Mirror Image
Dedication: This story is dedicated to my Adrian who – hesitantly – lent me her name.
Disclaimer: I do not (sadly) own any of the characters of Sky High or places mentioned. Any references to real shops or places (such as "The Cat's Whiskers") are also not mine.
A/N: Well I hope you enjoy it! Happy Reading!
Chapter One: Chinese Restaurants and Bookstores
The lonely red brick house sat on the end of a major street. A few blocks a way from the local high school, but opposed to the cheerful looking housing surrounding it the wide windows were shut, the heavy drapes drawn, and the yard empty. To any passerby it may have looked like the house was empty or to the untrained eye even abandoned.
Serenity Evans paced quickly across the small blue kitchen. Her red school bag left leaning against the door jam and a can of pop open on the counter. The sun shining through the slit in the drapes made her blond hair look golden as it whipped furiously from her pacing.
An identical girl sat comfortably at the oval table that graced the room. Her messy blond curls stuffer into a baseball cap and her blue eyes cynical and amused. The exact opposite of her twin Adrian put her feet up on the table and smiled when her sister's glare.
"It's about time you stopped pacing" Adrian commented sarcastically "I don't think we need a hole in the floor".
"At least I care about my future!" Serenity quipped back "Unlike you who seems to find pleasure in the fact that were not allowed to pick a high school" Gathering her hair in her hand she twisted it into a knot a tied it back. Her ice blue eyes were anxious as she looked out the window for the millionth time since the girls had been home.
"Mom must have a reason" Adrian said slowly a tiny trickle of anxiousness trickling through the sarcasm. "She wouldn't just fool around about something as important as high school."
"I know I'm just really worried" Serenity let her head fall into her open hands. A tingling sensation began to tickle her hair until … she couldn't feel her head any more.
Adrian slowly got up from the chair in which she had been sitting in since she got home school. She stood staring at her sister, her blue eyes wide in surprise.
Looking up suddenly Serenity saw Adrian's look of utter surprise.
"What?" Serenity asked her voice suspicious "Why are you staring like that?"
"Serenity… y..your hair…"
"What?" Serenity inquired tiredly lifting a hand to her hair. Under her fingers a cold surface met her fingers. Bringing her hand back she saw drops of water resting in her palm.
"Ice" Serenity whispered roughly, she began to feel a strange impulse. Holding her hand palm up her watched as if entranced at the pool of water in her hand swirled.
"Serenity?" Adrian asked loudly breaking the silence that had overcome the kitchen "Are you alright?"
Serenity lifted her hands in front of her and felt a pulse run through her. Flexing her hands , Ice streamed from her palm where the water had been.
"I can control Ice!" Serenity announced loudly surprise and confusion lacing her voice.
Adrian suddenly felt as if cold water has been dropped into her blood. Lifting her hands to replicate her sister's she flexed her hands and Ice shot from her hands as it had from Serenity's.
"I can control Ice!" Adrian mimicked her voice holding the exact same tone and key as her sister had. Then her voice dropped half a tone- barely noticeable- unless you knew the Evans twins one would never be able to realize that Adrian's voice was a tone lower than her sister's.
"I really CAN control Ice" Adrian screeched holding her hands in front of herself as Serenity rubbed her hands.
"Do you think this why Mom wouldn't let us choose a high school?" Serenity asked a light humor in her voice.
Almost a year after the fateful day when she had discovered her powers, Adrian Evans stood behind the counter of the Paper Lantern. With her ears covered with thick ear phones and rock pounding, she escaped from the world she was in. Moving slightly to the music Adrian emerged her hands in the soapy water in the sink and began to wash the dirty dishes as the other staff took orders and cooked.
She had come to get this job that summer when she'd asked her Mom for a new CD player. To her dismay she had been told that she should get a job if she wanted expensive items. I mean her sister had a job…
Rolling her eyes at the memory Adrian watched as one of the new waiters went to help table seven where a rowdy bunch of kids were starting a water war. With Long black hair streaked with red and dressed in black jeans and black shirt; the new waiter faced his second day of work.
Having worked at the "Lantern"- as she'd dubbed it- for nearly a month now she already had a great knowledge of how rude and sometimes arrogant some of the normal customers were. Her first time as waitress had been … more than unpleasant.
"But I gave those guys a piece of mind" Adrian thought with a small self satisfied smile. Opening her eyes she smirked as the new waiter walked over with a scowl on his face.
"Rough work huh?" She teased subconsciously turning the volume down on her portable CD player.
"Its fine" He commented eyeing her cautiously, his dark eyes shadowed by his black bangs. "There are worse jobs you could get"
"True" Adrian admitted with a small smirk, when he continued to stare at her with that cautious look she had a feeling was his trade mark look. With a small sigh she removed one of her hands from the now brown looking water, grabbed worn tea towel to dry her hands and held her hand out over the counter.
"Adrian Evans" She introduced herself.
Hesitating for a second he held his out in turn. "Warren Peace"
Just then a string of Chinese was heard from behind them and the short oriental woman who run the Lantern came over to Warren and pointed to the a new customer who had just sat down in one of the booths in the back of the restaurant.
Warren answered back in fluent Chinese. When Kim Sue left he turned back to Adrian.
"See you around, Blondie"
Scowling at Warren's back Adrian looked up at the crane decorated Chinese clock, noted that she only had an hour of work left and replaced her ear phones on her head; re-entering her own world.
"I hope Serenity's having fun at her job" Was Adrian's last thought before she allowed herself to fall completely back into the world of Rock.
Sitting behind the front desk of the local bookstore "The Cat's Whiskers", Serenity sat with a large smile creasing her face. Any customer would assume that the adolescence sitting behind the desk was perfectly happy to be working the night shift at the information desk. But they would be wrong…
Serenity was perfectly miserable to be working the night shift. Instead of going home like everyone else Serenity and a collection of other lucky staff members wouldn't get off until 11:00. She would miss dinner at home and probably wouldn't go to bed till at least 1:00 because she'd have to look for somewhere to eat. Because Mrs. Evans also had super powers – control of the weather to be exact – she worked for a local weather station and worked odd shifts. If she made dinner one night and you weren't there you didn't eat her food.
Sighing Serenity turned her attention back to the computer she was entering order information in. The purchase came through with a beep as she wrote up a bill for the customer waiting in front of the counter.
"Here you go Mr. Tortelli, "The Guide to Ancient Chinese Secrets" should come in with the next few days" She told the squat man standing impatiently in front of her counter her cheeks beginning to from the fake smile she had had plastered on her face for the last 3 hours.
Mr. Tortelli nodded acknowledgement with a rough toss of head and headed for the exit from the store.
"If I could be so lucky" Serenity thought watching him flee.
Just then a tall adolescent with a round pimply face and oily blond hair came up to the desk. An assistant manager pin shone brightly against the dark shirt that was the Cat's uniform. A mocking smile graced his lips.
"Well I'm off" He announced loudly, causing the other staff members who were working at the cash to glance over "Remember to lock up" He began to walk away but turned back "Oh, and your supposed to fill out these forms. There standard inventory skills and knowledge."
Serenity's fake smile fell for the first time in hours and a frown creased her brows.
"Linda didn't say anything about…" Serenity started
"Are you insulting my knowledge by implying that I would give you something you didn't have to do?" His eyes narrowed dangerously "Defying your superior is grounds for suspension. Do you want to be suspended from work for the week?"
Gritting her teeth Serenity looked into Anthony's pimpled face. "No I would not like to be suspended"
"Don't forget to lock up" Anthony said in a sickly sweet voice, laying a pamphlet as thick as a dictionary on the counter "Have a nice shift"
As he walked off one of the girls who had been watching from the cash turned her unavailable sign and dart over to the information desk. Coming up she rested her hands on the counter, her red hair tumbling over her shoulders and her green eyes glinting ominously.
"What did you do to get him in that mood?" She asked curiously her picking up the pamphlet he discarded on the desk.
"Nothing that I'm aware of" Serenity responded tiredly sighing slightly "He's been like that since my first day here"
"Maybe you just need to show him you can stand up for yourself" She said hesitantly than seeing the scandalized look in her eyes quickly added "You know that he can't just yell at you"
"I can stand up for myself quite well" Serenity said stubbornly "Now if you excuse me I have a customer".
As helped the next customer –a tall women with outrageously bright orange hair – she spied the girl who had come over to the desk conversing with the other cashiers. Her fake smile slipped a little at the corners.
"Great more people who think I'm weird" Serenity thought bitterly , going to retrieve the customer's purchases from the order shelf.
After the lady had left with a Latin dictionary and a very satisfied smile, Serenity placed her chin in her hand and watched the clock as the hands ticked there way to show 9:00.
"Only two more hours" Serenity said quietly before plastering that fake smile across her face again to help a new customer.