This chapter takes place on Saturday, May 2nd, 2015.

Elsa found herself walking groggily down the hallway in the direction of the kitchen. It was a crisp Saturday morning, and on mornings like these, she liked to roam the house. The three other residents never missed an opportunity to sleep in, but Elsa preferred to rise at the break of dawn. She hated the sensation of a foggy mind, which oversleeping never failed to deliver.

As she continued to walk towards the kitchen, she struggled to unfog her mind.

And so, in this way, she did not notice until she stood in the kitchen doorway the three people sitting at the table. It was quite the dramatic sight: Gerda was crying on Kai's shoulder, and Kai was looking sadly at the strawberry blonde sitting across from him.

"You knew this would happen eventually," Anna said coldly to Kai, her back to Elsa.

Kai opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again when he noticed Elsa lingering in the doorway. He watched her for a few seconds, and in that moment she could see a lifetime of regret in his eyes.

Oh, no… Anna...

"What… what's going on here?" Elsa asked loudly, desperately hoping it was not what it seemed to be.

Anna, yet unaware of Elsa's presence, jumped only slightly, but did not yet turn to face her sister. "Elsa, I'm leaving."

No.

"What do you mean, you're leaving?" Elsa asked, taking a step back.

"I mean exactly what it sounds like," she replied evenly, turning to face Elsa.

Elsa shook her head in anguish.

This can't be happening.

"You've already made it clear that you have no problem letting me go," Anna added, her voice quavering almost imperceptibly.

Memories of her parents came rushing back to Elsa. Fifteen years earlier, they had explained to her the immeasurable importance of a big sister. She had promised that she would be there for Anna when they weren't.

This is because I shut her out. This is my fault. I failed them.

I failed her.

Elsa stepped backwards, her eyes filling. She turned to dash down the corridor back to her sanctuary, but it was no longer a hallway. All of a sudden, she was outside, and it was dark. Very dark.

She realized that she was at the base of a gargantuan structure. It looked oddly familiar.

The old car factory.

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream emanated from within the dark building. Despite her terror, Elsa knew beyond a shadow of a doubt whose voice it was, for it was the only voice in the universe that Elsa would run into a dark, abandoned car factory for.

Try as she may, though, Elsa could not budge her feet. They were cemented to the ground, but nothing could stop her from desperately trying to run to Anna.

Elsa awoke in a cold sweat. It was the same nightmare again; the first part was, at least. That confrontation in the kitchen was the last time Elsa had seen Anna-now fifteen weeks past. It seemed like an eternity had passed, yet it still plagued her both sleeping and waking.

I never even apologized. I just ran. And now I probably won't ever see her again.

The new, darker extension to the nightmare, though not based on a memory, did not lighten her mood.

Elsa looked to her window, and it was still dark outside, save for the unnatural glow of the city lights. Glancing at her clock, Elsa saw that it was only 4:41 am.

She knew from experience that any attempt to return to sleep would prove a futile effort, and so she whimpered quietly into her pillow until sunrise.

Before Anna left, Elsa had been accustomed to anticipating her daily return. Every evening, Elsa would wait quietly in her own room for Anna to walk into the house, just to hear her voice. Even if the words were garbled through the thick walls, the knowledge that Anna was near was enough for her. It made the silent times bearable.

This was a different type of silence; it did not come with the promise of an end. Every second, it was loudly reminding Elsa of her parents, and of Anna. After months of this, Elsa began to be submerged in this sea of unending silence. And so, it was entirely unexpected when Kai and Gerda loudly and inconsiderately burst into her room.

"Elsa!" they shouted over one another. "We're going tomorrow!" exclaimed Gerda. "We're finally gonna go!"

What on earth is she talking about?

"You're finally going to get some tan on your skin" Kai laughed.

"I keep telling him," Gerda snickered, "Even with sunblock, you'll get a burn. Not a tan. But he also thought that stupid dress was blue and black, so I guess I'm not surprised."

Not this again...

Kai only laughed harder at Gerda's remark. "It's a beautiful vacation destination. See for yourself!" he said jovially, turning Gerda's Galaxy to Elsa.

Vacation? How can they act so happy when the heart of this household is gone?

The adults continued to chatter loudly and incoherently until Elsa finally had enough.

"How could you?" she cried, swatting the smartphone down onto the carpet. "Don't you understand?" she shouted, the tears filling her eyes once again. "She's not coming back!"

And with that, she buried her slender face in her delicate hands, in a sloppy effort to conceal her vulnerability.

Fortunately, heavy curtains were hiding the now frosty windows, and the realization that Elsa was crying was enough to distract the couple from the sudden drop in temperature. Immediately sobered by the outburst, Kai sat down beside Elsa on her bed, while Gerda slowly kneeled to retrieve the curiously cold mobile.

"We know she's gone, Elsa," Kai said soothingly. "But it's been almost four months now, and we have no way of knowing where she is. There is just nothing we can do at this point."

No way of knowing where she is…

Kai continued to speak, but Elsa was no longer listening. Instead, she was focused on last night's nightmare. Unlike most dreams, this one had not faded within minutes of waking; she still remembered it vividly. She remembered the darkness. She remembered Anna's scream. And she remembered the car factory where it took place.

The car factory. Of course.

"A long trip will be good for you, and this one will last a few weeks." Kai said, bringing Elsa out of her trance. "Start packing now; if you're not ready to leave by tomorrow, then we're going without you!" he laughed. "Seriously though."

And with that, he stood up and left her bedroom. Gerda murmured something about icicle decorations and exited, leaving Elsa to secretly contemplate her plan of action.