Chapter Twenty-One: In Which Apple Thinks About What It Means to Be One-Of-A-Kind
By now Apple had discovered that the awkward thing about being friends with all of the children in a large family was getting caught in the middle of their squabbles. Julia could be very bossy and condescending towards her younger siblings. Atticus could be a bit of a know-it-all and didn't hesitate to point out the flaws in his brothers' or sisters' logic. Liara could be competitive and stubborn (and downright scary when she got mad!). Sep could do the annoying little brother thing like nobody's business. Even easygoing Percy had his moments.
But when it came to bickering, none of the Tritinius siblings could hold a candle to the twins. It was easy to see why Julia didn't consider them much competition for the throne; it seemed like every other time they opened their mouths, they were quarreling with each other. And it was no wonder that their siblings often snapped at them when they started arguing. Apple thought that growing up with that constant squabbling must be very grating for the rest of the family.
Sergeant Splitfin wasn't the only teacher that was determined to get Hermia and Helena to work together; in fact, nearly every teacher persisted in teaming them up for group projects. But every project they were assigned to do together ended in disaster (in hindsight, it had been a very smart move on Percy's part to not have them be on the same team when the Finley-Starrs were exposed).
The topics of the twins' arguments seemed to fall into two major categories: when they had opposing opinions, or when they happened to have the same idea. Naturally, when they had opposing ideas, they could debate nonstop as to whose opinion was more valid (Atticus could usually make them shut up by pointing out that both of their views were flawed). But interestingly, the fights that were the most heated and bitter were the ones when they had the same idea. Helena hated it when Hermia wore the same outfit purely by coincidence. Hermia hated it when Helena wrote her paper about the same subject as she did. Helena would frown whenever Hermia got the same ice cream flavor and Hermia would scowl if Helena ordered the same kind of sushi. And so on and so forth.
So it was no surprise that a huge fight erupted when both twins invited Apple to see a live performance of Raidne's Labor on the same day.
Apple tried to suggest that all three of them could go together, but they hated that idea ("This was supposed to be just for us!" Said Hermia. "No, it was supposed to be for US!" Spat Helena.). Then Apple tried to assure them that she didn't mind seeing the same play twice in one day (since Helena wanted to go to a matinee and Hermia wanted to go to an evening performance). But the twins still didn't like that idea ("You shouldn't have to see it twice, that's so dull!" Helena said. "And it's not fair!" Whined Hermia. "You'll be bored the second time with me, because you've already seen it!").
Finally Apple decided that she would let chance resolve the matter. She took a coin from her purse and said: "I'll flip this coin and whoever wins the toss, I'll go see Raidne's Labor with at their allotted time. I'll see another show with who doesn't win at their allotted time. OK?"
The twins reluctantly agreed and much to Helena's fury, Hermia won the coin toss ("ARRG! I knew I should have picked 'tails!'" She fumed.). And after some gentle prompting from Apple, Helena grudgingly agreed to exchange her matinee tickets for Raidne's Labor for a matinee performance of Fishy Business, a musical comedy by Marcus Waters, the current reigning king of the stage in Atlantis.
But even though the conflict was fundamentally resolved, the twins were still furious over having to share Apple for the day. Which made Apple slightly dread the whole experience.
Of course, Aiden noticed that Apple didn't seem very excited on the following Saturday morning, the day she was supposed to go to the theatre with the twins.
"What's wrong?" She asked. "For someone who's supposed to go see two plays today, you don't seem too enthused. Too much theatre for you?"
"No, it's not that." Apple sighed as she ate her breakfast.
"Then what is it?"
"Well, I'm more worried about the drama off the stage than on it." Apple admitted.
"Ah, the twins." Said Aiden understandingly.
"Exactly! I mean, I like them, but they fight so much. And they were so upset about the compromise, especially Helena. I'm afraid that I'll have to listen to them be negative about each other all afternoon and evening, outside of the shows."
"It can't be fun to be in the middle while two friends are fighting, huh?" Said Aiden sympathetically. Apple nodded. "But you know, siblings are bound to have disagreements, even more than friends do. They're family, and they know how to push each other's buttons because they installed them." Aiden pointed out. "But that doesn't mean they care about each other any less."
"Oh, I understand." Apple said. "I know the Tritinius siblings don't get always get along, just as Briar doesn't always get along with her brothers. And I know that's how it is for lots of brothers and sisters. But I've never seen anyone fight as much as the twins! And it's so unusual because they are twins."
"Because they are twins?"
"Well, yes. The other twins I know are very close to each other. Dexter loves Darling, maybe even more than he loves Daring. And Poppy and Holly are best-friends-forever-after! I don't understand why Helena and Hermia can't be like that."
"Did you ever ask them why they don't get along?"
"Ask them why?" Apple repeated. "Isn't that a little nosy?"
"They've been your friends for a while now. And they obviously want to be good friends if they're willing to spend time and money just to share something with you individually. Sometimes being a good friend means asking questions so you can figure out how to be the friend they need."
What Aiden said sounded like what Sep might say and it made sense to Apple. But there was still one thing that bothered her:
"But what if they think what they need is someone to vent about their sibling to? I don't want to get caught up in all that."
"Then tell them that you won't listen to it." Aiden said simply. "That's perfectly reasonable since you're a friend to both of them. Remember, not everyone will think to ask you questions. Sometimes you need to just tell them."
Just as Apple feared, Helena spent most of their lunch date before Fishy Business talking about how annoying, irritating, frustrating, and obnoxious Hermia was. So Apple decided to take Aiden's advice:
"Why does Hermia bother you so much?"
Helena looked taken aback by this question. "Huh?"
"Why does Hermia bother you so much?" Apple repeated. "None of your other siblings bother you like she does. And you're twins…"
"So why aren't we all buddy-buddy, joined at the hip, and speaking our own twin language?" Helena finished sardonically.
Now it was Apple's turn to be taken aback. "Well, yes." She admitted.
"Arrg! That's what everyone thinks!" Helena said in an exasperated tone. "You're twins, so you should be best friends. You're twins, so you should always read each other's minds. You're twins, so you must always like the same things. You're twins, so you ought to work perfectly together. You're twins, so you must practically be the same person. I'm so sick of it! I'm not Hermia's clone. I'll tell you what I don't like about her: I don't like that everyone keeps telling me I should like her and be just like her."
"Gee…I never realized that there were so many assumptions about being a twin…" Apple said.
"And what totally sucks is that Hermia reinforces that stereotype!" Helena continued. "She copies me all the time and I just wanna chance to be myself!"
"Be yourself?"
"Yeah! Or something! You don't know what it's like not to have an identity in a large family."
"Not have an identity? But that's silly! Of course you do; you both do!"
"Not really." Helena said. "Everybody else in our family has their own special traits that make them stand out. Julia's the sophisticated one that uses big words all the time and likes jewels. Atticus is the smart one who loves history. Liara's the tough one who doesn't like being girly. Percy's the nice one and he's openly gay. And Sep is the baby of the family and the one that's always asking questions. But who am I? Just one of the twins!"
"Oh that's not true," Apple said encouragingly. "You're…um, well…you're…different from Hermia in that Hermia's so…so…so…"
"Utterly and completely annoying, irritating, frustrating, and obnoxious?"
"No! I mean she's…well…"
"You can't think of anything, can you?" Helena said flatly.
"Umm…No. Not really." Apple admitted. "I'm sorry." She said sincerely
Helena sighed. "You're not the first. Honestly, even I can't think of anything. And whenever I make an effort to be different, she goes and does the same thing!"
It was then that Apple realized that Helena and Hermia Tritinius were the exact opposite of Holly and Poppy O'Hair: Holly and Poppy were identical twin sisters who had very different tastes and loved each other dearly because of their differences. And Helena and Hermia were identical twin sisters who were extremely similar and resented each other for it.
At that moment, Helena looked down at her shell phone. "Yikes!" She exclaimed. "We'd better hurry if we want to get there in time! Waiter, check please!"
Fishy Business turned out to be an extremely enjoyable experience for Apple and Helena. The play was very funny and the music was incredible; Apple was glad that she had her ears enchanted so she could enjoy the experience without tackling every merman on stage. Even Helena had to admit at intermission:
"I'm actually glad I lost that coin toss."
"See, you did do something different!" Apple said.
"Only by chance." Helena said. "To say I chose this would be like saying having chocolate is a choice."
"Isn't it?"
"No, chocolate is mandatory. I would give it up, but I'm no quitter." Helena quipped. "Speaking of which, wanna get a cookie?"
As the two girls waited in line, Helena amused Apple by imitating the leading female role. Apple thought that she was even funnier than the actress who played that part. Which made Apple say:
"Have you ever thought about being an actress?"
"An actress?" Helena said.
"Yes, if you're not queen that is."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, for one thing, you're really funny when you say those lines! You've got such an expressive voice and face; you could make a wonderful Maggie Mola. You're comfortable talking in front of people in speech class and good at memorizing your speeches, which is important for an actor. And I know you can sing and I saw you dance a little at the karaoke party, so you could probably learn the dances a show like this requires."
Helena shrugged. "I don't know… I don't think I'm that talented."
"I think so." Apple said encouragingly. "You're definitely funny enough!"
"Huh…" Helena said a little absently and she became silent. Apple thought that Helena didn't like the idea of being an actress and she decided to change the subject to how good the cookies looked. But in reality, Helena was thinking about what Apple said and was wondering if she really was that gifted at comedy.
And as Helena watched the second act of Fishy Business, a light-bulb flickered in her heart.
Maybe performing as someone else could help her be herself. Maybe…
Later that evening, Apple had dinner with Hermia before going to see Raidne's Labor. And as Apple predicted, Hermia started the evening by moaning about how aggravating Helena was and listing all of her various flaws. Apple wondered if Hermia harbored the same frustrations as Helena. So she decided to ask her:
"What bothers you so much about Helena? Is it because you want to have your own unique identity and it's hard to do that with a twin that acts like you?"
Hermia's eyes widened. "Yes! That's it exactly! Finally, someone understands! It's awful having someone be just like you, nobody should be so much alike." Hermia said passionately. "I'd never wish it on anyone."
"I don't know," Apple said. "I've always wanted to be just like my mother. I've wished it since I was a little girl. But it'll never happen…" she sighed.
"Why not?"
"It's my hair." Apple said gloomily. "She and all the other women in my family have hair black as ebony."
"What's ebony?"
Apple stared at Hermia. How can she not know what ebony is?! She thought. But then she remembered: Ebony comes from trees. Of course she wouldn't know what it is.
"It's a kind of wood." Apple explained. "Which is what trees are mainly made of. People above the surface use wood to make all sorts of things and ebony wood is very black. In my family's story, Snow White is always supposed to have lips as red the rose, skin white as snow, and hair black as ebony. But I only got two out of three. Well, really only one out of three, but red lips are easy to recreate with lipstick. Even Mother has naturally pink lips. But the black hair is almost as important as the white skin, and there's really no hiding that. Mother won't let me dye my hair, because she says it's lovely just the way it is. But everyone else whispers about how wrong it is for a future Snow White to be blonde."
"Then everyone else is stupid." Hermia said bluntly. "Your mom is right, you're beautiful just the way you are. And you're so lucky that nobody thinks of you as just a younger version of her. I've seen the pressure it puts on Julia."
"Julia feels pressured?" Apple asked. This was news to her.
"Well, I think so. I mean she looks so much like Mom it's scary, just look at them!" Hermia pulled out her shell phone and selected a picture of the Atlantean royal family from her photos. Julia was seated next to Queen Nadia and Apple had to admit, the similarity between them was absolutely astonishing. They had the same long dark hair, violet eyes, dainty noses and mouths, and collected expressions. Even their fins were the same color! The only notable differences between them were that Queen Nadia was definitely not a teenager, but a mature woman, and Julia wore a little more jewelry.
"You see?" Said Hermia. "I think it's partially why Julia that feels she's got to be a queen, because people tell her she's so much like Mom all the time. And she probably would be a great queen, don't get me wrong, but I don't think it's really fair for everyone to expect her to be just like Mom. I mean, it's an impossible expectation! Nobody can really be exactly like anyone else. So nobody should be pressured to do so, whether they're twin sisters, or mother and daughter."
"You and Liara are way better off." Hermia continued. "Liara is totally different from Mom and Julia and me and Helena. She really stands out in our family because of how she looks and acts, and what she does. And you're like that too! I haven't met your mom, but I'll bet she hasn't fought sharks. Or tamed a hippocampus. Or saved a prince. Or gone undercover to expose criminals."
"I didn't intend to do all those things!" Apple protested. "They just happened."
"So? You still did them. And your mom hasn't, and she never will. Even if you dye your hair when you leave school, and pretend that everything you've done down here never happened, that will never change the fact that you do naturally have blonde hair and you did do all those things. You will always be you, so why hide it? Especially when being you means being a beautiful, blonde princess who can kick tail!"
"I wish I could be completely one of a kind like you are." Hermia said longingly. "Well, not totally like you, that would defeat the whole idea, but unique like you!" At that moment, Hermia looked down at her shell phone.
"Yipes!" She exclaimed. "I didn't think the service would be so slow here; we'd better hurry! Waiter, bring some to-go bags. It's a good thing we can eat in the ampitheatre!"
Raidne's Labor was performed in an outdoor ampitheatre, just as it was performed centuries ago when Alexandra first wrote it. It was an amazing experience, but in a completely different way than Fishy Business. The power and beauty of Alexandra's words was even more apparent when actors spoke her timeless verses on stage. Even if the play wasn't based on a true story, Apple could have easily believed that it really happened, since all of the performers were so believable. Every actor and actress in that cast had the ability to take an ancient story and make it completely relatable for the audience.
And during the intermission, Apple realized that Hermia that quality too. As Hermia was talking about all the different characters, their various motivations, and how she could empathize with several of them, it struck Apple that Hermia had a dramatically inclined mind.
"Have you ever thought about being an actress?" She asked.
"An actress?" Hermia said.
"You know, if you're not queen."
"Why do you say that?"
"For one thing, I know you're comfortable talking in front of people in speech class and good at memorizing your speeches, which is vital for acting. But more than that, you're really good at analyzing characters in plays. When you talk about their motivations and the people they resemble in real life, I completely understand what you mean. And if you could bring that onto a stage, lots of other people would understand too."
"I don't know…maybe." Hermia said.
"I really think you could." Apple said positively. "I think you've got just the right mindset for a classical actress!"
"Hmmm…" Hermia said a little vaguely and she became silent. Once again, Apple thought that another twin didn't like the idea of being on stage. This seemed unfortunate to her because they could each be quite good in completely different ways!
But Hermia was really thinking about what Apple said and was wondering if being a classical actress was something she wanted to do.
And as Hermia watched the second act of Raidne's Labor, something glimmered in her soul.
Maybe acting as someone else could help her be herself. Maybe…
But Helena and Hermia weren't the only ones with new things to consider. They had given Apple something to think about in turn.
Apple's friends and admirers back home would say that the daughter of Snow White was a very confident girl. The Rebels at Ever After High might even say that she was downright narcissistic. But this wasn't quite right. Apple actually harbored deep insecurity, and not just about insecurity about uncertainty.
For all of her life, Apple's hair had been her secret shame. It hurt every single time she heard somebody whispering about it and how wrong it was for her family story. So Apple tried extra hard to be just like her mother in every single other respect. She did her best to sound like her, act like her, dress like her and move like her. Apple even gave up horse-back riding and steeple chase racing when she was twelve because so many people deemed it unprincessly and frequently commented that Apple's mother had never done it. If wasn't something Queen Snow White would do, then it wasn't something her daughter should do either.
But after learning how much Helena and Hermia longed to be viewed as individuals, Apple began to appreciate her own individuality. Although Apple and her mother naturally had very similar tastes, they weren't the completely the same.
Snow White loved apple pie and Apple loved apple crumb cake. Snow White liked chess and Apple liked croquet. Snow White liked opera music best and Apple liked pop music best. Snow White enjoyed embroidery and baking and Apple couldn't sew or cook to save her own life. But Apple could horse-back ride, while her mother couldn't. And thanks to military combat class, she now knew the basics of self-defense. Apple couldn't imagine her mother learning how to throw a punch at all! Or fighting sharks, or going undercover for any reason.
Or going to school in another country. Apple realized that the minute she decided to come to Atlantis, she had decided to do something very different from what her mother would do. And although she had a rough start, Apple felt coming here had ultimately been a very good decision.
Before Apple came to Atlantis, she checked her appearance at least three times a day, to make sure that she always looked like a future Snow White. But she had gotten out of that habit since people didn't know, or care, about her status as the next fairest-of-them-all; she had gotten used to the fact that she looked like just another ordinary mermaid down here.
But when she came home that night from the theatre, she took a good look in the mirror. And for the first time, Apple really saw herself. Not as the future Snow White. Not as the fairest of them all. Just as Apple White.
Apple decided that she rather liked Apple White as she was.