A/N- Did you know that if you learn how to play an instrument, it can improve your ability to learn a new language and your science and math skills?

I love Google. ^.^

Chapter Five – History – Twins – Kay and Kenji

I hated playing hide-and-seek. We were too old for this. But Kenji, being the guy he is, liked beating me. He liked to win, to outsmart me, as rare as that was. I didn't make mistakes.

I was getting confused though. I had been sitting in this tree for half an hour or so, and he hadn't even passed below me. A little bit worried, I slid easily down the trunk and started yelling as loud as I could.

"KENJI! WHERE ON EARTH ARE YOU?"

"Kay?"

I heard him, nearly whimpering, and followed the noise to the creek. We were out messing around in the park, which was pretty big and nice for such a small town. Kenji was sitting on a rock in the shallow creek, which was only two inches deep, and his knees were skinned up pretty bad. Blood was dripping down his legs.

"Can you walk?"

He shrugged. "Probably, but it hurts really bad. I can't bend my knees."

I sloshed through the crystal-clear water, and held out my hand. He took it, and I pulled him so he was standing.

"You sure you can't?"

He sighed. "Not the whole way home, no."

"Here, I'll carry you piggyback." I told him. He grabbed my neck, and I hooked my arms through his legs. I was used to this, as we used to do it all the time a few years ago. I was only a minute or two older than him, but I was still the older sister.

I turned around and started the walk home, 'Ji's knees bleeding all over my shirt, but I didn't really care. He was my brother.

After dinner, we were lying on the floor of his bedroom, Kenji's legs practically mummified. Our mom had gone overboard, but oh well. Better safe than sorry. We were silent, ears pressed to the wood of the floorboards, listening.

"Jon, what did I tell you about leaving the kids alone in the park? They could've been kidnapped, or gotten an arm broken, or gotten lost!"

"Well, what did you want me too do? I can't keep them in my sight all day long!"

Our dad's voice was slurred. He must have been drinking again. Mom tried to stop him, but he always managed to find beer somewhere or other.

"That's exactly what I expected! I can't have you endangering our children like this!" Mom sounded furious.

"Linda, -"

"Maybe you should just leave! I can handle this much better without you!"

The yelling escalated, and we sat up, not wanting to hear any more, but we couldn't make the shouts disappear.

"We have to leave." Kenji said.

I nodded to him, not wanting anything more than to get out of this house, to get away from the yells.

"Pack a bag." I told him, getting up and running to my room, stuffing a backpack with a bunch of random clothes. I took Mr. Stuffles, my bear, too. I went into the hall, seeing 'Ji waiting for me, with his school bag over his shoulder. I made a 'shhh' sign to him, and motioned for him to follow. We tiptoed our way down the stairs and into the kitchen. We were right next to the living room, where the shouts had turned for the worse. I heard several new words that I didn't know what they meant, but I knew it couldn't be good.

I put my bag on the countertop, and Kenji put his down too. I leaned in and whispered to him, "Get some food or something. We're going to be gone for a while."

He nodded, and opened the pantry, shoving whatever he could into the bag. He also took a few twenty-dollar bills out of Dad's wallet, shoving the bills into his pocket. I gave him a thumbs-up. It was a good idea. What if we ran out of food?

I crawled up on the counter, and I stood on it so I could reach the high cabinets that we weren't supposed to get into. I grabbed the lighter, which I had never used before, but I had seen Mom use it to start fires, and we might want a campfire or something.

I jumped down, and opening the junk drawer, I took some duct tape and scissors. I filled the extra space in my backpack with bottled water and canned ravioli and soup.

I shouldered my bag and motioned to 'Ji. We had to leave before they noticed us. I opened the door as quietly as possible and we slipped silently into the night.

We went back to the woods. We knew them by heart, our second, and now only, home.

'Ji and I disappeared into the shadows of the night, ghosts, there one moment, gone the next.