FROZEN HEART ━━ 008

( BREAKING THE CYCLE )

          DESPITE ELLIE'S FALLOUT WITH KAIA and Audrey being even more passive aggressive than before, Ellie was happy that Family Day was right around the corner. She couldn't wait to see her mother again after all that time she spent at Auradon Prep with only a screen to keep in touch with her. She didn't let the disagreement stop her from making sure that she was ready for the time her mother and aunt Anna arrived in Auradon.

          She looked at her hands and closed them into fists as she breathed slowly. She went a whole day at the Tourney game without her gloves and managed not to freeze anything, despite what Audrey said even though all Ellie did was try to be nice. After the way the brunette princess treated the blonde girl since the day she arrived to Auradon Prep, she was the last person who deserved Ellie's kindness but she still set her pride aside to see if she was okay after Ben's love confession to Mal.

          Ellie started walking to class and she saw Mal and Evie on her way there. She enjoyed talking to Carlos before Mal came along and she wanted to talk to him again. So she figured that since two of his friends were standing right there, they could at least tell her where to find him.

          "Hey, Mal and Evie. Do you guys know where I can find Carlos?" she asked hopefully while the two girls stared at her.

          "Why do you want to find Carlos? Do you plan on freezing his heart?" Mal asked with her arms crossed.

          "So, you do know about my magic," Ellie stated while tightening the grip she had on the strap of her bag.

          "Kind of hard not to," Mal remarked.

          "First Audrey and now you? Thanks for nothing, Mal," Ellie scoffed and turned towards the blue haired girl. "Evie, do you know where I can find Carlos? I was hoping to talk to him before class starts."

          "He's on his way to Auradon History," she said while smiling.

          "Thank you," the blonde said before continuing down the hallway to find the white haired boy.

          Ellie found Carlos right outside of the classroom and gently tapped his shoulder. The boy turned around and the corners of his mouth slightly twitched upwards when he saw her.

          "Ellie. Hi," he said and the blonde girl smiled kindly at him.

          "I wanted to ask you about Family Day," she said while slightly shrugging her shoulders.

          "In case you're wondering, no my mom won't be able to go through the barrier to come here," the white haired boy sighed.

          "I was actually wondering if you wanted to hang out, maybe play a game of croquet," Ellie suggested while shrugging one shoulder.

          "That would be fun."

          Carlos smiled slightly and Ellie smiled as well. She couldn't remember a moment in time where she ever saw him genuinely smile and if she was being completely honest, it was a nice thing to see.

          "Well, in that case, I'll see you then," she said before heading towards her class.

          She saw Kaia and Marisa sitting next to each other and after her argument with the brunette, she wasn't sure if joining them was such a good idea. She found a seat somewhere else away from them and tapped her fingers against the desk. Why did they have to ague? Ellie could remember when Kaia was suspicious at first when she was paired with her in the dorms. If she was able to get over her suspicions and become her best friend, then it shouldn't be any different for Carlos. Ellie didn't do anything to spark any doubts and niether did Carlos. Just being Elsa's daughter and Cruella De Vil's son was enough to put everyone in a state of uneasiness.

          Even after class ended smoothly, Ellie avoided all eye contact with the brunette and the redhead and headed towards the cafeteria for lunch. She sat alone with just her sandwich, Caesar salad and a bottle of fruit punch while she let her thoughts roam free. Carlos had started to become a friend and the fact that his mother was one of the worst villains to ever be sent to the Isle of the Lost didn't bother her. She still had an off feeling about Mal since she didn't seem to enjoy her presence and Evie seemed a little bit nicer. She couldn't really have an opinion on Jay since she never really spoke to him personally but he seemed like a very headstrong boy.

          "Fancy seeing you here again," Ellie looked up from her food and saw Carlos carrying his own tray of food and this time, he brought Evie with him.

          "Hey, Carlos. Evie," she said while smiling at the two.

          "Decided to sit alone today?" Carlos asked and Ellie smiled awkwardly.

          "Something like that," she replied.

          "This one over here was telling me about you for a while now," Evie said while smirking at Carlos who only rolled his eyes. "You're Queen Elsa's daughter so you have ice magic too, right?"

          "Since the day I was born," the blonde said with a short nod.

          "Can you do more than freeze things?"

          "I've been too focussed on trying not to freeze things and all I can say is that it's been getting easier now."

          "Is that why you stopped wearing your gloves?" Carlos asked.

          "So, you noticed," Ellie sighed.

          "I think accepting it is good for you. If you ignore it, you're basically locking up a piece of yourself," Carlos said and Ellie chewed on the inside of her cheek.

          "Don't hide from it, embrace it," Evie said with an encouraging smile on her face. "Don't be afraid."

          Ellie pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she thought about everything. Her magic was becoming easier to control and the more she went out without her gloves, she felt more freedom than she ever had before. Maybe the next step would be to do other things with her magic but it was still a slow process. She picked up the bottle of apple juice that sat right beside her tray of food and she let the liquid turn into solid ice from the inside.

          "If I can freeze it, then I can thaw it," the blonde said as she focussed on the bottle of apple juice in her hand.

          After a while, the ice melted and became the same thin liquid it was before it was turned into solid ice.

          "I've never seen anything like it," Carlos said in astonishment and Ellie smiled timidly.

          "I guess I'm not my mother after all."

( ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ )

          THE BRIGHT SUNLIGHT BLED THROUGH the slightly open baby blue curtains and the digital alarm clock started to make that obnoxious sound nobody could ignore. Ellie felt around the buttons until she found the one that made the alarm stop blaring around the dorm and she slowly sat up. Some of her blonde hair stuck to her face and she wiped the drool off her mouth as she looked at the time.

          Even though classes were cancelled for the day, she still needed to be there to help prepare everything for the arrival of everyone's families. It was finally the day where she could see her mother and her aunt again and that thought alone was enough to give her motivation for the day. She was only able to communicate with them through calling and texting and she hadn't seen them in person since the day she left for Auradon Prep.

          Once she had finished showering and put on a pair of undergarments, she put on a light blue off the shoulder long sleeved shirt and a high waisted pleated lavender skirt. After she put her socks and shoes on, she combed her hair and pulled it into a ponytail with no loose strands around her face. She made sure she wasn't forgetting anything and made sure her dorm was locked as soon as she walked out into the hallway.

          When she got to the courtyard, she helped everybody set up the food, drinks and activities for when their families arrived to Auradon Prep to see their children. She saw Kaia and Marisa standing by the snack table once everything was set up and sighed quietly to herself. She wanted to go over to them and talk to them and fix everything between her and Kaia but she didn't know where to begin. She was sure that Kaia had already told Marisa what happened and that would explain why the redhead never stopped by to even say hello the past few days.

          "Is your mom coming?" Carlos asked as he stood beside the blonde.

          "She should be here soon," she said while checking her phone for the time.

          Parents and relatives slowly started to pile into the courtyard, including Audrey's parents and grandmother, Chad's parents, Lonnie's parents and the Seven Dwarfs. Ellie paid extra close attention for her mother and her aunt and Carlos could see how nervous she was.

          "It's been a long time since you last saw your family, hasn't it?" he asked and Ellie nodded shortly.

          "Yeah. I haven't seen them since the day I left Arendelle. It's almost been a year and for me, that's a long time," she said while looking down at her feet.

          It hasn't even been a month since Carlos left his mother on the Isle and Ellie hasn't seen her mother for almost a year. When it comes to their families, they were the complete opposite from each other. While the white haired boy was okay with the distance between him and his mother, Ellie wanted nothing more than to be reunited with hers.

          "How about that game of croquet while you wait?" he suggested while gently taking her hand in his.

          Ellie looked up at him and a small smile formed on her lips. "Carlos De Vil, you are the farthest thing from a villain," she said as she lead him to the croquet set that was prepared for the event.