A/N: Sorry this update took so long to get out. Graduation and a trip to Disney World kept me away from my laptop.

But, here it is! Pretty solid trigger warning in this chapter pertaining to child abuse. Be aware of that.

Back story is starting to rear it's head in, I may dedicate a chapter purely to back story here soon. It's obviously very important to the story and the characters.

But, I'm rambling.

Enjoy!

Elsa sat on the couch alone in complete solitude. The air was still and quiet which only made the silence much more prominent. The only light in the room came from the overhead light in the kitchen, which barely illuminated a part of the living room despite being right next to each other. This was actually the first time in a long while that Elsa was left alone in solitude. She normally always had Aleks relatively close to her, if it wasn't Aleks it was somebody. Anybody. But not this time, she was completely alone and she wasn't sure how to react to it. On one hand she was relieved, but on the other hand she couldn't stand it. Being alone only served to remind her of countless nights alone in her room.

Crying.

Vulnerable.

Weak.

Eventually Elsa started shutting everyone out during the times in which her emotions overpowered her. Their grandmother Gothel had given up on gaining entry into her room after awhile. Figuring it would just be best let her sort herself out. Aleks was much more persistent. Often spending nights outside of Elsa's door in hopes of easing some of her twin's pain. Sometimes Elsa would let her in and they would play chess throughout the night. The memory did bring the blonde some joy, only to be replaced by sadness and regret when she remembered how much of an effect her emotions had on her powers. Her touch would constantly freeze the wooden pieces, and the constant freezing and thawing certainly took it's toll on the poor chess pieces. When Anna had picked up the chess piece and started to inspect it, she had panicked and didn't want her asking questions. She was lucky that Anna didn't push the subject, but she looked really curious about it all.

And other times Aleks would just leave small treats outside of Elsa's door in the middle of the night. It was a small gesture, but Elsa loved her sister for it. It was almost always chocolate, it was her favorite. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate with nuts in it, it didn't matter to Elsa. As long as it was smooth, sweet, and full of delicious cocoa flavor.

Elsa sighed as she finished reminiscing, but suddenly had a craving for chocolate. Wondering if she remembered to bring any, she left the couch to check her purse she left on the dining room table. She reached her hand in and rustled about aimlessly trying to find any kind of chocolatey goodness. When she had emptied most of it's contents on the table, she found a Hershey's bar in one of the pockets on the side with a small sticky note attached to it. She recognized the handwriting as Aleks' immediately, it was hard to mistake her rushed cursive.

'Hey, I figured you might need this eventually. Sorry there isn't more. Text me if you need me.' Short, sweet, blunt, and to the point just like Aleks. Elsa smiled and stuck the note in her purse as she tidied the small pile of assorted items back into her purse. She eyed the chocolate bar in her hands and felt the smooth wrapping under her slender fingers. Milk chocolate with almonds. She licked her lips as she ripped open the package and stuck a square in her mouth. Smooth, sweet, and just a small crunch from the almonds. It was exactly what she had wanted and she savored the taste. Feeling the cocoa goodness run down her throat, she broke off another square and stuck it in her mouth. She sat down at the small table and pulled out her phone. She had a message from Aleks' from about thirty minutes ago when she was engrossed in her chess game.

'Hey, you alright? I'm stuck here with some indian chick. Her name is like Pokemon or something.' Elsa shook her head and rolled her eyes with a small smile.

'Yeah, everything is okay. I'm sorry for the late response, I was caught up in a game of chess.' She typed out and hit send as she stuck another piece of chocolate in her mouth.

Elsa stuck the phone back in her pocket, placed the rest of the chocolate bar back in her purse and made her way down the hall to her room. On the way she glanced over to the door adjacent to her room where she assumed Anna would be fast asleep. She remembered the chess game they had finished not too long ago. She really didn't know what to think of the redhead quite yet. She had a certain... spunky kind of appeal in a weird way. Always rambling on about something as if she loves the sound of her own voice. These qualities were normally some of the quickest ways to annoy Elsa. She preferred the calm and the quiet, two things Anna certainly were not. But she decided that Anna wasn't a real threat to her or anything. She had seemed nice enough, but Elsa knew not to judge a book by it's cover. Although she would enjoy getting to know her better before putting a final verdict on her.

Her leg vibrated as she pulled her phone out and swiped the screen, the bright light of her phone nearly blinding her for a second. 'Did she ask about how shitty the pieces look? Do I need to rough her up, Elsa? You know I will.' Elsa sighed again and felt herself fill with regret. She really didn't enjoy seeing the poor girl buckle underneath her sister. And she certainly did not want to see it again. I really should have stopped her.

'She noticed but didn't ask any questions. It's okay, Aleks. I promise.' Elsa hesitated for a moment about hitting send and she decided to change the subject. 'So, Pokemon huh?' She added to the end of her message and hit send.

However, curiosity got the best of the blonde and she gingerly pressed her ear up against the cool wooden door. She didn't hear anything, just emptiness. No snoring, or rustling of sheets or anything. She was about to leave when she was taken by surprise by a sound from the other side of the door. A small whimper followed by an even smaller sniffle. It seemed that Anna was crying. Elsa had noticed how red her eyes were during their chess match despite the dim lighting, and she had hoped it was from fatigue. But now it was apparent she was more shaken up over her squabble with Aleks' earlier. At least that's what she assumed.

Her phone buzzed and again she pulled it from her jeans. 'Yeah, her name is really weird and she keeps talking about how I seem tense and need to calm down.' Elsa put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from emitting a small chuckle in order to keep her presence on the other side of the door unknown. The thought of someone trying to calm Aleks down was extremely humorous and probably impossible.

'Haha. Please try to get along with her, Aleks. You're stuck with her for the year, after all.' She hit send and returned her ear to the door. She heard another whimper and her eyes dropped. She hated knowing people were hurting, but she could never do anything about it. She was used to herself hurting, and didn't want anyone else feeling that kind of pain. And yet she was always too afraid to help people in fear of them hurting her somehow. There were many times she went to the bathroom in high school and heard sobbing coming from stalls. Her heart would ache for those behind the doors, but all she could do was curtly leave without a word. The only exception to this was Aleks. She was stronger than Elsa when it came to her emotions, but even she wasn't invulnerable. The chess games proved therapeutic to the both of them, but she was always much more destructive when she was in pain. Elsa lost count how many times Aleks' bedroom window had to be replaced because of how often it would shatter from her outbursts.

But this time, Elsa decided it was time to actually do something. She reached into her purse and pulled out a pencil and the sticky note that was attached to the chocolate bar. Bearing up against the wall, she erased her sisters message and wrote out three simple words. 'It'll be alright.' Elsa wasn't sure what was bothering the woman on the other side of the door, but she hoped the simple message would be enough to help a little. She still felt totally helpless on the other side of the door though, but not nearly strong enough to open it. So this was the best she could do.

She looked down at her phone when it vibrated again, reading another message from Aleks. 'Whatever you say. I'm going to bed early. Goodnight, sis.'

'I'm heading there myself right now. Goodnight.' Elsa hit send and stuck her phone back in her pocket. She knelt down to stick the note underneath the door but paused for a moment. Maybe there was something more she could do. I'm not sure if she's a chocolate person. But if it helps, it's really the least I could do after letting her get torn apart by Aleks. Elsa reached into her purse and pulled out the chocolate bar she had barely touched. She really didn't want to give up the cocoa flavored gold she held in her hands, but it was for a good cause. Taking a deep breath, she stuck the sticky note onto the wrapping and slid it under the door. Rising to her feet, she turned to her own door and walked into the small room which was identical to the one adjacent to it.

The bare bed stood in front of the blonde as she didn't realize they had to supply their own sheets and blankets. Elsa placed a hand over her face and sighed with discontent. She wouldn't like it, but she could go without for a night. She'll just have to remember to buy sheets in the morning. Which probably meant she'd have to wake Aleks up early. Which probably meant she'd have to walk down to her dorm and into her room to drag her out of the bed. Again.

Elsa pulled the red hoodie over her head and revealed a dark blue tank top underneath, the cold wouldn't really bother her much but she did need a pillow. She rolled up the hoodie and placed it neatly on the far end of the bed before crawling onto the bed and resting her head on it. Quite frankly, she was exhausted and it wasn't long before a very welcome sleep overcame her.

Sunlight assaulted her eyelids as Elsa saw bright red under shut eyes. It seems like curtains would be another necessity. She stretched and touched the back wall with her fingertips as her toes hung off the edge of the bed. After a satisfying couple of pops from her spine, Elsa opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling above her. It took her a moment to realize she was not in her usual room, but at somewhere unfamiliar and completely new. She recounted the previous nights activities and decided it would be best to check up on the redhead after hearing her crying through her door. Sitting up, Elsa covered her mouth as she yawned and pulled up a strap on her tank top that had fallen down her arm during her sleep. She licked her teeth and was taken back from the taste of morning breath. She needed to brush her teeth. She took a deep breath. She needed to shower as well.

Turning so that her legs hung over the edge of the bed, she undid her long braid and tousled the blonde locks to the point to where she probably looked like a lion. Standing up and gazing around the room to catch her bearings, she noticed a sheet of notebook paper on the stand next to her bed. Elsa rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she picked it up and read the hasty handwriting.

'Thank you. The chocolate was yummy and I'll repay you later.' There was a smiley face at the end of the sentence. 'And also, you look adorable when you're sleeping. -Anna'

Elsa blinked once. Twice.

"She walked into my room!" She stomped in disbelief. "While I was sleeping!" Elsa sighed and rubbed her temple and placed the note back on her nightstand. It would be wise to talk to Anna about boundaries and proper etiquette when it came to bedrooms. Although maybe quite this second as the more Elsa stood around the more she felt grimy and dirty and just overall gross. She walked out of the room and towards the dining room where she left her suitcases with a bit of a stride. That shower sounded really good at the moment and she couldn't wait to wash away her worries for the moment.

"Well good morning there sleepy pants!" The tone of the voice was unnaturally enthusiastic, made Elsa jump, and quite frankly Elsa found it annoying so soon after waking up.

Anna sat on one corner of the couch on her phone, but had looked up when Elsa made her way from the hall. She had on a simple dark green t-shirt and an unbuttoned plaid shirt over it with loose fitting, baggy jeans. It was such a simple outfit Elsa thought, but she couldn't deny that it did look pretty good on the redhead.

"If you're going to look for something to eat, you won't find anything. I already tried." She shrugged. "Guess it was too much to assume it would come stocked with food too, huh?" Tone still way too enthusiastic for what she was talking about. And even the thought of food so soon made Elsa feel sick.

Anna held her hand over her mouth to stifle a budding chuckle. "I like your hair."

Elsa ran her hand through her bedhead and raised her eyebrows at the redhead. "I was actually about to make my way to the shower." Sleep still heavy in her voice.

"There aren't any towels either. I had to lay under my ceiling fan for a good fifteen minutes to dry."

"Lovely." Elsa commented with faux glee.

"We should go out shopping when you finish up." Anna stood up from the couch and stuck her hands in her pockets. "I mean, there isn't any food. Or towels, or toilet paper, and there wasn't even any bedsheets-" Anna continued to list things the dorm was missing while Elsa absentmindedly listened to her ramblings and made her way towards the dining room. She picked up a suitcase and started to walk back towards the bathroom. "-I mean, who doesn't carry around a frying pan right?"

Elsa really didn't want to go out with a girl she hardly knew to buy household items and food. It certainly wasn't a money issue, their parents made sure that both her and Aleks would be set practically for life. But she hardly knew Anna, and if she was like this so early in the morning it was safe to imply that it would only get worse.

"How are you so chipper in the morning?" Elsa turned around and asked, genuine curiosity in her voice. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. It was 8:12 am. Even morning people had to have trouble being so sprightly that early.

"Oh, I've been up for a couple hours now." The redhead rocked back and forth on her feet. "I'm a slow riser and the morning sun is practically my mortal enemy." She gave a small chuckle. "But I figured I'd wake up really early this morning so we could spend the day making this dorm feel like a home!" She beamed and Elsa couldn't help but feel warmth grow in her chest.

"Well, I certainly would love a coffee maker..." Elsa replied as she rubbed the back of her neck. She couldn't ignore the fact that they were missing a lot of necessities. So it seemed like she would have to put up with Anna for the day. "Let me get a shower real quick and we'll figure out transportation and list out what we need. Okay?"

"Oh! That's alright, I've already planned ahead a bit." Anna butted in with a cheery tone in her voice, as if it could get any more cheery. "There's actually a mall about a mile away. It's a bit of a walk but it's a nice sunny day!" She smiled again, extended her arms and rose on her toes.

She certainly is um... animated I guess would be an accurate word. And Aleks is probably still asleep, I don't want to take the car without her knowing. Elsa rubbed her eyes again and gave a short affirmative nod to the gleeful redhead across from her. I wouldn't mind a walk, it would give me a little time to enjoy the outdoors and get some nice fresh- Elsa's eyes widened as she just finished processing everything Anna had just said. -did she say a mall? Don't people go to malls? Of course people go to malls! Lots of people! She felt her palms begin to clam up and she took a deep breath to steady her quickened breathing. Awkwardly wiping her palms on the back of her jeans to alleviate some of the collecting sweat, she turned and started walking towards the bathroom. It was bad enough she had to walk a mile with a woman she barely knew and who quite frankly, already slightly annoyed her this morning. But now she had to be surrounded by hundreds of people she didn't know in a crowded space.

Maybe I should wake Aleks up so she could come with us... Elsa pondered doing just that, she knew Aleks would tag along with no real issue. And she would certainly feel better with her twin around in case anything went astray. But she knew it wasn't a real feasible plan, the relationship between Aleks and Anna wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows. And the crying from behind the door only further proved that point. At least that's what Elsa assumed. But she didn't want to just chicken out from this, they really did need a lot of things for the dorm. And it was an opportunity to make a friend who wasn't Aleks. It was just something she'd have to suck up and deal with.

After all, it's a new beginning. New place, new people, new opportunities. Elsa planned to take advantage of that.

She closed the bathroom door behind her and let out a sigh. It certainly wasn't going to be easy on her though. Dropping the suitcase on the sink counter, she opened out and pulled out various toiletries and placed them on the rim of the tub. She was grateful that the shower at least came with a curtain, it was one thing she didn't have to worry about. The dorm as a whole really is a dream. But you'd expect it would come adequately stocked with towels and bedsheets... Elsa knelt down and opened up the cabinets under the sink, which were completely empty saved for piping from the sink. Or toilet paper. She rolled her eyes and stood back up and finally saw her reflection in the mirror. She really did look like some kind of blonde lion with her hair going every which direction. Pulling out a toothbrush and toothpaste from a small zippered compartment in the suitcase she wet the brush, squeezed out a fair amount of paste and began brushing her teeth. The minty flavor was a well received saving from the morning breath.

I'm sure it won't be too bad. I mean it's still fairly early, so maybe it won't be as crowded. But nonetheless she was sure that there would be people there, and nowhere to really hide. Nowhere to get away, and no way to protect herself. She would feel their judgmental eyes from small glances, they would know how vulnerable she looked. They'd know exactly how to hurt her. They would insult her either behind her back or via snickers from across the room. People would come up to her and try to talk to her, ask her why she was so quiet. Start pushing her around and beating her. Leaving new bruises to hate herself over, because it was her fault she couldn't defend herself. It was her fault she could never defend herself, why Aleks always had to come to her rescue. As a child from their father, as a teenager from classmates, and now even as an adult from people she never met before in her life. She couldn't defend herself, she would only be seen as a monster.

Elsa dropped her toothbrush in frustration, sending droplets of toothpaste over the sink. She noticed tears cascading freely down her face and collecting on her chin before falling into the sink. Falling to her elbows and gripping the back of her head she gritted her teeth. But you've always been a monster. Doing nothing can be much more worse than actually doing something. Anna probably wouldn't have been up last night crying if you had stood up for her. People are still suffering. She met her own gaze in the reflection again. Because of you.

Snowflakes started to form and float around Elsa's slim form in a lazy rotation. The small flurry quickly cooled the room but Elsa never even noticed as her rampant emotions did nothing but cause the snow to pick up speed. She was unknowingly literally caught in a swirling storm of her own emotion as she dropped to her knees and cradled her face. And it was only a matter of time until her own thoughts got the best of her and she lost control, just like she had countless nights alone in her room. By the time she finally fell asleep the entire room would be in disarray from the winds knocking things off of shelves.

Aleks is the only family you have left and she's still trying to make up for your screw ups. Because you can't defend yourself! She has to do it for you, Elsa! Blonde hair covered her face and stuck to the stream of tears still flowing from her eyes. She gripped the counter and frost skittered across it as the stream of water from the faucet froze solid. The problem was that Elsa remembered. She remembered everything and replayed it in her head over and over again. Every little argument, every little accusation, every night staying up crying. Every night wondering if she was going to make it through to see morning without a new bruise, a new emotional scar. Every night blaming herself for everything wrong with her life.

Every night wondering if there was any shred of humanity in her or if she really was the monster her father made her believe she was. If she really belonged anywhere.

There was a knock on the door as Elsa bolted her head up and the storm around her froze in place. Snowflakes reflecting light from the overhead light in the bathroom and sending small rays of light over the room like little diamonds.

"You alright? I heard something fall" Anna's voice came from the other side of the door.

Elsa frantically looked around her to find that her suitcase had fallen and hit the floor, probably causing a loud thump which she couldn't hear while she was locked in the storm. She wiped her eyes with the heels of her palms and wiped her nose. Rising to her feet, she brushed the sticking strands of hair from her face.

"Yes, everything is okay. I just knocked over my shampoo bottle on accident." She managed to get out without stuttering or breaking any words.

"Okey dokey." Elsa could hear the pitter-patter of footsteps growing more quiet as Anna moved away from the door.

She stared at herself in the mirror again, face red and eyes still glistening with tears ready to fall. She then noticed the frost lining the counter top, the frozen faucet, and the reflection of tiny snowflakes in the air around her. They looked more like small sparkles, perhaps even stars around the blonde as they continued to shine and reflect light. She sighed and collected herself as one by one they disappeared with a tiny glimmer. The frost on the counter also disappeared into thin air, and the water from the faucet started to run freely again. She slowly bent over and picked up the fallen suitcase, collecting the clothes and placing them back in it as she set it back onto the counter with a sigh.

Elsa looked down at her hands and eyed her palms over. Closing and opening her fist several times as if to confirm that she was still alive and real. With another sigh she ran her hands through her hair and away from her face as she began to undress. Although the storm was gone, the room was still considerably colder she noticed when she had removed her pants and panties causing hair on the back of her neck to stand on edge. The cold didn't really bother her, she much preferred to be cold than hot actually. She took off her tank top which was slightly dampened from her tears and unclasped her bra letting her breasts fall free. Just like her face, the rest of her body was the same pale skin tone as if she never saw the light of day in her life. Which if Grandmother Gothel had her way, she never would have.

The blonde turned to face the shower and turned the knob on the wall and water flowed from the faucet. She sat on the edge of the tub and leaned her head on her hand as she periodically tested the warmth of the water. As soon as she dubbed it warm enough, she started the shower and stepped into the warm, steady stream of water which was a stark contrast to the overall temperature of the room. She rested her forehead on the wall in front of her and enjoyed the warm water trailing down her body.

This certainly isn't going to be easy.