Author's Note: I can't believe how many people are already following the story! Please review and tell me what you think :) Thanks!
Elsa felt someone gently shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes, confused.
"Hey, come on. Time to get up. You might want to put on some normal clothes before going inside."
Elsa blinked owlishly, still dazed. "Where are we?" she asked in hushed tones.
"A Motel 6. Here, put this on. I'll wait outside." He shoved a pile a clothing into her hands before crawling back out of the car.
Elsa couldn't quite see the clothes in the dim light. She tried putting them on anyway. It was so strange to feel the soft texture of jeans and t-shirts after hospital gowns and scratchy jumpsuits. She slipped them on. Both were slightly too big. She shoved a pair of flip flops on her feet before opening the car door. Jack offered her a jacket.
"I'm not cold."
"You need to wear it."
"Why?"
"Work with me, Elsa. I'm trying to conceal your identity."
Elsa huffed, but slid the hoodie on. Elsa felt Jack pull on her hair and whirled around.
"Calm down." He held up a baseball cap. "I need to hide your hair."
"Hide my hair?" She fingered a tangled lock.
Jack sighed and crossed his arms.
"Fine."
Elsa turned around, offering Jack her back. He stuffed the hair down the back of her jacket, making Elsa wriggle. The hair tickled. He shoved the baseball cap on her head before grabbing her hand. Elsa jumped back, yanking her hand away.
"We're supposed to be married," he explained, offering her his hand.
Elsa stiffly placed her hand in his, trying to come in as little contact with him as possible. She didn't like physical contact. The only physical contact she had was when a scientists grabbed her wrist to enter an iv or tilt her head to shine a light into her eye. Elsa resigned to suffer in silence as he clutched her hand, leading her towards a pair of glass doors. The glass doors slid open smoothly. The tile floor was a bland beige and the walls were white, except for the wall directly behind the lobby desk, which was a bright pumpkin orange.
"Welcome to Motel 6, how may I help you?" The stout woman behind the desk smiled. She had dark hair and even darker eyes.
"I'd like to rent a room please."
"Single or double."
"Umm, single."
"Alright, give me just a second." The computer keys click-clacked as her fingers dances across the keyboard. "May I see your card?"
"Sure." Jack handed her a shiny blue card of plastic.
She took it and glanced at the card then at the computer. The keys clicked a few more times. "Alright, the room is 306. Third floor, take a left and it'll be on your right."
Jack nodded. "Thank you."
He took his debit card back and the room key. He pulled Elsa towards the elevator, pushing a round button once they were inside. The button lit up and a 'beep' resounded around the elevator as the doors closed. Elsa had the strange sensation of her stomach dropping as the elevator lurched upward. A screen above the door had a digital '1' in red. With a beep, the number changed to '2.' It finally stopped on the third floor, the metal doors parting to reveal an off-white hallway with gray carpet. Lights shone overhead, illuminating the hallway. Elsa sleepily rubbed her eyes as Jack dragged her to the left before stopping at a door to fumble with the plastic card before inserting it into the door. A light next to the card slot glowed green as the door unlocked with a 'click.' The room was small. A narrow hallway with a door on each side led to a room with a bed, small table, and flat screen TV mounted onto the wall. The floors were a carpeted beige. The wall that the bed was flushed against was a creamy dreamsicle orange. The single bed was made meticulously, the sheets of white, beige, and orange smoothed to perfection. Jack peeled back the covers, groaning before he collapsed into the bed, kicking off his shoes. Jack looked exhausted. He blinked several times, gazing up at her with sleepy blue eyes.
"You can lay down too."
Elsa glanced around the room. There wasn't even a folding sofa. "I'm not tired." A yawn punctuated her sentence.
Jack smiled. "Whatever you say, dear."
Elsa rolled her eyes.
"I know you didn't sleep very well in the car."
She crossed her arms.
"We are married."
"In name," she replied.
Jack sighed a collapsed against the pillows. "Burger King, have it your way," he muttered, his eyes fluttering close.
Elsa stood for a few more minutes. There weren't even any cushioned chairs. She groaned, but rolled into bed. The bed was so soft. And it had springs! Elsa bounced on it a few times. Jack chuckled, his eyes still closed. She slipped her shoes off and snuggled underneath the covers, savoring the feeling of the thick comforter. The mattress was so cushiony, it practically swallowed her. This was a huge step up from thin cotton sheets. She stifled a gasp when Jack pulled her to him, her heart thudding against her ribcage.
"Night, Elsa." She heard him smile as he draped an arm around her waist.
Bright, warm sunlight streamed into the room. Elsa pried her eyes open. She'd almost forgotten what the sun looked like. She wriggled out of Jack's grip and walked to the window, her bare feet padding on the wooden floor. She peered through the thick, orange curtains and stared at the sun until she felt physical pain. She finally looked away. When she blinked, she could see a bright dot, flashing green and pink, where the sun had been in her vision. Elsa closed the curtains and turned back to the room. Jack slept soundly, the sounds of his soft breathing filling the room. Elsa thought he looked rather… cute curled up on the bed, his hair in disarray. Elsa shook her head. If anytime, now was the time to escape. With another glance at Jack, she strode over to the door. Her hand touched the cool metal, but she didn't turn the knob. Elsa grimaced. She still needed Jack. She had nowhere to go. Elsa sighed and lowered her hand. She turned to look at Jack. He still looked exhausted, dark smears underneath his closed eyes. Elsa turned toward a tiny kitchenette, built into the wall. It had a coffee maker. Elsa hated coffee, but Jack might want some after driving all night. Elsa opened the top of the machine. She pulled of bag of partially used coffee grounds out of the cabinet and poured it into the container on the top. She turned the faucet on and filled it the rest of the way with water. A steady trickle poured into the coffee container. In a couple minutes, the container was full. Elsa frowned. It looked… watery with black specks floating around in it. She poured herself a cup, grimacing at the taste. Coffee was bad, but this was… awful. It tasted like very bitter, luke-warm water. Elsa poured the rest of it down the sink. So much for coffee. Jack was still asleep. Elsa decided she should take a shower before he got up. Elsa locked the bathroom door behind her. She undressed and turned the shower on. TO her delight, she found a razor. After washing her hair, Elsa sat down in the tub and the razor scraped against her skin. She finished shaving and turned the water off before stepping out of the shower and wrapping herself in a thick, white towel. It was incredibly soft. Elsa found herself humming as she finished drying herself off. She heard a timid knock on her door.
"Elsa?" Jack called, his voice muffled. "Can I please use the restroom? Please, please, please, please?"
Elsa was tempted to smile. "May I have one more minute? I just need to get dressed."
There was an awkward silence. "Uh-uh, yeah. Sure." He cleared his throat.
Elsa slipped her clothes back on, though they still stuck to her in places she hadn't dried. She unlocked the door. Jack stood shyly in the doorway. He pushed his way past Elsa, slamming the door.
"Thanks!" he called.
Elsa waited for a few minutes. She curiously turned on the TV. There was a seriously weird cartoon on Cartoon Network. Elsa wrinkled her nose in distaste and changed the channel several times. She stopped when she reached a video of a woman sautéing chicken. Her stomach rumbled hungrily and she flipped the channel. She paused when she reached a channel with an old man hollering as he caught an… animal of some sort. The show was on Animal Planet. She'd never seen it before. Elsa finally flipped the TV off and knocked on the bathroom door.
"Come in."
Elsa turned the knob and opened the door slowly. Jack offered her a wide smile, his mouth filled with foamy toothpaste, before turning back to the mirror and continuing to brush his teeth. He had his shirt off, his entire chest bare. The hair on his head was wet and clung to his skin. Elsa cleared her throat and averted her eyes, searching the counter for a brush.
"Need something?" Jack asked, his words sounding distorted with a tooth brush in his mouth.
"A brush?"
Jack spat, rinsing his mouth out. He wiped his mouth on a hand towel. "I have a plastic comb." He rummaged through a toiletry bag on the counter before offering her a black comb.
Elsa ran the comb through her tangled locks. She accidentally broke a few of the comb's teeth. At that moment, Elsa was so glad she didn't have Anna's hair in the mornings. The thought brought a pang of longing. "Can I see Anna?"
Jack froze, turning to look at her. "Anna?" He looked sad.
Her heart plummeted and she paled. "Is-is Anna…" She stumbled backwards.
Jack caught her wrist before she could fall. "Sorry. Yeah, Anna's fine. Engaged."
"Engaged to who?" Elsa broke out into a cold sweat.
"Kristoff."
"Oh… Isn't he a bit… eccentric?"
Jack laughed. "That's one way to put it. His motor cycle obsession had cooled off since he met Anna, though he still has a particular affinity for them."
"Oh…" Elsa felt bereft. She'd missed out on years of Anna's life. "So, can I see her?"
Jack shook his head. "Sorry."
Elsa felt anger swell within her. "Why would you prevent me from seeing my sister?!" she demanded.
Jack huffed. "It's not like I want to!"
"Well, then why—"
"Think, Elsa. You've escaped. What's the first place they'd check? Your house. All of your relatives are going to be under heavy surveillance."
Elsa fell silent. After a moment, Jack sighed and began rummaging through the toiletry bag until he found a can of shaving cream. Elsa watched as he applied it to the lowered half of his face. It looked like he had a beard. Elsa found the thought immensely amusing, though she made sure to clear her expression of any emotion. Jack took the razor, carefully scraping away the cream. He rinsed his face when he was done, drying it with a towel.
"You done with the comb?"
Elsa glanced down at the comb, ensnared in tendril of platinum blonde hair. She grasped her hair tightly and tried to pull the comb out.
"Let me." Jack gently brushed her hands aside and began untangling the home. "I suppose I'll have to get you a bona fide brush, huh?" He finally pulled the last strand of hair away. He cleaned the comb's teeth of her hair, which he threw into the trash below the sink. He combed his hair, but it didn't stay put, even when wet. It remained in white spikes, almost like icicles. Jack sighed and lowered his hand. He turned towards Elsa. "I'm going to brush your hair, okay?"
She frowned. "Why?"
Jack smiled. "I'm going to help you with your disguise." He started brushing her hair, gently pulling her locks through the comb. He braided it, pinning it around her head. Elsa didn't know he could braid. She wanted to ask when he learned, but refrained from doing so. This arrangement was strictly for business, not some sort of relationship. "Stay here." Jack left the bathroom, returning a moment later with a… wig? It was a golden blonde with streaks of brown with straight bangs. Jack secured the wig onto her head with a few more pins. The bangs lightly brushed her forehead and the hair fell to her shoulders, much shorter than her actual hair. Jack took out a bottle of tanned liquid, putting some on his finger. He began to smear it on her face. Elsa shied away from his hand. "It's alright, Elsa," he said soothingly, his voice taking on a silky quality, "It's just makeup. It'll make your skin less pale."
Elsa's eyes darted to the mirror. She was rather a sickly pale color and didn't blame Jack for wanting to change it. She'd never felt so self-conscious about her skin before. She supposed men in general liked tanner women.
"Elsa?" She was disturbed from her musings by Jack's voice. Elsa held still as he finished applying the makeup on her face. "There," he said as he finished rubbing the last bit of liquid makeup into her skin. "Now for your hands." He glanced down at them. He picked up her bare hand. "You can control it now?"
That wasn't quite true, but the less he knew the better. "Yes."
Jack shrugged and began applying the makeup to her hands until they were the same tan as her face. She looked… different. "All done." Jack washed his hands and returned the bottle of tan liquid to his bag. "We should probably get going now. Don't worry, you won't have to wear disguises in Wichita." Jack slipped a shirt on and threw the few things he'd brought into his suitcase. "Ready?"
Elsa shrugged and followed him out of the door.