Elsa didn't faint and she didn't vomit either despite thinking that she was definitely going to. Instead she crouched down on the floor, her eyes wide, staring at the palms of her hands – which Theo had reluctantly let go of as she moved to the floor - trying to get her head around the fact that they were completely unscathed. Beside her Stiles scratched the back of his head as he paced back and forth, this wasn't the first time someone had found out about the pack, but that didn't make dealing with the exposure any easier.
"I still can't get hold of Lydia." He muttered as he walked, if she hadn't been in a near catatonic state of shock Elsa probably would've ordered him to stop fidgeting around so much, it was really annoying. "We should probably go inside and find her."
"We can't just leave Elsa." Scott interjected his tone forceful and his eyes serious. The whole pack, with the addition of Theo Raeken, were stood in a circle around the petite blonde, everyone staring down at her, unsure of what to do.
"Well we can't just stay out here either." Stiles replied with a frown, finally stopping in one spot and folding his arms across his chest.
Scott dropped to his knees, bringing himself down to Elsa's eyelevel. "Hey…" He reached out a hand, gently taking hold of her forearm, which Elsa promptly snatched away from his grip, her eyes wide and fearful; she didn't want to hurt him. "Elsa it's okay. You're okay."
She hated this; she hated the look of pity in his eyes and the way he spoke to her like she was nothing more than a child. Elsa Kirsch had wanted to be on Scott McCall's radar for years, but not like this. Breathing out slow and heavy she got to her feet, her azure eyes narrowing slightly as everyone took a tentative step away from her as she did so.
"So…" She began, running a hand through her hair which had long since been matted by the rain. "I just set on fire. That is a thing that just happened….and you guys? Well you're all totally okay with it. Which is great, except it's not because you should be freaking out, but you're not, which is kind of making me freak out."
Her words tumbled from her blossom pink lips with barely a breath between them and around her looks of confusion etched themselves onto the faces of her classmates.
"That was really fast." Malia blinked slowly as she spoke.
Elsa rolled her eyes. "Yeah well, you know what else was fast? Me. Setting on fire. Spontaneously combusting if you will, lighting up like the fucking fourth of July."
"That's a little bit of an exaggeration." Malia raised a shaped brow, and Stiles groaned inwardly at how insensitive and direct his girlfriend was capable of being.
"I'm Scandinavian!" Elsa exclaimed loudly. "Fire isn't my thing, I am suited to snow and ice and the cold…this is all, it's just wrong."
"There's a Frozen joke in there somewhere." Stiles mused, unable to hide the smirk that danced upon his lips, though it quickly disappeared when he caught sight of the death stare Elsa had thrown in his direction.
"I dare you to tell me to 'let it go' Stilinski I really do."
A low growl emitted from somewhere deep inside Malia as she picked up on Elsa's threatening tone, her eyes flashed a brilliant blue and she bared her teeth ever so slightly.
"Okay well I think everyone's had a bit too much excitement for tonight." Theo stepped forward, blocking Malia from Elsa's view, his own gaze locking onto the blondes. "Shouldn't you be getting back to Shane and Oliver?" He said, raising his eyebrows as he spoke, his words sounding more like an order than a question.
Elsa blinked up at him, this gorgeous boy, made even more delectable by the raindrops that glistened as they slid down his chiselled features. "How do you know about Shane?" She challenged once she'd snapped out of a vivid daydream that included Theo with substantially less clothing than he was currently sporting.
The boy faltered before clearing his throat and speaking confidently. "You've been friends with her and Oli your whole life…I remember you three being inseparable when we were kids. I just…assumed you'd stayed close."
Elsa raised a brow, there was something off about Theo, something she couldn't quite put her finger on, something unnerving that was made even more so by his devilish good looks and the fact that he – unlike most boys of above average appearance – was actually acknowledging her existence. "Well I mean you're right. But that was still creepy as hell so please refrain from any assumptions from now on."
Theo nodded once, before looking down at his feet but not before Elsa caught the small smile that flourished upon his lips – god he was handsome.
The pack talked quietly amongst themselves for a few more moments, Scott agreed to meet with Elsa the next day to help her figure out whatever the hell just happened to her and Elsa did her very best to contain just how excited she was at the prospect of spending even a minimal amount of time alone with Scott McCall. Eventually Stiles made the point that they really couldn't keep Lydia waiting much longer without getting in contact and they all headed back into the school, followed by Elsa who was in turn followed by Theo.
By the time Elsa got back to the library Shane and Oliver were two from the front of the line, apologising as she went she shuffled past the throngs of students, not bothering to glance at Scott and the pack, who'd joined the very end of the queue, and did her very best to smile once reunited with her friends. Behind her Greenberg made a noise, one Elsa supposed was supposed to be of annoyance at her cutting in line but what sounded more to her like a dying elephant. Glancing over her shoulder she frowned at him. "Don't make me tell people about the disaster of 2011 Greenberg." She threatened, somehow managing to look as innocent as ever as she did so.
"I can't believe I dated her." The lacrosse player muttered as he turned back to his friends.
"Likewise." Elsa responded before finally turning back to Shane and Oliver.
"Did you find it?" Oli asked, making a mental note of Elsa's somewhat dishevelled appearance but choosing not to comment on it.
"Find what?"
"Your cell you idiot." Shane replied quickly, reaching out a hand and running her fingertips of the charred remains of the sleeves of Elsa's t-shirt. "What the fuck happened to you?" The brunette questioned, narrowing her eyes and giving a look that told Elsa not to dare trying to lie to her – she'd know.
"It's a long story."
"My fault actually." The tenors of Theo Raeken were instantly recognised by Elsa who jumped at the sound of his voice as he appeared silently behind her.
Shane raised a dark brow and leant against the bookshelf she was stood in front of. Her dark chocolate brown orbs dragged appreciatively over Theo's admittedly impressive physique and she cocked her head to the side. "Elsa I'm not finished with you, but I'll postpone the inquisition on account of…" She pointed an index finger in Theo's direction. "Distractions in court."
Theo smirked and Elsa rolled her eyes as she turned away. Shane pushed off the bookshelf and linked her arm through her best friends. Grinning as the two girls signed their initials on the shelf in front of them. Neither one of them said a word, but an entire conversation was had with facial expressions alone.
Shane, Oliver and Elsa made their way to the diner that Shane used to work in after everyone left the library – it had unofficially become their 'hangout' the day Shane quit, something about being on the right side of the counter and how it made her feel powerful, Elsa wasn't really sure but she did know that they did the best banana milkshakes in town .Theo had long since disappeared, much to Shane's disappointment as she'd been gearing up to challenge him to an 'ab off' or any other competition that would result in the loss of his shirt. The trio spent the night talking and laughing and Elsa did her very best to put the evenings of the parking lot to the back of her mind, she didn't doubt that she'd tell Shane everything the moment they were alone together, but something told her that what she'd witnessed, what had happened to her tonight, wasn't something Oliver Blackwood was up to hearing, not tonight at least.
After Oli dropped the girls back home, they waved his Ford off into the distance before turning and stepping into the house. Elsa kicked off her converse and Shane closed the door behind them, making a conscious effort to do so as quietly as possible as not to wake Viktor or Elsa's mom. The second the front door was closed and locked Shane spun on the heel of her boot and folded her arms tightly across her chest.
"So are you going to tell me what the hell happened to you tonight?" She asked, her eyebrows shooting up her head accusingly. "I mean first you arrive with Scott McCall which is like your dream come true and then Theo McDreamy walks you into the library and as if two encounters with extremely good looking boys wasn't enough…I'm about eighty three percent sure you somehow set your shirt on fire in the time between leaving me and Oliver in the library and going to look for your cell. Which by the way you never found so congrats on that too."
Elsa ran her hands down her face in exasperation before frowning at Shane. "First of all, two extremely good looking boys wanting to be in my presence isn't that farfetched." She began, smiling a little when Shane laughed silently. "…and second, can we please discuss this in bed I've had a super crazy night and I want to tell you everything but also my blankets are calling me."
Shane rolled her eyes and took a hold of Elsa's outstretched hand, dragging the shorter blonde up the stairs and into her bedroom. "And you really need to brush your hair."
"And I need to brush my hair." Elsa agreed as she closed the bedroom door behind them.
When Shane had moved in with the Kirsch's it had been made clear that each girl would have her own bedroom, and that they were only allowed to have 'sleepovers' on weekends, of course Lisa Kirsch's house rules had been scrapped about thirty seconds into Shane moving in her last box and the pair had shared a bed, staying up until all hours talking and laughing, pretty much every night since Shane Campbell had moved in. Tonight was no different. The pair changed into their pyjamas and climbed underneath the multitude of blankets strewn across Elsa's bed, settling down next to each other before turning off the light and staring out into the pitch blackness.
Elsa poured her heart out, told Shane everything about what had happened that night. The man attacking Scott, Kira wielding a sword, Scott's crazy coloured eyes, Elsa spontaneously becoming the most flammable thing in existence, Theo calming her down, and how everyone was completely okay with it.
Much to the blondes surprise Shane didn't interrupt her once, instead she threaded her fingers gently through the matted mess that was Elsa's hair. Muttering the odd 'mmhmm' and 'and then what' at appropriate moments but otherwise keeping her opinions to herself until Elsa was finished. Straining in the dark to gage the expression on her best friends face Elsa turned to glance up at Shane, who dropped the strands of Elsa's hair she'd been plaiting when the blonde shifted her head.
"Do you believe me?"
"Of course I believe you." Shane replied thoughtfully, picking up the ends of Elsa's hair once more.
"So…if you can make fire or heat or whatever." She spun a strand of blonde hair around her index finger. "Does that mean you could curl your own hair with your hands?"
Elsa groaned, grabbing the nearest pillow to her and doing the very best she could so smack Shane across the head with it.
"Hey!" Shane whisper yelled. "I'm just being practical here, think of the savings to our electricity bills, Elsa Kirsch you're a goddamn gift."
They laughed, talked a little more and Elsa thanked the girl who may as well have been her sister for believing her before the pair of them fell asleep.
A/N: Hey guys, thank you so much for all the reviews/follows/favourites and all the messages I continually receive on tumblr about Elsa. I honestly can't say enough how thankful I am for the support I'm receiving for this story. It's honestly blowing me away. Anyways, here is chapter 3 finishing up Episode 1 of Season 5. I hope you enjoyed it. Head over to my tumblr (lydamartin) for more Elsa headcanons/edits and shipping wars - kirken vs. elscott is slowly but surely ruining my life. As usual if you have the time or if you want to, please leave a review as they honestly motivate me so much! Thank you again!