Feather Dark

Chapter 2

Leigh

As kids, Noah and I used to speak simultaneously all the time. Sometimes we'd set it up that way, just to mess with Mom and Dad.

"What do you guys want for Christmas this year?"

"Red huffies and black helmets," we'd reply, our speech in perfect sync. Then we'd wink at each other because we'd organised our answers weeks before.

More often than not, our identical answers were pure fluke. From preferences to pet hates, so much of what came out of our mouths was freakishly similar. We'd quote the same line of a song or movie sound bite without thinking twice about it, because we were literally the other half of each other's brain.

This identical answer, neither of us saw coming.

"I know where she lives."

We'd spoken simultaneously in answer to Pop's question. My head whipped around to face my brother, the first time I'd looked at him in days. The same picture of shock was mirrored on his features as mine.

"What the hell, Noah?"

"Casual swearing. I wouldn't expect less of you, brother."

"Bite me, gargoyle."

"In what way do I resemble a stone demon? If anyone has behaved demonically here, it's not me."

"No, you behave like a freakin' special needs signing monkey..."

"Enough!" Pop thundered from between us. "Both of you, close your lips before I start detaching feathers – do I make myself clear?"

We sat at the kitchen table, once a place of harmony and happiness in our beach-side home, now the site of mediation. For three days, ever since Noah came home and ripped Keira out of my arms, the battle had raged like an ancient holy war: volatile and illogical – and it wasn't getting any better.

The first night Keira disappeared, both Noah and I had searched the sky in every direction until the pallid light of a desperate dawn forced us back to the house. Pop had arrived home by then. He was waiting for us, frantic, convinced by the signs of a struggle and the absence of all of us that the worst had happened. To me, it had.

Since then, Pop had tried to play intermediary but we were having none of it. I spent every moment from sundown to sunup flying and looking for Keira, and the daylight hours searching in other ways.

Only the night before, I'd hit pay dirt. So, it appeared, had Noah.

"Leigh," Pop said. "How did you find Keira's address?"

I shrugged my wings. "I called her friend Susan, at the casino. She remembered me." I was actually embarrassed I hadn't thought of it earlier.

"Great. Noah, how about you?"

Noah rolled his black eyes and looked out to sea. "I hacked into the tax department data base."

"Oh no, Noah!" I gasped. "An illegal hack? How will you get into heaven now! Quick! Someone find this man a rosary!"

"That's Catholic, troglodyte." His stupid smile made me wonder what he'd done with the information. I hoped it wasn't the same as my first instinct.

"You're a troglodyte. Whatever that means."

"Buy a dictionary."

"Buy a sense of humour."

Pop slammed his fists into the table with a strength that belied his cuddly grandfather look. We both jumped and shut our mouths.