SEEK And Find

Chapter 13

"Now you kids be good," her mother told her the next morning. Dad had seen them off at home so he could take their car in to work, and she had driven Anna and Elsa in Anna's old Volvo. It technically belonged to the girl now, even though it had been her mother's before. They were already discussing what new car Mom would get once she had gone off to college.

"Yeah, yeah," Anna grumbled under her breath. "Good as Girl Scouts."

"No hanky panky! I mean it!"

Elsa straightened from where she had been setting down one of Anna's suitcases, eyes wide. "NO! Don't worry, I- there won't be ANY of that! No WAY!" When both of the other women blinked at her, she laughed and scratched the back of her neck. "J-just, um, I promised you I would look out for Anna, and I'm definitely going to keep that promise! Okay? Okay."

"Silly Elsa," Anna snorted, even though she looked like she was enjoying every minute. Once she had lowered her second suitcase to the curb, one a lot lighter than the one Elsa had helped with, she turned back to throw her arms around her mother. "I am gonna miss you, though."

"Ohhh, my little Anna Jo-jo," she grunted, squeezing her harder than was strictly necessary.

"And this," Elsa sighed, dropping Anna's backpack onto the top of the two bags. "Ready?"

The redhead's head dipped. "I... was hoping you'd forget about that."

"Of course not! I expect you to create some truly brilliant work - at the very least, while I'm off the island for Cannes. How are you supposed to do that without your materials?"

Her mother smirked. "Your famous friend thinks you're talented. How about that - so do I."

"Stoooooppp!" she whined, and they both laughed as they gathered for their final goodbyes.

Within ten or twenty minutes, they were in the terminal, going through security and getting their tickets, all of the usual things. Elsa mostly waited around with Anna, since her precheck meant she could zip right through with minimal holdups or pat-downs. So while Anna was tossing her sneakers into a plastic bin behind her olive-green jacket, her backpack, and her dignity, Elsa was waiting on the other side with a smoothie, incognito in her hoodie and sunglasses again and smiling to herself.

"All of these people have no idea," Anna whispered as they walked along, Elsa slurping through her straw - that is to say, making zero noise as she drank. Like the proper lady she was. "Elsa's in the house. Have they ever mobbed you before?"

"Oh, it happens," she sighed. "TMZ is the worst, but you never know who'll pop up and happen to shove a camera in your face. NBC, CBS, CNN... Perez Hilton."

"Are they, like... mean to you?"

"Oh, no, never! Well, the more reputable ones tend to be nicer. A few random paparazzi have tried to block me from leaving places, and you probably heard about the one-"

"Yeah, yeah," she assured Elsa, saving them both from having to go into detail about "Handsy Hank". "Well that's good, at least..."

A little further along, they reached a bunch of food kiosks, one of which had likely provided Elsa with her beverage. She gestured with the cup and asked, "Anything you want? If you don't buy it now, you'll be at the mercy of the plane food until very late tonight."

"Hmm... for now, maybe a hot dog?"

"Good."

"And for you?" Elsa scowled, which made Anna scowl. "Come on, we agreed-"

"Yes, Anna, fine, but not a hot dog. There has to be sushi here somewhere... or perhaps a sit-down restaurant. Oh - we could do the VIP Lounge."

Smirking, Anna said, "You're forgetting something: I'm no VIP."