Bullet Point

Chapter 14: Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery

When Ninette was five years old, her parents sat her down on the big red couch in the living room. They told her they had something very exciting to tell her and that it was important that she listen. Ninette put her hands in lap and looked at her parents expectantly. Her mother and father glanced at each other before her mother opened up her mouth to speak. "You're going to get a new sister!" 

At first, Ninette was very confused. "From where?" She asked. 

Steering as far away as possible from the 'where do babies come from' conversation, her father spoke up quickly. "From somewhere far, far away."

"We're going to go on a trip to go get her." Her mother smiled brightly. 

Ninette was starting to understand, but now she was upset. "Why? I don't want a sister."

"Don't worry honey." Her father put his hand on her shoulder. "It'll be just like having a new friend!"

Ninette didn't say anything more. The next weekend, the three of them flew to Brisbane, Australia to meet the newest addition to their family. Ninette was surprised to see that this black haired girl with a freckled nose was the same height as her. Ninette could swear that new brothers and sisters were supposed to look like her baby dolls. This girl must have been a very large baby."Ninette, this is Madison." Not long after they arrived back home, Ninette and her new sister became best friends and have been inseparable ever since.

That was the beginning of it all. Two years after adopting Madison Bower, Mr. and Mrs. James took in another child-- a boy named Darien Lewis. Another two years went by and they adopted an eight year old Tre Patterson. Mr. and Mrs. James had fallen in love with these children so much, and soon they were applying for a foster license. Since then, eleven other kids have come through their home, and their lives were never the same again.

It wasn't until Ninette turned 12 that her parents explained to her why they'd only had one child of their own. In the five years between Ninette's birth and Madison's adoption, they had tried to have another baby countless times. After three miscarriages, Mr. and Mrs. James decided they needed to look for other options. Mr. James had traveled much of the world through his work, and he wanted to try and save a child from another country. Lo and behold, a little Australian girl was brought into their loving family. 

The James family was modest in their fostering for a while, but once her husband died, Diane took in more and more kids to distract herself from reality. If she swarmed her days with work and taking care of children, she wouldn't have to think about her Aaron being gone. It probably isn't the best coping mechanism, but so far she's been able to hold herself together. Ninette, on the other hand, is about to reach the breaking point.

*****

Naya got a text message toward the end of her history class and almost couldn't contain herself. A simple two-word message from her long lost sister, Elena, was enough to light up her world. She stared ecstatically as I'm in looked back at her from the screen. Her leg was shaking through the rest of the school day and she couldn't wait to get home and talk to Tre. 

When the car pulls into the driveway everyone pours out and runs inside. Naya usually does the same, but this time she walks a little slower. She notices that Tre is heading around the back of the house and she follows behind at a safe distance. She clears her throat once they are out of ear shot and he whips around, jumping slightly. They make eye contact and Naya nudges her head in the direction of the tool shed. Tre seems hesitant for a second, but after looking around to make sure no one can see, he scurries inside the shed. Naya waits about 30 seconds before going in, but once she does she's slammed against the wall and Tre's arms are wrapped around her. 

"You know," He says in between kisses, "I'd usually be against having sex in my mom's tool shed, but this is actually kind of hot." Naya pushes him away and he narrows his eyebrows in confusion.

"We need to talk." Naya says, keeping a small distance between them. 

"Talk?" Tre laughs a little bit. "You and I don't talk."

Naya's face pulls into a grin and she lowers her voice. "You love me, don't you?" 

Tre still looks lost. "Yeah, of course."

"And you'd do anything to be with me?"

"What is this about, Ny?" Tre is starting to get impatient.

Naya takes in a long, deep, breath. "I have a sister." She blurts out finally. 

Tre's face doesn't change. "A sister?" He says lowly. "That's what you desperately needed to tell me? That you have a sister?" Naya nods happily. "Why is that important?" Tre scowls at her. 

Naya looks up into his eyes. "A twin sister."

Tre clearly isn't picking up on the hints she's dropping. "So?"

"So," Naya starts. "I met up with her the other day and we came up with a plan." 

"A plan? For what, foster kid world domination?" Tre seems unamused. 

"No!" Naya is starting to get mad as well. "It's a plan for how you and I can be together."

Tre sighs. "Well, what is it?"

"My sister and I are going to switch places." Naya gets the elated smile back on her face.

Tre doesn't respond at first. "Switch places? What the hell are you talking about?"

Naya was hoping he would be as excited as she is, but either way she launches into a longer explanation. "My twin sister, Elena, lives with her adopted parents in Bethesda. We decided that if we step into each other's lives, she can introduce me to your mom as Elena and we can date out in the open."

Tre continues to knit his brows together in confusion. "That's ridiculous." He says and turns to leave. Naya throws herself in front of him to block his exit and he sighs. "Naya, you're acting crazy. This is stupid."

"Listen!" Tre goes to take a step forward but Naya puts her hands on his chest to hold him back. "If we get caught we'll be in big trouble because you're my foster brother. But if I pretend to be Elena it won't be a problem."

"But switching lives? Do you know how insane that is?" Tre stops trying to get past Naya and crosses his arms over his chest. "Even if it meant being together, it's so much more than that. There's no way you would get away with it-- you'd get caught."

Naya hesitates. "I know. But I promise you, Elena and I are exactly alike. We're going to teach each other everything we need to know and by the time we do the switch it will work perfectly."

Tre shakes his head. "No one would willingly come into this house, posing as you, if they knew how awful it is." Naya goes to respond but Tre cuts her off and keeps going. "There are eleven children living here with one parent, a CIA agent, multiple psychotic teenagers, and constant government supervision." 

"But-"

"Why the hell would your sister agree to this?" Tre interrupts her again. "Is she an idiot?" Naya can tell that his anger is starting to flare up so she puts her arms around him in an attempt to bring comfort. 

"Will you at least meet her?" Naya asks softly, her face buried in his black cotton t-shirt. "Hear us out. For me."

Tre stays silent for a few seconds, but finally his grip around Naya tightens and she can feel him nod his head a little bit. "Fine, but only because I want to be with you."

Naya smiles brightly. "That's what I was hoping you'd say."