Love's Entrapment

By: Sokai

Disclaimer: I, Sokai, do not claim ownership to the workings of W.I.T.C.H. - I leave that honor up to Elisabetta Gnone. Nor do I own Das doppelte Lottchen ("The double Lottie"), or, as it was later renamed, Lottie and Lisa, written by Erich Kästner. However, I can and DO claim to own this story, its inspired ideas FROM each aforementioned creation, in addition to any featured original characters - Specifically, Alazne and Kalila.

Note: AHHHHH! It's finally here! The Olympics! . . . . Sorry. Those of you who know me know I absolutely adore the Summer Olympics (and am 'meh' with the Winter LoL), and have honestly been really looking forward to this one in particular, because at the time of the 2012 games I can recall saying to Gray-Ham, "I just have a feeling that by the time the 2016 games come, we'll be watching it with Evie. . . ." And BOOM. I was right. =)

So I can't WAIT to watch the Opening Ceremonies with her later tonight . . . before having to put her to bed in like an hour, thereafter. LoL Gooo, Haiti! Gooo, England! And gooo, France! . . . . K, I'm done. LoL

Anyway, hope you two enjoy this chapter, as well, Gina and Matt-Matt!

This chapter was created/written in August 2016.

Chapter Six

Getting through dinner, and the camp's unified evening activity was a complete task onto itself, much as it had been every day prior, although now for very different reasons.

Because now, instead of dreading having to spend one more moment together, knowing that neither girl was within any rush to acknowledge the other, both Alazne and Kalila couldn't wait to get back to their Isolation Cabin at curfew, so that they could ask the plethora of questions each twin was dying to ask.

. . . . Twins.

It was still quite hard for Alazne, especially, to believe, her personal dream of finally having a sibling somehow coming true, almost magically . . . yet there she was, in the flesh.

Several times throughout that early evening, particularly during dinnertime, was the young tomboy tempted to reach across the small table and pinch her new sister, just to see if she actually was there, and that she really wasn't simply dreaming.

But she wasn't. Neither of them were.

And both siblings were definitely certain their friends had to have noticed the drastic shift within demeanor between them throughout their normally very quiet, and very awkward meal, to be sure.

To be fair, it still had been rather silent at the twins' table, except this time it was primarily due to the continued stupor, and utter elation over their latest, quite personal developments.

The only main, possible giveaway was that instead of looking every which way but at each other, as they had every day that past week, neither Kalila nor Alazne could keep their eyes off one another, as they barely managed to get through their rather inconsequential meal.

A heavy interrogation was most certainly within both their near future, with a bit having already started here and there, in between attempting to correctly guess song names during the camp's 'Name that Tune' evening activity; however, for the most part, both Alazne and Kalila were able to distract their companions by simply leaving it at: "We'd made amends. . . ."

Although she couldn't speak for her . . . sister, Kalila, at least, had every intention of telling both Lindsay and Beth absolutely everything which had thus far transpired, as she saw no particular reason it should have been kept secret . . . not to mention the fact that she was a terrible fibber, after all.

She probably owed Beth a huge extension of gratitude, anyhow, as well, given that had she not opened up to her at the lake and been given the suggestion of getting Alazne a gift of apology, the two might have still been playing the silent treatment straight until the end of summer camp . . . and, worse yet, never had discovered that they were in fact related.

The only thing either twin knew for certain was that once they did eventually let their friends in on everything, they would undoubtedly not be believed . . . and quite possibly be shunned all over again, considering that the whole reason any of them were still being punished for the following three weeks was because neither girl wished to accept that the same blood ran through each of their veins, after all.

And so, figuring out the absolutely best, possible way to reveal the news was certainly one to further think on, hands down.

In the meanwhile, the most important matter for both preteens was learning as much about the other as possible, and to simply be together. . . .

It was finally bedtime, and for the first time since being assigned there, the twins' Isolation Cabin felt, as well as looked incredibly cozy, and inviting.

As soon as curfew had arrived and all campers were released from their final activity of the night, Alazne and Kalila practically sprinted back to their shared dwelling, their minds apparently already becoming quite in sync as they immediately set about placing their beds together as the very first order of business.

Next came taking out nearly all of their photographs from both sides of their family and plastering them onto every wall of the cabin. The only two which did not get added to their assemblage was Kalila's prized picture of her mother . . . and another, special photograph she had decided to permanently bestow onto her new sister, which was quite honestly the greatest gift she could have ever given to her.

It was a random, yet still quite charming picture of their father, leisurely leaning against a large bookcase within what Kalila had revealed to be his office inside of their home, with his hands casually stuffed into the pockets of his black pants and a tender smile upon his olive toned face.

After twelve years of existence, Alazne could finally lay eyes upon her father . . . their father. . . .

". . . . Al? Could you tell me more about Mom?" Alazne could barely listen to her continually giddy twin sister ask next to her, while the two continued to lie peacefully together within their newly conjoined bed.

They had been that way, now dressed within their pajamas and lounging side by side while simply enjoying the present company for the past hour, now, alternating between asking as many questions as they could possibly think of about themselves, or staring at one another within an honestly comfortable silence for a change.

Now, however, they were finally onto perhaps the more important subject of their parents, each taking turns to reveal bits and pieces about them more and more, as neither girl wanted to neglect even a single piece of information, nor soon forget it once it was learned.

Regardless, it was currently a bit too tricky for Alazne to maintain her focus, as she, at least for now, better preferred attempting to commit the picture of her father to memory.

She still couldn't believe it, if she could be perfectly honest with herself.

She was looking at her father.

Her father.

The man she had spent countless days over the years thinking about, and nights dreaming about, wondering exactly how he looked, if she took after him in any sort of way, what he did for a living and, most importantly, if he ever thought about her. . . .

Well, at least I can finally put to rest the question of whether or not I – We look like him, Alazne mused with a soft smile, gently stroking the image of her father's cheek for what felt like the umpteenth time that night.

In her honest opinion, at least, the girls were actually a rather perfect blending of both parents.

Each twin shared the same oval shaped face and naturally tanned skin as their mother and father, while their button nose, small ear shape, and slightly similar shade of hair they definitely received solely from their mother.

Their mutual height was something the girls soundly inherited from their dad, which Alazne could clearly tell from the photograph, and of whom Kalila was kind enough to confirm certainly was tall, as the brunet evidently stood at a resounding six feet, and one inch.

But it was their hazel colored eyes which was mutually earned from each parent without a doubt, as their mother's was a warm, rich mahogany, and their father's was a cool and crisp shade of emerald, which was one of the first things Alazne had taken notice of, even from behind the handsome man's rectangular and onyx framed glasses.

"Helllooo, anybody home? I know you're excited to finally see what Dad looks like, Al, but could you at least answer my question while you continue fawning over him?" Kalila playfully teased with a light nudging at her sister's side, which succeeded within finally breaking Alazne out of her previous trance.

Clearly, the otherwise unbelievable discovery of having a long lost twin was sitting just well for the normally reserved girl and doing wonders for her overall confidence, as that wasn't the first lighthearted joke Kalila had made at Alazne's expense throughout that evening, and it most probably would not be the last.

As far as Alazne was concerned, however, that was perfectly fine, as it was warming her heart more and more to see just how comfortable, and honestly less neurotic her twin was already being with her.

"Har, har. . . . It's all easy for you to say, Kal, since you've known for years what both of our parents looked like – I've got a lot of catching up to do," she said with a smirk, carefully resting their father's photograph onto her stomach as she continued to lie on her back, while Kalila then rolled over onto her side to properly face her sister. "But, anyway, where was I? Um . . . I told you how Mom's a Veterinarian, which I wholeheartedly believe is the perfect job for her given the really weird, almost sixth sense she's seemed to always have with generally any animal she comes into contact with – Seriously! I don't even know how she does it, but she's never been wrong about any of her diagnoses, which is probably part of why her practice is one of the most successful within our entire city! But, uhhh, what else, what else. . . . Oh, right! I talked about how she's also recently been taking up writing a lot, too – What, I have no clue, but generally every day off now I can usually find her glued to her laptop, typing up a storm. . . ."

"Mmm . . . maybe she's writing an autobiography, or something! Ooh, I'd be first in line to get that book if and when it comes out, for sure!" Kalila thought aloud with a squeal, moving closer to her now chuckling twin before continuing. "Isn't that neat, though, how both Mom and Dad are writers? Well, at least are both writing books, anyway. I wonder if Mom has ever read any of Dad's already published works! Could you imagine? All this time there could have been a piece of Dad with you guys back at your house in Florida! Maybe one day I could visit you and have Mom personally give Mister Kermie a checkup, seeing as she's really good with animals!"

Alazne raised an eyebrow at this.

"'Mister Kermie?' Who's that, your dog or something? You didn't tell me you had any pets," she stated within mock offense and smirk, before turning her strawberry colored head toward her sister.

"Huh? Didn't I? Sorry, Al! I do have a pet, yes, but Mister Kermie isn't a dog. He's my pet Hyla Versicolor, and -"

"- Hyla Versi-what, now?"

"Oh! Sorry. That's his scientific name. He's my absolutely adorable, chubby and really playful two-year-old Gray Tree Frog! You should see him whenever he's hungry! He likes to lunge toward my hands and try to snatch any food he thinks might be there like, all the time, and -"

"- W-Wait, wait, wait a second, I'm sorry. . . . D-Did you just say that you have . . . a frog?" Alazne nearly squeaked, uncharacteristically tensing up and looking positively unnerved.

At this Kalila promptly sat up in their bed and slowly nodded, resting a calming hand over her sister's, which was now curiously clammy.

"Y-Yes, Al . . . I did. . . . It actually used to be frogsss, plural, as I once had a terrarium filled with all those I'd randomly catch over the years, since I'm absolutely crazy for them, but my dad finally had to put his foot down and said that I had to release them all . . . well, all but Mister Kermie, at least," she explained, a bit tardily at first, before her obvious enthusiasm for the variously sized and colored amphibians got the better of her once more. She realized her mistake in time, however, before softly asking, ". . . . I take it, though, that you're not a fan of frogs, then?"

Alazne blushed furiously as her initial response and a light frown forming upon her face, as her first instinct was to then turn away and quickly make up an excuse in order to hide her embarrassment, much in the way she would have done back home if anyone might have asked.

However, given that this was her twin sister, and Kalila had thus far done nor said anything to give her the impression that she even possessed a malicious bone within her entire body, Alazne resisted both natural urges as she responded.

". . . . No . . . but my mom is . . . which, apparently, is a trait that clearly skipped over me and went straight to you, instead," she mumbled with a slight shiver, as Kalila slowly began to smile with pride at the unexpected revelation. "I'll look at them and junk, okay, but once they start doing their hopping thing and try to bring their slimy butts over my way, then I'm outta there. . . . It's not exactly something I let many people know about me, especially since I'm generally known for being pretty 'bold and daring,' so do me a favor and keep that under your hat, all right? It'll be like . . . our first . . . 'Sister Secret,' or something. . . ."

The previous smile upon Kalila's face then grew to enormous size upon listening to the tail end of her twin's declaration, her heart swelling with the unconditional love she had already developed for her, as she then lightly squeezed Alazne's hand within furthered comfort.

"No worries, Al . . . you're not the only one in the world who doesn't like frogs, and it isn't anything to be ashamed of . . . but for you, I will try my super hardest not to tell anyone. . . . I-I mean, I'm not saying I'm setting out to or anything! It's just that, one thing you should know about me right upfront is that I really, really, and truly suck at lying, and hate keeping secrets – Mostly because I can't," she explained carefully with a slight incline of her head, flashing her sister a sheepish grin once she'd caught sight of the other girl's momentary look of complete betrayal.

"O-Oh, well . . . that's fine, I guess, like, overall and stuff, but seriously? You'd better find a way to keep this particular bit of information to yourself, Kal, or else I'd never live it down – Or forgive you," Alazne lightheartedly threatened, smiling softly as she was relieved to see that her sibling hadn't taken that last bit seriously. "But, anyway! Moving on from nasty frogs, thank you very much – No disrespect to your Mister Kermie, though. But, yeah! I'll honestly probably have to make you a list or something, all about the wonderfully wonderful things about our mother, I just know it! But, overall, the basics are that she's incredibly hardworking and independent . . . loyal . . . strong willed . . . very stubborn, just like me, I will admit . . . can be pretty serious and strict, but also really, really funny. She'd have to be, what with a has-an-awesome-sense-of-humor daughter like myself! Trust me, Kal: If you ever met her, you'd see all these things and more in her, and just how much of a truly loving and caring mom she really is. She's . . . She's honestly somebody I really, really look up to. . . ."

A very faint, and equally brief twinge of jealousy flared up from deep within Kalila upon having finished listening to Alazne honestly gush all about their mother, which only caused her to secretly yearn all the more, as she had been that entire evening, that she could somehow finally meet and spend time with the woman. . . .

". . . . She sounds more and more amazing, Al! You . . . You have no idea how lucky you are to have her in your life every day like that," she couldn't help but state, a sad smile creeping onto her face as she slowly laid back down onto the bed next to her twin, who immediately felt guilty for having inadvertently caused Kalila's obvious gloominess.

"H-Hey . . . I'm sorry, Al. I didn't mean to bum you out like that. . . . I just wanted to make sure that I didn't leave anything out about Mom and what she's like. . . ." Alazne said quietly, pausing a moment as she thought of what to say next. Just then, a new thought then occurred to her, and she smiled broadly. "Did you know, though, that just like being insane over frogs, you also take after our mom when it comes to swimming? When you were telling me earlier how much you enjoy it – Which you should totally try out for the freaking Olympics, the way you can shred through the water, like that day during our swimming assessment test, by the way – I was already thinking about how much Mom's the exact same way! Yeah! Every morning, bright and early – Which is, eww, no to that – she'll get up and do a couple laps within our pool before either getting ready for work, or getting breakfast ready for us and stuff if it's her day off. If you two did ever get to meet one day, then she'd at least finally have a proper swimming mate, seeing as, like I already told you, I'm also not a fan of going past the shallow end, myself. . . ."

Alazne's grin widened upon watching Kalila's similar eyes instantly sparkle within amazement, clearly ecstatic to learn of yet another thing she shared in common with their mother.

"R-Really? I always knew there was a special reason why I've always felt s-so . . . at 'home' and attached whenever I'm in the water! It was because of Mom, all along!" she cried, lightly bouncing up and down within her spot as Alazne merely flashed her an honestly confused facial expression. "O-Oh, right! I never explained about that yet, did I? It's just that, for as long as I can remember, I've just always felt like, whenever I swim there's someone there with me. . . . Well, not really so much like someone is there with me, but that I'm somehow becoming close, or closer to someone . . . I guess? But now it finally makes sense! Maybe my subconscious was just always taking over, and I could just feel Mom's presence, since the two of us really love to swim! Only, obviously, I never knew that it was her I was feeling this whole time – Until now, thanks to you!"

". . . . Uhhhh . . . oookay, then! I didn't really understand a lot of that, but . . . well, no, wait a sec. What you're saying how you feel whenever swimming is sorta . . . how I briefly felt when I was watching you swim during our test. . . . Of course, I obviously didn't know it was you or what all of it was about, but . . . yeah. I do remember all my nervousness about having to take the test just washing away – No pun intended – and feeling kind of . . . at peace, or that connected feeling you were talking about. Huh. . . ." Alazne casually disclosed with a smile, blindly reaching down to double check that the picture of their father was still resting upon her abdomen, before leisurely placing both hands behind her head.

". . . . Maybe it was because we were near each other for the very first time, then, and really were connected . . . emotionally," Kalila softly ventured with a shy smile a moment, before beginning to chuckle a bit over Alazne's playful scoff. "No, I'm serious, Al! I mean, after everything that's happened this week, and thinking about it more and more, if there's one thing I can definitely say for sure, it's just how much you were affecting me. . . . I originally thought it was just because of how bad I was feeling that we weren't speaking with one another, but . . . now I think it's because of our possible connection as twins."

Alazne's face scrunched up within skepticism at this.

"What, you mean like the junk you hear all the time on television or in books about how twins supposedly have some sort of psychic link or whatever? Even if I believed that – Which I've honestly never really thought about it for too long before, given I obviously never knew I was a twin – you and I have only 'officially' known each other for like, four or five hours, now."

Kalila playfully rolled her eyes and sighed, although she did nod within slight agreement.

"True, but think about it, Al. . . . I mean, people always go on about the also 'supposed,' instant bond between mother and child, so maybe that's why, even though I've never met her before, I've just always felt that unspoken connection with Mom through our previously unknown, and mutual love of swimming!" she started with growing enthusiasm. "So why couldn't you and I have the same connection? It would certainly explain why, well, I just had to have you forgive me, and why any time, up to now, whenever you were or weren't around I just felt . . . incredibly sad. . . ."

". . . . You already can't live without me, huh?" Alazne couldn't help but tease with a wink, although she nonetheless nodded, as well, as she too began to better understand her sister's train of thought. "But I will admit, though, that I was feeling pretty much the exact same way, myself . . . only I just kept assuming it was because I was just feeling bad about everything. And . . . to be honest, it's just been growing more and more, our . . . 'link' or whatever we're going to call it. I-I can't fully explain it, really, but it's just like . . . like I can almost feel what you feel, or just know what you know . . . you know? Ugh! Now I'm just confusing myself! . . . . But maybe there really might be something to the whole twin psychic bond thing. . . . A-Anyway! Enough weird, 'hocus-pocus' talk! It's your turn to finish telling me more about Dad!"

Although incredibly tempted to ignore her sibling's wishes and pursue the present matter further, everything honestly becoming even more and more like something straight out of one of her āyí 's Veil Guardians comic book series, Kalila had to bite down hard onto her lip in order to resist the urge, before finally complying.

". . . . A-All right, Al. Well, let's see. . . . You now know what he does for a living, finally what he looks like, that we live in Maine where he's originally from, and that he's adopted," she stated with a small, but growing smile, gazing up at the cabin's wooden ceiling as she continued ticking off her mental list upon each of her tiny fingers. "Uhhh . . . he's also generally pretty serious like you said Mom can be, and seems to always be thinking about some thing or another, probably work related, though . . . but he's also very attentive, kind, and is fiercely protective and caring about his family, too. . . . Oh! Right! And both Dad and Auntie are Eighth Degree Black Belts! Well, my auntie actually has two: One within Judo, and another for the style of Wushu, like my dad! You should see them spar together! They're both really good, although I do think my auntie has the bigger edge over Dad, which is something he'd never admit to since he does tend to get a bit competitive with her . . . which just makes it all the more funny, because Auntie's probably one of the most gentle, non-competitive people I've ever known!"

"Shut. Up! Dad knows martial arts? Ohhh, my God, have I been wanting to learn for ages, myself, but every time I bring it up Mom is just all, 'No, honey! You might hurt yourself!' Pfft! You can get hurt in just about anything, though, certainly in any of the sports I do on a regular basis! So that's just a lame excuse!" Alazne cried within sheer excitement upon learning that the tomboy thankfully did have something in common with her father, feeling positively giddy inside . . . until a new thought came to her. "H-Hey, wait a sec . . . I wonder if . . . the real reason Mom never wanted me to learn was because of Dad? L-Like . . . it'd somehow remind her of him, or whatever. . . . Man! I'm beginning to think that they must have hated each other's guts something fierce, especially given that they had to go as far as to bisect us the way they did. . . ."

Kalila curiously became rather pensive at this and heavily resembled their father within that moment as a result, silently watching her sister lazily stretch before she picked up the man's photograph once more and resumed studying it.

Although technically random, Alazne's comment had honestly crossed Kalila's mind several times that evening, the more pieces to their family puzzle began to come together . . . even though she was slowly beginning to believe, to hope that it wasn't because their parents despised one another as the reason for their continuing to maintain completely separate lives. . . .

". . . . You know what, though, Al? Maybe . . . Maybe there's a lot more going on than just that. . . . I mean, maybe Mom and Dad did part ways on a really bad note, if they don't even want us mentioning them to each other, but . . . maybe it's also because it'd hurt too much . . . because waaayyy deep down inside they might still love each other," Kalila openly hypothesized with a small tilt of head, causing a few strands of her strawberry blonde colored locks to gently cascade over her shoulder.

Expecting her evidently more practical twin to immediately dismiss the theory, before offering a rebuttal, or simply change the subject altogether, Kalila was pleasantly surprised when Alazne not only began to slowly smile at the idea, but also nod her head within apparent agreement.

". . . . Honestly? Despite what I just said, I've been thinking something along those lines on and off the past hour! . . . . What? I can think outside the box every bit as you can, Kal, Miss 'Keeps-Figuring-Everything-Out,'" she stated with a smirk, placing their father's picture gently onto the bed as she sat up once more. "But, I mean, it's like you said, right? Even if they truly couldn't stand one another, I don't think they'd be this cruel to us by never letting any of us ever meet, especially given how awesome they generally are as parents, otherwise! They'd still somehow make the effort to do the typical 'You'll have them this weekend, and I'll have them the next' routine most separated couples do, you know? I know I'd do that, myself, because I don't care how mad my ex-whatever made me – I'd still let him see our kids and vice versa! Ugh . . . see now I really am getting a bit mad, at both Mom and Dad for letting all of this happen. When I get back home I'm gonna have a boatload of ques – ! O-Oh! Ohhh, my God! Oh. My. God!"

"W-What is it? What's the matter?" Kalila jumped up, once more immediately launching into protection mode, while Alazne continued squealing and practically hyperventilating.

"I have a brilliant-beyond-brilliant idea! No, seriously! O-Okay, listen! You wanna know more about what Mom's like, right? And I'm dying to know Dad! Sooo, what I'm thinking we should do – A-And don't freak out, okay – is switch places!" Alazne cried out triumphantly, a grand look of pride swiftly spreading across her face to have suddenly come up with what she clearly believed to be the greatest idea within the world.

Kalila, meanwhile, had the completely opposite reaction, her own face draining of all color as her eyes grew as wide as flying saucers.

"W-What? Switch places, are you nuts? What makes you think we could ever get away with something like that?" she exclaimed, shaking her head adamantly as her nerves quickly began to get the better of her.

At this, Alazne merely scoffed.

"What, you mean besides the fact that, minus the difference within hair length, we look exactly alike? We could totally pull it off, Kal, I mean it! Just think of it! At the end of camp, I'll go back to Maine as you, and you'll go back to Florida as me!"

"Ohh, this is so not what I was expecting when I said there might be more to this whole story than we think," Kalila groaned, more so to herself, as she gently slapped a hand to her face before addressing her continually animated twin. "Al, really! We may be identical, but you're forgetting two very important things! Number one, we are totally, and completely, one hundred percent different! W-Well . . . more like, ninety-five percent, I suppose, give or take. A-And number two, I cannot, for the life of me, lie, or did you already forget? I am officially the worst liar on the entire planet, I kid you not!"

Expecting, and certainly hoping, that this news would effectively dissuade the other girl from carrying on within her rather bold, and fanciful notion, Alazne instead simply waved a dismissive hand into the air and grinned.

"Pfft! Is that all? I honestly don't see the problem! In answer to your 'number one,' I'll just teach you to be me, and you'll teach me to be you, duh! And as for 'number two,' well . . . I'll just have to also teach you all about lies of omission! Trust me, Kal: Once you get going, lies just become second nature, really," she remarked casually, as though the two were simply carrying on a conversation about the weather, and not a literally life changing event. "Come onnnn! Think about it! If we did do this, it wouldn't honestly just be about us getting the chance to finally spend time with our missing parent!"

Kalila's brows furrowed a moment within furthered contemplation and consternation, before the realization of what her sibling was currently driving at set in.

". . . . H-Hey, yeah . . . yeah! Because if we did switch places . . . sooner or later Mom and Dad would have to un-switch us! And if they did, they'd have to meet again . . . face to face!" she correctly deduced with a smile of her own, her previously rattled emotions ever so slowly beginning to settle down.

Alazne playfully tapped her sister's nose and giggled.

"See? I told you I'm brilliant! It's gonna be perfect, you'll see! We'll be able to spend time with them, while also finding out why they split up in the first place, how they originally fell in love, and then maybe even find out if they still love each other, too! I mean, there's definitely hope for Dad, anyway, seeing as Mom hasn't been on a date in . . . I don't honestly know how long, but it's been ages, trust me!" she remarked with a smirk, silently wishing that it were the end of summer camp, already.

Kalila eagerly nodded, as she too broke out into excited laughter.

"Neither has Dad! I think he might have gone out for coffee once with a colleague or something, but that was like a year or two ago. Beyond that, it's just always been the two of us – Well, hopefully, the soon-to-be four of us, if we can actually manage this . . . and if I can actually manage not to blow it," she said with a light sigh, her anxiety returning as Alazne gently rested both hands upon her shoulders, it now being her turn to comfort her twin.

". . . . Don't think of it as lying, seriously, Kal. Try to think of all of this as one giant secret, like our 'Sister Secret' about me hating frogs, right? O-Or, better yet! Think of it as a favor! Y-Yeah! A favor that we're doing for our entire family, as we try to bring all of us back together, and for good! . . . . I know you can do it," she encouraged, watching as Kalila momentarily wrinkled her nose within renewed uncertainty, before suddenly shaking her head.

". . . . No, Al. I know we can do it," she avowed steadfastly, smiling warmly at her now surprised sibling, before pulling Alazne into her arms and squeezing her tight.

It certainly wasn't going to be easy, cramming twelve years of knowledge about the other into each of their heads in under seven weeks time, this they both firmly understood.

It was already going to be potentially troublesome all the more, courtesy of Kalila's slightly unfortunate inability to tell nothing but the truth, to be sure.

Still, despite the mountain of obvious obstacles within their way, both twins honestly felt that somehow, some way they would be able to manage their switch . . . more or less without incident.

They'd certainly have to, anyway, as they owed it their broken homes to try . . . and to their parents to do what both have clearly been either too afraid, too stubborn, or both to do, and bring themselves back together. . . .

- End of Chapter Six

(A.N. Yayyyy, only like...I believe probably two chapters, maybe one, not sure yet, before the twins go their separate ways for now and finally meet their parents. =) Until then, I'm rather enjoying writing their ongoing bonding and general adorableness. Kalila's starting to remind me more and more of my friend, Gina, who also tends to be all, "OMG! Holy sh.t, I'm sorry!" and freak out/worry a bit TOO much whenever stuff goes down... LoL But is also very caring and loyal to her loved ones, as well. =)

I had fun picturing Caleb as "Mr. Stuffy Looking Professor" in my mind during this chapter, a far cry from his teenage, kinda reckless self, eh? LoL And also had fun making Will basically a mini-me version of her mom here and there, as well. =)

And while I'm certainly no expert, I thought that giving Hay Lin a black belt within Judo – Which yes, I'm aware was born within Japan, and she is not Japanese, but so what in general LoL - would suit her personality, honestly, seeing as one uses an opponent's own force against them through this particular style, rather than be outright aggressive. I mean it literally means "Gentle way," after all. =) Not to mention Hay Lin's power – Er, former, in this story – as an Air Guardian could be both lethal yet gentle at any time, so yeah. Why not? LoL

ANYWAY! What else, what else... Also thought it'd be cute to have at least one of Will's kids be as obsessed with frogs as she is – And I am. =) One of my absolute favorites is the Red-Eyed Tree Frog, myself, but really, the chubbier, the froggier, the better, damn it! =p

But, yeah! Can't think of anything else I wanted to address, post-A.N., so methinks I'll just stop here. See you within my next update, Matt and Gina, seeing as you're the only two currently reading this – Thank you, again, for that, by the way. =) )