Chapter Five (Chapitre Cinq)
"She's my twin sister."
The words seemed to resonate through the room. Riot didn't flinch. She glared at Tyler until he dropped his eyes to the desk. Then, slowly, she reached down and picked up her bag from the floor where it had fallen. Already, the other students were whispering to eachother. She could imagine what they were saying, though the exact words may have changed from the last time she was in this situation.
"She thinks she's so great, just because she can talk to them all like they're her brothers."
"What a stuck up snob. She's too good to even talk to us. We're not rich."
"Ms. Sims!"
She didn't remember descending the stairs, though she halted at the door, even as the teachers voice rang out, seemingly not for the first time. Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw Asa mouth something to her. Be careful. She nodded, and switched her gaze to the teacher. The man glared at her.
"Would you like to share where you're going with the rest of us?" He demanded.
Riot tilted her head, seemingly in thought. "Not really, no." She replied. With that, she stepped out into the hall, letting the door slam behind her.
----
The apartment seemed emptier than normal. She stared around blankly, before it finally clicked. The piles of boxes were gone. Asa and Cass had been here the day before, had unpacked everything that was left here. She sighed. Nothing left to finish here.
The woods were quiet, deafeningly so. Not even birds sang. Snow crunched under her feet, but it did little to dispell the silence. She had no idea how far she'd gone when she realised that, for her name to have been on the list, someone would have had to interceed at the school and change her registered name. Her parents. She growled softly to herself with the revelation. Turning swiftly, she stomped back through the snow, letting the angry crunch echo through her mind.
It was almost one by the time she reached her car. The angry blasts of music kept her mood up, even as she drifted around the winding roads outside of town. She shook her head at the memories that popped up with each childhood roadmark she passed. There - the best swimming spot near town when it was warm enough to brave the river. Here was the entrance driveway to the Garwin manor, a place where Tyler had spent many childhood hours, though Riot refused to set foot anywhere near the place. And there was Pogue's family's chillingly dark home, close to the road. Minutes beyond, where the road curved, she passed the Danvers. And straight ahead from there, the beginning to the long driveway that led to the Sims family manor. The trees pressed in around her, the shadows breaking any semblance of light that reached the forest floor. Finally, the dark tunnel opened into a wide space, to where a large manor stood.
It hadn't changed much, compared to her last memories of it. The old style still stood around it, though many features had been changed in an attempt to capture a gothic victorian timeline. Woods had been cleared near the back, so the river was clearly visible, even from the driveway. There was a new garage, where the many family cars were evidently sheltered, excepting the red convertible that was pulled up close to the sweeping stairs. The trees that had stood around her favorite childhood place, an old oak tree with a rope swing, had been cut down, though the oak and it's swing were still in place.
She pulled up close to the tree, leaving a wide space for her to cross. She used the time it took to examine the house, matching her memories of it to now. Her eyes ran across the numerous windows that opened to the front of the house. There - that would be her room. The third floor, three windows that opened straight over the wide, double doors that formed the main entrance to the house. The stairs were a dim blur as she passed up them, and she almost jumped when she found herself infront of those very same doors. Lifting a hand, she swung the knocker hard. Then she stepped back, turning to look back along the driveway and the wooded tunnel around it. She barely noticed when one of the doors behind her opened, and only turned when a disinterested voice spoke up from behind her.
"Can I help you?"
Riot turned. A slim, brunette woman in her mid forties who had not lost all traces of her looks stood at the door. The look on her face implied that what she saw before her had done nothing for her opinion. Riot didn't reply for a moment, studying the changes that eight years had wrought. Finally she replied, keeping her voice of the same caliber. Light and disinterested.
"Hello Mother."
----
Another hard elbow dug into her ribs. Asa sighed gustily and turned in her seat to face her attacker.
"What the fuck do you want, Garwin?" She demanded angrily.
Reid gaped wordlessly at her, taken aback. Asa went to turn back to her work.
"Did you know?" Tyler asked.
Asa tilted her head. "Know what?" She replied coyly.
Reid nearly growled. "Know that Riot was Ty's twin?"
Asa shrugged fluidly. "Yup."
"I knew too." Cass piped up.
Caleb stared at them around Pogue. "Why didn't you say anything?" He demanded.
Asa rolled her eyes. "What do I look like, an encyclopedia? If you wanted to know, you could have asked."
The four boys stared at her. Asa shrugged once more, and turned back to her work. A few seconds of shocked silence later, another elbow dug into her ribs. She whirled back around to glare at the boys.
"Garwin, so help me, if your elbow comes in contact with my ribs one more time, I will kill you."
Reid glared at her. Asa glared back, before switching her gaze to Tyler.
"Yes, we knew Riot was your twin. We've known since before we came here. She didn't ask us to hide the information from you, but we're not the type that goes around telling people because we can. Riot didn't want to come here, and she still doesn't. In her opinion, and thus, ours, there is no relation to any of you. Now, I need to finish my work in peace." She returned once more to her work, pausing momentarily to lock gazes with the disgruntled looking teacher. The irritated look on her face paired with the ominous dark makeup and piercings made the man reconsider the reprimand he was about to deliver. Instead, he switched his attention to Reid.
"Mr. Garwin. Perhaps you could give us your opinion on the subject?"
Reid groaned beside her, and Asa had to fight back a grin. On her other side, Cass snorted.
"That wasn't nice."
Asa resisted the urge to slam her head on the desk.
----
Her mother gaped, and Riot had to physically restrain herself from knocking the woman out. She looked down at her outfit, the standard school uniform, then up.
"Sorry," She said, "Were you expecting a nine year old in a sundress?"
Her mothers mouth snapped shut with a click.
"Lovely to see you, dear." She held the door open wider. "Why don't you come in?"
----
Tyler clung tightly to his sister's side, even as she tried to push him away.
"Let go of me, Tyler." Her nine year olds voice commanded. "It's not even like you're sad that I'm leaving."
Tyler stepped back, feeling as though she'd slapped him. Which she had done, before.
"Don't say that, Kay." He warbled. "You're my other half." He was repeating what his parents had told him, time and time again. Ceilidh's mouth hardened.
"My other half." She repeated. "God, you can't even think your own thoughts." She leaned in closer to stare into his eyes. "We aren't related, Tyler. Not anymore." She swallowed hard - he could hear it. "I hope I never see you again."
Tears overflowed in his eyes, overwhelming his sight completely. By the time his vision cleared, his sister had disappeared onto her plane, off to live with some stranger in a strange place until their parent saw fit to bring her back.
"Daddy!" He cried, turning to pull on his fathers shirt. "Bring her back, please! Please bring her back!"
His father knelt down to look at him in the face. "This is for her own good, Ty. Hers and yours. You have to let go."
----
Tyler sat up with a jolt as the bell rang. It had been years since he'd had that dream. Beside him, Reid grinned.
"Been a while since you've fallen asleep in class, Baby Boy."
Tyler made a face at him, ignoring Caleb and Pogue's worried looks. He reached down to pick up his bag and filed out of the classroom behind Reid, stuffing his books into his bag as he walked. Up ahead, he saw Cass's long black hair and Asa's blond and black disappear into the crowd. Reid glanced down at him, then followed his gaze.
"You alright, Ty?"
"I just want to talk to my sister." He muttered.
-----
SUPER SHORT, I'M SO SORRY.