2. Faux innocence

"...uhm spaghetti is always a good choice. Unless its burned or raw. Is that the correct term for uncooked spaghetti?" Elsa was spacing out, she was looking through the window at nothing in particular. She is even ignoring my poor manners on the table. "Elsa, sweetie, are you listening?" time for a different approach. SNAP-SNAP "Earth calling Elsa, are you in there" I know I'm just rambling about pasta but she has never been like this before, at least not with me.

"Uh-err...maybe. I mean sorry its just, I did not slept well last night" she could've said that without yawning, now I' feeling a bit sleepy too!

Her eyes are slightly bloodshot and her eyelids are half way closed. I'm getting worried now.

"Did you have that nightmare again, sis?

"Uhm, not-"

"Did you ate cheese past midnight? Did you know that nightmares in spanish are called 'pesadillas' because they are almost exclusively fueled by eating 'quesadillas' past bed time?"

"Wha- Anna! You are the silliest girl in the world" there the smile I wanted to see "There is absolutely no way that statement is true" no, no, no, why is she not smiling anymore "It's just that I'm not used to sleeping alone-but its not your fault it was a computer program. You can't argue with a over sized calculator" this is hitting her harder than I expected, even that attempt of a joke was overflowing with a sour sadness in her smile.

Ever since I can remember we have always shared bedroom, and even bed whenever we felt like doing so. I have Rory, my roommate, she is here when I can't sleep and need someone to talk to; she is there when I need a book recommendation. Elsa has no one with her. All she has in that room is gray walls, her violin, and a mirror.

Elsa is alone.

She is missing me but I know she is hiding something else. Her eyes are dodging mine and her fingers are at unease, rhythmically drumming against the table.

"Is there anything else bothering you sis?" Please open up to me Elsa, please!

"N-no, not at-at all, not really. I mean, its no big deal. Y-you shouldn't wo-worry about i-it" Oh no, she is stuttering. Whatever she is hiding is a biggie. Why, why would she hide something if its so bad? We have always trusted each other more than anyone else. Not even mom knows as many secrets about me as Elsa does.

"Hey, calm down. You can trust me Elsa, no matter how bad or wrong you think this little problem is-"

"I miss you Anna." Finally some honesty "I-I thought I was mature enough and pretended to be okay with this whole separate bedroom thing and seeing you after classes... b-b-but, its so hard." she was crying, she needed to cry.

"Come here you" I just couldn't take it anymore. I got up and went around the table to hug her as tight as I could. I can feel her tears dampening my shirt and my own running down my cheeks. I guess I needed this as well. I have missed her too, I missed this warmth spreading through my chest and our heartbeat synchronized. It took our tears and this embrace to bring my longing afloat. Maybe if I tell her my secret she'd be more open to me "Can I tell you a secret sis?" I felt her nodding against me "I've miss sleeping with you. And well, it's embarrassing but, I have an extra pillow on my bed to cuddle at night" the sobbing chuckle she made was like a ray of light in our present darkness.

Our hug lasted for a few minutes. And it was abruptly ended by Elsa tickle torturing me. I was begging her to stop as my face was red and burning, and breathing became a hard task for my body. She stopped once I was laying on the floor trying to protect my rib cage with my arms and laughing uncontrollably. I looked at her and her face was a dark shade of pink, even her ears were tinged with the blood rush; her hands on her lap. She was embarrassed. I realized that we are in a Cafe surrounded by the judging eyes of strangers, fixed my skirt and blouse as I stood back up and returned back to my chair across Elsa.

"Your mascara is-s." she signals to her own cheek mimicking the falling of a tear.

"And whom fault is it young lady" obviously her, she is the one that made me cry...twice. She looked back at her lap with a smile shyly unraveling in her face. "Hey how 'bout we make something about it. Let's go to the restroom".

ooo

My eyes fixed to the fluorescent tubes on the ceiling as Anna requested me to do, her left hand cupping my chin to hold me steady as she was applying the last touches of eyeliner.

"See that was not so hard. You have really nice skin and need just a sprinkle of foundation, concealer and eyeliner to exalt your naturally beautiful face" She turned my face to the mirror. And there we were, side by side. We looked beautiful and happy, why can't we be like this all the time? "Hey what's up? Anything wrong?"

"I uhm- so-sorry for asking you do my makeup. I shoul-dd-d had b-brought my own makeup and-"

"What are you talking about you silly head? I looove doing your makeup Elsa, its like adding color to a coloring book" her hand cupped my face again "bringing the beauty to the exterior and... I love how it makes your eyes pierce through steel and your li- Fuck! I forgot about your lips. I mean its kinda your fault for having those distracting eyes" she started searching in her purse passionately, every second more and more impatient "Wha-Where is it? I had a perfect lipstick for this natural look...It was here this morning. Oh god I'm so dumb I must have left it on my dorm. Well lip gloss it is then."

I assume the position and Anna applied the shine to my lower lip, it felt...ticklish. "The lipstick you wanted to use on me… got lost?"

"Yeah, I guess. I even retouched my lips back at my dorm before coming here. It sucks because if I had it we would look like those assembly line runway models." So we would look identical.

We went back to our table and I pretended I was gong to sit down and abruptly stood up "Oh, I almost forgot, I should be going back to my dorm, there's this uhm t-thing I have for a class early t-tomorrow, so y-yeah. Thank you for the makeup, An-Anna, and the lunch."

"Don't mind it, I have to go work today again, we are short on staff so I'm working like 4 days a week now. And they advertised it as a part-time job those meanies" I want to stay a little longer with you Anna...but my mind is yearning for something else. Something you-something we can't share.

I left in a hurry, ran so fast I had to stop to catch my breath a few times, it was just over a mile, I'm obviously not as athletic as my sister.

Once in my dorm room and after double checking the door and window and making sure I was at my personal haven, I collapsed into my knees. Sweat running through my body, sure I was out of breath, but my sweat was cold. I was afraid. I did something I had never done before this afternoon...I stole from my own sister.

I could feel it in my shorts back pocket. The perfect lipstick my sister wanted to use on me. I'm glad I stole it before she applied onto my lips. I doubt I could resist the sight of us looking so...beautiful together.

I put my hair up in a bun and caged it in a hair net before wiping the gloss of my lips, cleansing Elsa away and applying the guilt embalmed lipstick to my soft pink flesh. Now facing the mirror, I completed the transmutation and my hair was replaced again with the lovely coppery twin tails.

"Welcome back Elsa. I've been waiting for you all day. Did the other one tried to delay our date" Eyes filled with a feeling I have never seen on my...her face.

"No, b-but you wer-r-re right-t she did miss me. She even has an Elsa pillow for bed time cuddles"

"Aw, that is so cute. Maybe we could do that blondie?"

"Huh, maybe. I guess its not as weird if Anna does it-"

"I meant cuddles...or sleeping together" that look had a feeling even I could understand. Lust, filth, deviancy. "C'mon I didn't meant it like that sweetie, did I? I'm kidding. It just that you put me back in your suitcase so early last time, all we did was a little peck...which reminds me-" my lips colliding soft and tenderly against the cold looking glass, our eyes closed.

Mom used to love seen our affectionate hugs and kisses until, well we were no longer doll sized princesses but young teenagers in bloom. Anna always thought of the rule as shallow envy since mother did not have sibling let alone 'an Elsa as her sister'.

Our sleepovers would casually include a few pecks or not, it all depended on Anna, I'd let her initiate, perhaps because I was afraid our mother may come in and get angry at us for disobeying her.

The Anna in the mirror kisses me, but these ones are different. They taste, feel, and come from a strange place. But I can't-won't stop her.

"Now, we should redecorate this room. First, move our bed over there by the window so I can be with you on it." I did as told and pushed my bed towards the window until it was stopped by the desk every dorm room had. I fell to the floor exhausted yet again. I look up and saw Anna on the mirror slowly climbing on my bed.

"And secondly...take off those sweated shorts and join me..."

Author's Notes: Hi, hello, H3y there. Thanks for reading and giving feedback on last chapter. It truly helped. Today we learned a little more about the sisterly relation between Anna and Elsa. Elsa does know how to use makeup, but recently she has been caring little about her personal appearance.

Sorry about the cliffhanger, I know I promised longer chapters, and believe me I'm trying...maybe next time mirror Anna will have more quality time with Elsa.