Lying Bloodlines

Chapter One

The sun shines through the closed window making different patterns on the warm tan carpet. The birds are chirping outside as they eat from the feeder hanging from the old tree in the yard. Sunny, the orange fluffy family cat, is snoozing on the floor in front of the rocker. Mandy’s soft voice sings along to the song coming from the cd player, stand by me, her favorite.

“Annalynn dearie, be a sweetheart and bring me a cup of tea will you?” I stand up and go into the kitchen, turning the stove on. Mandy’s singing halts and the small pitter patter of footsteps come towards the kitchen.

“Aj?” I look up as I pour water into the black kettle. “When are Shai and Alina going to come back?” She takes my small shrug as a response and walks back to her room with a sigh. Truth is they’re not coming back, the hunters came last winter and they had to run, now that we’re on their radar Shai and Alina can never come back here. It’s too dangerous for all of us.

“Oh, thank you Dearie, you’re an angel.” Nonna sips the cup of tea sighing in bliss. I know when I was younger she was disappointed that I didn’t carry on the blood line like my sister Alina did. She was shocked when my younger twin carried it but not me, and so was I. But now that the hunters found them, I think Nonna’s happy I’m still here to help Mandy take care of her.

There’s a slick black car across the street in front of old lady Margaret’s house, hunters. They’ve been watching our house for the last four months, periodically but they still watch us. And when they’re not parked outside, they have the cameras outside our house that we’re not supposed to know about. Nonna and I know so we don’t do anything out of the ordinary in the yard, and since Mandy has no clue what’s going on we don’t have to worry about her slipping up.

Old lady Margaret is one of Nonna’s best friends, they were inseparable when they were younger. So of course, she’s in the loop, part of the reason she hasn’t said anything about the car.

“Don’t worry about a thing dearie, the girls know what their doing.” Nonna sighs sitting back in her big chair looking out the window. I give a nod and walk out the room rolling my eyes. Of course the girls know what they’re doing, they always do. I’m not sure what annoys me the most, the fact that she thinks I’m worrying about Shai and Alina as if I have nothing better to do, or that she’s so sure they have everything under control.

“Here here, Sunny. Come here boy, look who has some tuna for you.” Mandy smacks her lips and snaps her fingers at the unmoving cat. I smile.

“Sunny giving you a hard time again is he?” She pouts putting the tuna down and crossing her arms.

“He always does, why doesn’t he ever listen to me?” I grab the tuna and snap my fingers once, Sunny runs over and starts eating out the can.

“Maybe because he knows he’s older and thinks of you as a bothersome baby sister.” Mandy frowns up at me smacking my arm.

“Hey! I’m not bothersome. I’m a delight.” I chuckle, Nonna is starting to rub off on her.

“Yes, you are, but Sunny doesn’t know that.” I walk to my room leaving Mandy to rant to Sunny who sits there cleaning his face.

We found sunny in an alley outside of Nonna’s and Margaret’s bookstore weeks before mom found out she was pregnant with Mandy. That’s when we all moved in with Nonna and Shai, mom, Alina, unborn Mandy, and I. And then mom died two days after having Mandy and we stayed with Nonna. That was eight years ago, feels so long ago looking back now, like a completely different world.

Someone knocks at the door, I hear all movement stop in the house, even Sunny’s little collar bell stops moving. I get up and check the peephole. Margaret. I smile and welcome her in loud enough for Nonna and Mandy to hear.

“Hello, Margaret. What a pleasant surprise, Nonna will be happy to see you.” She smiles as she quickly steps in and motions for me to shut the door.

“Shai contacted me.” I freeze in shock just as Nonna walks up.

“What did she tell you, Mar?” Margaret shakes her head and goes into the kitchen helping herself to a glass of water. She puts a small piece of paper on the counter. Nonna reads it before ripping it to shreds.

“Do you believe her?” Nonna stares at the black car across the street.

“I don't know. I don’t know.” I look back and forth between the two.

“What’d she say?” Silence, “Nonna? What’d she say?” She shakes herself.

“Nothing dearie, everything’s fine. Why don’t you go play tea party with Mandy.” I frown.

“I’m old enough and I should know. My twin is out there-”

“Go play tea party with Mandy dearie, you know how she hates just playing with her dolls.” I look to Margaret for help but she’s staring at her nails. I turn away and leave them to discuss what Nonna thinks I shouldn’t know. Mandy was still ranting to a now sleeping Sunny.

Margaret leaves ten minutes later. The black car doesn’t leave, and Nonna doesn’t tell me anything as she goes into her room and closes the door. I glare at the door, I should know what’s happening with my twin, whether I have the gene or not. I don’t understand the big deal about the gene, but I don’t think it should be kept a secret from me. Alina is my sister for christ sakes, family should know what’s going on. Nonna isn’t even our blood, she’s a woman from the bookstore mom always went to, we were raised with her as our grandma, our Nonna. But she’s not, she has no right keeping news about my sister from me.