Two Halves | Book One of The Judgement series

Chapter 1

My twin sister, Raven, threw a few punches at the men who were assaulting me. This seemed to be a weekly occurrence with us but it was okay, as long as we have each other we'll be alright. She landed a couple hits on the taller man's jaw before she was grabbed by the smaller one. I leapt into the fray to help her. No matter what, I'll protect my family. I'm glad she was there for me again but I hate how she gets hurt all of the time. Down the street, blue and red lights started flashing and sirens rang throughout the otherwise quiet night, causing the men to run off. 

I held out my hand to my sister. "Come on, let's get out of here. I'll take care of your wounds." 

"Dove, I'm fine." She stubbornly pushed my hand away. "I'm more worried about you anyways. I'm glad I got here in time." 

"Well we still have to get out of here. We don't want CPS to get us." I grabbed her arm and wrapped it around my shoulder, half carrying her. Yes, we were both hurt pretty bad but Raven got the brunt of the beating from those guys and I feel guilty for it. It is my fault, after all. 

"Let's get back to the tree. I don't like leaving home." Raven's voice was soft as she spoke. I nodded. I didn't like it either. That tree, that incredibly special tree, was our home and it didn't take us long to get back there either. I had the route from the alleyways to the home memorized. I couldn't help but stare at Raven and I's home from the base of the hill. Both of us knew that the tree would be the safest place for us. No one went near it because they thought it was cursed. There was a whole legend based around that one tree, the tree the town was built around. The Tree of Feelings. 

The Tree was especially unique because of its appearance. One side radiated negative emotions, was dark, and was illuminated beautifully by the moonlight. The apples that grew on this side were seen as black but if people took a closer look, they'd see the apples look like galaxies. I preferred this side more than the other. Raven had opted for the other side of the tree. This side was the complete opposite of its counterpart. Radiating positivity, practically shining in the daylight and the apples seemed to be pure gold. There was one thing that connected the two sides, a patch of vines at the base of the tree that looked oddly like a woman that wore a dress of pink flowers. 

I sat Raven down underneath her chosen side and warmth immediately enveloped us. I used some stolen medical supplies to patch up my sister's cuts and bruises. I'd noticed she was extremely quiet, which was unlike her. She normally let out a large string of profanities after a fight. "You're thinking about them again, aren't you?" 

"What do you think, Dove? It's their fault that we're even in this mess anyways. I mean, what right do they have to jus-" I cut her off before she went on a rant. 

"It doesn't matter what right they did or did not have. Our lives could have been a lot worse. We're lucky to be alive right now and we still have each other. We need to appreciate that." Raven sighed. 

"You're right, sis. I'm sorry it just," her fists were clenched and shaking, "it pisses me off that they left us to go through this alone." 

"It's true that what they did was shitty," I cringed at the curse word, "but at least we're still together. Our ohana is still together, even if it's just us." I could feel the tree grow warmer as Raven smiled at me. 

"You cursed. I knew I was a good influence on you." This caused me to have a fit of laughter which also caused my sister to laugh with me. 

"I'll help you up into the branches, dummy." I took her hand and lifted her up. 

"Will you be alright," Raven asked me as we climbed. I nodded. 

"I know I will be." I got my twin nuzzled comfortably between two large branches, so she wouldn't fall out as she slept. "Goodnight, Raven." 

"Sweet dreams, Dove. I love you, sis," my soft smile widened as I heard these words. Raven was the one that hardened herself against the world so she wouldn't get hurt so, these expressions of feeling were very important to me. 

I whispered softly, "I love you too," but Raven was already asleep. Carefully, I climbed through the branches of my home, making my way to the side of the tree I claimed as my own. I was careful not to touch the fruits as I climbed up to the top. I've always loved to look at the moon through the leaves of the tree. It was such a beautiful sight every time, I couldn't help but relax. My thoughts drifted about to various things, one of which was the differences between my sister and I. You could almost say we were like this tree. 

Complete opposites. 

She was the stronger one of us by far. She could handle herself with physical confrontation and her personality was so rough it was hard to get close to her. I was the stronger one when it came to mental confrontation and my personality was fairly soft. It's easy to get close to me because I'm so trusting of people, though others don't want to get close to me because of Raven. My sister is prone to her anger, so I often have to calm her down. Not only that but Raven is also prone to fighting, though with our situation that's a lot more understandable. Our appearances were completely opposite one another as well. My sister has curly, black hair that's choppily cut into a bob, dark green eyes, and a fashion sense that would make any punk rocker proud. She's absolutely beautiful. I, on the other hand, have long, straight hair that's so blonde it looks white, light blue eyes and no sense of fashion at all. I just wear what I'm able to steal without getting caught, as bad as that sounds, and I don't find myself especially pretty. I don't think anyone did.

 My thoughts became incoherent as I felt myself drift off to sleep but one thought always stuck out before I drifted into darkness. I wonder if I'll see him again. That skeleton...