– Chapter Eighteen –
The atmosphere in the library was tense and silent. Despite Leigh being gone nearly an hour and a half, the other clones hadn't left. They'd all packed their bags (Rat choosing to pack a full suitcase rather than just a bag), and Aila had packed Leigh's. They were now waiting in darkness and silence.
Rat had turned off all the lights to give the building the illusion of abandonment. The hacker seemed to have calmed down considerably since Leigh left, and was now sitting besides Katja with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her head was resting on her arms as she absently stared out the window at the darkening sky. If Leigh didn't get back soon, she could be in danger of more than just DYAD.
Everybody jumped when Aila's phone buzzed. The doctor picked it up and read the text displayed on the screen, before glancing at the others and nodding. "Leigh's waiting outside. Let's go."
Rat stood and stretched before helping Katja up. The German woman opened her mouth to say something, but quickly reached into her pocket and took out a tissue to cough into it instead. Rat frowned but said nothing. She called the dogs over and attached their leashes.
When the fit subsided, Katja tried again to speak. "Vere do vee go now, schwester?" she asked quietly, looking uncertain.
Rat shrugged. "I have no idea," she replied honestly, before double checking she had everything she needed to take with her. The three clones made their way down the stairs with the dogs.
The air had already turned cold when they made it out into the alleyway and onto the street. Suddenly, Charles snarled lowly. The women soon saw why when they spotted Leekie on the street. He was glaring at Rachel and Leigh.
Rat's eyes widened in horror at the sight of the two DYAD employees she so deeply feared and hated. Why were they here? She felt a strange mix of emotions as her gaze fell on Leekie. A burning desire to hurt him battled an equally strong desire to flee. She unconsciously took a step closer to Katja for comfort.
"Great, what now?" Aila murmured so only Rat and Katja could hear. Charles growled louder, and it wasn't long before he attracted the attention of Leekie. He turned around to watch the group of three, leaving Leigh and Rachel staring in confusion.
"You said he didn't know we were meeting," Leigh hissed at Rachel, glaring at her now.
Rachel looked momentarily stumped. "And I meant it," she decided on.
"Why should I believe you?" Leigh asked.
"Leigh," Rachel began, attempting to take the other clone's hand, but Leigh shook her off angrily.
Leekie, who turned his attention to Rachel again, grinned widely. He clapped his hands together enthusiastically and gestured around at the other clones. "Well, now that we're all here, we can get to the bottom of whatever this is," he spoke in a cheery tone that made Rat shake with anger. Katja took Rat's hand in her own to keep her calm, while Aila took the brave decision to approach Leekie.
"What do you mean?" she asked carefully.
Leekie simply glanced at the doctor before looking back at Rachel. Rachel stared at him. "Well, well, Rachel," Leekie addressed her, shaking his head sadly. "I had expected better of you."
A pause.
"I simply wanted a moment to catch up, Aldous," Rachel offered boldly. "Is that too much to ask?"
Leekie took a step closer. "It is when it goes against your purpose," he said evenly.
"My purpose?" Rachel repeated, momentarily losing her cool. Then, her expression was blank, and her voice was controlled again instantly. "I don't recall there being any rules against talking to our subjects."
Leekie smiled again. Aila glanced back at Rat and Katja, wondering if they were thinking the same as her. Was Rachel trying to help them? Or were she and Leekie setting up a trap of some kind? Aila thought from the look on Rat's face, the hacker was more inclined to believe the latter. Aila wasn't sure she blamed her.
Leekie then reached for his pocket to pull something out. Leigh was shocked for a moment to recognise her old mobile phone – the phone she had left in her house. Anger hit her. She had been right. Leekie had lied to Rachel.
Leigh turned to look at Rachel, who now looked completely doll-like and lifeless as she stared trying to comprehend what she was seeing. Leekie pressed some buttons on the phone, and then held it up for everyone to see.
"You have six voicemail messages," the automatic voice spoke from Leigh's phone. Leekie had put it on loudspeaker so everyone could hear. "Message one...
'Leigh, this is Rachel. I think we ought to have a chat. It has been a while since we last spoke, and your recent decisions are…cause for concern. Please return my call when you receive this message.'
Rat and Katja exchanged confused looks. Aila frowned at stared at Leekie, and then at Rachel. What was this about?
"Message two...
'Please, Leigh. I have given you all day to return my call. If you are ignoring me purposely, I do understand. This is your little revenge for me avoiding you these last few months. We need to put that aside now. It is urgent you get in touch. I really need to see you.'
Message three...
'It is one thing for you to ignore my calls, but another thing completely to fail to show up for work. I had not heard until Aldous informed me this evening. Your behaviour is completely unacceptable. You are NOT this petty, Leigh. You have one last chance to return my call, or I shall have men sent to bring you to me personally.'"
Leigh could only watch as Leekie pressed another button on the phone to skip some of the messages. He fixed his eyes on Rachel as he played the final message.
"Message six...
'This is getting to be beyond a joke. Wherever you are; whatever you are playing at, I really need you to contact me. Is this because of what we discussed the last time we saw each other? If it is…well, perhaps this is what I was afraid of. I should never have revealed anything to you…it wasn't my place. You have made your point. If it's an apology you want, I am sorry for avoiding you. If you want an explanation…I cannot give you one. Not like this. I need to see you. Please come home.'
End of messages."
Leekie silenced the phone and lowered it. The clones stared around at each other, unsure what to think of what they had just heard. Leigh slowly forced herself to look back at Rachel, struggling to believe the messages she had sent.
"Rachel," Leekie began sternly, approaching the blonde clone slowly and carefully as though she were a dangerous animal. "You have been obstructing things for DYAD from day one. These messages prove you are the reason Ashleigh discovered what she did. Now, you need to take a moment to think very carefully about what you are going to do next. If you continue to create problems-"
"You'll what?" Leigh dared him, angry all of a sudden. "What're you gonna do? Have her black-bagged and locked up?"
"Rachel, you are so much better than this," Leekie continued, deciding to ignore Leigh completely. "You always were and you know it. This...weakness you seem to have, we can fix it. But you need to start taking this seriously."
Rachel simply continued staring, unable to respond in any other way. Leigh was desperate to know what she was thinking about.
"You all need to start taking it seriously," Leekie addressed the rest of them now. "This is your last chance to drop all this and return to London willingly. If you continue to fight, you will lose."
Rat was itching to do something; she fought with herself to stay put or shout or cause harm to Leekie in any way she could, and Rachel too for that matter. She wasn't sure she was convinced. It had to be a trap of some kind, and she was certain any minute now they'd be surrounded by DYAD officials who would come to take them away.
Leekie turned his attention to Aila, the oddly irritating smile back on his face. The doctor watched him warily but held his gaze, unwilling to back down after he'd just blatantly threatened them all. "Well? What do you say? We could get you your old job back, all murder charges gone. It'll be like nothing's changed, and we can put all of this behind us," he said smoothly.
Aila raised an eyebrow. "Go back with you? If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. I think I'll stay with this lot. Might be mental, but at least I know I can trust 'em."
Leekie stared at her for a moment, his face blank, before turning towards the two sisters. Rat sent him a seething glare as she held Katja's hand tightly. The task of keeping calm was becoming harder by the minute. Leekie took a few steps towards them.
"Regina... Katja..." he started.
"No," Katja said bluntly, glaring at him.
Rat glared at Leekie too, though she smirked a bit when both Charles and Bianca barked at him in unison. "So, seems animals can sense evil," she muttered.
Leekie smirked. "Good to know you're just as clever as ever. Hasn't this gone on long enough, Regina? We can help with your...condition. With your talents in computer work, wouldn't it be worth it to have a real life doing what you love?"
"Go fuck a landmine," Rat spat darkly. "I've seen firsthand how you like to 'help' people."
Katja's eyes grew wide at Rat's remark, and an appreciative smirk spread across her face in amusement. Leekie didn't find it funny. He pulled out another phone, his own this time, and called a number. He held it to his ear, and after a moment, he said, "You know what to do."
"Merde!" Rat whispered. She knew right away what Leekie had done, and she barely had time to turn and drag her dogs and Katja away before the sound of a car speeding around the corner could be heard.
Leekie's car screeched to a halt in front of Katja, missing her by inches, and Charles and Bianca barked and snarled ferociously as the doors flung open and four men stepped out. They wasted no time approaching the clones; Rat and Katja backed away instinctively while Aila turned in a blind panic and ran.
As she passed Leekie, the older man seized the doctor by the arm and pulled her into a tight hold so she could barely move. "Let go of me!" Aila bellowed, trying to thrash as she repeatedly kicked Leekie's legs.
Leigh instantly reached for the pistol in her pocket and aimed it shakily at Leekie, while Rachel remained still, apparently unwilling to do anything but watch the events unfold. As Leekie began dragging Aila over towards the car, Leigh tried to follow. She swore to herself; she couldn't fire the pistol and risk hitting Aila...
It seemed Rat wasn't as hesitant about firing bullets. She too had somehow pulled out her weapon to fire one or two bullets at the feet of four men as a warning to stay back. Stunned, they paused for a moment, but Leekie didn't.
He forced Aila closer to Rat and Katja, so the hacker and the German were trapped between him and the four men, while Aila still struggled in Leekie's grasp. Rat rotated on the spot, switching her aim from Leekie, to the men, and back again. She, like Leigh, worried about shooting Aila if she wasn't careful...
"Let her go!" Leigh demanded, but Leekie ignored her. Completely panicked, Leigh fired at Leekie, but the bullet missed him by inches and bounced off the ground. The gunshots distressed Charles and Bianca. Their growling became more vicious as they felt threatened by the entire situation.
It didn't take long for Charles to pull his way out of Rat's grasp, who stumbled a bit at the dog's sudden movement. Before they knew it, Charles threw himself at Leekie, jumped up, and sank his teeth into Leekie's arm.
A cry of rage and pain echoed throughout the street as the dog tightened his grip and shook Leekie violently. Leekie released Aila at last, who charged towards Katja and Rat.
As the four men moved to seize the women again, Katja ducked and slipped past them to make a beeline for the car. Aila raised her arm and punched one of them square in the nose, causing him to fall back and stumble to the ground.
"Shit," Aila muttered to herself, shaking her hand. "I'm out of practice..."
The man glared up at her, blood streaming down his face. Katja threw herself into the driver's seat of the car, breathing harshly and feeling sick as she attempted to turn the key and start the engine, but one of the men grabbed her by the collar and pulled her out of the vehicle. Katja swore angrily and loudly in German and fought to get the man off her; she elbowed him in the stomach, and the man responded by throwing Katja to the ground. Katja coughed violently, and the car key skidded across the ground.
Everyone stared at it. Everyone made a move to grab the key at the same time, resulting in more punching, grabbing, and shouting. Leigh raced over to the other clones; she and Rat aiming their weapons at the men, while Leekie roared in pain as he tried to shake off Charles.
"Enough."
The word was calm, but loud and threatening enough to stop everyone in their tracks and look around. Rachel was glaring at them all. It seemed they had all forgotten she was there.
Leigh stared at her with wide eyes. Rachel stayed still for a moment before slowly approaching, holding her hand up importantly to instruct the men to do nothing. She gently lowered herself to the ground, picked up the car key, and drew herself to her full height. Calmly, she strolled towards the car, opened the door, and looked around at the other clones.
"Go," she said sternly.
The men stared at her in disbelief, unsure about what to do. They had never disobeyed Rachel Duncan before, but this was far too surreal.
"GO," Rachel said again.
Katja was the first to respond. She pulled herself to her feet, still coughing, and climbed into the car. It was enough to make Rat charge after her, and Charles finally let go of Leekie to follow his owner. Leekie got up instantly and staggered towards the other clones, causing Leigh and Aila to move at last.
"STOP THEM!" Leekie commanded, but the men froze, looking stupid. They were clearly torn about what to do and who to obey.
Leigh slammed the door shut as she climbed in next to Katja and the dogs while Rat took the driver's seat. The hacker shakily took the car key from Rachel before closing the door, stunned and confused, but having no time to question it.
Before they knew it, Leigh's door was opening again, and Rachel bent down to stare at her. "Move over," she ordered her twin.
"STOP THEM!" Leekie bellowed again, and this time the men took action. They and Leekie rushed to the car; one of them even attempted to grab Rachel, and Leigh budged over quickly and pulled her sister inside before she even had time to question it.
"Come on Rat!" Aila panicked from the passenger's seat next to the hacker.
Rat stalled the car once or twice before bringing the engine to life, and the car of clones raced away before they knew it, screeching as it went.
Everyone was silent as Rat put her foot down and navigated through the darkness. Beside her, Aila couldn't help feeling worried. The hacker had had an anxious and scary last few hours, and she was still shaking and tense as she attempted to control the car. Aila thought about offering to drive instead, but she knew Rat wouldn't even consider stopping so soon to switch drivers. Besides, Rat knew the area better, so Aila stayed quiet and hoped Rat would manage to calm herself down enough to gain better control of the car.
In the back of the vehicle, Katja had ceased her coughing fit and was hugging Bianca for comfort. The usual happy and hyper dog was strangely quiet, only letting out nervous whimpers every so often, while Charles sat between Katja and Leigh, twitching and shaking a bit as he recovered from the ordeal. As much as he wanted to protect his master and those like her, his old body protested at being put through so much action. His muzzle was soaked with Leekie's blood. A few drops of it splashed onto Leigh's knee, but the hairdresser barely paid attention to that.
She stared at Rachel, who was squashed up close to her due to the lack of space in the car. Rachel refused to look at Leigh for a while, but Leigh was certain Rachel knew she was being stared at. They were far too close together for Rachel not to notice it.
"What the hell are you playing at?" Leigh whispered, causing Rachel to turn her head and look at her at last.
"I believe I just spared you all from capture. A little gratitude should be in order, Leigh," Rachel said evenly, turning her head away again to look back out the car window.
"Yeah but..." Leigh trailed off and frowned, feeling horribly confused. "Why did you do it? And why are you even here with us?"
Rachel didn't respond, instead turning her attention to the front seat. "My personal recommendation is to find the nearest train depot and depart as soon as possible. I will keep Aldous off of your trail for as long as is in my power to do so."
Rat harshly pulled off of the main road and stopped the car, glancing back at Rachel. "And just why should we trust that you won't lead them right to us after we leave you? We should just kick you out right here and have you walk back!"
Rachel met her stare, her face expressionless. "And to what end would I have helped you only to aid in your capture, Miss Colbert?"
Rat narrowed her eyes slightly. "It's not exactly like you to help anyone though, is it?" she challenged Rachel quietly.
Rachel remained unfazed. "It's not exactly like you to have accepted a group as your allies, is it?" she replied calmly. "We all occasionally do what is least expected of us in the name of a greater good."
"Greater good? What the bloody hell are you on about?" Leigh asked, becoming even more confused as she stared at her twin. When Rachel remained silent, Leigh raised an eyebrow. "What, you actually support what we're doing now? What happened to all that shit you were spouting in the bar about not getting involved with the lives of other clones?" she asked flatly.
Rachel turned her head slowly, staring at Leigh intently. The hairdresser struggled not to flinch back at Rachel's blank gaze, refusing to admit it intimidated her even a little bit. After several minutes of silence, Rachel turned her gaze back towards the window.
"I restate; head to the nearest train depot and depart," the blonde clone said without the slightest trace of emotion.
Leigh just stared at her in disbelief before groaning. "You are so...bloody infuriating!" she sighed, shaking her head.
"You are rather aggravating yourself," Rachel responded.
"Yeah well you deserve it!" Leigh complained. "With your friggin'...robot voice and stupid haircut-"
"Rich, Ashleigh, considering yours looks like a twelve year old did it."
"I resent that," Leigh hissed, glaring at Rachel intensely now.
"I have to say you've really let yourself go," Rachel continued. Leigh was sure she saw a tiny smirk appear on Rachel's lips as she spoke. "You're starting to live up to your peasant reputation."
"Yeah, the reputation you insisted on giving me!"
"Only because you insist on comparing me to android-like beings."
"It's your own fault for insisting on your robot-bitch look! It's the hair! And that reminds me, you still owe me sixty quid!" Leigh growled.
"Yes, you remind me of this often," Rachel responded, glancing at Leigh briefly.
"Will you two SHUT UP?!" Rat shrieked, causing Katja, who had started to doze, to jump in surprise. She looked around at the group, now wide awake, but looked far too defeated to say anything. "I am NOT going ANYWHERE if I have to listen to THAT!"
"Whatever," Leigh grumbled.
Rat mumbled to herself as she tried to start the car again. She stalled a few times once more, struggled to move the car off, and selected the wrong gear in her distressed and angry state. "BLOODY CAR!"
"You need to take the handbrake off," Rachel said tonelessly.
"THANK YOU, Rachel," Rat growled bitterly, yanking the handbrake so fiercely Aila worried she would break it.
"Rat," she began, but Rat glared at her with an almost demonic anger on her face, and Aila fell silent instantly. Rat attempted to move the car, but lost the bite point, and the vehicle stalled again.
"This is getting us nowhere," Rachel stated. "Somebody else drive."
"Why don't you just do one if you don't like it?" Rat shouted at her. "Nobody wants you here anyway!"
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice, unless you want to be dragged to London against your will," Rachel said coolly.
"You're not shittin' well coming with us," Rat snarled, slamming her hands on the wheel.
"I never said I was," Rachel said coolly. "Drive on."
"I'm not taking orders from you of all people," Rat spat with fury. She unfastened her seat belt, forced the car door open, and threw herself out of the vehicle. Then she opened the door on Rachel's side and glared at the blonde clone venomously. "Get out."
"No," was Rachel's response.
"Get out of the car, Duncan!" Rat seethed.
"No," Rachel said again.
"What if I get the revolver out; will you bloody well move then?" Rat threatened.
Rachel really did roll her eyes this time, surprising Leigh greatly. "Oh please," Rachel scorned. Leigh began to worry about Rachel not taking the threats of her clones seriously. One of these days, someone was going think nothing of Rachel's high-and-mighty act and actually dare to shoot at her.
"Nobody is shooting anyone," Aila reasoned as she too unfastened her seat belt. She got out of the car and hurried around to Rat. "Listen. She did just help us, and she does have a point. Why would she help us get away just to set us up and catch us later? What sense does that make?"
"I don't know!" Rat bellowed. She backed away from the car and paced restlessly. "I don't know; she's DYAD! Professional games players, the lot of them! God knows what she's planning!"
"Charmed," Rachel shot sarcastically. "We are wasting valuable time."
"I'll drive," Aila insisted. She took a few minutes to calm Rat down, and eventually the hacker agreed to swap places with Aila and accept the fact they were stuck with Rachel Duncan for a while. She refused to look back at the blonde clone while Aila drove, but she gave the doctor directions when she was calm enough to focus.
When Aila pulled into the parking lot of the train station, she looked around. The place was fairly deserted in the darkened lot, though it looked bright and busy inside. The clones got out of the car, grabbing their bags. Rat noticed Charles was covered in blood and she shook her head, even though she gave the animal a pat on the head in praise.
"Good boy," she murmured to him. "C'mon baby, we need to get you cleaned up." Rat looked around, and noticed a drinking fountain a few meters away, before glancing at the others. "Be right back. I need to clean him off. I don't think it'll look good if we walk in there with a dog covered in blood," she said before leading the Borzoi over to the fountain.
Katja kept hold of Bianca's leash as the excitable Chow-Chow seemed to be back to normal. She wandered around to sniff at everyone and everything in sight before scurried over to Rachel. Bianca looked up at her, her tail wagging happily.
Rachel looked down at the dog with a look of disdain. She walked briskly away to where Bianca's leash didn't reach. The Chow-Chow whined and stared up at Katja, her tail drooping a bit.
Katja smirked and knelt down to pat her gently. "Do not vorry fluffybum. Zat von ez even more grumpy zan your mummy," she said, making sure Rachel could hear her.
Rachel glared at Katja but said nothing, standing perfectly still as she impatiently waited to go inside. Rat walked back over after several more minutes. Charles' muzzle and neck were now dripping with water.
Rat nodded to the group. "So what's the plan then?" she questioned, not looking at Rachel.
Rachel fixed her gaze on Leigh. "Do you have the information I gave you in the bar?" she asked dryly. Leigh nodded and fumbled around in her pockets for the piece of paper. "Your parents would like to see you. Go there. You will be safe."
Leigh swallowed hard while the others exchanged glances.
"That's right," Aila muttered to herself thoughtfully as she watched Rachel. She remembered Rachel had helped Leigh's parents too. As disturbing as the blonde clone looked at a first glance, Aila wondered if Leigh had been right. She wondered if Rachel was their best hope after all.
"Leoben..." Leigh read off the paper. "That's in..."
"Austria," Rachel and Rat answered together. They glared at each other, repulsed at their simultaneous response.
"I must remove the car from this area," Rachel stated firmly. "Sooner rather than later."
"You can drive? When did you learn to do that?" Leigh questioned, eyebrows raised.
Rachel stared. "How hopeless do you think I am, Leigh?"
Leigh said nothing. She and Rachel carried on staring for a few moments until Rachel turned swiftly and made her way back to the car. Leigh panicked suddenly, worried Rachel was going to get in and drive away without another word.
"Go sort out tickets and whatever," Leigh told the others hurriedly as she sped off after Rachel. "I just need a minute." She didn't wait for their responses. She caught up to Rachel and stepped in front of her. "Rachel..."
"Go now," Rachel ordered. "It will do you no good to waste time."
"I want to know why you're really helping us," Leigh told her.
Rachel paused. Her eyes narrowed a tiny bit. "And I want to know what Aldous is supposedly keeping from me, so neither of us is getting what we want."
Leigh groaned tiredly and threw her face into her hands. She rubbed her eyes and sighed, while Rachel stood quite still and waited for her double to compose herself. She looked completely unimpressed at Leigh displaying such emotion. Likewise, Rachel's unfeeling demeanour irritated Leigh.
"Rachel," Leigh began. She looked her sister in the eye. "Come with us."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Come with us," Leigh repeated. "I...I can't explain...ah, never mind...you'll understand if you come with us."
Rachel remained quiet for longer than Leigh was comfortable with. She shifted uncomfortably until Rachel opened her mouth to speak again. "Don't be ridiculous," she insisted, disapproval clear in her tone.
"You've just friggin' helped us escape," Leigh tried to reason. "How're you going to get away with that?"
"Do not concern yourself with that. I can assure you I know what I'm doing."
"But-"
"I can't go with you, Leigh," Rachel said with a final tone.
"You're gonna end up trapped by them, Rachel."
Silence followed. Rachel looked as though she wanted to say something, but she was struggling. She simply shook her head slowly as if to tell Leigh the conversation was over. Leigh clenched her fists tightly before pulling Rachel into a hug.
They were quiet for a moment before Rachel willed herself to respond. "I am quite sure you weren't clingy before you left London. Please remove yourself. This is hideous."
Leigh laughed loudly. She couldn't help it. She waited for Rachel to return the hug, but the blonde clone did not move. She instead tolerated Leigh holding onto her for a moment, quite sure the hairdresser only held on for so long to provoke an angry reaction from her. Rachel was not going to give Leigh that satisfaction though. She smiled when Leigh finally let go and backed away.
"I don't know if I trust you," Leigh told her, shaking her head. "I don't know if I ever will."
"Go," Rachel told her once more.
Leigh sighed and willed herself to walk away at last. She looked back over her shoulder at Rachel as she went. "If you betray us, I'm gonna kick your arse," she warned.
Then, Leigh was gone, and Rachel stood alone in the parking lot, feeling more torn than she would ever care to admit.
The clones decided to get a train to Zurich and then take another one from there to the next closest city to Austria. The ride was due to be very long and have many stops along the way, but after everything that had happened, the group was glad for a small break.
Leigh silently stared out the window as the hills and mountains rolled by, barely visible in the darkness. Rat worked on her laptop quietly, and the dogs slept on the floor between the clones. Katja was asleep again as well, leaning against the window as she snored lightly.
The private compartment was silent as everybody thought about what had happened. Nobody could get their heads around the fact Rachel had been their way out. It didn't make any sense.
Aila sighed, fed up of the quiet as she spoke, glancing at Leigh. "So we're gonna meet your parents then, eh? Wonder what they'll think about four clones and two dogs showing up on their doorstep." She grinned to lighten the mood.
"Hell knows," Leigh muttered tiredly. "I still don't know for sure if my parents are really at this place."
"You think Rachel lied?" Aila questioned.
Leigh shrugged. "I don't know what her angle is."
"Yeah...from what I've seen, she's contradicted everything I ever thought about her to be true."
"Well I don't trust her, not one bit," Rat growled. She glanced up from her laptop. "Either she's tricking us, or she's stir crazy and doesn't even know what the hell she's doing anymore."
"Rat," Aila began, trying to sound stern and unimpressed.
"Rat might have a point though," Leigh whispered. Aila stared at her. "I don't know Rachel anymore. I'm not sure I ever did."
"But you care about her," Aila said. "She cares about you too."
"Yeah, really showed with how much you two insulted each other on the car ride here," Rat said sarcastically. Leigh rolled her eyes, but said nothing in response.
"I can't believe she's your sister, though," Aila whispered. "You and her...you're like fire and ice. Does Rachel even know?"
"No, and it's gotta stay that way for now," Leigh mumbled sadly. "I'm gonna ask my parents about it later. I don't know how Rachel will take something like this..."
Everyone was silent for a while. Rat's typing was the only sound in the compartment, along with the occasional snore from Katja.
"Maybe in a few days we can check up on Janika again while we're here," Aila suggested to change the subject. "We'll just see how everything plays out first..."
"Yeah," Leigh agreed, though she wasn't really listening and didn't register what Aila was saying. Rachel was still on her mind.