Jet and Jade | Black and White 1

Chapter 7: Jet

Well... She didn't take it that badly...

But it was still bad. This was another lie... Besides, she kept wrongly calling Arva and Arva did not like it one bit.

Arva glared at Jade as she neighed. "Can I go please, Master? I am afraid I will kick the girl if she carries on longer."

I sighed. "Yes."

"Thank you!" Arva spread her wings and ran into the sky. She slowly disappeared from view.

I slowly turned to Jade.

"Jade, pegacorns take the slightest insults in the worst way," I told her.

"I wasn't even insulting her," Jade replied indignantly.

"They take most things as an insult too," I continued.

Jade sighed.

"I have to tell you everything," I said. "Please don't take this badly. They didn't exile us because I broke the earth."

"What?"

I took a deep breath. This would be hard to say. "They exiled me because they were afraid of me. They exiled you because they thought you were the same as me. It is my fault you're here, and even more of mine to not tell them you were not like me."

To my shock Jade replied, "It's not your fault and it never will be. You could have just left me to fend for myself but you brought with you and you protected me. That's better than I would have been able to do."

My gaze softened as I looked at my twin sister. She was so much younger than me even though we were mere minutes apart. She was so innocent and now I was staining her permanently with the truth. Sometimes I wondered if I should really tell her. Then and again, I hated lying to her. I'd already done it so many times. I was sick of hiding the truth and sugar-coating truths. It felt as though I was cheating. I had my own life during the night without Jade. I would climb out of the overly large window and fly through the blackening, shadowy sky-- the only place where I could be myself. Sometimes, I would call for Arva to join me. These were the only times Jade wasn't with me in any way except in my heart.

"Jade..." I muttered. "I... This is all my fault."

Jade looked at me confusedly.

No one knew this secret. Not even Arva. Was I really going to tell her?

Or not?

Jade looked down at her feet as she swallowed. She breathed before saying, "Jet, I have something to tell you too."

"What is it?" I asked her.

Jade looked up at me. "I haven't been honest."

W-what?

I am... so confused.

"You're not the only one with secrets, Jet," Jade mumbled. "I'm sorry."

My mind was blank.

Jade? Secrets?

"I found something a few months ago," Jade said in a small voice. "It was a creature that I didn't know. I... thought it looked cute and it was just... making those sounds, you know? I... took it in and... three weeks ago it... tried to kill me."

My eyes darkened. "Where is it?" I demanded.

Jade pointed to the attic with fearful eyes. And the thing she feared was me. I knew.

My heart nearly broke. My own sister, my only sister, my twin sister, was afraid of me. Even her. If she was scared of me, why did I even bother to keep living? I was supposed to be her guard. Her protecter. Her sister. The one she could rely on and trust. How could she trust me when she was afraid of me? How could she rely on me when she feared me?

How could I live when the only thing that made me keep on living was afraid of me? I nearly yanked my dagger out to shove into my heart but one thing stopped me.

Revenge.

After revenge, what did I care if I lived or died? But I hadn't gotten it yet. I hadn't tasted the bitter sweet taste of revenge. I was not going down before getting it.

I shoved away my desire for the solace and peace of death and power-walked back into the mansion and up the many steps that led to the attic.

No one was hurting my sister.

NO ONE.