Perfect Twins

Chapter 1.

The library was a place of sanctuary, where imagination and creativity could safely run free without any interruption or threat. That's probably the reason why the twins found comfort in it... or was it? He wasn't sure. All Samuel knew was that he's the new boy in this school. When he entered his classroom, after being introduced, a boy nicknamed Mike told him about the twins. The twins sat next to each other at the back corner of the classroom, avoiding any eye contact. He peered back at them from his desk in the middle of the room, as Mike spoke about them like they were cartoon characters.

"They're freaks." Mike whispered as they both stared at Janet and Lucy as Mr. O'Brian wrote on the board, teaching the impact of the Cold War, "I mean, look at them."

Samuel observed them. The two girls were identical with the same auburn colour hair and eyes and freckled faces. Their hair was open and reached down to their backs. The one who was sitting next to the wall wore a long sleeved, cream colour sweater that had a wide draping neck, showing her vest strap over her freckled shoulder. The other who sat next to her wore a grey hoodie and tights with shiny black high top boots. She sat down drawing weird patterns with a pen on her hand as the other paid attention to what the teacher was saying.

"I don't get what's so weird about them." Samuel said in a low voice, lifting his gaze off of the twins and looking into Mike's dark eyes.

Mike widened his eyes in shock and his voice went a bit louder and squeakier as he tried to prove his point, "they're the weirdest!" He went on, "they do everything and go everywhere together. They never speak or do anything! They never complain, they let you do anything to them!"

Samuel cringed and stiffened in his seat, he was never the bully type, "so they're the victims of this school..." He muttered.

"Oh please!" Mike giggled, "it's so much fun!" A grin appeared on Mike's face, showing his dimples. He leaned backward to see the twins and licked his lips before speaking loudly and clearly to grab everyone else's attention. "Hey you guys!" He almost shouted at the twins. Startled, the one who was writing on her hand quickly lifted her head, but before Samuel could get a better glimpse at her appearance from between her voluminous hair, the other sister automatically pulled her sister to herself gently and murmured something to her as they moved their heads away and closed their eyes as Mike continued to speak, "I keep seeing you together, I bet you even sit on the same toilet seat!" Some of the kids in the class laughed out loud, encouraging others to giggle and snicker, except for Samuel. He didn't get the joke. The teacher grew angry and asked Mike to leave the classroom. Mike did as he was told with a smirk of triumph on his face. Samuel stared at the twins as they hid their faces while all the other eyes were glued on them, which made him wonder why were the twins hated? So he decided to join them in the library to waste time, interrupting their silence and peace.

The twins had seemed to be lost in their own world as the one wearing the hoodie drew on a peace of paper and the other one comfortably read a thick book by the wooden table. Samuel approached them but they didn't lift their heads.

"Hey." He said in a friendly tone. The twins jumped and their eyes widened in horror and it seemed that they would cry out any minute, like Samuel was a murderer. His smile vanished and he frowned at their peculiar behaviour. "Uh..." He hesitated, lost for words. "I'm Samuel...Sam. I'm the new kid?"

They both looked at one another in search for an answer to an invisible question. Feeling really awkward, Samuel hesitantly pulled back a chair from the table,  "can I join you?" He gestured. The twins looked at each other once again with a frown on their faces and then stared at Samuel as he gave up and sat down on the chair anyway.

"You don't talk much do you?" Samuel teased he made himself comfortable on the chair. He found it amusing that the twins would quickly look away when he made eye contact with them, "Mike was telling me how you guys never speak for some reason." He sighed and looked up at them and smiled again, "but can I get your names?"

"Lucy." The one who was drawing blurted out. The other stared at her in misbelief and Lucy shrunk in her seat. Her voice was quiet and sweet, "I'm Lucy." She repeated quieter this time,  "this is Janet." Janet rolled her eyes and looked down at her book.

"Cool!" Samuel said amusedly. He looked down at Lucy's white paper that had a drawing on it. He couldn't make out what she drew as her arms were leaning on it. "Can I see what you drew?"

Lucy smiled and moved her elbows out of the way to give him the paper but Janet pulled Lucy's hand back down not allowing Samuel to have a glimpse of what Lucy drew. Janet stared at his eyes bluntly but with determination.

"You know why we are bullied here?" Janet started to say quickly and threateningly, pushing Samuel back, unknowingly, on his seat. "Because we are weird. There's a reason why we don't socialise, there's a reason we don't talk or join everyone else in their little groups. Tell you what? You keep your distance from us like everyone else and find new friends. Stay away from us. It's for your own sake."

Samuel quickly got up and put his bag on his back. He frowned at Janet's attitude and glanced at Lucy who helplessly had her head down. "Suites yourself." Samuel shrugged and walked away from the library, regretting ever trying to be nice and possibly being the twins' only friend.

But all this made him more curious towards the twins. What did Janet mean by saying "there's a reason why we don't socialise"? What did she mean by "stay away from us, it's for your own sake"? Was there something dangerous about them? A pretty interesting day for a first day at school, he thought.