No Happily Ever After

Chapter 28

Hanleyand Giselle Durand had always been aware of the rumors thatcirculated about them.

There had been aperiod in their childhood when police had recovered them bothwandering lost in the Faraway Forest, and had returned them to theirhome numerous times. Each of the three incidents had been during thewinter when they were five years old. In each case, they had been inthe forest for several hours and some passerby would spot them andthen they would be returned. The police assured their father theywere going through an unruly time, to just be patient and keep aclose eye on them. And it would pass.

But, the rumorswent that, in fact their father and step mother couldn't afford tworambunctious twins, and that together the parents had plotted to setthem lose in the forest and let the frigid winter weather take careof the problem.

The truth of thematter was somewhere in the middle.

Hanley and Gisellewere far from unruly as children. Though it was true their littlefamily was dramatically poor, they were raised until aged three by anadoring father and a lovely, mannerly mother. But, when their motherpassed away, their father had felt desperate about his children beingleft motherless. He'd remarried quickly without appropriately gettingto know his new wife first.

Despite thewonderful manners and calm demeanors of Hanley and Giselle Durand,their step mother could not stand them. She resented seeing theimage of their deceased mother in their shining raven hair, theirpiercing brown eyes, and their flawless pale skin. She resented thatmost of the family's meager recourses went to the betterment and careof the children. Frankly, she resented that all her new husbandcould provide her was a small, shabby cottage in the woods.

So, the new Mrs.Durand hated Hanley and Giselle.

The full truth wasthat Mr. Durand had no clue that his new wife was sending hischildren into the snowy forest alone, after he left for work at thelocal factory in the morning. Additionally, a side of her he did notsee came out in his absence. She was vicious to her step children. Screaming, shoving, smacking, and hating them. After the thirdattempt to let them wander lost until they froze to death failed,Mrs. Durand gave up on that plan. Little Hanley and his sisterGiselle had been too terrified of the unpredictable woman to lettheir father know that they'd actually been forced into the woods. But, because he continued not to notice the problems going on beneathhis own roof, the children became cold and hardened.

Finally, at ageten, Mr. Durand returned home from work early one day to find hiswife beating Hanley's behind with a belt while shrieking obscenities. Astounded and heartbroken, Mr. Durand tossed her out on the spot. He apologized profusely to his children, but the damage was done. Too much time had gone by that he failed to notice their suffering. So their hearts had grown cold to him. And to the world.

***

By the time Hanleyand Giselle reached their teenaged years, they probably couldbe considered unruly. Among their peers at Faraway Senior High, theywere considered "not to be messed with." It wasn't thatthey were bullies, or outwardly nasty to any particular person. Theywere just hard. Brooding and angsty. Maybe it was because they wereso quiet, most often seen together with their matching faces set instony frowns. Maybe it was because they were known hunters; spendinghours together in the forest hunting wild game. Maybe it was becauseof all the silly stories that had sprung up about them, as if theywere some sort of urban legends.

Or maybe it wasjust their bitterly cold, dark, haunted eyes.

Whatever the case,they didn't have much in the way of friends. Which was why it was sosurprising when Hanley responded to a knock on the front door to findZoe Locke and Jennifer Tide shivering on their doorstep.

"Well hi,"Hanley said.

"Hi," Zoesaid nervously. "I... Um... Could we come in? We need totalk to you."

Hanley studied themfor a minute and then stood aside, inviting them in with a cordialsweep of his hand. This gesture surprised Zoe and Jennifer, asthey'd never expected him to be so inviting.

They foundthemselves standing in a tiny, but cozy living room. A fire crackledin the fireplace, and the TV played quietly. Hanley gestured to thecouch. "Sit if you like," he said shortly.

"Well, um..."Zoe said, again overwhelmed by jitters. "Is your sister home bychance? We'd like to talk to you both, if you don't mind."

"Giselle!"Hanley called out. Seconds later, his lovely sister emerged from adoorway off the living room. "We have visitors," heremarked. Giselle arched an eyebrow and gave Zoe and Jennifer apolite smile.

After anotherawkward moment, Giselle and Hanley finally took seats on the couch,since their guests clearly were not going to. "So?" Hanleysaid curiously. "What brings you out?"

Zoe nervously wrungher hands and began to pace. "Well, it's just that... You'reprobably not going to believe us. You're probably going to thinkwe're nuts."

Giselle chuckled,giving the pair an incredulous look. "Try us."

"Well... I...Uh..."

Jennifer took adeep breath and cut Zoe off. "We know where our missingclassmates are!"

Giselle gasped, andHanley's jaw dropped.

"Not becausewe're the murders!" Zoe exclaimed, nudging Jennifer.

Hanley jumped up. "Whoa whoa whoa. Slow down. Start from the beginning."

Zoe began hertwisted tale, and related it the same as she had to Jennifer. To herimmense relief, the Durand twins watched her intently, and judging bythe looks on their faces, they seemed to at least be entertaining theidea that she wasn't lying. When she finished, Hanley dropped backonto the couch.

"OK. But, whyare you telling us this? Why not go straight to the police?"

"You think Ihaven't told the police!?" Zoe cried. "They don't believeme! This is the BAR family we're talking about here."

Giselle nodded. "Good point. But, I still don't understand why you're tellingus this."

"Chief Jiminyis holding a town meeting in one hour," Jennifer saidpassionately. "We'd like you to come with us and hear what hehas to say. Reach out to him one last time with us. And, if hedoesn't believe us this time... We'd like you to help us take downthe Bar's ourselves."

Hanley and Gisellegave them both long, piercing gazes as they thought it over.

"Please,"Zoe pleaded. "I know our classmates are in that house. Jennifer and I can't do this alone. We have to save them!"

Once again, Hanleystood. He strode to the coat rack where he threw Giselle her jacket,then began shrugging into his own. "Come on," he said tohis sister. "We're going with them.