A/N: This chapter was originally going to be all Elsa POV, but it works better being half Elsa, then half Anna.
Enjoy.
Elsa waited until she could no longer see strawberry blonde pig tails through her window, then once again picked up her book. She scanned the pages, but her brain refused to use any power to process the words, she was reading but not comprehending.
Even the force of sheer willpower couldn't help her focus. After several minutes of trying and failing to read a single page, Elsa slammed the Latin text shut in frustration. She placed the palms of her hands over her eyes and pressed in, as if to purge her mind of the red head.
Who I still don't know the name of... But she knows my name. I shouldn't have told her.
The pale woman sighed and removed her hands, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Late that night, Elsa left her store. She was hungry, it was time to eat.
The shopkeeper made sure to lock her place behind herself. Some of that stuff was just too valuable to risk. Although, I don't know many that would be stupid enough to steal from me.
The moon's silver light bathed Arendelle in a sterling river, glimmering on the ocean, providing more than enough light for Elsa to see. She basked in the moonlight like a lizard in the hot sun, soaking it up as if it itself was her life source.
Everything was black, white, and blue, but visible. Clearly visible. Elsa could see colors just as well as any other person in the light, but darkness has a way of draining all vibrancy from an object.
She already knew the way to Anna's home, so she rode the shadows like a phantom, silently and masterfully using them to blend into her environment.
Soon enough, she arrived at her destination. Elsa crept up to the side of the red head's small abode and peaked in to the bedroom window. If only this window opened.
There she was, fast asleep, mouth hanging open, and the tiniest line of drool just starting its journey down her chin. Elsa admired the sight: the gentle rise and fall of the covers, the unrelenting innocence of the girl's face. Subconsciously, the spying woman started to grin in one corner of her mouth.
But then her attention snapped to something else, the line of her mouth dropping into a sour frown. Around Anna's neck was the necklace. Elsa stared at the item, many years of contempt manifesting in her facial features. She loathed that necklace with every fiber of her being.
Elsa shook herself out of her trance and made for the front yard. There he was: the big, loud guard dog. Animals had a way of knowing that Elsa was around, so she had to be extra careful.
She was. Not a single sound but the wind whispering to the sea existed as the woman quickly made her path to the front door. Even though she was now inside, she knew she still didn't have long until the dog knew something was wrong.
In seconds, Elsa stood in Anna's room, once again watching the sleeping woman, but this time from inside. A horrid mix of emotions stirred in her stomach, slithering through her like a snake. Elsa bit the head off of the beast and swallowed it for now.
She approached the sleeping girl and leaned in, heart beating harder and faster, pupils dilating. Her canines grew sharper, now boasting an edge finer than any sword's. She opened her mouth and froze momentarily. The constant swoosh of blood through Anna's jugular vein filled the shopkeeper's ears, along with the slow yet rhythmic pounding of her heart. With the quietest voice she could muster, Elsa hoarsely whispered "I'm sorry."
Razor sharp teeth effortlessly broke smooth flesh. Elsa pulled back as the smell of freshly oxidized iron filled the air. She took a deep whiff, mouth salivating at the scent. Crimson gold pooled upon the crook of Anna's neck, seemingly glowing in the dead of night.
Waiting no longer, Elsa dug in, licking up the delicious blood, the delectably familiar metallic taste coating her mouth like moss on a rock. She continued to suck on the puncture wound, drawing an ample amount of liquid from the girl's vein, drinking until she had her fill.
Elsa pulled back, immediately putting pressure on the wound she created to cease the bleeding, thus preventing a mess. Her lips were stained blood red, a residual trail trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Closing her eyes, the woman silently recited a Latin phrase while focusing all of her energy not on herself, but on Anna. Specifically the spot she bit. She finished and removed her fingers. Underneath them was nothing more than perfect, smooth skin. She had healed the girl to eliminate as much evidence as possible. Or so she tried to tell herself.
You did it because you care. No, I've never cared for any other victim. But you care for her. She's different.
Elsa slammed her eyes shut, trying to stop her thoughts, fruitlessly aiming to convince herself that she didn't care. She just wanted the spinning in her head to stop, for the storm of emotions to go away and never come back.
Barking from the front yard yanked Elsa back to reality. She glanced one last time at Anna before bolting out with superhuman agility and speed. In no time, she had cleared the yard and was well on her way back home, the distant echoing of an aggravated dog chasing her like a ghost.
Elsa did much the same thing for the next two nights, lingering slightly longer each time to drink in the sight of this girl.
For three nights after learning the shopkeeper's name, Anna still dreamt about the woman; however, these dreams were not nightmares. They were pleasant, graciously allowing her to sleep through the night rather than wake up in a cold, panicked sweat. Her appetite, however, had not completely returned.
During the day, she still couldn't get the image of Elsa out of her mind. Such a beautiful name. The woman was still mysterious, and that just added to the allure. Anna had been fooling around with the idea of going back and telling the shopkeeper her name, but initially feared the possible backlash of such an action. Despite this, the idea grew more and more attractive over the days. Like a poor miner hoping to strike gold, Anna was hopelessly drawn in.
On the third morning, she woke up with a decision in her mind. That night she'd go back to the curiosity shop. She yawned and crawled out of bed. The room turned tipsy when she stood up, her head felt like it was suddenly filled with hot air. Anna sat back down to avoid passing out, then carefully stood back up. What in the world?
She made her way to the kitchen and once again had only a piece of bread for breakfast. Kristoff approached her. "Anna, are you okay? You've barely been eating."
"Yeah, I guess I've just been feeling a little under the weather lately."
"Then you should stay here and get some rest, I'll pick up some herbs on my way back."
Anna shook her heard. "No no, I can work! I'm not feeling that bad."
Kristoff considered this for a moment. "Okay, but if you get worse you should rest."
She certainly didn't get any better during the day. Anna would have to take frequent breaks, as working would rapidly fatigue her. It was like her energy was being siphoned away and stolen. She didn't have a clue what was wrong, but she did have hope that it'd go away quickly.
After work, the red head made some tea over a fire. She let a small combination of herbs that Kristoff bought soak in simmering water until it took on a sickly green appearance. Despite it's repulsive looks, the fluid was nearly tasteless and helped with how she was feeling. Tendrils of steam rose from her tea like specters escaping purgatory, a testament to how hot the solution was. She stayed up late sipping on the tea, waiting for her brother to finally go to bed.
Eventually, he did. The girl finished off her now cool drink and prepared for her excursion.
Once at her destination, Anna paused at the door. Her heart was pounding like a war drum. Nervousness clutched its detestable fingers around her with an iron grip. Stealing herself, she walked in and made straight for the counter, where she knew she'd find Elsa.
Sure enough, there she was, sitting and reading that same old book. Anna froze like a statue and inhaled sharply.
"Why are you here?" The shopkeeper's tone of voice was bone-curdling, though not raised. It instantly made Anna's skin crawl. She fought the urge to run.
"I just wanted, well, I wanted-"
Elsa looked up, raising one eyebrow. "You wanted...? What? I told you to leave."
"Well, you didn't say I couldn't come back."
Anna's attempt to lighten the mood met a swift demise. The woman glared at her. If looks could kill, Anna would have keeled over.
She fiddled with her necklace. "I- why'd you tell me your name?"
This broke through to the woman. Elsa's cold stare developed a fault and was torn apart for several seconds. Anna could feel Elsa's panic as she tried to devise a response.
The red head grinned; she had the upper hand now. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. I came here to tell you mine."
In an attempt to regain dominance of the situation, Elsa stood, making it clear that she was a little taller than Anna, and much more intimidating. She pointed to the door and took a menacing step forward, all too quickly morphing in to the perfect predator. In the most piercing tone she could muster, she said "you need to leave. Now."
The hairs on Anna's back stood on end. She felt spineless against this woman, but didn't give in. "It's -"
"Go!"
"Anna."
There was a silent pause. The air seemed to stop moving, and all the red head could here was her own breath cutting the space between them. Anna knew she was still winning, if only barely. She needed to think quickly, rebut Elsa's response before it arrived, but she felt dead in the water.
Elsa momentarily stared blankly at Anna before closing her eyes and placing her fingertips on her temples, as if in annoyance. Whether she was actually perturbed or trying to recollect control over herself, Anna couldn't tell.
Elsa tried not to repeat the name in her head, she tried to not care. Anna. Stop it, you're falling for her, get away from her. She has a lovely name. You care about her. The woman wanted to curl up and cry, wanted to be as far away from here as possible, but she couldn't do that for one reason: the damned necklace.
Once the shopkeeper spoke, Anna had her answer. Her tone of voice was clearly intended to be intimidating and hostile, but it lacked true conviction. "Get out."
Anna grinned from ear to ear. She had won. "Fancy a stroll?"