Irish twins | b.swan

01

Nora and Bella sit awkwardly in the back of their fathers cruiser, their first hour in their new home town being spent in silence. Neither had the guts to sit up front with him and now they look like criminals being escorted to the station. Neither of them remember growing up here. They were taken by their mom when they were young, taking them to California before they settled in Phoenix, Arizona.

Bella was their first child together, only older than Nora by 11 months. Currently 17 years old, she's the reason they're moving across the country with the father they barely know. Nora wanted to stay, she wanted to be with her mom, but Bella talked everyone into this. She wanted their mom and stepfather to have some time together, to be free of the baggage of the Irish twins.

And so now they're stuck in the most depressing town in the entire of the United States, maybe even the world. It rains most of the time. There's no such thing as summer. Snow doesn't even exist properly here - it's sludge.

An Irish twin is a sibling born less than 12 months after the first; Bella was born September 13th and then, 11 months later, Nora was born on August 4th. They grew up so close, best friends. They were often treated as twins in matching outfits and joint parties. Both are glad to be in this together.

"I set your rooms up. You gotta share a computer but you get your own rooms." Charlie says in a hopes to make some sort of conversation.

"That's super kind." Nora nods, smiling small. She was just a few months old when they left.

Not long later they make it to the same house both were born in. "One bathroom?" Bella mutters as they follow their dad.

He sets Nora's bags down first, heading back to get Bella's. Nora has the small bedroom, the small double bed taking up 3/4s of the room. The small closet has no door and the window is tiny. She sighs and sits down, looking around at the teal walls. The bedding is a purple colour and, she realises as she looks across the hall at Bella's bigger room, the same as her sisters.

Bella smiles small across the way at her sister. "It won't be forever, Norry. Promise."

Nora forces a smile. "It's fine. We're doing this for mom, right? Anything for her."

Bella nods and turns away, beginning to unpack. Nora let's the smile drop and lays back, staring up at the ceiling. She eventually gives up on daydreaming and unpacks what little of her belongings she has.

"Nor? Bells? Come down here!" Charlie calls.

The sisters raise an eyebrow at each other, heading down one after the other, finding their dad and two strangers outside. Nora blushes as she looks at the boy, long dark hair surrounding his russet skinned face. He has such a gorgeous smile...

"Nora, Bella, this is Billy Black and his son, Jacob." Charlie says, leaning on an orange truck now parked in the driveway.

"I remember you." Nora smiles politely.

"Yeah,we used to make mud pies." Jacob smiles wide. Nor has a feeling he always smiles.

"We did! I always made the better ones." She giggles.

"Nuh uh!" Jacob gasps.

"So this is your welcome present... Again, you gotta share." Charlie says, interrupting the two.

Bella gasps. "Serious? Oh my god, this is perfect!"

"I totally rebuilt the engine." Jacob says, suddenly animated and talking to Bella.

Nora watches, her stomach in knots. Okay, maybe he's worth the hassle of moving here.

-

"I told you, you smell." Nora jokes as Bella tells her about the weird encounter she had with one of her new classmates.