It's their birthday. Their thirteenth. They have outgrown the age limit at the orphanage and have moved out months ago, now attending a small prep school being paid for by an anonymous sponsor. Even though the pantsuit-cladded woman that plucked them from the Academy had refused to mention the name, the twins knew full well that the mysterious donor was their grandfather.
No cake or singing this year. They've even missed out on any opportunity to wear their traditional joint costume. The boy feels he is too old for these things anyway, but the girl secretly misses the traditions of Grey John's. There is a knock at her door, and she jumps up to open it, revealing her sharply dressed grandfather on the other side.
"Jenevieve," he says, bringing his hat from his head to his chest in a polite bow. She gives an unsure nod in reply and opens her door wider.
"Oh, no, let's meet your brother. He's in the library," the old man suggests, and the girl follows him through the winding hallways to the school's library.
The boy is not reading anything, but sitting at a worn table, his back stick-straight, his gaze fixated directly in front of him. He's already spoken to their grandfather; his sister can already tell.
The old man grunts in pain as he lowers himself into a chair and leans his cane steadily against the table. He folds his hands in front of him and smiles, almost sarcastically. "Happy birthday."
"Who are you?" the boy snaps.
"Your grandfather," the old man sighs.
"I know you're not telling the truth," the boy reminds him.
The old man sneers at him. "Stubborn."
YOU ARE READING
The Forces
FantasyThere's a maze. And an ocean, a great big, beautiful ocean, and it's just on the other side of the maze. I think that's all I remember about where I was. I think I could've been any age at all and this memory would've still stuck. That's because it...
