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┏━━━━━ CHAPTER ONE ━━━━━┓ ★゜・。。・゜゜・tallies ──── Mallory Thompson
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ERICSON'S BOARDING SCHOOL FOR TROUBLED YOUTH WAS SILENT as Mallory Thompson carved lines into the old, splintered wood of a tabletop. Her physical self was present at the moment but her mind had wandered off into the realm of her thoughts. The tense grip on her knife had turned her knuckles white, the sheer force making her hand shake, symbolizing the obvious trauma her mind was riddled with. Her body was in a slouched position, her shoulders rolling forward in a way that would make her parents explode with frustration—she could only imagine her mother, red in the face, scolding her for not being more proper. She exhaled, her breath coming out uneven, the warm gush of hair blowing a strand of hair away from her face.
And it was as a result of approaching footsteps that caused the motion of her cutting away at the moldy, splintered wood to come to an abrupt halt. Her body tensed with protectiveness as she sensed another presence standing mere feet behind her. Her sea-green eyes flickered away from the scratches upon the wood, her body naturally moving in the same direction as she became more aware of the new individual that dared to break her moment of silence.
However, a soft smile--only reserved for a few lucky people--tilted her lips upward as she scooted to the side to allow space for the person to sit beside her. They were hesitant for a moment, unsure if their stay was to take up more than a minute, yet their footsteps sounded again carrying them the rest of the distance to the bench. They plopped down, their back resting against the end of the table as they found themselves sitting backward. Mallory watched them closely as her arm raised to allow her elbow to rest upon the table, her head leaning against the palm of her hand as she gazed at her close friend almost curiously.
As they lingered there in each other's presence for a brief moment of comfortable silence, it was easy to tell the similarities between both individuals. Their hair was the same shade of blonde, both unkempt and greasy from a scarcity of adequate resources to groom it regularly. They both possessed soft features upon their face, though their jawline was strong. They were twins and if it wasn't for similar physical features, their conflicting personality types would surely hide the fact that they shared the same blood. Although, despite their tendency to view the world differently, in most shared moments they were able to peacefully live in each other's bubble without altercations. However, their stubbornness had also served as an obstacle in dire situations, sometimes forcing the twins to ignore each other for hours, sometimes days, especially on Mallory's side.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Mallory questioned, her soft-spoken voice flowing through the silent air. Not even a slight breeze nipped at the exposed flesh on her arms, seeing as at some point she had rolled up the sleeves on her jacket due to her body temperature rising. Though there was still a chill it was not strong enough for her pale skin to be littered with goosebumps.
