CHAPTER FOUR

"Okay, guys! Arts and crafts time!" Anna called out to the group of about four kids who were still splashing about in the lake, a true smile once again gracing her face. A bespectacled girl named Tish stood impatiently at her side. "Come on now, who wants to build some birdhouses?"

"I do, I do!" said Tish. Most of the rest of the kids didn't react very much.

"Come on, no dawdling," Elsa called out in a more commanding voice, clapping her hands a few times. "The sooner we get to that, the sooner we can get to dinner, and then…"

"The bonfire!" came a chorus of young voices.

Elsa smiled. That usually did the trick; one had to give children incentive, or they would be unlikely to respond. And she continued to smile as she watched Anna herd kids into the building and started helping some of them into smocks and aprons.

"Okay, so you have two choices. You can either make a birdhouse over there with me, or you make some clay figures with Elsa; whichever you guys want to do, it's up to you!" She grinned as Tish's friend, Tino, and a few other kids walked towards her, patting heads and gushing about the fun they were going to have as she pulled out some of the equipment.

And all the while, Elsa watched her. It wasn't constant, because she did have to pay attention to her charges, but she kept an eye on her when possible. She was as great with the children as she had expected. Even if she couldn't trust her word that she had been trying to get into contact with her, she knew what type of person she was typically. No amount of her mother's words could erase those first thirteen years of memories.

However, that was extremely hard for her to reconcile. Try as she might not to think of it at all, she couldn't help it; Anna was not backing down from her tall tale. How could her mother have lied to her about Anna's gifts and letters? That didn't sound right. It was easier for her to believe that Anna was the one lying; it was directly in line with what she had been told about the five years of silence from Winnipeg.

But if that were true, why wouldn't Anna have done something to provide more evidence of her claims? A better liar would have. So she couldn't be telling the truth, but she couldn't be lying, either. It just didn't make the slightest amount of sense.

Anna must've felt eyes on her because she glanced up from where she was helping one of the girls to look over at her sister. Over the course of the day, the looks of anger had diminished and now she simply held Elsa's gaze for a moment before looking back at what she was doing.

"Miss Elsa?" A slow, soft voice spoke up from beside her and a larger boy with white hair tugged on Elsa's sleeve. "I think Olaf accidently trapped his hand in the clay."

"Oh dear," Elsa sighed, patting him on the shoulder. "If you can help Lor with her figurine, I'll help Olaf escape, okay, Mark?" When he nodded, she favoured him with a smile and walked over where the smaller boy was struggling.

"Miss Elsa!" The boy exclaimed happily upon seeing her approach. He tugged on his arm. "The clay dried on my hand and I can't get it off. Will my hand be trapped forever?" All of this was said in a light, unconcerned tone as he blinked large, dark eyes at Elsa with a bucktoothed grin. "You were looking sad so I tried making you a flower. But I dropped something in the clay and couldn't find it."

Rolling her eyes, she rapped her knuckles on the little ball of clay. A dull thunk told her it was already hardened. "Come on, Olaf, let's get the hammer. I really thought you'd be a bit old for silliness like this by now."

Olaf tilted his head at Elsa. "There is no such thing as being too old to be silly," he said cheerfully as he followed Elsa like a puppy. "Besides, I was trying to make you smile! I don't like it when you look sad. Why are you sad, Miss Elsa?"

"Well..." Her eyes automatically drifted back in Anna's direction. "I don't think it's something you'll understand. Not until you're older, anyway." Though she cringed to hear her mother's words coming out of her mouth, she couldn't help it; they were the best ones for the situation.

Olaf followed Elsa's gaze before looking up at her with a raised brow. "Did you and Miss Anna get into a lover's spat, Miss Elsa? Is that why you're sad? Did Miss Anna put you on the couch?"

"Did w-" Lowering her voice, she hissed at the boy, "Olaf, two Christian women don't get into 'lovers spats'! And I don't think you should go around saying things like that at camp, okay?"

"Why?" Olaf asked with another little tilt to his head. "You're looking at Miss Anna like Daddy looks at Mommy after they have a fight. Daddy told me you have to really love someone to look at them like that. Why don't you kiss and make up with Miss Anna if you feel sad about it?"

Forcing her lips closed to prevent herself from snapping at the boy, she found herself forced to consider that. If one disregarded the "looking at her like Daddy looks at Mommy" part, maybe she really should make up with Anna. Obviously, lying or not, she seemed to earnestly want to rekindle their sibling relationship. She wasn't sure she could bring herself to do it, but maybe she could at least make an attempt. See where it led.

"Well," she finally said to the boy, "I'll think about that, Olaf. Thank you for your suggestion."

Olaf beamed and clapped his hands together, the hard clay still stubbornly stuck on making the action look awkward. "Hooray, I helped!" He laughed his signature quirky laugh and looked up at Elsa with a beam before mock-whispering, "By the way, Miss Elsa, Miss Anna is really pretty! You picked really well! Are you going to get married soon?" He let out a little gasp. "Or is it a surprise?"

"Alright, everyone! Time to start putting things away because supper is in ten minutes!" Anna's cheerful voice suddenly called out and there was a flurry of activity as kids started cleaning up and putting things back. She didn't even have time to reprimand Olaf before he was gone, lost among the crowd… with the clay still stuck to him.

Once they had most of their charges corralled in the direction of the mess hall, Elsa joined Anna's side and said in a low voice, "You seemed to handle that pretty well for your first day."

Anna smiled at the praise. "Thanks, they aren't as hard to deal with as I worried they would be. These kids are pretty much angels so far." She hummed a little tune as she watched the kids start making their way out the doors and towards the dining hall. "Well, let's get going, hmm? I'm starving."

"Yes, let's."

The sun was just touching the treeline when they were getting close to the mess hall. Elsa had been mostly quiet, listening to Anna talk about her young charges as they walked. Soon enough, Anna fell silent and simply walked in a peaceful silence beside Elsa. Her hand twitched slightly, almost unnoticeably towards Elsa's before drawing back like it had been burned. Just as the two saw the building come into view, Anna looked at her.

"I'll see you at the bonfire then, right?"

"I… yeah." All along the path, she had been working up her courage, and it fled her. Then she saw Anna retreating and she whispered, "Can…"

"Hmm?" Anna paused and glanced at Elsa, and the blonde felt embarrassed; she didn't think she would hear that one little word. And now she would have to answer for it! "Did you say something, Elsa?"

The request was a simple one, but for some reason it felt very different to say what she had meant to say now. Olaf's innocently oblivious words about "lovers' spats" were making her feel more nervous, and hesitant, which was making it sound even stranger by the time she finally stammered out her asinine question.

"Can w-we… feed each other the s'mores we make?" Why was she shaking like a leaf? Why was her face burning hot? Why was she even asking this?! "Like we used to."

This was obviously a stupid idea. Anna blinked a few times, staring at Elsa blankly just long enough to make her nervous. She wanted to melt into a puddle and evaporate. Adults didn't do childish things like shove food in each other's faces. Why would she think Anna would be remotely interested? She didn't even know why she was herself.

Then her sister's freckled face split into a dazzling grin as she abruptly, but gently, grabbed Elsa's hand in hers and squeezed.

"I would love to, Elsa," she said softly. "Nothing would make me happier."

With one last squeeze and a promise to see Elsa later, Anna dropped her hand and walked — no, skipped — the rest of the way to the dining hall. Elsa stared after her, butterflies taking flight in her stomach. Her reaction only seemed to confirm just how glad she truly was to see her again. Could she have been wrong the past five years? This wrong about something this important?

Time would only tell. Shaking herself, hands pressed to her still-warm cheeks, she belatedly followed her sister.

~ o ~

The bonfire was in full swing. Kids of all ages were sitting or standing by the roaring flames, roasting marshmallows and chatting amongst themselves while the young adults and older staff members mingled about and kept an eye on things. The sky was an ink black and dotted with a full blanket of stars and some of the wide eyed campers were busy scouting out constellations or keeping their eyes peeled for shooting stars.

Elsa and Anna were sat on an old blanket that the latter had packed with her for just such an occasion while she had another one wrapped snugly around her lower half. A stick was sitting on her lap, waiting for its wielder to select the next marshmallow to place on the tip to make into another delicious s'more. She looked relaxed and comfy and was smiling sweetly as she offered the sticky treat in her hand to the blonde next to her.

"There… we… go," Elsa said as she pulled her own marshmallow free, stuck between graham crackers and chocolate as it was. Then she smiled a half-snarky, half-genuinely bemused little smile and said, "Now, open wide, Anna!"

Anna shook her head and wagged her finger playfully. "Ahahah, Your Majesty," she sang with a grin. "You know the rules; whoever finishes making theirs first gets to feed it to the person who made theirs last, so…" She held up the sweet so that it was hovering near Elsa's mouth. "You first, Elsie."

Pursing her lips for a moment, she then said, "Did we have that rule? I can't seem to remember…" She had been just about to add, "It's been so long ago," but she stopped herself; that wouldn't improve anything between them. So instead she merely allowed her mouth to drop open with a long, "Aaaaaahhhhh…"

Anna beamed as she gently placed the treat in her sister's mouth, being extra careful not to accidentally shove it in like one unfortunate incident in their youth. Teeth clamped down, gouging through the graham and into the gooey center.

"Is it good?" she asked with barely restrained excitement.

Elsa's eyes were closed in bliss as she devoured the large bite of her treat, sighing through her nostrils. She couldn't bring herself to tell Anna all she was thinking. That it was great. That it was the best s'more she had eaten since the last time Anna made one for her. That she wanted to cry, it was such a rich experience for her. That she wanted five more just like it.

So all she said was, "Mm-hmm," through a mouthful of gummy marshmallow and melting chocolate.

Anna lit up like a Christmas tree. "You liked it!" she cheered, giving herself a pat on the back. "Alright, me next?" She opened her mouth eagerly.

For some reason, glancing into Anna's open mouth made Elsa even more flustered, but she suppressed the lingering weirdness. That was bound to affect them for a while yet after so long apart. Instead, she merely eased the tiny dessert sandwich in between her teeth and held it firm for her while she bit into it. Anna closed her mouth, accidentally trapping Elsa's finger as well as the sandwich. However her eyes twinkled in mischievous mirth and instead of pulling away, she gave it a teasing lick.

"H-hey!" Elsa breathed in a shaky laugh after pulling her hand back, swallowing hard. That had been a very odd sensation; not unpleasant, but not one she expected, either. "You- what are you trying to do?!"

Anna drew away from Elsa's fingers so that she could chew her snack, letting out a breathy moan before she swallowed and answered, "Gross you out. Did it work?" She grinned cheekily, missing the fact that there was a smear of melted chocolate at the corner of her mouth.

With a little grunt, Elsa responded, "Yes. You're disgusting — look at you." Then she licked her own thumb and used it to wipe away the s'more remnants on her sister's face. Anna wrinkled her nose at the intruding thumb.

"Ugh, I remember when you used to do that a lot! You're such a mom!" Even as she grinned, her expression dimmed slightly before she jumped back in with, "Thanks, though. I'll just start on the next one." She busied herself with fixing up the stick.

While they both did the same, Elsa pondered a lot of things. How they could have found themselves both at camp again. How she could both enjoy being reunited with her sister, and be upset about her absence and the story to explain her absence, at the same time. But the questions all seemed so big! If they were going to keep the peace, how could she ask a single one of them? So instead, once she had another marshmallow spitted on a stick and held into the fire, she asked something lighter.

"What picture did you choose?"

"Huh? Picture?"

"For the frame."

Anna looked over at Elsa with a confused expression before the memory of their earlier talk came back. "O-oh. I chose the one that Papa took for Christmas the year before… we stopped talking. You know, the one where we were dressed as elves and you had leaned in to kiss my cheek because we were under mistletoe…" Anna smiled, full of nostalgia. "It's my favourite picture of us; I used to have it sitting on my bedside table because it helped me sleep."

"Really?" With sudden sharp interest, she leaned in a little closer to Anna's face and asked, "Was this frame… made with a darkish wood? Or one with a darkish stain, scrollwork along the edges?"

"I-" Anna's cheeks turned a soft pink at having Elsa's face so close. "Yeah, I used oak because it's sturdy, and then stained it to make it look a little darker so the colour could stand out," she explained, looking sheepish under the intense gaze. "I painted parts of it blue, and there were flowers and snowflakes and crescent moons carved here and there because I remember you liked calling me Moondrop, after the flower, while I called you Snowflake." Anna's cheeks deepened a shade.

"The snowflakes…" Pressing a hand to her mouth, Elsa sat very still for a few seconds. Anna was just about to turn away again, clearly giving up on the conversation since Elsa wasn't speaking, when she suddenly breathed, "Well… you could have just seen it on one of your previous visits, I suppose. But I never… I didn't remember ever having seen that picture in that frame before a year ago. And you and I both know how good my memory is."

"I only made it last year," Anna said, her expression hopeful and earnest as she reached out to take Elsa's hand, her marshmallows forgotten. "I even engraved your name on the back."

Elsa's face was awash with emotion. It couldn't even hope to compare to the swirling storm inside; there were too many possibilities, and none of them were purely pleasant. Not even a beautiful lie. Any upside was counterbalanced by a dark and foreboding ugliness.

"But Mama said…" Clearing her throat, she went on, "About five months ago, Mother told me when I found it in her room that she had discovered it in the attic and was thinking about throwing it out. I told her I didn't want her to, and she… said a picture of the two of us would just be too painful for me to keep around, to have to see it all the time. We both agreed to put it back in the attic for a while, since I refused to let it be thrown away."

Her sister's hopeful smile instantly fell at the confession. The hand she had raised to hold onto Elsa's lowered back to her lap. "I see," she whispered, so soft that it was almost impossible to hear. She turned watering eyes to look back into the roaring flames and her hand fidgeted with the stick in her lap, its occupant long since fallen into the ashes. "Okay, then..."

Elsa could sense that she had hurt Anna by telling her the story. She knew it wouldn't exactly make her happy, but hadn't thought it would so deeply affect her. Apparently, the prospect of her mother obscuring the truth about the picture frame was just as crippling to Anna as it was to her. She didn't fully believe Anna… but she was starting to doubt her mother's word. And it terrified her — far too much to think on it more deeply that night.

So she reached over and touched her forearm, whispering, "Can… I get you another marshmallow?"

Anna sniffled softly and used a finger to wipe away a tear before it could fall, turning a bright smile to Elsa and nodding. "Y-yes, please."

Anna was quick to roast the next marshmallow and fix up the next s'more. Though she was quieter than she was before, she still held it out to Elsa with a timid smile. And Elsa accepted it with even more relish than before. Uncertain though she was, Anna's being upset was genuine. Her instincts told her she had to do something about that, even if it was something as simple as eating s'mores.

To Be Continued...