SEEK And Find

Chapter 10

"Absolutely not."

That was about what Anna had expected. Her mother's auburn hair was pulled back into a bun as she stirred the pot of food on the stove; it smelled like chili, which Anna normally would have died to stay home and eat. But this day was not like any other.

"Mom, please don't say that so fast," Anna begged, following her as she walked into the living room. "Don't get me wrong, this is totally random; I know that! But if you-"

"Then if you knew it was random, you knew what my answer would be," she countered as she began to straighten and fluff pillows needlessly. "This probably isn't even really her - did you think of that?"

Rolling her eyes, Anna said, "I met her before today, you know. Unless she's a clone, I'm pretty damn sure it's the same Elsa."

"Watch your language!" Sighing, she glanced down at the carpet, trying to decide if she should give it a quick vacuum or not. "Is that what you're going to pick up from hanging around her? Swearing? What other bad habits does she have? It's not like I don't hear about what goes on at Hollywood parties, backstage at concerts!"

Under her breath, Anna muttered, "Here comes the KISS story."

"I had backstage passes to KISS when I was in school, and there was all kinds of drunken debauchery going on back there - drugs, and sex, and... I was lucky to-"

"-Get out of there alive," Anna finished for her. "But Mom, I'm not going backstage to a concert! I'm going to a single hotel room - with a pop singer, not a rock star!"

The woman turned to fix her with a flat look. "As if that makes any difference. No, I'm sorry, it's just... I haven't even met this woman, and it's very suspicious to me that she wants to drag my sweet Anna all the way across the Atlantic!"

"Then meet her. I told you, she's right outside - she wanted to come in, but I know how you get about your house."

"What?" Glancing down at the dustrag she was rubbing across the coffee table, she sighed and stopped. "Okay, so you know your own mother. Do you want brownie points for that?"

"Can I redeem those for real brownies?" They both shared a little chuckle. "But can you at least meet her before you say no? I mean, I was kinda saving up for a vacation, anyway... do something fun before I start college."

"Yes, but you were talking about going to Disney, or maybe Montreal, not... how do you not see how very different this is? Especially since you were going to go with Kristoff, not some glammed-up tart from-"

"HEY! You were telling me to watch my language!"

Her mother sighed, standing up and walking over to tuck the dustrag in a most unlikely place: the piano bench. "You're right, I shouldn't pass judgment on her without meeting her. Fine, she can come in - but if I still don't think this is safe, or wise, I hope you'll drop the whole idea."

"Fine. I can't promise that, but I'll try."

"At least you're honest," she muttered as Anna turned toward the screen door. All she did was wave at the car a few times, and then turned back.

Within a minute or two, Elsa was knocking politely. Anna let her in with a slightly nervous smile, and directed her toward the living room.

"Elsa, this is my mom. Mom, this is Elsa Valentine."

"Oh, so you do have a last name," she said, a polite smile in place as she shook her hand.

"I do," Elsa laughed. "Do you have a first name, or can I call you 'Mom'?"