A Teenager's Challenge in a Small Town

It's All in the Family

"Bye Tori see you later!" I say as she gets out of the car. She waves. As we drive home I thought about how we only met like one day ago and she's already my best friend. When we get home I put Oreo's collar on and let him play while I help my parents unpack the car. When we are finished I go find Oreo. I finally find him sniffing around the bags in my room. I decided we should go exploring.

"C'mon Oreo! We're going outside," I say even though he is too little to understand me. I pick him up and we walk outside. My dad bought this dump of a house and the fifty-three acres that came with it. At least there is a cool tree grove. I have always loved big trees. Back home it was a special treat to go to Central Park and I guess I have a lot of happy memories there. I take my shoes off and walk in the soft grass. I stroll over to the edge of the back lawn where all the trees are. I notice that there is a little trail leading through the wood so I call Oreo and we walk into the forest.

The trail winds through all kinds of trees and bushes, like someone, once took great care of this path. Oreo walks ahead of me and we enter another clearing. In the center of this charming field were two fully grown oak trees with a stone bench between their trunks. I walk around them until I see "In hopes of one day of them coming back to this place, I here plant these trees and bury this skyscraper" carve into one of the trees. "What skyscraper?" Then I over and sit on the bench. It is so quiet, I have never experienced such peace. It is such a change from growing up in the city that never sleeps. What if those trees represent something important? I start to ponder this idea when I realize I don't hear Oreo trampling the grass around me.

"Oreo! Where are you?" I walk around the trees and he looks up at me from a small wildflower patch in a corner. I pick him up and he licks my face.

"Yeah, I like it here too, bud. It's so peaceful." We head back to the house. I slowly walk back up to the house carrying my shoes in one hand and Oreo in the other. I leave my shoes on the porch and open the door slowly so it won't creak. When I walk in...

"We were just looking for you!" mom says "We have to tell you something." My dad, who jokes around a whole lot looks at me with a serious face.

"We just figured out that Tori is your twin." I couldn't believe the words they just said.

My mom let the words hang in the space between us.

"Did I hear you right? Tori is my twin?" I feel like they're joking, but my dad is being so serious.

"Yes," he says slowly, "Tori is your twin sister."

"How is this possible?" I ask in amazement. "We have got to tell Tori!"

"Yes we will right away!" my mom says in a worried yet excited tone. We get into the truck and drive to Tori's house. I run to the door and knock. Mary answers. "Hey, Bekah!"

"Hey, Mary where's Tori?"

Tori comes running in. "What's up?"

"Come to my house with us!"

"Okay!" she says. We are head to the truck where Oreo is sleeping. I hop in the left side and Tori hops in on the right side and we drive off. Once we are home I open the front door and Tori follows me inside. My parents follow us into the living room. I can't wait anymore so I blurt out "Well we're twins!"

Tori reacted exactly how I did when our parents told me. "What? How can this be possible? I knew something was up when I first met you but I didn't think we were related so as to being twins!" She says.

I say "We like all the same stuff like dogs and the same type of donut, and pineapple on our pizza!"

"That's so true!" Our parents say at the same time.

"Ha!" Tori and I say at the same time! We are twins so we think about the same thing sometimes! I always thought I had a secret person in my life and I finally found her!

"Ok, I found something I've got to show you!" I say.

    "Okay, I'll follow you I guess!" she replies.

I put Oreo's leash on and we're off to the grove, where the bench sits. Tori looks up at the two trees in amazement.

"Wow, that's majestic!" Tori says "I guess God knew that we were going to find each other, and this place one day."

"Look at this!" I say as I walk around to show her the saying...