[Zodiac Twin Flames 01.0 - 03.0] Boxed Set

by Rachel Medhurst

  ‘Great, put out your joint and come with me.’ Gemini grabbed a pack of cards from his bedside table and left the room.

  Putting my lips around the stub of the joint, I inhaled one more time. If I was about to lose the money I did have, I might as well be stoned.

  The room spun as I stood. I giggled and tried to make my eyelids lift higher. They were almost covering my eyes. It didn’t work. My steps were slow, but I found my way to the kitchen table. Sitting in one of the chairs, I looked around. Gemini sat on the chair opposite me. His hair was funny.

  ‘Okay, where’s your money?’ Gemini asked.

  I stared at his hair. It was long on top and gelled away from his head, just like the fashion. My mouth opened as I tried to figure out how he got it to stay so still. A giggle escaped. I wasn’t sure where it came from. Another one came. I looked down from Gemini’s hair to see him scowling at me.

  ‘Why do you do that with your hair?’

  The laughter had started and there was no way to stop it. I put my hand over my mouth. The sound of giggling erupted from me as I glanced back up at his hair.

  ‘Will you shut up?’ he muttered, shuffling the cards.

  Coughing, I tried to pull the laughter back, but it didn’t work.

  ‘He’s mashed,’ a voice said from the kitchen area. ‘Again.’

  Aries stood there. I hadn’t even noticed him. I straightened my face, or tried to, when I caught him glaring at me.

  ‘I’m fine,’ I said, clearing my throat and picking up the cards that Gemini had dealt.

  The red and black pictures were pretty. I couldn’t grasp what I was doing. It had been a while since I had played poker. Gemini was a professional. Why was I even attempting to go against him?

  ‘Gemini, are you going to take his money?’

  Aries came over and stood at the edge of the table. I looked down at his metal legs and squinted. The sun came in the window and reflected off them. He was steadier on his feet than I was and they weren’t even real.

  ‘I didn’t realise he was this bad.’ Gemini snatched the cards out of my hands.

  I stared at the empty space. The lines in my palm were deep, but my skin was smooth. It was fascinating how many lines were on the hands. Why had I never researched what the creases were for?

  ‘You can’t play him like that. You’d be robbing him.’

  I tried to glare up at the fireman. He was a funny man. I started to laugh again. ‘You can’t rob me, I have nothing to take.’

  It was true. I didn’t work and any money I had kept from our parents, I spent on drugs. It was my rescue fund.

  ‘Isn’t it about time you started to earn your keep?’

  Aries could do one. He always looked down his nose at me. I was sure he thought I was a waste of space. He never said anything, but I could see it.

  ‘You know what? I’m going out,’ I announced, clambering to my feet.

  ‘Really? And where are you going?’ Gemini asked.

  I creased my forehead as I thought about his question. It was a good question and one I didn’t know the answer to.

  ‘Just out…’

  Leaving them to it, I stumbled over to the front door. The kitchen was ten miles long. It took forever to make my way to freedom.

  ‘Taurus, you’re forgetting something,’ Aries called.

  When I looked over at him, he pointed to his chest. I glanced down. My own chest was bare. It was funny to see my bare skin. Why did men have hair on their chests? I rubbed my hand over my stomach. Maybe I shouldn’t go out without a top on.

  ‘I need to go and get a job,’ I muttered, opening the front door.

  ‘Are you sure he’s only been smoking? He sounds drunk,’ Aries asked Gemini as I stood watching the cars go past in the road outside. The sun was warm on my face. The hustle of the street made me want to be outside.

  ‘Get dressed,’ Aries said from behind me.

  Something hit my head. I bent to pick up the shirt that had fallen to the floor at my feet. I pulled it on as I left the boys. The fresh air hit my skin as I wandered aimlessly down the road. The pub on the corner came into view. Food! I needed to eat some crunchy crisps and chocolate.

  ‘Taurus,’ someone yelled from behind me as I reached for the handle of the door.

  The female was blonde and so was her friend.

  ‘Go away, Cancer,’ I murmured as I slipped into the pub, hoping that they didn’t follow.

  It was quiet and dingy inside. The air was musky with the scent of old men.

  ‘Are you buying?’

  Cancer had followed, her little friend in tow. They grinned up at me as I reached into my pocket for my wallet. My dope fund was the only cash I had. There was no way I could resist the crisp packets behind the counter.

  ‘I’ll have a pack of each flavour,’ I asked the barmaid as I gestured behind her.

  Cancer asked for two drinks. I didn’t take any notice. I ripped open the packet of salt and vinegar as soon as they were placed on the bar.

  ‘Someone’s got the munchies,’ Cancer announced.

  We went over to a table. I followed them like a lamb, concentrating on one thing. The crunch of the crisps and the tang of salt that was having a party in my mouth.

  ‘This is my brother, Taurus,’ Cancer introduced me to her friend. ‘And this is Sophie.’

  I nodded in her direction but didn’t look up as I tore open the second packet of crisps. Cheese and onion flavour. My gaze was drawn to her hand when it reached over and plucked a crisp from the newly revealed pile. The pink nail varnish was too girly for my taste, but her long delicate fingers drew my eye. How dare she nick one of my crisps without asking?

  ‘You’re welcome,’ I murmured.

  She giggled. The sound caught my attention and made me look into her gaze. I tried to pry my eyes open to study her better. Her makeup was thick. She didn’t need as much as she wore, but it made her eyes massive.

  ‘Cheese and onion are my favourite,’ she announced.

  Cancer reached out and took one too, dropping it into her mouth and shaking her head when I glared at her.

  ‘Stop being such a stonehead.’

  She laughed along with her friend. I was tempted to get my food and leave. A fresh pint sat in front of me. I couldn’t resist it.

  ‘So, Taurus, what do you do?’ Sophie asked.

  The dreaded question entered the air. I shoved a handful of crisps into my mouth so I didn’t have to answer.

  ‘He’s in between jobs at the moment. He was training to be a fitness instructor.’

  Cancer’s rescue could have been perceived as kind, but she’d only done it to save her own embarrassment. Who liked having a brother that was unemployed?

  ‘I could do with a fitness trainer,’ Sophie said. ‘Can I hire you?’

  My chewing paused as I glanced at her. She was a fuller figured girl. Short with rounded hips and a bit of a stomach. I liked how she looked. It was natural.

  ‘I didn’t actually qualify,’ I replied, scrunching the empty packet in my hand.

  She shrugged and flicked her hair over her shoulder. ‘That’s okay. Just charge me less money than a normal trainer would.’

  I glanced at Cancer. She had her eyebrows raised and watched me closely. My head was starting to clear slightly. I was still wasted. Were they teasing me?

  ‘You want to hire me as your fitness trainer? Seriously?’

  Sophie nodded without smiling. She was being genuine. Could I do it? Could I use what I had learnt to help someone else to get fit? She didn’t need to lose weight; she looked good with a little bit of meat on her. If she wanted to tone up, that would easy.

  ‘Okay, if you’re being serious, I’ll do it.’

  A small smile spread on both their lips. What had just happened? Sophie picked up her glass and eyed me over the rim as her lips took a small sip of cider. My gaze zoomed in on her when she put the drink down and leant towards me.

  ‘I hope you’re gentle with me
, Taurus,’ she whispered.

  ‘Sophie! That’s my brother you’re flirting with.’ Cancer laughed.

  Shaking my head, I downed the rest of my drink and stood to leave. Women were out of my comfort zone. They made no sense to me whatsoever. I had never understood them and was sure I never would.

  ‘Are you going already?’ Sophie pouted.

  She looked the same age as us. We were all twenty one. When I had met girls my own age in the past, I had been put off by their immaturity.

  ‘Things to see, people to do. If you want to train, be outside our house tomorrow morning at eight.’

  Grabbing the remaining packets of crisps, I left them to it. Cancer would show Sophie where we lived if she was serious. I wasn’t sure if she would show up. There were much more exciting ways to get fit. Maybe she would like to explore them with me.

  The sun shone directly in my eyes, so I pulled my cap low. Standing on the pavement, I debated whether to go home to smoke some more or walk it off. Glancing up the street, I paused when my gaze landed on a man that I recognised.

  He ran towards me, his head ducked low and his hands in his pockets. I stepped back, ready to fight if he attacked. When he came to a stop in front of me, I frowned and raised my hands.

  ‘Wait! I need you to give this to Cancer.’ He held out a piece of paper. ‘Nick doesn’t know I’m here. He has no idea that I’m doing this.’

  The man was average height with green eyes. His gaze shifted around us as I took the paper. He was the man that we had captured and kept in the loft. Cancer had looked after him when he had been there. She even helped him to escape, according to Aries.

  ‘You need to leave her alone.’ I stuffed the paper in my pocket.

  ‘Please do this for me. I know you don’t trust me, but it’s to do with Cancer’s safety.’

  I nodded once and he rushed off the way he had come.

  I wouldn’t go back into the pub. I needed to clear my head. Why did he have to ask me? If I were any of the other men, I would go straight to Aries and give him the note. He had been suspicious of Cancer ever since she had let the man escape.

  ‘Taurus, I thought you were going somewhere,’ Sophie called as they came out of the pub.

  I had hoped for more time to think about my decision, but it seemed I would have to deal with it now. Cancer followed her friend as she put the strap of her bag over her head.

  ‘Cancer, I need to talk to you,’ I said, not looking at them as I started to walk towards our home.

  Footsteps sounded behind me. I ignored them. Hopefully Cancer would make Sophie go away, otherwise I would seem rude when asking her to leave.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Cancer asked.

  I stopped and let her catch up to me. Sophie was gone. My breath rushed out of me as I took out the note.

  ‘I’m not sure if this is the right thing to do… Your boyfriend just gave me this to give to you.’

  We ignored the cars that drove past. Clapham was a busy part of south London, which was ideal for us. It made it easier for twelve attractive twenty one year olds with the names of the Zodiac signs to blend in.

  ‘My boyfriend? I don’t have a…’ She swallowed as she took the paper and opened it.

  Her eyes scanned the written words as her cheeks turned red. She folded the note and tucked it into her bag.

  ‘Oh, no you don’t. You’re lucky I didn’t go straight to Aries. You need to at least tell me what he said.’ Funnily enough, my high had completely deserted me.

  ‘It’s just a love note,’ she squeaked.

  She tried to push past me. I grabbed her arm and linked it through mine as we walked. She didn’t struggle or try to break free. She knew that she wouldn’t win. I always won in these situations.

  ‘Let’s get home. I’ll tell you there,’ she muttered, leading us back to our flat.

  Once inside, I released her and dumped my crisps on the island in the middle of the kitchen. Aries and Gemini played poker at the table.

  ‘Father is coming for dinner tonight. We need to discuss everything he learnt when he was with Nick,’ Aries said in our direction. ‘I want you all to be there.’

  I glanced at Cancer. She shook her head and gestured towards the living room. I would keep quiet for now. I knew how overbearing Aries could be. He’d been giving her a hard time recently.

  ‘I’ll be there.’ I followed my blonde sister out of the kitchen.

  ‘You can’t tell anyone you saw Matt,’ Cancer whispered.

  ‘Matt?’

  She huffed as she slumped on the sofa. I didn’t know his name was Matt. Why was she getting irritated with me?

  I stood over her, scratching the stubble on my chin. She was asking me to keep something from the family. Our father had only just been rescued and she was keeping some sort of secret about one of his kidnappers.

  ‘You have to trust me,’ she pleaded, looking up at me.

  I didn’t know Cancer that well. She usually hung out with the other half of the siblings. We had formed into groups of six, although we still ate dinner together as a whole family.

  ‘If you want me to keep your secret, you’re going to have to tell me what’s going on. Why are you protecting someone who works for Nick?’

  Her eyes widened as the boys in the other room shouted about their game.

  ‘You’re a good cheat, Gemini!’ Aries shouted.

  ‘I was being honest before. It’s a love note.’ She opened her bag and pulled the paper out. It was a big piece of paper folded several times. I could see that there was a fair amount of writing on it.

  ‘You mentioned before that you thought he was your twin flame, but isn’t he married?’

  My words hit her in the heart. I could tell by the way she put a hand on her chest and rubbed. I didn’t see what the problem was. He was married, so she should just forget about him. It obviously wasn’t going to happen when he was attached to someone else. Why would she even want him?

  ‘I didn’t know he was married when he was in the attic. We spoke a lot…’

  As her sentence trailed off, I wished I had a joint on me. Why couldn’t it have been one of the others that had taken the note for her? I couldn’t be bothered with her crap. It had nothing to do with me.

  ‘Okay, I’ll keep your secret. I’ll probably forget once I’ve had a smoke anyway.’

  She launched from her seat and threw her arms around my neck. I stiffened but didn’t return the gesture. ‘Thank you. I promise to sort it out.’

  Shaking my head, I left her. I didn’t want to know any more than I already did.

  ‘I don’t think I’ve ever known you and Cancer to gossip,’ Aries said as I poured myself a drink and picked up my beloved crisps.

  ‘Her friend has asked me to be her personal trainer. It looks like I may have a job after all. We’ll see if she turns up at eight o’clock tomorrow.’

  My head was held slightly higher than when I had left. A part of me hoped that Sophie would turn up, just so I could rub Aries’ nose in it.

  ‘Eight o’clock in the morning? Good luck with that,’ Gemini said, chuckling along with Aries as he shuffled the deck of cards.

  ‘How would you know what time I get up?’ I replied. ‘You’re never here in the mornings.’

  Gemini shook his head and dealt the hand. ‘A stoner sleeps all sorts of hours.’

  ‘That’ll do,’ Aries chastised as I went to open my mouth.

  Downing my vodka, I poured another one. I might as well do what they expected me to. With my crisps cradled in one hand and my drink in the other, I made my way towards the hall.

  ‘Taurus,’ Aries called as I was about to leave the room.

  I paused but didn’t turn around.

  ‘Good luck with Cancer’s friend tomorrow. I mean that.’

  I swallowed as I nodded once and left them to their game.

  Chapter Three

  The show had started. Aries stood up as Father sat at the head of the table.

&nbs
p; ‘Father, something happened when you were with Nick,’ he announced.

  My buzz had plummeted as soon as I had taken my seat at the kitchen table. They had cooked a lavish roast for dinner. I couldn’t be bothered with it.

  ‘What is it?’ Father asked, eyeing up the steaming joint of beef.

  Reaching forward, I picked up the carving knife. A dark skinned hand reached out and took it from me. Glancing at Aquarius, I had to squint my eyes to try and focus on him.

  ‘There was an accident at work.’

  Aries lifted his trouser legs to reveal his metal prosthetics. They were connected above the knee. He was smirking as Father choked on his wine.

  ‘Aries reckons that the only reason you weren’t rescued earlier was because he was out of action for so long.’

  Everyone turned to me. Father raised his eyebrows as Aries returned to the table. The silence made a welcome change.

  ‘Firstly, I want to thank you all for going to so much effort to rescue me. I knew you could do it. Being with Nick was interesting. Aries, I’m sorry to see that you’ve gone through such an ordeal, I…’ he put a hand to his mouth. ‘I should have been there for you.’

  ‘You were locked up, how could you be?’ I said.

  ‘Taurus, I see you’ve…changed…’

  Father didn’t need to disguise his disgust. They all showed it whenever they saw me. They had forgotten how much—

  ‘Actually, Taurus and Gemini were very active when I was recovering. Taurus stalked mother,’ Aries said, glaring at me when I glanced over.

  Father put down his glass of red wine and shook out his napkin. Laying it over his lap, he proceeded to pull up the arms of his suit jacket. ‘I’m hungry,’ he announced.

  Had enough time passed for me to go back to my room? I had to be up early. One more joint before bed would be okay.

  ‘Nick will never stop, but he is tired. I could see it in his eyes. He’s waited twenty years for the chance to keep you apart from your twin flames. It’s taken its toll.’ Father thanked Aquarius as he put the carved meat on his plate.

  When I picked up my fork, my hand was shaking. I let it drop to the plate. The loud clash made everyone look at me. I tried to smile, but it was too much effort.