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Sins of the Past

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Chapter Thirteen

Okay... this was a lot to take in.

I rapidly blinked my eyes in an attempt to steady my nerves, though its effectiveness at doing so was somewhat muted by the fact that my eyelids were also now, y'know, translucent. My hand inadvertently phasing through my chest when I clutched at it didn't help much either, for that matter.

I gave myself a good shake to clear my mind —thankfully that still worked— because I needed to figure out what the hell was going on, and fast.

I mentally ran over the past events.

It's pretty obvious that Elsa's got something to do with my "current condition," since this isn't exactly something that I'd ever call normal, and seeing how I'm pretty sure that I'm not in control of my body anymore, I'm willing to bet that Elsa's the one who does right now.

So, if Elsa took control of my body earlier... then that awful pain I felt against my wrists had to have been from her forcibly breaking my bonds. Does that mean I still "feel" my body when Elsa's in control, even if somewhat selectively? Hmm...

Wait. If that's the case, then the sharp jab I felt on my knuckles afterwards was probably from a punch. One delivered from Elsa to Hans, presumably, and square across his stupid face I hope. It'd explain why the bastard was reeling back when I turned to look.

I feel somewhat better, having slowly worked these things out, though the big question now on my mind was: "where the heck is everyone?"

I could feel something cool, wet, and soft beneath my feet. Was that... grass? Must mean that my body, and by extension Elsa, are outside.

Well, only one way to find out. I'd better get moving... hey wait—

I cast a hopeful glance downward at my feet before taking a tentative step forward. The floor was still as rock solid as ever.

Bummer. Was hoping that I'd be able to float around like Elsa.

With a disappointed sigh, I exited the bathroom and descended the staircase leading down into the living room. Upon arrival, I immediately noticed that the front door was busted wide open, having evidently been pried open with a crowbar or something.

Jesus Christ.

I stepped out into the dark winter night, and looked around for any signs of life, finding none to speak of. I was honestly quite surprised by the clarity at which I could see in the dark, because I swear it'd normally be pitch black right about now, and that—ow!

Did I just get punched in the face or something?

The next thing I knew, I felt the distinct feeling of cloth being gripped tightly in both my hands, followed by hearing a guttural yell and a loud WHUMP! ring out from behind. I shuddered as a tremor of impact rippled through my "body."

That sounded like it came from the backyard. Oh god, is Elsa okay?

I turned and ran back into my house, sprinting for the backdoor exit in my kitchen. The throbbing pains in my fists and knuckles suddenly returned as I crossed the living room lobby and I stumbled in surprise, almost falling to the ground.

I knew by now what these jabs entailed, and felt slightly reassured by them, as each jab corresponded to a blow dealt by Elsa to Hans. My feelings quickly turned to wariness though, as the small bursts of phantom pain began to increase in severity, each throb sharper than the one before.

I heard a faint cry for help in the distance, one that cut off with a gurgle at the exact moment when I felt a jab in my right fist. I began to feel a little uneasy in the stomach.

I burst out the kitchen into the backyard and turned white, even moreso than before, from what I saw.

It was me, or Elsa, rather. She had her back to me, but I could see that she had Hans pinned helplessly beneath her, and that she was relentlessly beating on his bloodied face. Over, and over, and over, and over. Each blow matched a throb in my fists, and judging by Hans' lack of reaction I could tell that he had since fallen unconscious.

I watched, horrified, as Elsa pummelled the life out of Hans. While I'll admit that I myself had wanted to beat Hans into a miserable bloody pulp back when he had me at his mercy, but now that my wish was coming true before my very eyes...

My god, I have to stop this.

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"ELSA!"

Elsa turned at the sound of my voice, and I stumbled backwards in shock when I saw her eyes, my eyes technically, because they were blazing an icy cold blue, sclera and all, instead of their usual teals. I could feel raw hatred and loathing emanating out from them.

The bloodlust cleared away the instant we made eye contact, though, and the literal glowing blue orbs soon softened into regular blue pupils.

"Anna..." I heard her whisper, ever so quietly. My vision blurred, and I blacked out.

I opened my eyes again to see Elsa, floating where I had stood not two seconds ago. My head screamed of a splitting ache, as did my cut up wrists. My fists were incredibly sore as well. In fact, my entire body screamed of fatigue, now that I was back within it.

I rolled myself off Hans, and tried to rise to my feet, managing instead to fall on my side when my knees gave out beneath me. My vision blurred, and I caught a glimpse of Elsa rushing toward me before I blanked out once again.

I opened eyes to find myself outside my body again, and noticed immediately that my previous pains and aches were now greatly, and mercifully, numbed—they hurt no more than they did before I had found Elsa.

I looked around and found her, again in my body, carrying a limp Hans back into the house. I still felt completely spent, and could hardly now muster the strength to follow along even in this "ghostly" form.

"Elsa?" I muttered, like an exhausted little kid. "I'm really tired..."

She glanced back at me, an indescribable look of... guilt? on her face.

"You must rest, Anna." Elsa began, somewhat somberly, before continuing toward the house. "My actions have taken a considerable toll upon your body. Close your eyes and sleep, and allow me to deal with the consequences. We will talk when you next wake."

I did as was asked, and soon felt myself... dissipating. It wasn't long before I mercifully fell into a deep sleep.

I found myself in my bedroom when I next opened my eyes. My head still hurt like crazy, and my body ached all over. My wrists in particular stung the most, but I noticed that they had been expertly bandaged up.

Sunlight filtered through the cracks of my blinds, illuminating my room. I groaned as a stray beam of light connected with my eyes, and I rolled over in bed to check the time.

8:00AM. Gosh, I've been out for over half a day or something.

My bleary eyes began to focus, and I took stock of the other items placed upon my bedside drawer. There was a tall glass of water, which I thirstily gulped down, and a pair of aspirin tablets alongside the blue sapphire earrings. No doubt that these were courtesy of Elsa. Mom wouldn't understand the importance of the earrings, or know that I'd have a headache.

I took the pills, washing them down with the rest of the water, and wiped my mouth on my sleeve before carefully inserting the earrings into my lobes. I shuddered as a wave of cold washed over my body.

Elsa slowly began to materialize before me once the second earring was in place.

"Hey." I groggily greeted.

An extended pause followed, and it seemed like forever before Elsa finally replied with a sullen. "Greetings."

'So..." I began, sitting up in bed. "Let's talk about last night. What the heck happened?"

Elsa sighed.

"Where do you wish to begin?"

I thought about that for a moment, before replying. "First, fill me in on what I missed out."

"Very well." Elsa turned away, folding her arms behind her back. "We begin at the point after you... intervened. I called the constable, who swiftly arrived alongside these strange doctors. Hans was taken into custody, and I was questioned as to what happened."

"What did you tell them?" I asked, curiously.

"The truth, for as far as applicable. I told them about the unlawful entry, and the events that occurred thereafter, with some fabrications."

"Fabrications?" I repeated. "You mean you lied to the police? Why?"

Elsa stared me in the eye and deadpanned. "I cannot simply inform the police that you were possessed, Anna."

Oh, duh. "Was there anything else?" I asked.

Elsa turned away. "There were some... other changes in my retelling. Significant alterations were made to save you from a charge of excessive force, for one."

...Right. Because beating something to the point of unconsciousness may not count as reasonable self-defense. "Did my mom get home? What'd she say?"

"She reacted much as one would expect from a mother. She was very upset upon learning that she was effectively bribed, but she otherwise I believe she handled it reasonably well. Expect to be placed on a short leash for some time from here on out, though."

I groaned. Mom can be incredibly controlling when she wants.

"Okay." I began. "Now about the other elephant in the room... What in the holy hell happened to me after you took over?"

Elsa turned back around.

"Your guess is effectively as good as mine, Anna." She answered, bluntly. "As I said before, you are quite an anomaly."

"Seriously?" I groaned, as I laid myself back down onto my mattress. "I would've thought that you'd know at least something about literal out-of-body experiences..."

Elsa shrugged. "My best theory at the moment is simply that that was the physical manifestation of your mind, as you were still of relatively good mental health despite the circumstances."

I blinked a bit, taking this all in. "So... you're saying that was my brain walking around back then? How does that work? Or make even make sense?"

Again, Elsa shrugged. "I know not. Perhaps that was instead your soul? Believe what you will, if it helps you understand."

I clutched at my head, contemplating. "O-okay... but how did that even happen?"

"I suspect that your strange anomaly factor played a role. Do you remember what I had told you previously? Unlike other people, whom I must overpower and suppress in order to seize control, your mind simply... willingly steps aside."

I thought for a moment. "So, basically, it's like me letting you borrow my car, instead of you just knocking me out and stealing it."

Elsa nodded. "A crude analogy, but it encapsulates the general idea."

"Hey wait. Why didn't that happen when you first borrowed my body, back before we met? Why didn't my quote-on-quote 'brain,' manifest then?"

"Likely because you were asleep, Anna."

"...Okay, I guess that makes sense."

I glanced over at my bedside alarm clock for the time, and groaned at the prospect of getting ready for class.

"Hey Elsa?"

"Yes?"

"Can you take over again? I don't want to get out of bed."

"Really, Anna?"

Finals coming in a week and the fact that this is the point where I really need to plan out what I want to do with this story are gonna both slow me down from here on out. Hope the chapter wasn't too confusing. I must've rewrote this thing 3 times over.