I'm No Prince

Shifting Tides

Andrew awoke inside a small pillow fort that really could've been constructed with better balancing capabilities. He groaned as he pushed pillows off of his face, and groggily sat up, his hands propping him up on the floor. He surveyed his surroundings, and finally gave a small chuckle.

"Oh, you're awake," He heard Kelsey say from the kitchen, "I'm glad to see you survived the collapse, that great catastrophe."

"Yeah, I survived," Andrew replied, "though I think we should probably look up some proper fort-building techniques so it doesn't fall on us again."

Kelsey laughed, and Andrew smiled. He stood up and decided to walk to the kitchen and talk with his sister. She had really tried to have some nostalgic fun with him last night, watching their favorite movie, building a pillow 'castle', even teasing him when their castle fell was a very Kelsey-like thing to do. He really did care about his sister, and he knew she must care about him. After all, why would she go through so much trouble to have fun with him if she didn't care? Maybe he could trust her and lean on her during this time in his life, and maybe she could help him discover who he was.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Kelsey called from the kitchen, "want to come eat breakfast with me or what?"

Andrew smiled as he made his way into the kitchen. Kelsey had made herself an omelet and was adding the finishing touches as he sat down with a bowl of cereal. She grinned at him as she poured a small bit of hot sauce on her omelet, and he covered his bowl with his hands in a teasing way.

"You know I can't handle the spice, Kels, don't you dare spike my cereal with that stuff," Andrew joked, pretending to eye the hot sauce bottle warily.

Kelsey took the teasing in stride, "oh, come on, Drew," she said, "you've got lactose, there's no way my bottle of capsaicin could possibly bring you harm!"

The twins laughed as they enjoyed breakfast, the conversation going from teasing to normal in a flash. Kelsey was seemingly in a very talkative mood today, and was really giving Andrew a lot more attention than she normally would. It wasn't like she had any plans for the day, but usually Kelsey made them up on the spot if she hadn't scheduled anything with Chloe.

"Hey, Drew," Kelsey started, "after breakfast, would you like to go for a walk with me? I want to try and get to know you a little more, even though we're twins, I don't feel like we've been that close since we started high school."

This request took Andrew by surprise. Usually Kelsey made plans with her friends whenever she had an off day from anything. Was it really the case that today, Andrew was the plan, instead of her friends?

"Sure, Kels," Andrew replied, masking his surprise with a smile, "that would be nice."

As they continued breakfast, they began chatting about trivial things; school gossip, favorite movies, Kelsey's current ambitions with Chloe, even the events of Andrew's hangout at Harry's were touched on. Kelsey had said she was proud he'd chosen to play her main in the challenge, though he had left out the fact that he'd played more Zelda than Shiek, unlike she usually did.

Once they had finished breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen, Kelsey led their march towards the door. Andrew had just finished pulling on his shoes- Kelsey must've put hers on as soon as she'd woken up- by the time she opened the door. He rushed after her, and when he got outside, the cool air rejuvenated his spirits, leading him to turn to Kelsey and smile.

As they began walking, Andrew started wondering to himself whether or not this would be a good time to talk to Kelsey about what was going on with his life. Maybe he should've told her about his favoring of Zelda during breakfast, then maybe it wouldn't feel as wrong to start talking about that night again. Andrew was so lost in thought, he nearly missed it when Kelsey asked him a question.

"Remember how we used to do these walks every Sunday morning?" She asked, nostalgia twinkling in her eyes, "we'd wake up, eat breakfast, and then immediately set out for the park."

"What," Andrew began, but then changed once he registered what Kelsey had said, "oh, yeah. I remember. You'd always try to climb the biggest tree there, and I'd be standing below, terrified you were going to fall and break something."

Kelsey laughed as Andrew brought this up, "that's true, I suppose! We always had so much fun though, right?"

"How could we not have fun?" Andrew asked, "we were living the good life, so full of energy!"

They laughed together again, and Andrew felt like a load was beginning to lift from his shoulders. Maybe he could forget for a little bit about his problems, and just enjoy being with his sister. She was making it really easy for him now, so maybe they'd have more opportunities to do this again.

As he was thinking these things, however, Kelsey turned to him with a more serious expression on her face. She seemed to be questioning what she should say, but she finally opened her mouth to ask.

"Drew," she said softly, "you know I love you, right?"

"W-what?" Andrew asked her, confused.

"You're my twin," Kelsey continued, "we've always been in it together, taking life two steps at a time. We drifted slightly when we began high school, but you'll always be my brother, so I'll always love you."

Andrew made a few incoherent noises before he replied, "w-where did this come from?"

"Oh," Kelsey said, "I just... You've been going through what seems like a lot, and... You don't have to shoulder it alone, you know that? I'm just worried about you, Drew. How have you been doing, these past few months?"

Andrew stammered, realizing why Kelsey had been beginning to open back up to him again. She'd been having the same thoughts he had been. He'd known he could trust her, that she'd listen if he asked her for help, but he hadn't expected her to outright ask him to let her know how he was.

"I- I just feel like," he told her, "I feel like there's a part of me missing. Like I used to know who I was, but now I'm lost. I don't know what I'm doing with my life, and I don't know who I'm supposed to be. Everything feels wrong, and I don't really mean just my day-to-day. It feels like I'm not even close to being what I feel on the inside. It's like there's a whole other person, someone I'm meant to be, but I can't find them, and it's terrifying because I want to find them so badly."

Kelsey's expression softened, and she gave him a small pat on the shoulder, and left her hand there for a moment.

"Drew," she whispered, "you don't have to have it all figured out right this instant. It's okay to wonder 'why', or 'who am I', for a while. Maybe that person is simply waiting for you to learn about yourself at your own pace. You are who you're supposed to be in this moment, and you will become who you're supposed to be in the future. You'll discover who you are, I know you will. I'll be here every step of the way, to support you in whatever you choose for yourself."

Andrew felt like he was on the verge of tears. Kelsey was such a good sister, and he'd not even realized she'd been paying so much attention to him the past few months. She'd actually been worried for him, and she was already coming to the decision to support him, even though he didn't even know what choice he was making, let alone which path he wanted to take.

"Thank you, Kelsey," he said, full of emotion.

"Always, Drew," she replied, and she gave him a short hug.

"Hey," Kelsey said, "you see that tree over there?"

Andrew followed her gaze, and his eyes fell upon the largest tree in the park. That tree had been so full of memories, seeing it felt like coming home, in a way. Maybe it was only nostalgia, but Andrew felt as if he was seeing a piece of himself when he looked at the tree.

"I see it," He told Kelsey, "what are you thinking?"

"You think we can climb it?" Kelsey asked in a mischievous tone.

Andrew smiled again, and replied, "there's only one way to find out!"