Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The room is filled with the sound of shuffling papers and nervous whispers. Most of the students are waiting impatiently for their turns, some glancing at the door as if hoping for a distraction from the tense atmosphere while certain groups of students seem to be lost in their own world, but Kit's attention is stuck on one person—Elora.

Kit sits sluggishly, might appear relaxed with a nonchalant look on her face yet her expressive eyebrows and focused gaze on Elora tells another story. On the other side, Elora sits with an upright posture, exuding confidence and energy. Her gaze is sharp, focused, and unwavering, perfectly matching Kit’s own.

Their eyes practically duel with one another, fixed on one another, none of them daring to blink as the Professor continues handing out the graded sheet. The usual unspoken challenge is transparent in their exchange as they maintain their unbroken stare, each unwilling to look away first.

Kit yawns, flexing five fingers and twirling around the thumb of her other hand, an innocent gesture to an untrained eye. But she knows by Elora's eye roll that she completely comprehended what Kit is referring to. Kit can't help but feel a hint of satisfaction as she recalls the last six occasions when she managed to outshine Elora in their various tests—whether academic or physical, it didn't matter. Each time, Kit had come out on top, much to Elora's dismay.

Elora pushes her red hair back out of her face with determination and mouths, not this time.

Kit arches her brow, mouthing back, in your dreams. Her lips curve into a sly smile, challenging Elora to match her determination.

The atmosphere between them crackles with competitive energy as they lock eyes. The stakes feel higher than ever; she's not just playing for bragging rights, but also for the thrill of proving who is superior. Time seems to slow as they sit there, neither willing to be the first to blink or break the unyielding stare. With every second passing, she hopes that the other will show a hint of weakness, a slight falter under the pressure of their focused stares.

The seconds stretch into minutes but neither seem to be giving up anytime soon. Well, Elora seems pretty fine, infuriating smile still plastered across her face as she holds Kit's gaze unwaveringly, Kit’s own eyes begin to burn from the effort, the intense focus was starting to weigh on her, but retreating first was not an option—she would never allow Elora the satisfaction but deep down, she feels the tension rising within her.

But ultimately Kit becomes one to tear her gaze away from the intense staring, just when Kit feels that she might very well burst from the pressure, on the brink of tears forming in her eyes when she finds the Professor standing in front of her, holding the stack of graded papers.

She had poured her soul into that test, every ounce of her energy, every fleeting moment, had been dedicated to mastering a subject that was far from her strongest. The equations dance in front of her sight like a troupe of ballerinas, taunting her with their complexity. She couldn’t remember a single occasion when she opened the textbook and had managed to end the day without succumbing to a breakdown.

Days turned into sleepless nights, where the clock glared at her like a harsh reminder, her eyes burning into the pages of textbooks until the words swam in a blur of letters and numbers. Social outings terminated completely, leaving her mind alone throbbing with the sound of her own internal screams as she tried to grasp something that wouldn't slip away from her hold like water in the span of minutes.

Letting the anxiety which threatened to consume her linger, stealing her focus and her peace. Restlessness had been her sole companion those days, the stress gnawing at her insides like a hungry beast.

Even then when she paced in her small room, a caged animal, her heart pounding in time with the relentless tick, chewing her nails to stubs yet she sticked to believing her restlessness, her nervousness, panic attacks, tension, stress, anxiety and all her other mass hysteria are going to be worth it…worth something.

Worth beating Elora, perhaps.

Although Kit may not have the opportunity to excel on this particular test, she is confident that Elora will not do any better.

The test itself was exceptionally difficult. It was the kind of test that required not only a solid grasp of the material, but also quick thinking and problem-solving skills that could easily trip up even the brightest minds, making them sweat as they wrestle with the concepts ahead of them.

In normal circumstances, Elora would have done it like it was a child's play but this semester, her focus on studies has been wavering. Despite still managing to pull off far from poor grades earlier this semester, there had been a noticeable change in her after she returned from a one-week health leave about a month and a half ago. Upon her return, it soon became clear to Kit that something was up with her. She noticed over time that Elora not only seemed neglectful of her studies, but also seemed increasingly distant during their interactions. Whereas Elora had always been the one buzzing around Kit, teasing her or asking her about her plans, she was hardly engaging in conversations with Kit—or anyone in general.

Elora exhibited signs of being disturbed or preoccupied, lost in her a world where the vibrant energy she once exuded had been dulled. Kit, however, had no intentions of prying into Elora’s personal life.

Maybe she had, but not because she was particularly invested in Elora’s life choices; rather, it was out of shock. This change had never happened before. It was strange seeing Elora who was always the first to volunteer answers in class, fumbling when called upon, her usual enthusiasm when about to dive into group projects was replaced with detachment.

Elora seemed withdrawn and preoccupied, her attention frequently drifting away from lectures that once captivated her. During discussions, instead of participating actively, she often appeared to be lost in thought, staring blankly at the professor or the walls instead of jotting down her usual jazzy notes filled with colourful annotations and highlights.

It was distracting for Kit too. During the lectures, she would find herself staring at Elora, observing her irregular behaviour instead of focusing on the material at hand. It was annoying, stealing her precious attention away from her studies at times. Her curiosity eventually got the better of her and Kit, in her own subtle way, tried to inquire, multiple times in fact whenever the two would find themselves alone and together but received no direct explanation. She was not gonna beg her to know what's wrong with her.

As far as Kit was concerned, Elora’s struggles were her own business. Their competitive bond was not the one that extended to sympathy or understanding. After all, Kit had managed to beat Elora in six consecutive tests, and that was all that mattered to her. Owing to the fact that she was outdoing Elora in basically everything, she made it a point to revel in her success, taking every opportunity to rub it in Elora's face every time the opportunity arises.

At first, when Kit would flaunt her victories and tease her, Elora’s reaction was one of mixed amusement and shock. Her eyes would widen, as if she had just encountered the most bizarre spectacle imaginable. Kit found some satisfaction in Elora’s bewilderment, relishing the moment like a cat toying with a mouse. But as time wore on, it seemed to be starting to get under her nerves. More than once, Kit noted the storm brewing in Elora's eyes; a look that suggested she was mere seconds away from retaliating, presumably by giving her a black eye. Kit, on the other hand, took full pleasure in her annoyance.

It was only recently, she joined in too, fed up with Kit’s relentless teasing and the constant barrage of her victories, decided she would no longer be a passive participant in this rivalry. She started debating against her in every class discussions, quizzes and soon started playing around with boasting as well, rubbing in her former and more eminent victories. Kit couldn’t care any less about it, she was the one having the upper hand at the moment.

Kit's heart buzzes with anticipation as the Professor smiles at Kit's paper, shifting her gaze to Kit with the same warm smile and murmurs. “Well done.”

She leaves the sheet on her table and moves forward. Kit immediately grips the sheet and flips it over to find an A-. She lets out a deep breath, bobbing her head. Pretty grade for such a difficult test, but she is not considering celebrating until she gets to know Elora's grade.

As soon as her gaze rises, she sees the Professor handing over Elora's sheet with a brighter smile and her heart clenches, caught in the delicate dance of hope and fear.

Elora lifts her sheet and the noises of the classroom fades away as Kit's world's narrows to just that A+ printed with red ink on Elora's sheet. Kit’s heart sinks in her chest, fingers clench her sheet as she bites down on her tongue.

The Professor clears her throat, and says loud enough for the class to get silent. “Elora, would you like to share your grade with the class?”

Kit glares as Elora delicately stands up confidently and humbly. “A plus, Miss.”

The class erupts in applause. Elora smiles, basking in the glory. Kit’s knuckles turn white as she grips the edge of her desk, sinking back in her seat.

She remembers the day it all started. She vividly recalls standing in front of the class on the first day, confidently yapping the English Alphabets. Midway, she hit a snag. Her mind went blank, and she gazed ahead, momentarily frozen.

The class didn't seem phased by it, everyone seemed rather impressed by it. It wasn't a moment of embarrassment, not yet. Not until Elora butted in.

She smoothly took over, reciting the Alphabets like a professional, each letter flowed seamlessly from her tongue, each sound crisp and clear. It was as if she had been born knowing the alphabet by heart. Then applause echoed for Elora and it was the first time in her life Kit felt a sharp pang of being pushed back, ignored, and overshadowed.

Elora's effortless brilliance, her natural talent, felt like a harsh spotlight shining directly on Kit's momentary stumble. It was a stinging reminder of her own vulnerability and stark contrast to Elora's confident display.

Elora's outshining, her effortless superiority, injured Kit's little heart in a way she had never experienced before. It took the shape of a seed of determination planted deep within her to beat Elora which only grew more and more with time.

From that day the two were trying to be neck to neck in everything. They competed for everything, whether it was gold stars, first place in exams, debates, spelling bees, or just answering in class and simple class quizzes.

Each one of them has had their own fair share of wins. Elora’s wins were like thunderstorms—loud and electrifying. On the contrary, Kit's wins were like rainfalls—dull and splattering.

The applause for her had never succeeded in satisfying her as much as the applause for Elora had stung her.

Elora stands right in front of Kit with a teasing smile. Kit glares at her with a childish scowl on her face as Elora asks her, “What grade did you get, Kit?”

Elora’s teasing smile widens as she watches Kit’s scowl deepen. “It's surely not as brilliant as mine, but…” She trails off, eyes glittering as she tilts her head.

Kit grip on her sheet tightens, miserably failing to maintain a nonchalant face. She sucks in her breath and shoves her sheet into her backpack, commenting, “A grade not worth crying for sure.”

“You probably did well too, Kit.” She smiles before leaning in, whispering into her ears. “Almost perfect” Elora’s words feel like a dagger running through Kit's heart.

She ruffles her brown hair, smoothly gliding up. “Anyways, we have a flight this evening.”

Kit passes her bewildered look and says. “Yeah, I suppose…for separate destinations.” Kit's jaw is clenched, her mind still circling around the almost perfect comment. “Me to Tir Asleen, you to Nelwyn.”

“No one told you?” Elora raises an eyebrow.

Kit's jaw relaxes at that as she stares in confusion. “Told me what?”

“You guys are celebrating Christmas with us. In Nelwyn.”

Kit's jaw falls as if she has just witnessed a murder. Her heart sinks when she hears the news. Christmas with Elora? It is like being handed a snowball and told to throw it at your own face.

“Sorsha sent me flight tickets for us.”

Moments like this make Kit lament over the fact that her three-year-old self didn't take Elora being her parent's best buddies’ daughter under consideration before declaring Elora as the bane of her existence.

Resultantly, she has to see the face of the one person whom she hates the most, even more than she can tolerate. The sight of her triggers all the negative emotions Kit has in her.

She harbours the same thought throughout countless weekends, holidays, and family gatherings, where she must endure Elora’s presence. Each one a reminder of her inability to escape Elora’s company.

The memories of multiple birthdays being ruined still lingers. Her father, in his obliviousness or ignorance, had invited Elora to Kit's birthday parties year after year, despite Kit's repeated pleas and expressions of distress.

The most prominently ruined one was the first time Elora was invited to Kit's birthday. In spite of her deep-seated hatred, Kit was willing to have Elora attend her birthday party since it was also Airk's birthday and he really wanted her there.

But Kit was completely unprepared for the overwhelming adoration Elora received. The admiration for Elora’s intelligence and sparkle. Everyone seemed to be totally impressed and obsessed with Elora. It was like Elora had casted a magical spell on everyone, dragging all attention and affection towards herself.

What actually enraged her was seeing her Dad fuel all of it. He actively encouraged this adoration. He spent the entire day joking and playing with the children, but it was painfully obvious that his attention was primarily focused on Elora. She tried to get his attention, but he seemed to be in his own world with Elora.

Kit felt sidelined again. On her own birthday.

Unable to bear the sting of neglect, she retreated to her room, refusing to cut her cake until Elora was out. Her tantrums were ignored as the world outside rotated around Elora.

Elora snaps her finger in front of her eyes. “Don't be late, okay?” Elora saunters away.

“Fuck!” Kit groans into the palm of her hands.

***

The plush leather seats of the business class cabin cradles Kit as she dozes off. Her head tilts against the window as the flight takes off. Kit’s mind is a whirlwind of emotions—fatigue, frustration, and the lingering sting of vanquished.

But now, she needs rest and sleep. Her head is throbbing with pain, she feels exhausted, worn out from spending the entire afternoon grieving her defeat. The music playing in her ears pulls her into a peaceful slumber.

Her sleep just begins settling in when she jolts awake by someone's presence. Her eyes shoot up and she finds Elora leaning over, her wavy hair tickling Kit's cheek, making her heart race.

Kit's eyes went wide, her headset slipping off. “Hey, Kit,” she whispers, her breath on Kit's ear, warm and intoxicating. “What grade did you get?”

Kit blinks, disoriented. She snakes away from Elora, her heart drumming in her chest and her pulse quickening for some reason. “What?” she mumbles, rubbing her eyes. “What are you—”

“Come on,” Elora interrupts, leaning closer. “What's your grade?”

Kit backs away from her. “Back off a little,” Kit grumbles, her voice still thick with sleep. “Why do you care?”

Elora leans in further as if whispering a secret. “Is it that bad? C or D?”

Kit straightens up her, her competitive spirit jolting awake. “I got an A minus!”

Elora narrows her eyes. “Really?” She suspiciously studies her head and toe. After seeing no sign of humour on her face, she asks. “Then why are you sulky and scowling as if you got an F.”

Kit’s fingers curl into a fist, nails digging into her palm. She bites her tongue, silencing the words that threaten to spill out her feelings and envy. Instead, she crosses her arms, slips back on her headset, and lets the silence hang between them.

The music replaces Elora's voice. She closes her eyes, shutting out the world around her. She hears Elora's muffled and distant voice. “This isn't the first time I've scored higher than you. You know that right?”

I know.

The words mock her.

Kit’s mind races, recalling each encounter. The maths genius competition, the chessboard games, the cryptic crossword, the debates, spelling bees.

She had lost from Elora innumerous times before, but this one hurts almost as bad as the time they had one leg race in school.The memory of that race, a silly but memorable competition, resurfaced as Kit grappled with her current disappointment. It was announced in school that whosoever was interested in participating had to bring parent, avunculi, guardian or any adult with them as a partner.

She had always wanted to do something fun with her dad, this was the perfect opportunity and Kit was keen on joining the competition with her Dad, except when he came to pick her, Elora told him about the competition. Her hopes were dashed as without any second thought, he volunteered to be her partner.

She immediately voiced her disappointment, emphasising how much she wanted to race with him. Her father, though sympathetic, gently suggested she could participate with her mother instead. Sadly, Kit didn't want to participate with her Mom, she wanted to participate with her Dad because she just had a bond with him which she didn't have with her mother, never could. They were too different for their own goods.

Kit and Madmartigan were too similar for their own good. She was often told she was his mini version which was the base of their strong bond. Madmartigan was the best father ever but whenever Elora came around, it was all Elora he could think of.

Desperate, Kit pleaded with her mother to persuade her father to reconsider. But her requests fell on deaf ears. Her father's decision felt like a betrayal. She couldn't understand why he would choose Elora over his own child.

Feeling rejected and hurt, Kit decided to withdraw from the competition altogether. Her father, sensing her distress, attempted to coax her into participating with her mother. He assured her that her mom was a more skilled athlete and that they would have a strong chance of winning if they worked together. He even promised to train with them, offering his support and guidance to help them win.

She wasn't happy about participating with her mom instead of dad but the thought of victory against Elora nudged her.

But on the day of the competition it did not unfold as planned. Elora and her dad. Elora and her dad were a tough competition, and Kit and her mom were struggling to keep up. Surprisingly, Kit and Sorsha were good together, they were fast, but not fast enough. In the end, they came second while Elora and her dad took first place.

Kit was heartbroken. She had put in so much effort and trained so hard, but it still wasn't enough. As she stood on the podium watching Elora and her dad receive their trophy, tears welled up her eyes.

Her mother offered comforting words, trying to persuade Kit that second place was still a commendable achievement. But that was not the thing hurting her, right now. Her Dad on the other hand was too happy about Elora's victory to notice Kit's agony.

It was not until late at night when her mom told him about Kit's state that he came to check up on her but by that time the damage was done, not even her mom buying her the drone she had been begging her to buy for months on the way back managed to lift her spirit up.

She was pissed at everyone. At her mom for not winning, at her Dad for choosing Elora, at Elora for being—Elora.

She tries to ignore it, pushing the memories back, she has spent enough time beating herself up about the latest defeat, she can't spend more time wailing over competitions that happened ages ago.

She prepares her mind for sleep again. But just as she dozes off somewhere between reality and dreamworld, someone pokes her forehead and she doesn't even have to guess who it could be.

She huffs and drops her headset, her eyes boring into Elora's. She smothers her arm. “Oh, come on, now, we are going home for Christmas, cheer up a bit!”

“I want to fucking sleep.” She says with gritted teeths, slipping her arm away from Elora's reach.

Elora’s fingers cradle Kit’s jaw, her soft hands digging into her cheeks—Kit tries not to feel weird about it— coaxing her to look beyond the window. The night sky stretches like an endless canvas, and the clouds; soft, billowing and dreamy.

“You’d get the chance to sleep later,” Elora murmurs, her breath stuttering against Kit’s skin, her warmth, the heat of her body so close, it sends shivers down her shine. “But you won’t get the chance to gaze at such pretty clouds again.”

“Elora!” She protests, her face twisting as she turns away. “We are not dying over there.”

“Oh, don't ruin the moment.”

Kit sinks back into the leather plush, her eyes fluttering shut. “If you disturb me again, I'll personally ensure you never get to sleep again.” She warns.

"Rude." Elora's remark is the last thing she hears before she is buried in a shallow sleep.

She sleeps for barely minutes before she gets awakened by the feeling of a hand on her shoulder. Without hesitation she unbuckles her seatbelt with one swift motion, standing up, ready to unleash all of her anger and frustration on Elora.

“Why can't you leav—" She freezes, her sharp words dissolving when she sees the member of the cabin crew in front of her instead of Elora. She sheepishly gulps in and clears her throat.

"Sorry, I thought…” She turns to find Elora leaning back on her seat, staring at her with an amused smile. She scratches the back of her neck embarrassedly.

“No problem.” The attendant responds with a level of courtesy and patience that Kit could never even hope to muster. “What would you like to eat, ma'am?”

Kit tosses her hair back in frustration and embarrassment, then quickly shakes her head. “No, I'm good.”

As the lady moves away, Elora whispers in a hushed tone. “She forgot to take her meds.”

Kit shoots her a sharp look, her neck flushed from embarrassment, silently chastising herself for her impatience as buckles up her seatbelt.

She gazes out of the window and silently praying for this flight to be over along with her agony. She feels Elora leaning over her shoulder but she has no strength or stamina left to fight her.

“You should have seen your face.” Her giggles tingles against her neck and it takes everything in her to not melt, a fluttery feeling settling deep within her belly.

She stares outside, and begins wondering whether she is making it up or is Elora truly being too touchy with her? Or is it because she is just realizing it? Or is it because she desperately craves distance from her and is painfully aware of it when she clings.

Chapter Text

Kit steps out of the streamy bathroom, her hair damp from the shower, sticking to her forehead and neck and steam still rising from her skin. As she makes her way down the hallway to the living room, the initial thought she has is how short the length of the hallway is in contradiction to her house's seemingly endless hallway.

She marches down the stairs and finds herself in the cosy living room. The living room is modest in size, with cream-coloured walls and hardwood floors.

In the center of the room, there is a comfortable grey couch adorned with colourful throw pillows and a soft blanket draped over the back. A small coffee table sits in front of it, with a few books and a scented candle resting on top. A comfortable armchair is placed in the corner.

“Come on, Kit, dinners served!” She hears her brother's voice and follows it. Her steps lead her to a dining table set in the heart of the kitchen where Elora’s family and her own were sitting together.

The scent of multiple dishes hits her nostrils and her stomach rumbles in response. She inhales deeply as she steps in the dining room and the small space unfolds before her. A short worn wooden table stood at the center, adorned with mismatched plates and colourful cloth napkins.

Sorsha and Willow have occupied the two heads of the table. Mims is sitting to the left of Willow while Airk has occupied the chair to his right with the chair beside him being the only one unoccupied.

Kit takes it as a cue and sits on the only unoccupied chair, adjusting to the flattened and worn cushion of the chair. Airk is enlightening everyone about something related to his journalism research.

She looks up and finds Elora across the table. Unlike Kit, she remains in the same clothes and condition she arrived in, with fatigue and complexion. The flight itself was very long and tiresome, not to mention the drive back home if anything, a warm shower was much needed. With the way she looks, Kit doubts she has even had the chance to freshen up.

Her head resting in her hand, her wavy auburn hair looks wild and messy. Kit stares as she picks at her food with the fork, her movements sluggish as if weighted down by some unseen force. Paleness reflecting from her face.

Kit was already in a terrible mood, socialising was going to make it even worse so she immediately hopped into the shower after meeting everyone and spent like an hour agonising in there, trying to shake off the uneasiness and that weird knot in her chest which was making it difficult for her to want to get out of the shower and face everyone.

Her chest was squeezed, crushing under all the anger, hurt, rage and disappointment she was feeling. At that point all she wanted was to be alone, she consoled by reminding herself just dinner and then she would be free from all this and persuaded herself to come out.

She only seems to realise she's staring when she sees Elora sensing her eyes on her, lifts her eyes lazily, staring at Kit through her eyelashes, her eyes lacking the same enthusiasm she was asking Kit to have in the flight.

She turns toward Airk, subtly nodding in acknowledgement of the words she didn't hear.

“Kit your plate is empty, aren't you hungry?” Willow inquires, interrupting Airk's speech.

“Huh?” Kit says, attention finally drawn to the empty space where her food should've been. “Oh, yeah right.” Kit reaches out for the ladle, a sudden burst of hunger overcoming her and starts scooping a generous amount of mac and cheese onto her plate, spilling most of it on the table in the process. “Fuck! I'll….just clean this up.” She looks around nervously for some napkin or cloth to clean it.

“Don't worry about it. I'll clean it later” Mims assures before offering. “Here, let me serve you.”

Before she gets the chance to stand, Kit stammers, face heating up in embarrassment, “No, no, no I can—I will”

Mims nods with a chuckle and continues eating her food. Kit scoops some more Mac and cheese onto her plate, with care this time to avoid spilling.

Airk opens his mouth to continue but Sorsha beats him to it. She leans forward, her eyes sharp. “Elora,” she says “I’ve heard you’re quite the prodigy at the university. Care to tell us about your accomplishments?”

Kit rolls her eyes at her mom's antics, exhaling as she tries not to let her get under her skin and takes a small bite of her food. Just a few more minutes she reminds herself. Moreover, she knows her mother actually doesn't care. She pretends she does because she knows very well how envious Kit gets of Elora. Sorsha thinks doing all this would inspire Kit to work hard.

She has no idea how hard Kit works. She doesn't want to see how hard Kit works. All she sees is Kit not willing to be her puppet.

There's one non-terrible thing about her mother, she wouldn't choose Elora over her own kids.

Unlike her Dad who did choose Elora over them, each and every time, until his last breath.

“Well,” she shrugs. “I couldn't concentrate much after—” She freezes, but Kit’s eyes remain locked on her plate, oblivious to the tension. “But last week, I started conducting research on quantum entanglement. It’s quite fascinating.”

“That’s quite impressive, my dear.”

“And I recently aced the Quantum Mechanics exam. It was the most challenging test of the semester, and I received an A plus.”

“In Quantum Mechanics?” Kit bit her inner cheek at the gut-wrenching reminder, and could feel her mother's gaze on her. The harder she tries to forget about it, pushing all these feelings away, the harder the World shoves it back towards her.

“You must have a brilliant mind.”

Willow laughs. “Of course she does!”

Every minute, every second, it runs dagger through her heart, slicing it apart each time, not even giving it a second before tearing it apart again and again and each time it hurts the same.

“And what about you, Kit?”

Kit’s head snaps up to her mother, who meets her gaze with a raised eyebrow. The tension doesn't go unnoticed as Willow, Airk and Mims share uncomfortable glances. Her eyes flicker to Elora and find her staring at her with guilt.

Kit shifts uncomfortably in her seat. “I have also aced multiple tests,” she begins, her voice determined, “and not just tests, I have—”

“In Quantum Mechanics, Kit.” Sorsha interrupts sternly, her voice unwavering.

“I..I did pretty well in—”

“What grade?”

“A minus.” Kit spits out and hears Sorsha hum, unsatisfactorily.

“An A minus is brilliant too, you know.” Airk consoles Kit with a comforting pat.

Kit's lip twitches, almost breaking into a smile, but it disappears as Sorsha asks immediately after. “Did you excel in any research, perhaps?”

Her eyebrows knits, swallowing the lump forming in her throat. “No,”

“Why not?”

“It's not important.” Kit grumbles under her breath. Suddenly just a few more minutes were unbearable for her.

Her mother turns her attention back to Elora. “You are one of a kind, not many can balance—”

Kit’s frustration bubbles up as she aggressively slams her spoon on the plate, creating a tense silence as everyone turns to stare at her, hesitant to speak. Deep down, she knows her mother doesn’t care about Elora, but she can't stand that her mother pretends otherwise.

She stands up, her mother's piercing stare burning into her skin and clears her throat. “Excuse me.” Willow stares between the mother-daughter with a sigh.

She steps away, gripping the edges of the table, looking around. “You will be staying in Elora's room, if you want to rest.” Mims says.

She raises her eyebrows. “Where is she staying then?”

“In her room, where else do you think?” Elora retorts.

Her eyes narrowed before widening, hoping for someone to laugh and declare it a joke. There’s no way they’re actually going to make Kit and Elora share a room—as if they don't already know how much the two loathe each other. “I don’t wanna share a room with her.” She complains and adds before anyone can respond, “And why can’t Airk and Elora share a room?”

Kit’s complaint hangs in the air, her hands gesturing emphatically. “I’ll sleep with Mims, Airk and Elora can sleep together.”

The room falls silent, uneasy and uncomfortable glances were exchanged around the table. Her confusion lingering and growing. “What?” she demands, her movements jerky.

“Kit will take the couch if she has so much to complain about.”

Willow chimes in about taking the couch and smething else but Kit tuned it out. She has lost consciousness of the conversations, her mind buzzing with curiosity. She observes the way Airk and Elora are avoiding each other's gazes and suddenly seem very uncomfortable and awkward.

Airk adores and loves Elora just as much as Kit resents her. However, since they have arrived, Kit has not once witnessed the two look at each, let alone talk.

“Why can't Airk and Elora share a room?” Kit inquires, still confused about the odd behaviour of everyone at her suggestion. Kit can sense everyone at this table knows something she doesn't.

At the center of this uneasy gathering stands Airk, his face nonchalant as compared to the others. “Hey,” he wraps his arm around his twin shoulder, “let's go sis...I'll show you the room.” He pats her shoulder, giving her the look, nudging her forward.

She allows him to lead her down the cramped hallway, up the stairs, and eventually to a room, knowing she’s about to uncover some answers.

Kit struggles to keep pace with him as he firmly shuts the door and leans his head against it. “Why can’t you catch a hint, Kit?”

“Cut it,” Kit says in a serious tone, crossing her arms, “tell me what's going on down there.”

Airk bites his lip, a tense expression forming on his face. “Elora and I, we were dating.” Airk finally reveals the reason for the strange behaviour at the dining table. She feels the ground beneath her shift, her perception of their dynamics tilting on an axis she had never even known existed.

Her jaw drops in shock. “You and Elora are dating?” She scoffs with disbelief in her voice. “Everyone knew?” Her incredulity spills forth as she gestures out of the door. “And none of you told me?” Her words come out in a rush, her mind trying to process this new revelation.

“We were dating.” Airk corrects her. “We were sort of dating and well then…”

“You cheated?” She asks with a bounce of eyebrows. He sighs and she shakes her head with a huff, “I wish I could say I’m suprised.”

He sinks down onto the floor, burying his face in his hands. Meanwhile, Kit's still wondering what would possess Elora, the chanted genius to do something as dumb as falling for her brother's flirtatious tendencies.

She scratches the side of her temple, walking up to sit side-by-side. “When did all this even happen?”

“Over the summer and after that we decided to do long distance. I was fully committed but I met this girl, Lili and…it sort of happened,” he says as if it was a natural phenomenon of l8fe, as if someone's heart probably didn't shatter because of it. "I didn't mean for it to, but it did, and I had to tell Elora." He says in one breath, his voice heavy with regret.

Now it all clicks into place; Elora's withdrawn, distant and depressed behaviour, her grades slipping, losing interest in her activities, lack of focus and everyone's odd behaviour at her suggestion, it all made sense now. What didn't make sense was why no one told her.

“Why did you guys hide it from me?” she presses

“Do you realize how hard it is to get ahold of you?” he chuckles halfheartedly. “I barely see you over the summer, and afterward, you practically vanish. It takes weeks for you to respond to a simple hi text. Mom and I feel like we don’t even exist in your world anymore.” He struggles to keep hurt from creeping into his tone.

Kit stares at him with no idea what to comment on that. She never intended on ignoring him, she loves him too much for that. When she gets too engrossed in her studies, the rest of the world becomes irrelevant.

Her mother, however, is a different case. She tries in all her power to avoid her as much as she can for the sake of her own mental stability.

“I did visit after this summer—once.” she tries to defend herself.

He shakes his head and looks away. “Mom told us not to tell you. Probably because she knows how much you dislike Elora.”

“That makes no sense!” She runs a frustrated hand through her hair, her head pounding as though she’d been hit by a truck.

“We didn't plan Elora and you sharing a room, It was gonna be me and you in one room, Elora and Mims in the other but Elora suggested otherwise and no one opposed”

“Why not?” Kit whines.

The twins fall silent, staring at the ceiling, wearing matching frowns on their faces for distinct yet very similar reasons. Their distress seems to be quite similar as well.

Elora Danan.

One twin is stuck sharing a space with her lifelong adversary. While the other must endure the presence of the girl whose heart he broke for an entire week.

They frequently find themselves in this predicament, mostly after receiving an earful from their mother, sitting side by side with frowns on their faces and letting the silence carry the tales of their anguish.

Kit is completely fed up with this day; it becomes more unbearable with each passing moment. Just when she thinks it couldn't possibly get worse, something unexpected happens, leaving her to wonder whether she should cry over this new incident or all the former ones.

The door behind them suddenly shifts with a loud creak, and before they could react, it hit their spines with a jolt. They stumble forward, their hands flailing for support, and find Mims opening the door with a look of surprise on her face.

“Whoops, Sorry guys.”

“Fuck!” She curses as they both get on their feet. “We are good,” Airk says, showing a thumbs up and limping up to Mims. She can hear them whispering while she tries to distract herself with other things.

Her eyes start scanning the room. The first thing she notices is the vibrant and eclectic decor. Elora's probably-hardly 300 square room has ten times more colours than Kit's overly spacious and vast room.

There is a decent sized bed in the center of the room, its sheets embodied intricate patterns and designs in pastel. Adjacent to the bed is a bluish closet, an alluring mix of deep and vibrant blues. Opposite to the bed is a mirror with a shiny brown frame. A couch situated between the mirror and the bed.

The walls of the room are beige coloured and one of the walls has multiple artworks hanging over there. Kit steps closer to the artworks hanging on the wall in order to review them. She squints her eyes to find some speciality in them but all she can see is a collection of lines and colours on a canvas.

After spending some more time analysing them, she comes to the conclusion that it reflects Elora very well, meaningless and overrated.

Kit shakes her head and turns around, the room is empty, Airk and Mims are gone. Kit drags herself to the footboard of the bed. Anger, hurt, and disappointment starts swirling within Kit, mingling together and creating a whirlwind of emotions.

She couldn't even begin to sort through them, let alone understand them. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

All she knew was that she felt like she was being torn apart from the inside out, feeling the urge to bash her head into the wall. She felt a familiar lump forming in her throat and her chest tightening up.

She squeezes her eyes lids, fighting against the sob threatening to escape her lips and feels her chest heaving even more. She clenched her fists and let out deep breaths, she couldn't cry now, especially not over her.

She spends a few more minutes trying to ease the tightness before the darkness envelops her.

As Kit stirs in her sleep, she feels gentle tugging on her body. She is in that state of semi-consciousness and hoping to fall back into sleep. When the tugging continues, her eyes automatically flutter open and she finds herself face to face with Elora, the lightning of the room is dimmer now.

Her hand is wrapped around her shoulder, while her other hand is placed securely under Kit's knee. “What are you doing?” She shrugs off the hand on her shoulder and stretches her leg to get rid of the hand under her knee.

“I was trying to carry you to bed but now that you're up…” She trails off when Kit bursts into laughter, rolling on to her side.

Elora furrows her eyebrows. “What's so funny?”

“You…you will carry me to bed? Have you seen yourself?” She says, bursting into laughter again.

“Have you seen yourself?" she counter questions, "you barely reach my chin.” She crosses her arms over her chest.

This immediately halts the fits of laughter Kit was enveloped in, her eyes narrowing into a glare directed at Elora. "Because you wear these high fucking heels and height isn’t everything," she scoffs, straightening up to sit. "I work out at the gym, which makes me stronger….and not scrawny like you," she says, pointing at Elora’s figure.

Now, it was Elora's turn to burst into laughter. “You and gym?” She stands up and shakes her head hastily, Kit follows her up and looks around, awkwardly, gulping in as she tucks on the hem of her sweater. “What?”

Still laughing, Elora responded. “Have you ever seen the World beyond your books, correction school books?”

That is true to some extent but not fully true. Kit has been very devoted to her studies and after joining college that devotion has increased with the difficulty of her subjects. She barely gets time to do anything that doesn't involve studies.

The constant studying had started putting her in a state of stress and mental exhaustion. She searched up ways of reducing stress and found work-out on top of the list so she hit the gym. It started only with the intention of eliminating mental turmoil she always found herself in. Somehow, she gained some muscles too without even realising.

“Whatever, it doesn't change the fact that I'm stronger than you.”

“What's the proof?” She inquires, a teasing smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Kit eyebrow shoots up as she clenches her jaw. “I'll show you the proof.” She begins pulling up her sweater by the hem that she has been tucking on and Elora's head snaps away.

She covers her eyes with her hand, using the other to prevent Kit from lifting her sweater. “Not interested in seeing!”

Kit drops down the hem of her sweater sheepishly, realising what she was about to do. “I wasn't…” She straightens down her sweater and mumbles. “going to show it to you.”

Elora whirls back to face her, her eyes darting around, avoiding direct contact. She tucks her hair behind her ear and says bunglingly. “Probably, because there is nothing to show.”

Kit glares at her, slowly stepping forward with a hint of challenge in her eyes. Elora stands her ground, her own eyes sharpening in response. The room seems to shrink as she closes the distance, her nose brushing against Elora's.

Elora doesn't flinch, doesn't back down, but Kit could see through the wavering in her eyes that she is petrified. She then wraps her arm around her waist and pulls her in, lifting her up bridal style in one swift motion.

Elora's arms instinctively wrap around her neck as she lets out a surprised gasp.

“What are you doing?” She asks, her voice shaking a little.

“What you wanted,” Kit's intense gaze bores into hers as she clarifies. “Showing you my strength.”

Kit’s lips quirked into a half-smile as she sees a lump forming on Elora's throat which she swallows thickly. “Put me down.”

Kit shakes her head. “You're feather-light to me,”

“Okay?” Her face twists, “Now, put me down,” she commands, her tone imperious.

A smirk forms on her face, she doesn’t release her instead she begins walking. Elora’s patience wears thin. She slaps her shoulder, the sound echoing through the silence of the room. “I mean it, Kit! Let me go!”

Her complaints are met with ignorance, Kit starts pacing around the room effortlessly, fully ignoring Elora wriggling in her arms. That is until Elora’s anger flares and her elbows digs into her ribs, making her yelp in pain. ‘Ouch!”

Elora doesn't stop at that, she twists even more briskly, trying to break free. “Your nose is next, if you don't put me down!” Kit struggles to hold her still in her arms. “Okay, okay.” Kit groans, taking her to bed with a tussle and tosses her like a sack of potatoes.

Elora rubs her shoulder where Kit’s roughness has left a slight ache. “What on earth was that?”

Kit stays silent and strides to the other side of the bed. She climbs onto the bed and reaches for a few pillows and starts arranging them in a line down the middle of the bed.

Elora watches her curiously and asks. “What are you doing, Kit?”

“I'm making a border on the bed,” Kit replies bluntly.

Elora furrows her brows in confusion, “Why are you making a border on my bed?”

“To divide the bed, of course.”

Elora clenches her jaw. “And why are you doing that?” She leans forward and takes the pillow from Kit's hand. “The bed isn't big enough to be divided,”

Kit's expresion turns into a scowl, snatching the pillow from her hand. “Don't care, I’m not gonna risk having your hands on me when I'm asleep.”

Elora snatches the pillow from her hand. “Excuse Me, I'm the one who should be stressing about that, you are the one who can't keep your hands to yourself.”

“Me?!” Kit let out a scoff. “You were literally all over me, the whole plane ride.”

Elora widens her eyes. “I—I was giving you the taste of your own medicine!”

A perplexed look forms on her face as she asks. “What?”

“Have you not seen the way you have been acting these past few months?”

Kit's puzzled expression turns into one of surprise as she reaches out for another pillow. “What do you mean?”

“You!” Elora swallows, and lowers her voice. “You practically fuck me with your eyes and your touches!” Kit, her hand gripping the pillow in her hand, is taken aback. “Just now you came so close to my face and scooped me up like it was the most normal thing.”

She opens and closes her mouth, trying to come up with a witty response to defend herself but nothing comes out.

“Maybe…maybe but you're not fully… not wrong but—” Kit seems to be questioning her own actions that were flashing in front of her vision.

Releasing what she deemed as a jibe didn't come across as that. Every time she stepped into Elora's personal space or pulled her in, draped an arm around her to annoy her, commented derogatorily about her beauty with the intention of demeaning her intelligence. She didn’t understand how that ended up coming off more like flirting than insulting.

“but not true!” Kit adds to the long-hanging sentence, shaking her head. Whatever, it must be Elora's poor sense of interpretation. “Forget it,” She mumbles, continuing lining the pillows in the center.

“If an inch of your body crosses this line, I'd cut it off.” She warns, spreading the comforters.

“Whatever, don't complain to me when you don't get enough space.” Not bothering to respond, Kit lays down, covering herself with the comforters, ready to sleep off all the inadequacy.

Chapter Text

Elora slowly opens her eyes, blinks a few times, trying to remember where she is. She barely got any sleep, her body aching due to lack of space she had to sleep in. Not to mention the way Kit kept taking up more and more space with every passing minute.

She moves her hand up to her forehead, hoping to soothe the ache, but her hand meets with something warm and soft instead.

She turns her head to the side and her blurry vision clears, revealing a face inches away from hers. It takes a moment for her brain to register that it is Kit.

Kit's arm is wrapped over her waist, holding her close, head resting close to her shoulder. Elora hesitates for a moment, wondering about pushing her away as revenge for disrupting her sleep the whole night. But she can't deny how peaceful and adorable she looks at the moment.

She shifts slightly and notices that Kit is laying over the line of pillows that she had warned her not to cross. Elora chuckles softly to herself, remembering how Kit had been so adamant about it, claiming that it was her side of the bed. But here she is, cuddled up against Elora like they have been bestest of friends for years.

Elora can't help but admire the way Kit looks, with her messy hair and soft features. She is secure enough to admit Kit is good looking but her actions make it difficult for Elora to admire her.

Kit is the type of person who could switch between being sweet and charming to cold and distant within seconds. It is something that Elora can never wrap her mind around, and it often leaves her feeling confused and unsure of their relationship.

One moment, Kit would talk to her like she is the best person in her life, showering her with compliments—back-handed but compliments. Her voice would be velvety and sweet, coated with the kind of charm that could melt the sternest of hearts, would stare at her awestruck and say things like your outfit looks almost like you tried today. And the next, she would act like Elora has been cursed upon her by some ancient evil forces, snapping at her for the tiniest things. Sometimes, the transformation is so swift and random that Elora can't help but suspect Kit is bipolar.

Kit hates her, and she doesn’t try to hide it either, lives to assure Elora is hyper aware of her hatred. It is as if Kit has been born with an inherent distaste for Elora, and she has never quite understood why. She makes sure to show it every chance she gets through her spiteful glares and passive-aggressive whispers. She still remembers the hatred she had seen in her eyes on the first day and that hatred followed her in every interaction, every shared space, every moment of their lives.

Their competition had reached new heights with the passage of time. Their rivalry had morphed into something more complex over the years, something that was not only about academics anymore. Things changed slightly in university. In the first year, Kit had been the same caustic force she'd always been, her words stinging like nettles. Elora had grown accustomed to the barbs, but she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness since Kit was the only person she knew there and she completely thrashed her.

Kit stepped a little far from worse in the second year, it brought a glimmer of hope. Kit's sharp tongue that had been a constant thorn in Elora's side reined, she refrained from the constant verbal attack but other than that she simply ignored Elora. But the change was barely noticeable to anyone who wasn't Elora. However, in the current year the change was utmost, almost surreal.

Elora thought it was either because she sympathized with her for what her brother did or she had finally grown out of the bratty toddler and angsty teenager and matured up a little. The previous day had proved her wrong but her small scaled suspicion was proved true, Kit was only acting so affable, cocky and bantering with Elora instead of jeering because she was beating her at school. A part of her wanted to march up to her and demand an explanation for her sudden change in demeanor, but she held back.

Fathoming why has she always been so obdurate in trying to beat Elora is another unsolved puzzle. Everyone knew about her infatuation and they always dismissed it by saying it was merely her childishness and assuring her that it would eventually fade with time. Unfortunately, her stubbornness only subsided with time.

As she looks down at her, sleeping peacefully next to her, Elora can't bring herself to push her away.

Elora can get under her skin without even trying, she just has to exist and Kit would do the rest of the task for herself and when she actually does try to get under her skin, it is a whole other story. Apart from the competitiveness— as much as—her general antics can be quite irritating but she loves seeing her get all defensive and speechless after she gets an equally witty response from Elora.

She vividly remembers complaining to Madmartigan about how she has tried everything to become her friend but Kit always brushes her off or ignores her. His response is something she remembers very clearly. He explained how Kit is just like him, his mirror image whether it is look wise or personality wise so she was bound to like Elora, eventually, but it would take time for Kit to comprehend her.

She recalls his response every once in a while. As time passes the more she could see the truth in some part of his words. Kit is indeed a mirror image of her father, however, his statement about her eventually liking Elora remains a mystery.

Even though she is a huge asshole to her, and may have her unpredictable moments, Kit has a vulnerability that Elora finds endearing. Spending almost two decades with Kit, she can tell Kit is a really anxious and insecure person and Elora is the primary reason for her insecurity. Elora tries not to hold it against her but it's hard not

She reaches out and gently brushes the hair away from Kit's face, admiring the softness of her skin. Kit wriggles slightly and Elora freezes. Elora sighs, knowing that she is a light sleeper and easily disturbed, if she tries to move her away she will wake and unleash her anger on her.

She decides to go back to sleep rather than staring at the ceiling, but just as she is about to drift off to sleep again, Kit shifts over to the other side of the bed, slipping her hand away from her. She gently slides out of bed and tiptoes to the washroom.

She quickly freshens up and changes into a fresh set of clothes before she walks out of the bathroom. She stands in front of the mirror and brushes her hair, making sure to look presentable. Elora couldn't help but steal glances at Kit through the mirror, sleeping peacefully, without a care in the world.

She hears a soft knock on the door. Curious, she opens it and is greeted by her sister, Mims. "Morning, sunshine!" Mims says, a tray of steaming mugs in her hands.

She hushes her gently, pointing at Kit, taking the proffered mug, the warmth seeping into her palms. “She would kill me.”

Mims chuckles, shaking her head. “Anyways, Da wants you two to quickly get ready so he can take us out for the day,” Mims explains as she takes a cautious sip, much needed, providing her a jolt of alertness.

Elora suddenly recalls her father had mentioned taking them out last night but it completely slipped out of her mind. She tucks her hair behind her ear, “As you can see, I'm ready, you better wake that one up.” she points at Kit with her thumb.

"On it."

"Stay safe!" She jokes.

She watches as her sister sets the tray down on the dresser, casually calling out, “Kit,” but she doesn't move, stays just as sound asleep. Mims tries again but she again doesn't bulge. Elora's eyes follow Mims as she makes her way to the bed and dramatically lifts the edge of the blanket. "Time to rise and shine!" Kit just lets out a small groan and shifts buries her face deeper into her pillow and blanket. “I'm up!” She says when Mims shakes her again.

"Come on, Kit, we're going on an adventure!" Mims singsongs, her voice rising in volume. "The kind where you actually have to get out of bed and not just dream about it!" Elora adds provokingly.

This time, a muffled grumble emerges from the cocoon of blankets. "Five more minutes," Kit mumbles, her voice thick with sleep.

Elora suppresses a chuckle. "Someone's going to have to carry her out of here," she says, taking another sip of her coffee. "She's not going anywhere willingly."

“Come on, you better be ready in twenty minutes or we'll leave without you,” Kit hums out and Mims mumbles something under her breath before turning to Elora with hands raised in surrender, announcing. “I transfer my responsibility to you.”

Elora nods with a small smile on her lips, setting the mug on the table and glancing between Mims walking out and Kit. By the time she gets her boots on and decides to go up to wake her, she finds Kit hopping off the bed. She goes up to the suitcase and opens it, starts taking out her clothes and a towel from her suitcase. So, with no further responsibilities on her shoulder, Elora grabs her jacket and makes her way out of the room.

As Elora makes her way down the staircase of her home, she could hear the sound of chatter and laughter coming from the living room. When she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she sees everyone gathered in the living room.

Sorsha is sitting on the couch, sipping a cup of coffee. Across from her sits Airk, who is munching on a piece of toast while engaged in a conversation with Mims, their eyes briefly meet but quickly darts away.

“Good morning,” She greets everyone.

“Morning!” comes Willow's loud response from the kitchen. Elora smiles as she makes her way toward the kitchen and finds Willow busy cooking up something delicious on the stove.

“Sit, Elora. I have just the thing for you,” Willow says, gesturing for her to take a seat at the kitchen counter. Elora obliges and sits down on one of the stools, watching as Willow expertly flips an omelette on the stove.

He then plates the omelette and places it in front of her. “God, I missed this so much! Thank you, Dad,” Elora thanks him with genuine appreciation.

As she digs into her omelette, Willow turns to Sorsha and asks, “Now, what can I get for you, Sorsha? Would you like some breakfast as well?”

Sorsha smiles in gratitude and shakes her head. “No, thank you. Just a cup of coffee will do.”

Willow nods. “What about Kit? What does she like for breakfast?”

“She prefers a cup of coffee like me.” She replies, then inquiries from Elora. “And where is she though?”

“She just woke up, probably will be here in a while.” She says, her eyes darting around.

Time has slowly passed by, with each minute feeling like an eternity as they wait for Kit to finally make her way down.

It has been half an hour since they had all sat down for breakfast and another half an hour since they have finished eating, and yet there is still no sign of Kit. Everyone has grown restless, checking their phones and tapping their feet impatiently.

Sorsha glances at her watch, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. “Where is this girl?”

Elora immediately stands up to volunteer, her eyes trained on the stairs. “I'll go check on her.” Everyone nods in agreement, grateful finally someone's getting Kit.

As Elora makes her up the stairs she wonders what could possibly take Kit so long. She suspects she has either fallen back asleep or accidentally gotten herself stuck in the room. She gently pushes the door open and meets a sight she isn't expecting.

Kit is sitting on the couch, her books scattered across the table along with her laptop. Her hair tousled to the side, she doesn't spare a glance and remains occupied in her task.

Elora furrows her brows in confusion and asks, “What are you doing?”

She receives no response so she asks again. “Did you not hear Mims saying we're going out?”

Kit doesn't even bother to look up from her book as she answers, “Did. But I’m not going.”

“It’s Christmas, Kit. We’re on holiday, rings a bell?” Elora raises her brows. “We are supposed to be spending time with our families.”

A look of annoyance crosses Kit’s face, “Speak for yourself, Elora.” She looks up. “That's not how my family spends Christmas.”

She knows, she has heard Airk rant about his lame Christmas almost every year. Before and after the twins left for university and college, they had always witnessed Sorsha being busy with making everything perfect for the grand Christmas party. Before leaving for college, Airk stayed busy sneaking out to parties, trying to find girls to hook up with, playing video games so Kit had nothing better to do than studying.

After leaving for college, Airk tried to get his family together for family time but Christmas holidays as well as Christmas had become nothing but an extended weekend and study time for Kit and he would rather spend it catching up with his friends than spend it alone with Sorsha and her criticism.

Either way, Sorsha and Airk's ways of spending Christmas are far more preferable than Kit's, studying in solitude.

“Come on, Kit. Dad and Mims have planned this day for us to bond and have fun together. Don’t you want to be a part of it?” She tries to reason with her.

But Kit is adamant, “No, actually.”

“Well, if you were going to do the same thing over here, you should have just stayed at campus.”

Kit looks up at her in surprise. It is clear that she hadn’t expected Elora to say that. But before she could respond, Elora turns and walks away, she comes downstairs and reveals. “Kit won't be joining us.”

“Why not?” Sorsha asks, her face etching with annoyance.

“She's probably not feeling well? Change of environment isn't really her thing,” Airk offers, hoping it's a good enough excuse to save his sister from their mother's wrath.

“No, actually," she pinches the bridge of her nose, "she wants to stay home and study.”

“Study?!” Willow exclaims. “She is here to enjoy Christmas break, not to—I'll go and talk to her.”

“Kit is very stubborn once she decides something,” Sorsha's expression remains unchanged, a silent testament to her understanding of Kit's unyielding nature, “she doesn't bulge from it.”

“I second that, and there's no point in trying, I've already tried.” Elora agrees. Elora is the first one to agree she knows Kit wouldn't agree to go now because that would, somehow, in her mind, feel like Elora won. After a brief discussion, they decide to go without her.

Soon, they leave the house and enter a quiet and peaceful winter morning in the small town. She has spent most of her life out of this small town, studying in Tir Asleen and abroad, but still this is a place which holds a special place in her heart.

Airk and Mims are walking together with Mims sharing stories and events that occurred at each memorable and prominent place with Airk while Willow and Sorsha are walking in front of them doing the same.

Elora stays behind them since she can't join Mims because of Airk. She hadn't met or talked to Airk after their breakup, and didn't think she was ready to see him ever again. She feared she would break-down but she didn't.

She had no idea when she got over him, but apparently it had happened. She had spent endless nights crying over him. When she got to know they were spending Christmas with the Tanthalos’, she was terrified of even the thought of coming face to face with him, she had no clue how she would react if she met him. Unbeknownst to fact she would feel nothing when she sees him, not even anger, except the mutual awkwardness.

It is as if the part of her which was in love with Airk, yearned his touch, chased his attention, impatient to see him again, hoped for a future with him, mourned his betrayal and solely revolved around him randomly terminated permanently without her knowledge.

She spent countless minutes wondering about it while catching up with everyone, setting up the dinner, eating on the dining table, showering in the bathroom, heading to sleep, laying on the bed, that was the entire thing on her mind last eve but she just couldn't figure out when and how it happened.

She is not interested in joining Sorsha and Willow, still, she adds something to Sorsha and Willow's conversation once in a while to not seem too distant.

Besides, she prefers observing by herself and recalling old memories more. Yet, she couldn't help but hope Kit was here. She might have been grumpy all the way but at least Elora would have had some fun by poking her.

Despite the fact that Kit hates her, Elora can't deny that she is the happiest when she is with her. It didn't make sense, she knows. How could someone be happy with someone who despises them? There is something about Kit which seems to make her forget about her troubles, intentionally or unintentionally.

Kit is actually really different from her usual self when she either forgets she hates Elora or isn't getting her ass handed to her by Elora. Her changing behaviour made it hard to understand in the past but now she knows.

As the day progresses and lunchtime arrives, her longing for an escape, a way out of this outing increases. Mims was desperately trying to include her in with Airk which made things uncomfortable and awkward for both Elora and Airk but Mims remains determined on making the two mend up.

They show the newcomers as many places as they can, spending their time revealing various marvellous sights, sharing the beauty and history of the town. They head to the downtown area, Willow leading them to a restaurant known for its mouth-watering burgers.

Around the wooden table, Willow, Mims, Airk, Sorsha, and Elora sit in the bustling restaurant as they wait for their food. Mims leans forward, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "After lunch," she announces, grabbing everyone's attention, "I'm taking you all to my favourite spot in town.”

"Maybe some other time, we should head home," she suggests. "Kit's alone,"

Willow grumps, “It's her first time here, she should've come out and see what the town actually looks like.” Willow thinks for a while then looks at Sorsha and says. “Mims will show you guys around. I'll take food for Kit and see if I can convince her to join us.”

Elora doesn't see the point in wandering around aimlessly. She is not doing much here anyways, rather bored than enjoying. It's probably better if she just heads back home and does something productive. Kit is the perfect excuse for her. If Kit is willing to go, well and good, she would have some company and if she fails to convince her at least, she would have a way out of this misery.

“Actually,” Elora speaks up, her voice surprisingly steady, “I’ll go home and take food for Kit, maybe she'd agree ”

“Are you sure, Elora?” Sorsha looks up, surprised. “You know Kit gets really harsh with you.”

Willow says, “Kit and Elora are adults, they won't fight like kids, especially after they have had just each other for the past couple of years in university.”

Sorsha lets out a disappointed sigh. “I can only wish to agree with this one day, Kit's immature behaviour keeps growing with her age,” She then turns to Elora and says, “You know that better than anyone.”

“Oh, don't worry, I also know how to handle her better than anyone,” Elora waves her off with a smile.

Her smile is gentle as her tensed face relaxes and she mutters. “You're the only one.”

Elora’s heart warms. “Thank you,”

“Go on, grab food for Kit and yourself before heading home.”

***

Elora pushes open the creaky front door, once she makes her way inside, her footsteps echo through the silent house. She meets with the expected silence of the room. She has expected emptiness, but the silence is awfully perceptible, she didn't know Kit has it in her to be this silent.

Elora kicks her shoes by the door, their dull thud echoing and makes her way to the living room. The living room is in the same state they left it in as if no one had been there after them. A still pillow on the coffee table, Willow's blanket draped across the armrest chair, television remote on the sofa, a shoe beside the sofa and everything else is present in the same place she had seen last time.

She starts suspecting Kit stayed in studying in her room the entire day but she doubts that is the case, no one can endure hours of uninterrupted study or isolation. She must have ventured down, simply didn't bother touching anything.

Her suspicion is confirmed when she heads to grab a glass of water and discovers the untouched breakfast in the kitchen—coffee and toast left for Kit. Elora sighs, it is Kit she is talking about, she must have been so absored by her studies that she had forgotten to have something to eat.

She sets the take away package on the counter. Kit didn't eat properly last night either due to her mother's relentless interrogation. Elora can say it without doubt, she must be starving . She quickly grabs two sodas from the fridge and heads upstairs to Kit with the burgers.

Upstairs, Elora hesitates, then knocks softly. Upon receiving no response, she pushes the door open, revealing Kit hunching over her laptop, lost in her study.

The table is cluttered with textbooks, Kit's pen is chewed to a stub, her eyebrows furrowed in frustration. She walks in, and Kit tries to discreetly glance at her through the corner of her eyes. Her gaze holds a mix of exhaustion and vulnerability.

“Hey,” Elora says, her voice tentative, “I brought you a burger.”

Kit runs a rough hand through her dishevelled hair and hums tiredly, her hum showing how drained she is because of the hours long uninterrupted studying.

Elora walks closer, her presence uninvited but necessary. “Can I help?” she asks and Kit stares at her, more like tries to glare at her through her bleary eyes, probably speculating this is just another attempt to show off her knowledge and gain an upper hand in their academic rivalry along with whatever thoughts she usually keeps entertaining.

Elora waits for the inevitable no, accompanied by some unnecessary grumpy remarks, but Kit says in a barely audible voice. “Yes, please,”

“Seriously, this is one of the most fascinating concepts in Physics, and I can help you understand it better since I've just—wait” Elora's brows knits in suprise, her eyes squinting as a soft smile forms on her lips. Kit not only agreed for help, for Elora's help but she also said please to Elora.

“Did you just agree to take my help?”

Kit scoffs, “No,” Feeling a little embarrassed, Kit tries to brush it off by saying, “Well, it’s not like I don’t understand it at all. I just need….” She licks her lips, “...a different perspective.”

“Okay, Let me see,” she says, leaning closer.

“Quantum entanglement is like… well, it’s like a cosmic conspiracy.”

“Cosmic conspiracy?” Kit raises her eyebrows, staring at her scornful. Elora nods and Kit nods back with sarcasm. “There's the door, I'll...I'll help myself.”

Elora rolls her eyes. “Shh, hear me out,”

She grabs a pen and a notebook from the table, puts her hand on Kit's shoulder, making her lean down to see. “It is a quantum phenomenon where two or more particles…” She makes two dots on two separate ends of the page. “become so deeply connected that the state of one particle can instantly affect the state of another.”

Kit frowns, “how do they know the state of each other?” She looks at her with such dumbfounded and innocent eyes that makes Elora question if she has ever heard of Quantum mechanics.

“No, they're particles Kit...they don't know.” Elora mutters, trying to be as understanding as possible.

“Then how does the effect happen then?” Kit complains.

“It just sort of…” Elore shrugs, “happens even if the particles are separated by some large distance, this correlation remains constant.” She points to the two dots on the page.

“Always?”

“Always.” Elora replies, firmly.

Kit blankly stares back at her. “You don't get it?” Kit nods desperately.

Elora rubs her shoulder comfortingly, “It's very easy, you just need a little more help to understand.”

“You know about superposition right?”

Kit sighs frustratedly, silent for a brief moment before bursting, “No, no, no!” Kit starts crumbling the pages in an attempt to start tearing the pages of the textbook, Elora is quick to reach out and take the textbook away from her reach and squeezes her shoulders in a calming manner.

"Okay, let's restart, restart everything.” She huffs. She can see the tears welling up in Kit's eyes and she can't help but pity and sympathise with her. She feels a twinge of guilt in her heart every time she looks at Kit struggling.

Kit's mother has always been insistent that Kit become a physicist just like Elora. Despite Kit's initial protests, she was eventually forced to enrol in the same university as Elora since she had no plans of her own. Elora never understood why Sorsha forced Kit to go into the physics field when she knows how bad Kit is at scientific subjects.

Especially why at the same university as Elora since she has ensured them that she also knows very well how much Kit hates Elora.

Kit might excel at school but that's purely because she works her ass off, day and night. That's something, she doesn't understand too, why does she work so hard at a subject she has no interest in. If she gets poor grades, Sorsha would have no choice but let her drop out and make her own decision. Sadly, they are in their second last year at the university, it is too late for her to give up now.

She grabs the package and takes a burger out, offering it to her. “Before we start, you should eat something,”

Kit sniffs up, rubbing her eyes as she nods and mutters out a low. “Okay.”

Elora unwraps the burger and hands it to her. Kit takes a bit and two before twisting off the lid of the can and sipping it. She lets out a deep breath and turns to Elora, motioning for her to continue.

“In classical physics, particles have—”

“Deterministic behaviour.” Kit completes.

“Yes,” A determined smile forms on Kit's face as Elora continues. “And in quantum physics?”

“Probabilistic behaviour?” Kit replies, looking slightly unsure.

“Very good!” The proud grin on Kit's face even though this is probably the most basic information regarding quantum physics makes it feel like she has cracked some great mystery.

“The concept of existing in multiple states simultaneously is called?”

Kit's face lit up as it finally hit her. “Superposition!” She exclaims with a muffled voice since she has food stuffed in her mouth.

“Are we good to dive into the subject now?” Elora inquires cautiously.

“Yeah,”

“Great, let's start…”

She takes a big bite of her juicy burger, savours the taste and Elora's mouth waters, feels her hormone ghrelin releasing and she starts craving too.

“...after I eat”