Stubborn.

Changes.

((Picture: Kai Hale))

I stared out the window of the train as it sped down the tracks; the train shaking a bit as it did. It didn't bother me though as I had my head against the window. Luckily it didn't bother either of my two sisters either, Ember and Viola. Ember sat in the seat across from me reading her book, one of the Harry Potter ones; she was obsessed with that series. Her long brown hair was tied back into a ponytail and her green eyes kept moving back and forth on the pages. She wasn't a normal sixteen year old, that was for sure. She didn't care about normal girly girl things. They bothered her actually. Mom used to say all the time how she goes to the beat of her own drum. She said we all do. She was a fan girl, in love with Harry Potter and Doctor Who and Sherlock and The Avengers and a bunch of other stuff like that. I would make fun of her sometimes but she would just tell me to fuck off. For twins, we weren't really alike besides our need to swear all the time.

My other sister, Viola, sat in my lap. She was curled up and fast asleep hugging her teddy bear. It was a long train ride so the three year old got tired quickly. When she settled comfortably her blue eyes closed and she was out like a light. I stroked her blonde hair softly as she slept; it was always something that calmed her down and kept her asleep. She was only my half sister, same mom different dads, but I loved her like she was a full sister and treated her that way. I mean now neither of us have a mom or a dad. Ember and I were full siblings though. We both had green eyes, like our mom. And we should both have brown hair, like our dad but I dyed mine black. Viola got her dad's blue eyes but our mom's blonde hair. Every time I thought of the word mom I wanted to flinch, but I didn't so I wouldn't disturb the sleeping toddler in my lap.

Next to me was a social worker or whatever. She was a lady in her mid forties, not over weight but not skinny either. Her dark hair was tied back in a perfect bun and her focused brown eyes were behind glasses as she read over files. She was the one taking us to our "family" as they called it. People we never even knew. It's my moms, don't flinch, sister and her husband. I think I met them once when I was a baby but that was it. Viola had never met them. I asked...mom...about her family a few years back after finding pictures of her when she was younger with her parents and sister. She just told me that they grew apart years ago. I asked if that would happen to me and my sister, she told me not as long as I didn't let it. I always wondered what made her separate from her family but I never asked, I knew it was a hard topic for her to talk about. Now it didn't matter. She was gone for good. I sighed at the thought and shook my head a bit. Earning a side glance from the social worker whose name wouldn't come to me. I ignored it and looked down at Viola. She was too young to have to go through this. She just couldn't fully understand yet. She hasn't stopped clinging to me since the day she was born, but it's been worse lately since mom hasn't been here. She keeps asking me where she is. It's hard to answer her sometimes. But I have to. I have to be strong for her. It's what mom would have wanted for us.

I looked up as I felt the train slowing down before it finally stopped. We were at our new town where we would now live. I sighed again and carefully picked Viola up in my arms. She squirmed and I knew she had woken up.
"Where are we?" Her quiet, tired voice asked in my ear. I turned my head a bit to look at her as best I could.
"We're in the new town we're going to live in. We have to go meet our aunt and uncle now," I told her in a soft voice. I got a small nod back as a response. I looked away again and picked up my suitcase, we all didn't have much stuff to begin with so all my clothes fit in the one suitcase. Ember had her suitcase of clothes and bag full of books, and that wasn't even all of them. I had my arms full now and looked down at the last suitcase that had Viola's stuff in it. Before I could think of a way to carry it Ember picked it up. Her books on her back now, she could take both. I gave her a small smile of thanks. Then we all headed out. Following the social worker off the train.