~Elsa POV~
Telling Stoick and Tamora about what happened was easier than I thought it would be, though it still disturbed me some, but Anna and Rapunzel held my hands throughout the entirety of my story, giving me comfort and strength. As I spoke, Tamora wrote everything down on a small notepad, while Stoick gave me his full attention.
He spoke to me with gentleness, which honestly surprised me because I was not expecting him to be so soft spoken. His appearance gave off a being of loudness, and perhaps that's still true. Perhaps he's a gentlemen only with children and females, especially those who have gone through events like I had.
The same can be said for Tamora. She was just as kind and assuring like Stoick, and the last thing she said to me really set my nerves to rest.
"We'll catch the sick son of a bitch," she had said, smiling a jolly smile that some might see as creepy, "He'll get what he deserves."
And I liked the sound of that. I liked her confidence. It sent a huge wave of relief to wash over me. If the whole Precinct is full of cops like her and Stoick, then there's nothing for me to worry about. They're going to catch Hans soon and everything is going to be fine.
I'm refusing to think otherwise.
Because now that Anna knows the truth, I'm officially and fully free and I'm not going to let anything ruin this last chance for me to be with her.
Not even my own thoughts.
But...that's easier said than done.
I've got to try though.
Hiccup and Astrid stayed after their caretakers left, chatting and making me laugh; Astrid ended up face-timing Merida, who wished me a quick recovery and promised to visit the next day. Eventually though, everyone who wasn't family had to leave. I genuinely felt sad to see them go, especially Jack, but they all promised to return the next day and the fact that I had another day to see them, another gift, well it made me overwhelmingly happy.
I had nodded as I swallowed back happy tears. "Okay, I'll see you all tomorrow. Please stay safe."
And when they left, Anna did not hesitate in snuggling up next to me. "You look tired. Are you sleepy?"
And of course, that had conjured up a yawn from me. "A little bit," I had said, "but I've already been asleep for too long. I don't want to miss out on anymore."
My sister nodded. "Agreed," she had said, "but you also need to stay awake because Dr. Stone and Lake will be coming to check on you."
And sure enough, minutes later, they did. However, before their arrival my family and I were in a deep discussion about the secrets that were revealed moments before, the shock, the relief, the disbelief...Anna said it's going to take her a while to get it fully wrapped around her head.
Same here.
The conversation then shifted to me bringing up my parents.
According to my aunt and uncle, they both tried contacting them but have received no answers. This has been going on for weeks now, but I pushed the negative thoughts away. They're fine. Everything is okay. They're just going through some technical issues. That's it. That's all.
The checkup with Kristoff's grandfather and Dr. Lake went great, but they had wanted to keep me for another day or two just in case, which everyone agreed with with no hesitation, even myself. It's better to be safe than sorry.
When they left, the only thing to really do was watch TV, and Arianna made sure to avoid all the news channels since I'm apparently one of their top stories at the moment.
Eventually though, I had given up on staying conscious, and as Anna removed herself from my side, she tucked me in, and said: "I can't wait for you to meet your surprise tomorrow."
I was too tired to reply, so I smile in response and was out like a light, not expecting for the next day to be the most social day of my life.
Hiccup, Astrid, Merida, Moana, Maui, Eret, Bunny, Tooth, Kristoff, Flynn, and Jack all came to visit me throughout the day. First it was Hiccup, Astrid, and Merida. Then it was Moana, Maui, and Eret. Then it was Bunny, Tooth, Kristoff, and Flynn. And lastly it was Jack.
Jack, however, came with three surprises.
His siblings.
They were so excited to see me, and when Sophie chanted "my name" (Ella) I wanted to cry right on the spot.
And I did cry, just not with them.
No, I didn't cry until I saw an old friend of mine. Anna's surprise.
Olaf.
And at first, I thought I was dreaming.
"You...you're real?" I had asked.
Olaf had giggled and extended his arms out. "I think so. I look and feel pretty real to me. Here," he moved one of his arms toward me, for me to touch, to know that this is reality, and when my hand comes in contact with his arm, I gasped.
And then I'm crying, and then we're hugging, and then we're all talking, Anna, Rapunzel, my aunt and uncle, Olaf, and I. We caught up on all the years that were missed out, filling in the missing pieces, and just basking in the presence of each other's company.
The whole day was a great one despite me being in a hospital bed covered in bruises, but now I no longer have to worry about that.
Because as of now, I'm back home. Well, really, I'm at school now, making my way to Mr. Black's class, and avoiding all the stares. It's like the first day of school all over again. I'm wearing a black-turtleneck shirt to cover most of the bruises, and for extra measure I covered them up with makeup. No one should be able to see them, but with all the eyes that have been on me I can't help but feel exposed.
"Hey Snowflake!" I hear Jack call from up ahead.
I was so zoned out that I didn't even see him standing by the stairs. Smiling, I pick up speed, my heart doing the same, and say once I approach him: "Hey."
I've already seen him this morning, but my heart always reacts the same. It's the same whenever I get a text from him. He was texting me nonstop when I left the hospital. Same with Olaf, who made sure I had his number before he returned to his work in the hospital's kitchen. They were both annoyingly cute.
"Mr. Black isn't here," he says, his eyes watching me closely I notice. "You okay?"
I nod. "Yeah, just," I pause as some people walked up the steps to the second floor, whispering the each other, which makes me paranoia think it was me they were whispering about. "...annoyed. And tired. Nothing I can't handle. Anyway, you said Mr. Black isn't here?"
"That's right," Jack happily replies as he wraps his arm around my shoulder and leads us away from the stairs. "We're supposed to meet up in the library with the rest of the class. I'm thinking about just ditching for the rest of the day. What say you oh beautiful one? Wanna join me?"
Rolling my eyes and suppressing a smile, I remove his arm from my shoulders and say, "The beautiful one says no. Thanksgiving Break is a few weeks away. You can survive school without ditching until then."
Jack throws his head back and groans. "You are such a buzzkill."
Making sure no one was nearby to hear, I say: "And yet you like me." My smile turns into a wide grin when he looks back at me with a grin of his own.
"That I do, Snowflake. That I do."
I look away from him then, blushing and smiling, and wanted nothing more than to hold his hand as we walk down the hallway. I want us to do what all the other couples do, but I know it's too soon. Not yet. We need more time.
I need more time. No rushing.
Rapunzel, Flynn, Bunny, and Tooth were all sitting at one of the tables near the back of the library when Jack and I entered, and once my cousin saw me she frantically waved us over.
"Isn't this exciting?" she says once Jack and I make it to the table and sit down. "A free day from Math. We so needed this."
Everyone voices their agreements, while I nod. I haven't talked much today because of the stares and whispers and tiredness. I didn't sleep well last night. Not because of any nightmares, which I'm thankful haven't visited me yet, but because of nervous jitters of returning. I knew the school would whisper and stare, and no matter how much you prepare for something, you're never going to actually be ready for it.
"Now our only problem is figuring out what to do for the next hour," says Flynn.
"Well," Bunny gestures to the books surrounding us, "there's plenty of books for you to read."
Jack laughs and says, "How rude of you, Edmund. You know Flynn can't read."
Bunny smirks, while Flynn glares at Jack. "Very funny, Jackson. Very. Funny."
And that's what the following 15 minutes consisted of, the three of them playfully bickering while Tooth, Rapunzel, and I listened and did our own thing. Tooth was reading a book on dentistry, one that I'm sure she's already read before, Rapunzel was watching a braiding tutorial, and I...was rereading the article about me on the news site.
We were told by Stoick that we'd be notified once Hans was arrested, but we haven't gotten word back. Which means they don't have him, which also means he must be on the run. But that too has not been mentioned or confirmed-
My thoughts are cut short when my cousin taps me on my shoulder, saving me from getting too lost in my head, which has already happened too many times today. "Hmm?" I say as my icy eyes connect with her apple green ones.
"Can I braid your hair?" she asks, a hopeful gleam in her eyes, and of course, I wasn't going to say no. Having someone play with your hair is relaxing, and Lord knows I need to relax for a little bit before I go on with the rest of the school day.
"Sure," I answer and lift my arms up to take apart my bun. While Bunny and Flynn talk about whatever, I catch Jack's eyes on me and blush when he winks. I quickly look away, hoping for the heat in my face to cool off quickly, but it just got hotter and hotter the more I focused on the feel of his eyes on me.
And when my hair was fully down, I boldly catch his eyes again, and found that his face was a cute shade of pink now. This time it's him who looks away and me who stares. He's staring hard at Flynn and Bunny, trying to give them his attention, but I knew his mind was thinking about me. And when I see his blush deepen, butterflies tickle my stomach.
He saw my hair down in the hospital, but he hasn't seen me take it down in front of him. Does he like the way I take it down? Is it attractive to him? Wait, what am I thinking? I shouldn't be thinking of silly things. I need to relax and...and thoughts like that get me hot and bothered rather than relaxed.
Rapunzel was already behind me when I was taking my hair down, and once I had it all undone, she gently takes my white locks into her hands and brushes them out with her fingers. I instantly shudder at the contact of her fingers running through my hair and brushing against my back. I sink into the seat and close my eyes. If I fall asleep, I fall asleep. I won't even be ashamed.
I must have actually zoned out though, because I'm brought back to consciousness when Rapunzel says: "Hey Jack, I need to go to the bathroom. Come hold her braid while I'm gone."
He's groaning as he gets to his feet. "God, Rapunzel, you know I'm lazy. Why are you always making me do stuff?"
And it makes me question that too. She could have easily asked Tooth, so why Jack? Oh god please tell me she doesn't know. She's playfully brought it up before. Am I being obvious again? I'm being obvious aren't I? Uuuggghhh I need to chill. Relax, Elsa. Relax.
"I'll gladly help you, Blondie," Flynn jumps in, "Jack is too unreliable. I'm sure Elsa would rather I hold her hair instead of him anyway. Right, Platinum?"
I open my mouth to reply, but Jack's already speaking. "I'll have you know that Elsa adores me and wants me to hold her hair more than you. Right, Snowflake?"
Five pairs of eyes were on me, making me feel awkward. "Um...well..." it didn't matter who held my hair, but Jack did have a point...I do adore him. "...I don't really care, but Jack is already standing, so..." and I left it that.
Jack cheers, while Flynn pouts. "Man, that's some bull." But I knew he was teasing.
Rapunzel thanks Jack as he takes my unfinished braid in his hands and then she bounces out to the restroom. When she left, Tooth resumed to reading her book and Flynn and Bunny resumed to talking about football. And once more, I felt Jack's eyes on me.
He gently tugs at my hair and say, "I can finish this for you, ya know. Actually, say no more. I'll do it now." His fingers go to work and I giggle.
"Thanks," I say and left it at that as I closed my eyes again, wishing for him to take the braid down and start over, so I can feel his hands through my hair instead. I bet it feels nice.
When he's done with the braid, I hand him my hair-tie, and remind him to pull the braids apart to give it a thicker look. He does as he's told and even takes a picture of it on his phone.
"Damn," he says as he leans over my shoulder to show me, "I did such an amazing job."
Jabbing him in the gut gently, I say, "You didn't even do the hard part. You just did the last easy bit."
He chuckles and says, "Why are you females so ungrateful?"
I laugh and gently shove him off my shoulder. "Oh shush."
The familiar squeal of my sister reaches our ears then and when we turn, there she was with the rest of the girls in our gang, as well as Rapunzel. They must have met up in the hall.
She waves from the library's doorway and zooms over to the table. "Hey guys," she says excitedly, "Rapunzel said your teacher isn't here today. Freaking lucky."
"And what brings you here, Strawberry?" asks Flynn.
"The girls and I got our quiz done early, so we asked to come to the library," she answers. "We can't stay for long though."
"Oh, but I plan on it," says Merida once she, Astrid, Moana, and Rapunzel arrive. "Lunch is in an hour, so our teacher should have known I wouldn't return. I even have my backpack with me."
"Why do you always go looking for trouble?" Tooth asks as she puts her book away in her bag. She hasn't been talkative today either...and I think I know why.
That's for another day though.
"Because I have a boring life, Toothiana," Merida answers as she grabs a chair from the empty table next to us and sits it close to the current table we're at. "So what's up?"
"Relaxation," Bunny says, but then he glances at Jack who's still standing behind me, and then at Flynn who's beside him. "Or it would if these two nitwits weren't here."
Flynn wraps an arm around our Australian friend and says, "Aww, you know you love Jack and I. You love me more though, right?"
To my surprise, Bunny laughs and nods. "Actually yeah."
Jack points at Flynn, "Fuck," then at Bunny, "You." And it sends the girls and I into a fit of giggles.
But our good vibes turn bitter when we wear an annoyed scoff from behind us.
"I can't believe you losers are laughing," says the infamous Chloe Bourgeois out of nowhere. Where the hell did she come from? Heather was standing beside her and my eyes immediately go to Astrid, who's already glaring flames and daggers at her.
"Um...what?" Moana says, voicing all of our thoughts.
Chloe crosses her arms and scoffs again. "Hans is in a lot of serious trouble because she-" she points a finger at me "-lied about what he did. He would never do such a thing, and you-" she's pointing at my sister now, "-you're supposed to be his girlfriend. How can you even stand to be around your sister when she's nothing but a pathetic liar who's seeking attention? How can you just sit around and laugh-"
"Take that back!" Anna snaps, taking the others and I off guard.
"Take what back?" Asks Chloe, challenging my sister. "The truth? That your sister is a liar? Ha! I'll take it back once your bitch of a sister admits she lied-"
An animistic growl exits my sister's mouth and she lunges for her, making Chloe shriek and for me to jump to my feet in shock, but Astrid is quick to hold her back.
"No, Anna," she says sternly, gripping my sister's arm tightly, "she's not worth it. You've already been to detention once. You don't need to go again."
Especially since I doubt Principal North will excuse her again like he did the first time. This time it'll stay on her record.
"She's right Anna," I say as I go to her and take her hand. I squeeze it tightly, hoping to comfort her, and look over at her classmate, glaring at her. "Chloe isn't worth it."
"She should still apologize though," Jack growls out, "even if an apology from her is nothing but shit."
Chloe gasps and puts her hands on her hips. "How dare you? Didn't your father ever teach you manners? Oh wait, that's right. Your dad is dead."
And that's when all hell broke loose.
Merida jumped out of her seat and pounced on the Queen Bee like a bear desperate for honey. Chloe is shrieking and cursing and trying to fight back, but Merida wouldn't let her. She was hitting and scratching and pulling Chloe's hair, cursing up a storm too. It didn't take long for Chloe to fall back onto the floor, which was bad mistake.
With Merida on top of her now, Chloe is trapped, and Heather knew this, thus the reason why she decided to get involved. She grabs Merida's hair to try to pull her off of her friend, and that too was a bad mistake. Because as soon as Merida cries out in pain when her wild hair is pulled, Astrid is on Heather not even a second later, taking her to the floor too.
The commotion caused the other people in the library to gather and watch, as well as record, which is what Flynn and Jack are doing too, and finally when the librarians came, Linda and Dewey, the fight became...well...a little hilarious.
Because the two adults had no idea what to do. They were so confused and terrified.
And it got even funnier when when Dewey told Bunny, Jack, and Flynn to help separate the girls. Flynn and Jack gave the same terrified expression that Dewy and Linda had expressed a minute before, and it was pretty damn funny.
But not enough to get me to laugh out loud, because this is actually terrifying, especially when I saw Merida and Astrid's arms and face bleeding from the scratches Chloe and Heather left behind. I've always known that Astrid and Merida were badasses, but I've never seen them in a real fight before. This is nothing I could have ever imagined it being. This is...primal.
Eventually, Linda quickly left to get North and when he's in the library, stomping his way towards the four fighting girls, I'm reminded of that day in the cafeteria when Eret and Flynn were fighting.
Jack was no longer recording, so as North made his way, I whisper to him: "How come you didn't get your grandpa to stop this like you did with Flynn and Eret that one time?"
"Simple," Jack says with a shrug. "Chloe isn't my friend like Flynn and Eret are. She's a bitch and deserves this."
"Hmm," I say, nodding. "Can't argue with that."
"Merida, Astrid," Moana tries, gaining my attention, "get off of them. North is-" but she cuts herself off because right that second, North is within earshot and grabs Merida by the waist, easily and gently removing her from Chloe.
He sets her aside and picks up Astrid off of Heather, setting her next to Merida while he helped Heather and Chloe up. My two younger friends were breathing heavily, bleeding, sweating, and Astrid's braid was badly messed up, but when they looked at each other, they wore proud smiles.
"My office. Now!" North boomed, which caused the four girls to get moving real quick. They both look back at us as they walked toward the door, giving us reassuring grins. Merida gave us a thumbs up, while Astrid waved. Anna waved back, and I was tempted to do the same, but my guilt held me back from lifting my hand. I didn't even smile. I feel like it's my fault that they're in trouble, when really the fault is all their own.
I know this, but I can't help but feel bad.
When they're gone, everyone went back to doing what they did before, the fight fresh on everyone's mind, but when Flynn and Jack were re-watching the videos they took, Moana and Tooth were not liking it.
"Put that away," says Tooth, ashamed of them. "I can't believe you recorded it. Well, wait, actually I can. This is you two I'm talking about."
"You should have helped them instead of recording it for your entertainment," says Moana, shaking her head. "I know Astrid and Merida can kick ass, but even they can get hurt. Did you not see them bleeding?"
"Well, it's like I told Elsa," Jack comments, "Chloe deserved it. She brought up my dead dad and let's not forget she called Elsa a bitch and liar. If I was a girl I'd attack her too. Plus, Heather shouldn't have gotten involved. That's her fault."
Speaking of which..."And please tell me that's not what you were trying to do?" I ask my sister, thinking about when she lunged for Chloe. "You weren't seriously thinking about fighting Chloe were you?"
Anna nervously laughs. "Hehehe...of course not." She pauses, avoids eye contact, bites her lip, then explodes. "Okay fine! Yes, I was totally going to throw hands. I'm not a violent person, but I will get these claws out if it means defending your honor."
I smile, though I know I shouldn't since it might encourage her, and say, "That's very sweet, Anna, but never try to fight someone for me. I don't want you getting hurt."
Pouting she says, "I can take care of myself. Plus, I don't want your feelings getting hurt, and if they do I want to be able to make sure the other person pays."
I shake my head, showing her I disapprove. "They'll get what's coming to them through Karma. And my feelings aren't hurt. I'm fine."
Which is both true and a lie. Chloe's words don't matter, she's not someone I care about, she's just a bully who's only powerful if I give her the power, but at the same time...being called a liar and a bitch hurts.
I'll get over it though. Like I said, her words don't matter.
"Chloe and Heather sure aren't fine though," Flynn comments as he watches his video on his phone. He cringes and blows out an impressed whistle. "That is hot."
Rapunzel, who was watching the video too, smacks his shoulder like a jealous girlfriend, even though they're not even dating. "Don't be a pig, Flynnigan."
Instead of grimacing at his full name, he grins devilishly. "Oh, but pigs are rather delicious. Wanna taste?" He puckers his lips and looks like he's about to lean forward, but Rapunzel had her whole hand over his mouth and pushes him back.
"I'm vegan," she teases, laughing.
Flynn laughs too and removes her hands. "That's a damn lie."
"All I gotta say," Bunny takes over, "is that that escalated fucking fast."
"Too bad Hiccup wasn't here to see Astrid," Jack jokes, "He'd get turned on for sure. Thus the reason why I recorded it. I did it for him," he says this to Moana and Tooth, but they (as well as myself) were grimacing at the turned on part.
"Thanks for the horrible mental image of Hiccup with a boner," Moana sarcastically says. "I think I'm gonna be sick."
"Well, I recorded it for me and my boner soooo..." and once again my cousin smacks Flynn.
"I can't believe that really happened though," Rapunzel says after she smacks our friend. Her eyes land on me and I see that she's concerned. "Are you okay? We all knew you coming back wasn't going to be easy. We knew there would be stares and whispers, but I doubt any of us thought that something like that would happen. You and Chloe don't even have class together. She's two grades below you-"
"It's never stopped her before though," Moana jumps in. "I've known her for a few years and she'll tear down anyone, even if they're above her."
"All I'm saying," my cousin continues, "is that you must be overwhelmed right now. Do you want to go home?"
I give her my best smile. "Rapunzel, I wanted to go home the second we left our house. The second I woke up actually." I even giggled for extra measure. "But really, I'm fine."
And she believed me. They all did.
The only problem is that...I don't.
I don't believe a word I'm saying.
But I'm not going to worry about it.
All I'm going to do...
Is conceal.
.
.
.
A.N: Two words...uh oh o_o
Not gonna lie, but I hate Chloe with a passion. So if you're a Miraculous fan and you love her, I am so sorry *nervous laughter*.
Merida and Astrid are friendship goals! (Also I low key ship them but don't worry, Hiccstrid all the way)
And also we WILL see more Olaf, so don't worry. I know this chapter was lacking, not just of him but in general, but it was essential ^_^
Stay tuned for more! Byyyeee