Chapter 6: Twins and a Haunting Return
After a while of chatting and laughter, Elena looked at Duncan with a serene but firm smile. "For now, this is all the information I can give you. It's getting late," she said, as the sunset light filtered through the trees. "When you finish processing everything, and if you make the decision to change your life, you can return. My daughter Mia will accompany you. Megan and I will go prepare everything for the next time you decide to come."
Once they went outside to say their goodbyes, Megan approached Duncan. With a mischievous smile, she stood on her tiptoes and planted a soft but firm kiss on his lips. "See you tomorrow," she told him, winking before turning around to follow her mother into the depths of the forest.
Duncan stood paralyzed, a sudden heat flooding his face. "It's the first time I've had a girlfriend, and in such a strange way! And even more, one as beautiful and affectionate as Megan," he thought, feeling his heart pounding. "Today is a great day despite everything." A silly smile formed on his face as he turned to find Mia.
She was already waiting, somewhat serious and silent. She began to walk, leading the way back but staying by his side without uttering a word. The tension was great for Duncan; unaware that she had more on her mind than he thought, he spoke up, trying to break the ice.
"So… Mia, I'm part of the family now, right?" he asked, looking for common ground.
"Yes," Mia replied, still lost in her thoughts.
"So, does that mean you're my sister-in-law now?" he insisted, trying to joke.
She shook her head, a quick and decisive gesture.
Puzzled, Duncan thought she didn't acknowledge him and tried to talk more. "I know you might not like this whole situation," Duncan said, trying to be understanding. "After all, we just met. I understand if you're upset, and I might not be the best specimen."
"No," she interrupted, shaking her head again. "It's not that. It's just… you don't understand yet. We are not like you humans. We have very different customs."
"What do you mean?" Duncan inquired, confused.
Mia stopped dead in her tracks, visibly hesitating. She looked him directly in the eyes, as if searching for something inside him. Finally, she asked: "Do you know why Mom let me go with you?"
Duncan shook his head.
Mia nodded as if that were the expected answer. "It's so you get used to the idea," she said, her voice dropping to almost a whisper, as faint as a mosquito's buzz. But Duncan, with his now sharp hearing, heard her clearly: "...that I will also be with you guys. Forever."
A chill ran down his spine. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, his voice a bit louder than intended.
Mia looked at him, and for an instant, Duncan thought he saw a flash of resentment in her eyes. Then, without warning, she stepped closer. She stood on tiptoes, took his face in her hands, and with a determination that left him breathless, planted a kiss on his lips.
The surprise was total, but even greater was the sensation that invaded him: it was exactly the same electricity, the same comforting and intoxicating warmth he had felt with Megan.
As they pulled apart, Mia observed him, studying his reaction. "You noticed, didn't you? That Megan and I..." she said without a trace of shyness. "It's the same as with my sister. That's because she and I are twins. Not just any twins, but… very special ones. You'll understand once you learn more. Okay?"
Before Duncan could utter a word, she naturally took his hand and resumed walking. Duncan, completely stunned, walked beside her, feeling the softness of her hand in his. His mind was a whirlwind. What the hell? Two beautiful twin sisters saying they'll be with me forever? This has to be a dream… like the white wolf. Yes, that must be it.
Upon reaching the edge of the forest where the town streets began, Mia let go of his hand with one last significant look before disappearing into the trees. "I'll be waiting if you want to know more." Duncan then ran happily toward his house, the euphoria of Megan's kiss and Mia's strange promise making him feel like he was floating. I can't believe how lucky I'll be from now on… or will I?
When he arrived home, the clock marked past eight at night. A sudden surge of guilt hit him as he remembered his behavior from the morning. He opened the door and called out: "I'm home! Mom, sister… I want to apologize. I acted like a jerk this morning."
Silence was the only response. The house was strangely quiet and dark. No one was in sight. But then, sharpening his new hearing, he perceived conversations and laughter coming from upstairs. He recognized the voices of his mother and sister, but there was a third, male voice he couldn't identify. They seemed to be having fun, but something in that sound sent a sudden chill to his chest.
As he began to climb the stairs, an oppressive pain and irrational worry took hold of him, making him sweat. Each step was heavier than the last, as if an invisible force were pushing him back. Finally, he reached the door to his mother's room at the end of the hallway. From inside came the laughter and the unknown voice.
With his heart racing, he took the handle. He looked at it for an eternal moment, then turned it slowly. The door opened noiselessly.
And in that moment, Duncan was left completely speechless, paralyzed by what he saw in the room.
The bedroom door was wide open. The scene unfolding inside was so common that, at any other time, it would have gone unnoticed. His mother, sitting on the edge of the bed, was laughing with a naturalness Duncan hadn't seen in years. His sister was leaning against the desk, smiling and fidgeting with a pencil. And between them, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, was him.
He was tall, of a height that made the ceiling seem lower. He had the same blue-black hair as his mother and green eyes that were the exact mirror of his sister's. He was handsome, with a serene and powerful beauty that seemed to fill the room. They were all laughing at something he had just said, creating a bubble of complicity from which Duncan was abruptly excluded.
But it wasn't the scene itself that paralyzed him. It was the sensation.
An icy cold expanded from his chest to his fingertips, followed by a dull, oppressive pain, as if an invisible hand were squeezing his heart. It wasn't jealousy. It was something more primitive—a bad omen. Like an animal instinct screaming through every fiber of his being with terrifying clarity: "Get out of here. Now."
The air thickened, charged with an energy that made the hair on his arms stand up. The green-eyed boy, as if sensing the intrusion, slowly turned his head toward the door. His eyes met Duncan's.
And in that instant of eye contact, Duncan's world shattered.
He didn't see the room. He saw white. The sterile, cold white of hospital walls. It smelled of disinfectant and stillness. He was six years old, and an immense, confusing pain anchored him to a stretcher. The door to his room opened.
There, in the frame, a woman appeared. Young, barely in her twenties, with the same light brown hair, now a bit messy. Her green eyes, swollen and with deep dark circles, sought his. And then, she gave him a smile. It wasn't just any smile. It was radiant, beautiful—a beacon of pure relief and love in the middle of that desert of pain and fear. It was the most beautiful smile he had seen in his short life.
The six-year-old boy, broken and scared, couldn't resist. A sob escaped his throat, followed by a torrent of silent tears. "Mom?" he managed to stammer, his voice cracking with emotion and disbelief.
The woman bit her lower lip as if holding back her own emotional flood. A shimmer of tears appeared in her blue eyes. "Yes," she said, and her voice sounded like a caress, like the first ray of sun after an eternal storm. "It's me."
She crossed the room in three steps and wrapped him in a hug. It wasn't a soft hug; it was strong, desperate, as if she feared he would vanish. Duncan buried his face in her shoulder, stifling his crying in the fabric of her blouse. She cradled him, rocking him slightly, and whispered against his hair: "Everything is okay now, my love. Everything is okay. Mommy is here. I will never leave you again."
"Duncan?"
His mother's voice—the one from now—brutally ripped him from the memory. She was standing in front of him in the doorway with an expression of genuine concern. The bubble of laughter had burst. His sister looked at him with genuine worry, her eyes wide and tearful. And the tall boy, with green eyes identical to theirs, observed him with intense, calculating curiosity, without moving a muscle.
Duncan realized he was trembling without knowing why. Cold sweat soaked his back. The feeling of danger hadn't disappeared; it had multiplied, now mixed with the confusion of the unearthed memory.
"Honey? Are you okay? You look pale," his mother said, reaching a hand toward his forehead.
Duncan instinctively took a step back, avoiding the contact. The gesture caused the pain in his mother's gaze to be instant and deep. "I...", he tried to speak, but his throat was dry. He swallowed hard. "Sorry. I don't feel well. I think… I think I'm going to bed."
His gaze drifted once more toward the stranger. Those green eyes stared at him fixedly, and Duncan swore he saw a flash of something in them… resentment? Anger? A warning?
Without another word, Duncan turned on his heels and hurried down the stairs, feeling those three pairs of eyes (especially one) burning into his back. The memory of the hospital and his mother's hug—or so he believed she was his mother in that memory—throbbed in his mind like a reopened wound, in violent contrast with the disturbing scene he had just witnessed and the dangerous tingling still running through his skin.
Something was terribly wrong. And now he knew, with a certainty that chilled his blood, that secrets didn't only inhabit the forest with Elena and her daughters. They were also here, in his own home, with his own people.
Once he calmed down a bit thanks to the walk he took, he returned home. His mother was waiting for him, but he walked right past her; he didn't know how to face her or what to ask. Once in his room, he locked the door and got into bed. His worried mother knocked and called out, but Duncan was tossing and turning in his bed, unwilling to open up. Seeing this, Elaine became sad and returned to her room. Until very late at night, Duncan thought and thought until… he fell asleep…
Suddenly, the door opens and Tiffany enters. She sees Duncan sleeping peacefully and approaches his bed carefully. She sits down and, reaching out her hand, gently caresses his face, murmuring to herself in a low voice: "There is nothing left to separate us now, little brother...".
To be continued… ❤️