Now we're leaving poor Alex for another chapter and going back to
Alexandria. Also: the end of the chapter sounds like that's where the story
ends, but it's not. Now on with the chapter already!
CHAPTER FOUR: Discovery
Alexandria shivered whilst sitting down on the bench at the empty bus stop. It wasn't even cold outside - it was, after all, Egypt - but she was scared, and being scared always meant shivering to her. She had never seen the rest of the world, and she didn't know of these strange racing metal things, or people who rushed and pushed and cursed. The globe seemed to be a very scary and unpredictable place.
She could see the bus approaching fast, the bus that would take her to Cairo and from there - she didn't know what she would do. The teen was tired, annoyed, and frightened, so a safe place to stay the night would be welcome. After that, she would just go wherever her feet took her. The pulses in her head were growing more and more frequent, urgent, and near. Whoever it was that was calling her, she knew it was drawing in. Slowly, but surely.
The bus was pulling up. As the doors whooshed open, Alexandria grabbed her few belongings and climbed on. She chose a seat in the back, directly across from a boy about her height whose face and the majority of his body were obscured by bandages. He was next to an old man who also sustained injuries, but was a bit more descript.
"I told you not to pull that lever!" growled the old man as Alexandria took a seat.
"I swear, Wilbert, it was an accident!" argued the boy. Alexandria's blood chilled. His voice was . . . so familiar. It was the voice in her head that she had been hearing all this time. Was this the boy in the picture?
"Yeah, well . . . Thanks to you, we now have to go back to Cairo and wait for your parents to come. We have no other means of getting back to England." He pulled his hat down over his eyes and started snoring.
Alexandria couldn't stand it any longer. She whipped around . . . at the very same time that the boy did.
They gazed into each other's deep green-hazel eyes, frightened. There was no doubt about it - they were exact look-alikes. This was confirmed when the boy pulled off a bandage wrapped around his head and revealed a very bruised, bloody replica of Alexandria's head. The boy from the photograph gazed for a few more seconds before swearing.
"I beg your pardon?" gasped Alexandria. "Why the underworld are you cursing at me?"
"In case you haven't noticed, you look exactly like me," replied the boy. "I've seen enough freaky things in my life, but this is no doubt the most unnerving. You wouldn't happen to be another annoying reincarnation, maybe? How about one of that mean lady's cronies? Meela or whatever her name was?"
"Meela? You know Meela?"
"Do I ever! She killed my mother!"
There was silence for a second. "I'm sorry," said Alexandria quietly. "She's my mother."
"What . . . how could this . . ." He flopped back in his seat. "All right, let's examine this. You look exactly like me, but Meela is your mother."
Alexandria shook her head. "Not my biological mother. I'm adopted."
"That explains it. But how . . ." He massaged his forehead. "My parents never said anything about a twin, and they usually tell me everything. They wouldn't have given one of us up for adoption willingly. Of course, they do have enemies. And if your mother is Meela . . . Has she ever showed you your adoption papers?"
"No."
"Aha! I bet Meela kidnapped you. I remember Mother saying something years ago about how she was anesthetized at my - I mean, our birth - so it could have been that Meela snuck in . . . but she would need to have been allied with the doctors present . . . so I don't know; there are many possibilities."
The bus grinded to a halt, waking the old man and startling the twins out of their conversation.
"Er?" the former grunted. He noticed Alexandria and groaned. "More passengers along for the adventure, eh?"
The boy nodded. His friend mumbled and stood up. The twins followed him out of the bus. As they headed into downtown Cairo, the boy turned to Alexandria.
"So, uh, twin," he said. "What's your name, then? I'm Alex O'Connell."
"Alexandria," she replied.
He stuck his injured hand out, and she shook it. "Welcome, Alexandria. Welcome to the O'Connell family."
CHAPTER FOUR: Discovery
Alexandria shivered whilst sitting down on the bench at the empty bus stop. It wasn't even cold outside - it was, after all, Egypt - but she was scared, and being scared always meant shivering to her. She had never seen the rest of the world, and she didn't know of these strange racing metal things, or people who rushed and pushed and cursed. The globe seemed to be a very scary and unpredictable place.
She could see the bus approaching fast, the bus that would take her to Cairo and from there - she didn't know what she would do. The teen was tired, annoyed, and frightened, so a safe place to stay the night would be welcome. After that, she would just go wherever her feet took her. The pulses in her head were growing more and more frequent, urgent, and near. Whoever it was that was calling her, she knew it was drawing in. Slowly, but surely.
The bus was pulling up. As the doors whooshed open, Alexandria grabbed her few belongings and climbed on. She chose a seat in the back, directly across from a boy about her height whose face and the majority of his body were obscured by bandages. He was next to an old man who also sustained injuries, but was a bit more descript.
"I told you not to pull that lever!" growled the old man as Alexandria took a seat.
"I swear, Wilbert, it was an accident!" argued the boy. Alexandria's blood chilled. His voice was . . . so familiar. It was the voice in her head that she had been hearing all this time. Was this the boy in the picture?
"Yeah, well . . . Thanks to you, we now have to go back to Cairo and wait for your parents to come. We have no other means of getting back to England." He pulled his hat down over his eyes and started snoring.
Alexandria couldn't stand it any longer. She whipped around . . . at the very same time that the boy did.
They gazed into each other's deep green-hazel eyes, frightened. There was no doubt about it - they were exact look-alikes. This was confirmed when the boy pulled off a bandage wrapped around his head and revealed a very bruised, bloody replica of Alexandria's head. The boy from the photograph gazed for a few more seconds before swearing.
"I beg your pardon?" gasped Alexandria. "Why the underworld are you cursing at me?"
"In case you haven't noticed, you look exactly like me," replied the boy. "I've seen enough freaky things in my life, but this is no doubt the most unnerving. You wouldn't happen to be another annoying reincarnation, maybe? How about one of that mean lady's cronies? Meela or whatever her name was?"
"Meela? You know Meela?"
"Do I ever! She killed my mother!"
There was silence for a second. "I'm sorry," said Alexandria quietly. "She's my mother."
"What . . . how could this . . ." He flopped back in his seat. "All right, let's examine this. You look exactly like me, but Meela is your mother."
Alexandria shook her head. "Not my biological mother. I'm adopted."
"That explains it. But how . . ." He massaged his forehead. "My parents never said anything about a twin, and they usually tell me everything. They wouldn't have given one of us up for adoption willingly. Of course, they do have enemies. And if your mother is Meela . . . Has she ever showed you your adoption papers?"
"No."
"Aha! I bet Meela kidnapped you. I remember Mother saying something years ago about how she was anesthetized at my - I mean, our birth - so it could have been that Meela snuck in . . . but she would need to have been allied with the doctors present . . . so I don't know; there are many possibilities."
The bus grinded to a halt, waking the old man and startling the twins out of their conversation.
"Er?" the former grunted. He noticed Alexandria and groaned. "More passengers along for the adventure, eh?"
The boy nodded. His friend mumbled and stood up. The twins followed him out of the bus. As they headed into downtown Cairo, the boy turned to Alexandria.
"So, uh, twin," he said. "What's your name, then? I'm Alex O'Connell."
"Alexandria," she replied.
He stuck his injured hand out, and she shook it. "Welcome, Alexandria. Welcome to the O'Connell family."