" Calandra's Attic" by: C.G. Danielles (copyrighted)
"Jennifer! Give me back my notebook! I need it for my English studies!", Joel screamed chasing Jennifer across their home library. Joel and Jennifer Fells were identical twins who fought over almost everything. They never got along, even though both of them were about the only company they had for each other. Their parents were very wealthy and very overprotective so the twins never got to go out, expect for going to high school and church on Sundays. Their parents ,Catherine and James Fells, owned many businesses so they were never home and had always hired babysitters to watch Joel and Jennifer. But the twins found many ways to entertain themselves in their mansion home. They played internet games, learned languages, took up interesting hobbies like fencing, and they read many books about all sorts of things. Even though they had many things to do, they were still lonely, and had always waited for an exciting adventure to happen.
"Bye children! We'll be back in a week from our business trip to Brazil. The babysitter should arrive in an hour. The maid is preparing lunch for you two while you wait. Read a book or something." Mother said waving bye while she was on her cell phone making an important phone call.
"Don't forget to study your languages. Remember, we move to Europe in two weeks! Come Catherine, we shouldn't be late. " their Father said before hopping into the sleek, suave limousine.
After the limousine left, the twins headed off to their studies. Without any friends, there was barely any social life for the twins. The people who they talked to the most was their maid Ally Reed and their driver Franklin Brown, who were the nicest people in the world to them. But that all would be gone in merely two weeks. Joel and Jennifer liked their home even though they were alone in the big empty mansion most of the time. It would be very sad for them to leave their large house behind.
"Lunch is ready!" Ally called over to the twins. " I made Alfredo pasta with parsley and Sautéed vegetables for my special little twins." Sometimes, Ally seemed more like a mother to the twins than their real one. Their mother was hardly ever around as soon as the twins went to school. Their mother and father never took time off to spend time with Joel and Jennifer, and whenever they could it was a rare occasion. Ally had always taken care of the twins, even though she was paid to do so. But she had loved them as her own.
"This is the absolute best Ally." said Jennifer.
"I will never forget your lunches. It's always so fresh, and scrumptious!" said Joel.
"Oh, you two are so sweet. I'm surely going to much miss you two after your gone. I've known you twins since you were itty bitty babies, but I'll write letters everyday. I promise. Besides, it'll only be for a while till your folks buy those dealerships. Before you know it, time will fly by and you'll be back to home sweet home and I'll be waiting." said Ally.
"A while seems like an eternity to me." Jennifer said sadly. Joel nodded his head in agreement.
" Don't get bummed out. Think of it as an adventure. Who knows what you'll learn or see. You'll find ways to make good out of your trip, you always do." Ally said comfortingly.
chapter 2
As the twins were finishing their delicious lunch, Ally was making a phone call to the sitter who was late.
"What do you mean your running late?" Ally said in a concerned manner. "Mr. and Mrs. Fells will not be pleased with this. I have to leave early to go see my great aunt Martha in the hospital. Yes, nothing serious, she just has a bad illness and she's very old so I wouldn't want her to be alone. Well, maybe the children will do fine waiting a while before you come. Okay, don't waste anymore time."
"How long will we have to wait?" said Jennifer.
"Not long. About an hour or less. I wish I could stay but I really have to go. Don't start any trouble and be careful. Don't go outside for any reason at all. Mr. and Mrs. Fells would be very upset if anything were to happen to you two."
"Like they'll ever miss us. Have a good time Ally. Tell your aunt we hope she feels better." said Joel.
" I'll be sure to give her the message. Thank you my little twins, and remember don't get into any trouble what so ever. Don't go outside for anything. Take care." said Ally hugging both twins before walking out the door.
Chapter 3
While the twins waited, they practiced a little fencing just for the fun of it. Joel and Jennifer were very talented at sports, especially at fencing. They took up the sport of fencing from the many books they read about it when they were younger. It almost looked like self defense in a way. Their parents hired teachers for the twins to learn the basics and even added a room just for that sport in the mansion.
"It's almost been an hour. I'm getting really tired of waiting for this lady. Who does she think she is? The Queen of England?" Joel said angrily.
"Oh be patient Joel, I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for her lateness." said Jennifer.
"Well I'm sick and tired of this!" said Joel in a fierce tone. "Every day! Go to your studies twins, don't go outside twins, don't get in trouble twins. Don't ,don't, don't! I'm tired of everyone telling me what to do! I'm a high school junior, I don't have any friends except the book club, and I've never went to a single party in my life. What kind of a life is it to be trapped in this huge house, with no company, and having parents that you rarely see and it makes you wonder if they even love you by the way they treat you. When was the last time mom ever gave you a hug or kiss before leaving, or the last time father ever gave you a pat on the back for something good you've done? Never, that's when." Joel threw his fencing gear to the corner of the room and sat down squeezing his fists with anger. All Jennifer did was stand while Joel's words sank into her mind.
"Let's just ditch this place right now and go out in the world to see what its really like." Joel said finally breaking the silence.
"But how? We don't know if the sitter would show up after we're gone. Besides, mother and father would be upset when they come back and hear of what we did." Jennifer said.
" Let them find out what we've done. I don't care. Maybe they'll wake up and realize that we're teenagers and we should have a life like one. I've read about so many adventures young people have had and got to go out in the world and have fun, live reality. That's what I want to do Jennifer, and I'm about to do it. I'm not saying I'm running away, I just want a taste of it that's all. Don't try and stop me." As Joel was about to put on his jacket and go, Jenifer ran after him.
" Oh what now? Haven't you just heard what I've said? I'm leaving."
" I heard you. Your right, we don't need this treatment. I'm going with you." said Jennifer before running off to get her sweater.
Chapter 4
As they walked out of the big beautifully structured mansion and passed their big dark ironed gate, the twins felt a sense of pride, freedom.
They walked across the block and stopped and wonder where they could go.
"Maybe we can go to that cool teen club we've passed by while going to school. We can go back inside and change for that occasion. There might be an entrance price though. I've got about sixty dollars and some change in my wallet. What about you" said Jennifer.
"More than what you've got. Let's just hurry up and change for this party thing before that babysitter comes."
A while after, the Fells twins came out walking towards the club.
Jennifer was dressed in a black mini dress with black tights and designer stiletto heels revealing her long legs. She wore diamond teardrop earrings with a matching necklace, her favorite hand bag, and her lucky silver ankle bracelet which said dream with a silver moon next to it. Her black hair was worn in a ponytail with her bangs hanging about half an inch from her eyes, showing her beautifully postured jaw line.
Joel wore black denim jeans, a long-sleeved white shirt tucked out of his pants, with a striped like vest and tie. His raven black hair worn falling around his face, giving him that bad boy look no girl could refuse to glance at flirtatiously.
The twins finally got to the teen club. They waited in line for about three minutes, anxious to go into the room , hear the DJ booming the latest songs, meeting teenagers like them, and to finally fit in the crowd.
"ID and the fifteen dollar entrance fee please." the security door man said. The twins both gave their school ID and money. "Alright, have a good time. Entrance is down the stairs to the left. Club closes at 12:30 am. Be sure to come again next weekend too." said the security guy before turning to the next person in line.
The twins walked down the stairs straight into the club seeing many people dancing on the dance floor, hanging out in the corners, and people eating and drinking by the bar.
"I wish I thought of leaving the house sooner. This place is amazing!" said Joel.
"Well, while you stand here and talk about how cool this place is, I'm gonna go dance like I've I never danced before!" Jennifer said before following the multi-colored lights and disco ball to the dance floor.
Chapter 5
The twins separated to different parts of the clubs. Jennifer went on the dance floor and danced a storm with guys she didn't know ,but would like to get the chance to know some of them. Joel went to the bar where some people so he could try to be social.
"Sup? I'm Jared, Jared Ferrer".
"Hey, I'm Joel Fells." Joel noticed Jared went to school with him. Jared was in a few of Joel's classes like math and P.E. Jared was tall, dark, and one of those type of guys girls go crazy for, but no father would approve. He was a very sweet person though, always a gentleman to the ladies. But if you judged how him by his looks, then he seemed bad boyish and a trouble maker. And he was.
" What's a guy like you doing around here? Don't you live out of town?" Jared said.
"Actually, I do live around, don't go out much though. You know that big mansion right? That's me."
" Wow, so you're the rich kids huh? Must be awesome. I heard that you guys have batting cages on the roof!"
"Yeah, but Jennifer is the only one who uses it really."
"Jennifer?"
"Yeah, my sister, my twin sister."
"Awesome, rich and a look alike. So about this Jennifer, she doesn't happen to be single or something right? I mean, I've seen her around school and she's very attractive I have to say."
Joel felt a wave of anger and felt very protective of his sister. He didn't feel that way much if guys stared at her and all ,but if they got to close he would swear he acted like his parents when they don't want them leaving the house. When it came to things like this he always wanted his sister safe, and make sure that every guy who talked to her would know if they hurt her, they'd get hurt too.
" She's not single I guess. I think she has a boyfriend, I'm sure." Joel lied.
" Oh come on, what girl couldn't resist me? There all the same aren't they"
Joel finally looked Jared dead in the eye with rage.
"Don't talk about my sister like that or I'll…" just as Joel was about to finish his sentence, Jared's eyes trailed somewhere else, upon someone else.
" I never knew doing things like this could be so much fun! I wish I could go out here every weekend! Man, I'm parched. I danced threw five songs straight." Jennifer said before she bought a bottle of water and gulped it down.
"Hey Jen, I'm Jared." Then Joel gave Jared a look that would make him regret ever talking to his sister. But Jared ignored him.
"Um, hey. I haven't seen you around before. Do you go to our school?" she said flirtatiously while twirling a part of her ponytail.
" Yeah, actually. Maybe we have a class together, but enough about me. Tell me about yourself, in fact, I'll buy ourselves some drinks and we can talk."
"Sure. I'll catch up with you later Joel."
Before Joel could say anything, Jennifer and Jared were off to get a table and about to order.
Joel cooled down about the fact that his sister is alone talking to one of those kinds of boys. He decided he should have a little fun too. He went to another bar on the other side of the club where there were some people. He sat down and ordered a can of soda.
A few minutes later, a girl about his height and was fairly attractive took a seat next to him. She was an attractive brunette, her hair wavy layered to her elbows, and wearing denim jeans with a strapless blue top covered with a black cardigan. She ordered the same drink Joel ordered and then turned to talk to him.
" You don't look like your having much fun." the girl said before taking a sip of her drink.
" I just haven't been to places like this that's all." Joel answered.
" New timer huh? Me too. I've only came here once because I was meeting up with a friend here so we could go to the library. To tell you the truth, I'm sort of in the mood of reading a book instead of partying right now." she said giving a little smile.
The first thing Joel thought in his mind was how this girl had liked the same things he liked. Then, he noticed her eyes. They were a dark brown with a streak of blue in them, the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen.
" I don't think I've got your name, I'm Joel Fells. You are?"
The girl smiled and blushed a bit from her cheeks. "I'm Claire Moran. Maybe you know that big ten floor library a few miles from here. My father owns it."
"Never been there, wish I had though. I've got a library of my own, shelves and shelves of books. You're a bookworm too?" he said humorously.
"Since I could ever remember. It's like television on paper, which I think is better than regular TV. But, I like sports too. I play soccer in and all girls team."
" Impressive. I like fencing and all do all sorts of sports like soccer too. Not well with foot-eye coordination though." Joel said with a slight laugh to himself.
" I could always teach you one day, I'm a pro." Claire said after laughing.
" I'll definitely take up your offer on that." As he said that, the DJ was playing "Good girls go bad" by Cobra Starship.
"I love this song! You've got to dance with me to this one!" Claire said excitingly grabbing Joel's hand. Before he knew it they both were dancing and Joel felt a sense of enjoyment. He was having a good time, having fun, and had a feeling that he and Claire were staring off with a good friendship, and maybe more than that.
Chapter 6
"So Jennifer, can I call you Jen? What do you do for fun? I can tell you haven't had much of it before." Jared smirked impishly.
" Nothing much, I wish I could go somewhere like this everyday. I'm starting to think I live for adventure." Jennifer said while nodding her to the music.
Jennifer had never really gone out of a boy before but had always wanted to. So for Jennifer, this was probably the best time of her life.
"Your one funny chick Jen." Jared said in a humorous tone. "Hey, since you like adventure why don't we leave this place and go somewhere else. We can go for a walk along that area where those huge abandoned houses are. Maybe I'll dare you to go inside." Jared teased.
"Oh, your on. I bet I could stay in one of those harmless old houses longer than you could." Jennifer said in a daring tone.
"No way you'll be way more chicken. I was only joking around. But since you think you can handle it girl, lets go give it a try.'
"Alright. I'm game. I can be a bad girl too you know so don't even think about going easy on me."
"I bet you are." Jared winked. Jennifer couldn't stop giggling to what Jared and fekt detrimined to show him how daing she can be just like him to impress.
"But I should really tell Joel. In fact I bet he'd be up for a dare like that. It would be awesome if he tagged along! The more people, the more fun."
"Um. You sure on that? I thought it'd be me and my bad girl." Jared temptingly persuaded her.
"I'm absouluty sure. Trust me it'll be fun. He's my brother I should at least tell him." Jennifer said.
Jennifer took Jared by the hand and walked toward where Joel was talking with a girl about their age.
"Joel, sorry to interupt. Would you and your friend let to tag along with Jared and me to do some fun? We're gonna see who could last longer in one of those creepy old houses, the ones along that road by the corner. No one lives inside of those crappy households anymore so I guess it's totally safe since we can't get caught." Jennifer said nudging Jared by the arm with a smile.
"Do you actually think that's such a smart idea Jennifer? Especially if your going go with this guy. You can tel he's bad news just by a glance at him. Besides, it was your idea to come here so stay." Joel said sternly.
" Well now it's my idea to go. Joel, I'm not a child. You don't know Jared like I do. He's fun, charming and sweet. You can't talk me out of this so come on! It'll be fun, you can bring your friend to if you'd like."
"Jennifer! You've only known this guy for the past few hours! Fine, I'll go. I'm not having you go alone with that guy anywhere and since your not gonna change your mind I might as well."
"Ouch. That hurts. You people do know I'm standing here all this time right?" Jared said with a sad, playful voice.
" I know that." Joel said.
"Well Joel since your going, maybe I could go too. I've been researching the history of old housing architeture and structure, just for fun. My father was having the library remodeled so I just pondered on the thought of looking into it. Who knew it could come in handy? I could examine the houses and compare it to my studies and foundings! I'm so up for this!" Claire said in excitement.
" Alright so it's settled. Me, Jen, Mr. Over-protective, and nerdy-geek are going." Jared said.
"If being a nerdy-geek means being smart, intelligent, friendly and sweet then she's a total nerdy-geek." Joel said defending Claire, making her blush.
" Good Lord! Let's just go dammit!" Jared said with fustration.
Chapter 7 comming soon... hoe you enjoyed the first 6 chapters, the rest of the story is on its way :D