The Friend Trap

Copyright 2021 by Kat Thomas

All rights reserved.

Cover design by Canva Kat Thomas

Book design by Kat Thomas

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Due to many thefts of online work This copyright notice will be there on every online posting from now on. I will also say I will take action on any person or company who posts my work without permission.

“Why are you bringing your friends here?” Henrietta Hanson asked her brother who was sitting across the table from her as the two sat at the table on her patio eating a quick lunch together. There were complete opposites in everything in their lives even though they were not only brother and sister. They were twins. They couldn’t not be any more different if they actually tried.

Christian looked at her as he took another bit of food. He looked at her through his soulful brown eyes as he met her light blue ones. “You need to meet some new people.” He easily replied after he swallowed his bite. “You never go out or even remotely act our age.”

“Why would I?” She asked. “Chris We both know I am different from people our age. I don’t get along with them because I am in a different place in my life.”

“You don’t act any different with me.” He said as he sat back in his chair and looked at his sister. He knew they were different. He tilted his head and wondered how they could even be twins. She was so much smaller than he was by so much. There was nothing that he could think that was the same. Her skin was almost pure alabaster and though it shined in the light of day. He looked at his hand and it was bronzed much like the rest of him. She also didn’t reach his chest when they were standing next to each other. She was the smallest in the family and he was the biggest.

“I don’t have to be any different with you.” She said as he looked at him looking at his hands. “You don’t expect anything from me.”

“No I guess I don’t.” he said as he sat back and smiled a bit. “But I do think that you should get out and meet some new people.”

“I don’t know why.” She said as she looked to the back yard. “and I really don’t want them here at all.”

“Come on.” He said as he looked at her and he knew that he was pushing her out of her comfort zone. “Alright I will compromise. How about instead of coming here you go out and meet with the group in our go out place. It is a bar and club in the same building.”

“Chris.” She said as she sighed. “You aren’t going to let me get out of this are you?”

“No.” he said, “One time and if you don’t like them for any reason I will let you off the hook for a few months at least. I know you are busy but you still need to be a twenty two year old.”

“I was a twenty two year old eight years ago.” She said with a laugh. “When we were fourteen.”

“Being advanced doesn’t mean you have to give up on still being young.” He said as he looked at her and shook his head. “By the way.” He started to say.

“If it is about mom I don’t care.” Henni said as she looked at him. He knew the reason she stopped talking to most of their older siblings. He had taken the stand with her though it was not hard for him. He had seen first hand the way she had been treated when they were growing up. She had been used from the day she was born. She had been the lucky one to be a near perfect match to their older brother for her blood and bone marrow. That was the only reason the last six of the kids in the family had been born. They had all been told this almost from birth. Henni had been different even then.

She had gone through two of the painful procedures to save her brothers life. Once when she had been a month old and then one when she was twelve. Each time her mother addressed her as his spare parts. She didn’t care about her getting hurt and then sick afterwards. She had actually left the room to follow the life saving fluids to where she would sit holding her brothers hand while he got everythin implanted in him.

Henni had handled it all well until he had come out of remisson a third time. That was when all hell broke out in the family when she told her brother she was sorry but she wouldn’t be his donor. Her mother had lost her temper and nearly hit Henni who was waiting for it. It wasn;t like she had made the decision lightly either. The only reason she had even said no was because the three people who could be a better match than her had never been tested. His children. The answer to a simple question is what made Henni say no rather quickly. She had asked why had they not been tested because they could be better than she was as they were his children and therefore half of him. the answer had come equally as quick. Why would they put the kids through a hard and painful test and procedure if they already had a good enough match?

With her quick no she had torn her family apart. It was the last time she had spoke to her mother. Henni had moved on. Christian had stood beside her for the most part. It wasn;t like she needed it though. She was brilliant and one of a kind.

“Are you two ever going to make up?” Christian asked.

“no.” Henni said. “I was just kept for spare parts. Hell she didn’t even want to see me when they got divorced and she wanted me and only me to go live with dad.”

“Henni.” He said as he stood up and stretched and looked down at her as she looked up. “Fine. I will get with you later this week to see when would be a good time to have this meet up.”

“Fine.” She said as she sighed as he walked through the door and through her house. She leaned back in her chair and then she knew this was not going to go as he thought it would.