Chapter 11: I hate you.
"Elvira? May I come in?" Anna asked as she knocked on her sister door, a hesitating and uncomfortable Elsa behind her.
"Sure sis." She answered for the first time in forever, taking Anna aback slightly; she wasn't used to being treated so… civilly by her. Still, she managed to open the door, gesture Elsa to come inside, and follow her soon after.
The clone couldn't help being surprised when she saw the room. Considering Elvira's personality, she expected something resembling a medieval dungeon, or for it at least to be covered in nude-chick's posters and underwear scattered all over the floor… but maybe she had let her imagination run wild. Maybe, just maybe, she had judged Elvira wrong.
"Uh… what happened to your room?" Anna asked, clearly as surprised as Elsa.
"W-what are you talking about?" Elvira turned away from her computer and gave her a nervous smile as she blushed slightly.
"Oh, come on, I was here last week and it was a complete mess!" Anna almost shouted. Sure, it wasn't all tidy, with video games and movies scattered here and there, but it wasn't like she'd seen it last.
"You entered without permission?!" Elvira all but yelled, clearly upset.
"I thought you were here, but you didn't respond!" Anna retorted. "But you haven't answered, where's all your… stuff?" Anna blushed, remembering having seen porn movies scattered around the floor, plus some exotic lingerie between all her sister's clothes and shoes.
"I cleaned it." She replied, earning a raised eyebrow from Anna. "What? I am capable of cleaning my room." She pouted, something that actually reminded the clone of Anna… she was actually starting to think Elvira was more similar to Anna than to herself.
No, I shouldn't compare them. Anna is kind, and thoughtful, and sweet. Elvira is a complete jerk.
Not saying anything, Anna crossed the room, opened a wardrobe and found herself almost buried in a mountain of trash, dirty clothes, posters of almost nude models and… yeah, porn movies. Mostly of redheads, now that she thought about it. She fought the urge to vomit.
"Y-you shouldn't have seen any of that." Elvira said, rushing to push all that stuff back into the wardrobe and shutting the door, looking anxiously at Anna, then realizing she was showing her emotions and adopting an arrogant and cold attitude again. However, Elsa swore she actually saw some pain in her eyes when the redhead refused to look her in the eye.
It's nothing. I'm probably just imagining things.
"Whatever." Anna sighed. "I don't want to know about any of this."
"Alright." Elvira nodded before returning to her computer and adopting a self-satisfied smile, like she already knew the answer to what she was about to ask. "So… have you considered my generous offer?"
"Yeah, and as much as the decision disgusts me… we have a deal." Elsa said in resignation.
"I knew you were smart." Elvira smirked.
"And how exactly are you going to help us?" Anna asked, putting herself behind Elvira and looking at the screen, to which the older girl just chuckled.
"If you had paid any attention to your science classes you would already know it and probably wouldn't even need my help."
"What are you talking about?" Sha asked, as confused as Elsa.
"Here." Elvira pointed at the screen, prompting both girls to peer at it. It was an online version of Arendelle's constitution. "Article 113. Every human born within Arendelle's territory, it being over land, sea or sky, is considered a citizen of this country and has all such rights established in this document."
"Except clones." Anna pointed at the sentence at the bottom of the page.
"Yes, now let's look at the definition of clones, shall we?" Elvira asked as she opened another document, this one containing legal definitions. "A clone, as established by the law, is a genetically modified human being, product of a cloning process, whose brain can't develop a cortex due to said genetic modifications."
"But… the Clone Center uses an enzyme." Elsa pointed out. "Not… genetic modifications."
"Exactly." Elvira nodded. "Which means Weaseltown either lied about his procedures or bribed the politicians into lying for him. Either way, what he's doing is highly illegal."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Anna exclaimed. "I don't understand. Why does it matter how clones are made?"
"Because the way Weaseltown is making them now, they're born as citizens of Arendelle, and therefore, have rights. Rights like, for example, not having their brains illegally and permanently modified by some chemical substance." Anna's eyes widened when she finally understood the implications. Weselton could go to jail (or better, get a death sentence) for purposely damaging the brains of hundreds, no, thousands of babies!
"But… why would he lie about this? Why not say the truth? Then everything would be legal, right?" Elsa asked just what Anna was thinking.
"Well, you see, when you genetically modify something, it's less probable that errors like you occur." Elvira explained. "Plus, an enzyme like the one he's using could be used for war or terrorism purposes if it fell in the wrong hands, and no one wants that. It would have been way more difficult for clones to be accepted than it already was. Public opinion is hard to sway at the best of times."
"So… he lied because he hasn't found a way to genetically modify humans successfully, so he uses the enzyme to alter their brains?" Anna asked.
"Exactly." Elvira nodded.
"Okay, so now we know that. What should we do with this information?" Elsa asked, sounding a little bit rude, but she didn't care. It didn't matter how much Elvira helped her, she was still the jerk trying to steal Anna from her.
"Well… we need more proof. Records of how many clones are resistant to the enzyme, and of course, the procedure to make it. If we have it all in paper, it'll be easier to prohibit clones, or at least stop their production." Elvira reasoned, sounding oddly condescending, like she was explaining all this to an impatient child.
"But… Isn't Elsa proof enough?" Anna asked.
"I don't think you want everyone to know you're in a relationship with your sister's clone, do you?" Elvira rolled her eyes.
"No… I guess not." Anna admitted, turning red. "So we're going to pretend she's only way too similar to you and that's all?"
"Why not? Things like that happen." Elvira shrugged.
"I-I thought you were confident you'd win Anna from me." Elsa said confused. "So then why does it matter to you if people know I'm your clone?"
"Because I can take advantage of that. You know, pretend you are Anna's sister, and I'm just some girl who looks like you. I'd have to alter my wardrobe and hairstyle, but… it's worth it." She winked at Anna, and the redhead just rolled her eyes.
"You're too selfish for your own good." Elsa chastised.
"So they say." Elvira shrugged. "Now, let's start the plan, shall we?"
"Sure, but… what's the plan?" Anna asked her sister, curious as to how she planned on reveling one of Arendelle's more powerful enterprises' deepest secrets.
"Well, I've entered Weaseltown's system plenty of times, using many different strategies, hoping to find some dirty secret I could expose… but I've never found a thing about the enzyme my clone mentioned." She made emphasis on the clone part and smirked when the blonde frowned at her words. "So my guess is that they either used paper to write down those things, which is highly unlikely, or that they have a super anti-hacking software, which is just as unlikely. The only thing that is even vaguely possible is that Weselton has a computer that's exclusive for that sort of information. No internet or wired connection, of any kind, to any other computer. If that's the case, he probably has it buried somewhere, with the map guarded by a bunch of ninjas…"
"You watch too much TV." Anna shook her head.
"Or in a vault somewhere." Elvira concluded, chuckling slightly, which made a little smile appear on Anna's face, even if it was obvious the redhead was trying to hide it.
"And… how are we going to find the information then?" Elsa asked the obvious thing.
"Easy. Infiltrating his lab." Elvira said like a matter-of-factly. When the other girls just looked at her questioningly, she explained. "Fortunately for you, I met a guy the other day… tall, muscular, blonde, nothing special." She shrugged. "But he's a med student, and he's currently working at the Clone center. Plus, he's so attracted to me that he gave me his number. I bet he'll do anything I ask."
"What's his name?" Elsa asked, having a little suspicion about his identity.
"Cristian… or was it Christopher?" Elvira tried to remember.
"Kristoff?"
"Oh, right! Kristoff!" Elvira nodded. "You know him?" She asked confused.
"He was my only friend." Elsa confirmed. "He only started working there a couple of years ago though, I don't think he has access to that kind of information."
"But maybe he has an idea of where it can be, or can at least get us into the Center." She reasoned. "It's worth a shot. I'll call him latter and arrange a little meeting with him, if you know what I mean. He'll spill everything he knows by the time I'm done with him." The way she said this made Elsa realize she was talking about something more than just a friendly visit and it gave her chills. But... there was something she didn't quite understand.
"But… I thought you liked girls?"
"Don't try to make sense out of Elvira's sexuality." Anna warned her. "You'll only end up more confused."
"My sexuality is quite simple, my little sister. You." She seductively winked at her, and Anna couldn't help finding the situation revolting, even if she tried not to show it. "Though a girls gotta have fun, right? I usually pick up girls because they remind me of you, but also because they're more easily dominated. Men… I only try with them when it's obvious they don't have a problem about a woman being the one taking the lead."
"Okaaay." Elsa said, still confused. "But, I think it's better if I'm the one who talks to Kristoff. There's no need for you to seduce him if I know for a fact that he'll help us willingly if we tell him it's for me."
"What's the fun in that?" Elvira pouted, again, looking strikingly similar to her younger sister.
"What's the fun on breaking some poor boy's heart?!" Elsa countered, angry at the girl she was made of for having such evil ideas.
"I agree with Elsa. You shouldn't just lead people in and then let them down." Anna crossed her arms around her chest in a bossy gesture, which made her sister sigh in resignation.
"Geez, you're such killjoys!" She complained. "But fine, I won't seduce him into telling us what he knows."
"You should invite him to lunch tomorrow, that way we can all explain everything to him." Anna suggested.
"Okay, fine. I'll do that." Elvira agreed. "But now that I've fulfilled the first part of the deal… I think it's your turn to fulfill yours, little sister." She added maliciously. "Get ready, I'm taking you to dinner in four hours."
"W-what? But… you haven't yet saved Elsa."
"But I am helping you." She protested. "That was the deal, and you accepted, now stop protesting and go get ready."
"Fine." Anna snarled and stormed out of the room, Elsa following close behind, not without giving Elvira her best death glare that the girl answered with a confident smirk before the blonde slammed the door. She really wanted to kill her now, and she was sure Anna did too… but unfortunately they still needed her. Maybe once they had Kristoff they could get rid of her. Oh, how she'd like that!
Anna sighed from the tenth time as she got out of her room and walked down the stairs towards the main door. She spent the past hours with Elsa, talking about what Elvira had told them and discussing if it was worth it to keep their deal with her. Neither girl really wanted to, of course, but they didn't really have a choice. If only Elsa had a way to contact Kristoff… No, even if she did, they wouldn't be able to think of a proper plan as quickly and accurately as Elvira. They needed her, and so they would maintain the deal, even if they hated it with every fiber of their beings.
At least she only had to go on dates with her. No one said anything about kissing and other things. No, those things were for Elsa, and only Elsa. Anna smiled at the thought; yes, Elvira maybe had her in her hands, but at least she still could make out with her beautiful girlfriend. That was a comforting thought.
Another comforting thought was that… this is what she'd wanted for many years; to reconnect with her sister. However, she never expected it to be in these particular circumstances, that's why she shut down the thought. She didn't want to go with Elvira on any kind of date. Actually, after finding out about her incestuous feelings, she wasn't sure she wanted anything to do with her anymore… even if a part of her told her she was being selfish and hypocrite.
"You finally here?" Elvira asked smugly. She was wearing her usual black leather jacket with a white t-shirt underneath, and black worn-out jeans (which made Anna feel better about wearing only a plain pink shirt and jeans) however, she did look a little different… Was that makeup? Without all her freckles and with a little bit of blush applied she looked more similar to Elsa than Anna felt comfortable with, but she decided not to say anything.
"You're the one who always arrives late." Anna shrugged. "Come on, let's get this over with." At this, she started walking out of the house.
"You're being a little rude, don't you think? You were the one who was always begging to be with me." Elvira complained, but she still had a mischievous smile on her face.
"That's before I knew you had incestuous feelings towards me!" Anna scream-whispered as she got into her sister's car (well, what she assumed to be her car, since the old one had been completely destroyed), the only black one in the garage.
"I knew you'd react like this." Elvira rolled her eyes, getting into the driver's seat. "But I thought you'd be more understanding after "falling in love" with my clone."
"That's different!" Anna almost shouted, trying to convince herself more than she wanted to convince her sister.
"Whatever, I won't argue with you." She sighed. "I swear sometimes you're as stubborn and whiny as when you were three." Anna was about to protest again, but Elvira quickly turned on the radio. "Here, choose the music, hopefully it'll make you relax." At this, her sister started driving and the redhead sighed, knowing this discussion was over, before deciding on a song and letting it play. At least this way she didn't have to speak with Elvira, plus, as much as she hated to admit it, she was right; music never failed to calm her down, even back when she was a spoiled little brat, as Elvira had called her many times.
Not even twenty minutes later they arrived to their destination; a small restaurant simply named "Oaken's". Anna remembered this place very well; it held what was probably the last good memory she had with her sister. Elvira had been fourteen at that time, and Anna ten, and they had escaped from their parents to go eat something with the money Elvira had stolen. An act of pure rebelliousness, really, but at least they'd had fun… even if they were later punished with no TV for a week.
"I thought the best way to start was where we'd left it." Elvira said, giving her a smile that wasn't cold and mischievous for a change.
"Maybe." Anna shrugged, her mood turning sour as she realized something. "Tell me, did you wanted to ravish me back then or was it really an act of pure sisterly love?" Her words sounded harsher than she intended, but she didn't apologize, stubbornly refusing to turn and look at her sister. If she had, she would have noticed those clear blue eyes of her showing pain for an instant.
"Anna…" Elvira started, but Anna interrupted her.
"You know what? I prefer not to know. Come, let's go eat something and get out of here." At this, she got out of the car, slammed the door and began furiously walking towards the entrance. Elvira sighed and rubbed her temple. She knew Anna could be very difficult if she wanted to, but she never expected this kind of behavior. Then again, she had pushed her away for nearly eight years; they were basically strangers. And it was all her fault. Still, she was determined to make it up to her, then she'd probably forget about that stupid clone and they would be together. At least she hoped so.
As she entered the restaurant, she found her sister already sat at a table, looking at the menu with an angry frown and a little pout. Elvira couldn't help chuckling a little; Anna got angry way too easily. The older girl sat down in front of her and took the other menu without saying a word, knowing her sister couldn't stand silence and so would start the conversation sooner or later. She smirked when she noticed Anna's shoulders tense in discomfort.
When the waiter arrived though, Anna still hadn't said a word, and so Elvira decided to annoy her a little to see how she'd react.
"Hello. What can I get for you?" The waiter asked.
"Two extra-big sandwiches, with lots of cheese and peperoni, please… and, could you replace the salad with fried potatoes?" She asked, noticing her sister wanted to say something, so she kept talking. "Oh, and we would like two chocolate milkshakes too."
"Very well, is that all?" he asked, looking at Anna, who for the moment was at a loss of words.
"Yes, thank you." Elvira replied before Anna could, and so the waiter took their menus and left. The black haired girl then proceeded to look smugly at Anna, who was trying to process what just happened. When she did though, she predictably exploded.
"What the hell was that!" She yelled, making all the people around them turn to look at them. Anna noticed, chuckled awkwardly and moderated her tone of voice, but she still kept glaring at her sister. "Answer me! What was that?"
"What was what?" Elvira asked playing dumb, which only served to enrage Anna even more. She knew well what she was talking about! And she just kept smirking with that cold and uncaring attitude she hated so much!
"You know what!" She replied, positively fuming. "Ordering for me!"
"Oh, that." Elvira smiled, like she'd done nothing wrong. "What's wrong? Weren't you going to order that, or at least something very similar?"
"I-I…" Anna didn't know what to answer, because yes, she was going to order exactly that, and it angered her that Elvira knew her so well even after not spending time together in almost eight years, but she didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she was right. "What do you know? What if I was going to order a salad?" She answered stubbornly, but when her sister just kept smirking and raised an eyebrow, she sighed in defeat. "Okay… maybe I was going to order something like that…" She muttered.
"So? What's the problem then?" Elvira kept insisting, even if she knew it'd only make Anna angry with her; she couldn't help it, not after it being their only form of interaction in years.
"I am perfectly capable of ordering myself!" She shouted, again making many heads turn at her outburst, only this time she didn't care.
"Tell me, if Elsa did something like this would you find it annoying?" Elvira asked calmly.
"Well…" Anna wanted to say yes, but she knew the truth. Maybe it'd surprise her a little, but she'd probably be touched at Elsa remembering her favorite foods. No, she wouldn't be angry at the clone for doing something like that, and Elvira seemed to sense her hesitation.
"I can't believe you." She chuckled bitterly. "All that time asking me to get out my room and just be with you, and when you get that chance you just blow up in my face every ten seconds without reason."
"You keep provoking me!" Anna protested.
"See? There you go again." Elvira said, pointing at her, before noticing the waiter had arrived with their milkshakes, waiting for him to put them on the table. She took a long sip, not saying a word. Anna sighed and took a sip of her beverage too. Maybe she was acting a little bitchy, but so what? Elvira deserved that and more, after rejecting her for so long and then coming to her and revealing she was in love with her.
"Sometimes I hate you." Anna said after a very long and uncomfortable silence.
"No, you don't." Elvira, who had gotten out her cellphone and was staring boringly staring at the screen, answered nonchalantly. "You love me. Even more than you should. You just don't want to admit it."
"Here we go again." Anna rolled her eyes. "I'm in love with Elsa, not you."
"That's what you think." Elvira shrugged before taking a sip from her milkshake.
"I think that I know how I feel more than you do." Anna said, raising her voice again.
"Look, I really don't want to argue…" Elvira attempted to calm Anna down, but the fiery redhead would have nothing of it.
"I don't care if you don't, because I do!" She yelled. "I want to give you a piece of my mind." When Elvira just kept staring at her, clearly amused by her behavior, she got even angrier. "I want you to know that every single time you pushed me away, you broke my heart. Again, and again, and again." She fought back her tears, but her voice still sounded like she was crying, and this annoyed her; she didn't want to appear weak. "A-and then when you refused to talk to me… I just wanted to slap you until you said something. I wanted to hug you, to sleep in your bed like when we were kids, to be with my sister!" This time tears did start to fall down her cheeks, blurring her vision and keeping her from seeing the guilty look in Elvira's face. "But no! You… you just let me think you hated me! And then you started trying to kill yourself! You know how much that hurt me?!" She shouted, trembling as she was unable to hold back her sobs, pressing her palms on her eyes in a futile attempt to stop herself from crying.
"I-I…" Elvira didn't know what to do or what to say; she was never good at dealing with strong emotions, especially when they weren't hers. However, Anna didn't even let her say a word.
"And so I started hating you. I-I didn't want to, because you were my sister, b-but…" She closed her eyes tightly, now letting her tears flow freely. "I hate you." She clenched her teeth, not wanting to confess this, to make it real, even if she wasn't sure it was real in the first place, but she was so full of rage and sadness, she couldn't control herself. "It hurts me, but I do, and I don't think I could ever love you again." At this, she got up and walked out of the restaurant.
Elvira blinked, too shaken and surprised because of her sister's outburst to do anything else. She stood still for a few more seconds before pulling out her wallet, leaving a big enough bill to pay for the food, and chasing after Anna. When she got out, she noticed it had started to rain, but she didn't care; she needed to find her sister. She spotted her a few feet away, running under the rain, presumably towards their house, so she tried to reach her… only to find out, after running a couple of feet, that she couldn't; her right leg hurt too much when she ran. It hadn't bothered her before because she never ran, but now she cursed herself for having entered into that stupid fight a few days ago and not going to the doctor.
She then tried to scream Anna's name, but the redhead only ran faster, until she couldn't see her trough the rain. She didn't know if those droplets falling from the sky were a curse or a blessing, since they concealed her tears, merging with them.
A/N: Hey, it's been a long time! But thanks for sticking with me. I hope you liked this chapter, and if you did please leave a review telling me your thoughts about what happened here, and about who will Anna ultimately choose. Please? :D
Anyways, for the ones reading my other stories, rest assured, I'm already working on them, but it may take a while.
Thanks to my beta reader moonwatcher13 :)
