"Miss Foster!" Mr. Sweeney ripped the earbuds out of Sophie's ears, causing her twin sister Sadie to wince with pity. He dangled them in front her face, waving them about a bit. "Do you think you're too smart for this lecture?"

Mr. Sweeney couldn't tell the girls apart, just like everyone else. So he simply called both of them 'Miss Foster,' which was totally creative and original.

Sadie quietly removed her own earbuds, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that she had just been committing the same 'terrible' crime. She turned down the volume of her blaring music, even though it had been helping with the noise and the pain. Not that anyone else but Sophie could hear the noise.

Fractured thoughts blasted through Sadie and Sophie's heads like hundred of radios blaring at full volume, leaving splitting headaches in their wake. Even now, with the walls of the small room muffling the noise, Sadie's hands involuntarily crept to her head, trying to massage away the pain.

The twins had been this way ever since they were five. They had both fallen and hit their heads, each waking up in the hospital being able to read all minds except for each other's.

"No, Mr. Sweeney," muttered Sophie.

Sadie took a step forward, silently supporting her sister as their classmates glared at them. This was exactly the kind of attention they went out of their way to avoid. It was the only way to survive as twelve-year-old high school seniors.

"Since you've decided that you're so above this information," their teacher continued, "why don't you teach about the Lambeosaurus?"

Sadie felt her sister suppress a sigh. They had both glanced at the information card as they entered, and their photographic memories had recorded every detail.

Their classmates thoughts grew increasingly sour as Sophie successfully recited the facts of the dinosaur, and Mr. Sweeney's face darkened into an annoyed scowl - probably because he couldn't scold Sophie for not paying enough attention.

Sophie finished her answer, and Mr. Sweeney muttered for the class for follow him as he led them out of the tiny room. Sadie and Sophie both waited for the rest of the class to go before they moved forward as well.

"Nice job freakshows," Garwin Chang - a boy wearing a shirt that said BACK OF! I'M GONNA FART! - sneered as he pushed past them to join their classmates. "Maybe they'll write another article for you in the newspaper. 'Child Prodigy Teaches Class about the Lame-o-saurus.'"

Garwin was still bitter that Yale had offered Sadie and Sophie full scholarships. His rejection letter had come a couple weeks before.

Not that either of them was allowed to go.

Their parents had said that it was too much attention, too much pressure, and they were too young. End of discussion.

So they'd be attending the far smaller, way closer San Diego City College next year - which was a fact some stupid reporter had discovered and found newsworthy enough to post in the local paper the day before. Sadie wasn't exactly happy it happened, but she was a little miffed that the article had only mentioned Sophie in it, even though they were both going.

Their parents had freaked when they found out about it. 'Freaked' wasn't even a strong enough word. They had called pretty much everyone they knew to complain, and then they called the editor to complain.

The editor was just as upset as they were. It had run in place of the fires that were ravaging the city - which were much more important than a twelve-year-old senior.

Sadie glanced at her sister and noticed her eyes were fixed on something across the museum. Following her gaze, Sadie caught sight of a dark-haired boy reading the newspaper with her sister's senior photo emblazoned across the front. When he noticed Sophie's stare, he shrugged off the display he had been leaning against and strode confidently over to her. Sadie took a couple steps backwards so she wouldn't be noticed, but she kept close tabs on the conversation.

"Is this you?" asked the boy, pointing at the picture. He had very teal eyes, which Sadie found quite strange and fascinating.

Sophie nodded mutely.

"I thought so." The boy squinted at the black-and-white photo, then back at Sophie. "I didn't realize you had brown eyes."

Sophie pulled some of her hair over her face, probably wishing she could hide behind it. "Uh… yeah," she said. "Why?"

A grin came over the boy's face as he told her, "No reason."

"I'm Sadie," said Sadie, stepping forward. She had decided to screw waiting for something to happen - that was too boring.

The boy did a double take. "There are two of you?" he exclaimed, eyes flitting back and forth between the identical sisters.

"Twins," corrected Sadie. "Is that important?" Something seemed a bit odd about this conversation, but Sadie couldn't figure out what it was.

The boy shook his head - a bit too hard in Sadie's opinion. "No, not at all," he said, running his hand through his hair, making it stand up in little spikes. He turned to go with a small wave. "It was nice to meet you both."

Suddenly a swarm of kindergarteners stampeded by, attacking Sadie and Sophie's brains like a pack of angry porcupines. Sophie and Sadie's hands darted to their heads, rubbing at their skulls in a vain attempt to make the pain go away.

Sadie glanced around, checking to see if anyone had noticed her reaction. Her eyes locked with the boy's, whose hands were clutching at his own head and was wearing the same pained expression Sadie and Sophie had had a moment before.

Shock was evident on his face as he whispered, "Did you… hear that?"

Sadie reeled backwards. He had to have meant the voices of the kids. They were high-pitched enough to make anyone have a massive headache. Voices. Suddenly the blonde-haired girl realized what seemed so strange about this conversation.

The boy's mind was completely and totally silent. She couldn't hear his thoughts at all, and a glance at her sister told Sadie she had realized the same thing.

Sophie had also fallen back a step, fear glowing on her face.

"Are you a telepath?"

Sophie flinched and Sadie cringed. They both despised the word that gave a name to what truly made them freaks.

"Who are you?" whispered Sophie, which was the same question Sadie was wondering.

"You are!" He tore his hands through his hair again. "I can't believe this. Wait" -he spun to face Sadie- "can you hear them too?"

What was Sadie supposed to say to that? Since she didn't know, she decided to give a single nod. It was enough.

The boy raised his hands as if dealing with a wild animal. "It's okay," he said reassuringly. "I'm one too."

Sadie felt her world tilting sideways. Ever since they could read minds, she and Sophie had longed for another telepath to share their burden with. But now that they had actually found him…

"My name is Fitz," he added, taking a careful step forward. "We've been looking for you for twelve years."

In the back of her mind, Sadie wondered who in their right mind would name their kid Fitz, but she had other things to think about. Such as… WHAT DID HE MEAN 'WE' AND 'TWELVE YEARS?'

Sophie bolted, and a moment later Sadie followed.

"Wait!" Fitz was just a few feet behind her, so she took a second to stop suddenly so that he plowed into her. She untangled herself in an instant and raced after her twin. Sophie ran outside to the corner and started across the street.

As Sadie was just about to cross the street, she heard the screeching of tires, and since the momentary pause in her sprinting had left her about ten feet behind Sophie, she had a fantastic view of her sister almost get killed by a car.

The driver swerved right, missing Sophie by inches, then jumped the curb and sideswiped a light pole. The massive steel pole cracked from its concrete base and plummeted straight for Sophie.

Sadie didn't even have time to think as Sophie's hand shot into the air… and somehow the pole stopped falling. Her eyes stretched as wide as they could go as Sophie looked up and gasped.

Fitz passed Sadie, but stopped before he came to Sophie. "Put it down," he said.

Sophie screamed since she hadn't noticed him and dropped the pole. Sadie leaped forward, flinging her hands out on front of her. Her mind pulled strength from somewhere deep in her gut and pushed it out of her palms.

The force collided with Sophie and Fitz, knocking them both clear as the pole slammed into the ground just where Sophie had been standing.

Sadie leaped over the pole as the dust cleared, landing next to her sister and pulling her to her feet. "Are you okay?" She was freaking out. "You didn't get hurt?"

Sophie was shaking. Actually, they both were. "No," whispered Sophie. "I'm fine. You?"

"I'm good," responded Sadie. She pointed at the driver at the car, who looked like he had witnessed a miracle. "Let's get out of here."

Sophie nodded once, and they took off down the sidewalk. They left Fitz to clamber to his feet, one hand pressed on his shoulder. He gazed after the sisters as they grew smaller and smaller, teal eyes worried. He hadn't handled the situation very well. He shouldn't have gone over to the girls, even if he found them mysterious.

He hid in an alleyway and held a clear crystal up to the light, glanced one more time in the direction of the twins, and glittered away.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Okay, so I know that both Sadie and Sophie falling and hitting their heads at the same time isn't really realistic, but that was the only way I could get Sadie to have the same telepathic strength as Sophie.

Let me know what you think about this story!

I will only say this once: I don't own KOTLC. Shannon Messenger does. I'm shocked you didn't realize that.