Hi there guys (: Welcome back to the next chapie! For this particular chapter, I'd like to thank ErynSnowWinters for helping me out with ASL, so I could get everything right (: You're awesome!

Enjoy!

Chapter 5: Elsa

I wake up, feeling a buzzing in my pillow. I groggily get out of bed, checking my phone. A text message has ticked in a few minutes ago.

Morning Elsa (: Could we meet up before school? You could stop by my place and we could go together?

I smile weakly, answering while pulling out a random shirt from my closet.

Yeah, sure. I'll be there in fifteen minutes. It's your old place, right?

You got it

I pull on the shirt, taking a silver-white pullover with me to breakfast.

-X-

I haven't been in this neighbourhood for a really long time. It's pure nostalgia to walk down this alley, on the way to Astrid's house. So many memories from our old lives passing through. I smile at the thought, before stepping up onto the porch in the Hofferson's front yard. I barely even ring the bell, before Astrid's getting out of the door.

"Oh, morning Elsa. Let's go. Don't wanna be late on the second day." She smiles, closing the door shut behind her. She walks beside me, twisting her fingers.

"You got anything to say?" I ask, keeping up the pace, while signing to her.

"Yeah. I want to tell you the reason why I asked you to accompany me to school. After a day like yesterday, I just don't want to be alone while being on school grounds. I hope you're okay with that." I smile gently at her.

"Why would it bother me to hang out with my best friend? Seriously, that's like asking me if I mind having to carry around a jar of Nutella. And a spoon." She laughs at me, punching my arm lightly.

"You know what I mean! I don't want to be alone around those knuckleheads at school."

"Understandable. Together we're stronger. I've got your back…"

"And I've got yours." We smile at each other, looking forward. The school is just up a head. Now another day closer to freedom commences.

Astrid

Lunch buzzes in my pocket, and I jump out of my chair, longing to get out of this class room. Now, Chemistry with Ms. Heather is alright, I guess, but it's not my strongest subject. PE is much better, even with my inability to hear properly. I grab Elsa's hand as soon as she's packed her bag and skips down to the cafeteria with her in tow.

Once I enter the double doors, I see how everyone is already here and almost no table is available at the moment.

"Come on. I know a place." Elsa signs, taking the lead from here. I gladly follow her through the many tables, looking down at my feet. I do not want to have any eye contact with anybody after yesterday. I'll need a few days to accustom to the fact that I'm now a serious freak. But whatever, I'll get over it eventually. I should rather focus on my school, and train hard for the athletes' group this summer. It's a perfect way to celebrate my graduation.

She ends up leading us towards an empty table way back in the cafeteria, where luckily no one would be able to see us, unless they were specifically scouting for us.

Jack

I'm scouting for two blonde heads sitting somewhere in the cafeteria, since it's raining cats and dogs outside. I assume they're inside the cafeteria somewhere.

"…Don't you think so, Frost?" I focus on Hans who just asked me a question.

"Excuse me what?" He sighs deeply, before giving me a flat look.

"Are you even listening? We're planning an extra practice after school. Be there, okay?"

"Yeah yeah, whatever." I nod, looking back at the crowds, hoping to catch sight of Elsa and Astrid.

"What's up with you, man? We haven't seen you for two days, and know you're zoned out all the time? You hooking up with someone or what?" Snotlout asks, slapping my upper arm.

"What? No! Guys, you know I would tell you if I ever got hooked up." I say, looking around at all of them quickly. Bunny and Hiccup smirk discretely at me.

"Yeah, Jack. You'd totally tell us. I mean Tooth wasn't anything like a surprise. Finding you two after practice, practically in each other's throats? Totally knew about that one." Hiccup laughs, over-articulating with his hands as usual.

"Whatever, Hiccup. I'm not hooked up, okay? I just… Something new has come up in my life, and it takes time to process it, okay? Now, I'll be practice, but I have to go. See ya!" I say, quickly leaving my seat. The second I get several feet higher and have a full 360 degree look of the cafeteria, I finally spot Elsa and Astrid sitting in the back.

I squeeze myself through the crowds, hoping the guys aren't staring at me.

Elsa

"So, what do you wanna do after school?" Astrid asks, as I propose the possibility.

"Well, I know Mr. North would die for that group project on historic and mythical legends for Monday. Why don't we start on that?" I smile, while she sighs.

"Urgh, school projects. Pages upon pages of endless boredom. I wanna get out and do something fun! We could go to the movies, close captioned of course, we could go for ice cream, anything but homework, please? It's something I do at home where I can concentrate." I giggle at her eager to be outside and I turn to look out the window.

"But, Astrid, as it is right now, we can't be outside, unless you wanna get soaked."

"Have you ever tried to run through the park, soaking wet and panting for breath, while playing tag? Hilarious I tell you." I smile widely at her, enjoying her good spirit.

"Admit it. You want to play some game, or do another physical activity, so you can get back to your old self, and forget about school, right?" She nods, barely keeping herself together.

"Well, I guess one afternoon can't hurt that bad… Just promise me then, that tomorrow we start on that project!" I say strictly, looking at her sternly.

"Yes, mommy." She laughs, before stopping bit in her tracks. I turn my gaze, and I see a certain whitehaired boy approaching us.

"He's sorta clingy, isn't he?" Astrid discretely signs under the table, but I shrug it off. I personally don't mind having an extra person around to hang out with.

"Hey, Jack. What's up?"

Jack

Elsa looks at me kindly, greeting me in her way, before flicking her middle fingers in front of her shoulders. Uh, what did that sign mean… yeah 'What's up'. I smile back her, taking a seat opposite of them.

"Nothing much. I've been looking for you two. You?" She opens her mouth, wanting to speak, but remembers that she's around other people. I mentally slap myself for that one.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that one. You don't speak in public, do you?" She shakes her head, looking at Astrid. I nod, also remembering how fast Astrid's new reputation spread yesterday. It happened in third period, and I heard about it at the end of fourth, just a few hours after I'd been talking with her, or mostly Elsa. I felt really sorry for her, having to live with that.

"I'm sorry, A-s-t-r…" I stop in my singing tracks, as I come to think of something.

"Wait, you guys have actual sign names, don't you? Mind teaching me? It's a bit easier than to constantly fingerspell." I smile, looking at both of them for approval. Elsa smiles, and Astrid nods with a weak pull on the lips. I clap my hands together, waiting. Elsa starts out showing her name. She makes the sign for E at her cheek, and then hits her left shoulder, while making the sign for W. I nod, trying to copy her moves. She corrects my E a bit, but otherwise, I get it right. I then turn to Astrid, observing her every move. She makes the sign for A on both hands, places them with fingers touching each other by the second joint. She then twists them back and forth. I copy her movements pretty easily, smiling at my succession.

"That's cool." I say, repeating each name a few times, trying to remember it.

"But, I sense that that these signs have some meaning to it. What are they?" I ask, looking mostly at Elsa. She looks around nervously, before she leans in over the table. Her index finger winks me closer towards her.

"Not here. Meet us by the tree after school." She whispers shortly, before resigning to her previous composure. I take a look around, to see for myself, if anyone saw that. Astrid has this quizzical look, and switches her gaze between me and Elsa. I shrug, not knowing why she would have that look. Elsa then turns to her, quickly making a series of signs. Man, I've got to learn this language. It's awesome! Astrid looks back at me shortly, before nodding. I nod back, understanding that we would see each other again.

Astrid

"So, you're saying that we should invite him over to your place, and hang out with him?" I look at her as if she's just proposed to go bungee-jumping. I would totally do it, but Elsa's not that crazy.

"What? He's nice, a bit eager perhaps, but nice. He wants to understand us, Astrid. How many like that do you think we're going to meet while being here?" She asks. I sigh deeply.

"Okay, then. We'll invite him over, and spend the afternoon with him. We'll see what he's like on the inside." I slightly smile, looking around to see if he had arrived yet. "But you still owe me a round of tag in the park!" I add, making her giggle slightly aloud, for no one is around.

Jack shows up eventually, greeting us both.

"Okay, Jack. Astrid and I…" I stare her down slightly, before she continues to speak. "I'm sorry, I want to invite you along with us to my place. We'll hang out, or something. I could sense at lunch that you had a few questions about ASL, right?" I look at Jack, reading his lips for an answer.

"Yeah, I find it really interesting. It's a great way of alternative communication." Elsa looks at me, smiling hopefully. I shrug discretely, crossing my arms.

"Well, let's get going then!" She says, turning towards the main road out of the school. Jack stops her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait, right now? But I've got…" He stops for a moment, looking back at the school's gym. Supposedly, he's got some sort of practice at the moment. He sighs, shrugs, and turns back towards us.

"Ice Hockey can wait. Let's go!"

Elsa

"You seriously just dropped ice hockey practice for this?" I ask aloud, while closing the front yard gate behind us. Jack shrugs, smiling at me.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I know I promised the guys to be there, but eh… Yeah. They knew I was zoned out at that time, so they probably figured I wouldn't be there anyway." Astrid snorts beside me. I turn to her.

"Mind translate for me? I'm still not too sure on my voice." I nod, looking at her hands.

"I just can't figure out why you would miss out on practice. Don't you want to get better at ice hockey? Isn't there always something to improve?" I say, as her fingers do the actual talking. Jack looks dumbfounded first at her, then at me.

"You guys… how could you do that? Do you read each other's mind or something?" I giggle shortly at him.

"No, not at all. It's just that Astrid's still unsure of using her voice around hearing people after the incident. I just translated for her."

"And that's exactly it. How could you translate it that fast? It looked like you spoke the words, the second the sign was made." He still looks amazed at us. I shrug, not knowing what to say.

"It's… it's always been natural, I guess? When living in a house of hearing people, it's a good thing to be able to talk and translate as fast as you sign." Jack nods, losing that amazed look on his face, as he understands why I can do what I can do.

I open the front door, shouting out to whoever is home, that I'm home with a few friends. From the kitchen appears mom, with a big smile on her face.

"Hey, kids. Nice to see you again, Astrid… and who's this? A boyfriend of yours?" Her mouth stops moving at the last part, but that doesn't make me blush any less.

"Mom! This is Jack. He's from school. I met him by my tree, and we've been… talking, I guess you could call it? Anyway, I've brought him over as a friend." I say and sign, trying not to look at Jack, fearing he might notice my red cheeks.

"Well, okay then. I'm down here if you need me." She signs, before taking a book under her arm. "Oh, and nice to meet you, Jack. I'm Elsa's mother, Idina Westerguaard." She holds out her hand, and Jack takes it lightly.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Westerguaard." After introduction, he goes with me and Astrid upstairs to my room.

Jack

We all sit on Elsa's bed, while I try to start the conversation.

"So, where were we at school? The meaning of your names, was it?" I ask, looking first at Elsa, then at Astrid. They both smile at me, nodding simultaneously.

"First things first, let me see you sign them once again, please." Elsa says aloud, while signing for Astrid. I nod, stretching my fingers. I start with Elsa, which is an E by the cheek, followed by a W on the left shoulder. Then Astrid, which is an A on each hand, twisting against each other on the second finger joint. Astrid makes a simple sign, approving of my signing.

"So, what do they mean?"

"Well, my name is my initials. E for Elsa and W for Westerguaard." I smile, as it had never occurred to me that it could be that simple.

"And Astrid's name is made from her letter A, and the sign for 'compete'. The twisting motion is the same in both signs." I nod, looking at Astrid shortly.

"Does that mean you're very competitive as a person?" She smiles and nods. Her hands start to move, and Elsa starts to speak.

"You bet I am! I train to become a top athlete someday. I won't go down without a fight. Which is also why I was so confused by you skipping your practice. I've always thought, that if you commit yourself to something, you've gotta give it everything you've got 24-7." I giggle shortly, shrugging.

"Well, I guess was just not in the mood for practice today. I would much rather gain a few new friends instead. Wouldn't you rather do that, knowing that you'll have a few more to hang out with?" Elsa then looks at Astrid with a look that says 'told you so!' She smiles and shrugs.

"Wait, am I missing something? Some secret ASL-code I don't get?" They both turn their gaze at me, trying to suppress a laugh. They sign back and forth for a few seconds. I look from one blonde to another, as their hands move fast and skilled.

"Okay, if someone doesn't fill me in, I'm losing my mind!" I exclaim, holding out my hands between them, stopping their conversation. Elsa laughs and looks at me.

"We were just discussing whether or not we should start teaching you." I drop my jaw a little, looking at Astrid to see if she agrees.

"You guys… you want me to learn…" Elsa nods before I can finish the sentence. I fist bump the air discretely.

"Awesome! When do we start?"

"Right now. So, what do you want to start with? Your pick." I grab my jaw with a thumb and index finger, thinking.

"Well, what about a few greeting phrases? How do you say… 'How are you'?" Elsa smiles at me, preparing her fingers.

"Shall I show and tell, or just show?"

"Show and tell, please?" I say, while rubbing my chest with my palm clockwise. She giggles shortly, before nodding.

"First thing to know about ASL, is that the sentence structure is very simplified, compared to spoken English. Taking 'how are you' for an example, it's signed HOW YOU." I then stretch my fingers, thinking of how to show it properly. "You're gonna take both of your hands, placing them in front of you, palms towards you. Now, bend your fingers, like this. Fingertips pointing towards you, knuckles put together. That's the start position. Now you swing your finger upwards, bending your fingers slightly. That's the how-part." I look extra closely as she repeats the movements, moving my fingers along with her. She nods, the third time I get it right

"Now just point at the one you're talking to and you're done." I then point out in front of me, before repositioning my hands for the how-part again. As I sign the sentences a few times, I'm stopped, just as I'm about to point.

"Oh wait, forgot one thing. Remember to furrow your brows a bit while pointing. It emphasizes that you ask a question." I knit my brows together slightly, narrowing my vision at Elsa.

"Exactly." She says, while making a sign. Presumably the sign for 'exactly'.

"Cool. What about… 'Nice to meet you?'" Astrid holds up her hands, gaining both Elsa's and my attention. She signs something quickly to Elsa, before she responds. Astrid nods, before taking a deep breath.

"This one also has a slightly different structure. You only sign 'NICE MEET YOU'. You're gonna wipe off your left hand with your right. That's the nice-part. Next is 'meet'. You make the sign for 'one' on both hands, and bring together. Now that motion needs to be done between the person you're talking to, and yourself. So one for instance, one hand in front of you and one hand in front of me. That way I know, it's me you're greeting. Then you just point at me afterwards, ending the sentence." I copy her movements a bit dumbfounded at Astrid's courage. She's just barely met me yesterday, and she's speaking with her actual voice around me?

"Astrid… You really don't have to speak if you don't…" I stop, when she holds out her hand.

"It's okay. I can sense on you by now, that you're not like everybody else. Now, Elsa's been saying that to me, since she told me about you, but I was… stubborn. I needed to see for myself, and you've proven yourself. But please, respect that I'm still uncertain about my voice in general and only open up to a few people. You're lucky to hear my voice." I nod, still not completely grasping her faith in me.

"So… on that cheery note, shall we continue? What about… Happy? Oh, laugh!" Elsa laughs at my enthusiasm, shortly.

"Slow down, boy! Don't wanna rush into things. One step at a time." She smiles, before looking at Astrid, motioning for her to take the next one as well.

"Yeah, so… Laugh, pretty easy. You make an L, and then tilt it sideways, palm facing you. Smile and then place your hand so your index finger is pointing at the corner of your smile. Now just flick your finger towards your cheek, like this." I per instinct do the sign with my right hand, me being right-handed and all. Astrid stops from me from repeating it the second time. "It can be done with both one and two hands."

I smile shortly at her. "Elsa, you're up for showing me 'happy'?"

"Sure. It's just as easy as the one prior. Place both of your hands in front of your shoulders, palms facing you. Now move your hands in tiny circular motions clockwise." I copy her gentle movements, automatically smiling, while I sign it. It just hits me, once that sign sinks into my brain.

I finally can describe my feelings whenever I'm around Elsa, so she understands them.

Wait… what? Am I… with… Her?

Soooo… Longest. Chapter. Ever. But it's really fun to describe ASL like this. I've tried to make the reader somehow learn whatever little ASL along with Jack. Now some might find it long and perhaps boring, but some find it really interesting! I might do it again later on, who knows?

Again, a zillion thanks to ErynSnowWinters for helping me out! This chapter would not be as it is without her help! :D

Please review you thoughts, they're everything to a writer!

See ya!