O N E
Elise Foster was seven years old when she first saw Vincent and Giovanni Cancio. Their family was moving into the empty house next door and a van with all their belongs was parked on the street. The two were standing next to each other by the sidewalk, their attention down at a handheld game system.
They both had dark hair and tan skin. Their bodies lean but not scrawny or lanky. Elise couldn't see much of their face but she did notice one thing. She had tugged on her mom's blue dress, her eyes glued to the two boys.
"Mommy, they have the same face."
"They're twins." She replied, joining her daughter in watching out the window.
"Twins?"
"They were born together, they'll look alike and are the same age."
"Oh."
"I wonder if they're in your grade."
There was a pause for a moment. The boys' father appeared and started yelling at the movers while pointing to the house. The boys didn't seem fazed by this.
"They are cute." Elise spoke softly, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.
"Yes." Gwen Foster breathed.
Elise glanced up at her mom and noticed her eyes weren't on the two young boys.
"What are you girls doing?" Orson Foster joined his small family in the living room. "Spying on the neighbors already?" He chuckled.
The start of second grade confirmed they were the same age as her. They were instantly noticed, being new and twins, and easily became popular. Elise admired them from afar, too shy and nervous to say anything to them even though they were neighbors. She had gone completely unnoticed by them for two years.
Elise's best friend, Acacia Kemp, seemed to be the only one who didn't stare at them. She didn't understand everyone's fascination and didn't want to. She kept Elise occupied with random adventures, crafts, and constant sleepoverso.
The start of fourth grade, everything had changed. Elise's mom had been caught having an affair with Guilio, father of the twins. Viola, Guilio's wife, had caught them in bed without clothes on. Gwen did the naked walk of shame back to her house while Viola screamed at her husband.
The two had grown physical with each other in a fit of emotions, Viola having slapped him and he retaliating. He claimed he had fallen out of love with her and that Gwen now had his heart. That she satisfied every sexual desire he needed. Before leaving the house, he told her he'd be getting a divorce. Viola commit suicide that night.
Gwen, on the other hand, was enjoying the constant fear of being caught and the adrenaline that came with it. She no longer wanted any type of relationship with Guilio nor her own husband who was willing to look past things. She divorced him and moved out of state to 'live her life'.
The story spread around their small town like wildfire. Gwen was called all sorts of names, mainly 'whore' and 'home wrecker.' Guilio became an alcoholic and Orson became a workaholic in order to pay for all the legal debt Gwen had put them in and to keep the house.
Suddenly, the twins knew who she was. And it was not the attention she wanted.
They pulled her hair and tripped her as she walked by. Knocked her books out of her hands and scattered her papers. Destroyed projects, trashed her lunches, called her all sorts of names; in English and Italian. They were relentless and she could never seem to escape them.
The twins grew taller and more arrogant over the years. They slowly morphed into bad-boys who had their own lackeys and girls following them around. Their jaw lines became more defined and their muscles thickened. They had perfect, straight, white teeth and always seems to know how to dress. They kept their hair the same as each other, slightly shorter on the sides and about three or four inches on top in a messy yet styled way.
Acacia's tightly curled hair had finally reached her shoulders after having her mom chop off most of it due to some bubble gum that had made it into her hair instead of Elise's. She was a few inches taller than Elise now and started growing small, natural curves as she went through puberty.
It wasn't often Acacia was bullied, the twins' favorite was by far Elise, but there were times Acacia was too close or got shot down for defending her friend. Elise was beyond grateful that her best friend remained by her side.
Elise's appearance seemed to stay the same. She was entering high school at the same height she started in middle school. Her body had yet to show signs of maturing besides having her monthly visitor. Her amber colored hair fell between her shoulder blades and her eyes were bright blue with marks of yellow around her pupil, making them green at times.
Tomorrow, she'd be starting high school. Her stomach twisted and knotted into a painful ball that had her tossing and turning all night.
