Chapter 3
"Emma," Tiffany whined. "Why can't we go swimming? I'm terrible at basketball," she pouted. "I never make any touchdowns." "Touchdowns?" Emma mouthed to Josie. Josie rolled her eyes. Emma wiped the tears from her eyes. "Now my stomach aches." Tiffany stared at the big orange ball in her hands. "What do I do with it?" "Hey Tiff," Josie suggested. "Why don't you go get a popsicle? It IS awfully hot out here." Tiffany's hazel eyes brightened immediately. "Okay," she grinned. The basketball bounced at her feet. "What planet do you think she lives on? I think even Martians know how to play basketball," Josie joked. Dribbling the ball and passing it to Emma. Emma raised her hands and the ball sunk in the hoop with a whoosh. "Wow! Pretty good for a Princess." Emma's blue eyes twinkled. "For the last time.I'm not a Princess," she laughed. "And I learned it all from my mom. She's awesome."
"Your mom sounds great. My mom wouldn't touch a basketball. 'No! Josie! I'll break a nail!'" Emma giggled. "Mom's not like that at all. My mom's cool," she teased. Stealing the ball from Josie. "Emma Crane! You sneak!" Josie's glasses fogged up. "That was so not fair. I can't see a thing. Time out." Emma rested the basketball on her hip as Josie wiped her glasses off. "Ready to play some more?" "Not right now. Can we talk some more?" "Sure," Emma smiled. "What do you want to talk about?" "You're always saying these great things about your mom. What about your dad?"
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Anne groaned as her knees hit the ground again. "I can't.I can't.breathe," she gasped. Kelly rested her hands on her knees. "Jeez, Leia. What are you? Some pro-basketball player in a little kid's body?" Leia grinned at them both. "Who? Me? And I thought I was a bit rusty." "Rusty," Kelly muttered around the scrunchie in her teeth. "I'd hate to see you in shape." "Yeah, Leia. You're already killing me," Anne wheezed. Her blue eyes twinkled when she saw the tiny brunette skipping along with an orange push-up pop. "Hey! Where'd you get that?" Tiffany looked behind her. "Over here," Anne called.
Tiffany tripped over a loose rock, and Anne, Leia, and Kelly closed their eyes. Not wanting to see what happened next. "You talking to me?" Tiffany asked. Leia watched. Fascinated as she managed to smear even more of the push-up on her face. Kelly raised a brow at her. "You're the one with the ice cream, aren't you?" Leia teased. Tiffany's face broke out into a wide grin. "Um.yeah. That's me," she answered. Slurping the dripping goo off her fingers. "Emma," she said in a puzzled voice. "Where's Josie?"
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"Tiffany! There you are!"
Tiffany's tousled brown head whipped around. And Leia was sure her hazel eyes were going to pop out of her head. "Em.Emma," she stammered. "You're." The orange push-up slipped from her sticky fingers and slid down her white camp tee-shirt. "Yuck," Kelly shuddered. "dropping it," Leia muttered. "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! It's you! The evil twin!" "What evil twin?" "Annie," Kelly grumbled. Rapping her knuckles against Anne's curly red head. "Did you lose a few of your marbles last night in your sleep?"
"NO! It's you. I mean.it's her! You! I mean her! The evil twin!" Tiffany could only nod her head. "They really do let EVERYONE in this place, don't they?" Josie rolled her eyes. "Even escaped loony bin patients." "You look just like her," Tiffany whispered in awe. "Emma. Look. She looks just like you. Turn around." Leia's blue eyes studied her calmly. "I think Anne's met her alter ego," Kelly hissed. "Do it, Leia," Anne advised. Pale with fear. The evil twin!
"Okay. If it'll make you happy," Leia grinned. Blue eyes twinkling. What could it hurt? She turned around slowly. Tiffany and Anne stared at each other with open mouths. "Oh my god," Josie said in awe. "Oh my." Leia stretched a shaky hand out to the girl in front of her. She might as well have been.her twin! "You look." ".just like me," Emma finished.
"I knew it," Anne whispered. "I knew it." She turned to Tiffany. "Run for your life. It's the evil twin."
"Emma," Tiffany whined. "Why can't we go swimming? I'm terrible at basketball," she pouted. "I never make any touchdowns." "Touchdowns?" Emma mouthed to Josie. Josie rolled her eyes. Emma wiped the tears from her eyes. "Now my stomach aches." Tiffany stared at the big orange ball in her hands. "What do I do with it?" "Hey Tiff," Josie suggested. "Why don't you go get a popsicle? It IS awfully hot out here." Tiffany's hazel eyes brightened immediately. "Okay," she grinned. The basketball bounced at her feet. "What planet do you think she lives on? I think even Martians know how to play basketball," Josie joked. Dribbling the ball and passing it to Emma. Emma raised her hands and the ball sunk in the hoop with a whoosh. "Wow! Pretty good for a Princess." Emma's blue eyes twinkled. "For the last time.I'm not a Princess," she laughed. "And I learned it all from my mom. She's awesome."
"Your mom sounds great. My mom wouldn't touch a basketball. 'No! Josie! I'll break a nail!'" Emma giggled. "Mom's not like that at all. My mom's cool," she teased. Stealing the ball from Josie. "Emma Crane! You sneak!" Josie's glasses fogged up. "That was so not fair. I can't see a thing. Time out." Emma rested the basketball on her hip as Josie wiped her glasses off. "Ready to play some more?" "Not right now. Can we talk some more?" "Sure," Emma smiled. "What do you want to talk about?" "You're always saying these great things about your mom. What about your dad?"
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Anne groaned as her knees hit the ground again. "I can't.I can't.breathe," she gasped. Kelly rested her hands on her knees. "Jeez, Leia. What are you? Some pro-basketball player in a little kid's body?" Leia grinned at them both. "Who? Me? And I thought I was a bit rusty." "Rusty," Kelly muttered around the scrunchie in her teeth. "I'd hate to see you in shape." "Yeah, Leia. You're already killing me," Anne wheezed. Her blue eyes twinkled when she saw the tiny brunette skipping along with an orange push-up pop. "Hey! Where'd you get that?" Tiffany looked behind her. "Over here," Anne called.
Tiffany tripped over a loose rock, and Anne, Leia, and Kelly closed their eyes. Not wanting to see what happened next. "You talking to me?" Tiffany asked. Leia watched. Fascinated as she managed to smear even more of the push-up on her face. Kelly raised a brow at her. "You're the one with the ice cream, aren't you?" Leia teased. Tiffany's face broke out into a wide grin. "Um.yeah. That's me," she answered. Slurping the dripping goo off her fingers. "Emma," she said in a puzzled voice. "Where's Josie?"
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"Tiffany! There you are!"
Tiffany's tousled brown head whipped around. And Leia was sure her hazel eyes were going to pop out of her head. "Em.Emma," she stammered. "You're." The orange push-up slipped from her sticky fingers and slid down her white camp tee-shirt. "Yuck," Kelly shuddered. "dropping it," Leia muttered. "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! It's you! The evil twin!" "What evil twin?" "Annie," Kelly grumbled. Rapping her knuckles against Anne's curly red head. "Did you lose a few of your marbles last night in your sleep?"
"NO! It's you. I mean.it's her! You! I mean her! The evil twin!" Tiffany could only nod her head. "They really do let EVERYONE in this place, don't they?" Josie rolled her eyes. "Even escaped loony bin patients." "You look just like her," Tiffany whispered in awe. "Emma. Look. She looks just like you. Turn around." Leia's blue eyes studied her calmly. "I think Anne's met her alter ego," Kelly hissed. "Do it, Leia," Anne advised. Pale with fear. The evil twin!
"Okay. If it'll make you happy," Leia grinned. Blue eyes twinkling. What could it hurt? She turned around slowly. Tiffany and Anne stared at each other with open mouths. "Oh my god," Josie said in awe. "Oh my." Leia stretched a shaky hand out to the girl in front of her. She might as well have been.her twin! "You look." ".just like me," Emma finished.
"I knew it," Anne whispered. "I knew it." She turned to Tiffany. "Run for your life. It's the evil twin."