Then took the other, as just as fair – Robert Frost (The Road Not Taken)
Ivan was sitting on the porch. His mother was cleaning house and had kicked him out. Katyusha and Matthew were beside him. Arthur and Natalya were on the tire swings in his yard. Alfred was in his yard across the street, playing with the water hose. Suddenly he took off running for Matthew, giving his brother a muddy hug. Ivan stared at the mud in Alfred's hair. His hands twitched. Could I just reach up and get that mud out? Can I forbid it from ever staining his hair again?
Alfred laughed, disturbing his train of thoughts. Matthew ran for the water hose but Alfred beat him there. The two squirted each other and laughed. They ran by with mud in their hands. There was a laugh from behind Katyusha and Ivan, their father. "Matthew, Alfred, smile!" Matthew grinned but Alfred looked away from the camera.
Another school year had passed and now the twins were 13. Ivan had missed most of seventh grade, due to the death of both his parents. Their mother had died earlier in the year of lung cancer. Broken hearted, his father had lost control of his car while coming home from work and drove off the road into the river below. During the joint funeral, Katyusha cried on Matthew's shoulder, Natalya stood with Arthur and Alfred held Ivan's hand. When a child protection agency came to get the three, Andrea put her foot down, saying that the house they lived in was hers and therefore the three were under her care. Every meal eaten was together for them, knitting the two families closer.
Ivan had finally come out of hiding, thanks to Alfred, and was now watching the boy play basketball with Gilbert Beilschmidt from down the street.
"Two more points and my awesome self wins!" Gilbert called.
"Ha!" Alfred made a jump shot.
"Kolkolkol," Ivan muttered.
Alfred had heard him. He stopped midstep and turned. "You okay?" Unknown to them, Alfred's basket had made the goal shaky. So when Gilbert made the next shot, it fell, on Alfred. The pole hit him square in the head, knocking him out and to the ground.
"WEST!" Gilbert screamed.
His brother Ludwig came running. Ivan was already trying to get the goal off Alfred. "Call for an ambulance, Gilbert! NOW!" He went to help Ivan. The two got it off of him just as the ambulance arrived. Ivan went with Alfred to the hospital. Please live, I do not want to lose my parents and you in the same year.
Andrea ran in. The two sat there until the doctor told them the news.
"Dr. Frost, Alfred will be alright. He suffered little damage but he might need glasses later in life."
Two weeks after Alfred had gotten out, they were asked to take a test. "Arthur and Katyusha don't want to start high school without their siblings." So Alfred, Matthew, Ivan and Natalya took the test. All four tested into ninth grade. Andrea was so happy that she threw a party at the skating rink. The six roller skated, or they tried, as Ivan kept falling. Matthew was helping Katyusha and Arthur was skating with his friends Francis Bonnefoy, Gilbert and Antonio Carriedo. Antonio had brought Feliciano and Lovino Vargas, and Ludwig had come also. Natalya was sitting on the sidelines by herself. Alfred skated up to Ivan after the tenth time he fell.
"Hey, either you can stick to the sides or you can let me help."
Ivan thought about that and reached a hand up. Alfred helped him to his feet and they skated off together.
Becoming friends already.
A note on the parents: I never mention who they are but the mother is Kievan Rus and the father is General Winter. She had cancer since Ivan was born.