(REWRITING) The Skylar Experiment : Coveting

1. Twin Bond

'Like branches on a tree we grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one. Each of our lives will always be a special part of the other.'

- Unknown

*

"What happens when the ocean meets the forest?"

"I don't know," a deeper, juvenile voice echoed.

On a starry, quiet night, a set of twins contemplated the sky. They lied side by side on the roof and connected the constellations.

"Flooding. Water under the bridge. There is an untold bond between those two forces the world can't go round without. They are often far apart but when they collide, they can't let go. The ocean and the forest are like magnets waiting to click. They oppose each other yet they need one another to survive."

"That's ridiculous. You're a hopeless romantic."

"No, it's not ridiculous. I think water and earth will find themselves because they belong together. Nature always wins." The girl with emerald eyes smiled wistfully. A soft breeze scattered her hair as she gazed up. "Mom used to tell me that. It means people always find their way."

The boy silenced himself, raising identical eyes to the moon. He wondered if people went to the stars after they died. If it was true, were his parents looking down right now? The sky was beautiful tonight: a twinkling purple and rosy canvas. He remembered their faces, smiling and laughing, and he was scared the memory would fade with the years.

In the silence, loud thoughts swirled in his mind. It was him and his sister against the world now. She was the only person he could count on, the one person who could see through him and vice-versa.

The young girl sensed his broodiness and nudged him.

"Your turn..."

"So this is the story of someone who worked a late night shift at a gas station..."

"Come on! You told at least five of those and it's always super creepy."

"But I like creepypastas. I let you tell your Rapunzel mumbo jumbo."

"Fine."

"As I was saying, there was this guy who worked late at the gas station. There weren't many customers during his shift and it was usually calm until this one car pulled up. A man got out but the cashier couldn't see in the darkness. He thought at first it was some traveler stopping for gas as it was the case most of the time..."

She listened to the horror story while scrunching her nose. When he got to the part where the stranger cut the shop's electricity source and the cashier groped the walls to find the door, unaware of the danger about to pounce on him, she rolled her eyes and giggled.

Thankfully, the worker lived through it. A shelf toppled over the dangerous man and the cashier ran outside. He called the cops.

It was late, now. They scaled the outer wall to slide through the open window before Heather would find them missing from their room.

Their guardian who heard giggling outside alerted her. Heather left the living room and went upstairs to check on the kids. When she opened the door, she found the twins in one of the beds huddled together, back-to-back. She meditated over their small, sound asleep figures with a smile.

It was rare to catch them off guard and peaceful—truly an extraordinary moment. Lord knew the hell they endured and struggled with to this day. They were almost twelve and life forever scarred them both. Heather's eyes slid over the boy's features as he faced the door. So much anger in one little body, so much resentment towards the world. 

She hoped the kids would be in a good mood tomorrow morning.

But for now, just seeing them so restful in each other's company warmed her heart and encouraged her to keep hoping. One day, they will heal and open up to the world. Heather gently closed the door, careful not to wake them, and returned downstairs.

When her footsteps faded, the twins opened their eyes and giggled. They went under the covers and the boy managed to make light come out of his palm.

"Sweet!" the girl marveled with a big grin. "Tony showed you that today?"

She tried to mimic him but only produced a flickering glow that sputtered out. Her brother tapped her shoulder.

"You'll get it soon. That was real close."

They continued with their storytelling until it became way too late and their lids drooped. The girl yawned and rubbed her eyes.

She held out her pinky. He wrapped his pinky around hers.

Together, they said, "I'm your twin. You're my twin. We stick together through thick and thin. No matter what I do I'm always stuck with you. And if trouble comes our way I know my twin will save the day. Wherever you may be you're always stuck with me. When you're feeling sad and blue call my name and I'll find you. We have a bond that's tried and true, you and me, me and you, two by two."

***

For those of you wondering, yes I avoided naming them on purpose and focused on untagged dialogue to give a more estranged effect. Again, this is a prologe so it won't be that way once I really dive in.

Also, I made a subtle reference to Luc and Riley with the little OceanxForest story. If you remember, Luc has those super green eyes like the forest while Riley has muted blue eyes like the sea, and you know they tend to clash a lot but when it comes down to it, they're inseparable. Riley literally grew up on a beach while Luc has his cabin in the forest and all. Dunno, I thought the analogy was kinda cute and hope it wasn't too corny 

Lastly, the last dialogue is a quote from an unknown source I picked. I intergrated it because it was adorable, but don't think my brain came up with that XD.