Ooohhh, Jack Frost, huh?' he teased, receiving more laughter from the other two, who were watching on in amusement.
'Do you wanna know my name, snowman?' he continued, pushing him harder onto the wall. Jack didn't know what to say, so he simply stared. See,ingot not satisfied with the response, he hardened his grip on Jack's collar and slammed him into the floor. Jack's head connected with the bathroom floor, and he felt his consciousness slowly slipping.
At that moment, the bathroom door opened and a lanky brunette strolled in, and looked shocked at the scene.
'Hey! Stop!' he demanded, looking at the smoker with determination. The smoker didn't seem to be fazed.
'Hey! Stop!' he mocked, mimicking lankiness and making a stupid face. The newcomer didn't back down.
'I won't tell you twice. Leave him, or I'll tell Fairy Godmother,' he threatened. The smoker hesitated, glancing at his friends, who didn't see, as comfortable as before. They cocked their heads, and the smoker sighed.
'Whatever. Let's go,' the smoker said, and he and his friends brushed past the boy, giving him a good glare before Jack heard the door slam shut and the boy rush over to help him up.
'Hey.' he said as he grabbed his hand and helped Jack up.
'Hey. Thanks a lot,' Jack said. The boy smiled.
'No problem. They were just being assholes. I'm sure you didn't deserve it. I'm Hiccup, by the way,' he said. Jack raised an eyebrow.
'Hiccup?' he questioned. The boy shrugged.
'I guess my parents had an interesting sense of humour,' he replied. Jack laughed.
'Jack,' he said, introducing himself. Hiccup smiled.
'Well, Jack, I think it's time we got settled into the school, huh?' Hiccup said. Jack nodded as he followed him out the bathroom and into the main part of the academy.
'Trust me, other than the bullies, this is going to be the best experience of your life,' Hiccup said.
And as it turned out, it was.
'Yeah, I really owed you, man,' Jack said as he returned back to the present. Hiccup snorted.
'You really did. You were lucky that you were funny,' Hiccup said. He checked out the bathroom again, and seeing Quincy still waiting, he shit the door again.
'Was I ever,' Jack replied.
'You know that eventually we'll have to leave, right? Recess will eventually end,' Hiccup said. Jack shrugged.
'If I have to stay here all recess, I'll stay here all-'
'They're gone!' Hiccup said victoriously. Jack stopped and peeked over Hiccup's shoulder, and seeing no sign of Quincy or her friends, they both slipped out and went to the cafeteria.
'Dude, there's only apples left,' Hiccup said as he noticed that all the yogurt, grains and fruit salads were gone and only whole fresh fruits remained.
'Oh well. Good thing I like apples,' Jack said as he grabbed one and threw one at Hiccup, which he caught and bit into.
'We d'ya wanna go?' Jack asked his best friend. Hiccup scanned the cafeteria, and pointed to half-full booth with two familiar hairstyles. Jack grinned and elbowed his friend, who scowled and slapped him on the arm. Nevertheless, they both walked over and as they approached, the two girls looked up and shifted over, allowing the two boys to slip in. Jack took the seat next to Elsa, leaving Hiccup to sit next to Merida.
'Hey,' Elsa said as she stabbed a piece of watermelon.
'You guys came early?' Jack said, motioning to their fruit salads. Merida smirked.
'Of course. We're responsible young ladies,' she said in a posh voice. The others sniggered.
'What's up with that girl?' Elsa asked curiously as she swallowed the watermelon. Jack shrugged.
'Just this stupid girl who thinks that she's my girlfriend. It's so frustrating,' Jack replied. Hiccup nodded.
'Yeah. She got so desperate once that she climbed in through our dorm room window, and slept at the bottom of Jack's bed,' Hiccup added. The girls raised their eyebrows.
'You serious?' Merida asked.
'100%,' Hiccup replied.
'That's... creepy. And extreme,' Elsa said.
'I know. And actually, speaking of the devil..' Jack trailed off as Wuincy approached the booth, and her eyes screamed anger.
'Hey, Jack. Who're your friends?' she asked in a dangerously suger-coated voice. Jack shrugged as casually as he could.
'That's Merida, and this is Elsa,' he said, pointing at them in turn. Elsa offered a little wave, whereas Merida simply glared, apparently already choosing sides.
'Well, they better not be hitting on my Jackie, right?' she continued, looking at the two girls in turn, plastering a obviously fake smile on her face while attempting to glare while appearing happy.
'I'm not yours, Quincy. I'm not an object,' Jack shot back, slightly annoyed at her words. Quincy turned her attention back to him.
'Of course not, Jackie. I would never think such a thing,' she replied, shifting uncomfortably closer, before shoving Jack over so she'd be able to fit on the booth. Unfortunately, it meant that there was now little room for Elsa and she fell off the other side.
'Ow!' She muttered as she sat up on the floor and frowned at Quincy. She pretended not to notice.
'Hey! That's awfully rude, ain't it?' Merida said, fury beginning to grow in her eyes. Quincy stated right back.
'Not exactly. How was I to know that she would fall off?' she replied, inspecting her fingernails. Jack shifted to the right, trying to keep a comfortable distance from Quincy, but she simply slided over again.
'So, what do you have next period? Hopefully biology?' She asked, completely ignoring everyone else.
'Nope. Luckily,' he replied, taking a bite of his apple. Quincy pretended to hear the little jab and preceded to steal Elsa's fruit and promptly pick up a piece of rockmelon and pop it in her mouth. Jack snatched the paper bowl out of her grasp and hand it to Elsa, who was awkwardly standing on the other sid elf the booth next to Merida. She smiled gratefully as she also tried to keep Merida from leaping over the table and strangling Quincy, who was calmly chewing while watching on.
'Come on, guys. Let's go,' Jack said. The three of them stood up, but Quincy had no intention of leaving them so she stood up too.
'Where are we going?' She asked. The four of them looked at each other, silently communicating with their eyes, trying to find a way of subtly getting rid of her. Fortunately, luck was finally in their favour as right at that moment the bell rang, signifying the end of recess.
'To class,' Hiccup said. Quincy frowned, and after lingering for a bit, she finally turned on her heel and stalked off, trying to find her friends.
'Geez, what a stuck up little-'
'Person,' Elsa cut Merida off, getting a sheepish grin from the red-head.
'At least you know have a valid reason to hate her,' Jack said, as they walked back to their lockers. When they reached the girls locker, they waved goodbye and the two boys walked off to their own.
'You are one unlucky guy,' Hiccup said. Jack snorted.
'Yeah, 'cause you're my friend,' Jack replied.
Hiccup just laughed.
A Little Surprise
'This is so confusing,' Merida commented as she and her best friend sat on Elsa's bed, at quarter to 11 at night. Elsa glanced up from her exercise book and looked at Merida's question, and offered some guidance through the complex physics question.
'Oohhhh,' Merida said as she realised how it worked, and successfully figured out the correct answer. Elsa grinned in support for her friend.
'Hey, it's getting late, we should probably hit the sack,' Merida said after a few moments of silence had gone by. Else sighed as she looked up at the clock hanging on the back wall.
'You're right,' she agreed as she closed her books and placed them on her beside table, ready for tomorrow. Merida took her own books and assembled them on her table, before they settled down in their beds.
'Night, Elsa,' Merida mumbled as they switched off the lamps by their bed.
'Night,' Elsa replied. She shuffled around a bit, feeling a slight jab in her right hip. She shuffled some more, but there was clearly some sort of bump in her bed.
'You alright over there?' Merida asked as she sat up on her bed and looked over.
'I think there's something in the mattres,' Elsa replied. Merida flicked the covers off her bed and joined Elsa as she got out of her own.
'Go under the bed,' Merida suggested. Elsa got down on the floor and lay on her back, carefully sliding under the bed and looked up at the bed frame, which was made up of several slabs of wood separated by the same width as the slabs. As Elsa inspected the area where she had felt the jab, she noticed a thin slit in the area. Curious, she stuck her hand into the slit and felt around the inside of the mattress. After feeling around for a bit, she felt something leathery under her fingertips.
'I think I've found something,' she said as her hand closed around the rectangular object and she pulled it out. After coughing a bit from the dust that came out with it, she slid back out from under the bed and showed Merida what she'd found.
'It's a diary,' Merida commented as she switched on the beside table lamp, lighting up one half of the room. They sat back on Elsa's bed, and took a close look at the leather, A5 sized diary with the word 'Belle' on the front cover.
'You think it belongs to someone who used to sleep in this dorm?' Merida asked as Elsa wiped the dust off.
'It's likely,' Elsa replied. She opened up the front cover and was surprised to see that nearly the whole diary had been ripped out of the diary, leaving a couple of pages left which were hanging on to the spine.
'Read it,' Merida urged. Elsa took a deep breath.
'However is reading this; I pray it isn't who I hope it isn't. If it isn't, then you must be very confused. Understanbly, of course. You have no idea what I'm talking about. In fact, you may not know who this mysterious 'Belle' is. Who knows? Maybe the person reading this lives far beyond my lifetime. So I'll start with this. My name is Belle, and I am in Year 9, in 2016. One month ago, my life changed forever when I discovered a secret no one was ever meant to discover. It lead to a number of punishments, consequences, but my curiosity overcame it all, and I found out every last detail of the secret. But my luck soon ran out, and if my prediction is correct, I am no longer in this school, but somewhere else, where I am probably being held captive. I would tell you everything, everything, but unfortunately I can not afford to give away precious information to someone who doesn't deserve to know. So this is what I've done; all over the school I have hidden the different pages of my diary. In it is everything about what I discovered, and what happened in my time when I mysteriously disappeared. I will leave a clue for the next page of my diary in with every page, and hopefully you will find out what I know. Because someone needs to know the truth. Someone needs to know what really happened in this school, and what really happened to those three girls who mysteriously disappeared. Someone needs to know the past behind some of the teachers at the academy. Otherwise, I'm doomed. Oh, and one last thing; DO NOT TRUST MR FACILIER.'
'Wow,' Merida whispered when Elsa had finished reading what was left on the pages.
'This is... this can't be real,' Elsa whispered back in disbelief. Merida looked at Elsa.
'What if it is? What if this Belle girl is relying on us to find her?' Merida said. Elsa shook her head repeatedly.
'I mean, the teachers? That's insane,' Elsa said. She was still trying to wrap her head around what she had just read, still holding on the thought that it was just a prank.
'Insane as it may seem, we can't take that chance, Elsa. Even if it may seem like absolute nonsense, there is still that chance that it's real, that's she needs help, that the truth needs to be uncovered. And no matter how small that chance is, it's one we can't risk not taking. We can't do that to them,' Merida said. Elsa glanced up as her blue eyes were met with Merida's, which reflected seriousness, determination, and a sense of duty, and right then and there Elsa knew that Merida had already made her choice, and now so had she.
'Okay. Let's find out what happened to Belle,' Elsa agreed, and Merida smiled and bounced happily on her bed.
'Woah, slow down there, Mer. We need to figure out what the clue is,' Elsa said as she picked up the second piece of paper, which had a poem written in neat, print writing.
'This must be the clue,' Merida said as she leaned over Elsa's shoulder to read what it said.
Under the stars, where dreamers lie,
It may seem normal, for a passerby,
But if you look deeper, you'll find a clue,
That lays in only a third point of view.
'What?' Merida asked, confused, after reading it over and over in her head.
'I don't know either,' Elsa said, slightly deflated.
'How 'bout we sleep, and maybe tomorrow we'll figure something out?' Merida suggested as she yawned. Elsa yawned too, nodding in the process. Merida stood up and glanced back.
'Should we hide the diary? You know, because we can't trust teachers?' Merida said. Elsa thought for a moment, before agreeing.
'Yeah. Should we just put it back in the mattress?' Elsa asked. Merida shrugged.
'I guess if it's managed to keep hidden for this long, it'll be safe for a few weeks in there,' Merida reasoned. Elsa hopped off her bed, slid under it and replaced the diary, careful to make the list look as unnoticeable as possible.
'All done,' Elsa commented as she came out from under the bed and back into her bed. Merida grinned and switched off the lamp light, making the room go as dark as it was before.
'You know, this is kinda exciting,' Merida whispered into the dark. Elsa smiled.
'Yeah,' Elsa whispered back. There was silence for a bit, before Elsa heard soft, gentle snores coming from the other bed. Elsa closed her mouth and turned on her side, her thoughts turning into dreams of mystery, and creating a character of beauty, intelligence and determination, in which she named Belle.
'Morning, Mer,' Elsa said as she did up her tie. Merida mumbled something inaudible.
'Sorry?' Elsa said as she moved closer, tugging at the longer end if her tie.
'I said, why are you up so early?' Merida repeated, a smidge louder than before.
'Well, one, because I wanted to find out more about the diary we found last night, and two, it's not exactly early. It's 8 o'clock,' Elsa said. Merida's eyes shit open and she quickly removed the covers form her bed, making it up nicely in under 10 seconds.
'Damn!' she muttered when she glanced at the clock and raced into the bathroom, leaving behind a laughing Elsa.
'So, what are you thinking, Sherlock?' Merida asked as she brushed her teeth. Elsa shrugged.
'To be honest, I have no clue. I was thinking we could ask people who had already been to this school about the three missing girls or Belle. Surely if it was only two years ago someone would know something,' Elsa said.
'What if one of the students is one of the people we can't trust?' Merida asked. Elsa thought for a moment.
'I actually didn't think of that,' Elsa admitted as she grabbed her blazer and slipped it on. Merida walked out of the bathroom, grabbed her school clothes and disappeared back inside.
'Maybe the library has some old newspapers that may have articles about the disappearances,' Merida suggested.
'That's definitely a possibility. It's a good start,' Elsa agreed. After a few minutes of silence, Merida walked out and grabbed her books, and stood next to a ready Elsa.
'How much time have we got?' Merida asked. Elsa glanced at her watch.
''Bout half an hour. Should be enough time to check out the library,' Elsa replied. Merida nodded a the duo headed out of their dorm room, and in the direction of the library.
'So let's think about the clue,' Merida said as they walked together.
''Under the stars.' Perhaps it's outside?' Elsa said thoughtfully.
'I guess that's make sense. Unless this academy has some sort of star gazing room on the top floor,' Merida joked.
'You've seen the Dome?' a voice came from behind them. They turned around and saw Rapunzel, Anna right beside her.
'The Dome?' Elsa questioned, confused.
'You know, outside near the Arena. There's a massive star gazing room that's shaped like a dome, so that's why we call it that,' Rapunzel replied.
'Wow. This academy will never cease to stop surprising me,' Merida commented. Rapunzel smiled.
'It's one of the reasons I choose to go here. Anyways, me and Anna are gonna go to the stables. I'm going to introduce her to Maximus, my horse,' Rapunzel said. Anna clapped her hands excitedly.
'See you!' Elsa called as the happy pair walked off, pausing to wave.
'Well, we'd better be careful when we talk about these things. I'm sure Rapunzel's a great girl, but you can never know,' Merida said as they continued their journey to the library.
When they arrived there, they selected two study desks, left their books on them and then wondered off to the magazines and newspaper section. They skimmed through them, trying to find an article in 2016, local and was related to their findings.
'Ha! Look at this; 'Sheep raid supermarket and steal a packet of oreos,'' Merida exclaimed as she put down another useless newspaper. Elsa giggled as she picked up one.
'How about this; 'Man sues Apple, claiming he ordered an apple from them but received an iPhone,'' Elsa read aloud. Merida laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. Their search continued for about 8 minutes before Merida called Elsa over.
'This might be related,' Merida said as she handed a newspaper over to Elsa. She read the title; 'Three highschool girls missing during a school camp gone wrong'. Elsa grinned.
'It's promising,' she agreed. They read the article.
Yesterday evening, an emergency call came through to the police when three highschool girls, aged 14-15, failed to return from a bush walk in Olden Nature Reserve. They had been taking a bush walk with four other student and two teachers, when apparently the three girls wondered off by themselves, and nobody knew where they went. The two teachers hurried back to the camp with the other four remaining students, raising the alarm on the way. The school, Macedon Academy, is incredibly concerned for their wellbeing, and as you can imagine, so are their waiting families. Police are currently investigating the track and the nearby bush land, in hopes of returning these three unfortunate young girls to their families.
'Damn,' Elsa commented as she finished reading the article.
'April 27, 2016. That's when this article was written. It fits with all the information we have,' Merida said. 'Maybe if we keep looking, we'll find out what happened next.'
The two girls ruffled around in the newspapers a bit more, before finding another related article.
'Here,' Elsa said, having found it this time. Merida came over, and they read the article together.
Three girls who went missing 8 days ago found dead.
8 days ago, on the 26th of April, three highschool girls went missing after they reportedly wandered off by themselves, and didn't return to the main group. Police were immediately on the crime scene, and now, their bodies have been found, laying in a shed, not a single mark on their bodies.
The girls are Eilonwy McKoldren (14), Alice Wonder (14) and Mia Thermopolis (15), and were described as 'lovable', 'incredibly funny and destined to do great things' and 'always kind to everyone they met, following their heart, and that passion drived them to do good things.'
'Obviously, it's incredibly saddening that three beautiful souls who didn't deserve this got this, and it's also horrible to always have a nervous feeling knowing that there are horrible people in this world who do horrible things,' one of the teachers, who wishes to remain anonymous, commented on this terrible event. 'My deepest sympathies go out to the poor families who didn't deserve to have this happen to them, because they were just as lovely as their girls. They will forever remain in our hearts, and with us.'
Police are currently investigating their mysterious deaths, while their families receive the bad news that their children, who were described as innocent and always sweet to everyone they met, will not ever return to their awaiting arms in the way they had hoped.
'Crap. They didn't make it,' Elsa said as she read the article over again, sadness flooding her mind. Merida purse she lips.
'The teacher should've noticed them disappearing. They should've been more careful,' Merida said. Elsa nodded her head.
'Of course they should've. But they do have certain limits. Seven children can't be watched at all times by two teachers.'
'But thya's their job! If they can't handle seven kids, they shouldn't have done the bush walk in the first place!' Merida said as she slammed her fist down on the table. Elsa glanced at her.
'I know, Mer. Trust me, I know. This shouldn't have happened. They should still be here, still love, still learn, still appreciate this amazing gift called life. But it happened. They died, and that happened. And of course we wish it didn't. But that's the past. And we're in the present, now. We can't go back then. We can't stop what happened, because it's happened. We can't make a difference then. But we can make a difference now. We can find out the truth behind all of this, and find Belle, because that's what matters now. Of course, if I could go back in time and save their lives, I would. In a heartbeat, I would. But we can't. And we can't change that, Merida. We can't change that,' Elsa said. Merida looked up, fire still burning in her eyes, but it wasn't anger anymore.
It was determination.
'You're right. Belle's our main concern now, and we have to find her,' Merida said. Elsa nodded.
'So what's next?' Elsa said, almost to herself, her mind still trying to wrap around the clue. Merida opened her mouth to say something, but the bell cut her off.
'Class, I guess,' Elsa said with a tight smile. Merida smiled back, and they, together, with their minds focused on discovering the truth, wandered off, much like the three girls, but unlike them, they weren't lost.
They weren't walking away from an adventure.
They were walking right to it.
Wow. That was a roller coaster... quite different from the previous chapter.
And now the start of the mystery, yay!
Anyways, not much to say, so I'll just end it here. Thank you so much for reading this chapter!
'A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for,' - John Shedd
kikki.k
