Higher Aptitude

The Letter

Driving slowly, the local mailman, Fred Jacobs, glanced over his list. The Strane family was his next stop, and he had something very special for the twins. Stopping in front of a pale yellow and brick house, he knocked on the dark blue door of the Strane household. He smiled happily when Ms. Strane answered. "Morning, Louisia!" he chirped, blue eyes brightening, "Looking fine as usual."

A light scarlet blush appeared on her pale skin. "Why thank you, Fred," she answered shyly, chocolatey eyes widening, "I could say the same about you."

Fred's entire face lit up. "Well, I have a letter for the kids today. Not sure who it's from, there's no return address, but it looks important." He handed her a thick, creamy envelope along with the rest of the morning's mail. "How are they anyway? They'll be in sixth grade, right?"

"Yeah. Both are doing well. Beth is dreading school already. She absolutely despises math especially, and gives her teacher a hard time. Damien is a model student, always getting his work done and everything. He's great at math. In fact, he's taking pre-algebra this year."

"It always amazes me how different those two are." Fred shook his head slowly, and a few pieces of his dusty brown hair fell in his eyes. "Day is so serious all the time, it can't be good for him, and Beth, well Beth couldn't care less."

Ms. Strane smiled. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Sometimes I wonder, too." She glanced at Fred's watch. "Oh, I better not hold you up any longer. It wouldn't be good if you're late."

"Have a nice day, Lou," he said, smiling, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Ms. Strane stared after him for a moment after he left, twirling a piece of her golden hair around her finger. She turned quickly when her daughter coughed loudly. "You know," she said around the celery stick she was munching on, "He really likes you. You should take him out on a date."

She looked slightly appalled. "Why would you think that?"

Beth rolled her eyes. "If a stranger had seen you two they would've thought you two were married."

Ms. Strane shook her head. "You have a letter," she announced, changing the subject.

"Ooh! Let me see!" Beth grabbed for the envelope.

"You are going to be twelve in a week, Bethany, behave a bit more like your age," her mother admonished.

Beth rolled her eyes again, about to reply, but her brother, who had just come downstairs, got there first. "Yeah, Beth," he mocked, "Act more like me. I am your older brother, after all."

Beth glared at him, her brown eyes meeting his iron ones. "Just because you're forty-five minutes older than me, doesn't mean you have to flaunt it all the time."

Damien opened his mouth to respond, but their mother stepped in. "Calm down. Day, Beth. Who wants to open the letter?"

Beth jumped up first. "Me!"

Day sighed and ran a hand through his black hair. "Okay, fine." Beth squealed and grabbed the letter opener. "Who's it from?"

Ms. Strane just shrugged. "Don't know. There wasn't a return address. Just your names."

"Should we really be opening it, then?" he asked backing away from the envelope as if it were going to explode. "It might be dangerous."

Beth laughed. "I don't know how we're related. You're so completely overcautious, Day. We don't even look the same, for God's sake!" She pulled out the paper and waved it in her brother's face. "See? No explosives."

"Yeah, well it's better safe than sorry," Day muttered.

Beth ignored his comment, choosing to read the letter aloud instead.