"Alright, that looks good, Anna. Half of your homework is done, why don't we take a little break?"
Elsa's tired eyes met mine from across the small coffee table in our living room and I nodded my agreement, lazily folding my arms on the smooth surface and burying my face in them. I'd gotten so much homework that night; not just for History, which is what my sister was currently guiding me through, but for all my other subjects as well, including my writing class. Algebra, English, and Biology didn't provide any sort of challenge to me whatsoever, and I had finished those assignments on my own in less than an hour. Now, I had about a fourth of my History homework left, then I had to write a few examples of imagery for my creative writing class and I would be done for the night. It was only 6:00pm, but I felt absolutely drained of all the energy that I had when my day started.
When I heard Elsa shift in front of me, I raised my head to see her stand up from her position on the opposite couch and grab her blue hooded sweatshirt off the arm. A look of disbelief crossed my features when I wondered once again how she could wear such concealing clothing in the summer heat, until I remembered that she was always cold. That must be awful in winter, I thought. My own body felt uncomfortably warm and I could feel the moisture in my hair, on my back, under my arms and on my stomach. Even with hardly any clothing on (I'd changed into a loose t-shirt and nothing but my panties after practice), I was still gasping for breath. Sometimes, I envied Elsa's constantly chilled body.
My sister must've noticed that I was practically drenched in my own sweat, because just as I lifted my legs off the floor and swung them over to sprawl out across the couch, she waved her hand in an elegant, fluid motion. I felt my body temperature drop instantly as a chill overtook me; not one that made me freeze, but enough to swallow the heat and stop the sweat beading on my forehead. Several unique, sparkling snowflakes drifted through the air above me, not fluttering down like a normal snowfall.. they just sort of hung there, suspended in place but still waving around. A laugh came from across the room when I breathed a sigh of relief, shutting my eyes to relax for the first time that day.
"Let me know if you get too cold, I'm gonna go make something for dinner," Elsa's voice rang in my ears before she walked out of the living room and across the hall into the kitchen. The sound of running water followed, along with the clattering of metal pots, silverware, and probably a few cups. I kept my eyes shut, simply enjoying the icy shiver that ran down my spine and looking back on how my day played out, starting from my dream-come-true all the way to where I was now, on the couch. Overall, it had been a good day even with my new battle scars from softball practice and it could only keep going smoothly; I would eat whatever Elsa made, finish my homework, then we'd probably have bonding time like we did every night when all our responsibilities were taken care of.
When Elsa and I spent quality time together- that was my favorite part of each day. It had been her idea to start reserving the end of the day for each other, probably as a way to make up for all the lost time from the thirteen years of separation we had endured. To me, all that time could never actually be made up, but I cherished every minute that I spent by her side and vowed to never let her leave my life again. Of course, some day she'd have to; when she went to college to become a certified teacher. I knew that, and I'd been mentally and emotionally preparing myself for the day when she'd walk out the door and leave me to take care of the house all on my own. The idea of living by myself wasn't scary in the slightest, but the empty feeling I got in my chest when I thought of Elsa being somewhere else absolutely broke me. I loved her so much, and-
"I have a steak cooking and I made a salad to go with it, is that alright?" I opened my eyes quickly, turning my head towards the doorway to see the tall blonde standing there, looking at me patiently. A warm smile played on her bright red lips, standing out against her porcelain skin. The contrast between the intensity of the colors made her look irresistibly beautiful- not that she wasn't already. She's already got a salad made and everything? How long was I thinking for?
"Oh, yeah. That sounds great, actually. Thanks," I groaned lightly, stretching as I spoke; my muscles still felt tense and sore from practice but I ignored the small twinge of pain that tugged at my legs and upper body. Elsa laughed softly, saying something else that came through my ears all muffled while I was in post-stretch. I assumed she'd just confirmed my thanks and she turned, going back to finish cooking while I sat up on the couch and sank back into the cushion, wishing it would swallow me whole. My face began to burn and a sudden wave of heat crashed over me even though the flurries still swirled around above my head. Am I blushing? I thought, raising a hand to touch my freckled cheek; it felt incredibly hot under my fingertips.
Okay, so I'm staring at my own sister, completely entranced by how gorgeous she is, and now I'm blushing after talking to her. I couldn't decide if this day was going as well as I'd thought, or if it was just getting weirder. I settled on the fence between the two choices, trying to brush off the thoughts but to no avail. I felt strange- like I was almost attracted to my sister or something- and glanced over at my phone that had lit up with a new text message from Kristoff. Without bothering to read it, I grabbed the phone and turned it over, placing it face down on the coffee table.