The Book of Bones and the Stars

Loch

    Stepping outside into the now darkened twilight sky, cool breeze hitting my face as I take a breath I didn't realize I had been holding. Nemean twins? The tale of the twins that I've been hearing since I was a child plays through my mind.

    "Come on Loch catch up!" Nessie says as she runs past the training fields where people young and old were sparring and learning new techniques. My lungs burned, but I refused to let my sister beat me. Father already punished me enough, don't need him thinking I was weak. Sprinting faster, past the vast garden that grows our produce, towards the spiraling vines that crawled up the side of the entrance of the meeting hall. Nessie was already at the hall and peering through the cracks of stone as I skittered to a halt beside her. Her feet were bare as was everyone elses' as if shoes were a nuisance, which it was, and were covered just like mine. Dad was in a meeting which meant we had to go before he saw us spying.

    "Nessie we need to go before he sees us." I said pulling at the sleeve of her blue cotton dress. She shook me off and headed towards a bigger crack farther down the building. Following her I could hear hushed voices filtering out of the building.

    "This prophecy is not to go unnoticed by the Seven." A woman's voice hastily stated.

    "We don't even know if that wretched witch was lying." Said another voice with disgust, this one male.

    "That witch is my mother, so watch your tone." A third voice boomed. Father. " She hasn't let us down before, and the Nemean twins will surface but we won't know until the time comes."

    "The book speaks of them as Gods, they heal quickly but can permanently damage the other." The woman spoke as if she was worried.

    "The twins will be powerful, but so is everyone here. They may have a chance in changing the balance here at Eden." But before he could continue we were grabbed by a pair of strong muscular arms and hauled away from the crack and into the meeting hall itself. Fear spiked through my entire being as I felt it in my bones as the pair of strong arms released us. Nessie and I fell onto our knees as our father turned towards us. He wore a grim expression and finally I got a good look at everyone.

    The woman was wearing a modern white cotton dress with her red hair braided elegantly down her back. Turning my head I noticed the male voice was wearing a red short sleeve shirt with jeans with rips. I didn't know the two, but finally my gaze landed on Elijah. My father standing there in his black slacks and white button up short sleeve shirt was trying hard not to let his mask slip. He was angry and I could feel his rage simmering under the surface, but was masked by his role in our community. He had a role to play and right now he was an excellent actor, but behind close doors his mask would fade and the real monster emerged.

    "Nessie darling I expected more of you." Was all our father said and before he could contemplate her punishment my mouth was moving a lie spilling from my lips easily, " It wasn't her idea, it was mine. She wanted to race and I couldn't help over hear and was wanting to learn more. She begged me not to, but I wouldn't listen. So I sneaked around and was listening, it wasn't her fault."

    Nessie looked at me wide eyed but I knew she wouldn't say anything, she never did. Our father cleared his throat and spoke in a calm like voice, "Nessie go see your mother Loch and I need to have a talk about privacy."

    Nessie hesitated before her brown hair swirled around her shoulders as she turned and headed towards our mother. My father dismissed the other two and put his hand on my shoulder, to some it would seem like a lovely gesture but I knew better, and steered me towards the woods. Fear gripped at me like a vice and settled in my stomach making me nauseous.

    "I'm so disappointed in you Loch. I thought you knew better." And with that sentence we stopped in a clearing away from prying eyes and listening ears. The facade slipped and now the monster had come out to play. He grabbed the whip he kept hidden and unfurled it.

    "Dad I'm sorry." But it was to late he had already cracked the whip across my skin in one swift motion.

    Throwing myself out of the emotional memory and realized I had walked to the clearing and was holding the famous whip in my hand. Fear wrapped around me like a snake and I dropped the whip as I tried to breathe, but each breath got harder and harder. Dropping to the ground clutching my throat, as I desperately tried to breathe. Reaching for my necklace and counting to ten as I tried to calmly regain my breathe. Nessie my twin sister now presumed dead was my fault. If I hadn't of taken that beating she wouldn't have left the island. She would've dragged me to the medical garden's secret reserve to Becca and treat my wounds like clockwork anytime this happened. Which happened to be a lot might I add.

    The Nemean twins were a force to be reckoned with and my father was so sure they would bring balance, but after seeing those two girls I could only imagine destruction of everything we created here.