"Up! Come on, Let's go! Get down here already!"
Mrs. Letrit's shrill voice echoed throughout the house and up in the dimly lit attic. A girl, around fourteen, uttered a small sigh and, with an orchestra of worn springs to accompany her, got up from the small bed. She glanced around the fair sized room, crowded with a number of boxes and old things that made it seem only a third of it's size, and walked soundlessly to a mirror by the door. A skinny, tanned girl looked critically back at her. Several strands of midnight black hair that escaped the shoulder length ponytail which framed her face; almond shaped sapphire eyes shone brightly in the morning sun. Surveying her clothes with a hint of dislike, she put on a sweatshirt and looked out the window.
The sun was yet to fully rise, and only a few cars were moving in the distance. Other than the soft howling of the wind, silence hung in the air, much like the one an hour ago when she first woke up. The sacrosanct moment was once more intruded by Mrs. Letrit's screeches.
"Get down here this instant! I want everything to be just right for my Immikin's birthday."
Amy's birthday. Of course. That explained why anyone in this house besides her was up before noon on a Saturday. Hallie thought dully.
Hallie's twin sister Amy was born just before midnight on June 30th, and Hallie was born just after, on July 1st. It was astounding how different twins can be. While Hallie was quiet around people, and always out of the house with her best friend (where she was anything but quiet), Amy would much rather stay home with a few people she knew who were just as lazy, and watch TV the whole day. Hallie was a fast learning student at her school, easily the top of her class. Yet her patents were always going on about how she was lazy and probably bribed the teachers into giving her a good grade. Amy, on the other hand, was the picture-perfect summer school student to be. The same parents that told Hallie she was a lying, bribing, idiot, told Amy that she was a very gifted young lady, and went as far as accusing Hallie of switching their homework whilst Amy was asleep.
Hallie felt that this was absurd, for her sister is not an identical twin to her. Moreover, they hardly look related. Both are 5' 6'' and have black hair, but that is where the similarities cease. Amy long since dyed her hair an unnatural shade of blond, and cut it chin length. It was constantly hanging straight down, not a hair out of place; Hallie had kept her naturally raven hair as it was, liking the slight wave to it. She always put it up into something sort of half decent, and within an hour had strands of stubborn hair flying around everywhere. The different taste in clothes made a difference as well. Amy never wore something twice in a semester of school, and therefore went to the mall almost every week. Hallie owned only a few pairs of loose pants, about seven sweatshirts, and hundreds of big t-shirts that once belonged to someone or other. She never complained, and really didn't care-how was she supposed to quietly sneak in an abandoned house while wearing a skirt that got caught on just about everything, and high healed shoes that announced her presence only too clearly? From constantly being inside, Amy was pale, and sullen, in contrast to Hallie who often came back long after sunset burned to a crisp from being in the sun since dawn.
Hallie, not wanting to aggravate her already stressed mother any further, started down the stairs. Passing Amy's room she was amazed to hear a steady snore, implying that Amy was indeed still asleep. How she managed to do that with all the yelling done mainly by their mother was beyond Hallie.
Stepping through the double doors that led to the kitchen, Hallie could smell the feast of cakes and sweets that always accompanied her sister's birthday. Her own birthday was never as grand, but she didn't mind. A day away from chores that was devoted to spending endless time with her best friend was good enough.
"There you are. Hurry now, Immy will be down at any minute now." Suppressing the urge to point out that Amy would be asleep for hours on end unless someone woke her up by the use of combined blackmail and bribing, Hallie quickly set the table and awaited the next job. Just as she was halfway through making pancakes, the doorbell rung, barely heard over the many cooking utensils in use at the same time.
Curious about whom it was that dared to take the chance of waking up her father at the crack of dawn, Hallie moved swiftly and silently across the rather large kitchen, and froze by the doorway to the entrance hallway.
"May I help you?"
"Yes, I'm looking for Miss Hallie Letrit. Does she reside here?"
"Yes, but I'm afraid that she cannot come to talk to you right now. She is still asleep. I will be happy to take whatever message you have and make sure that she receives it."
"Why thank you. If you could just make sure that she reads this letter, I will be most grateful."
"Good day."
"As to you."
Even more anxious to know who it was that wanted her, Hallie waited for the door to close, and peered around to steal a quick glance at the hall. She saw her mother standing there with a letter written in purple ink in her hand. Her small black eyes sped across the paper so fast, they became blurs to the girl. Hallie continued to observe as Mrs. Letrit paled visibly, and ripped the letter in half. The years of living in the Letrit household had taught her not to be rash, and it was just that that kept her from jumping out and yelling at her mother for reading, not to mention ripping, her letter. Amazed, Hallie watched her letter being carried into the family room, and then unceremoniously dropped into the fire. Hallie did not think that she would be able to keep her temper under control.
"What do you think you're doing?" Hallie cursed herself for not keeping out of view, and stepped out.
"The better question is what were you doing? That letter was for me."
"Don't talk about things that you do not understand child! That letter was just a bunch of nonsense, and was not meant for you anyhow."
"What do you mean it wasn't mean for me? It had my name on it!"
"There was a mistake. Now forget about it, and get back to preparing your sister's breakfast before you wake up the whole house."
Deciding she would figure this out later, Hallie turned to leave, but not before she saw the fireplace: the fire was out, and the piece of paper was laying on the hearth as if nothing happened. Careful that her actions were not noticed, Hallie dropped her necklace, and as she bent down to pick it up, snatched the paper, wishing that the fire somehow would go back on. A rush of wind enthralled her, and something warm brushed up against her still outstretched arm. A small crack was heard, and a fire sprung up once more, burning higher than ever, looking as if it has been going for hours.
"What are you doing, you dim girl? The letter is gone, and burning yourself in the fireplace will not bring it back, so just get back to work."
"I'm on it mum." If the woman was surprised at the cheerfulness in her daughter's voice, she did not show it.
"Yes, well get going then."
Quickly finishing breakfast, Hallie ran to the back door, wanting to share the letter with her friend. Barely three feet from being outside, she heard a loud thump, and saw some dust fall from the ceiling.
"Amy! What are you doing up so early dear? It's you day sweetie, you can sleep as long as you want. Why rise at this hour?"
"She left her cat all alone, and it woke me up."
"Hallie Bellatrix Laura Letrit! You get in here and apologize to your sister for ruining her birthday sleep."
A door to Hallie's left flew open and Stolidus Letrit emerged from his office looking grim and slightly harassed.
"What on earth are you lot shouting about?" he snapped, as Amy grinned gleefully and stalked away.
"I was about to go outside and hang out with Dean, but Amy woke up and started blaming my Optum."
"Why would Amy feel the need to blame that fur bag? You should be more grateful that we let it under out roof in the first place!"
"Yes, sir."
"Good, now out. I have a head ache as it is."
Hallie obliged, glad to escape. She had no desire to stay while her father was irritated, and her sister opened her twenty some presents. Stepping into the dark atmosphere of her bedroom, Hallie called for Dean. They discovered a link between their minds a few years back, and have been best friends since. Hearing voices in her head, though not unusual, always gave Hallie a strange feeling. Even after six yeas, talking to Dean through her mind didn't feel right: like there was something missing.
*Dean, you there?*
*No, I have temporarily detached my head so that you couldn't talk to me.*
*Stop it*
*Stop what?*
*Being such a prat. This is important.*
*Whatever.*
*Dean!*
There was a moment of silence.
*Do you remember the first time we ever did this?*
*Yup, I remember every single detail of that day. Oh yeah.*
*Being sarcastic isn't a very good way to get me mad, if that's what you're trying to do.*
*Hallie, I don't have to try. You are so easy to get furious. Not that you every show your feelings anyway.*
*No Dean, I don't. Maybe you aren't curious about why we suddenly gained a mind talking power a few years ago, but I am.*
*Well we were always a bit strange. Hal, come on. That was years ago, and you're thinking about it now?*
*Speaking of strange, anything unusual happen to you?*
*We had fencing in class and I was the best if you can believe that. I never got hit or anything. You know that I'm not the sporty kind, so that's weird. You?*
*I don't know. There was a letter that my mum threw in the fire. When I bent down to look, the fire was out and the paper was just fine.*
*So?*
*I'm not done! Anyway, I really didn't want it to seem like something strange was going on, so I thought about the fire being back on. There was a soft breeze, and then the fire was there.*
*Shouldn't you be used to that? I mean you always do strange stuff with wind and water. Why not fire?*
*I don't know.*
*Is there any specific reason that compelled you to wake me up at inhumanly hours?*
*Not really.*
*Sure.*
*Really, nothing's up.*
*So that 'this is important' stuff wasn't anything*
*Sorry Dean, someone's coming up. Bye.*
Truth be told, Hallie was just in a hurry to block out Dean, so that she could get herself lost in thought undisturbed. She had, in fact, devoted several hours last night to thinking the whole thing through. Was she different in some way? Is that possible? Only a few minutes have gone by, and Amy's loud voice carried up to the attic.
"Hurry up! We're going to be late again and it's all because of you."
Hallie was lost. Not only was it the fact that Amy was the one calling her downstairs, but she never got to go anywhere. Her family preferred to leave her at home or with Dean while they went away. Still slightly puzzled, Hallie hurried down. The rest of the Letrits were already at the door.
"Where are we going?"
Hallie saw her father give her a loathing glare that she received every time an unnecessary question was asked.
"To Crystal's."
Hallie became even more puzzled; why would she be taken to her sister's best friend's house, especially on Amy's birthday.
There wasn't much time to dwell on the facts, as Mr. Letrit was already starting the car. Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to go somewhere besides this neighborhood, Hallie sped to the door and let herself drop down as far away from Amy as possible. Twenty minutes passed in silence. Amy, have the patients amount of a grain of sand, started complaining eighteen minutes ago. While Mrs. Letrit was reading a book, and her husband was going on about his company, Hallie entertained herself by making the wind pick up things and levitate them to make patterns. With no means of fun when she was alone, Hallie learned to make the wind do things pretty quickly, and it was very useful at times.
"Here we are darling." Mrs. Letrit adopted a would-be-sweet, oily voice that fooled no one.
It took Hallie a few moments to fully register the fact that the words were directed to her. In a state of mixed shock and disbelief, she slowly stepped out of the car. At first she thought that this was just some pathetic joke, but as she turned to shoot a glare toward Amy, she found a confused expression on her twin's face to match her own. Somehow, Hallie knew that the expression was sincere.
The girl looked apprehensively at her mother. Out of her whole family, she trusted her mother the most. Though considering how much she trusted the rest, more than average was still hardly any. Crossing her father was never a smart thing to do, so Hallie started toward the house. As she neared the door, the rest of her family caught up.
Hallie was pleased to see that Amy was practically dragged against her will. Copying her parents, Hallie forced her face to look politely confused. The doorbell rung in a series of complicated pattern of chimes that echoed throughout the grand foyer. A short, stubborn-looking woman answered the door after four repetitions of chime patterns. The Letrits were obliged to shut their eyes once they saw what the woman was wearing. She had on tight neon green shorts, and a bright orange tank top; her short hair was dyed blue and stood up in spikes.
"Alfania!"
Even the woman's voice seemed to give off a neon vibe. Mrs. Letrit's mild expression from moments ago was transformed into a scowl, as her name was mentioned. Hallie could not blame her. After all, she wouldn't have let anyone utter her name is she was named Alfania.
"Hello Jamie. I see you have found an excellent way to express you undying love for color."
The woman grinned, apparently oblivious to the fact that the people in front of her were taking in the room's appearance with mounting dislike. Amy blinked furiously, willing the foyer to change from it's neon interior, to the dull gray she was used to. Hallie, on the other hand, thought that the house was doing an excellent job of cheering her up. But then again, her opinion counted for very little. Two earsplitting shrieks rang though the mansion. The Letrits, excluding Hallie, flinched and whipped around. Jamie did not seem to hear or care about what happened. Smiling slightly, she let the family into the parlor. More shrieks were coming from the room above, but it sounded as if whatever was making the noise was becoming steadily hoarse. Mr. Letrit decided to break the awkward silence.
"Well, since we all know each other, there will be no need for introductions."
Hallie opened her mouth to speak, but thought better of it. She did not know who this woman was, but that could be left for later. Amy seemed pretty relaxed, so Hallie did not have a reason to be otherwise.
"Amy, dearest, could you please go upstairs and play with the girls? Take your sister with you."
Amy instantly jumped up and ran upstairs. Hallie followed as slowly as she thought safe, so to try and catch glimpses of the conversations that the adults were now sharing in hushed voices.
"Papers all singed, I trust?
"Yes we took care of it first thing this morning."
"Does the girl doesn't know anything about this?
"No, she has no idea what-so-ever. We took extra…"
At that point there was a sharp crash, followed by footsteps upstairs. Hallie, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, darted to where she figured the staircase might be. Finally locating it, the girl made it us in record time. Making a hard left, she managed to avoid contact with an expensive looking sculpture. When she took in her surroundings, Hallie spotted the hem of a young girl's dress whip into a room and out of sight. Following, she saw the source of the commotion. An antique cabinet lay on its side, glass doors shattered; the crystal figurines had deep cracks in them; and there was a respectable pile of broken china on the floor. Nearby lay a vase, which was split in seven practically perfect pieces. Getting even more desperate not to be found alone in this mess, Hallie continued to follow the girl. When she stepped into the magnificent chamber, Hallie saw two people she knew, and two strangers. Her sister and Crystal were sitting on a cream four-poster bed that was surrounded by a soft canopy; a girl with dark hair, (which had quite a few orange stripes in it) and glasses was sitting on a yellow bean bag chair; and the last was the girl Hallie saw running in the hallway. Her canary-yellow dress matched nicely with her two lengthy, blond braids; her eyes were a deep blue, a hypnotic aura came from them. All four glared at Hallie before she had a chance to redeem her dignity, which was shattered when she burst into the room gasping for breath. Just as Hallie was about to amuse herself with an innocent-looking toy, her father stormed in. A quick glance first at the mess in the hall, and then at Hallie infuriated him. It was a fiasco from there. Mr. Letrit's eyes were bloodshot by the time he muttered a quick good bye to Jamie, and by the time he pulled the car into the driveway, he was shaking madly. There was a snarl on his lips, and his face was twisted into a scowl. Hallie did not take that to be a good sign. She got out of the car quickly and silently, hoping that her parents were too preoccupied to notice her sneaking away. No such luck. No sooner did she move seven steps away, that she heard her father's angry voice.
"Just where do you think that you are going?"
Dreading the moment they were out of the earshot of the neighbors, Hallie paused, allowing her oh-so-forgiving family to catch up with her. Surprisingly, the usual angry explosion of threats did not follow the entry to the house. Mr. Letrit's expression was still horrible, and his face was still a vivid shade of maroon, but his breathing was back to normal. Hallie could have sworn that there was a smile on his face. No, not a smile, it was a smirk, a sneer; but there was something that gave him a mad glint in the eyes that money usually brought.
"Out! I'll deal with you later. Now get out of my sight!"
Amazed at her lack of punishment, Hallie took the stairs three at a time, trying no to give anyone another reason to yell. But before the attic door that led to her room could block out the sounds, she heard Amy's whiny voice carry up from the hallway.
"I'm telling you daddy. She was unbelievable! Mollie, Blythe, and Crystal tried to stop her, but they weren't strong enough to hold the girl. I was probably stronger, but she punched me, and then almost started throwing stuff at us!"
Here, Amy let out a dramatic sob.
"It's alright Amy dearest. Please stop crying baby, it's alright, she won't be here for much longer anyhow."
Amy cut her mother off, obviously wanting to lie properly.
"That's not all mommy! She was the one who absolutely shattered the china and broke the vase. It was all her fault, we didn't do a thing." Amy wailed.
"It's okay. Just remember, a few more days and that's all," said Mr. Letrit.
"Alright."
"Now come on, your party will start in just half an hour Immikins. Remember what we talked about."
Hallie had heard enough. She retreated into the safety of her dim bedroom, and, with a looming feeling in the pit of her stomach, shut the door.