Long ago, in a house on a hill, lived a family named Somerville. There was the father, Andrew, his wife, Harriet, their four children, Andrew (Andy), Jr., Mark and the twins, Jennifer and JoAnne.
Nobody knew where they were from or much of anything about them. There was definitely something strange about them. They kept to themselves and never spoke with anyone more than they had to. The children didn't attend school, they were taught at home by their mother. Andrew didn't work, but received an envelope from a legal firm in New York every month which he always took immediately to the bank.
Naturally people were curious, but their curiosity would soon turn to horror.
When the Somerville's suddenly appeared, the twins Jennifer and JoAnne were barely two months old. As time passed and the girls grew, rumors began to stir about them. They were beautiful, with long, silky raven hair so black it was blue. Their eyes were so dark they appeared to be black too.
People began to talk because the girls looked so different from the other members of their family. Where Jennifer and JoAnne were dark haired and dark eyed, both Andy and Mark were fair with green eyes. Andrew had bright, flaming red hair and Harriet was a pale blonde. People began to notice the strange behavior the family displayed when the girls were near. No one would look them directly in the eye, they always averted their gaze. No one was ever heard speaking to the girls.
The older the girls got, the more uncomfortable people felt around them. Many claimed to feel a severe chill in their presence. No one ever saw the girls talking to each other, yet somehow they were always in communication with each other.
One night, on All Hallows Eve, just after the twins fifteenth birthday it happened. No one was surprised by it, yet all were horrified. |
