Luc ambled through the evergreens, the sound of summer birds filling his ears with a light melody. The sun peaked through the branches, guiding his steps. He searched for his twin high and low, but she vanished through the woods like a specter.
"Lauren!" he called, cupping his hands around his mouth.
An anxious flutter in his chest arose as always when she disappeared for several hours at a time. Deep inside him, he was scared the next time he would search for her, she'd never answer his calls. She was always quick to run off.
"Up here," an airy voice rang above his head.
Luc spun, tipping his chin to see Lauren standing on a high branch, casually leaning against a thick pine trunk. Her mischievious eyes matched the color of the needles, a deep rich shade.
He felt relieved, then stupid. She always answered his calls no matter how far.
"It's dinner time. Heather wants you to come home," he said.
Frowning, the girl checked her phone for the hour. She jumped, landing on bent knees a few feet down. A playful smirk curved her lips.
"Okay." She kicked off the ground, laughing. "I'll race you for the cookies!"
Luc turned around, his eyebrows rising up scandalously. "You're cheating!"
It didn't stop him from starting to run at full speed—so fast a normal eye couldn't track his movements. Throughout the forest, the twins' giggles and the stomping of their wild chase echoed, startling the wildlife nearby.
They zigzagged through the trees, so light on their feet it looked like they were flying. Luc tailed his sister closely but couldn't manage to pass her. She arrived first at the gated home, slowing down after getting out of the canopy of leaves. They climbed the fence and entered through the garden, from where the scent of grilled meat wafted.
Heather saw the twins come up the terrace breathing heavily, their hair dishevelled, and their shirts rumpled. Eleven-year-old Ethan jogged up to them.
They always made such on impression on her son.
Luc and Lauren had been living with her for four years now, and it was like they were her own children.
"Sit," she told them and gestured at the glass table where Greg, Jeremiah, Tony and Catherine were already seated. They met at her house earlier to speak about adult matters and she extended her invitation to dinner. The plates of food were ready. "It's time to eat."
She didn't wonder if the kids were hungry, the answer was always yes.
The twins jumped up the stairs, Luc stopping once to ruffle Ethan's head before moving to his seat. As they settled, Heather distributed the salad bowls and the side dishes across the table. It was a pleasant summer day, not too hot or cold with a cool breeze.
Another figure effortlessly crossed over the grid, an older boy. Raymond was that kid who roamed all over the place, never belonging to anyone yet belonging with everyone. Of all the adults, the only one with somewhat of an authority on him was Greg.
The boy lumbered onto the patio, stopped in front of Lauren and dropped his backpack. She was given a heavy manual.
"Early birthday present from Micheal," Raymond said, and her face lit up when she detailed the cover and the binary codes illustration. "What'd you learn today, Wikie?"
Wikie was her nickname—short for Wikipedia—because Lauren was full of random facts.
"The longest recorded chicken flight lasted thirteen seconds."
BINABASA MO ANG
(REWRITING) The Skylar Experiment : Coveting
Science Fiction"Three weeks. That's how long I got to have drama-free. I'm not sure what is happening to me or to Oakwood. Nothing's the same since I rolled into town and it just keeps getting weirder. Suspicious agents in suits roam the streets without an explan...
