MYBOOKchapone

CHAPTER 1
author: dreamer

Resting on her chin, her long jet-black hair covering one side of her face, April Mackenzie stared at the clock in her physics class. Pushing her black rimmed glasses away from sliding down her nose, she mentally wished for it to strike 3:00pm.
No luck.
The clock still read what it had been reading for the past 5 minutes that April had been staring at it.
2:45pm.
Oh, come onnn! Pleaded April mentally. Physics wasn�t exactly her favourite subject. She didn�t really care about the velocity of a train or when a string lost it�s elastic properties and what ever it was that Mr Brown, her physics teacher had been talking about for the past 35 minutes. What made this class worse was that Mr Brown�s voice was dull and boring enough to put you to sleep and as if in agreement to her thoughts, she heard Chloe who sat behind her yawning.

April smiled, Chloe James had been her closest friend for a year now and she was still amazed at how different they both were. Chloe was what people would call a �wild child�; well at least her dress sense insinuated this particular view. Chloe always dressed how she felt, �like a mood ring but with clothes� was her reply when April first asked her why she dressed �so creatively�. Chloe was very open-minded and didn�t mind trying new things but April was always apprehensive, wanting to weigh up the options of whether painting her locker with daisies was a good idea.
And last Tuesday, they had come to the conclusion that it wasn�t. April smiled as she remembered Principal Couler�s face when her and Chloe were sent to her office.

�Mizz Chase,� came the dull bombing voice of Mr Brown, waking April from her thoughts.
�Are you with us this fine afternoon or is that clock far more fascinating than acceleration?�
�Do you really want to know?� muttered Chloe; April bit back a laugh.

John Brown didn�t wait for April�s answer; he felt that he had made his point. He turned back to the black board and began writing some thing April had no clue about, but she wrote it down anyway.
April smiled; Chloe had compiled a list of each teacher�s background. April had found Mr Brown�s profile a little exaggerated but right now, it explained everything. He hated not being paid attention to; Chloe called him a 34-year-old attention seeker. Although being brought up in a family with nine children and him being the middle one did have something to do with him seeking attention during his teen years. That obviously was Chloe�s psyc 101 report, whose reliability April sometimes questioned. In their last session, they had come to the conclusion that maybe teaching wasn�t his calling, maybe a job as a scientist in a huge research laboratory away from any modern civilised teen would best suit Mr Brown. April knew that Mr Brown�s little comments were a warning.
Listen to me or get a detention was his message and detention was something she never had time for these days. Turning to the clock again, she sighed inwardly and thought, Well, I might as well give him ten minutes of my attention.

Along the corridor and at the other side of Hover high stood the spitting image of April only in place of a bored expression and frown was a satisfied smile.
This is perfect! Smiled Grace Lawson as she added the finishing strokes to her oil painting, an ode to the dark cruel world. She turned, her jet black hair decorated with purple streaks whipping across her face, to glance at her friend Ray Burns who at the present moment was shaking his head, smiling at her in amazement.
�I�ve gotta hand it to you G, you�ve really outdone yourself.�
�Thanks Ray,� she replied adjusting her bright red headband which kept her hair from straying into the paint, at least in theory.
�This is the one thing in this hell of a school that I like doing, so I better be good at it�, she added.
�Well, you�ve got an A+ in the modesty area,� added Amber Reynolds another member of Grace�s art class. Grace liked her class; it was small compared to the other prison cells in the school with just ten people who were passionate about art. Hoover High was what Grace thought of as one of the more humane schools she�d been to. Sure the toilets were still covered in graffiti and there was some bad stuff around, but with it�s immaculately mowed lawns and red brick buildings covered in vines, Hoover High definitely wasn�t bad.
Especially the class rooms. Her favourite being the art room, small and warm, especially on a warm day like this, Grace loved it when the sun's rays shone through the windows illuminating and bringing to life the art pieces around her. She also loved the fact that her teacher Ms McDonald let them have their own space and express themselves in their artwork. Good thing too because Grace had a thing about space, she needed a lot of it. Grace turned and tuned out the conversations going on around her and turned her attention to her ongoing project. It was a soon to be painting which had come to her in a dream. It was a drawing of her dressed in a long silky red gown dancing with a tall, dark haired stranger.
It was a weird dream one she�d been having for over two years. It always started the same. She�d be sitting somewhere and all of a sudden the world around her would disappear and in place of it would be a small quiet balcony with vines and creepers entwined around, her secret balcony in refugee from the world. She would always be staring at the full moon and full sky where the stars would shine a light full of hope and impending happiness.   Then the balcony doors would open and out he would step. He always wore a killer tux and she would always be in that red dress and when he held her in his arms, she�d feel safe, excited and elated like she was high on some super drug but it was up all the way. Never down, but every time she looked up she couldn�t distinguish his features; she just heard his voice, which sent pleasurable shivers down her spine. She could never hear what he said, but the warmth of his breath and gentleness of his voice told her that it was something that could change her whole life. Not that her life hadn�t been changed already, she thought happily.
April, she thought as a smile spread across her face.
Her sister.
I have a sister and not just a sister, a twin sister.
Grace was still amazed that six months ago, she never knew any of her real relatives and now she was living with them and six months ago, she always thought that she was an only child and to find out that there were two of her was still a big shock, every time she saw April.
Although now I�m less hysterical, she mused. She wasn�t the hysterical type, but sometimes there were exceptions. Her first meeting with April for example, Aunt Martha and Uncle Henry had taken her to a room that she was going to share with her sister for a while at least and she had been nervous, very nervous. And when grace got nervous she got very sarcastic and defensive. Which meant to spare all involved, she usually didn�t talk. When she met April face to face, they had stared at each other for an hour, then they�d quizzed each other on likes and dislikes, then smiled. There had been a whole lot of smiling that day. It was the first time that Grace had shed a tear publicly. When she lived with that drunk loser foster dad of hers and his prostitute druggie of a wife she had sworn to herself that no one would ever see her cry. She wouldn�t give them the satisfaction of knowing that they made her hurt, hurt so badly that she didn�t think that she would- Brrrringggggg!
Grace jumped at the sound of the bell signalling the end of school.
�Saved by the bell�, she muttered with relief as she turned to pack up her art supplies in her rugged khaki rucksack.   Her past life, that�s what she liked to call it, was not a place she�d like her mind going back to. There were too many bad memories, too much violence and sadness.
�Hey Grace, you coming to CLUB S tonight?� asked Linda, who Grace thought was a bit of a weirdo but in a nice way, whatever way that was.
�No thanks Lin, I have family night tonight� she replied. Family night, the words still seemed strange to grace when she uttered them out loud. Strange but good.
�Oh,� said Linda her brown eyes growing darker and mistier, � you�re lucky to have that. My mum�s in New York on business and my dad is working late at the office or so he says�. As she headed towards the door, she turned and said wistfully, �you�re lucky to have a sister Grace�and a family who loves you. I envy you, you know�.
Grace just stood there and didn�t know what to say. She wasn�t very good with people. Men maybe yes. But actual heart to hearts, she had no idea.
Say something you idiot! She told herself, but it was too late, Linda had disappeared.
Great move Gracie girl, you handled that as smooth as ice. She glanced at the clock and had to do a double take. �I�m late!� she realised.
She was supposed to meet April at her locker and April had a thing about punctuality, or maybe it was because Grace had been late three times that week already. She quickly grabbed her bag and sprinted down the hallway.

April asked herself again how she had been talked into this. Instead of going straight to her locker to meet grace, Chloe had convinced her to escort her to the track field so she could try and capture her latest crush of the week. Matt Thompson, the tall, lean and utterly sought after track team member.
Only Chloe can make me think that meeting my sister early is less important than this, she mused as they approached the object of Chole�s desire.
April could see Chloe going into flirt mode. Her blue eyes shined with excitement, she touched up her short pixie blond hair and did a quick makeup check in her mirror.
�Okay,� she said turning to April, �how do I look?�
April laughed �Chlo, you look fine.�
�I know,� she replied with a quick self-satisfied smile.
�Hey Thompson� she called out. �you going to CLUB S tonight?�
April saw Matt look up at Chloe and smile.
That�s the thing with Chlo, even though she�s loud, guys like that about her, she thought as she watched Matt bend to her friend�s whim.
�Yeah, I�ll be there�, he replied and casually turned back to his stretches.   April checked her watch anxiously. She was late. �Chlo, I gotta go remember, I�ve gotta meet Grace, family night remember?�
�Oh right, I almost forgot,� said Chloe her eyes still fixed on Matt.
�So� she said slyly to April, �I�ll just have to keep Matt Company then won�t I�.
�Yeah, I�m sure he�ll enjoy your company. Fill me in on the gory details tomorrow, okay?� smiled April.
�Definitely,� she replied and turned her attention back to Matt, as April made her way to her locker.

As she walked across the green grass towards the building and as the cool autumn wind danced around her, April felt the hairs on her back and neck stand on end. Then she felt a chill run down her spine.
Wow!
She remembered that feeling. She�d been experiencing it frequently for a while now, it was like when she�d been watching a horror movie and the victim was walking down a quiet hallway and she didn�t know that the murder was behind her, watching, waiting. Subconsciously she quickened her pace but still felt as if eyes were burning a hole through her back. She tried as casually as she could to survey her surroundings.
Nothing strange, she thought, but why do I get the sense that someone�s watching me? Forget it April, she chided herself, too much t.v. makes April a paranoid girl.
Even if that was it, April just couldn�t shake the feeling that someone was watching her. It made her feel uneasy, naked, exposed, something, which on this bright sunny day where she was fully clothed and surrounded by people; she shouldn�t have been feeling. She quickened up her pace almost breaking into a run and with one last quick glance around, she entered the building.

Gabriel watched her as she talked to her blonde friend, whom from the files he knew her name to be Chloe. His gaze returned to April.
There�s something about her, he marvelled, as his gold brown eyes watched her with intense scrutiny, as she walked back to a building.   She was different from her other half, grace. Grace, was the wild girl, do now think later. And April was�April. She had an air of innocence, yet she was assertive smart, believed the best in people, idealistic, she was careful, thoughtful and, and�
Gabriel couldn�t quite put his finger on it, but he felt drawn to her. There was something about her that gave him butterflies in his stomach, made his throat grow dry and just from the photographs he had taken and seen of her, her blue grey eyes had drawn him into her. It was like drowning in something that gave you these intense inexplicable feelings of excitement yet danger. The feeling of being drawn into uncharted territory�or as max had said, it was probably because she was a hottie too. He lowered his gaze as she slowed down to look around until her eyes settled on him and stared as if she could see through him. Like she knew him. His heart leaped into his throat.
She knows who I am! he panicked, pulling his janitors cap further down his head.
No she couldn�t you idiot he shook himself, she doesn�t know yet, not until tonight. He could feel her gaze still on him, he didn�t have to look up, he felt it. Quickly he pretended to be picking up litter.
A janitor, he mused, is this the best Sebastian could come up with? He decided to take a chance and look up again, just in time to see her push the door back, glance around one last time and step inside. After making sure that it was safe and no one was paying any attention to him, Gabriel swiftly pulled back his shirtsleeve and spoke into his watch. �The subject is on the move to meet her other half as planned.�
A male voice crackled from the watch, �affirmative Gabe, Martha and I will begin the preparations for this evening, over and out.�
Gabe cast one more look at the building April had entered, then pushing his janitor�s trolley he went back to picking up litter.

April ran the last few yards to her locker and practically bumped into Grace as they both came to a screeching halt in front of her locker.
�Hey� said Grace through short breaths, �you ready to go?�
�Uh, yeah. Let me just put these books back into my locker and then we�re all set�, she added as she dialled her locker combination.
�Cool� replied Grace as she did a quick nail check. She always did that when she was nervous and even with six months of living with April, there were still awkward moments between them. She had never had a sister before, well one who seemed to care about her and wasn�t sure what to say. What did sisters talk about anyway? It was new territory for grace and she did what she was best at in new territory. Wait for someone to make the first move.
�Okay� slamming her locker shut, April turned to Grace, �lets go�.
Together, they headed out of the school building and walked the short distance to their home, a Mexican style house with a white picket fence and flowers in the garden, just like Grace had always wanted as a little girl.

�Hello, anyone home?� shouted April as she dumped her suede rucksack on the shoe stand by the door.
�They must be upstairs�, suggested Grace motioning for April to follow. As they approached the top of the staircase, they heard harsh strained voices coming from Henry and Martha�s room. Grace, always suspicious, motioned for April to be quiet as they moved towards the partially opened bedroom.
�Why do we have to tell them tonight, Henry� came Martha�s anxious voice.
�Because�. We�re running out of time. The twins are together now and it�s about time we told them the truth� replied henry
�I just think that it�s too soon, they�re too young, they�re not ready for this� came Martha�s resigned voice.
�Martha, you knew the time would come to tell them and you knew what that would mean for them, for us. We have to do this, for Jake and Lily�s sake� replied henry more softly.
Jack and Lily, our parents, thought grace. What�s going on here?
�I know, I know,� sighed Martha, �I just hope they�ll accept it.�
�I�m sure they will, Martha, I�m sure they will�.
April and Grace looked at each other, mystified. April motioned for them to go downstairs. They slowly crept down the stairs and went to the kitchen closing the door behind them.
�What was that all about?�, whispered April, her blue grey eyes full of confusion.
�I don�t know, but I�m going to find out�. Grace turned to go but April jerked her back
�Hey-�
�You can�t go and confront them now grace,� she protested.
�Why not? They�re obviously lying to us and they know something about our parents that they haven�t told us about, I mean aren�t you curious?�. Waiting wasn�t one of grace�s strong points, especially since she�d just heard her aunt and uncle whom she was supposed to be trusting having a very suspicious conversation.
�Of course I am, but I think that we should wait. See what they tell us family time and if they lie, then we confront them� said April firmly. Grace could hear the determination in her voice, April was a nice gal, but when her mind was settled, she could match grace on her worst days.
Grace thought for a moment, �okay, but-� she was interrupted by the sound of footsteps descending down the stairs.
�Girls, you home?�, called Martha.
She glanced at April, eyes wide and whispered �what do we do?�
�Stay calm� whispered April, her eyes saying otherwise.
Calm.
Grace could be calm.
�We�re in the kitchen Martha!� April shouted.
�Are you mad!� hissed grace.
�Just act natural �, hissed April and she grabbed a nearby apple from the fruit basket and began eating it. Grace caught on and grabbed a can of coke from the fridge.
�I didn�t hear you come in�, said Martha smiling. Grace still couldn�t figure out why her parents had called her Martha that was such an old name befitting an old strict nurse but Martha was definitely not old. Aged at forty- something she looked pretty good. Not to mention Henry. If he weren�t her uncle, grace would have definitely wanted a piece of that pie.
�Oh um, we figured you were busy or something so we just headed straight for the food�, she replied.
�Well, when a girl�s gotta eat,� joked Martha. Nervously, grace observed.
�Why don�t you do your homework, eat, whatever, then after dinner, henry and I have something to talk to you about�.
I bet you do thought grace cynically. Adopting her face of innocence which had rescued her out of many bad situations she asked, �did we do something wrong?�.
�Oh no, it�s just that your uncle and I would like to talk to you both after dinner�.
That was the end of that conversation. They all stood there awkwardly, April eating her apple, grace observing Martha, Martha standing there smiling once in a while.
�Okay, fine,� said grace at last, she loved making them squirm �I�m going up to my room to do�. work�, she said as she headed out of the kitchen.
�Me too,� said April.

April sat cross-legged on her double bed, looking at the only picture that she'd had of her parents while listening to the radio. The gentle rhythms of the quiet song rang through her ears as she stared at the picture, studying it. It was a picture of her parents on their wedding day.
She was soo beautiful. I wish I could have met her, she sighed wistfully, at the image of her mother. She'd looked like a princess that day, her long jet-black hair in curls, contrasting with her white simple wedding dress.
I wonder what the rels have to tell us, and what does it have to do with us? She wondered.
�Ah well,� she said out loud, turning to a pile of text books beside her, �I�ll find out soon enough. Right now, geometry awaits.�

Up in the attic Grace stood, her eyes wandering around, studying the paintings on the wooden walls around her. Then her eyes fixed on the drawing in the far corner, the one from her dream. The one with the mystery man.
Too bad it�s only a dream.
She looked at the picture in her hand, of her mom on her wedding day.
She looked soo pretty, like snow white. I wish I could have seen her, talked to her, anything instead of moving from hell hole to hell hole until� no don�t think about it! She jerked herself.
You have a new life now, one with a sister and relatives you never knew you had. Enjoy it, girl, you deserve it.
She walked across the wooden floorboards and dropped herself onto her metal bed. On her back, staring at the wooden ceiling, she wondered just what the Martha and henry had to tell them. Whatever it was, it was probably very interesting.

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