Chapter 1

Serena heard the doorbell ring more than five times and now was really not the time to wake her up. First of all, she was so not into being bothered while sleeping not to mention the fact that it was really late at night. She rubbed her eyes, grimacing as she heard it ring just one more time.

She was not entirely awake, but not stupid and checked the peephole before she decided to open the door. She took a step back and gasped. "Mina!" She said out loud. She felt her heart beat fast and perspiration gather on the nape of her neck. Serena was frozen on the spot, her hand wanted to reach the doorknob but it didn't want to obey. It did not want to open the door. Okay, so maybe it was not her hand but she was the one who didn't want to open it.

Why in the world was her twin sister here? After so many years… why was she? She did not finish the thought as Mina rang the bell one more time. She took a deep breath and numbly opened the door.

Mina invited herself in and walked swiftly by the flabbergasted Serena. "Hello 'sis." Mina looked Serena up and down in contempt. To Mina no matter how identical they were, she was and would always be the more beautiful of the two. It all happened with class; Serena was too average compared to Mina. "Well, better close the door no?"

Serena numbly nodded, "Of course… I wouldn't want anyone unpleasant to just barge in." She dripped with sarcasm. As she closed it behind her, she heard Mina as she sat on the black leather sofa.

Finally both twins made eye contact, and icy cold air seemed to suddenly come to the apartment. Serena stood watching her 'reflection.' She has always been so sophisticated, Serena thought. Right now Mina wore a black turtle neck with a khaki long skirt, followed by black boots. Her hair was in a tight bun, and her ears were adorned by diamond earrings. Mina had one leg crossed over the other and her hands were laid patiently on her lap. Serena immediately saw the gold ring on Mina's left hand.

"What do you want?" Serena almost gritted her teeth. She couldn't believe how much rage she felt for her own blood.

"I came here simply because it is time that you return the favor."

Serena took a sharp intake of breath, "What? Of—of what? For what?"

"Sis, please do not play dumb with me. If you don't want anyone to know your dark secret it is time for you to return the favor. Oh, and please do not dare act dumb. It really, really doesn't go on you."

Serena rubbed her temples. It hadn't been her fault at all. It had all been an accident, and yet her twin had made it look intentional. This was the only thing she wished she could turn back time for. It was not supposed to have ended like that. It was enough pain knowing that she could have prevented the accident. Now this, ever since that event; her sister had had her in the palm of her hand. At any time she wanted to, she could make it seem like it had been Serena's fault. Like Serena had killed her own grandmother…

"Serena! Damn it! Stop looking back at the past. Stop telling yourself that it was an accident. Since you knew that grandmother was going to leave her fortune to you, you decided to kill her. It's as easy as that."

Serena covered her ears, "Stop it! I did not kill my own grandmother! You know how much I loved her… how close we were! Stop saying that… that."

"If you hadn't argued with her about something stupid and bizarre that time, she would have still been with us. You know that she had a heart condition, but that didn't stop you from telling her what she shouldn't have heard… did it? It's all because you wanted her money."

Serena roughly wiped the tears that were streaming down her eyes. "Stop! Just stop! After three years of not seeing you… you manage to locate me somehow and it's only to talk about what happened five years ago?!"

Mina stood and smiled at her sister's despair, "No one knows the truth but me Serena. I was there… I witnessed everything. Yet, I kept my mouth shut because you are my sister, and family should help family. Although on your case to get your way you had to get rid of someone in the family…"

"Stop! I didn't! You know I didn't! The doctor had said that she was getting better… I didn't mean for her to get a heart attack…" She couldn't take this anymore, is that why her sister was there? Why was she bringing the dark past? Although it had been an accident, it still hurt so much. She knew that she had not killed her grandmother, but somehow she had been the cause. If they had not had that argument, if she had not pushed that subject… All these years she had lived through that pain. Yet, she was no murderer. Serena Gellar was no murderer. Knowing that still did not make her feel responsible for the death of the one person in her family who she felt had really loved her.

"You know you can go to jail for that. In fact, you can go for many years. You know that don't you?"

"I know… but you know it wasn't my fault. Why would you tell them it was my fault? I am your sister."

"Well look, to be honest, I don't want you in jail. You wouldn't be use to me if you were stuck there." Mina's bitter word stung Serena's heart.

"You can't do that though, you have no proof that—"

"I can say that you took advantage of her condition to provoke a heart attack… to get the fortune because you couldn't wait to have your hands on it. Everyone would believe me, because everyone knew that a large fortune awaited you. Everyone would believe me because… I saw everything. I saw how you caused her death."

"Shut up! Enough! It's enough that I remember her painful death… just tell me what you want. I'll do anything you ask. I mean, all you do is blackmail me since that day. You always get your way don't you? You like tormenting me this way, but we both know that I didn't do it on purpose so I won't let you put me in jail for a crime I did not commit. Let alone on someone who I dearly loved!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't care for your dramatic speech. You will do as I say, do you hear? Or I'll make sure you pass the remainder of days in jail."

Serena stiffened, waiting for yet another thing she would have to do for her sister. She had secretly been so happy that she had left everyone and ran away with that guy in high school, because ever since the incident, Mina had made her do things she wished she didn't remember. "When will you stop using me for your dirty games? When will I stop doing things I don't want for your benefit? I am so tired of you—"

Mina shushed her, "Relax sis, you know the usual things I make you do for me no? I made you do my homework for me… be in class for me, steal from our parents for me, and even go to work for me. You always acting and being in my shoes."

She went and sat down in the sofa again, this time putting her legs on it too and laying down comfortably. "I mean, you can't really complain. It is good to be me no? You have always been so opaque. A nobody, no one has really ever noticed you. I've always been the center of attention because no matter how identical we look I have always been the most charming and beautiful one. You should be happy I've let you be in my shoes. So you could have a little taste of what glory should be."

"Look, I just want this to stop. What can I do for it to just be stopped? I am so sick of this. Just get out of my life again."

"Now don't worry, I give you my word that this is the last thing you are going to do for me. It's quite challenging so you can say that this is an equal for me keeping quiet about our sweet grandmother…"

"You don't have solid proof…"

"Oh trust me if before I didn't, now I do."

"But how…?"

"I have many, many influences. Serena, be smart. There is no way out for you. It's best that you just do what I want from you. Really… I would really do it if I were you. I mean for your own sake of course."

Serena sat on the floor, exhausted, "So you say this is the last time you will blackmail me?"

"Of course, and I do keep my word. I know I am not that great of a person, but you know that I know how to keep my word."

"So you want me to take your place yet again?"

"Aha." She stood yet again and grabbed her sister's shoulders. "This time it's going to be longer than a day though, longer than a usual errand I would ask you to do. This time you will be Mina Shields, you are a married woman of a very wealthy man. You little sis, will be a loving wife for six months."

Serena moved away and scoffed, "Six months? Are you crazy? I can barely keep the act together for a day, you actually think I could do it for six months? As a married woman? Okay Mina, you have gone too far. You know that's not possible."

"I said that it will be the last thing I'll ask, and you are in no position to decide… If you want your freedom, you will be a usurper for six whole months."

Serena felt a heavy feeling envelope her senses. She couldn't believe that she was going to do this, but if that was the prize for freedom then she would just have to do it. Why did she let her sister do this to her? Simply because she knew her parents, and they would agree with her sister, they would all believe her. A lawyer was out of the question when her sister's lawyer would be their own father. Someone so well known that he was respected and honored more than many lawyers in the United States.

She felt her shoulders slump, and her head bowed as she agreed to her sister's demands. For doing such things she was sure she would go to hell.

"You better not screw this up Serena." Mina said as she flipped over her notes on the brown coffee table located at the center of Serena's living room. They had already gone over the way Serena should walk, talk, and dress. Now to Mina came the challenging part for Serena.

Serena sat across her sister. Both were sitting on the floor with legs crossed. "Trust me, screwing up is not something I want to do. Mina, did you by any chance think that it will be peculiar to my partner Michiru that I will suddenly be gone? With no note or anything?"

Mina smiled smugly, "Who do you think you are speaking with? Michiru will go on with business in the art gallery. I called her on the phone yesterday, posing as you. Letting her know that I'm—meaning you—had to go back to the states because your mother is sick. Therefore, you don't know how long you'll be there."

Serena scoffed, "How did you get her number? And I mean—."

"How I got that information should be the least of your concern. Now on to more important subjects. This," She gave a list of names to Serena to look at. "list gives you the names of the people you must know names, and little facts about each of them. As you can see," She handed her a sparrow, "on this sparrow I have put important notes about each of them."

"That's only so you can memorize what I know from them, now it's important that you remember everything about them. There are not many people in my household whom I really care to remember names or anything of that like, so I only wrote info on people that matter."

"Finally," She gave Serena a folder and opened it for her, "These pictures are so you recognize the people that matter. Each has their names labeled. Just so you don't look like a fool and not know their faces."

Serena sighed loudly, "Wow, this sparrow has a lot of info no?" She skimmed through it and placed it on the coffee table. She was going to deceive so many people, but she didn't deserve to go to jail. If this was the price she would have to pay… so be it.

"Now, you'll find how you need to act around each of these as I've written already. But, right now I want to focus on three people."

"This is Rei Shields." She handed her a picture of a woman with long, straight black hair with remarkable features. "She is Darien's younger sister, and she hates me. I dislike her too, immensely. You will need to constantly make her feel bad, and just be the equal pain in the ass she will be to you. Her and I constantly argue over anything, so if you can keep that up, that will be great. She is a fashion designer, and also married to this guy—," she handed another picture of a man with wavy, blond hair. "Jaden, I don't like him either. We both keep each other's distance. We really don't care to acknowledge each others presence. He's a doctor so he will often not be home."

Serena listened closely and looked at the two pictures.

Mina handed her another one, this had a woman in a yellow blouse with glittering black eyes matched by shiny black hair. "That's Luna," Mina said disdainfully, "she is the aunt of Darien and Rei. I haven't paid much attention to her, she actually freaks me out. For some reason she is a weirdo who thinks she is a psychic or something like that. Don't listen to her crap, I don't. She never liked me. Not even in these two years of marriage with Darien. She doesn't disrespect me and I don't pay attention to her, but the ill feelings are mutual. I don't even know what she does for a living."

Serena almost rolled her eyes; she wasn't surprised that they weren't so fond of her. "Ok, what next?" She said as she saw Mina get another picture.

This was a close-up of a man with dark blue eyes, a pale complexion, and ebony hair. He looked cold and unemotional; something about him gave Serena goose bumps.

"That's my husband Darien. He is frivolous, but has a kind heart. He cares for others, but I'm sure his company is what's most important to him. He will give you anything you want as long as you don't ask him for time off work to spend with you. The company means everything to him, but you will also be important. As long as you don't meddle into his affairs everything will run smoothly. You will possibly hardly see him, seeing as he goes to constant business trips."

"Now I'm a very loving wife. I get everything I want, and all I have to do is be very loving to him. Now I know you must know that if he asks something from you, you must give it to him. We have sex all the time and you will do it whenever he wants it, you will dress however he wants and you—."

"Woah! Wait a second!" Serena jumped up. "I am not going to have sex with your husband! That's crossing the line way too much!"

Mina shrugged, "Well as long as he does not suspect a thing I really don't give a damn what you do or not do with him. But I strongly advice that you give in to his demands, he is a good lover. You should be happy that I am lending him to you."

"Ugh. You are sick! You are asking me to—."

"No, I'm only asking you to do as he says. I would never deny him of my body and if you do something that I wouldn't do, that could put your freedom in jeopardy. I'm only saying that don't do anything more or anything less that I wouldn't do." Mina tossed her long hair back. "Now I think you've had enough. Study this and you should be ready to set foot on the states by tomorrow." She stood and walked away.

Serena rubbed her temples and gathered the journal that would tell her things from Mina's life.