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Mother, That man took my soul away
Father, How could you ever treat me this way
Brother, Don't ever let him do this again
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Chapter One
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NewBorns
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The birth of Alec and Jane Bugiardo was not an easy one. Their mother, Madiline, had gone into contractions early. It was a time when it was a miracle for pre-mature babies to survive, and Jane and Alec were that miracle. The townspeople would have preferred they died, but their mother couldn't have been happier.
Alec came first. He was very still, and uttered not a word. As he was cleaned and swaddled, he stared impatiently at his mother. He was waiting for his little sister to be born. Jane was the opposite of her brother. She cried, kicked, and struggled the entire time, and could only be calmed when placed by her brother.
Madiline suggested naming the boy Alec; so he could live up to the origin. Jane was named in the hopes that she would be gracious and kind. The nurse who helped deliver the babies advised the mother to find a new name for her daughter, because Jane "rhymes with pain."
The nurse had run off as soon as the two were in their mothers arms, and she made haste to tell the town of the children. Madiline held her "little angels" in both arms. Alec was peaceful, almost content. He refused to hold his mother's hand, put insisted on holding his little sisters. Jane was restless, and didn't appear happy. It was like she wanted to be somewhere else. Madiline brushed it off.
Later that evening, her husband came home. His oldest son – three-year old Harold, had been playing in the yard all day long. He'd been forgotten in the birth. Benito came in with Harold, and was delighted to see the twins, and shocked to see they lived.
He looked them over silently, ignoring Harold as he tugged on his pants. Jane was lighter hair, and it grew it little wisps on the top of her head. Alec had a bit more hair than her, and his was darker. They both had matching green eyes; the most curious sea green color. Neither parent had ever met someone with green eyes, and they both shared the color brown.
When Madiline invited Harold to see his new brother and sister, Harold refused. He didn't want to see the brats. He didn't want new siblings. He especially didn't want the weird pre-mature babies with green eyes. He ran out of the room and into town in the same fashion as the nurse.
Benito had to run to fetch back his three-year old, and came back smiling. Both of his children were asleep. Jane had her face against Alec, and he had one small hand on her head. He hadn't yet gotten a taste of his children.
As the months passed, he began to understand his children. Alec and Jane were both very smart, and had already begun talking before they reached one year. Jane was showing signs of sadism, while Alec appeared to be more calculating and analytical. This was hard to tell, as they were months old, but their parents could guess.
Alec was clearly in charge, and took care of Jane. They would spend all of their time together, and sometimes they could be found sleeping together. Alec learned his numbers faster than Jane, and took to teaching her. Jane, in turn, helped Alec learn how to read.
By the time they were three, the twins had already made a name for themselves. Half of the town was afraid of the toddlers, and the other half was suspicious of them. Some people saw them as witches. Whenever they'd been seen away from their parents, and you were rude to them, things would happen. First, you'd feel the worst pain in your life. You'd been on the floor, begging God to make it stop, and then it would. Then, you'd want to scream for help, but you couldn't, because suddenly you couldn't see, move, hear, or smell. When you got all of your senses back, the twins would be gone, but you would hear their laughter.
They were the first set of pre-mature babies to survive in the town, the first set of twins, and the first people with green eyes. They were freaks, outcasts, and nobody wanted anything to do with them. Their older brother, Harold, would taunt them mercilessly; the village liked him.
As they turned four, their father began not to like them. It began was uneasy glares, until he was trying to convince his wife they were no good and needed to be killed. The twins, only four, heard all of this. Jane was angered, but Alec convinced her to be quite. She agreed, grudgingly.
The next day, Alec stole money from his mother. His sister was still upset over her father, and he wanted to buy her something. Alec helped Jane with her coat, and they went into town.
The village they lived in was small, but a number of people sold items of the street. Some people sold cloth and pottery, but the majority sold food. "Alec," Jane announced. She tugged on his coat, pointing to one vendor. "I want roasted chestnuts."
They went to the man who sold the chestnuts. He was very old, with wild white hair, grey eyes, and age spots on his face. The man was very skinny, and looked like he could slip away at any moment. Alec held out the money as the old men gasped and backed away from the children.
"Get 'er, get 'er 'way from me," he cried wildly. Everyone on the street stopped to stare at the twins. Alec pulled his hand back, and Jane took his money and put it in her pocket. They stood together calmly, holding hands.
Jane poked her brother, for she wished for him to speak. "I shall get myself some," Alec said calmly, oblivious to the staring and rude whispering, and the wild jumping of the old me. "If you cannot. You're rather old... I'll do it."
Alec took himself a good portion of the chestnuts, and paced half along to Jane. As the old man cried once more, "Get 'er, get 'er 'way from me." Alec placed the money on his stool and walked away with his sister. Jane was humming along happily, eating her food, content to ignore everyone. Alec, on the other hand, was restless. The crazy old man was pursing them, so Alec used his power to stop him.
Just as expected, a smooth mist surrounded the man's' ankles, and he stopped running. He froze in place, bewildered. The townspeople began to scream, and Jane and Alec started to run. Children were throwing rocks at them, and somebody was going to fetch the physician. Alec took back the mist, allowing the elder to have his senses back.