Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the places that they are in. The only character that I own is Emerald Moss.
Chapter 2
Ema starred.
Briar was starring right back at her.
Suddenly, as if she had just been given a silent que, she ran across the room and flung her arms around Briar. She could feel his strong, wiry arms wrap around her in return. They held each other only for moments but it seemed like much longer. They separated, and then saw that they had a small audience.
All of the other residents, and the one visitor, of discipline were now gathered in the main room of the small cottage and they all had expressions of surprise or shock on their faces. Briar and Ema quickly separated completely and smiled timidly, in Ema's case, or just outright scowled, in Briar's case, at the people who had just witnessed the two's greeting.
Nike cleared his throat. "Well," he said, "That was unexpected." He raised his eyebrows at them as if in question.
Briar was the first one to speak. "You see," he started, "Ema and I are…. well we're kinda…."
"We're twins." Ema quickly cut in.
Silence. "You're telling us, street boy, that you have a twin, and even more, that twin happens to be a girl."
Ema looked at the girl who had spoke. She had dark skin and her hair was knotted into many tight braids. She wore a tan shirt and brown leggings. She also wore a scarlet band of cloth around her upper-right arm. Though it didn't seem like it from her words, she was smiling both on her face and in her eyes. She was obviously a trader.
She stepped forward calmly and said, "My name is Daja. And this," she gestured back behind her towards the two girls that had been in the main room when she had entered, "is Tris. I believe you have already met Sandry."
Ema looked at Sandry and Tris. Sandry had medium length, light brown hair that was in two tight braids. She had a tiny button nose and two bright blue eyes. She wore a sky blue cotton dress with little yellow flowers peppering the surface. She was very pretty.
Ema didn't think that she herself was pretty, with her straight black hair that she kept in a braid that fell all the way down to her waist. Her eyes were startling grey-green orbs in the middle of her golden skinned face. Briar was simply a boy version of herself.
Tris's hair was bright red and very curly. She was short and appeared to be a little on the heavy side. She wore copper rimmed spectacles over her stormy grey eyes. She also wore a cotton dress like Sandry but it was a dull grey color.
"Hello," Ema said again, "I'm Emerald Moss."
"Well it is very good to meet you Emerald," a tall woman had stepped out into the open. "I am Dedicate Lark. Dedicate Rosethorn and I are in charge here at discipline." She had golden skin like Briar and Ema and her short hair has black and curly with beautiful brown eyes. She, as well as the women who had entered the room behind her, wore a dark green habit of the earth
temple's.
Dedicate Rosethorn was about medium height and had broad shoulders. Her hair was rust-colored and shorter than Dedicate Larks. "Well," Dedicate Lark said, "I am sure that we are all interested in the fact that you are twins and that we would all love to hear about it but why don't we start with finding a place for Emerald to sleep and then we can talk."
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement to this and Dedicate Lark beckoned for the children to follow her.