He isn't sure how she will react but the words are very true, he knows that deep in his heart she is beautiful,

"Such as those stars shine and glint across the water, your eyes show passion and knowledge and much more, they sparkle even brighter than any star" he isn't sure why he is spouting such sweet sappy things, but he cant keep his big mouth shut.
"The sky is vast an open but you darling sister, are much more complicated and intriguing than staring at a blank ocean."

He simply couldn't shut up! damn you Jacob, shut your stupid mouth before you say something you'll regret.

"I've watched you every moment you think I am not and have always envied how you fight with such grace and precision. Lethal if looked up in any book should have a portrait of you next to it."

He finally looks over to her and there are tears in here eyes.

"How could you say such things Jacob?" She stands and give him a long look before turning to leave.
"Evie get back here!"
"Jacob how can you sit there and spout lies like that!"
"They aren't!"
"How cant they be!"

He is now standing in font of her, mere feet away.

"Evie calm down, all this shouting will surely alert someone" he is trying to calm her down. the last time they fought about things she had run away. Out of luck this time, she cant run away, they are on a ferry in the middle of the ocean.

"Jacob don't! we both know these words you speak are untrue, because."
Because what Evie, you think I don't keep secrets of my own, among all the secrets you keep, you think not that I may have maybe one of my own!"

She stands there in shock now. She wipes her eyes with the back of her coat sleeve.

"Well then, spill oh brother of mine, what secret have you kept from me"

Now is the moment of truth. Does he upset her and continue the lie or finally come forward with the ultimate truth.

"I love you"
"Jacob I love you too, your my brother and twin how could I not?"
"No Evie, I love you, the way a brother should not and I have known for a long time... a very long time and father used to punish me for it. He knew, he was the only one ever too. That's why I've always kept it from you, run away and tried to not show any feelings."

He breaths in a deep breath, well that should have made him feel better, but now his chest feels heavy like a massive crate of tea has been placed on his person and he cant breath and worst of all she just stands there looking at him, like he hasn't said anything and he doesn't know what to do.

He hears noise come from the upper bridge of the boat and he senses a crew member coming towards then to investigate the sound. He goes and grabs Evie by her waist, heaves her over his shoulder and runs for the train car. She beats on his back with her fists to put her down, but he hushes her. Back at their car, he sets her on the bed and kneels before her.

"Shall I explain myself further?" he looks up at her and she hugs her knees to her chest on the bed and nods. He settles his back to the chair, he sits on the floor across from her and starts.


summer 1857 August

Jacob is laying in bed, his shared room with his sister is eerily quite especially for a warm summer day in Crawley. His days are usually loud and boisterous. Starting early with birds chirping, a long run and then a quick dip in the river a few miles away, then back for training. But here he is, laying in bed with a pain in his gut unmatched by anything he had ever felt.

The previous night, Father had taken the two of them aside and explained to the twins they where to start training to be assassins. It had finally been cleared with the elders and they would start tonight with sparing and fighting.

Jacob had though it would be easy. He had, had fist fights with other boys in town over small things and he had never seen Evie do much of anything violent in her life. As soon as the fight started it was over. Evie had right hooked him in the jaw, kneaded him in the stomach and then pounded both fists into his back dropping him to the ground. He hadn't even gotten a chance to make a hit on her and she had totally demolished him. Father had dismissed him and told him to recover the next day as he would probably be swore... and boy was he ever. This morning he hadn't even herd her wake or leave, their shared room was silent.

Thinking of the previous night and how strong she was for such a small girl he was immediately drawn to the thought of her kicking his but again and again. He would beat her next time.

The next day their training continued, a lot of reading and practicing sneaking around. it became a game to steal things around town that father would plant, or leave. They would have to do it without getting caught, Evie of course did fantastic at both. He always watched hoping to learn her ways. He would be scolded when the farmer down the way caught him in the field, or chased out of the brewery when found sneaking around... a squeaky floor board would give him away or walking across the wrong path. Father would call him into his office week after week trying to teach him new ways to sneak around or tips on how to be better. being an assassin was proving to be really hard. all he wanted to do was be more like father.


Fall 1857 October

Jacob is following Evie through town when a massive head ache hits him and he doubles over, his vision goes blurry and Evie stops to help him up before a horse drawn carriage takes him out. He stagers but Evie is strong and hauls him to the side of the road.

"Jacob!" she yells at him but her words are barley herd. he is gripping his head, vision spinning.
"Stay here Jacob i'm going to grab father!"

He can barley see her running away, her skirt flaring behind her. He hears a slight rip and he knows she has ruin another skirt so she can run faster. He thinks she should just wear trousers like him and father.

He closes his eyes and hold his head. Finally once he opens them, his vision is grey scale, the towns people around him are grey... there is a box glinting in a white silver on the roof of the building above him... where is the color?
He climbs the building and finds the box, inside is a book, some shillings and some leather. Its a decent find.

"Jacob?" he hears his sister call his name
"Jacob where are you?"
he leans over the side of the building and see's a bale of hay. jumping to the edge of the roof he is about to climb down when he see's his sister glowing gold, their dad is green beside her looking around.

"Up here!" He calls and his father looks up and is mortified.
"Jacob climb down here this instant!"
So he leans forward and dives through the air with the instinct of a thousand forced behind him. He lands on his back in the hay and the climbs out.

"Father, why are you green and Evie is gold?"

His father has his mouth open to yell at him, but quickly shuts it.
"Home now" he says hushed.
"Father I found a chest on top of the building, did you hide that there?"
"Home now, get in the cart."

later that night, his vision returned to normal but father had explain it to be eagle vision, something some assassins gained from their ancestors, you'd see who was friend and who was foe by color, if you where lucky you could eventual train yourself to see through building and pick out important people. the jump he had preformed was called the leap of fait and used to be the final test of courage when training assassins. For him to have done it without hurting himself was incredible. Evie Had been jealouse to say the least. And quickly he learned he was able to control his vision.


Winter 1857 December

Jacob has had full control of his vision for 2 months, and he since has been doing well at training, still doesn't like the reading and studying but his sister makes it more fun and much easier. Its almost Christmas time and their father is away on a mission, he has deemed them responsible to stay home alone, but dear George would check on them every few days.

Jacob has already opened his present, its a set of brass knuckles and he is ready to take out that lad down the street if the lad cat calls his sister again. When he comes upstairs he uses his vision to find Evie, in their room she is changing and he stops dead in his tracks, he shouldn't watch this but he is so drawn to her. He had never thought of spying on her, she was his twin... he had seen her change before but this was something wrong because she didn't know, she didn't know he was watching. She was unwrapping something from her chest... he had never noticed her do this before. As the last strand of fabric fell he closed his eyes.

Going to fathers study, he grabs an anatomy book and reads readily for the first time in his life. He doesn't go to bed that night. He sits in the study with a candle and reads about woman and men and why suddenly his pants are tight and he wants to touch himself.