The Forbidden Side

Erin

Erin sighed.  Why did her life have to be so complicated?  Why were they everywhere?  Everything kept coming back to them.  No one else looked bothered.  They were probably happy that they have to do so much.  Justin especially, Erin thought.  He's always wanted to be like a superhero, like the kinds in the movies.  But Erin was a self-conscience twelve-year-old.  She thought about her age.  She thought and thought until a question came to her.

            "Hey, Lizzie?"  She asked.  Her sister looked up.  "When's my real birthday?"

            Lizzie doubled over laughing.             

            "What?" 

            "It's just that - " Lizzie started, then collapsing in a fit of giggles.  She wiped a tear from her eye.  "Sorry, it's just so off-topic.  You're my triplets, you and Adam.  So we were all born on the same day.  The day you were taught.  January 1st!"

            "But that's the day of the Choosing.  That's when everyone's birthday is supposed to be in Home.  That's really my birthday?"  When Lizzie nodded, Erin asked, "So who's oldest?"

            "Me, but only by two seconds."

            Two seconds?!  "Then me?"  Another nod.  "And Adam?"

            "A minute after us."

            Two seconds.  Impossible.  But, they were Powerfuls.      

            "Hey," Adam called.  "Check it out!"   Inside their files was a piece of paper, one for each. 

            Justin read his and frowned.  "Hey - what - " his voice cracked, and Erin could see tears forming in his eyes.  Adam's reaction was the same as he read his along with Julia's and Katie's.  Erin took the paper from her little brother and read.

STAY OUT OF IT.

            When she gave the paper back to Justin, he ripped it into pieces and threw it to the ground.  Erin didn't dare to open hers.  But she didn't have to.  Lizzie read her paper aloud, and it matched up with Erin's.

IT IS UP TO YOU.

            "Pht."  Justin sounded annoyed.  "What is it with this stupid King Z guy?  He says we all need to help, then he tells everyone to stay out of it except for Erin and Lizzie."  He glared at them and spat their names, like they tasted foul.  Evil.  Erin sucked her knuckle.  "Kind of a relief though," Justin went on.  "I didn't want to help anyway.  Now I can go home."  He tried to act cool, like he was fine with it.  Erin knew he wasn't.  He really did want to help.

            "Justin, I - " Erin started.

            "Save it."  He sped off at impossible speeds.

            Adam stood with the girls.  "Well, I guess you won't be needing me."  He closed his eyes, concentrating, then, he was gone.  Teleportation.             

            The twins sucked their knuckles.

            Just us.

            Alone.

            And two identical tears dripped from their eyes.

            As Erin attempted to dry her eyes with her shirt, she kept crying even more, soaking it.  Her sister wasn't doing any better.  She cried pools of tears.  "Why," she said between sobs, "did they - leave - us all - alone?"

            Erin shrugged, unable to speak.  She felt her eyes dry out and wiped her wet cheeks with her hands.  She used the tears to smooth back her hair.  They only contained water and oil, Erin learned that back in Home, but she saw something else in them.  Multiple things.  Anger, hatred, regret, fear, loneliness.  They were all there, stuck to her hands.

            "Come on," Lizzie said.  "No use just sitting here feeling sorry for ourselves.  Let's go."

            "Where?"  Erin asked.  "I don't even know what to do."  She walked over to one of the brick walls.  She leaned against it and slid down.  She watched as her sister's eyes widened.  "What?"  Lizzie just pointed.  Erin looked above her head and gasped.  One of the fading, pale bricks fell out to reveal a secret compartment.  A shiny, gold key lay inside like it had never been touched.  "Whoa."

            Lizzie walked over to it and took out the key.  "It's smooth," she reported.  "And shiny, no one's ever found it."

            "But,"Erin put in, "we're, like, chosen, right?"  She shuddered right after she said it, remembering her brothers' hurt faces as the fled because they had to do it.  But what was it?  And the key?  So many pieces to the puzzle, so little understanding.