I just discovered a major error in Stolen Ice. SPOILERS!
The following below are what I consider heavy spoilers. If you haven't read it yet, I suggest that you stop reading at this point. You have been warned!
I can already imagine what your facial expression might be when you read that title. Just hear me out. Bear in mind that this doesn't have anything to do with OOC or significant plot holes. No, it has to do with the Anna's age and timeline. Allow me to elaborate:
So the prologue starts of with the year and the 2 sister's age: December 1999, Anna is 3, and Elsa is 6. During the course of the story, Anna turns from 18 to 19. From what I've been able to gather from my 3rd reread, Anna's birthday is around early March. This is evident due to 3 pieces of evidence I've been able to deduce:
In Chapter 33,Anna remarks that she had just turned 19 when the girls 1st arrived at Natchitoches, Louisiana during their breakin at a WGT building This line appears:
...Tears prickled and she touched the screen, staring at her birthday. Anna had been wrong, according to this file. Only off by a few months, but she had gotten the numerical day right. She had turned nineteen about two months ago, when the girls first arrived in Louisiana...
In Chapter 16, Jane arrives at A's antebellum mansion in Natchitoches, Louisiana. This line of dialogue appears when A inquired Jane about her powers:
"No," Jane said, sitting delicately on the cushions at the bay window seat. Gauzy white curtains floated in the open window, the crisp March air of a Louisiana afternoon the best that spring could afford. Coolness hit her split lip and it stung...
In Chapter 18, Anna remarks that it's almost April, and that Jane has been recovering her wounds for 3 weeks, as evident by these 2:
“...They were nearing the end of their third week in Natchitoches, and for Jane, it had been… enlightening...”
"...It's almost April, and summer will be here before you know it. You're beautiful with your ice cream cake skin, but I refuse to look like a puffy cloud on a beachside this year..."
Base on these 3 pieces of evidence, I can safely deduce that Anna's birthday falls somewhere around early March. Therefore, when she and Jane 1st arrived at her house in Louisiana, she turns 19. However, this contradicts the timeline below I constructed for Anna:
- March: Anna's BDay. She turns 3 years old.
- December 31: Anna and Jane get separated at Memphis, TN. Both lose memories of each other.
- Grew up in foster care in New Orleans for 4 years until foster mother died. Learned Creole French near railway station.
- At this point, Anna left NO for San Antonio, TX before the storm hits hard. Learned Spanish. Stole 1st painting.
- August: Hurricane Katrina hits hard.
- Arrived at LA at this point. Done 2 stunts in juvie, and escaped another foster family.
- Gets caught stealing a nice watercolor painting in Pasadena by Hans. He begins to train her.
- Becomes indep. conwoman, but kept in contact. Ran few cons for Westerguard clan. Picked up German. Establish few aliases such as prostitute for Judge Frollo.
- At this point, made contact with Kristoff and Sven (both don't know the actual age Anna was when they met).
- Bought 1st home at Natchitoches, Louisiana. Cons Paulo in Italy for painting.
- March: Anna turns 18. However, in the story, it states that she had turn 19 at this point
What do you guys think? Is my math wrong? Did I miss something? Either the piece of paper Elsa stole at the orphanage is incorrect, or Aelsa made an error in regards to timescale and Anna's age. Does this detract from the main story at all? No - in fact, I still think very highly of it. In fact, it's still my favorite Elsanna story of all time. And I plan to do an analysis of its themes, motifs, and characters during this Christmas break.