SHADOWS OF BLOOD

CHAPTER 2: STREAMS APART

The sun had barely begun to peek through the curtains when Fiona’s clock chimed. As the older twin she was serious of her position. She tossed back her neatly folded duvet, her feet on the cold floor with purpose. She stretched herself for a moment and marched across the hallway. She didn’t knock; she knew Viola’s room would be dead silence. When it came to sleeping Viola becomes a cat. Apart from Fiona no one dared entered her room in the mornings. She was a beast especially if her sleep was destructed. Since she turned ten a load of workers had been fired. Apart from Elena all other workers didn’t dare even question her. Viola would cry and just few drops were enough to fire all workers. Not that she lacked discipline, no, she valued her privacy a lot. Even her mother can’t remember the last time she entered the room while Viola was asleep. Inside the room Viola was buried under mountain of pillows. Fiona sat on the edge of the mattress and gently shook her sister.

“Arise and shine, Vee,” Fiona whispered, with a firm soft voice. “I’ve already checked the hallway. The light is on, no spiders, no ghosts. You are safe to come out.” Fiona continued to tease.

A messy head emerged from the blankets. Viola blinked, reaching out to grab Fiona’s hand. “Is it late?”

“Right on time,” Fiona reassured her. “I will leave the door open so you can hear me in the bathroom.

“One more room to visit,” Fiona mumbled as she walked out, directly towards Baila’s room. Although not large like that of Fiona and Viola, Baila’s room was well arranged and decorated in pink. From bedsheets, duvet, pillows, all the way to the babies table where Baila’s books were neatly placed. Her room was a reflection of a neat freak. Fiona looked at her sister who was sleeping with one leg and the head outside the duvet. She was so tiny that one can carry her to the laundry without noticing the small creature inside the duvet. Fiona tapped her gently. Baila murmured few words and went back to sleep. To Fiona this wasn’t new; this had become a habit. Her siblings liked to sleep a lot that she has to wake them every morning.

“If you don’t wake up now forget about me giving you a ride to your school,” Fiona teased seriously.

Baila threw away the duvet instantly and jumped on Fiona’s already open arms.

“Am awake now, I don’t want to drive with mom today,” Baila innocently whispered.

“Okay then. Let me call aunt Molly to give you a bath. Before she comes put your books back to the bag. After the shower come downstairs to have some of your favorites. You can’t start a fight with Viola today please.” Fiona said as she raised her sister out of the bed. She called Molly, Baila’s nanny. As molly entered Fiona exited. She needed to be ready herself.

The next thirty minutes were a coordinated dance of three different personalities. Fiona took her shower and dressed within the ten minutes. She knew she had to approve Baila’s uniform otherwise Molly would have a hard time. She had laid her outfit since last night. For Viola, Fiona knew she was still having hard time choosing the sweater. She had completely forgot to lay the sweater for her sister and now, she has to approve it otherwise Viola will just leave without it. She quickly left her room with her bag, and the sweater on the other hand. She passed through Baila’s room and as if she knew Baila’s mind, she chooses the uniform for her sister.

“I will leave her to you. She should be downstairs within the next ten minutes.” Fiona said to Molly as she exited to go see Viola. There she was; waiting for Fiona to approve the sweater for her. “The one at the end.” Fiona said as she pointed towards the edge of the cabinet. They both took their brushes and headed towards the bathroom in Viola’s room.

As they were coming out Fiona’s phone buzzed. She checked the school forum. The weather was all set. She tied Viola’s hair into a ponytail as she placed few pins on hers. Just then Baila came holding hair tie.

“Can you tie mine too?” Baila asked looking at Fiona. Fiona knew that look. Anytime Baila feels she should be treated like a child not Viola, she would put that look.

“Okay,” Fiona just agreed as she picked her and placed her on the bedside.

“It’s okay Molly. Take her bag pack together with that of Viola downstairs. We will be there in minutes.” Fiona said looking at Molly who just nodded and left with the bag packs. Viola was all set as Fiona finished tying Baila’s hair. She picked her bag on one hand and held Baila with the other. They both headed downstairs for breakfast.

As they headed downstairs, Viola stayed exactly one step behind her sister, her hand occasionally brushing Fiona’s shoulder. Fiona didn’t mind. She knew her sister has always been nervous especially in their mother’s presence. In the dining table, Rebecca had already set the tone. As soon as the three girls settled for breakfast, she stood tall at the head of the long dining table, her voice sharp as crystal.

“From today onward,” she announced, “each of you will use your own car. No more arriving together. Fiona, Viola — you must learn independence.”

Fiona raised an eyebrow, smirking as she sipped her orange juice. “Independence, or distance?” she asked, her tone dripping with mischief.

Rebecca’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t test me, Fiona. You’ve shielded your sister long enough. She must learn to stand without you.”

Viola’s fork trembled in her hand. She glanced at Fiona, silently pleading for reassurance. Fiona winked at her, a silent promise that no matter what their mother said, she would always be there.

“Brian?” Rebecca called. The girls hadn’t heard of someone by that name in the mansion. As steps started approaching they all turned. There he was. Brian, Viola’s new driver. Fiona’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe how determined her mother was to keep them apart. Fiona was to drive with their old driver, an uncle in his early thirties. Viola stared at the new driver. Big eyes, simple but bright smile, a line of sixpacks slightly visible under his black t shirt. Viola couldn’t imagine those abs she had only seen them in the movies. His leg long and his hair style. Viola stared with gaping eyes.

“Good morning, madam,” Brian politely greeted.

Rebecca intentionally ignored the greetings. “From today, your job is to drive her to and from school,” she said signaling Brian towards Viola. “Don’t accommodate anyone else. Only her,” Rebecca completed.

“Understood.” Brian said softly but with a deep voice.

“Instead of staring at me you should hurry. If you girls are late, be sure to serve the punishment without involving me.” She coldly concluded.

Fiona had heard enough. She stood and took Baila in her arms.

“Molly carry these to my car, please.” Fiona said as she pointed at her bag and that of Baila.

Outside, John instantly new Fiona was having a bad day. He quickly opened the door for them as Molly placed the bags in the front seat.

“We need to drop Baila first, so you better hurry.” Fiona stated as she held Baila tightly.

At Riverside High, the day unfolded differently. Fiona and Viola were placed in separate streams. For the first time, Fiona couldn’t watch over her sister. The absence gnawed at her, leaving her restless and irritable. She turned aggressive since arriving just to discover Viola had been pressed. Her mood changed instantly. One look from her shed shivers to her classmates. She was alone; no seatmate. She didn’t bother. If not Viola then she didn’t care about anyone else.

Fiona didn’t just put on her ear pods; she retreated behind a digital fortress. With a sharp, practiced flick of her wrists, she jammed the buds in her ears and dialed the volume until the heavy bass drowned out the world. Her mood was a storm cloud, dark and electric, radiating an energy that felt like a physical barrier. As she sat in her desk, she became a ghost to her surroundings. The judgmental whispers of her classmates died against the wall of her music, and their lingering stares bounced off her stony expression. For her, the room was silent, the people were static, and the only thing that existed was the rhythmic, angry pulse in her ears.

From across the crowded hallway, Viola felt a cold spike of panic. Viola who was used to her sister as an immovable lighthouse in the storm felt like today the light had been extinguished; it felt like her safety net had suddenly frayed. This switch was so sudden that she didn’t even have time to prepare. Her seatmate was Adrian Cole, the hottest boy in school, whose easy charm made her blush. He leaned toward her with a grin. She stood frozen by her locker, her fingers twisting the straps of her bag as she thought of the invisible barrier between her and her twin. A barrier their other had built with a strong foundation; so strong that it seemed impossible to break. To her Fiona looked unreachable anymore. She realized with a sinking heart she was going to navigate the rest of the day entirely on her own.

“New here, right?” Adrian asked.

Viola nodded, her voice barely audible. “Yes.”

With that, Adrian slumped over, his dark hair messy against the wooden desk, and got lost in his own world of sleep. The classroom air was thick with the hum of low-grade fever. Feeling the heavy absence of Fiona’s protective shadow, Viola decided to make herself invisible. She tugged her sweater, jammed her headphones on, and let her head sink onto her crossed arms. With Adrian they were two islands of quiet in a sea of teenage chaos.

The spell was broken by the sharp clack of a meter ruler against the table.

“Wake up, dreamers,” the teacher droned. “I’ve had enough of the silence. We’re into collaborative units. Look to your left and right-that’s your team. Groups of three, now.”

Viola jotted upright, her heart hammering against her libs. She looked right; Adrian was rubbing his eyes, looking drowsy and surprisingly approachable. Then, a girl with bright, inquisitive eyes leaned over from the desk behind them.

“I guess that makes us the ‘napping trio,’” she whispered with a grin. “I’m Silvia.”

Adrian gave a half-smile that that would have made half the girls in the hallway faint, but Viola just felt a strange sense of relief. Silvia’s energy was warm and grounding, almost that of her sister Fiona. As they began to whisper about the assignments, the fear that usually gripped Viola began to loosen. Silvia did the talking, Adrian provided the effortless cool, and for the first time, Viola felt she was standing on her own two feet.

When the lunch bell rang, the newfound confidence dimmed. Viola walked into the dining hall, her eyes instinctively searching the crowd until they landed on Fiona. Fiona was siting at a corner table, her expression still crowded by the morning’s bad mood. Their eyes met for a fleeting, painful second. Viola’s instinct was to run over, to tuck herself under her sister’s wing and tell her about Silvia and the boy who slept through class. But she stopped. She remembered their mother’s sharp, icy warning at the breakfast table. “At school you are individuals. No clinging. No talking. If I hear you spent lunch together or any other break, don’t blame me for the consequences.” Viola gripped her plate harder, her knuckles turning white. She saw Fiona’s jaw tighten. She was hurting, too, but she didn’t move. Fiona was the first to look away, staring intensely at her plate as if it were the most interesting thing in the room. Viola turned back to Silvia, who was waving her over to a table near the window. The distance between the sisters felt like a physical canyon, but as Viola sat down with her new friend, she realized she was learning how to breath without a shadow.

The atmosphere shifted the moment Adrian Core arrived. The air around him seemed to be thin. He walked with a lazy, effortless grace, sweater slung over one shoulder. A ripple of hushed whispers followed his wake. Girls adjusted their hair as he passed, and even the seniors stepped aside to give him room. Adrian was used to the “Golden Boy” treatment-the soft smiles, the nervous giggles, and the way eyes trailed him like he was the male lead in a world classic romance movie. He navigated the attention with a bored, half-lidded expression, looking like a king who had grown weary of his own court.

Then, he rounded the corner near the window, and the boredom evaporated. Fiona was leaning against the table, her jaw set in a hard line. She was still vibrating with the dark energy from earlier, her arms crossed tightly over a chest. Unlike everyone else she wasn’t looking at Adrian with admiration. She was looking through him, her eyes sharp, fierce and stormy, radiating a silent warning to the world to stay back. For the first time in his life, Adrian stopped walking. His gaze locked onto Fiona’s, and the impact was physical. While others gave him softness, she gave him fire. There was no fluttering of eyelashes or shy tucking of hair behind her ears; there was only piercing, defiant stare that seemed to challenge his very existence. Adrian suddenly felt completely undone. He didn’t know her name, hadn’t heard her voice and certainly didn’t know she was the sister to the girl who had just napped next to him in the class. All he knew was he was tired of being admired, and he was suddenly obsessed with the girl who looked like she wanted to start a revolution against him. He didn’t say a word. He just stood there, heart hammering against his ribs, watching as Fiona finally broke eye contact with a dismissive roll of eyes and vanished through the back door. He didn’t say word. He couldn’t. He just stood there, heart hammering against his ribs as Fiona completely vanished.

When the final bell rang, Fiona stepped out of the school gate, scanning for her car. The crowd thinned, students rushing home. She stood alone, tapping her foot impatiently.

That was when the van pulled up.

Two men stepped out, their movements too deliberate to be casual. Fiona’s instincts screamed danger. Before she could react, rough hands grabbed her, dragging her toward the vehicle.

“Let go!” she snarled, thrashing violently. Her eyes blazed with fury, but the men were stronger.

The van door slammed shut, muffling her cries. The school gate faded into the distance as the vehicle sped away.

Back inside the school, Viola laughed nervously at something Silvia said, unaware that her sister — her shield, her protector — had just been taken.