Mirror Image

(A/N: Hello Everyone! Author winces at silence I realize that my absence from Fanfiction may have annoyed, infuriated or possibly angered my readers, so I apologize most sincerely. I'm SO SORRY that I seemed to have neglected my stories (believe me neglecting a story becomes increasingly difficult when your story lines and charter twists haunt you daily…), and hope that this LONG (or at least longer) update will help make some of that annoyance disappear. If not please be happy to send a review and tell me your annoyed/infuriated/annoyed or any or all of the combined. Hopefully most of the flaming will be left to Warren…)

Chapter Four: Dangerous Connections

Shaking his head laughingly at the joyful screeches and loud crashes emitting from El's friend's, Lash attempted to hid a grin as he walked slowly away from the brightly lit house. He continued to hear the laughing down the street.

He shrugged his shoulders as the happy giggling surrendered to the broken silence of the next street. Lash's eyes remained downcast as he passed the row of grand houses belonging to the city's elite, window panes and manicured lawns that seemed to glow mockingly even in the dim light. His grin was quickly replaced by a scowl as he jerked around, going back the way he had come.

"I'll just go down to Strings and ask for more hours" Lash thought furiously, his thoughts whirling angrily as he again passed the mocking mansions "I just need enough money to fix the damn door". He headed angrily towards the music store where he already worked a full time job. Lash's steps came to a gradual halt, his deep eyes widened, and he blinked; the image in front of him didn't waver.

He watched disbelievingly as a slim girl, seemingly oblivious ( possibly due to the music that pounded out from her headphones) walked unknowingly past him; straight towards a pair of shadowed figures who stood ominously at the end of the street. Lash felt the color drain from his face, his eyes darkening in fear as his mind registered the two figures that were all too familiar. Then his eyes lit on the girl, and the brown darkening further; he didn't notice the slow advance of the figures towards them.

"Perfect…" Lash thought in irritation, swiftly misplacing his fear for the annoyance that rose easily "Just Perfect" His jaw tightened bitterly "Another person to protect"

Reaching out Lash grabbed the girl by the shoulders, and quickly spun her around dimly acknowledging the tensing of her arms. His eyes met the hard ice of hers before a small fist slammed into his gut.

"Get you filthy hands off me!" the girl hissed angrily as Lash exhaled a pained breath between his teeth. He eyed her angrily, albeit cautiously as she pushed stray strands of platinum blond hair out of her eyes, and readied herself to aim another blow.

"Look you – " Lash began furiously prepared to block the fist she aimed for his face, before being cut off harshly. Someone spinning him around roughly by the shoulders, he felt the blonde's fist bounce – rather painfully- off the back of his head. His eyes met the dark eyes of the tallest figure, and he mentally steeled himself, subconsciously trying to shield the blond who he could hear panting behind him.

"Times come Wright" the figure stated quietly, those cold eyes locking on his as the other figure shuffled hesitantly behind him, blocking the escape of the fuming blonde.

"I don't have to do anything" he hissed through clenched teeth, his mind hazed by the fear that trickled through his brave front.

"Oh?" the figure asked curiously as if discussing something as simple as the weather, the only indication otherwise the lift of an eyebrow "You'd risk the life of an innocent bystander for pointless defiance?"

In a move so fast Lash almost missed it, the man's hand snaked out to wrap around the blonde's neck. Lash lurched forward reacting instinctively to the look of panic that flashed in her eyes, but he stopped tensely when the man simply lifted his other hand. The low light from the street lamps shone eerily of the blade cradled in his palm.

Avoiding the eyes of the blonde, he clenched his hands angrily and calmly met the man's eyes. Dark eyes that glinted arrogantly with the knowledge that Lash wouldn't refuse.

"What do you want?" He hissed quietly, hatred coursing through his veins with every passing moment.

"Simply to talk" He stated offhandedly his hand tightening contradictively on the girls neck.

"Right" Lash said quietly his voice painfully sarcastic "Just to talk. Let her go and then we'll talk"

Lash watched the man's hand tighten fractionally, the girl's eyes unfocused slightly in pain at the added pressure. As if shooing a fly the man sent her sprawling carelessly towards the ground with a shrug.

Instinctively Lash caught her around the waist, and lifted her to her feet. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a discreet black car pull smoothly behind them. The girl wrenched out of his arms the nervous glance she shot towards the car showed she noticed it too. Her eyes furiously locked on his face, and their eyes held for a fraction of a second before she turned quickly away.

Lifting a fumbling hand towards her headphones while she walked quickly -or as quickly as someone pretending to be unaffected could proudly do – she swiftly made it to the corner. Pausing at this safe distance she turned slowly to look at the men silhouetted at the other end of the street. With her hand on her headphones for strength she yelled loudly –

"It's been swell; let's NOT do it again!"


Her breath coming in gasps Adrian wrenched around another corner. Her feet were leading her as far from them as possible, she'd lost count how many streets had disappeared behind her. But jerking around this corner she came suddenly to a halt and slumped to the ground. One word resounded clearly through her mind.

"Shit!" Adrian swore loudly burying her head in her hands, her breath finally returned to a regular pace. The ghostly feel of cold steel on her throat had her reaching a trembling hand towards her throat. True fear tore through her as those cold eyes appeared in her mind; those emotionlessly threatening green eyes.

"Calm down" Adrian thought desperately, feeling a sliver of anger at the fear that had left her helpless "Pull yourself together, Your fine, there isn't a scratch on you. That guy saved you" Adrian told herself reassuringly but the memory of the lanky teen with the gloomy brown eyes had another emotion interrupting her thoughts. An emotion that caused her eyes to narrow but her heart to beat unnaturally fast.

"Who does he think he is?" Adrian mutter under her breath the silver of anger expanded reassuringly to cover all thoughts of helplessness and carrying the remaining blocks home "I can take care of myself" She muttered quietly as she stalked up the driveway. Testing the front door and rolling her eyes when she found it locked, Adrian began to climb the tangled mess of rose bush that clung to the wood beneath the highest window. The only window currently lit. Her thoughts still tangled, the significance of the light didn't register until the window flung open. Swearing under her breath as her foot caught painfully in the vines, she glared half heartedly at the shadowed figure that leant out of the window.

"Ad?" Serenity demanded quietly, her eyes wide in shock. Caught below the window Adrian didn't see her sister discreetly shove a thick pamphlet beneath the bay window's seat pillow.

"Uh huh?" Adrian asked in an oddly quiet voice, swinging her free leg over the window sill at simultaneously. Sighing angrily as her other foot remained tangled in the vines, Adrian turned to see that serenity's eyes had narrowed; concern flickering briefly them before disappearing in disbelief.

"What exactly do you think your doing?" Serenity demanded in whispers, both twins continuing to talk in hushed tones, knowing better than to wake up their mother.

"I thought you were supposed to be the smart one Ser?" Adrian quipped rolling her eyes "What does it look like I'm doing?"

Shaking her head Serenity reached down cautiously to untangle the vines that trapped Adrian's ankle, carefully avoiding the sharp thorns that lined the plant. Once untangled Serenity curled back up on the window seat, watching as Adrian scrambled through and promptly splayed across her bed.

Rolling her eyes she crossed to her side of the wide room and sat patiently on the light blue sheets of her bed, her chin in her hand. The small white lamp beside her bed illuminated the dark walls of Adrian's half and brightened the blue of her own. Serenity remembered when the room had been almost literally split in half, and the memory was laced with sadness as it had been their father who had decided to attempt to halt the fights between them.

Shaking her head she refocused as Adrian rolled over.

"Ser?" Adrian said quietly

"Yes?" Serenity replied softly straightening in concern at the defeated tone of her voice.

"Turn out the light?"

Sighing in frustration Serenity crossed her arms "Do you expect me to just let the fact that you climbed in through our WINDOW go un- noticed?"

"Yes" Adrian said simply her eyes lighting tiredly on the furious form of her sister.

"Come on, Ad" Serenity said angrily "I'm not turning the light out until, you tell me what happened!"

Adrian's hands tensed on her black bed sheets, before she leapt suddenly off it "Who are you? Dad?" she hissed angrily the words slipping from her mouth without thought. Regret seeped just as quickly into Adrian's eyes as hurt did into Serenity's.

"I've never tried to replace Dad" Serenity said quietly turning away, a slight mass beside her stopped the movement as she was slid back an inch when Adrian slumped on her bed.

"Look Ser" Adrian said forcefully her voice laced with the fear she'd so stubbornly pushed aside "Some dude held a knife to my throat to manipulate some other guy, so I'm sorry if I was late" Adrian said softly hoping Serenity would hear the un spoken apology in the justification.

"You shouldn't have said –"Serenity stopped abruptly "WHAT?"

"Shhh" Adrian whispered hurriedly slapping a hand to Serenity's mouth "Keep your voice down" When Serenity's eyes darkened and Adrian knew she'd be quiet she removed her hand and looked away "That was why I didn't want to tell you"

"Ad ... You can jus ... You have too" Serenity took a deep breath to align her thoughts before continuing in a hushed whisper "We have to tell somebody" lifting her eyes Serenity knew even before she met Adrian's that they would be scorning.

"No we don't" Adrian said angrily determined that no one would ever guess she'd been scared "I'm not hurt, it was just a close call. No need to worry anyone" At the disapproving glance that she got from Serenity Adrian walked over to her bed and sat at the edge.

"I'll carry around pepper spray and a taser gun, alright?" Adrian said tensely when Serenity continued to say nothing.

"If that's the least your willing to do" Serenity said just as tensely, hesitating for a moment she reached out to turn the light off.

Adrian stared at the white plaster of the ceiling before a grin split her face "I can't believe YOU got in a fight at the Lantern"

Serenity's eyes narrowed, images of the hands-infuriating waiter flew through her mind. "It wasn't my fault" Serenity started and then knowing anything else she added to that would be childish sighed angrily into her pillow.

"uh huh" Adrian said drawing it out disbelievingly "Whatever" Burrowing the dark sheets her next words came out slightly muffled.

"I wanna sleep in tomorrow, Don't wake me up"

"Ad" Serenity said slowly turning to watch the lump of blankets that was her sister "We start sky high tomorrow"

Serenity laughed as quietly as she could as loud swearing admitted from the lump of blankets


An alarm rang blearily piercing the peaceful that blanketed the Evans house. Still asleep Adrian rolled over and blindly smacked the clock producing the offensive noise. Staring at the ceiling drowsily Adrian heard Serenity roll over, blissfully oblivious to the squawking of the real world.

Getting up with a groan, Adrian looked at the battered alarm clock. Her eyes widened, and

blinked as she looked at it again. Soaring out of bed muttering Adrian wrenched the drawers of dressers open, scrambling into black jeans and yanking out a blank tank top. Searching for her back pack amid the piles of cds, DVDs, and clothes on the floor Adrian simultaneously threw a pillow at Serenity.

"SER!" Adrian yelled when her sister grumbled and rolled over again "WAKE UP!"

When Serenity however continued to sleep soundly her eyes narrowed. Her eyes roved the room and she smirked as she saw her battered red back pack hanging on the back of their door. She hurriedly threw a thin sheet of ice at her sister's sleeping form and grabbing her back pack hurried down the stairs as her sister shot out of bed, before she reached the foot of the stairs Adrian cried over her shoulder –

"We've got 10 minutes till the bus gets here!"


Serenity frantically rushed around the room pulling on a white tank top and blue skirt as she searched for her back pack. Grabbing it from her desk Serenity paused to grab her scarf from the chair their and headed out the door, but her feet came to an abrupt stop as she noticed the barely visible bump in the bay window cushion.

Sighing she lifted the cushion and removed the thick pamphlet, pen shone dully on the first page and as she flipped through the pages she counted 20 pages neatly filled out.

"Only 20 more to go" Serenity muttered as she shoved it into her bag and headed down the stairs. As she flew through the kitchen the back pack weighed heavily on her shoulders. Sighing again Serenity hurried toward where Adrian stood impatiently outside pausing to grab an apple from the bowl that sat precariously at the edge of the table. The sound of breaking glass and the pain on her hand didn't register as she followed Adrian down the street toward the corner where a yellow school bus sat idle. Sharing a relieved glance with her Adrian, she mounted the steps into a bus full of noisy teens.

Two pairs of ice blue eyes roved the either laughing, yelling or swearing faces of teens who occupied all but three partially empty seats. As the bus driver rose on weak old legs to address the girls, two things happened simultaneously. Serenity's face drained of color as her eyes lit on the relaxed form occupying one of the only empty seats, she didn't notice Adrian stalk to stand angrily in front of the second last empty seat; or that her sisters hands had balled into fists as she glared at the lanky teen who lounged there. As if sensing eyes on him his head lifted and the all too familiar pair of black eyes locking with Serenity's, and Adrian's angry cry echoed through the now silent bus.

"YOU!"


Not as harsh as the first,

Madusa's Daughter