By the time Elsa got home that night, her feet were swollen beyond belief and she could barely keep her eyes open. Her day had started at six a.m. and hadn't ended until midnight. This schedule was hectic, but she was rather surprised at how quickly she'd acclimated to it.

School, work, homework, work again, shower, sleep, repeat. Maybe eat if she had the time, although her meals were usually had between classes or in the break room of the library.

After she double checked to make sure her locks were secure, she took off her shoes and slunk into the couch that served as a makeshift bed. She rubbed her eyes, looking around the dimly lit apartment.

The place was shabby. No matter how well she dressed it up, it wasn't even worth the paper the lease was printed on. But being a working student, it was all she could afford at the moment.

She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, scrolling through all the messages she'd got while she scurried to type up her history term paper. She had two texts from her friend Hans asking if he wanted to catch a movie with him and his boyfriend and one missed call from her mother. She threw the phone across the room, not in the mood to deal with either of them, most of all, her mother.

Elsa was sure that at some point, their family was happy. That was, until her father had left back when she was eight. Their relationship had been on-again, off-again for as long as she could remember. And her father, albeit amicable, wasn't the best parental figure in the world. He wasn't even there all that much to begin with, for her or her mother. And while her father came in and out of their lives, her mother turned to alcoholism, spending her days buried in the couch watching One Life to Live and not taking her Prozac. Elsa had to grow up quickly, taking care of her mother, and essentially becoming the adult in the house. And to top it all off, her mother allowed her father back into the house and into their lives around her senior year of high school, this time, "for good." By the time she had turned 18, she'd had it. Too many nights crying and throwing things. Too many drunken screaming rages aimed at her for no good reason. Too many years of anxiety; wondering if the bills would be paid or if there'd be food on the table. And most of all, too many times watching her father hurt her mother and herself, with nobody paying heed to how Elsa might be doing. After she finished high school, she got a job, moved out of the house, and had no intentions of looking back.

Of course, until her mother called her one day, telling her that she was going to have a sister.

She had felt her stomach drop to the floor in disgust, that either of them thought they were in any position to raise another child. And Elsa knew she should've done something, anything to make sure her little sister's life wasn't ruined the way hers was. But their father was adamant – Elsa chose to leave the house, she chose to leave the family.

She'd only met her sister, whose name was Anna, on a handful of occasions. She looked more like their father than their mother – with red hair and almond shaped eyes – but had a sparkle in her blue eyes and a vivacity all her own. How such a sweet child could have come from such terrible people was a mystery of the universe. But Elsa could only pray that things were going okay, then push the thoughts out of her mind.

She had her own life to manage, and that was a chore in and of itself.

Elsa looked over to the clock once she'd dragged herself back out of her mind. It was a little after one. She was hungry, but if she went to bed now, she'd be able to get at least five hours of sleep, which was more than she usually got on a weeknight.

She grabbed two pillows from the floor and brushed the dust off of a blanket, ready to change into pajamas and slip into bed.

She heard a booming knock at the door, followed by a frantic cry.

"Elsa? Elsa, open the door now."

The voice was so filled with panic, she couldn't decipher who it was. Although she wondered who would bother her this late at night. Figuring it was the spastic neighbor wanting to use her phone, she got up and walked to the door, her bare feet padding against the cracking hardwood. She tossed her hair over one shoulder and stretched to look through the peephole.

It was her mother, with a cigarette between her lips and a bundle in her arms. Elsa sighed, and opened the chain lock and the deadbolt with shaky hands. She held a breath as she opened the door, coming face to face with her mother.

The woman look like she hadn't slept in days; her hair disheveled and her clothes wrinkled and covered in blood, sweat, and from the smell of it, booze. Her eyes were bloodshot and blotchy, her skin was pasty, and her lips were quivering.

She offered a smile to her oldest daughter, although it was empty and insincere.

"Hi Elsa," she said, "I'm sorry, I know it's late."

Elsa didn't say a word, trying not to betray her stoic composure.

"I called though, a couple hours ago."

Elsa shifted her feet, refusing to meet her mother's eyes, "I was working. I just got home a few minutes ago, actually."

"Oh, well then great," her mother said, putting out the remains of her cigarette on the frame of the door. Elsa wanted to remind her that she wasn't supposed to smoke anymore, and hadn't in years, but the pained look in the woman's eye held her back.

After a few painful moments of silence, Elsa begrudgingly spoke up.

"Do you…want to come in."

Her mother shook her head, shifting the bundle in her arms to keep it from slipping.

"No, I can't stay. Not for very long."

The bundle let out a whimper, and that caused Elsa to look down and see what it was. The blanket slid off to reveal the very flushed and sleeping face of her sister, who was cradled against her mother's bosom.

"Mom, what's going on? Is she okay?"

She let out a sigh and stood up straight, "Your father…you know how your father gets…"

'Violent? Controlling? Drunk?' Elsa finished in her head.

"We just…we got into a fight. An awful one. He accidentally woke Anna…"

'Yelling or throwing something?' she wanted to ask.

"And I just…I got her out of there before he could do anything he would later regret."

Elsa sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. No matter how drunk or angry their parents got, they'd never directed their violent outbursts at the girls as a rule.

The next thing out of her mother's mouth surprised her, "Elsa, can you take her for me?"

She shook her head, "Wait, what?"

"Just for a week, maybe a month," the woman continued as if she didn't hear her daughter's question, "It would be so much easier for all of us."

"Slow down, I'm confused," Elsa said, taking cautious steps into the hallway.

Before she could protest, her mother shoved Anna into her arms and started to back away.

"Your father has been under a lot of stress lately, Elsa. And raising a child takes work and money…"

'Since when did any of that matter?'

The vehemence in her mother's eyes told her that she'd accidentally said that sentence out loud.

"Elsa, you're her sister."

"And you're her mother!" she countered.

She was already backing away, "Elsa, please. I'm begging here. Just…just give me two weeks. Okay? Two weeks and everything will be okay and I'll come back for Anna. Can you please just do that for me?"

Elsa sighed, realizing she didn't really have a choice, "Fine. Two weeks."

"Two weeks," her mother said, turning away and heading back to her car.

Elsa stood in the doorframe, watching until her mother was in the vehicle and driving down the street, heading back to her train wreck of a marriage.

She was only brought back to the present when Anna started to stir in her arms.

"M—Mama?"

Elsa looked down to see bright turquoise eyes blinking up at her, trying to gain some recognition.

"Elsa? Where's Mama? And Papa?"

The girl tried to sit up, and Elsa adjusted her arms to accommodate that. She noticed that Anna was wearing a too large nightgown and didn't have any shoes on her feet.

'In the middle of November, no less,' Elsa figured, 'It figures as much.'

She felt Anna tugging at the ends of her hair.

"Where's Mama and Papa?"

Elsa sighed, wrapping the blanket tighter around the girl's small frame.

"They're…" she started, unsure of how to phrase this, "You're just staying with me for two weeks."

"Why?" she asked.

Elsa looked down at the girl's face. She noticed the tear streaks staining her freckles.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully.

She pulled her sister closer to her and took her into the apartment and set her on the couch. Elsa sat on the opposite end, burying her face in her hands.

What was she going to do? She could barely afford to support herself, let alone a five year old on top of that. She could probably get a payday advance, but even at that, she wasn't sure if it would be enough.

It occurred to her that her mother didn't even bring Anna a change of clothes.

No, it would not be enough.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt a tiny finger poke her shoulder.

Elsa blinked, staring at the child for a good minute before her mind prodded her to ask what she wanted.

"W—what is it?"

"Is Mama gonna come back?"

Elsa bit her lip, already overwhelmed at the stress her mother had just put on her shoulder.

"Oh. Of, of course," she said uncertainly, "She said in two weeks."

Even Anna could sense the hesitance in her voice, but shrugged it off, likely in exhaustion.

Elsa wrung her hands, unsure of what do to next.

"Are you tired?" she asked. Anna nodded.

The older girl stood up, taking all but one pillow and blanket and tried to make a somewhat adequate bed for her sister. Once that was done, she awkwardly attempted to tuck Anna in.

"Is this where I'm sleeping?" she asked.

"Yes," Elsa said.

"Don't you have a bed?"

Elsa sighed, "No."

Anna giggled, "That's weird."

Elsa smiled, "I know. It is. Isn't it."

Once Anna was secure, Elsa took the leftover blanket and pillow and laid them out on the floor. She leaned over to turn out the light, stopping when she wondered if Anna needed a nightlight. Seconds later, she turned it off. Her father never would have allowed that when he's paying the power bill.

Elsa settled into the floor, lying on her back in an effort to get comfortable. When she heard Anna's breathing become rhythmic and even, Elsa began to nod off.

"Elsa?"

Her eyes shot back open.

"Yes?"

"Don't feel weird. I don't have a bed of my own."

A pang of hurt shot straight through Elsa's heart.

"Goodnight Anna," she said, her voice quivering.

"Night Elsa."

Elsa ignored the cool tears that fell down her face and she drifted off to sleep. And said nothing when she felt Anna crawl under her own blanket, opting to sleep snuggled at her side.