Twinsequences (A Twisted Twin Series) (38 page)

The
 last
 thing
 either
 of
 us
 wanted
 to
 do
 was
 stay
 at
 his
 parent’s
 house,
 but
 we
 
knew
 it
 was
 a
 safe
 place
 to
 be
 before
 we
 could
 get
 everything
 else
 figured
 out.
 The
 
next
 few
 weeks
 were
 going
 to
 be
 hectic
 as
 Stosh
 would
 be
 looking
 for
 a
 new
 job
 and
 
a
 place
 for
 us
 to
 live.
 
Since
 his
 father
 wasn’t
 around
 for
 the
 conversation,
 he
 had
 to
 sit
 down
 with
 
him
 later
 that
 night
 and
 explain
 it
 all
 again.
 He
 was
 as
 flabbergasted
 as
 his
 wife,
 but
 
ended
 up
 being
 just
 as
 supportive.
 
Before
 bed,
 Stosh
 held
 me
 tightly
 in
 his
 arms.
 I
 felt
 safer
 than
 I
 had
 in
 days.
 
“I’m
 going
 to
 see
 your
 mother
 tomorrow.”
 
I
 sat
 up
 and
 looked
 at
 him.
 “What?”
 
“It’s
 time
 she
 starts
 listening,
 Will.
 This
 shit
 has
 been
 going
 on
 long
 enough.
 
Instead
 of
 running
 from
 Ivy,
 we’re
 going
 to
 fight
 her.
 She’s
 going
 down
 and
 I’m
 going
 
to
 do
 my
 damndest
 to
 make
 sure
 that
 it’s
 slow
 and
 painful.”
 
“Fine
 by
 me.”
 
He
 kissed
 me
 on
 my
 nose.
 “Get
 some
 sleep.
 You’re
 coming
 with
 me
 in
 the
 
morning.”
 
 
 
 
Chapter
 24
 
Say
 What?
 
 
I
 didn’t
 want
 to
 face
 my
 parents,
 especially
 since
 they’d
 just
 written
 me
 off
 
without
 hearing
 my
 side
 of
 the
 story.
 I
 get
 how
 things
 looked,
 but
 I
 still
 deserved
 the
 
chance
 to
 plead
 my
 case,
 whether
 I
 was
 having
 an
 affair
 or
 not.
 
His
 parents
 stayed
 up
 pretty
 late,
 asking
 a
 million
 more
 questions.
 I
 got
 that
 
they
 were
 confused.
 Hell,
 I
 still
 didn’t
 fully
 understand
 the
 complexity
 of
 everything
 
that
 had
 been
 happening.
 One
 thing
 we
 all
 knew
 was
 that
 my
 sister
 was
 sick.
 She
 
needed
 help.
 
As
 much
 as
 she’d
 done
 to
 me,
 there
 was
 still
 this
 small
 part
 of
 me
 that
 felt
 like
 
I
 was
 the
 only
 one
 that
 could
 get
 through
 to
 her.
 Contrary
 to
 her
 accusations
 of
 
hating
 me,
 I
 felt
 like
 she
 must
 love
 me
 enough
 to
 want
 to
 be
 me
 so
 badly.
 Against
 my
 
better
 judgment,
 I
 walked
 out
 onto
 Stosh’s
 parent’s
 terrace
 with
 my
 cell
 phone.
 
Before
 I
 changed
 my
 mind,
 I
 quickly
 dialed
 my
 sister’s
 number.
 
You
 have
 a
 lot
 of
 nerve
 calling
 me.
 
 
You
 have
 a
 lot
 of
 nerve
 saying
 that.
 
 
What
 do
 you
 want,
 Willow?
 Are
 you
 calling
 to
 brag
 about
 how
 you
 got
 the
 guy,
 
because
 I
 don’t
 care
 anymore.
 In
 fact,
 I’m
 totally
 bored
 with
 it
 all.
 
 
I’m
 calling
 because
 I
 want
 you
 to
 tell
 Mom
 and
 Dad
 the
 truth.
 
 
 
Fat
 chance,
 sis.
 
 
 
You
 owe
 me,
 Ivy.
 After
 trying
 to
 ruin
 my
 life,
 it’s
 the
 least
 you
 can
 do.
 
 
I
 owe
 you
 nothing!
 
 
 
Ivy,
 please.
 We’ll
 leave
 town
 and
 never
 bother
 you
 again.
 
 
 
I’m
 not
 giving
 you
 the
 satisfaction
 of
 being
 the
 favorite
 again.
 Mom
 and
 Dad
 
are
 eating
 out
 of
 the
 palm
 of
 my
 hand.
 They
 just
 gave
 me
 a
 hundred
 grand
 to
 start
 a
 
new
 life.
 You
 really
 think
 I’d
 fuck
 that
 up?
 
 
You’re
 using
 them!
 
 
Of
 course
 I
 am.
 Just
 because
 things
 didn’t
 work
 out
 with
 you,
 didn’t
 mean
 that
 I
 
hadn’t
 come
 up
 with
 a
 backup
 plan.
 Things
 couldn’t
 be
 working
 out
 better.
 Mom
 and
 
Dad
 are
 feeling
 so
 sorry
 for
 me
 that
 they
 are
 bending
 over
 backwards
 to
 make
 me
 
happy.
 They
 think
 you’re
 the
 worst
 person
 on
 the
 planet.
 I
 love
 it!
 I
 know
 for
 a
 fact
 that
 
they
 changed
 their
 will.
 I
 get
 everything.
 
 
They’re
 going
 to
 find
 out
 the
 truth
 someday,
 Ivy.
 
 
 
They
 won’t
 find
 out.
 I’m
 making
 sure
 of
 that.
 
 
What
 are
 you
 going
 to
 do?
 
 
Goodbye,
 Willow.
 
 
The
 call
 had
 been
 ended.
 
I
 was
 immediately
 petrified
 of
 what
 was
 going
 to
 happen
 next.
 Without
 
regard
 for
 what
 time
 it
 was,
 I
 dialed
 my
 parent’s
 house
 number.
 
Hello?
 
 
Dad,
 it’s
 Willow.
 Listen
 to
 me,
 please.
 Ivy
 is
 up
 to
 something
 and
 you
 might
 be
 in
 
danger.
 I
 need
 you
 and
 Mom
 to
 leave
 town
 for
 a
 couple
 of
 days.
 
 
Willow,
 how
 did
 you
 get
 out
 of
 jail?
 Tell
 us
 where
 you
 are.
 You
 need
 help,
 honey.
 
 
 
Dad,
 no!
 Please!
 
 
Willow,
 you
 need
 to
 stop
 this.
 
 You
 need
 to
 get
 help.
 Your
 sister
 has
 been
 
through
 enough
 trauma.
 
 
 
I
 hung
 up
 the
 phone,
 realizing
 that
 I
 wasn’t
 going
 to
 get
 anywhere
 with
 him.
 
I’d
 have
 to
 prove
 it
 to
 them,
 somehow.
 
Looking
 back,
 I
 should
 have
 woke
 up
 Stosh
 and
 asked
 him
 to
 go
 with
 me,
 but
 
I
 was
 too
 worried
 about
 what
 my
 sister
 was
 planning
 to
 do.
 For
 some
 reason,
 I
 felt
 
like
 my
 parents
 were
 in
 serious
 danger.
 
 
 There
 was
 no
 time
 to
 rationalize
 with
 my
 quick
 decision.
 An
 hour
 after
 my
 
phone
 call,
 I
 was
 already
 halfway
 down
 the
 road,
 in
 a
 pair
 of
 pajama
 pants.
 Stosh’s
 
car
 was
 a
 stick
 shift
 and
 it
 was
 hard
 for
 me
 to
 get
 used
 to
 it.
 The
 gears
 grinded
 as
 I
 
switched
 from
 one
 to
 another.
 
 
The
 house
 was
 dark
 and
 it
 was
 quiet
 outside.
 The
 lights
 were
 all
 turned
 out,
 
as
 well
 as
 all
 the
 other
 houses
 on
 the
 block.
 Nothing
 seemed
 out
 of
 the
 ordinary,
 but
 
I
 wasn’t
 going
 to
 be
 able
 to
 rest
 until
 I
 knew
 they
 were
 both
 safe.
 That
 eerie
 feeling
 
was
 overwhelming
 me
 more
 and
 more
 by
 the
 second.
 
 
Unfortunately,
 the
 house
 was
 locked
 and
 the
 key
 that
 had
 been
 hidden,
 had
 
been
 moved.
 I
 checked
 under
 every
 rock,
 in
 the
 mailbox
 and
 even
 the
 electrical
 box
 
on
 the
 side
 of
 the
 house
 with
 no
 result.
 
Maybe
 it
 was
 the
 worst
 thing
 I
 could
 have
 done,
 but
 I
 started
 beating
 on
 the
 
back
 door.
 My
 parents
 may
 have
 wanted
 nothing
 to
 do
 with
 me,
 but
 I
 couldn’t
 
abandon
 them.
 
 
I
 heard
 footsteps
 and
 someone
 unlocking
 the
 door,
 albeit
 the
 person
 that
 
answered
 was
 not
 one
 of
 my
 parents.
 
 
Rafe
 stood
 at
 the
 door
 with
 a
 gun
 pointed
 at
 me.
 “Don’t
 make
 a
 scene,
 
Willow.”
 
I
 immediately
 threw
 my
 hands
 in
 the
 air.
 “Rafe,
 please?”
 
He
 pointed
 behind
 him
 with
 the
 gun.
 “Get
 inside!”
 He
 closed
 the
 door
 and
 
locked
 it
 behind
 him.
 I
 looked
 around
 quickly,
 but
 didn’t
 see
 or
 hear
 my
 parents.
 He
 
turned
 around.
 “Where’s
 the
 boyfriend?”
 
“He’s
 not
 here!”
 I
 wished
 he
 was,
 but
 I’d
 left
 him
 sleeping.
 
“If
 you’re
 lying,
 it
 will
 be
 the
 last
 thing
 you
 ever
 do.”
 His
 threat
 wasn’t
 taken
 
lightly.
 I
 said
 nothing
 as
 I
 backed
 away
 from
 him.
 
 
“I
 swear.
 I’m
 all
 alone.
 Now
 tell
 me
 where
 my
 sister
 is!
 Where’s
 Ivy
 and
 
where
 are
 my
 parents?”
 
 
I
 heard
 someone
 walking
 down
 the
 stairs.
 “Well,
 I
 couldn’t
 have
 planned
 this
 
any
 better.
 Did
 you
 come
 here
 to
 say
 goodbye,
 Willow?”
 
“What
 are
 you
 talking
 about?
 Are
 you
 leaving
 town?
 Did
 you
 come
 here
 for
 
the
 money?”
 
She
 started
 laughing.
 “The
 hundred
 grand?
 I
 can’t
 survive
 on
 that.”
 
I
 was
 scared
 with
 the
 way
 she’d
 said
 that.
 “Ivy,
 what
 are
 you
 planning
 on
 
doing?”
 
“Don’t
 be
 stupid,
 Will.
 I
 think
 you
 already
 know
 the
 answer
 to
 that.”
 
I
 shook
 my
 head
 and
 backed
 up
 against
 the
 wall
 as
 she
 got
 to
 the
 bottom
 of
 
the
 steps.
 Her
 boyfriend
 kept
 his
 gun
 pointed
 right
 at
 me.
 “Please,
 Ivy.
 Please
 don’t
 
do
 this.
 They’ll
 give
 you
 anything
 you
 want.
 Please
 don’t
 hurt
 them.”
 
She
 reached
 over
 and
 ran
 her
 hand
 through
 my
 hair.
 I
 pulled
 away,
 but
 didn’t
 
make
 any
 sudden
 moves
 to
 alert
 Rafe.
 “Dear
 sister,
 if
 you
 only
 knew
 how
 happy
 I
 am
 
that
 you’re
 here.
 I’d
 been
 trying
 to
 figure
 out
 how
 I
 was
 going
 to
 make
 this
 go
 off
 
without
 a
 hitch.
 With
 you
 here,
 everything
 just
 got
 so
 much
 easier.”
 
“What
 are
 you
 talking
 about?”
 
She
 laughed
 at
 me.
 “You’ve
 already
 been
 arrested.
 The
 state
 thinks
 you’re
 a
 
loose
 cannon.
 When
 they
 see
 your
 lifeless
 body
 holding
 the
 gun
 that
 killed
 our
 
parents,
 there
 won’t
 be
 anyone
 to
 argue
 it.
 I’ve
 already
 practiced
 my
 part
 of
 it
 all.
 
After
 a
 few
 weeks
 of
 grieving,
 I’ll
 meet
 with
 the
 attorney
 and
 collect
 their
 entire
 
estate.
 The
 life
 insurance
 will
 take
 about
 a
 month
 to
 receive.
 The
 hundred
 grand
 
check
 will
 hold
 me
 over
 until
 that
 comes.”
 She
 clapped
 her
 hands
 together
 and
 
reached
 for
 Rafe.
 He
 walked
 over
 to
 her
 and
 kissed
 her
 like
 I
 wasn’t
 in
 the
 room.
 
“Then
 we
 can
 run
 off
 and
 do
 anything
 we
 want,
 right,
 baby?”
 
“You’re
 sick!”
 
“Fuck
 you!
 Do
 you
 think
 I
 care
 what
 you
 think?
 Nobody
 has
 ever
 cared
 what
 I
 
thought.”