Twin Reflection

Chapter 1 - Willow

"Finished!" Willow Wright sighed as she shut her English book and carefully placed it back into her bag. That was all the homework she had to do today and she was thankful for the break. She had just heard her mum coming in so got up from her desk and decided to go see her.

"Hi Willow, how was your day?"

Willow shrugged, "It was okay."

She hadn't really enjoyed school as much recently. She and her sister never used to feel the need to have any other friends as they had always got on extremely well. Recently, however, Willow had felt them drifting apart as Ella's life began to revolve mostly around her new friends instead of her twin sister.

Her mum nodded, "Had any assessments today?"

"A few but I think they went alright. I'll just go and take Ollie for a walk,"

"Dinner will be ready in half an hour, make sure you are back in time please."

Willow nodded as she picked up the lead and headed outside into the frosty winter air, Ollie at her heels.

So much had changed at the start of this year, it wasn't just her sister Ella, it was her parents and friends as well. She and Ella used to do everything together, wear the same clothes and put their hair in the same ponytail. Ella had always been less shy than Willow and especially now at school it showed. Ella was in a popular group surrounded by friends whereas Willow spent most of her time with her best friend Katie.

Willow was also sure that their parents would not approve of Ella's new friends, they wanted her to have friends like Willow's who studied hard and behaved in school. Their family rarely saw Ella nowadays, she stayed out till late and when she wasn't out, she was in her room texting.

Willow enjoyed taking Ollie for a walk, it cleared her mind and gave her time to think.

She was so caught up in her thoughts however, she failed to notice she was walking right past the park where her sister and some kids from school were hanging around.

"Hey! Willow!" A boy called Lewis shouted sarcastically, startling her. She cursed herself for walking this way, quickening her pace, she tried to ignore the shouts from the park. It was too late though, the others had heard and she knew she would have to face them. It wasn't that they were mean, they were just loud and the polar opposite of her. She hated it when people she didn't know well paid her too much attention.

Turning around, she slowly walked back towards the park gate and attempted to smile. Daniel, Brook and Amber came up to her, she saw her sister talking on the swings to Vicky and Nicole. She did not know whether Ella was deliberately avoiding eye contact or not, either way, her sister appeared to be too engaged in her conversation to notice her.

"Nice dog," remarked Daniel, although Willow could see the fear in his eyes at the sight of her massive dog. She was happy for the protection that Ollie offered, even though she knew he would never harm anyone.

"Um, thanks," she said hesitantly, hoping she would be able to make a getaway soon. Daniel whispered something to Brook and smirked, the rest of them sniggered.

Brook turned to Willow, "You should come and hang out with us more often, trust me, it's way more fun than homework." They all laughed at this. She hated these kinds of remarks, she liked working and being in a park with loads of people sounded to her more like a nightmare. "Can you do that History essay for us Will'?" they teased.

She felt her cheeks redden as she looked down at the floor, wondering how on earth she would be able to get herself out of this mess. She tried to catch her sister's eye, but Ella was purposely looking in the other direction. For some reason this annoyed Willow, "I like working and getting good grades actually, unlike you lot," she snapped as she turned on her heels and strode towards home, not daring to look over her shoulder in case they were following. She heard them all cooing and laughing but she tried not to let it bother her.

She walked home at a brisk pace, Ollie jogging to keep up with her. "Well you wouldn't understand!" she told him as they turned back onto her street. She knew that people called her a nerd and other names behind her back, but she never really spent much time with anyone other than her best friend Katie, with whom she spent most of her breaks and lunches with at school.

As soon as she got back, she sank onto the sofa and breathed a sigh of relief. She knew Ella would be back soon, their dad got home early on Tuesday so they ate together earlier than usual. Willow usually looked forward to this family time but now she just wanted to go up to her room for some peace and quiet.

Her mum popped her head around the door, "How was the walk, you were back earlier than usual."

"It was fine thanks, it was getting quite cold so I thought I'd come back."

Nodding, her mum went back into the kitchen, humming softly, her long blond hair was plaited untidily behind her back. She was similar to the twins in this way, but Willow and Ella had inherited their father's bright green eyes. However, Willow, who wore next to no makeup and always had her hair in a neat ponytail, looked quite different to Ella, even though they were identical twins, as Ella never went anywhere without her makeup on point and she always had her hair down; sometimes curled, sometimes straight.

Willow heard her dad open the front door and her mum went to greet him. Willow followed, "How was work?" she asked.

Her dad smiled, "Someone found two black and white kittens by the side of the road, poor creatures. I've been looking after them all day."

"They sound adorable!" Willow grinned. She loved hearing about the animals from her father's veterinary centre, she had a passion for animals so continued to quiz her dad about the two kittens. She didn't notice Ella come in until their mum told them to sit down as she served dinner. Willow noticed that Ella wasn't talking much, or making much eye contact with anybody.

After dinner, Willow sat watching TV with her parents, she saw Ella slip away into her room, clutching her phone with her earphones already in. This wasn't unusual, as Ella spent most of her time alone in her room these days away from the rest of the family. No matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, part of her missed Ella and the time that they used to spend together. Things had changed, she shouldn't be surprised but she knew that it would take a lot of getting used to.

For once, she dreaded going to school the next morning. She tried not to worry about it and distracted herself by watching the quiz show her dad loved but the thoughts were still pressing on her mind.