Luke Pane and his Anomaly Sister [ Fantasy ] (COMPLETED)

Chapter 1

Luke smiled as he sat on the beach, thinking about all of this and watching Esmé run through the water with her arms out, chasing flocks of white birds and cawing with them.

"One day, Esmé... we'll go. One day." He said. Then there were sounds of scurrying and panting behind him. He looked back and saw Joby running toward him, saying, "Hey! Your parents sent me out here to get you!"

"Oh! Alright." Luke stood up and brushed off, "Esmé, come on!" He waved at her and started back up the hill to the village. She came out of the water, ringing out her long blond hair and pulled a golden necklace with shells and pearls out of the neck of her dress. That was her special necklace; their late grandmother gave it to her ten years ago. Wherever Esmé went, it went with her.

She patted Joby on the head while walking behind her brother. Joby watched with a smile. But that smile slowly became dark and mischievous. He was up to no good.

They entered the village where children were laughing as they ran with each other, parents and elders were planting in their gardens, and others were talking with each other at their fences, or building things. The breeze carried the scent of flowers, fruit, baked bread and vegetables. The day was perfect.

While walking behind Joby and watching the children run by, Luke started to wonder something. "How old do you think Mother Gianna really is?"
While holding the necklace and admiring it, Esmé said, "I don't know... Maybe she's hundreds of years old."

"I wonder why we haven't seen more like her. Wouldn't she have family? Or do you think she is the only one of her kind, sent down from the gods?"

"I think so... Maybe that's why she watches over us like she does."

"You might be right. It sure is something to wonder about. But getting her to talk about something like that would be pretty difficult, I'm sure."

"Yeah... definitely."

When they arrived at their small one-story home, Joby said he had to go help the neighbors build their shed.

"Good luck! Don't drive them mad!" Luke joked. Joby giggled and rushed off. The twins then raced inside and found the place was empty. No one was around. Esmé called out to their parents. It was so quiet... Quieter than a mouse. ...What was going on?

"Let's check outside." Luke said. Esmé nodded and they went out the backdoor. There was a wheelbarrow filled with freshly pulled weeds near the burn pit by the fence. They both looked over to the right and... The sight-! The sight, so shocking it made them jump. There, their parents laid face down on the ground by the fence. It was unnatural. Were they sleeping? It looked like they were... dead! DEAD?!

"Mom?! Dad!" Luke hurried over and pulled them around to see their features were completely—at ease. He looked all over for injuries, only to see there weren't any at all. They were breathing very calmly. They were deep asleep. How weird, how peculiar, how unreal. Confused and panicking, he tried to shake them awake. "Mom, Dad, wake up!" They weren't responding. He shook them some more, "Mom, DAD! Wake UP!" They weren't responding. He looked back at Esmé, eyes shaking.

She was just as petrified; still as stone, skin whiter than a pale horse, her expression much like a portrait of a tormented soul locked in time. She stuttered over herself, stepping back toward the house, "I- I'll get some water!" she rushed inside, and came back almost with superhuman speed. She had a pail of water and a cloth in her hands. Luke had started checking their pulses, feeling their foreheads and listening to their breathing. Everything was so calm and relaxed. They were so deep asleep. He imagined they couldn't have had a heat stroke, he knew they hadn't been harmed, they didn't have anything different to eat (that he was aware of)... What happened to them?