Chapter Two: Revelation

Emma Nelson woke up next to her boyfriend Kelly. He looked comfortable so she silently got out of bed carefully so she would not wake him. She slinked up the steps to see her mom cleaning in the kitchen once she emerged. "Hey mom, good morning."

After entering the room more, she was able to see Snake who was sitting at the table drinking some coffee. "Good morning, Emma." He greeted, still her mom said nothing. Emma knew something was up; her mom usually is not one to clean unless something was wrong.

"How did you and Kelly sleep?" Spike asked turning to acknowledge her daughter faking a smile before returning to clean some more.

Emma smiled answering, "Good, really good. How are you feeling?"

Spike hesitated, not facing her family. She knew she had to tell them eventually but she lied. "Fine why you ask?"

"It's just last night after you went outside you felt sick." Emma explained advancing toward her mom walking past the kitchen table.

"Christine, Emma did have a point. You were fine until you went to get the popcorn and everything." Snake looked to his wife with a worried expression, narrowing his eyes.

Spike nodded taking it all in. She turned around before pulling herself a seat next to Archie. "Someone visited last night and the person told me something really unsettling." She then silently sat for a few moments, avoiding eye contact and looking at her hands folded at the table.

"You're giving us a heart attack." Snake exclaimed looking at Spike breaking the silence. Emma was silent. "Remember Spike, no secrets." He added with ah whisper. They both had promised after a few of their marital problems that the one problem was, they kept little things from one another.

"Snake, you don't have to worry. In fact, you - stay out o this. This is more about me and Emma." Spike explained to Snake, "However, you know what? I think you would need to know anyway."

"W-what is it?" Emma asked worriedly.

"Em, you have a twin brother." She answered.

"Why didn't you tell me I have a twin brother? " Emma stood up.

"Emma. " Spike reprimanded warning her to sit back down.

"Why? First, you tell me nothing about my dad and I had to go and find him myself? Now this?! What kind of family is this?"

Snake butts into the conversation, "I was just about to say the same thing."

"Emma, Snake wait." Spike calls after Emma. "Calm down."

"Calm down!?" Emma questioned.

"I'm not finished." Spike said frustrated. Emma had already left the room, probably down the basement with Kelly.

"Christine you have a lot to explain. Eighteen years of . . lies." Snake shakes his head disappointedly."I didn't know I had two. I knew I had Emma . . . My mom told me about three years ago when Emma was in high school. Daphne Hatzilacos has Emma's twin, his name is Peter." Spike told Snake, in her own defense.

"Christine you can't tell Emma that." Snake said cautiously unable to completely react.

"What and have her accuse me of lying to her . . .again?" Spike asked, "You saw how she reacted there and I only told her half of the truth."

"She dated Peter two years ago. You know how bad that could damage her?!""I know but. . "

Snake then asked outraged in a whisper. "I-I- how was I not informed of this?!"

Emma stood by the basement door listening to her parents argue. She hated it; it brought her back to a few years ago. After her step-dad had cheated on her mom with Daphne Hatzilacos her high school principal and mother of her boyfriend at the time. How that one night tore apart their family. How sometimes they as a family have to deal with the scars of that night and the repercussions that followed. She still was unable to deal completely with what she heard. She began to question if she had indeed heard her mother correct, Peter Stone is her twin brother. Peter Stone is my twin brother, she whispered inaudibly.

Spike sighed, "I don't know . . . I mean I know where your coming from and I know you're shocked but. . .look Emma needs to know but - I'm afraid of how she'd react. The last thing we'd both want is a repeat of the post shooting fiasco. It took a long time for our family to heal from that."

"I know. I feel like I kinda really wish I didn't know about Peter. . or I wish I would've told her earlier or knew then. I was zonked apparently I didn't know my mom gave the green light that we had only really prepared for one baby, Emma. You see I didn't know I had two until years and years later. I didn't think it'd make a difference . . . until I found out that he needed something from his biological parents and he went and tried to track me down." She looked down at her hands, with a pause. "The boy has cancer. I feel sympathetic.""Well doesn't that hit a little close to home?" Snake asked thoughtfully.

"I guess he couldn't find Shane. . . And even if he did he wouldn't know what to do." Spike trailed off, "because he only knows about Emma, but he found me. That was who was at the door the other night when we were watching a movie. I only told Emma that she has a brother. I don't think I could go into the fact that it's Peter Stone!"

Emma emerged from the basement; she had been listening by the door the entire time. "So it's true."

"Emma. . . "Spike tried to talk.

"Wh-" She started before beginning to cry. She had no sympathetic feelings toward Peter; in fact, she had a bitter feeling toward him. She remembered the last things she said to him, it was at the masquerade dance at school. Her stupid plan to be able to hang out with her then-grounded beau due to the street racing thing her ex had bought on to Peter. How she believed Peter over Sean was beyond her, how long had she known Sean? Peter wasn't the guy for her, that night showed what kind of guy Peter was. "How do you know the kid was lying? You clearly don't know him like me. He is trying to throw us for a loop! He always does!"

"Em you don't know. I know someone isn't as cruel as to lie about cancer."

"You don't know Peter!" Emma fired back. "He's malicious, he's sneaky, and he's a pathological liar. I should know I dated the freak! He is manipulative and he knows it. Give me one goddamned reason why you should believe him? He is the reason Sean was kicked out of school. He uses the fact he was Hatzilacos boy to get away with things. I don't believe him."

"Christine. . . She does have a point. I taught him, I know his rap sheet. It's not good. Are you sure?"

"The year Peter started attending Degrassi I was notified that I indeed have a son eighteen years ago." Spike answered. "It's no mix-up, he's my son biologically. I mean, I didn't think about it. I didn't even get a name. I saw Shane when I saw him. He looks like your father did -"

"I got to get out of here." Emma said simply as she exited the room going downstairs silently hoping not to wake up Kelly. She walked up to the bed close to tears stroking his cheek as he slept silently. He seemed so worry free, so peaceful so far from where she was. She knew this was going to an Christmas she'll always remember, not always recollected in a good way. She walked up to her desk pulling out a notebook. She opened up a blank page. There was usually one person she turned to when everything went bad, and this person was usually the only person in the whole world she trusted with everything and understood just what she was feeling. Sean Cameron, was that person. She decided she would finally swallow her pride, and open up to him.

December 18th, 2008

Sean,

I know this is much belated. I apologize for not writing you sooner, the good news is I started college I suppose it is for a good reason. Happy Holidays to you. How are you doing? I hope you are doing much much better than me.

Quick update, graduated high school, I have a boyfriend named Kelly, he's one of my college roommates. In fact, he is in Degrassi with me for the holidays. As for Damien, he got with Liberty on prom night. Ironically, Manny hooked Liberty up wit him on like her birthday a million bazillion years ago, you remember? Well on prom night, a drama showdown went down. I do not really care though, seriously. We are all good friends, all except for Damien. I haven't heard from Toby in awhile. He went to this study abroad thing. Damian I think he actually went to college at Banting and we all went off to Springdale. I don't know what I ever saw in someone like that. Anyway, things had been going really really well.

Leave it to me, for everything to go from perfect and great to complete crap in days, this is what is happening right now. You see, I am so disturbed and I'll tell you right now I know you'd understand when I finish. My mom last night went outside during that movie we watch every time the holidays near It's A Wonderful Life? My mom abruptly gets up and leaves, and then I see her outside. Afterwards, she went upstairs to bed. I ask her what happened, because even Snake saw something was wrong, my supposed brother visited her. Apparently, I have a twin I knew absolutely nothing about. Get this, this is the sick and disturbing part - it is Peter. You know ex-boyfriend Peter, it's him. How could my mom keep this from me? Why does my mom insist on keeping things from me? Even so, it just upsets me to know he's someone I was with and saw romantically. That disgusts me. I mean now that I know him as a complete jerk and all, and I don't know what I thought of him before, but now I really know who he is. It's sick. What am I going to do?

Please write back. Next time I'll write more often. Just nothing too too eventful has been going on to seriously document on. If there's ever anything you want to write me on, tell me.

Always, Emma.

Emma read over her letter one last time. With a sheepish smile she grabbed an envelope on her desk folded it up and placed a stamp on it. She wrote down the information and fixed to take the letter to the post office box. She knew she could never tell Kelly, he wouldn't truly understand. She felt so wrong, but she knew Sean needed to know what was going on. She felt like she owed it to herself to let Sean still in. She couldn't explain why.

Kelly knows nothing but what she tells him. I mean Manny is so easy to become an open book; she is good at telling people about herself. Emma she makes herself more like a mystery, especially in a new setting such as college. She didn't want to be so open. She didn't want Kelly to know about her past really, or just how dysfunctional her life truly is. She thought back on Kelly, perhaps it was a mistake to invite him home.

- x -

Allie buried herself atop Claire's bed putting her Cosmopolitan magazine over her head in annoyance at Claire's attire. "How many of those things do you have?"

"One for each day." Claire answered eyeing herself in the mirror. She wasn't exactly satisfied with the girl who stood before her. She had always dressed this way, it was just second nature. She could never tell Allie because Allie would eat it right up. Sometimes she wishes she could open up more, be more like her very outgoing friend.

"Newsflash, Degrassi doesn't have a policy. You could wear whatever you like. Just like parties." Allie answered now sitting up straight clearly annoyed. "Please tell me you're not actually going to wear that tonight."

"I want to look presentable." Claire answered shrugging. Deep down she wanted to wear something somewhat different.

"You can still look presentable and not look like a total cookie cutter." Allie protested.

"I'm not a cookie cutter." Claire pouted crossing her arms.

"Yes you are."

"Yes I'am." She said lamely before she caught wind of what she said, "Hey wait!"

"Do you want my help?"

"I-I uh. . ." Allie took her word as a yes.

"You're in luck I brought an extra skirt and I have a curling iron!"

"You'd do that?" Claire asked Allie honestly hiding the hopefulness in her voice.

"What are friends for? Besides it's a Christmas party, you want to look nice. Especially for K.C."

"Shh! Not so loud." Claire whispered telling Allie to lower her voice.

"Let me guess, your mother has no idea."

"And neither does my father. I'd like to keep it that way."