Butterfly and Flame - Alina and Evan

Sophie and Leo

"Leo". Sophie was calling him and he was doing his best to ignore his little sister. She could be so annoying and persistent. Something she had in common with their oldest sibling. Where Alina was soft and eccentric and full of laughter, stories and jokes. Sophie was a bulldog. Beautiful and athletic, smart as a whip with her comebacks, and determined to do things her own way. To be fair they were all a bit headstrong. Each in their own way. Right now however his little sister was sitting on his last nerve. "Leoooooo....oh there you are" said Sophie as she rounded the corner of the yard. "Why didn't you answer me. I've been yelling for you for ten minutes. We need to decide on the new therapist. Alina gave me the list she narrowed down. We just need to decide."
She was looking at him with big hazel eyes. They were exactly like his own. Her straight nose and high cheekbones matched his as well as the color of their hair, coppery shade of auburn. Ever since they were babies people would confuse them. They weren't identical twins, obviously due to their gender, but they were remarkably similar in features and height if not in personality or emotionally. Where he was quiet and thoughtful. Sophie was loud and careless with her words. Where he was reserved with his thoughts and emotions she was an open book in her speach and her emotions were always written all over her face. She was a horrible liar and he could have received an academy award for his acting. They were 8 minutes apart. She stood at 5'5" and he at 6'2". Well, that was when he used to be able to stand. Here she was in his face demanding his attention with a hand on her hip and a smirk on her face. "Shall we choose Lydia. Her picture is nice. She's blonde and has big" she said with a glint in her eyes. "Sophie! I don't care how big her" he said before she interrupted "blue eyes Leo. What did you think I was gonna say?" He just laughed at her. Never being able to stay angry with her for more than a minute or two. "C'mon Leo You know Alina will be on our case if we don't choose by the time she gets back from her appointment. Mom and dad warned us not to mess around. This is Alina's big break and we shouldn't be a reason for her to get upset".
Leo knew she was right but he had no intention of choosing another therapist. Not anymore. He was done. He didn't want to fight with his sisters but it was high time they face facts. He wasn't ever going to walk again. He faced it and it was time that they did too.
He thought of Alina and everything that they had been through since the accident. He knew she blamed herself for what happened to them both. It didn't matter that he didn't blame her. She blamed herself enough for everyone. She stopped going to school. She stopped eating for a while and would only leave the house to go with him to his appointments. Their mother was worried about her. She had insisted that Alina talk to a psychologist along with him. She agreed but only after he did. His sister was his best friend in a way far different than Sophie. Sophie and he shared a bond that only twins could share. Alina and him. That was different. She was his protector, spokesperson, entertainer, matchmaker, stylist, confidant and now she intended on being his savior. He loved her and envied her. Not in a jealous way but in a hopeful way. Wishing he was more like her.
Alina was the glue that held them all together when things had gotten rough with their parents. Their was a time when they weren't sure if their mom and dad would make it. Their parents were very devout Catholics and the though of divorce was not a topic for conversation. Whatever their problems they put their family first. And sometime after the accident they made amends and had decided to take some time for themselves once they saw that their children had turned the corner and were once again flourishing.
Alina would be furious to know he hadn't picked a therapist. As much as he loved her she would have to deal with it. He could see it now. His beautiful sister would flip her lid and her eyes would turn a deeper chocolate than they already were. Alina was physically different from he and Sophie. Alina's face was heart shaped with high cheekbones and full lips. Sophie and he had more angular lines with a stronger chin. Alina had long thick and wavy black hair. Almost blue. It was a striking contrast to her complexion. She wasn't fair in the traditional sense but she didn't share their olive complexion. When she tanned she never burned and she developed a coloring closer to that of her siblings. At 5'7" she was taller than her mother and sister but her figure was different as well. Sophie and their mom had a more athletic build. Thinner and more sinewy than Alina. That was problematic for him in high school as her little brother. He would hear the comments that the older boys would make about her. "Round in all the right places" and "with lips like those..." he had gotten into dozens of fights to defend her. He never told her why, because that would have made her self conscious. She never dressed In a particularly revealing way but is didn't matter she turned heads wherever she went. Without any effort. She barely noticed the attention as she was not impressed with her own features always wishing she looked more like her siblings and parents. As a dancer she was a natural performer. Her posture always tall and dignified. Sophie tried to emulate her big sister but never quite got the hang of it. Leo would tease Sophie to the pint of making her hit him.  Suddenly he was taken out of his reverie when he heard the car pull up. Mentally he prepared himself for a war of words. As he wheeled himself into the house from the patio he saw his sister walk in. He was dumbfounded and could only manage to stare at her.
Their she was. Covered in mud, with what looked like dirt on her cheekbones and chin. Streaks of brown covered her favorite dress that her mother had brought back from their missions trip to Costa Rica. She had fire in her eyes and her face was red with temper.
Oh oh. Had she found out about his decision from Sophie. He looked over at his twin and she, uncannily as they were already used to; looked at him a the exact same moment with a shrug and an astonished look on her face.
"Alina?...what happened to you. Are you alright? Sophie went up to her sister and took her bag and notebook. Leo wheeled up closer to her and reached for her hand and quietly spoke to her. "Alina you need to breath and calm down. C'mon take a deep breath and......" before he could finish his sentence she narrowed her eyes and said " I don't care if he's the last illustrator on this planet I will not work with him. How dare he critique my work after only reading a few pages. Who does he think he is. He's a photographer for God's sake! This is his first illustrating job. Who made him KING!. I can't do it. I can't work with him. He's arrogant, opinionated, condescending and he does it all with a sugary sweetness that just boils my blood. If you can believe it Uncle Elliot is giving him the Cabin by the lake to work! He can stay at the house or the cabin whatever he chooses. If he goes to the cabin that means I have to go to. I hate driving on the narrow roads. It's his inspiration he says. Nature and wildlife". She took a breath long enough to refuel and begin again before he or Sophie had a chance to say two words. "I'm reasonable right?" She asked them. They both stared at each other and before they could answer she continued. " Im a nature lover. I like wildlife. You know I love fishing. And what about the time we went camping. It's not my fault I thought I saw a mountain lion. Remember how we got lost and I found our way back to the campground. "Alina...the park rangers found us and brought us back. I don't think that qualifies as you bring us back to the campground" said Sophie. "Never mind that. I can't work with this man. Do you know what his first words to me were?". They both waited to here what she had to say. "Your late" she shouted! "Late" who says that on their first meeting"? Before he could stop her Sophie replied "the person who was waiting for you to start the meeting"..too late. Alina snapped her eyes in Sophie's direction and Sophie had the good sense to back up behind the wheelchair. There was nothing more deafening than being on the receiving end of their sisters angry tirade. The sweetest person in the world was Alina. She was even keeled and happy most of the time. But she would turn into an angry lioness when provoked. Whoever this guy was had surely made a bad first impression on their sister and that was hard to do.

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