"Happy birthday to you... happy birthday to you..."

Selena Kramer-O'Dell walked downstairs to see her mother, aunts, uncle, and grandparents singing, surrounded by streamers and balloons. She was pleasantly surprised to see all of them. Her mother ran forward and hugged her.

"Happy birthday, honey." Amy let go of her.

"Happy birthday." Her father, Dan, kissed her forehead.

"Oh, where's your sister?" Amy looked around.

"I told her to come down, but she was busy painting," said Selena. "Like usual."

"Just like Sara," her uncle Jed remarked. "She was always too busy with her paintings to care about anything else. Sara must've corrupted her." Sara glared playfully at him.

"I always wished she'd get into piano playing like me, but she never learned," remarked Trina. "She doesn't care about anything except her paintings."

"Sounds familiar," muttered Jed. Sara shoved him.

"I like playing the piano, Aunt Trina," said Selena. She was very talented at a lot of things, except for painting, the one thing her sister was interested in. Anything she drew came out in a mess of scribbles.

"Yes, you're getting very good at it," said Trina, ruffling her hair. Selena scowled. She always liked her hair to be neat and tidy, unlike her sister's curls.

As Amy went upstairs to get her sister, Selena hugged her uncle, followed by her aunts and grandparents. "It's great to see you all," she said. Her sister didn't like hugging them much.

Jed stared at Selena. "Which one is it?" He inspected her carefully, squinting. "Who's the one who likes reading?" He pretended he couldn't tell Selena and her sister apart as a joke, since even though they were twins, they looked nothing alike.

"That joke stopped being funny the third time you made it, Jed," said Sara.

"I still think it's funny," her paternal aunt, Trina, said. "Who's the one with green eyes, and the one with brown eyes?"

Dan groaned. "That's not how it works, Trina."

"Hi, Aunt Trina," said Selena. "I'm glad you all made it."

"Of course we would, for your birthday," said her grandmother.

"It's my sister's birthday as well," Selena pointed out.

"Ah, yes. I have my Chinese special prepared for her. I know how much she likes that," her grandfather said, winking.

"She doesn't like it," Mrs. Kramer said, swatting him playfully. "Nobody does. No one can stand your cooking."

He faked hurt. "You don't have to be so mean about it!"

"We had to lie to spare your feelings for years, Dad," Jed pointed out.

Mr. Kramer laughed. "Nah, I was just joking. I don't have a Chinese special planned, but your grandma baked a cake." Selena could smell it on the table. It was chocolate, both her and her sister's favorite. It was one of the few things they agreed on.

Amy came downstairs with Selena's twin sister. Sara quickly stared singing Happy Birthday again, followed by Jed, Amy, Dan, Trina, and their grandparents.

"Happy birthday, Janessa and Selena," they sang. "Happy birthday to you."

"Happy birthday, Janessa," Amy told Selena's sister. She kissed her forehead and didn't hug her, since Janessa didn't like hugs, but didn't mind being kissed. Her grandparents kissed her as well. She smiled at them, trying to wipe her grandmother's lipstick off her cheek.

"Drawn anything recently?" asked Sara. Janessa had inherited her aunt's talent at art, though it was more like she had been taught by her since she was young until she became as skilled as her. Selena didn't have the patience to crouch over a canvas for hours, mixing colors together.

"No," said Janessa. "I painted something."

"That's great!" Sara exclaimed. "Can I see it?"

"It's not as good as your paintings," said Janessa shyly.

"Nonsense," said Sara. "My first painting was terrible."

"No it wasn't," insisted Mrs. Kramer. "It was great. It just wasn't as perfect as you wanted."

"Janessa's painting is really good," Selena said. "I could never paint like that." Janessa smiled slightly at her sister, but also felt slightly annoyed by her words. She could do everything else just fine.

"Bring it downstairs," Mrs. Kramer suggested as they walked over to the table, which had a huge breakfast laid out on it. "I'd love to see it."

"I don't know," said Janessa hesitantly.

"Go on. I want to see it," Sara urged. "I bet it's wonderful."

"Be careful, Janessa," Jed warned jokingly. "She'll judge it like an art critic and compare it to her own paintings. So you better have painted it perfectly."

"I won't!" Sara insisted. Janessa knew her aunt would never do that. She could probably paint something in dog poop, and she'd still say it looked amazing. She was very close to her aunt. Maybe more than her mother.

"I'll show you later, Aunt Sara," said Janessa. She didn't like being the center of attention.

"I can't wait to see it," said Sara.

"I'm glad you're not like Sara," remarked Amy. "She can never resist an opportunity to show off her paintings." Sara glared at her.

"We're going to an indoor park later," said Mr. Kramer as they started eating. "With all of Janessa and Selena's friends."

"You mean all of Selena's friends," Janessa muttered, but no one heard her. She didn't have many friends like her sister. Selena was so lively and easy-going, everyone liked her. Janessa was quiet and introverted. She spent all her time painting, reading or writing.

They didn't look at all alike, either. People didn't believe they were sisters, let alone twins. The only thing they had in common was the color of their hair. Selena's long black hair was straight, while Janessa's was curly like her uncle and aunt Trina, though it wasn't red like theirs. Selena had pale skin and green eyes, while Janessa had brown eyes and her mother and maternal aunt's tan skin. People often assumed she wasn't Caucasian. Their mother looked more like she was twins with her older sister.

"You should be happy you look different," their mother always said. "I used to wish I didn't look so much like my sister."

They didn't wear the same clothes like twins, either. Selena wore stylish clothes and prided herself on her sense of fashion, while Janessa wore casual, comfortable clothes. Today, Selena was wearing a white cardigan over a dark blue blouse and pink designer leggings. Her straight black hair was pinned behind her ear with a bright blue hairclip, and her nails were painted deep blue. Janessa didn't see the point in getting dressed up, and was wearing her usual loose-fitting clothes.

After breakfast, Janessa took Sara up to her room to show her the painting. She took the canvas out of her wardrobe and set it up next to her bed. It was a painting of a forest, with tall, dark green trees, bushes, and a little pond.

"I know it's not great," said Janessa.

"Are you kidding? It is," Sara insisted. "It looks just like my drawing of a forest. It's remarkable. I especially like the pond. The shade of blue brings out the green of the trees perfectly."

Janessa beamed by her aunt's praise. Her mother didn't praise her much. She told her not to spend so much time on paintings or books and go outside more. She said she should spend more time making friends like her sister. She'd often quickly look at her paintings or read her stories and just say something like "Good work".

Amy walked into the room. "We're going to KidZone," she reported.

"Amy, look at this," said Sara, gesturing to Janessa's painting. "Janessa painted it. Isn't it wonderful?"

Amy glanced at it. "Very nice, Janessa. Now, why don't you come with us to the car?"

Janessa followed her mother, disappointed by the lack of reaction. "Don't worry, she just doesn't want you to get a big head," Sara told her. "My parents praised my paintings so much, I thought I was the best painter ever."

"She doesn't have to worry about that," Janessa muttered. She didn't think much of herself. She knew she wasn't as popular as her sister, or as pretty.

"Oh, I almost forgot," said Sara. "I have a present for you, Nessie."

"Really?" asked Janessa, smiling at her aunt's nickname for her.

"We're saving our presents for them at the indoor park," Dan pointed out, carrying his wrapped presents to the car.

"I know, but I wanted to show her before I left," insisted Sara.

"Okay, but be quick." Dan headed out the door.

Sara handed her niece a rectangle-shaped package in shiny blue wrapping paper. Janessa tore it open excitedly.

It was a brand new set of watercolor paints. Janessa had one, but the colors were flaking and getting mixed together from how much she used it.

"Thanks, Aunt Sara. I love it!" Janessa gave her aunt a hug.

"We got you the exact same thing for your birthday once," her grandfather remarked to Sara.

"Janessa, are you coming?" Amy called impatiently.

"Mom, did you see the present Aunt Sara gave me?"

Amy poked her head in from the door, her eyes skimming over the paints. "Yes, yes, very nice. Now, are you coming?" Janessa followed her.

When they arrived at KidZone, all of Selena's friends were there. She started excitedly talking to them as they wished her a happy birthday. Janessa watched them. How did Selena do it? How did she make friends so easily? Janessa had a hard time talking to people. They mostly thought she was weird because she rarely made eye contact.

"Go on. Talk to your friends, honey," Dan urged Janessa, kissing her cheek.

She didn't want to tell him that none of them were her friends as well. When her dad kept staring at her expectantly, she walked up to them, feeling awkward as they kept talking without noticing her. She also didn't like the noise they made when they kept chattering eagerly at the top of their voices. She resisted the urge to cover her ears.

"Hey, don't forget," said Selena. "It's my sister's birthday too." Janessa cringed. She'd rather feel awkward than be the center of attention.

Selena's friends looked at Janessa. She felt very plain in comparison to her sister, in her tank top and jeans. They all wished her happy birthday before turning their attention back to Selena. Janessa was secretly relieved. She didn't like to be the center of attention, unlike her sister.

Selena tore open the presents her friends gave her. Janessa didn't have as many, because she didn't have as many friends. They were mostly from her family members. She didn't mind. She had a lot of family members, and was grateful for the presents she received. She flapped her hands excitedly as she opened them. She watched Selena ooh and ahh over the hair clips and makeup.

"Hey, what's this?" Selena picked up something shiny and golden. Janessa assumed it was another makeup or hair clip, but as Selena held it up, it appeared to be a ticket of some sort.

"Did someone send me a ticket to a Purple Rose concert? That's so nice of you!" Selena exclaimed excitedly. She was obsessed with the band. Then she read the text on the ticket and her face fell.

"Oh, is it a ticket to an amusement park? That's great too," she said, smiling again.

"What amusement park?" One of her friends looked over to read it. "I didn't send it to you."

"Neither did I," added another.

Selena asked all of her friends, but none of them remembered sending it to her. She read the invitation again

"It looks like a ticket to an amusement park," said Selena, her eyes widening. "It says it's a ticket for a Very Special Guest. But it has the weirdest name. Horrorland."

"Horrorland?" Janessa spoke up.

Selena's eyes flicked up to her sister. "Janessa, did you send this to me?"

"No," Janessa denied, fiddling with the new wristwatch her uncle Zane had gifted her. "Why would you think that?"

"It seems like the kind of thing you'd do as a joke," accused Selena. "You're always fond of weird places like that."

"No I'm not," insisted Janessa. "I didn't send you any presents, like you didn't send me any." She didn't say it accusingly. She thought it would be weird for them to give each other presents.

Selena glanced at the ticket again, reading off it. "It says I can bring my parents or any adult supervision, and a plus one."

"Ooh, bring me!" one of her friends suggested. "I love spooky things!"

"No, me!" another added. "My parents haven't let me go to an amusement park in ages!"

"No," said Selena, looking up at her sister again. "I'll invite someone else. My twin sister, of course."

"Huh?" Janessa gasped, waving her hands excitedly. "Really?"

"Of course," said Selena, rolling her eyes. "Who else would I bring along? It's both of our birthdays, after all. It can be a joint birthday present."

"Yeah, sure," said Janessa with some bitterness. She was always second to Selena, not even receiving her own invitation. "Thanks, Selena."

"It's a Very Special Guest ticket," said Selena excitedly. "What did I do to receive one?"

"I'd be surprised if you didn't," muttered Janessa under her breath. Selena was very special and important, that was for sure. Far more than her.

They're fraternal twins, of course. As you can see, it's like Sara and Amy but reversed, with the painter being ignored. Amy doesn't want her to think she's special because she paints like Sara did, but goes too far in the opposite direction. It's more important that they're Amy's daughters, but I figured they could be the child of another NOTLD character as well. Their names are the first initial of Jed and Sara's names.

There's something about Janessa revealed later that might surprise you. There's a few hints to it in this chapter.