Love Thaws: Melting

Memories Best Forgotten

Elsa walked a few paced behind Jack, trudging through the snow. She watched the sun's slow descent across the azure dome above her. She stared at the sun until it hurt before looking away. She'd forgotten how bright and warm it was. Occasionally, she'd stop in a clearing, where there were no trees to block the sunlight, and simple revel in the sensation when the sun beams touched her, like a warm caress. Puffs of clouds randomly dotted the incredibly blue sky. Some clouds were long and thin, like paper, others were stacked high and fluffy. The snow felt so cold and soft beneath her bare feet. After a mile or two, she was exhausted. Her body begging for her to stop. She dragged in one breath after the next, trying to keep up with her body's demands. She'd never been able to walk much in the lab, only a few feet at a time. Elsa stumbled on a slick patch of snow, but caught herself. She stifled a groan and continued walking forward. She stepped on something sharp and prickly. Elsa let out a little, surprised yelp. Was it a needle? The thought made her break into a cold sweat. Jack turned around.

"What's the matter?" His luminescent blue eyes bore into hers.

Elsa swallowed. "Nothing."

Jack sighed and strode over to her, eyeing her foot, which she held just above the ground. "Why don't you sit down?"

Elsa was about to protest, but she stopped. After all, Jack was the one with money and resources, not her. She sat down on a pile of cold, wet snow. Jack lifted her foot.

"It looks like you stepped on a sticker." He pinched the skin on her foot and Elsa winced. He held up a tiny, barbed ball. "Sorry, I have shoes in the car, but I guess that won't help us now."

Elsa stood up wordlessly. "We'd best get to the car then."

Jack stood with her. "I can carry you."

"No. Thanks."

Jack sighed and kept walking. Elsa put her feet in his footsteps, imprinted in the snow, but his strides were a little too long for her. A few minutes later, she tripped again, earning her a face full of snow. Elsa lifted herself off the ground; even that took a herculean effort. Jack glanced at her, his gaze questioning. Elsa shook her head in answer to the unspoken question. They continued walking. Elsa was panting heavily. She didn't think she could make it, but urged herself to the next checkpoint—a tree up ahead—anyway. Step by step she walked forward, each one causing her pain. She fell again. Elsa groaned as she tried to raise herself up. Suddenly, Jack pulled her up.

"I'm carrying you." His tone left no room for argument.

He swept her into his arms, cradling her to his chest. Elsa scowled, but swallowed her protest. After a few minutes, Jack's rhythmic heart beat and the gentle sway of his walking made her sleepy. She forced her eyes open. She would not fall asleep. She wasn't the naïve girl she had been.

She woke up when she felt Jack gently setting her down. It was dark, the blackness veiling everything around her. She frowned, realizing she must've fallen asleep. Jack was laid her down. Elsa saw she was in the back seat of a car, but frankly, was too tired to care. Her eye lids were too heavy for her to open. She sighed and fell back asleep.

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Elsa assumed it was a few hours later when she woke up. It was still dark. Elsa hoped it wasn't a perpetual darkness. She already missed the sun. Elsa tried to close her eyes, but she couldn't fall back asleep. The rumbling of the car made sure of that. Elsa groggily sat up, stretching before rubbing her weary eyes. She looked out into the darkness surrounding the vehicle, the car's lights the only thing penetrating the night. Elsa suddenly gasped and pasted her face to the window. There were hundreds of thousands of little blinking red lights. The land was coated in them, each spaced evenly apart in endless rows. Elsa's eyes widened as they all blinked off at the exact same time, each disappearing before her eyes. A few seconds later, they flashed on again.

"Woah," she breathed.

"They're windmills."

She turned towards him. He was in the driver's seat, his focus on the narrow strip of road before him. "Really?"

"Yep."

Elsa turned to watch them for a few more moments. Then her eyes turned towards the asphalt road in front of them. The car at up the ground before them. Elsa watched the streaks of yellow in the middle of the road flash by. The signs up ahead glowed brightly, illuminated by the headlights. Some were black and white, proclaiming the speed limit. Others were large green signs, telling what exit was where in bold white letters. Occasionally, next to an exit, there'd be another green sign with brightly colored logos of restaurants, motels, and gas stations. Elsa wasn't sure how long she watched the road. The objects whizzing by them were almost hypnotic. She tried to go to sleep again, but couldn't.

"Where're we going?"

"A city in Kansas."

"What city?"

"Wichita."

"Oh..." Elsa wasn't sure where that was. She sighed and pressed her face to the cool glass. When she exhaled it fogged the window, making it opaque. Elsa exhaled and quickly wrote her name in swirly cursive before the fog vanished. She exhaled again, revealing the faint writing of her name. She exhaled on a different part of the window and drew a flower. Then she drew a tornado.

"Doesn't Kansas have tornados?"

"Yep."

Elsa was silent. She leaned against the glass and became caught up in her own thoughts. When the car jerked to a stop, Elsa realized she'd drifted to sleep. She rubbed her eyes.

"I needed to stop for gas," Jack explained. "I don't want you getting out of the car. The fewer places you're seen, the better, but I can get something for you. I bet you hungry."

Starving. But Elsa wasn't going to tell him that. It was bad enough having to depend on him for transportation and a home. "I'm fine."

"Of course you are," he replied, his voice dripping in sarcasm. He got out of the car, slamming the door shut.

Elsa peered out of the window, immediately ducking back inside of the car. The lights were bright. It reminded her of the lab. Elsa closed her eyes and curled into a ball on the seat, suppressing a shudder. She could metal clanking against metal as Jack removed the nozzle and stuck it into the car. She caught a whiff of the oily, slightly nauseating smell of gas. Her father had always liked the smell of gas. She knew several people who did, but Elsa couldn't stand it. She pinched her nose and breathed through her parted mouth. She heard Jack remove the gas nozzle a moment later. She waited several long minutes until he came back into the car. A tantalizing smell filled the car, making her heady.

"Got you food."

He handed her a warm package, wrapped in foil. It seared her fingers, but Elsa couldn't care less. She unwrapped the foil, the aroma of food filling the car. It was a breakfast taco with a warm, white tortilla wrapped around moist eggs and bits of bacon. Elsa inhaled deeply, relishing the aroma once more, before taking a large bite. It was hot and burned her tongue, but it was so amazing. The taco was ambrosia, especially after her long hike through the snow-filled woods. The warm food filled her stomach comfortably and she finished every last morsel, licking the foil wrapper for bits of eggs or bacon. She sighed longingly, wishing for another taco as she reclined against the seat. Her tongue still stung from the piping hot food. She ignored the sting and began wandering what the future would hold for her. Could a monster like her ever have a family? Elsa thought back to a particular experiment and shuddered. She hadn't been able to use her powers since. The scientists theorized it must be because of some sort of psychological barrier. Since then, the amounts of tests had increased and she'd had multiple appointments with psychologists. They encouraged her to talk about it, but she never did, pushing the memory far out of her own reach.