Fairytale Fate: The Legend Begins

♚ C H A P T E R • T H R E E ♚

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"Actually the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures." - Lewis Caroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
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Without even opening her eyes, Aura slammed her hand onto the snooze button of the blaring alarm clock. Once again, her and her sister only heard the sound of leaves rustling in the morning breeze.

Silvia tiptoed into their small bedroom with two petite cupcakes in one of her hands and a lighter in the other. With the flicker of the igniter, the candles situated on top of the dollops of buttercream were lit aflame. She cleared her throat before softly singing a couple bars of "Happy Birthday."

The twins stirred back to consciousness and jolted awake when they saw the pastries in their grandmother's hand.

"Good morning, girls! Happy birthday!" Their grandmother handed both sisters their treats. "Your mother's recipe, just how you like it. Now, make a wish!"

Aura and Carolyn looked to each other, silently agreeing on the same request. Together they closed their eyes and blew out the candles.

Their grandmother smiled before making her way back to the hallway. "Birthday breakfast will commence in fifteen minutes!"

As the door shut behind their grandmother, Aura was quick to turn to her sister. "Did you wish for the same thing?"

Carolyn put her blonde hair into a messy bun. "Same as every year."

Aura opened a dresser drawer. "Maybe this year it'll come true?"

"Doubt it," Carolyn eventually muttered, changing out of her pajamas into high-waisted jeans and a cropped t-shirt before sitting down at the small desk in the corner.

"Who knows, maybe Gran will finally be up for it!" Aura said hopefully a couple minutes later as she pulled a thin maroon sweater over her head.

Carolyn tried her best not to roll her eyes as she fiddled with a mascara wand. "I'm not going to get my hopes up just for her to tell us the same five stories about them that she always tells us."

Aura ran a brush through her hair as she looked at her sister through the mirror. "Sometimes you just gotta have faith, Cora!"

Carolyn smiled slightly at her sister's nickname for her but didn't respond. Over the past sixteen years, Silvia had only given the twins small pieces of information about their parents: they were deeply in love, they were so thrilled to have Aura and Carolyn, they died in a car crash — the end.

Aura stepped behind Carolyn, laid her hands on her shoulders, and leaned down so their heads were at the same level. "I will do everything I can to get a new story out of her."

Carolyn smirked slightly and held up her pinky finger, looking into her sister's blue eyes through the mirror. "Promise?"

Aura smiled and interlocked their fingers. "Promise."

Carolyn stood up and walked toward the door, grabbing her bag and slipping on her Vans. "Good. Which means you can't chicken out if it comes down to it...and make it a funny story if you can."

Aura quickly swiped a few coats of mascara on her long lashes before joining her sister in her walk downstairs.

Instantly their senses were overcome with the sound of eggs sizzling in the pan and the smell of bacon wafting up the stairs.

Silvia was in the middle of taking out freshly baked cinnamon rolls when the twins entered the kitchen. "You two look cute," she commented when she spotted them before motioning to the small oak table that was laden with enough food to feed a small army. "Take a seat, I just need to put the icing on these real quick and then we can dig in." Together the three feasted until they couldn't take another bite.