Chapter 3:

The airport ride was emotional and awkward. Ever since she was legally adopted by the Condors, there hasn't been a time she has ever gone somewhere where she hadn't been at least accompanied by her adoptive sister. It felt surreal to branch out alone after years of being safe and sound, protected by the love and affection Condors have given her.

Leaving Beth and Isabella would be difficult, but she needed to do this for herself, she needed to make a name of herself. She knew destiny had other plans for her, and the clinic wasn't cutting it for her anymore.

That's more for Bellie, who found meaning in helping people in the clinic. She has watched Beth too, it was like second nature to them, day by day, working in the clinic, diagnosing people, providing help they needed. It was the noblest profession, something really very sacred.

She loved and respected the clinic and her job there too, but for Elsa, it wasn't nearly enough, it will never be.

She wanted more, and she wanted different, extraordinary. She knew she wanted to be involved in public service when she decided criminology will be her major, and criminal psychology is where she would find her purpose, may be even heal from the ghosts of her past.

Waiting in the boarding area with a book in her lap, Elsa didn't know why she was feeling so much dread. She knew Fairhoppe was a relatively quiet town, and she had already spoken to the investigative police chief who she would be directly reporting to.

She knew her job would be multifaceted, criminal profiling, helping in the investigative course mapping and counselling the victims and the family of the victims, and most excitingly taking part in convict interrogation and aiding in confessions.

Fairly straight forward and everything she had always wanted to do, but yet she couldn't possibly calm her nerves at all. She looked at the screen of her smartwatch, 3.45, she still had time to kill.

Spotting the Starbucks she got up, may be an extra dark espresso will help her calm down a little, she walked over to the counter and waited in line.

The line was taking forever to move, one teenager at the front taking her sweet time deciding her order. Bored, Elsa watched here and there, noticing people, milling about in the airport.

There was a mother who was struggling with her luggage and a really stubborn looking toddler doing his best to inconvenience the mother as much as possible. The patience with which the mother tried to coerce the little boy was fascinating.

Elsa could never, she mused. Then her attention was diverted by a couple, walking hand in hand, possibly going for a honeymoon, the PDA grossing her out after a point. She moved on, there was a middle-aged man in suit barking on his phone so loud she could make out some of the words even though he was seated in the lounge area afar.

Elsa could understand that he was speaking to an employee, blasting him or her for a flight delay which would cost him an expensive deal, but what she couldn't get was how his employee would magically predict delay in a flight. Annoyed at the man's blatant lack of respect to subordinates, she looked ahead, a group of students, a man dressed in all black and then another aged couple.

Wait a second, she reared back, the man in black, he was tall, very tall, well over 6 feet. He had a mop of messy dark ebony hair, and it suited him. So did the stubble on his cheek, not really a stubble though, more like a 5 0 clock shadow, very hot.

The man was no doubt handsome and built well too, not those buffy guys with too much muscles, he was leaner yet well proportionately filled out, it made him very attractive. There was something about this man, something so different she could not look away.

He was smiling, his phone to his ear, probably talking to his girlfriend, his voice was so quiet, Elsa couldn't hear.

She concentrated, even craned her neck towards his direction, if only he had a gravelly voice, he'd be just perfect. A little distracted Elsa kept watching the man hearing for his voice in the cacophony of the airport lounge, and was absolutely unaware that he was staring back at her till he started walking in her direction.

Elsa jerked and snapped back into her senses, "Oh my god, was I just caught staring at a random man through the airport lobby moon eyed like a teenager, damn it!" she thought.

She promptly turned away and prayed desperately for the line to move fast so she could get her coffee and just disappear from here. But no such luck, the barista was still smiling at the dude in front of her, taking literally forever for a simple coffee.

The man must still be coming towards her, oh my god, she panicked. What if he confronted her, what would she say, why was she staring at him! All her social anxieties swamped her, she had no damn justification to give to the man, it will be so embarrassing and everyone will laugh.

Ok she would just leave, run, but what if he came after her, that would be even more embarrassing. If she knew just where he was right now, may be she could manage to duck and slither away unnoticed, or at least eventually get lost among the people, there were enough people here.

She risked a glance backwards, desperately looking for the man and whether he was still coming for her. Her hands were all clammy in anticipation but she couldn't find the messy mop of ebony hair in the mass of people.

He was gone, the man was gone. She turned abruptly and completely a full 360, looking for him, completely ignoring the barista calling her out for the order. She couldn't care less, he was nowhere.

How is that even possible, he was right there, walking purposefully towards her, and now he was gone. Like he just vanished into thin air.

Was it all just her imagination, did he even notice her, or was it just her own consciousness conjuring the whole scenario?

"Excuse me ma'am? Can I have your order?"

The girl at the counter asked in a saccharine sweet singsong voice, a fake papery smile was plastered in on her face, but the annoyance was not masked.

Elsa blinked and ordered her extra dark espresso on autopilot, her mind still lost in the incident. It took about 5 minutes to get her order ready, and all the while she kept glancing backwards but still nothing, nada, zilch.

When the barista asked for her name to be written in the cup, Elsa just blinked.

Was she so far gone that she was hallucinating scenarios, how is this even possible, how could she imagine the whole thing!

She could still recall the curious expression in the man's face, how could she have imagined that in such detail! the sound of multiple clicks in front her face jerked her back to reality. She needed more sleep; the sleepless nights were really getting to her.

The impatient girl clicked her fingers again, Elsa sighed, "Its Elsa."

"Like as in Frozen?" The girl shrieked. Elsa wondered how old she really was.

Elsa just shook her head in a no, the girl grimaced, clearly offended at her humour being left unreciprocated. She couldn't be sure but she might have heard her mutter "ice princess anyway.."

Elsa quietly took her coffee and paid her dues. Walking ahead, she thought about the barista's loose comment, looking at the cursive swirl of her name written on the hard paper to-go cup.

Ice princess, a term hitting not too far from home, wasn't she frequently accused of being ice cold so many times before!

Among friends, colleagues, even during her short-lived relationships, she was always accused of having walls guarding her, never letting anyone in close enough. Distant and icy.

She had tried, in the past, but it has always been too risky a gamble for her, but she wasn't ice cold, she was just aloof, just slightly detached. And it was for everyone's good, too much attachment led to dependency and that did no good to anyone.

There was logic in her life philosophy she knew, even though Beth and Bellie never agreed. They always clicked and clucked at her not letting people in to see the real her.

"You have a huge and beautiful heart, full of so much love to give, why don't you ever let anyone see!"

Bethany had said to her countless times, but she wasn't sure, was it worth it really. Because the world wasn't fairy tale and it never helped to see the world through rose tinted glass, she had learnt the lesson the hard way.

But yet, it hurt, being called an ice princess.

But she wouldn't feel low, and she wouldn't make the same mistakes of the past. She was moving halfway across the country, and she would be turning a new leaf. She promised Beth and Bellie that she would give a try to have a normal life, filled with friends and laughter.

She would be a new Elsa, who is open, expressive and fun. She will really try, her hardest to turn her life around, be happy, because she deserved it.

And that's the mantra she kept repeating in her head as the flight took off, a new beginning where history will most absolutely not repeat itself.

This was a new chapter to her life, and she'd be damned if she let anyone else write it but herself.