His Game

Chapter 21: Elsa

Papa stares at the door, stunned. I, myself, have a horrible feeling in my stomach. Is this what rage feels like? Because right now, it's all I can do to not scream at my father.

Falling onto the sofa, Papa puts his head in his hands and groans. Mama sits next to him, laying a hand on his shoulder, looking upset.

"I-I'm going to- I'll be-" I stammer, and run from the room. 

First, I stop at the bathroom, opening the cupboard under the granite sick, searching for the first aid kit. It should be green with a white cross on it. After a moment of searching, I find it hiding behind some shampoo bottles.

I then run out of the bathroom, sprinting down the hallway.

"Miss Elsa?" One of the maids asks, but I don't pay attention.

Finally, after what seems years off running, I burst out of the front doors, and pause, wondering where I could find Jack.

Where would I go if I were Jack right now?

I don't know. Maybe I don't know as much about Jack as I think I do. Maybe he feels alone or something. I feel like a bird with clipped wings living in my own house, but is it possible that Jack feels that way about the world?

Maybe he wants to get away from the world.

But that means...

"Jack!" I scream, "Jack, no!"

I'm running, I'm running, I'm running again. Throwing myself into my garden, crushing all my precious flowers that once meant the world to me, but I don't care. The plants were dying anyways, since winter is approaching. 

Jack isn't in my garden. He isn't in Anna's corner, either. There are no tire tracks on the driveway, so Hiccup didn't pick him up. Where did he go?

"Jack," I beg, "Please, tell me where you are!"

No answer.

I leave the garden, putting a hand over the stitch in my side, but I ignore the pain and keep running. The woods is right up ahead, the moon peeking through the green spruce trees. Is it possible Jack is there?

Crashing through the bracken and fern, I breathe heavily, nearly out of breath. My jacket catches on some branches and I'm forced to leave it behind.

"Jack Frost!" I shriek, "It's me, Elsa! Please, where are you?"

My bare arms are getting sliced by thorns and my skirt is muddy and tattered. My shoes are most definitely ruined, and Papa is going to mad about that, but I don't care anymore.

I don't care about anything anymore...

... Only Jack.

The air around me is getting darker. I can barely see. Dark shapes take on new forms around me; I find myself getting scared.

Pain shoots through my foot as I trip over an upturned root, flying forward, landing flat on my face and rolling onto my back by reflex. The air is knocked from my lungs.

"Elsa?"

I scramble to my feet and run to Jack, shoving him in the chest as hard as I can, tears streaming down my face.

"You scared me, idiot!" I shout, shaking. "You just left like that, and I thought you were doing something to yourself, and I panicked. You aren't allowed to do that!"

Jack falls backwards, caught by surprise. I hear him hiss in pain as he catches himself with his burnt hands, standing up, blinking furiously. Has he been crying?