The Mark
Marrakesh, Morocco
Five Years Ago
It wasn't easy at first for Elsa and Anna to adapt to their new lifestyle as treasure hunters, and less so for them to become comfortable interacting with one another again. The years they spent apart allowed the two, who had once been practically joined at the hip, to grow and mature independently of the other.
Nonetheless, Anna was thrilled to have Elsa back in her life, even if things weren't the same as before. As for Elsa, she was resolved to undo some of the hurt she had done and make up for the time they had lost due to her self-imposed isolation. Even so, she still tended to be aloof and detached from Anna out of fear that she may harm her again even though it pained her so. Conversations were sometimes stilted and awkward while at others, they flowed easily and came naturally. From time to time, Anna would make a reference that Elsa didn't understand or she would allude to something that she hadn't been a part of. With sobering realization, Elsa had learned just how much of Anna's life she had already missed, which added to the dimensions of guilt and shame she had already felt. In any case, Elsa tried to the best of her ability to squash her doubts and be the sister and friend that Anna had always deserved.
Despite it all, Anna continued to give her love selflessly to Elsa through small gestures and affectionate touches. In fact, Elsa had so rarely interacted with other people during their childhood apart aside from Anna, she could hardly fathom being as close to anyone else as she was with her. For reasons she would later on come to realize, Anna was simply enough.
The life of a treasure hunter, as hard it was and as dangerous as it could be, felt natural to the two sisters. Despite their young age and lack of experience, Elsa and Anna quickly acclimated to their true calling. They traveled the world as their parents once had, seeking their own fortune as well as answers to the mysteries of the ancient world. The wayward siblings never remained in one place for long and never struggled to hop from one location to the next, thanks to the sizable inheritance their parents had left behind.
Early on, they both decided it was safer to protect their true identities and adopted the monikers Elsa Drake and Anna Croft to divert unwanted attention away from their notorious family name. They put on a convincing enough display, and anybody they worked with or encountered did not suspect that they were sisters. Not that they would have hung around long enough to become familiar with any partners they picked up along the way as Elsa and Anna preferred to work with only each other. Such was the nature of their business, at least until they encountered their mark who possessed an item of great interest to them.
... ... ...
"It should be easy, Elsa. We've done it plenty of times before."
"Pick-pocketing some random guy on the street is a lot different from lifting keys to the pantry from an old house servant, Anna."
"Would you relax? We'll run our classic play, you distract him and I make the lift. And besides, he's not some random guy, he's our mark. There's a difference."
"Why am I always the distraction?"
"Because," Anna smiled. "You're the pretty one."
She was right. Elsa was twenty now and by all rights a young woman. She still retained her signature platinum blonde hair which she typically had styled into a singular braid. Her round cheeks had shed much of their volume, evening out to accentuate defined cheekbones yet retaining the light dusting of freckles that were nearly invisible. The bridge of her nose slanted gently, ending in a peak and sat above a pair of lips that were soft and round. Her jawline had sharpened, complementing her slender neck.
However, it was Elsa's eyes that Anna was stunned by the most. They were still that deep sapphire blue that Anna remembered yet now, there was a depth to them that she could not recall seeing there before. It was as if something else had settled there in the interim years they spent apart from each other. It was an odd sensation, one that seemed familiar and foreign all at once, but Anna realized that the definitive feature of Elsa's eyes were not their signature shade, but that they were imperceptibly muted somehow. As if someone had dimmed down the lights but not fully turned them off. Elsa's eyes seemed to contain a deep reservoir of sadness in them, even when she smiled.
On the other hand, Anna herself was eighteen now. Her characteristic red hair remained the same bright and vibrant shade, as well as her teal eyes that appeared like two jewels when they caught the light. She had lost her girlhood vigor as her features settled into a more mature and severe appearance. Her chubby cheeks that she had as a child had given way to a smooth, sloping jawline. The last vestige of her youth that remained plainly visible were Anna's dusting of rosy freckles that sat on her cheeks.
Elsa tried as much as she could to avoid Anna, fearful of the things she might say, or do. The years they spent apart were not easy for either of them, yet Anna had managed to retain her characteristic bubbly energy. Whenever she smiled, she did so earnestly as if it could be for the last time. That was what defined Anna; her ability to feel and act and think so much more completely, so much more passionately, and so much more fervently. Elsa was drawn to her energy as if Anna were the sun and she were the moon. She knew she could never hope to catch up to it, for fear that her coldness and aloofness would dim her light, yet still she yearned for her all the same.
They had been watching the tall fair haired man from a distance for several minutes now. He was sitting outside a café, reading a newspaper with one hand and sipping an espresso with the other. Elsa and Anna were seated similarly, several tables away and occupied with their own cups, though they had been emptied long ago. They had been tailing their mark for just over an hour now, observing him for any noticeable changes in his behavior that could suggest his awareness of their presence. Elsa turned to Anna, who still had her eyes on the mark, though her gaze was shielded by the sunglasses she wore.
"How can you be sure he has the stone with him?" Elsa asked in a hushed tone.
"Because," Anna scoffed discreetly. "We've been following him all morning and he hasn't been out of our sight since."
"But… how do you know he has the stone on him right now? We haven't actually seen it on him."
"Then you haven't been looking close enough, dear sister. Look in his right pocket... that bulge? I mean he's either packing, or that's the seer stone sitting right there." Anna whispered.
"Anna!" Elsa recoiled.
"What? Look, it just has to be. Notice how he keeps patting it to make sure it's still there? That has to be it."
"That's not what I meant, Anna."
Just then, the fair haired man emptied the last of his espresso in one easy swig, set down his newspaper, and then stood and departed. He was whistling a casual tune as he crossed a street and disappeared around the next corner. Elsa and Anna, who had been watching him, remained seated and appeared to anyone else as two individuals sharing a conversation until their mark was out of sight. Soon enough, they too departed from the café and set off as they followed their mark from a safe distance.
"Look," Anna leaned towards Elsa. "We can talk about this all day, but we need that stone."
"I know," Elsa pulled back slightly if only to put some respectable distance between her and Anna. "I'm just… being thorough."
"Well, be less thorough."
Elsa didn't reply, but she nodded her affirmation. They continued to follow the man for several more blocks, turning left at a junction once, and then right again. Elsa and Anna remained far behind enough to evade suspicion, though perhaps it may not have been necessary as their mark never once turned a single glance behind him.
He turned down a small side street, and as Elsa and Anna quickened their pace to catch up, they spotted him turning right down a short flight of stairs a dozen meters ahead of them. After they caught up and descended the same stairs, Elsa and Anna found themselves at the entry to a bazaar, bustling with pedestrian foot traffic. All around them, merchants shouted and advertised their wares ranging from all sorts of bits, bobs and curiosities. What was most alluring was the myriad of fragrant spices and perfumes, accompanied by wafting notes of roasting meats and vegetables.
Elsa and Anna were distracted for a moment, when they spotted their mark again, strolling at a leisurely pace a few stalls ahead of them.
"Alright," Anna said in a hushed voice. "Go get him, gorgeous," she went away and disappeared into the crowd.
Their mark had now stopped, examining various earthenware pots and jugs at one stall. In the meantime, Elsa took a deep breath and fumbled around clumsily in her bag to put on her appearance of a lost tourist. Then, she started walking ahead into the crowd, intently studying her map while keeping her attention discreetly focused on the man in front of her. When she closed the distance, she purposely stumbled into him, dropping the map that she had pretended to be looking at.
"Oh! Pardon me, sir," Elsa recited as she smiled disarmingly. "I didn't see where I was going."
"It's alright, no harm done," the man said as he knelt to pick up the fallen map and returned an easy going smile. "Here," he extended the map to Elsa.
"Thank you. Sorry again," Elsa chuckled nervously, though not genuinely. She took the map from the man's extended arm back into her own hands, fumbling around to set it the right way as she did so.
"Lost?" the man suggested as he lifted one eyebrow. He still wore that easy smile.
"Um… a bit," Elsa admitted shyly. "I'm afraid I've never been to this city before. I've only just arrived a few days ago, and I've just been completely hopeless at trying to find my way around."
From the corner of her peripheral vision, Elsa spotted Anna making her approach from a few meters behind the man. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and Anna nodded her head once before turning to examine a particularly interesting rack of postcards.
"Well, I know my way around a bit," the man replied. "Where are you headed?"
Elsa turned her eyes back towards the man in front of her, who was now regarding her with a detached look in his eye. "My- my hotel that I'm staying at. The Gilded Branch."
The man's gaze sharpened into focus, and his smile brightened. "Ah. The same one I'm staying at," he said, amused at the coincidence. "Well here, I can point it out to you on the map."
Behind him, Anna was inching her way closer, pausing to examine various goods as she did and stopping just a few steps away from behind their mark. Once again, their eyes met for a single moment before Anna turned her own gaze down to the man's right pocket, which lay just out of reach.
"Here it is," the man said as he finally located The Gilded Branch on the map and pointed it out. "And here we are," he traced his finger over to the bazaar they were currently in.
"Oh. Let me see," Elsa said as she drew the map slightly closer to herself, drawing the man in as she did.
Anna was just behind him now, reaching discreetly towards his right pocket when he suddenly straightened up. Immediately, she drew her hand back as if she had been burned and took a few steps away, appearing nonchalant.
'It's not far. I could walk you back if you'd like," the man said, flashing that easy-going smile again. "You can introduce me to your friend."
Elsa was stunned, caught off guard by his remark. Behind the man, Anna stiffened up in alarm.
"I'm sorry?" Elsa asked innocently.
"Your friend, the one with sticky fingers?" the man said without taking his eyes off Elsa. "She is right behind me, no?"
"I'm afraid you must be mistaken. I don't- I don't know what you mean," Elsa said in a disarming tone.
"I think you do know. You keep shifting your eyes behind me," the man said.
Elsa couldn't help but glance at Anna for just a second.
"You just did it again," the man turned halfway to face both of them. "You must be looking for this, right?" he withdrew the seer stone from his pocket.
The seer stone was a round and chiseled ruby about the size of a tangerine. While the man held it in his hand, turning it over in the light, Elsa and Anna stared transfixed at it. Another moment later, they both regarded the man with renewed suspicions. They were both speechless and unsure of what to do next.
"You do… still want it, don't you?" the man asked slowly. "Ah, I should introduce myself first. The name's Kristoff. Kristoff Jones."
Elsa and Anna looked at each other, both equally flabbergasted. They turned their eyes back to the stone, then to the man who was smiling again, then back to each other.
"Come on," Kristoff chuckled affably. "There's a great teahouse not far from here. Why don't we talk there?"
... ... ...
"And so you see, they duped me. Took off with the money before I could even take a good look at it. That's when I realized it was a fake, and not the real seer stone that I've been after," Kristoff sighed and ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair.
Elsa, Anna and this new character, Kristoff, were seated at a round table inside a dimly lit teahouse. Elsa looked at Kristoff, her brows furrowed in skepticism while Anna quietly sipped a cup of mint tea.
"I was headed back to the branch when I noticed you two, and you both seemed very interested in it," Kristoff continued. "And since neither of you seemed to know it was a fake either, you can't be working for that Flynn."
Elsa looked to Anna, who had set her cup down and was now examining the ruby that sat between the three of them.
"How can we trust you? I mean, how did you know we were following you and how can you tell it's a fake?" Anna asked.
"Because," Kristoff hefted the ruby in his palm before suddenly turning it downwards and smashing it into the table, causing it to shatter. "Real rubies aren't made of sugar glass," he dusted his hands.
Elsa and Anna glanced at each other, shocked.
"And as for how I knew you were following me, well, I had my suspicions earlier at the café. But I didn't really know what your game was until you two cornered me at the bazaar," Kristoff turned to Elsa. "It was great acting, but I recognized your play from a mile away. "
Elsa turned aside, a little embarrassed but more disappointed in herself for giving it away so easily.
"And you can't trust me. I definitely wouldn't," Kristoff leaned back in his chair and casually rested a foot over his other knee. "But it seems that we're all after the same thing… so maybe we can help each other."
"What's in it for you?" Elsa asked pointedly.
"Yeah," Anna joined in. "You're a crook, right? A con man, a... a lie... guy! What's your game here?"
"Hey give me a little credit. At least I'm an honest lie-guy," Kristoff said defensively as he held up his hands. "That doesn't make any sense, but you get what I'm trying to say."
"You were after the stone same as we were," Elsa said as she narrowed her brows. "Why do you want it?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Kristoff deflected.
Elsa and Anna said nothing, and glared at him in silence.
Kristoff sighed then rubbed his jaw. "Alright, look. I'm just a guy who collects... antiquities, I'll say. A client wants me to get something for them, I get it. For the right price, of course," he replied. "I don't ask questions or stick my nose where it doesn't belong. It's safer that way, not that it matters anymore. I'm pretty sure I've been fired for losing my client's money and they're probably not too happy about that. Now," he pointed at Elsa and Anna. "Why are you two after it?"
Once again, the pair looked at each for a few moments before answering. Anna raised her brows in a silent question, and Elsa furrowed hers in reply. With a decision reached, they nodded then turned back to Kristoff.
"Seer stones were said to have been used by ancient prophets to receive revelations from God, or lead to treasure. At least, according to the guy who invented Mormonism or something," Anna started.
"Joseph Smith," Elsa added. "But he didn't publish the Book of Mormon until 1830, and this stone far predates him. From as far back as the time of the crusades. We think it's connected to... something that we've been searching for."
"And you think it'll lead you some sort of treasure?" Kristoff asked.
"That's one way of putting it," Anna said mildly.
"Hmm," Kristoff regarded each of them for a moment. "You two don't seem like the usual bloodthirsty treasure hunters I've come across. You haven't been doing this for very long have you?"
"We've been getting by just fine on our own," Elsa stated firmly.
"Yeah, clearly," Kristoff scoffed. "Look, I can tell you that you guys have talent, but you still got a lot to learn. Stick with me, and maybe we can teach other a thing or two while making a nice profit. What do you think?"
Elsa and Anna turned to each other, before turning back to Kristoff.
"We'll need to talk about it," they said simultaneously.
"Sure, sure. Take your time," Kristoff chuckled then leaned back in his chair to light a cigar. "I'll be right here," he took a puff and blew smoke through his nostrils.
Anna rose first and grabbed Elsa's hand, leading her out of the teahouse and onto the street where they could converse privately. Once they were out of earshot, they turned to each other.
"Maybe he's onto something," Anna whispered.
"I don't know Anna," Elsa glanced back inside at the man who was casually smoking. "He knew about us the whole time."
"True, but he had plenty of chances to call us out. I think he wanted us to approach him."
"That's what I don't like. What if it's some kind of trick?"
"Well, he wasn't lying about the stone. Maybe he is our best bet. How long have we been after this thing? The most solid lead we've had turned out to be a bust."
"I just… I still don't trust him."
"Hey, me too, okay? If he's a flake, we'll turn him out and cut him loose. If he's legit, well… we can still turn him out and cut him loose."
"Okay, alright."
After a few more minutes, they returned to where Kristoff was seated. He blew a thick puff of smoke over his shoulder and leaned forward. "So, have we reached an agreement?" he asked.
Elsa and Anna locked eyes once before they both nodded.
"Great! We have a deal," Kristoff beamed. "Say, I still haven't got your names," he extended his hand towards Anna first. "Always important to know just who you're working with in this business of thieves and cutthroats."
"Anna Croft," she replied as she shook his hand.
Kristoff smiled, then extended his hand towards Elsa.
"Elsa Drake," she said as she returned the gesture.
Kristoff rolled the cigar between his thumb and forefinger and frowned. "You two aren't sisters?"
"No. Though we get that a lot," Anna deflected easily.
"We're just partners," Elsa added. "We've been working together for a while now."
"Huh," Kristoff shrugged. "Could have fooled me."
... ... ...
That night when they retired to their hotel room at the Gilded Branch, Elsa sat on her bed and stared out the window at the blurry lights of the city below.
As close as they were, Elsa's habits for keeping Anna at arm's length soon became apparent to the younger sibling. Elsa always insisted on separate beds whenever they checked into their lodging, she never initiated physical contact with Anna even though she didn't resist when Anna did so first, and whenever a sensitive subject regarding their past came up, Elsa would deflect it or change the subject entirely. Anna picked up on these cues early on, and it frustrated her as much as it confused her since she still didn't know the reason why Elsa was doing any of these things. Much as she wanted to, there was so much to unpack and dissect that Anna didn't know the best way to even broach the subject.
Anna stepped out of the bathroom wearing a bathrobe and dabbing her wet hair with a towel. A thick cloud of steam unfurled and rolled out of the open door behind her as she paced over to her bed. Elsa always let Anna shower first, so as not to waste the hot water that Anna would undoubtedly use up given that was the only way she could bathe.
"All done," Anna sat down on the bed and crossed her legs over one another. "Sorry if there's no hot water," she said bashfully.
"It's alright," Elsa turned and gathered her things, heading towards the bathroom. She stopped in her tracks when Anna began humming a tuneless melody as she flicked through different channels on the TV.
Anna was idly waving her foot around in the air, which drew in Elsa's eye to her smooth and creamy legs. The bathrobe she was wearing rode up just past her knees, exposing the lower part of her thigh. Briefly, an intrusive thought entered Elsa's mind in which she imagined running her fingers along Anna's supple skin, tracing and drawing intricate patterns as if she were mapping her strange desires.
"Elsa? You in there?" Anna asked, chuckling. "Hello, earth to Elsa?"
As quickly as it had come, the scene Elsa was playing out in her mind vanished, and left behind nothing but a warm sensation between her thighs and confusion as to where it had originated from.
"Yeah… fine," Elsa nodded quickly and paced to the washroom, avoiding eye contact with Anna.
Anna regarded Elsa a moment longer, then shrugged it off as she continued to flick through the channels on the TV for anything interesting to watch. In the meantime, Elsa went inside the washroom then softly closed the door shut behind her before leaning against it.
I just need a cold shower, Elsa thought. A really cold shower.
