Chapter 2: Chocolate cake.

As her mother had said earlier, Anna's family arrived late in the afternoon, just in time for dinner. Her sister was even walking on her own, which would've been impressive if not for how complacent they had become to the benefits of modern medicine.

Of course, as soon as Anna heard them coming in, she rushed to the ground floor to greet them, where she saw three figures walking towards the dining room, and wasted no time getting to the dark-clothed person with short black hair (she had dyed it a few years ago) and hugging her tightly.

"Elvira!" She shouted exited, almost crying from happiness seeing she was almost unharmed (aside from a few bruises and cuts, that is). "I was so worried about you. I'm glad you're okay."

"Yeah… ugh, I'm fine, everything is fine… whatever." The older girl sighed exasperated as she pushed Anna away, not looking at her and instead opting to glance at the walls or the floor, which made the redhead's heart clench in pain. "Except for that stupid clone that ran away because of the useless hospital security."

"It didn't run away." Their mother correct her. "Someone stole it."

"Whatever" Elvira remarked, clearly not in the mood of being bothered by something so trivial. "I'm gonna change; I have another party tonight."

"Oh no, little missy." Their father intervened. "You are not going anywhere tonight… or the rest of the month for that matter. You're grounded."

"What?!" She shrieked "That's…" The stern look of their father told her it'd be an awful long discussion where she wouldn't achieve anything. Even if she normally would've enjoyed getting the 'old man' mad as hell, she now felt even more down casted than usual, and didn't have the energy to argue, so she just shrugged nonchalantly. "Fine. I guess I'll just watch cheap bondage porn on my computer. Goodnight." She turned around to retire, but her mother's voice stopped her.

"Elvira!" She shouted indignant, making a smirk appear on the young woman's lips. "That's no way to talk to your parents."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot. Let me rephrase it, then: I will self-pleasure myself while watching videos of people submitting to their carnal desires on the expensive computer you bought me and that I'm very thankful for." Her voice was all poised and with such a sweet tone that actually made Anna want to burst into laughter, but she refrained herself. "Is that better, mother?" Elvira asked batting her eyelids.

"Go to your room!" Her father yelled, clearly very angry, which just made the insolent daughter smirk even wider.

"Gladly." She said and started walking away.

"I'll go with her, to make sure she's fine." Anna said to her parents before sprinting towards her sister and starting to walk by her side.

"I don't need a babysitter. Go away." Elvira said without even turning to look at her once they were out of their parent's sight.

"Why are you being such a bitch?" Anna asked frowning, only for Elvira to stop suddenly and look at her in disbelief.

"Well, maybe just because yesterday I was taking this beautiful girl to a motel when some asshole appeared in front of my car and everything went to hell!"

"You were drunk, you hit a parked car, and the girl you were with wasn't even pretty." Anna said raising an eyebrow.

"Same thing." She answered, shrugging and continued walking, however, Anna wasn't going to let her go so easily.

"Elvira, I'm worried about you…" Anna started.

"Not you." She whined in exasperation. "I've already heard this you're-being-too-reckless shit at least three times now."

"Please, just let me…"

"No!" She yelled, this time truly angry, with a gaze so threatening that Anna actually took a step back. "Just… stop. I-I don't want to hear what you want to say." Suddenly Elvira's eyes actually filled with tears she fought to contain and her throat became swollen with sobs she wouldn't let go. "Just… leave me alone!" Saying that she ran the rest of the way towards her bedroom and shut the door.

Anna sighed, shocked and more worried than she had ever been; it had been a long time since she last saw Elvira at the edge of tears, and it was rather disturbing that she wasn't accepting her help. Her gut twisted at the thought of something happening to her sister, something not even having a clone could fix. Suddenly, having dinner with her parents didn't sound so pleasant. She needed to be alone.

But Elsa hasn't eaten anything, and I'm sure she is hungry. I think I'll just steal something for her and retire.

Elsa was inside her new room (which was basically a room filled with everything that Anna hadn't been able to accommodate on her own), looking around her at everything with wonder in her eyes. Being in the Center all her life, she had never as much as seen (not in person, at least) such colorful clothes as Anna's, or felt the softness of a mattress like hers (clones slept on hard mattress because it was good for your back, or something like that), or admire colorful pictures like those that hung on her walls. It was all new to her but, even if she was dying to touch it all, to explore, to see how a computer worked…, she restrained herself. She knew she was just a temporary guest and that Anna was already doing too much for her as it was, so she didn't have any right to poke about her things.

She sighed as she sat down on a chair. She wished she could go out of that room and, at least, explore the house, but Anna wouldn't let her, fearing someone could see her. It was as if she was still a prisoner.

Not for long. Anna promised. I'll have one week, one week to see the world… one week to live.

Her stomach twisted at the thought. True, she had more time, and she'd get to experience how the real world was before dying, which was more than she ever thought she'd get, but she still didn't want to die. She was too young, she knew it; there were a lot of things she could do, so many places she could visit, so much knowledge to acquire, so many people to meet… It was all just there, ready for anyone that wanted it. Except her. She was just getting a little taste, and she'd have to settle with it. It was so unfair.

In that moment, the door opened and the girl who had been her salvation walked in, carrying a tray with something that smelled really good, or rather various somethings scattered on several plates. Her stomach growled and she blushed as Anna raised an eyebrow at her reaction.

"Here." She said and she placed the tray on Elsa's lap. "Eat, I'll just go to my room." She turned to leave, but Elsa's voice stopped her.

"Wait." She said before thinking. "Eat with me?" The girl tentatively asked. The truth is that she was sick of being alone and didn't want to be left with her somewhat unpleasant thoughts for company.

"I-I don't know." Anna bit her lip, glancing briefly to the door, as if wanting to escape, before turning her gaze to her own feet. It was obvious she didn't want to be in the clone's presence. She hadn't even looked at her face since she'd enter the room.

"Oh. Okay." Elsa said defeated. In that very moment she learned that rejection hurt. A lot.

"Hey, look." Anna started as she turned around to face her. "It's nothing personal. I-I just want to be alone." She explained.

Elsa was glad it wasn't her who was causing her discomfort, but as she studied her expression carefully, she noticed Anna wasn't happy; her eyebrows were frowned, her jaw was clenched, her lips were pressed tight and her shoulders were hanged. She looked… angry? No… she didn't look sad either. Worried? Maybe.

"Uhm… is everything alright?" Elsa knew the girl's life was none of her business, but she didn't want the person who had helped her so much to suffer or being troubled. She'd do anything in her hands to make her feel better.

"Yeah… I just." Anna closed her eyes and clenched her fists. "It's nothing. Eat your food." Saying this, Anna made a motion to leave, but Elsa quickly got up, put the tray on the chair and ran to her side.

"Anna, wait." She again stopped her. The redhead had a hand on the doorknob and was about to leave, but she actually waited to hear what she had to say, even if she still didn't look at her. "I just…" She sighed. "I know we are strangers, but… you can count on me." As soon as she said it, she realized how ridiculous it sounded, but she persisted anyways. "I-if you need someone to talk to, or do stuff, or whatever… I'm here for you."

"You don't need to do this, Elsa." Anna's voice sounded sour, but also sad, and Elsa knew she was suffering. "I'll still fulfill our agreement."

"I know. But this is not about our deal." Elsa placed her hand on the younger girl's shoulder without thinking, but, to her surprise (and relief) she didn't protest or pull away. "I see you're not okay, and I thought that maybe you needed someone…" Before she could finish what she was going to say, Elsa found herself being squished by a pair of slim arms and, a second later, her mind registered that Anna was holding her. Knowing she should hug her back, even if the circumstances were strange, she placed her hands around her head and pulled her close against her neck. That was when she noticed that her body was trembling slightly and tiny whimpers could be heard. Anna was crying.

Elsa didn't know why Anna was crying or why she had chosen to do it on her shoulder, but she wasn't going to ask. For some reason, Anna had come into her room stressed and sad and now she had chosen to search for comfort in her embrace. All she could do, until Anna had calmed down, was hold her.

Minutes passed, maybe even an hour, but in all that time Elsa didn't even think about letting go of Anna, who just kept crying on her, soaking her shirt with tears. Finally, her sobs started to subdue and, eventually, became only quiet sniffs before Anna separated herself from Elsa and wiped her tears and nose with a tissue.

Elsa kept looking at her with a concerned expression.

"Are you okay?" She asked once Anna seemed to be able to talk.

"I'm sorry." Anna answered, still with a cracked voice. "I shouldn't have…"

"No, it's okay." Elsa interrupted her. "I said I'm here for you and I meant it." Anna looked at her, first with surprise, then relief and finally gratitude. A small smile even appeared on her lips.

"Thank you." She said sincerely, which made Elsa smile.

"No problem." The blonde then sat on the bed and patted her side to indicate Anna to sit down, to which she complied. "Are you feeling better now?"

"A little." She said, looking at the ground. "I-it's just…" She cut herself off and sighed. "Nothing."

"Hey, it's okay. You can tell me anything." The blonde assured her, placing a hand on the other girl's hand. She didn't know why, but something was prompting her to have as much physical contact with her as possible.

"Really?" She asked hopeful, searching in the clone's gaze for something that told her she was really there for her. Elsa nodded as she smiled warmly, and this was enough for Anna to hug her again. "Thank you." She whispered at her ear before releasing her. Then, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, preparing herself to speak. When she lifted her eyelids again, her gaze was sad. "It's my sister." She admitted, looking down.

"Elvira?" Elsa asked worried. Anna nodded, and the blonde's heart almost stopped, what if she had gotten worse and the only way to save her was if she surrendered herself? "Is she okay? I-if she's gotten worse I…"

"No." Anna cut her off. "She's not okay, but…" She sighed. "There's nothing you can do; it's not physical."

Elsa frowned at her answer. She was relieved that she didn't have to die yet to save Anna's sister, but she wondered then what had caused Anna to say Elvira wasn't alright.

"I'm worried about her." Anna continued. "The accident that caused her to lose one kidney was a result of her drunken state. And that wasn't the first time she'd drank too much and tried to drive her car." Anna clenched her fists tight, and Elsa could see she was struggling not to cry again. "It's the same every weekend, a-and every time I hear her go… I-I'm afraid I'll lose her." Two tears escaped from Anna's eyes, but she quickly wiped them. Elsa started to feel sorry herself at the sight; she didn't like seeing her savior suffering.

"Does she know that what she's doing is dangerous?" Elsa asked, trying to think on a solution to Anna's problem, maybe that way she'd stop crying.

"Yes, of course, but she does it on purpose. Sometimes I think she's searching for her death." After admitting this, some more tears fell from her eyes, but she didn't bother to wipe them; it was useless.

"I'm sure that's not true. Why would someone want to die?" Elsa asked.

"I don't know." Anna admitted. "But her behavior these past years has made me think that; she stopped talking to my parents in a friendly manner when she became an adolescent. We all thought it was just a phase, but it just got worse over time; soon after she entered to high school, she also distanced herself from me, and she spent most of her time inside her room… sometimes she didn't even bother to eat. And three years ago she also started bringing girls home, one-night stands, after getting drunk at parties."

"One-night stands?" Elsa interrupted.

"Yeah, like… she just wanted them to have sex one time and that was all." Anna sighed. "She never got romantically involved with any of them."

"That doesn't sound so nice." Elsa commented. She didn't know much about love, but she did know that people usually had sex when they were a couple, meaning they loved each other, because it was a way of showing affection, otherwise it was an empty action. She wondered what kind of person Anna's sister was.

"It isn't, but I thought she was just trying to replace affection with sex, and that everything else was to get attention, from the media and from our parents, but… as months passed she became more reckless. One day the police caught her carrying a large amount of drugs, which landed her in jail for a couple of days before my father got her out. And another time she was involved in some street fight… got her a black eye and several broken ribs. That was when I knew she wasn't just trying to get attention; she was hurting herself." As Anna finished her explanation, her shoulders slumped and her eyes closed. She looked worried and stressed, like the weight of the world was on her shoulders, and Elsa didn't have any idea of what to do, or what to say, so she just remained quiet, until Anna's voice broke the silence. "I'm sorry I'm venting my frustrations with you. I don't have anyone else to talk to about this."

"It's okay, I did say you can count on me." Elsa assured her. "But, what do you mean you have no one else? Don't you have friends?"

"Of course I do, but… it's too personal. I know I can trust my friends with secrets, but this is something I wouldn't tell anybody."

"You told me." Elsa pointed out.

"Yeah… " Anna blinked, clearly wondering why she had done that. "I-I… I trust you. I don't know why, but I do. Maybe because you look like my sister, I don't know." She shrugged.

Elsa felt pain in her heart. She knew she should be happy that Anna trusted her, but she didn't want to be seen by the redhead just as her sister's temporary replacement. However, she decided not to mention that at the moment; Anna had too many things to worry about as it was.

"Well, I'm here to listen, whenever you want to talk." Anna turned to look at her and nodded in acknowledgment, but she was still sad. "And if there's something I can do to make you feel better…" She trailed off, expecting her answer. Anna turned and opened her mouth to say something when she saw the tray with food on the chair.

"Your food!" She exclaimed suddenly getting up and going to retrieve it. "I'm sorry, now it's cold, do you want me to warm it?" She asked. Elsa knew she was doing that only to avoid the subject, but she didn't want to make her uncomfortable, plus, she was hungry, so she nodded and Anna quickly exited the room only to return a few minutes later. "Here" She said, placing the tray on Elsa's lap again. "I hope you like it. It's hot chocolate, sandwiches and chocolate cake."

Elsa nodded in thanks and grabbed the fork to eat the sandwiches, when she noticed Anna was just there, at her side, watching her.

"Uhm… don't you want some food?" She asked.

"I'm not hungry." She shrugged.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Eat, I'll just keep you company."

"Okay." She said as she cut her sandwich in small pieces with the fork (Anna raised an eyebrow but said nothing) before taking one with and placing it into her mouth. Her eyes widened as she savored the food. She'd never thought real food could taste so good, it was just so different from the sweet (in a disgusting way) and soupy dough from the Center, that for a brief moment she wondered how she had been able to swallow that horrible thing for twenty one years.

Suddenly, she heard a beautiful sound beside her and turned to find Anna giggling cutely. She didn't know why, but the sight made her blush. Anna really looked beautiful when she was happy.

"Why are you laughing?" Elsa asked, amused.

"You should've seen your face. It was as if you'd never eaten a sandwich." She continued laughing, this time holding her ribs. Then, when Elsa just stared at her, confused, she realized what she had said. "Wait… was that the actual first time you tasted a sandwich?"

"If this is a sandwich, then yes." Elsa said looking at her plate of food.

"Wait what?!" Anna's mouth hanged opened because of the surprise. "What have you been eating all this time?"

"A nutritional dough. It tastes horrible." Elsa admitted making a face.

"Well, now that is torture." Anna said indignant.

"The others didn't seem to mind." Elsa shrugged as she took another piece of sandwich and closed her eyes to savor it better.

"They are brainless! Of course they didn't mind."

"They are not brainless. Their brains are just incapable of fully maturing into that of a normal human being." She said as she kept devouring the delicious food. "It's supposed to be… uh… because of the action of…" She frowned trying to remember what her friend had told her about the subject. "I think it's an… an enz… an enzyme." She smiled, relieved that she hadn't forget it.

"It's the same." Anna said, not wanting to admit she was wrong. "But, how do you know that?"

"A doctor who works on the Center told me. He's my friend."

"Oh, great." Anna smiled, knowing the blonde at least hadn't been alone all those years. "But if it's because of the action of some enzyme, why can you actually think?"

"They don't know." Elsa sighed. "I told you that." She then took a gulp of the hot chocolate and her eyes widen even more than when she had eaten the sandwich. The hot beverage was so delicious there were no words to describe it. "Oh, Anna! What is this? It's delicious!" She took another sip and moaned loudly at the taste. The redhead blushed and averted her gaze.

"It's hot chocolate. And yes, it's the most delicious beverage you can find." At her words, Elsa nodded in agreement and took another sip. "But, don't the scientists have any clue of what provoked your condition?" She asked, finding herself curious about the subject. Elsa shrugged.

"They all have theories, but none of them have been proven." She answered after she placed the empty mug on the tray and wiped her lips with her hand (she didn't know about the napkins). "Many of them think I have a natural resistance to the enzyme, that my body produces a substance that is capable of degrading it or counteracting its effects, or something like that." She shrugged. "I really don't know. What they all agree though, is that it must be something genetic."

"Wow, that's interesting." Anna said, paying attention closely to what the blonde was saying, for the first time in her life wanting to know more about the clones and how it all worked.

"I guess." Elsa answered vaguely, not wanting to remember the times when the scientists' conversations were the most interesting thing in her life, as she took a forkful of cake into her mouth. This time, her eyes became the size of saucers. "What. IS. THIS?" She asked as she looked at the delicious food on her plate, not believing it was real.

"Chocolate cake." Anna answered, smiling at the child-like wonder expressed in Elsa's eyes.

"Can I only eat this for the rest of my life?" Elsa asked as she enthusiastically took another forkful of the delight. Anna laughed.

"You could, but you'd become fat." She said in a teasing tone.

"In one week? I don't think so." Elsa wanted to say it as a joke, but the weight of the words soon made Anna's laugh die and soured the mood of both girls. She was about to apologize to Anna for bringing up the subject, when the girl suddenly got up and ran out of the room. Elsa wanted to kick herself; she had made Anna upset with that stupid comment.

As she took another bite of cake, she noticed it didn't taste quite as good without Anna by her side.

Just when she was finishing the now-not-so-delicious food, the door of her room opened and the redhead came in, carrying a whole half of one big chocolate cake. Elsa looked at her, happily surprised, as the redhead kneeled in front of her and offered her the whole cake (well, what was left of it) with watery eyes and a sad but gentle smile.

Elsa placed the tray on her bed and took the cake from Anna's hands. She knew what the girl wanted to tell her with this; she may just have one week of life, but she'd make sure it was the best week possible. She'd do anything to make her happy, not because she was obligated… but because she cared. She actually cared. Elsa felt her own eyes watering. No one had ever expressed such a feeling for her in her life, not even Kristoff, and her heart warmed with overwhelming happiness and gratitude.

"Share?" She asked, her voice swollen, because she was on the edge of tears. Happy tears. Anna nodded, equally overwhelmed with feelings, and both girls started eating the chocolaty food, relishing its taste but, mostly, each other's company.

Two hours later, both girls lied on the bed, not having the ability to move because of the great amount of chocolate cake they had consumed. Even if they had shared, it was too much for their bodies, but at least they had enjoyed it and were happy now.

"Ooofff! I think I'm gonna explode." Anna said as she rubbed her now-not-completely-flat stomach.

"Tell me about it. There's a very heavy head resting on my stomach." Elsa said ticking Anna with her ribs. "If it doesn't move, I'm afraid I'm going to throw up on you." She teased.

"You wouldn't dare." Anna said turning to look at her with a bright smile. "Who would take you to see the world then?"

"True." Elsa answered smiling back.

"Talking about that, I think we should leave tomorrow morning, to take advantage of the week as much as possible."

"Sounds good."

"Okay, then where do you want to go first?"

Elsa thought for a moment about the answer. She certainly didn't know much about places she could visit or things she could do. Of course she had an idea, but she decided it was better to let Anna, who had much more experience than her, decide.

"I don't know. Why don't you decide? Take me where you consider I definitely should go before dying."

"R-right." Anna felt her stomach twisting at Elsa's words, and not precisely because of the cake. "Okay then." She got up from bed (with great difficulty). "I'll go tell my parents and make the reservations, you go sleep." She reached into the closet and handed her a night gown. "Change and wash your teeth before you go to bed, I assume you know how to do that?"

"I have an idea." She nodded.

"Good." Anna said, relieved that she didn't have to teach her. "I'll come to get you early, like five in the morning, so you better sleep now." Saying that, Anna took the cake's pan and the tray with the dishes before heading to the door of the room. "Goodnight!" She said as she exited.

"Goodnight." Elsa answered as the door closed.

As Anna headed to the kitchen carrying the dirty dishes, she couldn't help thinking it was unfair for her to leave on vacations when her sister needed her most. But, she reasoned, Elvira wouldn't let her help anyways, and it wasn't as if she were leaving just because; she had promised Elsa she'd take her to see the world after all, and promises can't be broken. She just hoped Elvira didn't do something stupid while she was out... Actually, she could ask her to come with them. It would be difficult to explain but Anna was sure she wouldn't mind, and that way Anna could keep her in check.

Deciding it was the best, after sneaking into the kitchen and leaving the dishes there, Anna went to her sister's room. She knocked but got no answer, as usual. However, she didn't let it defeat her this time; the prospect of going on vacations with her sister and the most beautiful girl she'd ever met was giving her the strength and resolve necessary.

"Elvira?" She asked tentatively. "May I come in?" When she again got no answer she decided to keep talking. "I uh... I came to ask you to come on vacation with me a-and and a friend." Getting again silence as response. "I know it's a little sudden, but if you let me in, I'll explain it to you." She paused. Nothing. "Please?" She asked in one last, desperate attempt. Again, no answer. Getting frustrated, Anna grabbed the doorknob and opened the door... only to find an empty room.

I should have known it! She always sneaks out when father grounds her. I can't believe her!

She shut the door and angrily walked to her room.

Oh well. At least I know she wasn't ignoring me. I guess it'll have to do with Elsa. Going with me on vacations. The most beautiful girl and I. Together. In a hotel. Alone.

No! I can't do that! She's my sister's clone! It'd be like having relations with my own sister. But... even if she does look like Elvira, those two are very different, I mean, Elsa is just so sweet! And caring, and funny. So, no, I'm not attracted to my sister in that way. Only to her clone.

Wait what?! No. I'm not attracted to my sister, nor to her clone. Okay? Okay.

Gosh, it's gonna be a difficult week. Wonderful, but difficult.