Chapter 2 is here, my friends! Not much to say except for a few reminders/notifications: first, please remember that this story is non-linear, so these events aren't in order, except for those that need to be to make it a good story with progression. Second, I'd like to inform you all that this story has no structured updates, I just post as I finish chapters. So sometimes it might be the next day, and sometimes it might be a week or so. Also, this story may have some triggering things, but to keep the story in suspense, I won't list them here. Feel free to message me if you want a full list of trigger warnings. I will be posting relevant ones at the beginning of the chapters they appear in, so don't be too concerned. Always, enjoy!

Their Jäger was Cold Zephyr, which was either a pure coincidence or someone's idea of a joke. Elsa wasn't laughing. She supposed someone thought it was funny, giving the Ice Queen the only Jäger with a special power dealing with temperature, especially when they called her sister "the summer to her winter". Because that's exactly what she needed right now.

Sven gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I'm sure it's not intentional. They do use a naming computer, after all," he offered through Kristoff, standing on her other side.

"The naming may not be intentional, but I have a feeling the assignment was," Elsa grumbled, crossing her arms.

"I don't get it. What's the big deal?" Kristoff asked.

"A zephyr is a warm wind in late spring or early summer. It's basically what everyone teases Elsa about in Jäger form," Sven explained.

"Is it weird, hearing the answers to your questions coming out of your own mouth?" a new voice piped up as a pair of arms wrapped around Elsa's waist from behind.

Elsa jumped but was firmly held in place by the person she now knew was her sister. Anna had always been affectionate, but lately more so than usual. Random hugs, hand holding, and Elsa's least favorite, cuddling. She wasn't a fan of so much touching, sister or not, but she really didn't have the heart to tell her. Yet, in a way, Elsa was glad for the extra attention, because she knew that after their Drift, Anna would be keeping a safe distance from her.

While Kristoff and Anna carried out a discussion on the workings of his bond with Sven, the aforementioned brunette saw Elsa's deep blush and the two exchanged a series of looks ranging from "don't say a fucking word" to "I'm sorry". They'd gotten a lot better at communicating without Kristoff, especially when they were keeping something from him.

"So Elsa, you ready to meet up with the Drift coordinator?" Anna broke into the mental argument Elsa and Sven were having over the best way to extricate to the extremely strong grip of the aforementioned redhead.

"Uh..." Before she could think of a response, Sven nudged her.

"Looks like you better be ready, because here he comes," he said through Kristoff as he pointed to something behind them.

"Hiya! You're Elsa and Anna, right?" a very peppy voice asked. Elsa attempted to turn, but found herself rooted to the spot because of Anna's weight on her.

"Anna."

"Hmm?" The redhead seemed quite content to stay where she was with her head nestled on Elsa's shoulder.

"I can't move. Would you care to remove yourself from my person?" Elsa hissed through gritted teeth. She was glad to have an excuse to ask Anna to get off, because she had been slowly reaching her breaking point.

"Oh, right!" Anna giggled, finally releasing her sister, only to interlock their fingers as they turned around. It was an improvement, Elsa supposed.

Standing before them was... well, no one? Elsa was confused, until Sven nudged her and pointed again, this time down.

"Hi, I'm Olaf! I'm your Drift coordinator! Never mind my small stature, I have a rare condition that ensured that I never hit my pubescent growth spurt!" the extremely short boy (man?) grinned, a little too widely for Elsa's taste.

"Oh my gosh, it's so nice to meet you!" Anna gushed, bending down to hug him tightly.

"You are quite an experience yourself! You seem very happy to meet me! I am enjoying your presence greatly!" The two continued to chatter, exchanging pleasantries.

"Does he always talk like that?" Elsa whispered to Kristoff, worried that if he was taken off guard by speaking for Sven, he'd make a scene.

"Yep. Most people say it's some weird side effect of his condition, but I think it's from being around the robots too long. Hang out with robots, become a robot. A happy robot, at least," the blonde shrugged. Elsa studied the short man, who did seem a bit out of it upon closer inspection.

Robots all around, indeed.

Sven stared at her for a very long time.

Even after Kristoff came back to the table, sensing his temporary banishment was over. Even though he wasn't happy being sent away just so Elsa could tell his partner her secret, he'd been content enough to go hang out with others. At least that's what Sven had told her. Being around your partner 24/7 was bad for your worldview. It led to you not being able to be separated at all; your world would be centered completely around them.

(Too late, Elsa thought.)

Sven stared at her for a very long time. Even as she quickly escaped out of the lunch room and back to her shared room with Anna, she felt his eyes burning a hole in the back of her head. Burning. Scorching. Scalding.

Elsa had never dealt well with the heat.

"Anna? What the hell are you doing here?" Elsa demanded of the 15 year old standing in her doorway.

"It's M-mama and Papa. Th-they, they're..." The girl burst into tears and launched herself into her sister's arms, clinging on for dear life.

Elsa wasn't exactly sure what was supposed to be at the end of that sentence, but she had a pretty good idea.

Later, as Elsa was making herself a semi-comfortable bed on the futon, Anna gained a sense of coherency as she calmed her nerves.

"The alarm came too late. By the time we heard the sirens, the fucker was on our doorstep," Anna growled from her seat at the tiny bar that connected the kitchen to the living room.

"Anna! Language," Elsa reprimanded, not sure what else to say to the story. Sure, they'd birthed her, but they'd ceased being parents the moment they shipped her away. She wasn't sure how to feel. Should she be sad? She wasn't, not really.

"Sorry. I got caught up in the moment. You know, you shouldn't have to move your whole situation to the living room just because I'm here now."

"I'm glad you think so, because it's not permanent. Tomorrow I'm putting you on a plane to Aunt and Uncle Corona's, where you'll be safe." Elsa didn't have to look at her sister to know that she was about to argue.

"What? But I just got here! Besides, how is keeping me safe a good excuse when you're out here on the coast?" the redhead protested, hopping down from her barstool.

"Don't worry, as soon as I get my next paycheck, I'm coming right behind you. They're building that new Jäger facility here, and I don't want any part of that," the blonde asserted. Little did she know, that one tidbit would spark a series of arguments that would change both of their lives forever.

"But why do I have to go away?" Elsa could feel the tears stinging her eyes.

"Because you're sick, Elsa. You need to be treated, and it's best if you're away from everyone right now. Until they can isolate what caused this. Until they can fix it." Her father rested a hand on her shoulder, smiling sadly.

"What if I can't be fixed? What if I'm sick forever? What if I already made you and Mother and Anna sick, too?" The tears were flowing freely now. Hot, burning tears. They matched well with the burning in her soul.

"You shouldn't worry about me and your mother. We can't catch this sickness. We're only concerned about Anna."

Fucking 13. She was only fucking 13, and they sent her away to be prodded at like some goddamn science project.

And she was still fucking sick.