A few weeks later...
Elsa
"This is it," I spoke, my voice a sharp and unwelcome intrusion in the dull quiet. Rain raced effortlessly down from the bleached sky, bouncing against the slick, black pavement bordering the school. Once again, I silently thanked my crazed intuition for coaxing me into lugging along an umbrella.
"Jeez,"Anna mumbled. I glanced at her, tightening my grip on the plastic handle. My sister's lively eyes were directed towards the double doors that led inside, the plump and round silhouette of her bottom lip hidden beneath a few biting teeth. "It's so big."
I lowered my gaze to the ground, clenching my free hand to remind myself to remain calm. It's okay if Anna's nervous. I shouldn't be, though. Who else will help her fit in?
The sudden sound of a thick puff of smoke escaping an exhaust pipe guided me back to the situation. Along the rear of the school, buses had lined up somewhat cleanly against the curb, the pulsing yellow paint that coated their exteriors seemingly toxic and forcefully cheery. Within the heavily tinted windows, I could see the writhing figures of impatient teenagers.
I sighed, feeling the staccato thump of my heart trying to burst out of my chest. "We'd better head inside."
"Yeah," Anna agreed half-heartedly.
Click. Click. Click. My shoes hitting the tiled floor of the lobby.
Whirrrrrrrr... The groan of the dying air conditioner.
And last but not least, the silence. With a great deal of self-consciousness, my arm rose to tuck a loose strand back into its place, wondering at the same time if my hair appeared more presentable in a braided bun. Anna had pleaded with me to walk into the first day with my favorite messy French braid, but that wasn't possible. What if everyone would stare at me if I hadn't joined them on their professional uniform? Unfortunately, I wouldn't figure this out until the quiet that surrounded us was filled in with the timbre of a young crowd.
Pretty soon, Anna and I came to a halt, finding ourselves in a break from the long and uniform hallway we were just walking in. To our left and right, the deep blue color of the lockers in the school spanned out, occasionally dotted with a wooden door that belonged to a classroom. In front of us, a large staircase spiraled upwards, daunting and mocking all rolled into one.
Anna fumbled with a folded sheet of paper, scanning the surface before declaring, "My locker's this way, I think." Her finger directed her to the right.
I reached into my skirt pocket, pulling out my own schedule, which I had received in the mail a week ago. It was a hassle to return to the orphanage, pry apart the locked door of their mailbox, and leave without getting detected, but we managed.
205.
I pressed my lips together in dismay. I was on the second floor.
Anna glanced at my schedule, and swallowed, offering a weak smile to me. I smiled back. Only my sister would be scared out of her wits, yet still smile like it was her birthday everyday.
I stepped towards her, wrapping my arms around her small figure as she wrapped her arms around me. "Good luck," I whispered.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
The bell released its death call, unleashing the tide of high schoolers from the buses.
"You, too," she whispered in reply, and turned away, clutching her schedule as if it was her soul.
With a deep breath, I started up the stairs, repeating the following words inside my head.
Just let the past go.
ŞİMDİ OKUDUĞUN
Branches of Our Tree
Hayran Kurgu"Elsa, don't ever think you're alone. After all, we're all branches of a tree. And that tree belongs to everyone. That tree is our tree." For Elsa's entire life, she had lived safely within the thick, brick walls of her home, Arendelle Manor. Lesson...
