White Shadows

Chapter One: The Melancholy of Lucy and Ava Nyx

The sleek black Lincoln Town car kicked up pebbles as it rumbled up the small private driveway, stopping in front of the huge antebellum style mansion. The driver got out of the car wearing a black suit and black sunglasses that made it impossible to see his eyes. The man opened the back seat door so the two teenage girls in the back could exit.

The first girl was a tall blonde with an emotionless face. She was pretty no doubt but not beautiful, her looks were too sharp. Her wavy blonde hair was in a tight ponytail, she wore no make-up. Her clothes obviously sent the message that she didn't care about anything or anyone. Her jean shorts had paint stains as did her white tank top. Not even a smile could brighten up the icy girl. She looked back once her tennis shoes hit the small pebbles to see her twin who exited behind her.

The second girl that slipped out of the back of the car did look nothing like the first. She had long tousled auburn, almost brown hair that fell across her shoulders. Her green eyes blinked in the sudden bright sunlight, trying to adjust from the darkness of the car. She wore a loose, boat-neck black and white shirt and a pair of dark skinny jeans underneath. On her feet were a pair of brown leather boots with a tiny wedge at the heel. Although the boots gave her a little height, the girl was still a few inches shorter then her tall, blonde sister. Also unlike her twin, she wore a light coating of simple make-up on her eyes and lips. 

Both caring a simple backpack of clothes, the linked arms as they were lead into the huge home. Their other suitcases were carried out of the car by the uniformed house staff. The girls headed to the front door of the white southern house while an elderly couple stood on the front porch. The older woman had her salt and pepper hair in a loose bun and a long old-styled floral dress in a horrid green and pink color. A large smile shone on the woman's face lighting up her warm, chocolate brown eyes. The older man stood next to his wife but didn't look as gentle and trusting.

He held a tight frown on his face as he watched the two teenagers come near, his storm cloud grey eyes sizing them up. "I don't remember Mom or Dad telling us about a grandma or grandpa," Ava whispered under her breath to her sister, negative thoughts running through her head. She had been told about nothing of the sorts, no cousins, no aunts or uncles. It seemed to her that her parents were singlr kids with dead parents themselves. From the look on her face you could tell she didn't want to be there at all, it was douptful. Ava would rather of gotten an apartment with Lucy, but they were well under eighteen, only reaching sixteen years of age. They needed an adult, legally. 

Lucy sighed. "We've talked about this already. We just need to deal with them for a few years and then we can go off on our own. Try and look grateful that they agreed to take us in." Although she said this, Lucy felt the same as Ava, but she was trying her hardest to stay positive. As they walked up the steps Lucy plastered a fake smile on her face while tightening her grip on Ava's arm signaling for her to do the same.

"Why hello there dears," the elderly woman said to the two smiling teenagers, "I'm Rose and this is Martin," she stated motioning between the two of them, "It's very nice to see the two of you. Why I haven't seen the two of you since you were born." The statement seemed genuine but the twins could sense the dishonesty in her voice and see it in her eyes. The twins nodded and continued their act. Lucy glanced over at Martin, seeing him watch them with the same heavy expression. They met eyes for a moment but then Lucy pulled away quickly. 

"It's so nice to see you again too, even if I don't rememeber the first time," Ava said with a single chuckle at the end and a smile on her face but Lucy could see the coldness in her icy blue eyes. 

 "I'll show you girls to your rooms," Rose said opening the large French door to the inside of the mansion. The girl's facial expressions changed with one look of the sprawling mansion. The interior was floored with a light marble and two dark wooden spiral staircases lead to the upstairs. Paintings on the walls and vases on stools filled the room, each one costing more than the next. classic Pacaso's and modern pieces adorned the cream colored walls. A single statue stood in the middle of the entrance room, it was creame and in the shape of a human man with an apple in his hand. He stared out into the door and beyond, looking lost and wondering. A light scent of peaches filled the air from the breeze from the open windows. The twins could see a glimpse of a living room through the opening beyond the staircase in light colors.