"Hi, Zenon!" came her mother's slightly weary voice. Zenon smiled cheerily
at her video phone. "Hi, Mom!" she said. "Just wanted to check in, and, you
know, find out if everything's okay up there!"
"Everything's just fine, Z," her mom replied. "How's your aunt Judy?" "Oh, she's fine," Zenon answered. "Misses Captain Plank a lot, but, you know...oh, by the way, Mom...is there maybe something you've never told me? I mean, you and Dad wouldn't keep secrets from me, would you?"
Her mother looked slightly hesitant as she answered, "Why, no, of course not, sweetie! We always tell you everything, you know that."
"Really," Zenon said in a sarcastic tone. "Z," her mom leaned in towards the video phone, face intent. "Did...did something...happen down there?"
"Actually, yes, it did, Mom," Zenon answered pleasantly. "I met two new friends. Tasha's not here right now, but would you like to say hello to my other friend?" "Sure, sweetie," her mother answered.
Yvonne leaned in towards the phone. "Hi, Mrs. Carr," she said. Zenon's mother, who had just been taking a sip of wine, spit it out, away from the video phone thankfully.
"Yvonne?" Mrs. Carr whispered. "Oh, so you know her," Zenon came back on. "Mom, is there maybe something you should tell me?" Mrs. Carr looked stunned, and kept repeating, "Oh, my word, Yvonne, can it possibly be you?"
"MOM!" Zenon yelled, and Mrs. Carr snapped back. "Oh, sorry, Zenon. What were you saying?" Yvonne and Zenon leaned into the phone together and Mrs. Carr seemed to shrink away.
"Is there a distinct possibility that Yvonne and I are related?" Zenon asked. Mrs. Carr sighed. "All right, all right. I knew this day would come. Z, we never thought...actually, hoped that we would never have to tell you this, but you are a twin." "I knew it," Zenon said, looking at Yvonne. "See," Mrs. Carr continued, "when you and Yvonne were born, we couldn't afford to keep two children. So we had to give Yvonne up for adoption. We never told you because we thought...well..."
"Well, we found each other now," Zenon said stubbornly. "There's no way that we can part now."
"Zenon," their mother sighed, "Yvonne...Yvonne has her own family, you know." "Yeah! Us!" Zenon insisted. "Z, we can't just rip her away from her primary family. Plus, it's against the law," Mrs. Carr reminded her.
"Actually, Mrs. Carr," Yvonne hesitated, waiting to be interrupted, but Zenon and Mrs. Carr merely looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "Um, my adoptive parents just...um, well, they..." She blinked rapidly, took a deep breath, and blurted out, "My adoptive parents died in a car wreck in Chicago a few weeks ago. That's why I was late coming to school. I was busy at their funeral, and my supposed "aunt" doesn't give a flip about me...that's why I'm here. She wanted me out of her life."
"You see?" Zenon turned excitedly to the video phone. "How greater could this be? I mean, besides the part about your parents dying," she said to Yvonne.
"Well," her mother said in a doubting tone. "I'll have to talk to your father about this, and we'll have to talk to your aunt, Yvonne..." "Oh, she won't care," Yvonne said. "Believe me."
"Well-I suppose, welcome to the family, hopefully," their mom said, cracking a smile. "Yes!" they squealed, and hugged each other.
"Thanks, Mom!" Zenon said. "Talk to you and Dad later!" And she turned the video phone off, and they squealed again.
THE NEXT DAY...
"Get up, Yvonne!" Zenon grunted as she pulled the covers off her sister. "Go 'way," Yvonne mumbled, flailing around, trying to hit some part of Zenon.
"I'll have to resort to heavy artillery," Zenon said to herself. "Tasha!" she called. Tasha raised her head from where she was finishing up last minute homework at the desk. "Earplugs!" Zenon directed.
Tasha inserted the silicon into her ears, and bent over the paper again as Zenon drew a deep breath, and screamed directly into Yvonne's ear.
Yvonne leaped up, and smacked Zenon with her pillow. Zenon tumbled to the floor as Yvonne dashed by and ran into the bathroom, and then five minutes later was dressed and ready to go.
"What?" Yvonne asked innocently. Zenon rolled her eyes. "You done, Tash?" she asked. "Almost..." Tasha murmured, then swirled the pencil into a scribble that vaguely resembled her name, scrunched it into her backpack, and leaped up. "Okay, let's go!" she said.
"Oh, no!" Zenon moaned. "We're gonna be late for breakfast!" The three girls ran as fast as was humanly possible down the hallway, and skidded into the dining room just before the automatic doors whisked shut.
"You do this every morning?" Yvonne panted to Zenon. "Oh, yeah!" Zenon and Tasha replied. After a satisfactory meal of blueberry pancakes and apple muffins, the girls were all ready for first period, and so, they all headed to physics.
At lunch, Yvonne stared with bewilderment at her bulging backpack and then at Zenon and Tasha, who were gulping down their lunch. "How in heck am I supposed to be able to do all this homework?" she asked.
Tasha swallowed, and answered quickly, "Study hall, free time, and mornings." Then she stuffed another bite into her mouth like a woman starving.
"Wow," Yvonne watched in awe at the two. "How can you eat so fast?" "We want to get out of lunch early so we can go and call my mom and see if she'd decided yet," Zenon answered, "and then I have to call Nebula, one of my friends, to see if she's dug up anything more on the plot against the Spay-Stay and me." "Huh?" Yvonne asked helplessly, so in between bites, the two girls explained everything.
"Ah." Yvonne nodded. A few moments later, the three girls approached their rooms at a brisk walk, Yvonne hobbled over with the weight of her backpack.
"Let's call Neb first," Zenon said, and typed in a few numbers. "Hey, Nebula!" she said warmly as Nebula's face came on the screen.
Nebula answered in a panicky voice, "Z, you've gotta get out of there, like yesterday! I overheard that they've found out where you are, and they're coming to get you!"
"Everything's just fine, Z," her mom replied. "How's your aunt Judy?" "Oh, she's fine," Zenon answered. "Misses Captain Plank a lot, but, you know...oh, by the way, Mom...is there maybe something you've never told me? I mean, you and Dad wouldn't keep secrets from me, would you?"
Her mother looked slightly hesitant as she answered, "Why, no, of course not, sweetie! We always tell you everything, you know that."
"Really," Zenon said in a sarcastic tone. "Z," her mom leaned in towards the video phone, face intent. "Did...did something...happen down there?"
"Actually, yes, it did, Mom," Zenon answered pleasantly. "I met two new friends. Tasha's not here right now, but would you like to say hello to my other friend?" "Sure, sweetie," her mother answered.
Yvonne leaned in towards the phone. "Hi, Mrs. Carr," she said. Zenon's mother, who had just been taking a sip of wine, spit it out, away from the video phone thankfully.
"Yvonne?" Mrs. Carr whispered. "Oh, so you know her," Zenon came back on. "Mom, is there maybe something you should tell me?" Mrs. Carr looked stunned, and kept repeating, "Oh, my word, Yvonne, can it possibly be you?"
"MOM!" Zenon yelled, and Mrs. Carr snapped back. "Oh, sorry, Zenon. What were you saying?" Yvonne and Zenon leaned into the phone together and Mrs. Carr seemed to shrink away.
"Is there a distinct possibility that Yvonne and I are related?" Zenon asked. Mrs. Carr sighed. "All right, all right. I knew this day would come. Z, we never thought...actually, hoped that we would never have to tell you this, but you are a twin." "I knew it," Zenon said, looking at Yvonne. "See," Mrs. Carr continued, "when you and Yvonne were born, we couldn't afford to keep two children. So we had to give Yvonne up for adoption. We never told you because we thought...well..."
"Well, we found each other now," Zenon said stubbornly. "There's no way that we can part now."
"Zenon," their mother sighed, "Yvonne...Yvonne has her own family, you know." "Yeah! Us!" Zenon insisted. "Z, we can't just rip her away from her primary family. Plus, it's against the law," Mrs. Carr reminded her.
"Actually, Mrs. Carr," Yvonne hesitated, waiting to be interrupted, but Zenon and Mrs. Carr merely looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "Um, my adoptive parents just...um, well, they..." She blinked rapidly, took a deep breath, and blurted out, "My adoptive parents died in a car wreck in Chicago a few weeks ago. That's why I was late coming to school. I was busy at their funeral, and my supposed "aunt" doesn't give a flip about me...that's why I'm here. She wanted me out of her life."
"You see?" Zenon turned excitedly to the video phone. "How greater could this be? I mean, besides the part about your parents dying," she said to Yvonne.
"Well," her mother said in a doubting tone. "I'll have to talk to your father about this, and we'll have to talk to your aunt, Yvonne..." "Oh, she won't care," Yvonne said. "Believe me."
"Well-I suppose, welcome to the family, hopefully," their mom said, cracking a smile. "Yes!" they squealed, and hugged each other.
"Thanks, Mom!" Zenon said. "Talk to you and Dad later!" And she turned the video phone off, and they squealed again.
THE NEXT DAY...
"Get up, Yvonne!" Zenon grunted as she pulled the covers off her sister. "Go 'way," Yvonne mumbled, flailing around, trying to hit some part of Zenon.
"I'll have to resort to heavy artillery," Zenon said to herself. "Tasha!" she called. Tasha raised her head from where she was finishing up last minute homework at the desk. "Earplugs!" Zenon directed.
Tasha inserted the silicon into her ears, and bent over the paper again as Zenon drew a deep breath, and screamed directly into Yvonne's ear.
Yvonne leaped up, and smacked Zenon with her pillow. Zenon tumbled to the floor as Yvonne dashed by and ran into the bathroom, and then five minutes later was dressed and ready to go.
"What?" Yvonne asked innocently. Zenon rolled her eyes. "You done, Tash?" she asked. "Almost..." Tasha murmured, then swirled the pencil into a scribble that vaguely resembled her name, scrunched it into her backpack, and leaped up. "Okay, let's go!" she said.
"Oh, no!" Zenon moaned. "We're gonna be late for breakfast!" The three girls ran as fast as was humanly possible down the hallway, and skidded into the dining room just before the automatic doors whisked shut.
"You do this every morning?" Yvonne panted to Zenon. "Oh, yeah!" Zenon and Tasha replied. After a satisfactory meal of blueberry pancakes and apple muffins, the girls were all ready for first period, and so, they all headed to physics.
At lunch, Yvonne stared with bewilderment at her bulging backpack and then at Zenon and Tasha, who were gulping down their lunch. "How in heck am I supposed to be able to do all this homework?" she asked.
Tasha swallowed, and answered quickly, "Study hall, free time, and mornings." Then she stuffed another bite into her mouth like a woman starving.
"Wow," Yvonne watched in awe at the two. "How can you eat so fast?" "We want to get out of lunch early so we can go and call my mom and see if she'd decided yet," Zenon answered, "and then I have to call Nebula, one of my friends, to see if she's dug up anything more on the plot against the Spay-Stay and me." "Huh?" Yvonne asked helplessly, so in between bites, the two girls explained everything.
"Ah." Yvonne nodded. A few moments later, the three girls approached their rooms at a brisk walk, Yvonne hobbled over with the weight of her backpack.
"Let's call Neb first," Zenon said, and typed in a few numbers. "Hey, Nebula!" she said warmly as Nebula's face came on the screen.
Nebula answered in a panicky voice, "Z, you've gotta get out of there, like yesterday! I overheard that they've found out where you are, and they're coming to get you!"