The Twins

Chapter 8: Dear Mom and Dad

Part 3: purple

The tent set up by the officials had an earthy smell. They hadn't added a floor so the twins walked on the bare ground, which was barren; devoid of life. The dry earth sent up billows of dust around their feet as they walked, twisting itself all around the tent like a dark fog. A few tables were set up, obviously desks for whoever was supposed to work in this tent, and a communicator stood in the centre of the room. It's screen glowed blue, signaling that it was on and ready to be used.

"So we can talk to our parents now right?" Marie asked their official who had stepped over to the communicator and started interacting with the options on the screen. She nodded without turning to look at the twins. They waited silently, the only sounds being the official's fingers tapping on the screen and Matthew fidgeting with his sleeve.

"What exactly would our parents have to say to us?" He wondered in his head. Would they feel betrayed that neither of their children had mentioned their tokens? Would they be understanding of why they had to leave without saying anything? Would they cry? He wasn't sure what he would do if his parents cried. He was missing them, missing Edis, missing his home, and his life. What if seeing his parents would only bring all the memories back and make him miss them more?

Matthew turned to his sister. Her eyes were distant and he knew she was thinking similar thoughts. There was an odd sense of determination in her expression though. It was as if she was saying,"We have to do this. Even if it means giving up everything, we have to know exactly what's going on with Matthew's friend. And we have to know what's going on with us."

The realization crept into Matthew's gut slowly. She was doing this for him. They could have run away. Could have died instead of give in to the officials when they came for Marie. They had been taught from the beginning to always trust the officials and that the Saru Tokai going to the surface was what was best for everyone, but now they weren't so sure that was true. Their doubts had almost been confirmed when they found the file. So they could have ran. But they didn't. Matthew went to the surface for Amani. And Marie went to the surface for Matthew.

The communicator began to sound a gentle tone and the official stepped back,"alright It's just connecting, the call will come through soon." She smiled politely then stepped out of the tent leaving the children alone.

Two faces appeared on the screen and both twins sighed with relief when they saw it was their parents. Matthew hadn't even realized that he was holding his breath in the first place.

"Oh my children! We miss you so much!" Their father said, tears in his eyes.

"Yup. They're gonna cry." Matthew thought.

"The house is so quiet without you two. We understand why you have to be at the surface of course and we couldn't be more proud that you are doing your part for Edis but It's so tough without you!" Arthur Bolin continued, a few rogue tears escaping his eyelids.

"Yes it really is. Good thing that our children are tough too! We know you'll do great things for the city. We're so proud of you! Imagine. The Bolin kids, our kids, being Saru Tokai. Now no matter how hard it'll be without you at least we can say that you lived honorably." Their mother had stepped forward to speak to her children with a small smile,"we love both of you so much, and are so proud to be your parents."

Marie was covering her face with her hands, tears escaping underneath them. Matthew was in a similar state, though something was nagging at him. He ignored the feeling as he wiped his face saying,"we love you too mom and dad." The voice barely above a whisper. They had no clue that the government had been lying about something. They trusted Edis completely.

"How are things at home and work?" Marie asked. Their parents didn't seem to hear them because they continued speaking,"we know you'll do great things, and we know We'll be even more proud of you then we are now, if That's even possible," they paused to laugh tearfully,"We have to go now though. We love you so much. Goodbye."

The screen cut off with a blip of light. Both twins stared at the communicator, still rattled from seeing their parents. The nagging feeling Matthew had felt before came back, and this time he knew what it meant.

"That wasn't our parents."

______________________________________________

Meanwhile Ms. Mortal had been in her hut taking her break from the day's work. He stared at the metal and wood ceiling calmly,"I suppose I better do something fun before I die." She muttered finally rolling off of the bed. An official stepped through the door right at that moment.

"Ms. Mortal? Can you please come with me? We need to run some tests."

Tiana sighed but followed the young man anyways. He led her to the tent furthest away from the camp. It was made of a different material, something she didn't recognize.

"What is the tent made of?" She asked the official, her curiosity getting the better of her.

He smiled gently,"It's a special soundproof fabric. This is the med tent, and we didn't want anyone getting disturbed with the noises if we end up having to preform a surgery. We're all about keeping you safe and comfortable here." He responded happily.

"Yeah. Right." Tiana responded in her head without showing her skepticism on her face. She entered the tent.

Anyone inside the tent would have heard screams. They would have seen blood spilling onto the floor as last breaths were taken. A heartbeat slow and die in agony. But most people were not inside the tent.

So they didn't hear anything.