The Gemini Age: Book One

[3-2] Uprooted - Part Two

    Before Jade could answer her uncle, a boy stepped in front of them from the alley. His grey hoodie was soaked dark, and his face was red with exertion. "Hi, sorry, sir, do you know who manages this building? Because it seems like they're in need of some good window cleaners, and they're in luck!" The boy smiled and winked, though a stifled groan came from the alleyway behind him.

    Jade emerged from behind her uncle and narrowed her eyes at the boy, who lost his smile as she did so. The way he grasped at the neck of his jumper under her scrutiny, his solid build, and his face that gave too much away struck her like a lump of earth. "Wait...you!" she said, falling forward into the space before him. "I know you! You're the kid that did this!"

    He swallowed roughly. "I...I think...you must be..." His brow began to shine with sweat, and his skin burned a bright red.

    "Jade!" Wilfred placed his arm between her and the boy, easing her back a step. "That's not how we address strangers, is it?"

    The ground beneath her feet shivered, ready to answer her slightest whim. "Strangers?" She threw her arm towards the vandalised windows, eyebrows low. "I saw him stood beneath my window when he lobbed the dirt at it!"

    Wilfred controlled his breathing. He removed his arm from between her and the boy, who shook in his trainers, but did so on the condition of his safety from her rage. "Did you see him do it?" he asked, his tone cold and critical.

    A rusted drinks tin lay scrunched into a flat disc at the side of the road beside them, and Jade wondered how far she could throw it without moving her body. "Are you kidding me? There's no way –" Wilfred raised an eyebrow to cut her off, though she had to bite her tongue to stop herself groaning in frustration. "No. I didn't."

    Fingers to the bridge of his nose, Wilfred shut his eyes and thought for a moment. From the alley, the other boy Jade had seen stepped out and took his companion by the shoulder, and the resemblance between them was impossible to miss up close. The second boy was taller, sleeker, the lines of his face sharper and darker than his partner's, and beneath his bomber jacket lay a tight, nimble frame that hid much of its muscle. 

    His friend was a little shorter and broader than him, and though his face was softer and his hair lighter, the overall shape was of the same mould. If he had not been anywhere near her window when it had been vandalised, she might even have thought he seemed kind. "Come on, let's go," the taller boy said as he tried to pull his companion away.

    "Wait." Wilfred held up his hand and dug in his pocket for a small white card, one side decorated with black lettering. "Look, I'm not the building manager, but I know her well. Show her this card, and she'll pay you a fair price for fixing up these windows. Do we have a deal, boys?"

    The pair stared at the card in disbelief, then the shorter boy took the card from Wilfred's hand with a smile. "You got it, sir, we'll make them good as new! You can count on us!"

    Jade rolled her eyes. "Sure we can," she scoffed, blowing her loose lock of hair in defiance. "Just who are you anyway?" She glanced between the pair, driving her fists into her hips.

    The shorter one stuttered, saved only by the taller boy pushing him aside and meeting Jade's bright eyes. "I'm Marcus," he said, his hand still on his companion. "And this is my brother Lloyd. Whatever you're thinking, you can trust us."

    "Really?" Jade leaned towards Marcus and scanned the lines of his face, noting the slight scrapes running around his cheeks and jaw. They matched the pale cuts along his hands and arm, leading the eye under his rolled-up sleeves. "Who's vouching for you? Do your parents know you're out here?"