"Oh my god they're playing tonight!" Ariel squealed. "I have to get ready!"

Her new favorite band, xLet It Gox, was playing at a local music venue a few cities over. The Xs in their name were a clear indication they took the straight edge movement pretty seriously, which was great because she had no interest in alcohol, and especially not drugs. This was something Eric, her boyfriend of two years, never was able to understand. It was just one of many things that led to their eventual divide, the main being her homosexuality.

Ariel only recently discovered it herself. She kept wondering why she never felt any spark with Eric. Any magic. Perhaps she was just attracted to the idea of him, since at the time he offered an escape from a life she wasn't happy with. He didn't take the news lightly, however. In fact, he kind of freaked out. Ariel tried to assure him that it had nothing to do with him, but he wasn't convinced. It could've been worse though. He didn't berate her or get violent or anything like that, but they haven't spoken since. Which was fine, because she's moved on. But she was still completely lost.

Now what am I suppose to do? Where do you even meet other lesbians? How are you suppose to find them?

One way was through online dating. She was hesitant of the idea at first, but eventually created a profile and uploaded a picture. She was surprised how much immediate attention she received within the first hour. The messages poured in. All types of different girls, and even some guys who must've slipped through the cracks of the search algorithm (or were just so cocky they were convinced they could convert her "back.") Most of the mail were comments about her bright red hair, or how beautiful she was, or her blue eyes, or just straightaway asking her out on a date. It was all very overwhelming and also discouraging. None of these people had anything in common with her, and more importantly, nobody really seemed interested in getting to know her.

So she put the site on hold and tried to focus on other things in her life, like this concert. During her dark period with Eric, she discovered new genres of extreme music that had positive lyrics that really resonated and spoke to her. These songs are what helped her to ultimately accept who she was, and she was forever grateful for that. In fact, she was going to try to thank the lead singer of xLet It Gox personally tonight if the opportunity presented itself.

Ariel shuffled down the stairs and flew around the railing, running past her dad who was sitting on the couch watching TV. "Daddy I'm taking the car okay? I'll be back later."

"Wait, what? Where are you going?" He turned his head towards her though his eyes were still glued to the screen.

"To a concert." She stood by the door, spinning the keys around her finger, with little patience.

"A concert?! With who?" He immediately regretted asking as he remembered she'd just broken up with Eric, and since all of her time was consumed by him, she hadn't taken the time to make any other friends. He corrected himself. "I mean, are you going to be okay? Where is it? Why don't you ask one of your sisters to go?"

"Daddy I'll be fine, and they wouldn't be interested anyway." She began to open the door. "I'm eighteen now, I can take care of myself."

"I-" He couldn't think of a counter argument. "I know. Okay, well, have fun. Be careful. Call me."

She smiled and waved with her fingers through the crack of the closing door.

Ariel jabbed the keys into the ignition and the auxiliary cord into the iPod. The song pounded out of the speakers at 200 BPM as she sped out of the driveway. Once she hopped on the freeway she consulted the directions on her smartphone. The show was in Arendelle, which was about six cities over, and the estimated time of arrival was only 37 minutes. She was slightly nervous, she'd never been to one of these types of shows before, only through videos on the Internet. The passionate performances and the energetic movement of the crowd was tantalizing. It looked like so much fun. She felt she was missing out by not being there.

Oh! This is it! She merged lanes with a jolt, almost missing the off-ramp, the loud blaring of a horn reminding her she forgot to check her mirrors. Oh shiii- Sorry! She tried to wave to the car she cut off.

After following the directions on her phone while also trying to keep her eyes on the road, she pulled up to this gloomy, run-down building that looked like an abandoned restaurant. The only indication she was at the right place were all the people gathered around outside. She pulled in and found a parking spot next to an old white van. There was a snowman plush on the dash. How cute, I wonder if this is the bands' van. Hehe, band van. Van of the band.

She walked up to what she assumed was the ticket window, which had various types of stickers plastered all over the glass. There was a large crack running down the middle, which was conveniently repaired using stickers. In her haste she had forgotten to even check how much the tickets were. She opened her wallet. Hope I have enough. She leaned in to speak to the overweight man with a thick long beard who was slouched back on a tiny chair that looked like it was about to snap. If his beard were white he might've looked like Santa, except this guy looked very apathetic. "Hi, how much are the tickets?"

St. Lethargic didn't uncross his arms or budge from his position or even acknowledge her existence. He didn't move at all, and for a moment Ariel became frightened, but then he nodded towards a simple home-printed piece of paper taped to the glass that read $10. "Ten bucks." She was surprised he even said anything.

"That's it?! Ten bucks? Wow!" She blurted out.

The dead man's eyes finally focused. He was amused by the girl's innocent glee. His serious, scary demeanor was broken by a subtle smirk. "Yeah it's a smokin' deal isn't it?"

Ariel pulled a twenty out of her wallet and slid it under the glass. She examined her remaining money. I'm like rich now. Still have 50 bucks.

Resetting back to his default face, he slid the ticket and change back to her. "Have fun." She wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not, but thanked him anyways.

She walked over to a slimy looking door which was being guarded by a similarly big, bearded man on a similarly small chair. She had to turn around and look at the ticket booth to see if it was the same guy. Are they twins? No, this guy has darker skin.

"How's it going?" The twin asked as she was gandering at the window. This one was much more friendly, definitely not the same guy.

"Oh, I'm good!" She quickly turned back, handing him the ticket. "And you?"

He slowly nodded his head. "It's all good. Who are you here to see?"

"Oh uh, Let It Go."

"Yeah that's who most people are here for. I've been waiting for someone to say God Help The Outcasts. It's my niece's band. Have you heard of them?"

"Um, yeah I-"

The guard chuckled. "You don't have to lie. I know they're not as well known, I've just been trying to gauge their popularity, and so far it's zip." He guffawed at his own joke, his belly gently rippling, while ripping off the ticket stub and dropping it into a tiny wastebin. Is everything here tiny or just seem that way next to these guys?

"Well I'll be sure to check them out."

"I appreciate it." He winked at her, handing back the ticket. "Have fun." His version was much more sincere.

As she took the ticket the ground started rumbling and she could hear people cheering inside. The sound was radiating off the door, leaking through the cracks, and the violent vibrations were palpable when she gripped the sticky door handle. When she pulled it opened a blast of sound waves smacked her in the face and attacked her eardrums. She forged forward into the thick, hot air, letting the heavy door slam behind her. Her eyes took a minute to adjust to the high contrast of complete darkness and bright lights flashing from the stage. She could barely see anything, and didn't know where to go. She walked forward, against the direction everyone was facing, trying not to bump into anyone, maneuvering in and out of the people evenly scattered across the room. She finally emerged from the people maze to a black void that was the back wall. Being the only person that far back, she turned around and leaned against it. She took this chance to observe her surroundings.

The music is so incredibly loud! Ariel had been to big arena concerts before, but somehow this small venue seemed louder. Maybe it was because the same big sound was compacted into a smaller space, like a pressure cooker, or something. This is even better than I imagined! The place is so lively, it's amazing! She had a big smile on her face as she took it all in, absorbing all the energy amongst her.

She looked up at the band playing on stage. There was a guy with dreadlocks pacing back and forths on stage screaming into the microphone. It was a different kind of look because nobody really had dreads in this type of music, at least as far as she was concerned. They also had a unique tribal-like sound overlaid onto the hardcore punk. This was mainly through synthesizers, but she noticed an actual African drum within the setup. How cool!

It didn't seem like anybody knew any of their songs, because the crowd was just standing still, despite the singer's animated performance. There were a few people, however, in the middle of floor bashing into each other and moving their arms and legs to the beat of the music. The moshpit! Ugh...Looks scarier in person...I don't think I can do it.

The song ended and the feedback of the microphone wailed. The singer just stood there panting, then held up his hand and breathlessly announced "We're Son of Man and we have one more song for you tonight!" This was met with a lackluster, scattered applause. Ariel sort of felt bad for them and tried to add to it.

As the beat of the drum started the final song, she noticed somebody walk in the door. The bright sunlight poured in and she could only see the silhouette of the person before the door fell and it disappeared into the blackness. It was definitely a girl, the outline was feminine. Very feminine. The figure walked through a flood of light revealing her appearance for a second before vanishing back into the shadows. Whoa. She reappeared when the stage lights started quickly strobing to the rhythm of the music, making her look like an animation walking at five frames per second. Oh my god she's gorgeous! Ariel noticed she was wearing the same color lipstick as her, and that she was covered in tattoos. There was a giant rose on her chest coming out of the V-neck of her red flannel, rising up to the bottom of her neck. She also had designs wrapping around both arms. The first one looked like—she squinted her eyes to try and make it out—leaves! Ariel was so busy checking this girl out she hadn't realized how close she had gotten. She quickly looked up to her face to find the beautiful girl smiling back at her, obviously noticing Ariel admiring the ink on her skin. She embarrassingly looked away while pushing her hair behind her ear. When she looked back the girl's attention was redirected towards the stage. Dang.

But there was something captivating about her, and not just because of her pretty face—well, mostly because of that—but rather an alluring aura that radiated off her. She was hip yet looked as she belonged to another era. Maybe it was her old-fashioned hair style, which ended in a large poof sitting on her shoulders. She had modern red framed glasses that matched her lips, but was also wearing a long black skirt. Her style was very eclectic.

I wonder why she's by herself. Maybe the same reason I'm by myself! Ooh! I wonder if I should approach her. No, that's ridiculous, what if she's not gay? This is all still new to me! How am I suppose to know? Is gay intuition real? Gaydar? Because I'm not detecting anything. Should I be detecting something? Why am I not detecting anything! My gaydar is broken! Maybe I should just walk over and introduce myself and see if I pick up any signals. Oh I know, I'll just pretend to accidentally bump- Ariel's thought process was interrupted when her little crush started waving to someone. Oh no she's with someone, and I bet it's going to be—A guy walked up to her—I knew it. The small amount of confidence fuel she was going to use to propel herself over to the girl and start a conversation evaporated in that very instant. The two heterosexual lovers smiled at each other without saying anything, not that they would even be able to hear each other anyways over the 100 decibel sound.

The music finally stopped and the crowd started cheering as the dread-head on stage held up his hand again and said, "Thank you, good night!"

Ariel had forgotten music was even playing because she was so consumed in the fantasy of the girl.

The room became bright, people started murmuring, and a rock playlist started playing in the background as the band started packing up their instruments and walking off stage. She could now see what the place actually looked like. The walls had t-shirts pinned to them of past bands that had played at the venue. The floor was sprinkled with black spots where people had spit out their used gum. There was a little stand in the back corner where merchandise was being sold by the band members themselves. Ooh I wonder if Elsa is back there!

Elsa was the lead singer of xLet It Gox. Ariel especially loved the fact they were a female-fronted band. They stand out in the predominantly male metalcore scene. Other bands sometimes have a female guitarist, but in this band the girl was front and center. Elsa did all the singing, the screaming, the yelling, and even the deep growls. She did it all!

Ariel once showed their music to Eric. He wasn't a fan. That didn't bother her, the music's not for everyone, but when he said he thought it was weird to have a girl screaming, that's when she got defensive, and one of their fights followed. It only made her like the band even more.

She approached the merchandise counter. It was like any other concert. T-shirts were on display with prices written on scraps of paper attached to each. They were also selling the CDs of every band playing. All of the stuff was more expensive than the actual ticket.

No Elsa.

Maybe I can sneak into the back. They'll probably be a bunch of big guards waiting to kick me out. "But I'm with the band! I'm not a groupie I swear!"

A brawny blonde guy behind the counter noticed the girl very obviously looking for someone. "Let me guess, you're looking for Elsa."

"Yeah how'd you know!" She turned to the man wearing an orange tanktop with light blue stripes. He looks familiar. Oh! It was the drummer of xLet It Gox. "Hey you're Kristoff, right?"

"Yup. It's always nice to be recognized. Usually people come around here looking for Elsa. She's quite popular."

"Well I think your drumming is very good!" She imitated frantic air drums.

"Hah! Why thank you."

There was a brief, slightly uncomfortable pause. Ariel felt bad for not being there to visit him. She awkwardly pulled her ticket out of her pocket. "Um, would you mind signing this for me?"

"Sure thing." He scribbled on it with a sharpie sitting on the table and handed it back, seeming pleased. She looked at the squiggly line on the ticket and smiled back at him without saying anything. Anticipating her next question he said, "Elsa will be back here after we play our set."

"Oh okay great! Thank you! I look forward to it. It was nice meeting you!" She beamed before slipping away into a cluster of people.

Ariel realized that she had left the house without even seeing what she looked like. It's important not to be vain, but she headed towards the restroom anyways. She walked down a dimly lit hallway until she found the womens' sign on the wall with a nail protruding out of it. Further down the hall was an opening to an outside area where lots of people were smoking cigarettes. The smell reminded her of the brand Eric used to smoke. She was automatically transported to a different time in her life. It was an indifferent feeling, mainly. She didn't feel any regret or sadness or even anger. However the more she marinated in the smell of the smoke and in the memory it triggered...she remembered how he would light one up after they...now she's feeling queasy. She tried to move but her legs were locked while the unpleasant memory continued to harass her. She probably looked crazy just standing in the middle of the hall staring at the wall. She thought about how she used to just lie there on the bed, staring at the ceiling fan spinning, feeling completely empty and not understanding why. They would just sit there in silence while the fan blew the smoke back down into her lungs as she took a deep breath when she sighed. The windows were usually shut, so the smoke would just cycle around and around. Her mind constantly ran, trying to comprehend what was wrong with her. "You okay babe?" he would ask. She would just make up some lie about not feeling good, but you can only use it so many times before people catch on. There's nothing more awkward than fighting naked.

I feel sick. She scurried into the restroom trying to put it all out of her mind.

What the?! She was taken aback by the explosion of color that pierced her eyes. There were layers upon layers of graffiti covering every inch of the walls, ceiling, and even the ground. Like someone had set off a paint bomb of the entire rainbow spectrum. It was so beautiful yet disgusting. Trash and toilet paper and tampon wrappers littered the ground. There were no paper towels or hand dryer. The sink was dripping water and the handle was broken off and had somehow made its way to the other side of the room. An audible laugh was let out when she noticed the only stall was missing its door! The toilet bowl also had graffiti on it.

This is crazy! Ariel took out her phone to document her sighting, knowing nobody would believe her unless she had proof. But then again, who would she even show? Her dad? This thought dampened her amusement, causing her to fade back into her depressed mood.

There was a notification. Sigh. The dating site was setup by default to send her emails whenever she received a new message. I'm in no mood for this right now. She made a mental note to disable the feature once she got home.

She walked over to the mirror, surprised the restroom even had one. The entirety of it was covered by stickers, except a small circle that was ripped away to reveal the reflection. She ducked down to look into it. The reversed girl ran fingers through her thick ruby hair, then stuck her lower lip to the side and ruffled it with her breath. Her focus was redirected to the top of the mirror, where someone had written "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL" with pink lipstick. Against the backdrop of this gloomy bathroom, it was strangely poetic and inspiring. Interpreting the message as deeper than superficial, her spirits were instantly lifted. She smiled back at herself, and proudly exited the room.

As soon as she stepped out into the hallway someone crashed into her. Oww!

"Oof! I'm so sorry!" The guy held out his hands as he rotated around her, continuing to run down the hallway.

Before she could even comprehend what was going on all of the lights went out and the crowd started cheering. I can't see! I'm gonna die! She stood there like a terrified deer (not) in headlights, holding out her hands hoping nobody else would run into her. Once her eyes adjusted, the hallway was illuminated by the red glow of the exit sign just enough for her to inch along the wall until she rounded the corner and was back to her original spot by the very back wall. The blinding overhead lights flashed on and she held up her arm to shield her eyes. The band members all walked onto the stage, stopping and mounting into their appropriate position and instrument.

Ariel's eyes were fixated on the guitarist, or rather the guitarist's long bronze legs, as they walked across the stage, barefoot. Doesn't that hurt? Her eyes stared at the gold anklet and followed the curves upward to her denim shorts and then her black form-fitting tank top, right as she positioned the guitar strap between her breasts, where they slightly lingered. I'm such a pervert. She continued the gaze up her curly, flowing midnight black hair, before finally settling on her emerald green eyes. Those have got to be the prettiest eyes I've ever seen!

She was in love, again.

The guitarist bent down at her knees to pick up the cable and plug it into the guitar, while balancing on her toes. Ariel stared intensely at her thighs pressed against her calves, and then at her cleavage when she leaned forward. She caught her mouth gaping and blinked repeatedly. Why am I such a pervert? She moved her head away but her eyes magnetized back to the source of attraction. Damn she's so sexy! I can't help it! Why are there so many hot girls here?! The eye candy produced a pick seemingly out of thin air between her fingertips, which were painted black and chipping. It wouldn't have seemed like magic if Ariel's eyes weren't glazed over with lust.

Her fingers up on the neck of the guitar started dancing while the lower ones holding the plastic triangle started twitching with seasoned dexterity. The guitar intro that poured out of the speakers activated the cheering of the crowd while a guy ran out onto the stage yelling, with an unamplified voice, "GODDDDD HELP THE OUTCASTSSSSSS!" before grabbing the microphone off the stand. "Let's get this party started!" The keyboardist clicked on the laptop and thumping dance music played in harmony with the electric guitar. There were multiple things going through Ariel's mind, but the first had to do with her libido. This is them! She's the guy's niece! Her face morphed into a goofy grin. That's good because I wouldn't mind having him as family. She got all giddy over her own stupid joke which also made her sigh because it also wasn't a joke. Ugh, I'm hopeless. Stop thinking and start enjoying the music.

Outstretching his arms and hands, barely holding onto the microphone with his thumb, he raised them up and down, causing the entire room to start bouncing. The crowd was on strings and he was a puppeteer.

He ran behind the gigantic speaker and beach balls began flying out into the audience. The balls would slowly fall down before mechanically shooting off in a random direction.

This is so bizarre! They're like a techno dance band! She started bobbing her head to the music. At least now I won't have to lie to the guard if he asks my opinion.

Some people walked in front of her position against the wall, blocking her view and breaking her trance. Ariel looked around. When did it become so packed? More and more people were showing up, presumably for the final act. She stood on her toes and moved her head around trying to see over their shoulders. The party man stopped screaming and started making a giant spinning gesture with his finger so wide he had to move his body with every rotation. The tempo of the song quickened and the guitarist's left hand slid all the way down the neck to dance next to her right, producing high-pitched notes. A vortex emerged within the middle of the crowd as people started running counter-clockwise.

After about a minute the fast paced rhythm abruptly switched back to pounding dance music that was accompanied by rainbow flashing lights. The gaping hole in the middle of the floor was now being used to dance. People were dancing like they would at a rave, shuffling around and shaking their arms. The entire thing was so weird, but everyone was laughing and having fun and simply enjoying themselves.

The music shifted again, but this time to a heavy breakdown, and the carefree shufflers were shoved out of the way by a different set of people who came charging at them. They swung their arms and kicked their legs to the slow rhythm of defined beats from the kicking of the double bass drum, the succession of three low guitar strums, the steady repeating crash of the symbol, and chugging of the singer. When all meshed together, it created a thick, evenly spaced flow that made you unconsciously oscillate.

Ariel was impressed with the bands fusion of disparate musical styles and the consonance between them. She was really enjoying them so far and she might even buy their CD with all that extra cash she has. She was surprised they weren't more popular. People seemed to like them, especially more so than the last band.

Ooh! The beach ball came out of the sky and landed at Ariel's feet. She picked it up and whacked it as hard as she could, launching it into a speedy trajectory towards the stage before crash landing on the tip of the guitar. Ariel laughed and covered her mouth as the audience cheered. The guitarist wasn't fazed in the slightest, and absentmindedly kicked the ball back while continuing to shred. She's so cool!

The audience and the singer started playing volleyball with each other.

Before Ariel even realized it, there was applause and they were saying goodnight. "Give it up for Victor on the keys!" He presented each member with both arms, allowing time for the audience to cheer and the entertainer to bow and wave. "Hugo on the bass! Esmeralda on the guitar!" The cheering became slightly louder and more masculine. "Quasi on the drums! And I'm Clopin! Goodnight!"

The house lights flicked back on and the radio resumed mid-song. People started moving around to go to the bathroom or outside to smoke or to buy a t-shirt. People were still arriving. The place was almost at full capacity.

Ariel wanted to be front and center for her favorite band, so she got up from the comfort of the back wall and started to walk towards the stage.

"Hey." A tall, good-looking guy stopped her, "Are you here by yourself?"

"I am."

"Are you really? What's a pretty girl like you doing by herself?"

"Haha, well.. thank you." Please don't ask me out. I'm going to lose my spot! Just tell him you're gay and be on your way.

She slowly started inching away, trying to escape, but he wasn't going to let her go without a fight. "So who are you here to see?"

"Let It Go."

"Yeah me too! They're awesome right? Have you seen them before?"

"No this is my first time."

"Oh well you're in for a treat! I saw them back when they played in the Isles and it was amazing!"

"Oh good! Well, I'm going to go head up closer towards the stage."

"I was going up there too!"

Ariel knew she should be trying to make new friends, but this person was clearly interested in her and she was trying to avoid complications and frankly this entire gender. She wanted to let him down easy but decided against telling him the truth given how the last and only person she told didn't react so well. Not that it should matter since this guy is a total stranger, but still.

"Um. I'm sorry, I'm... I'm kinda seeing someone right now..." It wasn't easy for Ariel to lie, and she immediately regretted it when the guy's bright smile faded.

"Oh, right, duh, of course you are. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just assumed you weren't." He looked away, dejected.

Just tell him the truth. "No you seem like a very nice guy and I would totally be interested if I wasn't..." She chickened out at the last second. She also told a second lie.

"Well thanks." He smiled. "Just let your boyfriend know that he's a very lucky man!" And with that he walked away.

Ariel doesn't know how other people do this, she wasn't cut out for it. Her mood went back down, but she can't worry about that right now. She's here for herself and she needs to focus on herself.

Her phone vibrated again. I'm turning this stupid thing off. It was a text from her dad.

"You alive?"

"Yes :) But I gotta go I'll text you later." She silenced her phone. She didn't want anymore distractions ruining her experience.

She moved forward, again moving though groups of people standing and sitting around the floor. She walked about as far as there was open space, before hitting a three-person-thick wall of dedicated fans who weren't about to give up their front row spot.

A sound technician, or some dude who probably works here, walked onto the stage and started testing the microphones by speaking "Check, check!" into them. For some reason this was met with cheering. He walked over to all the instruments and proceeded to test them. This was the closest he was going to get to being a star.

More people were packing in the rectangle space in front of the stage. There were now people on every side of Ariel and she could feel people right up behind her, brushing against her back. All of the surrounding bodies were making it very hot. She fanned herself with her hand and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her arm. She stood on her toes and looked around noticing the entire house was now filled. It was a good thing she wasn't claustrophobic, otherwise she would be panicking over the fact there was no escape.

About fifteen minutes passed, which feels long and excruciating when you're counting them.

What's the hold up? Her excitement was making her impatient. Her legs were starting to ache and she was getting dehydrated.

Suddenly everything went dark and the room erupted in applause and cheers. The only lights were the various green and red bulbs of the electrical equipment on stage. Ariel was so excited she couldn't help but let out a howl. "WHOOOOOOOOOO!" Her own voice was drowned out by the rest of the noise.

The lights were still off as shadows walked across the stage. The cheering only got louder. A tiny white screen lit and then the sound of howling wind rang out of the speakers. The figure at the drum set picked up a giant metal fan and pointed it toward the audience, blowing hot air into their faces. Multiple long LED rods illuminated the entire room blue and white, and intelligent light fixtures on the ceiling rotated around creating snowflake patterns on the walls. It was all strangely atmospheric.

One of the lights passed over the drummer in a striped tanktop. Hey it's Kristoff! She was all giddy because now she felt she knew him personally. He put both his hands on his legs and started slamming his foot down against one of the pedals, vibrating the entire room with bass. Ariel could feel it pounding in her chest.

While continuing his steady banging he picked out a pair of sticks from a bundle, and twirled it between his fingers before starting a rhythmic beat. She didn't think the room could get any louder but the volume of the shouting somehow managed to increase., and it kept getting louder as one by one each instrument joined in with Kristoff, creating a pleasing harmony of sounds, which kept building and building, almost on the verge of bursting.

Somebody wearing a light-blue sweatshirt with the hood up came bouncing out onto the stage, bringing the noise level up to the deafening threshold. "LET'S GET THIS PLACE MOVING!" Elsa! Oh my god it's really her! Thankfully nobody could hear her embarrassing fangirl squeal.

Ariel was violently pushed forward into the sweaty backs in front of her, as the entire weight of the room fell toward the stage, trying to get closer.

The built-up music had finally reached its peak, and Elsa held the microphone into the air and lunged her entire upper body down to the floor, breaking the barrier that was holding the music back, creating an explosion of sound.

The crowd erupted into a frenzy, every single person jumping and thrusting in a different direction, like molecules in boiling water, all moving with each other, filling in the gaps, with the occasional one escaping into the air.

Sandwiched between people, Ariel swayed back and forth in the sea of storming people. There were brief moments when her feet didn't even touch the ground as she magically floated over it. When her feet did touch, she would trip over others' feet and legs and fall into the crowd, and the crowd would react by falling back into her. She didn't even try to fight it however because she was loving every second of it. As her body was rocking to and fro with the crowd, her mouth was gaped in awe as she admired the girl singing, but also because it was so hot she couldn't breathe. She looked so awesome up there. She was so cool. So badass. But she was also so beautiful. She had white hair that swooped up over her hood, white snowflake ear gauges, white nail polish, dark fitted jeans, and blue Pumba shoes. She's so perfect.

Elsa stomped her left foot on the foldback speaker, and closed her purple shadowed eyelids, taking deep breathes as the the music continued to shake the room. With her head tilted down, she looked up and out at the crowd, revealing amazing ice cold blue eyes. She scanned across the room, watching the people going crazy beneath her, before stopping and looking at Ariel. Ariel froze, holding her breath, staring back. Is she looking at me!? But only for a brief moment, before Elsa bent over the crowd and started screaming into the microphone, letting her choppy hair fall down, suspended above the fans reaching up to touch it.

The song abruptly ended and the room went dark. Bright yellow floodlights then lit up the audience, and Kristoff started a steady beat as Elsa talked over it. "For this next song, I want everyone up and on this stage giving me a high-five. I even want to see the people all the way in the back up here too."

"I LOVE YOU ELSA!" A deep voice shouted from the back of the room.

Either she didn't hear or just ignored her male groupie and started the next song. "Let's go!" The rest of the instruments kicked in and she started moving up and down the stage. A huge weight fell on the back of Ariel's head pushing her face down and squishing it into the wet shirt in front of her. After the weight was lifted, she noticed it was a body, moving across the top of the audience. His arms were outstretched as he was trying to crawl over the hands and heads to get closer to the stage. As he reached the end, he was vigorously thrown up by the cluster of hands and he landed on the stage on his side. He stood up and started pumping his fists, and Elsa gave him a high-five. He opened his arms to give her a hug and she pushed him back off the stage, and the audience caught him like a fire trampoline. Elsa smirked and the entire room laughed. She then started jumping up and down like a pogo stick, and everybody imitated her. She held the microphone with both hands and unleashed more harsh vocals. Her face looked distressed as she sang, like she was really feeling every word. It was bursting with emotion.

As everyone was jumping, Ariel felt a hand tap her shoulder. She looked over and saw some guy pointing at the ceiling with his hand and moving it up and down. Ariel looked up but he shook his head and started pointing at her. She was still confused but she swiftly shook her head anyways. Then he started pointing at himself. She just kept looking at him like he was psycho. Then the person behind the two of them linked his fingers together and stretched out his arms, and the crazy pointing man placed his foot on the assistant's hands and was launched up over the heads of the audience, being carried on his back to the stage. Before he could be pushed off by Elsa, he ran and leaped off the stage, forming a cannonball. The terrified people below scurried away in reflex, opening up a hole, and the crazy man hit the ground, thankfully on his feet, and tumbled onto the floor. He was quickly helped up by others who pulled him up by his arms but then they were all trampled and the hole was naturally closed in by the force coming from all sides. Holy shit.

Before Ariel could even catch her breath or grasp what was happening, she was being pushed backwards, and found herself at the outer edge of the mosh pit. The music's tempo slowed to half time. "Okay, here we go Arendale! Show me what you've got!" Elsa yelled as the music started to build up. The people in the middle of the pit started bouncing on alternating feet. Ariel had to get out of there before she was killed. She tried to push back into the safety of the inside but the wall of people was rock solid and she couldn't budge. She was trapped at the circumference and was going to get hit in the face. "OHHHH!" Elsa growled and the breakdown burst, and the dancers started throwing their fists back. Ariel shielded herself and kept trying to move in but kept being rejected back out. The other onlookers around the equator of the pit held out their arms to prevent themselves from being hit. One of the aggressive maniacs started swinging his legs and kept getting closer and closer to Ariel. Before she could be roundhouse kicked in the head, a big guy next to her used his foot to shoved the maniac back towards the center, away from the edge. Ariel saw an opening on the other side of the mosh pit, and without thinking, used her arms to cover her head and sprinted across the middle of the opening, barely avoiding the swinging fists of the dancers, charging at the wall of people, determined to break through. She slammed into the barrier of people on the other side. When she did that, however, she encouraged an army of people to follow her, flooding the entire hole, mowing down the hardcore dancers dominating the area, causing the entire pit to collapse in on itself. Ariel had inadvertently ignited a pool of chaos, one she would be sucked back into, because the line of people she rammed into snapped her back like a rubber band. She was now being fiercely and quickly shoved from every direction. However, instead of letting herself be battered about like she had the entire night, she decided to start fighting back. At every opportunity she found she would shove someone, and then she would be shoved from behind while using that momentum to plunge into somebody else. It was a series of chain reactions.

Ariel found this moshing extremely liberating. It was the perfect outlet for all of her stress. For all of her concerns. For all of her fears. A fantastic therapeutic accompaniment to the already alleviating music. In that moment, everything was melting away.

The song came to an end and so did the fury. Everyone stopped moving and stood still. Ariel now stood at the midpoint of this spread out open space. Without a million hot bodies smooshed up against her, she could finally breath. She was drenched in sweat, and her shirt was sticking to her skin. A faint breeze blew down from the ratty ventilation system. It was warm air, but it still felt nice.

Ariel was now pumped! She was no longer scared. She was ready for anything!

The guitar started wailing, and Elsa stated, "You guys know what to do."

Ariel didn't know what to do. But suddenly everyone started running in a circle around her. Ariel just stood there watching the faces speed by, feeling the wind being generated by this human-powered fan. Immediately somebody was spit out of the circle and they came to stand in the center with Ariel. Shortly after that another person came crashing to their knees and Ariel and the ejected person quickly scooped her up and brought her into the refuge. She thanked them by patting their shoulders. Ariel then saw a familiar face run by. She turned and followed it. Oh. It was the stupid straight boyfriend of the hot tattooed red-specs goddess. Ariel wondered if she was nearby as well, but couldn't find her. Just spend one night with me and I guarantee you'll forget all about him! Dear god, I'm just as bad as those jocks online. The circle pit was halted by a massive pileup as everyone started falling all over each other. Ariel tried to help up as many people as she could, but then she herself was knocked down to the ground. She tried to get up but more people continued to fall onto her. She was now on the floor and her back and legs were pinned to the ground by deadweight. She couldn't budge and felt like she was suffocating. Panic ensued. I didn't want it to end like this. I'm still young. There's still so much I haven't experienced, things I haven't accomplished, places I haven't seen, and worst of all, I didn't even get to make out with Elsa! Ariel could always make herself chuckle no matter the situation, which usually helped her but also got her into trouble.

The weight was eventually lifted, and Ariel was immediately elevated to her feet by both arms. Somebody looked her in the face and yelled at her asking if she was okay. She couldn't hear what they were saying but could read their lips. Ariel quickly nodded her head, though she was still deliriously grinning. The person continued to hold onto her arm, not entirely convinced she was. Ariel patted their assisting hand and yelled in their ear assuring she was. In fact, she was more than okay, thanks mainly to the flood of adrenaline coursing through her veins. So when the song started building up to its breakdown, Ariel started excitedly jumping. A space was cleared as everyone that was around her hurriedly backed away. They were scared of her. Upon realizing this, she felt a surge of ecstasy, and for the first time in her life, she felt powerful. She was completely liberated. Nothing and nobody could stop her. She was completely in control.

She started spinning around in circles with her arms and fists extended. However, doing this provoked a memory of a similar dance she once did with Eric. Then she thought of his stupid smug face, and how she wasted two years of her life changing who she was for him, and how she'll never get those years back. This riled her up, but right here and now, she was able to vent her bitter regret and resentment in physical form, and this time not into a pillow. She held onto her fist with her hand, and slung it back with all her might. She repeated the action with the opposite arm, before thrusting her arms in a gesture that imitated elbowing somebody in the gut. She performed a series of back kicks, bending all the way down touching the floor with her fingertips. She then started stomping the ground with her foot to the beat of the music, and raising her arms towards the stage, passionately singing out loud to the lyrics. In this moment, she no longer cared how ridiculous she looked or what people might've been thinking, her passion and exhilaration blocked those thoughts out. She made a conscious effort to leave no opening in the radius around her. She dared anybody to try and stop her.

Maybe somebody heard her thoughts, because the second she stopped flailing her arms, she was shoved back into the crowd, and her spot was replaced by another dancer. She was now sprawled out with her back against the onlookers, who were holding her shoulders like a knocked-out boxer. Her mouth was agape and her frail emotional state was bruised. It wasn't a personal attack, but she took it as such. She grounded her teeth, and charged at the enemy, tackling him and pushing him out of the ring and back into the mob where he came from, where he belonged. She couldn't even believe what she was doing, but it was too late, because she was already doing it. She backed up out of the crowd into the open pit, shocked by her own actions. However, the guy was laughing, obviously not taking offense like Ariel had. She relaxed her tense muscles, which were prepared for a returning blow of retaliation, and smiled. But as soon as she dropped her guard she was struck from the side and hurled out of the way, and then the same happened to that person, and eventually everyone was back to pushing each other.

Now out of the frenzied center, Ariel looked up at the stage and saw Elsa with her foot mounted on the monitor speaker, looking down, watching everything that was happening. Ariel felt a wave of embarrassment. Elsa wasn't focusing on anything in particular, not that you really could with so much going on. She was absentmindedly nodding her head to the music behind her, and as the song came to its end, so did her cue. She lifted the microphone from her knee and screamed her lyric, slightly off time. The crowd cheered and Elsa started taking visible breaths. Ariel could see pearls of sweat glistening on her forehead. She wiped them away with her sleeve and then proceeded to pull off the light-blue cause. She must've forgot she was standing in front of an actual audience, at least until she heard the howling. She stopped midway and walked to the drum set with her back to the libidinous men (and Ariel.) She tugged it off while also holding down her shirt underneath to avoid flashing everyone. She threw it onto one of the giant speakers and grabbed a water bottle sitting on top and chugged half of it. She was wearing a white tank top which had large dropped armholes. Crudely written in Sharpie was "girlscout." Cookies? Or is it a band name? Thin mints sound good. Peering through the holes was a black bandeau that was covering her breasts, and nothing else! This isn't happening. The whistling and cheering continued, including an especially loud, feminine one coming from Ariel. Everybody turned and looked at her, and started laughing. Oh shit, I'm an idiot. Ariel nervously looked around because she just exposed herself to a room full of strangers. She was expecting something terrible to happen, but nothing did. Either they didn't clue in, or just didn't care. She looked up at Elsa, hoping she didn't hear the lesbian freak, but she seemed oblivious to everything. She returned to the monitor at the center of the stage, bringing the water with her. In a very casual manner, she asked, "How is everybody?"

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the crowd responded.

"Is anybod-"

"ELSA! WILL YOU MARRY ME!?" She was cut off by a sudden proposal, which sounded like the same guy from earlier.

She smiled. "Sorry."

The entire crowd laughed at her rejection, especially Ariel, "HA HA HA!" ...she's mine.

"Is it hot in here?" The crowd reacted as she dumped the remaining of her water onto them, tossing the empty bottle out across the room. "Anybody else?" She grabbed another bottle and started shaking it back and forth, sprinkling the sweating bodies.

"So, we have one more song for you."

"BOOOOOOOOO!"

She ignored the angry mob and continued. "This song," the guitarist started playing a slow melody to accompany Elsa's speech. She looked at the ceiling before continuing. "This song is for anyone who's ever been...down. Depressed. Anyone's who's ever felt alone, or out of place. Like they don't belong." The cheering started to rev up. "Whether it's a outside force, or whether it's all just in your head, just know that you're not alone." The crowd started to get louder, the music started to get louder, and Elsa started to get louder. "This song is for you! To anyone who has ever felt lost or scared!" Ariel got goosebumps. She choked up as she stared up at her idol with watery eyes. This was the reason she loved this band. "And don't ever let anyone stop you from being who you are! You are all beautiful people! Every single one of you! I truly believe that!" The volume of the cheering rapidly increased. "You are not alone! Please know that you are not alone! This song is all of those people! This song is for every single one of you! This song is called Let It Go!" The room exploded. The lights went out and the keyboardist started the intro and everyone went completely insane. Everything before it now seemed mild in comparison. It was all leading up to this moment.

Each person started singing the opening lines as loud as they could along with Elsa. The white LED lights and wind sounds started up again. Elsa stood stationary at the tip of the stage, firmly grasping the microphone with both hands, singing the lyrics with her eyes closed. Meanwhile the crowd below could not stay still at all. Completely blended as one, they were like the ocean at night during a thunderstorm. Everything was dark. The white lights barely lit up the room, and Elsa herself was scarcely visible.

Kristoff rotated the fan around to Elsa, and it blew her beautiful ice white hair forward, surrounding her pained face as she continued to deliver the heartfelt lines. Her singing voice was absolutely incredible.

Without exaggeration, this was simply the best moment of Ariel's life. She was enjoying every single second of this experience. She never wanted it to end.

The tempo increased, and so did Elsa's voice. As she sang the next verse, she proceeded to literally walk off the stage.

What?

She extended her left foot forward off the edge of the stage, hovering it over the cheering crowd, waiting for a batch of hands to form a platform, before stepping onto it. Once it was secure, she lifted the other foot up off the ground and over the heads of the fans, who were now all magnetically pulled in together to assist in hoisting up the singer. When Elsa shifted her weight off the stage and completely onto the support of everyone's extended arms, she sank down slightly like a flotation device in a pool, before everyone readjusted their strength and pushed her back up. Elsa started to wobble, so she reached up and put her hand on the low ceiling to keep herself from falling, while continuing to sing into the microphone in her opposite hand. She continued to tread outward, pulling her legs up out of the deep snow, and carefully descending onto the magically erecting stepping stones. Elsa kept trekking on, further and further out, which meant she was getting closer and closer to Ariel, who was meanwhile pushing her way through the bodies towards Elsa, determined to touch her. Even though she was terrified of the idea, she tried doing the pointing signal so she could surf across the top, but there was was no available space to perform that action. Some guy took the liberty of grabbing Ariel's waist to try and boost her up, but kept being knocked over by the chaos.

Elsa stopped about six bodies away diagonally from Ariel. She was so close yet so far.

She looked up in admiration at the towering Elsa, who held the microphone out and down towards the jumbling audience, inviting them to contribute their vocals. Everyone below her scrambled and jumped up on top of each other, trying to have their voice amplified. Elsa and the band completely stopped, and only the voices of the entire room could be heard as they sang the line in unison. "THE COLD NEVER BOTHERED ME ANYWAY!"

Elsa took her hand off the ceiling and continued to sing with the microphone in both hands, balancing on the audiences' arms like she was standing on a moving bus without holding onto the railings. Some hands of support grabbed her ankles and legs, including a couple of hands placed inappropriately too high up on her thigh.

Elsa fell down to her knees, as hands reached up to catch them, her shins were now being sustained. Singing downward with her eyes closed, Elsa's hair fell down onto the delighted fans, who all had their phones out to record. Even though Elsa was almost literally face to face with these people, her eyes were closed and she didn't look at anyone. She was completely engulfed in her own world, as if nobody around her existed. It was an odd contrast and almost surreal.

She continued singing without ever opening her eyes, forcibly tapping her chest with her finger. The lyrics she was singing was entirely to herself.

She slowly rose up, the crowd chanting the chorus along with her, as she enthusiastically swung her arms about to the words. "Let the storm rage onnnnnnn." As the last line of droned out, she spread her arms out like an angel, and fell backwards, putting the entirety of her trust into the awaiting hands that caught her. She bumped up and down as she was slowly delivered back to the stage on her back. Elsa looked as she was thoroughly enjoying the conveyor belt ride. The band continued the instrumental break until Elsa reached the stage. She rolled onto the ground, hopped to her feet, and continued unfazed.

As she sang she started spinning around in circles, bobbing up and down, and stamping her foot on the floor.

She hopped around on the stage, facing to the side with her finger pointed at the sky, her eyes still closed. "And I'll rise like the break of dawn!"

She ran over to the center edge of the stage and stood tall. "HERE I STAND IN THE LIGHT OF DAYYYYYYY!" She belted out the final note. "LET THE STORM RAGE ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"

She held the microphone down, as everyone tried to jump onto the stage. "THE COLD NEVER BOTHERED ME ANYWAY!"

The entire room started roaring and the lights were flashing. Elsa said, "Thank you," before waving and flying off the stage. Kristoff got up and waved to everyone before he and the rest of the band followed her. All the lights went out and everyone continued clapping.

The lights remained off and the cheering continued. Then, everyone started chanting, "ONE MORE SONG! ONE MORE SONG!"

Ariel joined in with the request, "ONE MORE SONG!" This went on for at least two full minutes.

Finally, two shadowy figures walked back on, and the clapping and wooing resumed.

They set down two stools. A gentle spotlight illuminated Elsa and Kristoff, who was holding an acoustic guitar. He plays guitar too?!

"Hi," Elsa said timidly. The audience slowly calmed down and lowered their voices in order to hear her. "So, we do have one more song for you guys."

"Wooo! Yeah!"

Elsa dragged a stray stand to the front of her stool and snapped her microphone into it, which made a thump sound. "The tone of this one is slightly different, I hope you guys don't mind."

They clearly didn't mind.

Kristoff started adjusting the strings and picking at them, with the room completely silent. He plucked a string and turned tuning peg, and the tone morphed into a drone. Everyone was eagerly waiting. Elsa was looking out into the dark abyss, unfocused.

He stopped, and looked at Elsa, signalling he was ready.

"This song is dedicated to my parents."

Ariel gasped.

Elsa started singing in a soft lullaby, as Kristoff slowly followed with gentle plucking strings. "There are loved ones, in the glory, whose dear forms you often miss. When you close your earthly story, will you join them in their bliss?"

She had such a lovely voice. One might even wonder why she wastes it in a screaming band. Why does she waste it in a screaming band?

Elsa gripped the seat of her stool between her legs. Her eyes looked sad. They were lowered. Contemplative.

Ariel stared at Elsa's delicate face for the entire length of the song.

"...Now the family is parted. Will it be complete one day? Will the circle be unbroken, by and by, by and by? Is a better home awaiting, in the sky, in the sky?" She ended it with a whisper.

The room was perfectly still. Elsa continued looking down. It was so quiet you could hear the gentle hissing of the vents above. Then, the crowd broke into a loud, long applause, garnished with cheers, which was just as enthusiastic for all the other songs, if not more.

Elsa formed a slight smile, and she and Kristoff stood up, waved, without saying anything, and walked off the stage. The applause continued long after they were gone.

The lights and radio came on, and it was all over.

Wow.

Ariel stood still, still taking it all in, as everyone else started chattering and slowly filing out. It was simply amazing.

Oh! Ariel just remembered that it actually wasn't all over, she still had to meet Elsa! She jolted around, eager and panicked, and headed over to the merchandise stand, just like Kristoff advised. But she wasn't the only one, there were hordes of people surrounding the table, all eager to meet Elsa. Nooooooooooo.

Maybe Kristoff could hook her up.

She nonchalantly strolled passed everyone, cutting to the front. but nobody was there. She looked down the hall and saw Kristoff chatting with somebody. She walked over to him and waited for him to notice her.

"Oh hey, it's you. What's up?"

"You guys were so amazing! You were amazing! I didn't know you could play the guitar!"

He raised his eyebrows, smugly, and smiled, pleased by the girl's gushing compliments. "Yeah, it's true! But I'm glad you dug it. Elsa would be glad too."

Ariel opened her mouth.

"You're looking for her aren't you?"

"I just really wanted to tell her how much the music meant to me."

"She'll really appreciate that. Yeah, she's in the back, she'll be out in a minute."

Ariel made a pleading face. "You don't think maybe I could...you could give me...special access or something? It's just because I'm like the biggest fan!"

Kristoff scrunched the side of his face. "Well, I totally would, but I want to give everyone in line an equal opportunity, you know?"

"No of course I understand."

"But I'll tell you what, afterwards once everyone is gone I'll give you a special tour."

"Wow thanks!"

"Okay I gotta get to the merch, that's where we make most of our money!"

"Okay, I'll see you later."

Ariel walked back to the end of the line.

Oh no, not now, please don't notice me.

"Hey! Did you enjoy the show?" It was the guy from earlier who hit on her and had his straight heart broken.

"Yeah I really did. It was way better than I imagined."

"They didn't play the acoustic song at the end last time."

"Really? It was so good."

"Yeah it was," he trailed off. There was awkward silence, before he abruptly changed direction. "I'm sorry, I know you probably get this all the time, but you're one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen. I know this is inappropriate, but I just had to let you know. I also hope your boyfriend appreciates you."

She couldn't help but be moved by his declaration, but he was also killing her. She thought about just telling him the truth this time, but she still wasn't comfortable with it. She gave him a sympathetic smile. "You're very sweet, thank you."

"Okay I'll let you go now. Perhaps we'll meet again at a future show? So until then, goodbye."

She waved, and then sighed. She then became aware of how much sweat was on her face when a droplet rolled down her temple, tickling her. She decided to go to the bathroom, figuring she wouldn't lose her spot in line since she was the last person anyways.

Ahh! Her hair was in shambles. It was wet, sticking to forehead, and tangled in all directions. That guy's nuts. I'm just glad Elsa didn't see me like this. Even if she wanted to she couldn't use the sink, and there weren't any paper towels either, so she used the bottom of her shirt to wipe her face. She tried to brush her hair with her nails. I'm a mess.

There was cheering coming from outside, so she quickly stepped out to see what the commotion was.

Elsa! She was posing for a picture with a fan. How does she still look so perfect?

Now she just had to wait. There were guys and girls taking their picture with Elsa, and asking for autographs. Some people shook her hand, others opted for a hug. Then that was followed by some chitchat, and ended with a friend taking a picture for the more dedicated fan. In the event they both were, she had to wait for the friend to pass the phone off to the other friend as they insisted on having separate photos. Or when they wanted a group shot, they handed their phone to Kristoff. Poor Kristoff.

Ariel continued to patiently wait in line as the gears of the meet-and-greet grinded on, She looked around the room. The building was nearly empty. The doors were propped open and everyone was hanging around outside in the cool night air. Ariel's face lit up when she saw the girl with the tattoos walk past the doorway with her boyfriend. She was still tempted to go talk to her. Oh my god I'm so dumb, she might be bi! Or maybe that's not even her boyfriend! There's still hope!

Before Ariel told Eric, and before she had reached a conclusion, she had wondered if she herself was bisexual, and for a while she was almost hoping she was, but realized she was just searching for an excuse to avoid the inevitable confrontation.

She was going to do it. She was really going to go talk to her. What does she have to lose? Her dignity? She looked back. There were just a few more people. She looked at the door opening. Should she chase the fantasy girl and jeopardize meeting Elsa? She played out a scenario of what might happen in her head.

"Hi! I just wanted to say I think your tattoos are super cool!"

"Hey! Get away from my girl! POW!"

Ariel started grinning but tried to suppress it so people wouldn't think she's crazy. She tried again.

"Hi, I'm Ariel. You're one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen." Ugh, I'm sorry guy, now I feel your pain

She tried again.

"Hey, I like your lipstick! What shade is it? It's just like mine! I wish my lips were on yours!"

"Ew get away from me you lesbian! POW! Looks like your shade is black and blue! HA HA HA!"

Ariel was smiling like a nutjob. She glanced over and saw Kristoff and Elsa staring at her. Everyone was gone and she was the last one.

"Oh! Sorry." She shyly walked up to Elsa, and then choked. She was even more beautiful up close. She caught herself gawking and embarrassingly looked down.

"She was telling me how much the music means to her." Thanks Kristoff.

"Oh you two already met?"

"Y-yeah!"

"But I didn't catch her name."

"Oh! Right, it's Ariel." She turned to Elsa, and shook her hand. "I'm Ariel. Um, I'm a really big fan! I'm don't mean to sound cliche, I'm sure everyone tells you that."

"Don't worry, you're fine. I saw you in the crowd. Your hair really pops." Elsa looked at Ariel's vibrant red hair before picking some of it up from the bottom and letting it slide off her delicate fingers. "I love this color, what do you use?"

Ariel's heart started racing. Either because she was being touched by Elsa or because she was noticed by Elsa.

She swallowed, before laughing nervously. "Um, you know, I can't even remember, it's nothing special, I'm sure. Not like yours anyways."

Elsa smiled. "No, I don't use anything special either. Nothing expensive or anything."

"But it like, glows! And I love this braid, how do you do that? It's amazing." She pointed at Elsa's hair, stopping short of touching it. "Oh, I'm sorry I'm embarrassing myself. I didn't just come so we could do each other's hair."

Elsa laughed.

That helped Ariel relax. She continued to tell the reason she was here in the first place. She had practiced what she might say in the bathroom mirror before she left, but those lines completely escaped her now. Probably for the best. "So, um, I think the music is incredible and the lyrics are incredible. I just wanted to say thank you, because, well..." She looked over at Kristoff, who was smiling at her. "...I was going through a really rough time in my life, and your music really helped me to...get through that. So I just wanted to thank you personally." Ariel was looking off to the side somewhere. Afraid of letting the silence sit, she continued talking. "And like, when you were talking up on stage, I got chills. Like literally goosebumps." She touched her arms to emphasize. The silence she feared lingered. "So yeah...I just felt I had to tell you."

"I'm glad to hear that. Really, I am. Thanks for sharing that, it really means a lot to me. You're the very reason I do this," Elsa said, as Ariel looked up and saw her smiling face. "People ask me all the time why I'm in this type of music, and I tell them it's because I feel you can connect with your fans in a way you can't with other genres. Not only physically at the shows, but emotionally too, on a deeper level I feel. It's powerful."

"I was thinking the same thing! Your singing voice is amazing! Have you considered doing something else? I mean, I agree that it's powerful, but maybe you could do something on the side! You and Kristoff! Together!"

Elsa laughed again. "What do you think Krist? You wanna start an acoustic act?"

Kristoff shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah sure."

"Yeah it's crossed my mind, but I don't think I've ever seriously considered it. I like this scene too much. But you liked the thing at the end right? This is actually the first time we did that. We weren't too sure what the reception would be, but people seemed to enjoy it."

"I certainly did, it was beautiful."

"Well then that settles it. We'll definitely do it at our next show." Elsa looked over at Kristoff and then back at Ariel. "Hey, we're all going to grab a bite to eat, did you want to tag along?"

Ariel froze. Oh my god. Is this really happening? Is she really asking me this? Is this what I think it is? No, it's not. But it could be. It doesn't matter what it is, just-

"No big deal or anything."

"Oh, yeah! I'd love to!"

"Okay cool, so why don't you—actually, here, just follow me."

This can't be happening.