The Twins - SciFi, Romance, Drama

I'm in Emery's room; my designated friend-with-benefits. The dull light from the open bathroom doorway flickers into his room, casting a yellow glow upon the bed where we lay. An annoyingly loud drip sounds every few seconds, seeming to echo in the still nights' air. I sigh, I shouldn't be here. I run my fingers through my tousled brunette hair as I recalled the night's memories. I remember going out for a few drinks with some work buddies, a drunken phone call and Emery's deep voice, a heated kiss. . . and the rest is history.

I sighed again, rubbing my bare legs together as the cool air causes some goosebumps to pebble atop my skin. I'm only covered from my chest to my thighs by a corner section of the knitted blanket. Emery's large frame took up most of the full sized bed. I pulled some of the blanket back over to me and shivered when the tasty warmth enveloped me. I could feel my hard nipples pressing against my arms as I clutched the blanket closer to my chest. It was unusually cold tonight, but I didn't much mind. I prefered the cold to the heat anyways. Emery's light snoring filled the empty space as snuggled closer to his warm, naked body. He groaned softly and curled into me, his arm slingling over me as he stilled and began his light snoring again. I'll just rest for a few more hours and then I'll head home before the sun rises. Emery wouldn't mind at all. My eyes began to feel heavy.

Next thing I know, the early morning sun awoke me. I squint and try to turn away from the sunlight pouring into Emery's room through the cracks in his blinds. I suppressed yet another sigh as I slid the blanket off and rose up. Of course I overslept. I gaze at Emery's still form. His eyes closed, his mouth slightly ajar, his golden brown hair poking out in odd angles and one of his arms resting across his tan abdomen while the other stretched above his head. He still wasn't wearing any clothes, I could tell by the prominent bulge underneath the sheets and the fact that his bare chest was on display for my greedy eyes. I pursed my lips and turned away. Last night was great, but it shouldn't have happened. Again. Every time is the last time, but will we actually stop? Emery was so deep in his slumber that I knew he wouldn't wake if I slipped away. I checked the time on my phone which was a quarter to six in the morning. There's still time before Emery's alarm goes off but I can't sleep in today because I have to meet my brother.

"Oh my gosh," I hiss and scramble to double check today's date on my phone. June 7th.

My eyes widen to the size of saucers. Today is the day. My birthday, our birthday. My twin brother and I turn 26 today. He is coming to visit this morning and we're supposed to spend the whole day together. We've been planning this for months. I mentally scolded myself for letting this vital piece of information slip my mind. I blame the alcohol. I slip off of the bed and dash to collect my clothes as quietly as possible. A muffled squeal escaping my lips as I step on something wet and gooey, cold liquid squishing between my toes. Slowly, I look down and I lay my eyes on a used condom.

"What the f-!" I glare at Emery's sleeping face, my nose scrunching in disgust as I lifted my foot away and rubbed my toes into the dry carpet. I'll leave that for him to clean, I smirk. My clothes were bunched in a pile against the wall. Once I was all dressed with my phone, keys and clutch, I silently made my way out his front door. Rubbing the rest of my sleep from my eyes, I reached my familiar apartment front door. It was only a ten minute drive from Emery's place to mine. The door slams behind me and I flinch a little but can't force a reaction out of myself as I reach my hands above my head and stretch out all the sore muscles. A few satisfying cracks sounded throughout the quiet room as I released.

After my steamy shower, I stand in front of the mirror in my small, but luxurious bathroom. I work the towel through my long brown locks that look almost black when drenched. I try not to stare at myself in the mirror, but my naked reflection calls to me and I begrudgingly drag my eyes to meet my own reflection. My icey blue eyes stare judgingly back at me, my fair skin glowing with a yellow tint in the soft lighting. The pads of my fingers traced a dark purple bruise on my navel suspiciously in the shape of Emery's lips. I purse my lips and toss my damp towel into the laundry basket and head back to my room to get ready for a long day of celebrating with my twin.

Coffee; I could never stand the taste of black coffee, it tastes like burnt cookies, but the smell, oh the smell, was absolutely heavenly. I dump in an ungodly amount of sugar and sip on the hot beverage as I busied myself with emails. My brother, Ares should be here any minute now. My fingers work quicker on my laptop keyboard because I still needed to finish sorting through these emails by the end of today. This week was full of excessive amounts of paperwork, some was digital and some was not and I could barely keep up.

"Happy birthday, my womb-mate!" My brother announces in my ear from right behind me, startling me. He laughs as he slides into the seat across from me and picks up his cup of coffee, hurriedly gulps some down. His face then scrunches up in disgust, "It's cold," he mutters.

I raised my eyebrows, " and you're late," I say as if that would explain everything. Then I add, "Happy birthday, big bro." I had been waiting for nearly an hour but that didn't matter, not that my brother was here. It's been so long since we've gotten to be together.

"I had a few things to take care of first, but i'm free now."

His vague response caused a sigh to leave my lips as I closed my laptop. "Thanks for making time for our birthday, " I mutter sarcastically.

"So how's Emery? You seen him around?" He completely ignored me, which made me want to give him a knuckle sandwich.

The question seemed so casual that I froze up for a second before I gathered my senses. My cup of now chilled coffee was mere inches from my lips, then I quickly came to my senses and took a loud, obnoxious sip. I swallow hard, "yeah, he's okay. Same old, same old." I shrugged, setting my cup down.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I don't really talk to him." I lied. My thoughts flashed back to last night. His tan muscled body pressed against my delicate creamy breasts, my thighs wrapped around him and the rough skin of his hands digging into the soft skin of my behind.

"Earth to Z."

I come back to reality, my face heating up in embarrassment. I don't normally doze off like that. "Sorry," I replied quickly. "I meant that Emery and I grew apart over the years." I remember my laptop still open in front of me so I begin to type, trying to distract myself with the words.

He hums in response, finishing the rest of his coffee in one gulp. "Right." But he doesn't set the empty cup down, instead he fiddles with it. I can tell he doesn't believe me and it makes me so nervous.

The thing about Emery and I is that we aren't supposed to be together. Our physical relationship is forbidden, at least in my brother's eyes. The three of us grew up together since we were ten years old. Ares and Emery always had a closer friendship and they hung out more often together than they did with me. I was always the annoying younger sister that would tag along every now and then. But all of that changed during our last couple years of high school. Ares was so focused on getting into the military and making sure that he succeeds that he didn't notice the blooming relationship between Emery and I. A part of me think he suspects now, that he has been piecing this puzzle together for a while, but i can't think of that right now, not while he's sitting in front of me.

"Well," he suddenly exclaims, slamming his empty cup down with a loud thud, "you ready?"

My eyebrows furrow, "for what??"

"To have a good time."

"Okay."

Next thing I know I'm standing in the middle of the forest with a scowl on my face. Okay this is not what I was expecting when my brother insisted on us having a good time.

"What even is this place?"

"It's a hiking trail, little sis." He retorts.

I roll my eyes and gaze around at the tall trees that seemed to reach the sky and the dirt path littered with weeds. "Uh-huh. I gathered that. I mean what are we doing here, Ares?" I've never been hiking and I wouldn't want to, he knows this. I'm more of a stay home and watch cheesy historical, fictional, soapy romance shows on my seventy-five inch TV screen kind of girl.

"We're exploring! Live a little, sis."

I glare at my brother's back, but I chose to ignore his never ending, annoying nicknames for me. "I don't need to hang with the bugs and lions in order to live." I cough dramatically as I wave a buzzing bug from my face and try my best to dodge its attempts at landing on my exposed skin.

"There are no lions in these parts."

I sigh.

"Just wolves," he continues.

I stiffen and immediately slow my steps. "Are you serious? You call this a good time?"

"Calm down, I'm kidding. Partly. Anyways, I had to find a way to get you to come out here, didn't I?"

Dirt crunches loudly under his heavy duty boots as he expertly walks down the zig-zag path that is littered with divots, rocks of all sizes, and creepy crawly bugs. Me on the other hand, I was not such an expert. My angels kept twisting to the side every time I stepped on any particularly big rocks or divots in the path. I still tried to quicken my pace to keep up with his long strides, despite my increasingly sore muscles. I should've worn better shoes. I can feel every crevice of the uneven dirt path beneath the thin sole of my shoes. "I'm not cut out for this stuff, Ares. Let's just go back and watch a movie or something." I suggest, desperation seeping into my tone as I rub the goosebumps forming on my arms and swat at yet another bug. Even though it was just the beginning of June, the forest felt cooler than the city and I was wearing a thin short sleeve shirt which did nothing to keep the elements at bay.

"Come on, Z. You're safe with me."

The dirt path soon switches to rocky terrain as I continue to follow my brother's relentless strides. He doesn't seem tired at all, while I'm fighting to hide my huff and puffs, my lungs struggling to adjust to the extra strain. "Slow down Mr. Man-on-a-mission. Not all of us have gone to boot camp." I gasp, trying to cover the slight wheezing sound coming out when I talk while walking.

In front of me, Ares pauses. "Sorry," is all he says before he continues onward, walking slower this time. In the distance I can see the side of a mountain peeking out between tall green trees.

"I'm not climbing that mountain. Forget it."

"We're not going to climb it." I relaxed a little. "We're going through it."

"Somehow that sounds worse." I think aloud.

"It's a cave."

"And how long are we going to explore this cave? It's getting late." I stare at the colorful sky of pink, orange, yellow and the dark yellow sun hiding beneath the horizon.

"Enough questions. We're almost there."

I plant my feet firmly on the rocky trail, "Stop this." I demand and am satisfied when my brother stops walking and turns to face me without argument. "I'm not taking another step until you explain why you're acting so strange. You've never taken me hiking before and you know I don't enjoy this." I take this moment to try to regulate my breathing, the ache setting in deeper now that my body has had time to relax.

A throaty sigh leaves his lips, his fingers coming up to massage circles into his forehead. "Okay," A long pause stretched before he continued. "A lot of things are happening and I need you to be prepared."

"Okay. What things?" Suspicion creeps into my tone. Although I know deep in my heart that there could only be a few reasons why my brother would be acting so strangely.

"The higher ups don't want to cause a panic, but there are," he pauses and it causes my heart to palpitate. Go on, I want to say, but I don't. I purse my lips in anticipation. "Certain things that are very dangerous right now and I need you to be prepared because you're my sister and i'd do anything to keep you safe."

In the distance, birds chirp and squirrels scurry about, probably on their way into their homes for the night. Everything seems perfectly pristine in this forest he's brought me to, but the look in her brother's eyes at that moment was undeniably eerie. After my brother made sure I understood, we treaded onwards until we reached the base of the mountain.

Ares expertly found a hidden entrance to a cave and in we went. Music filled my ears after we had walked a few dozen yards in the cave. It was a seamless fusion of a woman's voice with an orchestra; opera music. A very bizarre thing to hear after entering a cave.

"Is someone playing opera?" I looked for the source of the sound but could only see dimly lit cavern walls reflecting the light from my brother's lamp. Our steps echoed with every step we took.

"Those idiots," Ares mumbled, not bothering to respond to my question. He took a sharp left and I stumbled as I tried to keep up. Ahead was a steel door with a circular handle that looked like a steering wheel. He spun the circular handle and pushed the door open, revealing a shockingly well lit and modernly furnished room with a doom-like ceiling.

"Are you two insane?" My brother immediately said to the open space, a warning in his tone.

"I told you he'd be mad."

"Don't be such a kiss-ass, Tehani!"

My attention snapped to the left where the bickering had started. I saw two people who were similar in almost every way. The woman, Tehani, was a leggy, golden suntanned goddess with jet-black hair. Her kinky hair pooling around her shoulders, perfectly framing her soft facial features. The music suddenly cut off and my attention was drawn to the second person in the room. A tall man, with a curly mop of black hair and emerald green eyes. He looked every bit the male version of Tehani but taller and except with sharper edges to his silhouette. They both freeze when they spot me standing next to my brother.

"Well, well, well." Says the man. "Who do we have here?" He saunters forwards, his determined eyes never leaving my own.

"My sister." Ares says with an edge to his tone. He inches closer to me, partially covering me with his bulky frame.

The man's eyes widen as he halts his approach, "my apologies," he places his arm across his chest and mockingly bows.

"Shut up, Bell!" Tehani shouts, throwing a book towards Bell to emphasize her annoyance with his shenanigans. She sighs loudly, "sorry about my brother." Her eyes meet my own.

I smile but before I could respond, my brother speaks.

"No time for formalities, I need my sister to know about the nightcrawlers."

The silence was deafening.

Please tell me my brother did not drag me into these mountains over silly little earthworms.

"we aren't supposed to-"

"I don't give a damn! " Ares's chest rumbles.

There's a long pause. Bell and my brother staring daggers at each other.

"What's your name, hun?" Tehani asks, her eyes unwavering despite the growing tension in the room.

"Zena." I'm skeptical but I ultimately cave b3cuase I know this is important to me brother.

"Nice to meet you, Zena. I'm Tehani and this is my brother, Bellami. We're the operators of base N-7."

"We're here because of creatures called nightcrawlers." Belami adds.

Without missing a beat, Tahani continues, adding onto what her brother said. "The creatures are assumed to have originated from two unnamed scientists,"

Now Bellami adds, "Who were determined to prove those wrong who laughed at them when they presented their idea of a frankenstein to bring back belived relatives from the dead."

"And they ended up creating nightcrawlers. Since they couldnt let go of the past and all." Tehani finishes.

"So what you guys are trying to say is-"

"They escaped. And we have an epidemic on our hands that we're keeping under wraps without scaring the public." Tehani and Bellami speak at the same time. They're so in sync that it's starting to creep me out. This day turned out to be more eventful than I expected.

I blink a few times, "should I be hearing about all this? None of this even seems real. Is this a joke?" I give my brother the side eye.

"No," Tehani and Bellami reply in perfect sync again.

"You guys are more in sync than my brother and I are, and we're twins," I chuckle and shuffle awkwardly.

"We're not twins, we were born ten months apart, but we've spent everyday together since then." Tehani answered my unspoken questions.

"You never need some alone time?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"No." They they go again with their in sync answers.

I bite my lip to hold back a laugh as I eye Ares, but he just shrugs with a smile of his own.

"So," I exclaim loudly, "you brought me here on false pretense, you had these two explain confidential information to me, and now what?"

"Now I take you home, little sis."