Never There ~ A Jelsa Story~

Thirty Two; Sisterly Fights

I dial my sister's number. It has been a while since I have talked to her, and I am excited to find out what has happened in her life.

"Elsa! It's been so long since I've talked to you! Two months is too long to be without you!"

I giggle. "Yeah, I know right? Anyway, I'm just calling to... ask you your news!"

"It's amazing, Elsa!"

"What is?"

"Kristoff is going to propose to me!" my sister exclaims, and I frown.

"What? He is going  to propose?" 

"Well, I was looking through our chest of drawers and I found a little box. I opened it and there was a ring there!"

I know I should be happy for my little sister - well, not quite so little, as she is 20 now - but I guess I feel slightly jealous of her and Kristoff. Anna hasn't bothered to ring me for 2 months... It feels like Kristoff is stealing my sister away from me. "That's great, Anna! How's your new house?"

"It's great! Great, what am I saying? Germany's so awesome, Elsa, I wish you could be here. It turns out that Kristoff's mum speaks English, German and French, so she's helping me build up German, and she drops the occasional French word too. I'm learning quite quickly, actually! Ich heist Anna! Wie heist du?"

"That means my name is Anna, what's your name, doesn't it? Um... Ich heist Elsa? Um... danke? Anyway, I have some really important news."

"What is it?" Anna asks. Her voice wobbles, and she sounds scared.

"It's nothing bad, at all! No, I'd say it's pretty cool. Well, it's torture for me, I know that because I've done it before... but it all turns out just about OK in the end."

"Just tell me, Elsa!"

"Michael and my new best friend Lily call me Ellie now..."

"But your name's always been Elsa!"

"It's changed now, like me. I live with Mikey, not Jack. Ellie's cute!"

"You've been Elsa for 22 and a bit years! You're just throwing that away?"

"I don't care about the past! I'm in the future. Hey, you should call yourself Annie! That would be easier to say than that wretched Anna!" There is silence on the end of the phone.

"Elsa, you can't say that! Mother and Father said that Anna and Elsa were their favourite names. You're becoming horrible! I don't think I like this Michael anymore. He is that, not Mikey. Sometimes nicknames can be cute, but not when you've had one for only a year compared with 22!"

"Well, I guess you won't like this news then! Well, you already are an aunt, right? Well, I'm having another baby, this time with Mikey!"

"What? How many weeks? Is it early enough to-"

"Are you mad? I want this little sweetie, Annie! And I'm 2 months!"

"Huh, you didn't waste any time then, did you?"

"Honestly, Annie, you're getting so silly! I love Mikey!"

Annie takes a deep breath and then fires the cannon straight at me. "Annie's a terrible name for me! I'm not Annie, I'm Anna! I hate nicknames! You're a stupid Elsa, not Ellie, and that thief Michael is that, not Mikey! Jack is kind, and you should go back to him! I don't get you, Elsa! I hate you! I can't watch you ruin your life like this!" I gasp and stare in shock at the phone.

"I thought you were always supposed to be my best friend. More than that, my sister. The one who loved me, but you aren't, are you? You're jealous that Kristoff doesn't truly love you. You never were my sister. You're selfish, Annie, you really are." I stop and I hear a sobbing noise on the end of the line. 

"I don't hate you, Elsa," Annie says, choking on her tears, "I love you, but you don't love me the same way. I've tried, Elsa, I have tried my hardest to be a good sister! I've done everything you want, but it is never enough, is it? You have to have it all. I just can't live like this anymore!"

Anna was never the perfect sister. It's all lies. Without thinking about how much she really means to me, I mutter 2 words. The cruellest words anyone could. "Don't then." Anna is silent. I've already injected my poison and I don't have an antidote. 

"Fine, if that's how you feel," Anna cries, "I won't. How can I stay in this world when my own sister wants me to die?"

"Anna, I don't mean it like that-" but the line is already dead. What have I done? Why do I have to always put my foot in it? I've lost everything. My parents die first, then my husband almost dies, and now my best friend, my sister, is threatening to kill herself. 

My life is a wreck. I'm a poison, the type that has no cure. Once I inject it in, I can't take it out. The damage is done.