Chapter two: The intruders

         After opening our last present we ran up the stairs to our room. We didn't even look at the other gifts we had received. They were to depressing to look at. They couldn't believe that there own mother would separate them so! Their mother knew that only one of them could marry the prince... "Why did mom do that Aili? HOW could she do that?" 

         Aneilia's eyes were tearing up. Aneilia was the soft-hearted one. She was the one who got all teary when their pet silverfish died. Aneilia always cared and always let it show no matter who was watching. Always was the first one to help, the first one to cry when a bird fell out of the sky, and she, was the first one to think of an idea.

         Ailiena looked hard as she always did, until the door to their room closed and she knew their mom would not be listening. Ailiena  let the tears slowly slide down her cheeks as she enveloped her sister in a hug. "We need to accept this Anei. Mom had to do it for a reason. She wouldn't separate us for long there must be something wrong. We will fight through this Anei, we will fight and we will kick this prince guys but." That was Ailiena alright nothing could faze her she took all the suffering like it was something that had a numbing effect. When no one was watching she would let the pent up tears flow freely. She was the one who closed her emotions off from the outside world. Ailiena gave the rational explanations.

         "We could run....." Aneilia whispered through her sobs.

         "NO we can't." The defiance was clear in Ailiena's words.

         "Why not?" A hushed whimper.

         "It would break Mom's heart..." A tinge of pain.

         "She broke our heart." A low growl rasped its way from Aneilia's throat.

         "She is our MOTHER Anei! Our MOTHER! She is why we are even together in the first place! We will stay here until the time comes for them to fetch us. Now then, we need to get dressed and to pack."

         They spent the next hour or so going through the dresses that they had recieved and finaly they chose a light blue one. None of the dresses were the same completely, some had a bow on the left and some had them on the right. Ailiena had the lefthand bows while Aneilia had the right. After they had decided on a dress they carefully packed their bags and set them by the door. With that done they sat on their bed and waited for the coach to arrive.

         The coach that would seperate them. The coach that would take away the life that they had known and bring them to a whole new and lonely one.The coach that would lead to their misery and to their unseen pain.

         A soft knock came to their door about fifteen minuets after they had put the bags by the door. It was their mother. "Girls... well i was going to tell you to start packing and to chose a dress to whear but i see you have already done that... so, as it appears you have about an hour to do as you please." Their mother was looking at them with a pained expression. but when they looked closer their mother quickly pasted on a sad smile. "Now! Why dont you go and spend some time in the village? Hmm? It might be the last ime you see it." that was all their mother could take. She ran from the room tears begining to slide silently out of her eyes.

          They slipped on their new slippers, desended the stairs, and glided out of the door. The turned left at the end of their drive, and headed twards the school. They knew they had enough time for their daily school rout. They passed the bakers, warm bread scent implanting itself further in their memory, they stopped at the dress shop, to give the dressmaker the drawings they had borrowed from her the day before, then they turned right on to the main street. The wonderous sounds instantly began to sift into their new ears. holding hands as they always did they walked pased the numerous stalls selling fish and various other foods to the passerby, and right up to the school grounds. they slid up the stairs and drifted to the 15 year old department, they would be there untill next year whitch was fine with them they only had a week untill school was out after their birthday. The walked to the home room to talk with the teacher, Mr Neko, and to tell him that they would be moving to another school.

         He saw them walk in and gained the normal sour face he had when he saw the twins. They smiled gently and his face became first suprised teen puzzled. Aneilia spoke first.

         "we wanted to say thank you for being a great teacher, and for being the ont to tell us to talk one at a time"

         "We didnt talk at school because we still talk as one and we diddn't want to make you unhappy."

         "we are going to miss you the most you know."

         "We are moving today, not our mother, just us."

         "we want you to make sure she is okay for us, and for you to help her if you can when she needs it."

         "We just wanted to say that and we wanted to say---"

         Ailiena wascut off by a huge hug given by Mr Neko himself. Tears were nowhere in sight with him though, you could always tell his emotions by his ears though. Now they were just limp. He spoke in a soft tone to the girls. "You two have wonderous voices. You know that? Simply wonderous.... I dont care if you two still talk like you are one person or if you talk at the same time. I just wanted to hear what your voices sounded like when only one of you were speaking. And you two have beautiful voices. I just wish the other students could have heard them to..."

         "they still might"

         "We... no one of us might be coming back..."

         "it all depends on the next few weeks..."

         "One of us is going to be married"

         "the other is going to return and be all alone..."

         "This might be the last time either of us talks. At home or anywhere else."

         "~So we say our farewells to you now~" Both of them "~And wish you a very happy life!~"

         The girls bid adieu to their teacher and returned home smileing and waving to everyone. telling them hello one at a time not speaking with one voice as they usualy did. They wanted to give the other townsfolk a chance to hear their voices although not as well as Mr. Neko. They even said hi to the boy they had liked . They never told him because their was only one of him and two of them so they could never be happy. He was the funniest, he got this realy goofy grin on his face.

         Just when they were about to turn on to their driveway they went down another path. This path would lead them to their favorite spot. A place where they could be them selves.They walked hand in hand to the stream, and then up it. When the came to the lilly field they crossed the stream on a fallen log that had gone down in The Storm. The Tree had to have been ancient. It was wide enough that four people vould walk on it at a time, so the twins had no problem walking to gether on it. They climbed up the branches of The Tree on to the trunk. Once on the trunk the girls walked just passed the third tree limb and looked behind it where there was a hole in the trunk. They sliped down into it and sat on opposite sides of The Tree's trunk. There they sat and just listened to the world around them.

         The slight swish of the grass, The breeze rustleing the leaves in the trees surrounding them, And..... Footsteps? Yes, footsteps, light and swift. And mumbled voices, whispering fragments of a comversation not ment to be heard by others.

         "are you sure they went this way?"

         "Yes i am sure, i memorized their smell while we were in their house. Diddn't you?"

         "well, yeah, but i couldn't find it in a forest yet! I haddn't gotten a fresh scent of them....."

         "Its ok...." The footsteps stoped for a moment. "This way" They began again.

         "ah! i can smell them now! mmm...... I can't wait to meet them!"

         "Don't get your hopes up. they are, after all, from that place." The twins seathing in anger after hearing this, could picture the boys, laughing and pointing at the town.

         "but......."

         No buts, Divad. They will be plain, borng, and have everything in common with this town, bvut nothing in common with themselves.... Hmm, Thats odd...."

         "what is it David?" The boys were just above the hole in the trunk of The Tree.

         "Their smell cuts off right here....." a few more steps and the boy the twins asumed was david fell into the hole that led to where the girls were. A moment later and the assumed divad followed suit.



I have re-written the next chapter completely. it just didnt flow right. i started this story about two years ago though and only just now remembered my password for my account ^^;;