• “Gosh, how many secrets must you hide from me?” I asked them as they opened the mansions door.
    It screeched as it slid across the icy ground. Apparently it was older than I thought it was. A gust of dust seemed to blow in my face as I peered into the barren house. Everything was covered in sheets, as if the owner had moved away and left the furniture there. I took another step as I scanned the various picture frames of past families and pets.
    I was about to walk in when Roy held me back.
    “What?”
    “Wait, it isn’t polite to walk into someone’s house without permission.”
    I looked at him. “Um…may I remind you that you’re the ones who opened the door without warning?”
    Roy nudged me. “Then you go first.”
    I was about to step, walk right in that dusty, spider living place, but I stopped to think. Why did he say it like that? Was this some type of prank that Christian and he agreed with?
    “What’s the catch?”
    “Nothing, nothing!” he said abruptly.
    I glanced at Christian who was ever so pleasantly staring up at the sky, pretending he didn’t hear us.
    “Stop, playing around, you two!” I yelled, pushing Roy and Christian.
    They both laughed.
    “Nothing’s wrong, I swear Tai.” Roy replied, still snickering.
    I turned toward the trustable one, who was crouched on the ground, drawing stick people in the snow.
    “Christian!”I pleaded, amazed that he didn’t help.
    “Oh you guys are so mean, picking on her like that.”
    I turned to the door and immediately stopped frowning. She was beautiful. Not like supermodel beautiful, but as in angel beautiful. Honestly, I was jealous of her. It felt like I was a disgrace to even stand in front of her.
    But she didn’t look like what I had expected. Roy and Christian had similarities to each other. Maybe that was just because they were twins.
    Then an idea popped into me. Maybe Chiones were just defective humans that the world wanted to hide. If that was true, why when they came back to Earth the planet encaged them like animals?
    But then it wouldn’t add up. Nothing would. What Christian and Roy had said, then the news…nothing.
    So I just shoved it out of my head, forgetting about the whole thought.
    “Christian!” Aya ran to him, nearly toppling over him when she hugged him.
    He laughed softly, “Yeah, I love you too sis.”
    Aya giggled, “Thanks.” Then walked to the door.
    “What about me?” Roy asked, following her.
    “What about you?” she said, chuckling.
    As they walked in, Christian and I stayed outside. I guess he didn’t notice, or maybe he just didn’t care, but he played in the snow again, drawing some sort of girl.
    “May I ask who it is?”
    He looked up at me, and then shrugged. “No one important. Just a face in the snow.” He stood and went inside, leaving me alone again.
    I stood out there for as long as I could, thinking about the house. I knew that something was up. There was something wrong in this picture. The house, the sheets, their sister. It didn’t add up. I was hesitant to walk in, but scared out of my mind to stay outside.
    What if the Mahre come back? What if their sister worked for them? Then what would I do?
    I sighed as I walked in. Roy had removed a sheet from a sofa and was sprawled across it, his eyes closed as if he was sleep. Christian stared dully into the lit fireplace, watching the fire dance its dreams away. But their sister, where was she? Outside? Inside? Upstairs? Downstairs?
    I walked toward Christian.
    He didn’t even flinch when I placed my hand on his shoulder.
    “Christian,” I whispered into his ear, “What are you guys doing? I thought we were supposed to be saving the world from the world, or somthin’ like that.”
    “But Roy,” he answered rather quickly, “he’s tired…”
    “And now what?” I nearly screamed.
    “Nothing. They take us, we die, you die. Easy right?” he turned to me with a twisted smile, eyes blank.
    “Christian, are you…okay?” I asked, kneeling down.
    “No.” he looked up at the high ceiling, then back down.
    “W-what’s wrong?” I said hesitantly, staring into his now dull, depleted eyes.
    He swallowed. “My sis…that person…was a fake. Roy needs medicine, and we have none. And then I’ll have nothing, and I’ll eventually turn myself in.”
    “NO, DON’T SAY THAT!!!” I screamed. “WE CAN FIND A WAY OUT OF THIS, IF WE JUST DON’T GIVE UP, WE CAN SURVIVE!!”
    I was crying. I didn’t want to die, and I definitely didn’t want him to die. He was Christian, soft…loving, Christian.
    “NO, TAI!! WE CAN’T DO ANYTHING!! WE WILL DIE HERE, JUST LIKE ROY!!!” he snapped, staring at me furiously.
    I backed away from him, scared to death that he was going to kill me. I didn’t think he would, but there was a possible chance.
    “Wow, I love it when he gets like this.” A voice came from nowhere.
    Christian huddled up in a ball and closed his eyes.
    I glanced at him for just a second then stopped to find the voice.
    It was her, Aya. Or, at least the fake Aya. This was what gave the house the ominous presence. I stared deep into her eyes as she approached me, and yet she smiled like Christian; twisted.
    I shuddered. No wonder they fell for this fake, she had no imperfections to her disguise, even if I hadn’t seen their sister before.
    “Well, you’re a pretty one.” She said, walking a little slower. “Black hair, fair skin…”she took a step closer, “…dark eyes.”
    “What do you want?” I rose up, I had no clue where this sudden courage had come from but I was using it.
    “Hmmm…tell you what? I’ll take little ol’ Christian of your hands and you can keep Roy. He’s useless to us anyways.”
    I stared at her in bewilderment. I was speechless. Take Christian, leave Roy? A fifty-fifty deal. But no, that couldn’t be done. There was no way that I could let some imposter take Christian. I had to do something, but, I was speechless. Nothing came out. It was as if I lost my voice.
    “What?” she said, pretending as if I had said something, “So you agree? Good.”
    She walked toward me and looked at Christian, then suddenly…I blanked out.
    _____ _____ _____ _____

    I woke up in a hospital like room, and some flowers were sitting beside my bed. Ma and Pa were sitting on one side, Luu in the other. Ugh, that stupid morphine that I guess the doctor gave me made me drowsy. I slowly looked at everyone’s relieved faces before falling back to sleep…