by T. Anderson
“Of course! You’ve been so great, not judging me with all this crazy stuff. Just say it! At this point, nothing would shock me!”
“Okay. Well, I’ve been having these...feelings. And from what I know, I think it feels like we have some kind of psychic connection. I know it’s common for twins to feel that, so it doesn’t surprise me. What does surprise me is that it’s happening so quickly since we’ve met. It makes me think that it’s going to increase in strength, rapidly. I mean, I don’t know about you, but it’s almost like I can hear your thoughts,” said Aron, reluctantly toward the end. She was waiting for Stella’s reaction.
“Hmm…” Stella considered the idea. “I agree that we have a connection. It’s obvious. I can feel it too. But I’m wondering if you’re feeling something a little different—beyond what I feel,” she suggested. “Maybe you’re like—psychic or something—and it’s just been triggered by our meeting?” she offered almost questioningly. “It’s only been one day and things are moving very fast. I think we’ll have to wait and see what happens. It’s a little scary, but also kind of fun. I never in a million years thought this would ever happen to me!”
“Me either,” Aron related, shaking her head. “It’s almost too much to process. We’re going to have to just take one day at a time. Right?”
“Right,” agreed Stella. “And I don’t know about you, but I am ready to let loose tonight and party! For a few hours, I only want to think about college life and having some fun. You?”
Even though Aron was an introvert and would normally need more coaxing to get her to agree to a party so soon, she felt confident with Stella. “Yeah. Me too. Let’s go out tonight and have a good time. Hey! That reminds me. I have an interesting piece of trivia for you. Some people believe that consuming alcohol may open an access door to the powers of the pineal gland.” She snorted a little geeky laugh and then added, “Maybe if we have a few drinks, we’ll find out what kind of freaks we really are!” They both laughed, but privately Stella was a little intrigued by this idea. Maybe she would give it a try. It couldn’t hurt, right?
Just as they were heading back into their dorm, Stella’s phone rang. It was Professor Hanson calling to check up on them. But he also wanted to warn them against saying too much to anyone about Stella and the Fifth Circle—and absolutely nothing about the Aeon Project. They weren’t to discuss it with anyone except him and the Ericksons. Not even Dane. Stella asked Vern if they would have a chance to ask questions and learn more. He assured her that they would wait a while to let things settle down and then they would all meet again. He instructed them to start classes and do normal things and just let him know if anything suspicious happened. He told her not to worry. And that was what she wanted to do—at least for the rest of the night. She hung up and filled Aron in as they headed back to their room to get ready for the party. This would be interesting…
6
Testing the Water
There was no doubt that the twins had much in common, but they had some obvious differences too. Their styles were completely opposite. Stella dressed for the party in tight black pants, a long printed Linkin Park concert T-shirt creatively torn with precision into a V-neck, a short leather jacket and Jimmy Choo heels. She straightened her shoulder-length, blond hair and put on a big chunky ring and stacks of bangle bracelets. Her daytime make-up was different than her “night out” make-up. She smudged on some dark eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick. Her nails were already painted midnight blue, so they completed the outfit.
Aron, on the other hand, left her long hair wavy and natural. It hung down to the middle of her back. She had on a jean mini and layered tank tops, white over pink. She wore wedge sandals and her unpolished toenails peeped through. She had a knitted shrug to throw over her sun-kissed shoulders if it was too chilly later in the night. Her make-up was minimal and she finished off her look with some tinted lip gloss, some delicate dangling earrings and a hand-stitched fabric wrist band that she’d made herself.
When Dane arrived at their room to see if they were ready, he was stunned to discover how different they could look. They had the same light, gray-blue eyes. Their hair color was identical. Their bodies were both slim and toned. But aside from that, they were positively unique. He whistled teasingly, but inside he was dead serious—they were totally hot! Feeling pretty fortunate to be their chaperone for the night, Dane said, “Looking good, ladies.” He tried to play it cool and keep his tone humorous so they wouldn’t think he was actually interested. He needed to keep his distance, but this would be more of a challenge than he originally expected.
The girls laughed, but inside Aron felt her stomach flutter. Stella quickly replied with, “You clean up pretty well, yourself, Dane.” I mean, she had to be polite and return the compliment, right? In truth, he looked good, in a rugged sort of way. His dark caramel blond hair was tousled perfectly with a few longer pieces across his forehead. His sexy, worn jeans fit him perfectly. The sleeves of his un-tucked, button-up shirt were rolled casually to his elbows and he had on sneakers. She’d been too distracted before, but now Aron couldn’t help taking a longer look at him. She didn’t want to make it obvious, so she pretended to act busy, grabbing stuff from her desk and moving it around nervously.
“You ladies ready to party?” Dane asked. It was about 10 p.m. and they were headed to a frat house. Since Dane had been summoned to move in early, he’d also had extra time to check out some fraternities he was considering joining. He met a few guys and they invited him back for the party tonight.
“We’re ready,” the twins harmonized together. Dane was still entertained every time they did this. He’d never known any twins before and he always thought the whole “speaking in unison” thing was just an urban legend. This assignment was surprisingly more fun than he anticipated it would be.
Aron shoved some money and small items in her pockets. In true princess fashion, Stella chose a tiny but sleek designer clutch from her collection and tossed in her essentials. They all left the room. The twins linked arms down the hallway and Dane followed them, shaking his head. What a pair! Things were going to get complicated for him.
By the time they made it to the party, it was a full house. There were people hanging around outside and in the street where a few of Dane’s new friends were already waiting—everyone was curious to meet the twins they’d heard about. They made their way in the door and were greeted by one of the hosts. “Host” is too formal for what he was…he was more like a “bouncer.” And the cover charge was not collected in cash. It was a task. Before they could enter the party, anyone who wasn’t driving had to do a shot of tequila. Since they’d walked there, they all gladly accepted their first drink of the night. They clinked their shooter glasses together with a united, “Cheers,” and tossed them back.
The music was loud and bumping. Everyone was having a good time. At first, Aron stuck to Stella like glue. But a few drinks later, she was venturing out on her own. Dane was always nearby, keeping a watchful eye on both of them. He knew that neither twin had much experience with alcohol, and he wanted to make sure they were safe. He was acutely aware that several guys had taken notice of the twins and this was a concern for him, too. Sure, there were quite a few other girls at the party, but these two stood out. Any uninvolved single guy would be interested. He couldn’t fault his friends—they had good taste.
Although Dane’s instructions were to watch both girls, he knew that Stella was the target. She was the one he had to monitor more closely. But things seemed normal so far, and he found himself gravitating toward Aron. She had a naive, girl next-door personality mixed with a cute, laid back California look. She was definitely his type. He didn’t know any girls like her back in Minnesota. He wasn’t prepared for that. The more he tried not to think about it, the more difficult it became. He came to the conclusion that he liked both of the girls, but in opposite ways. When he looked at Stella, he had a different feeling. She was more like a sister—like he’d been told to w
atch out for her and if he had to, he would kick anybody’s ass to protect her. This was also a surprise to him. He didn’t expect it to get personal. He’d been given a task and it was his job to perform it. Nothing else. End of story. But the booze was amplifying his true feelings. Dane didn’t know if he would be able to carry out his mission. Well, his real mission.
Back in Minnesota, Dane was initially approached by MONAD. He interviewed with Dr. Myra Hadrian and got the job. Already out of high school for two years, he’d decided on a career and was trying to save some money. He was an aspiring detective and needed cash to get his education started. He wasn’t exactly sure how they found him, but he fit the profile of what they were looking for perfectly. He was given some basic background information and a generous sum of money to begin, so he eagerly accepted the offer. MONAD arranged his move to Berkeley and, even before he’d arrived on campus, just by sending a few e-mails, he’d already won the attention of Professor Hanson. Everything just fell into place. It was almost too easy. He was absolutely sure that no one here suspected him in the slightest. His job with MONAD was to gather information on Stella Steinar and immediately report any unusual behavior back to Dr. Hadrian. So far, the only unusual behavior he’d witnessed was his own. He was never supposed to become emotionally attached to a target—that was an amateur, basic rule. And he didn’t expect to successfully infiltrate the hierarchy of the Circle this quickly and easily either. He was now a mole, working both sides.
When he accepted the assignment with MONAD, he didn’t quite know what he was getting himself into. Now that the alcohol had dulled his senses a little, he kept going over everything in his head. He was confused, inexperienced. But he was in too deep now. He had to figure out what was going on with Stella and why she was so valuable to MONAD and the Fifth Circle. And he needed to get his growing attraction for Aron under control or he would mess up everything. Once he figured it out, he would make his own decision. Screw MONAD. Screw the Circle. He was on his own. But he had to be careful and play things the right way. He wasn’t sure what kind of shit he was in, but he was sure it had the potential to turn dangerous.
Somehow, during his half-drunken discussion with himself, Dane lost track of Stella. He frantically began pushing through people, looking in other rooms, calling her name over the music. He ran into Aron coming out of the bathroom. “Hey, Aron…have you seen Stella?” She steadied herself against the wall and made an embarrassingly pathetic attempt at looking desirable. The last beer she just finished gave her newly discovered courage.
“Ssshhh… You don’t need to worry about Stella,” she purred. He was tempted for a split second and then dismissed the opportunity for several different reasons.
“Aron, seriously. We need to find her!” he yelled over the noise. “Can’t you use your twin ‘voodoo’ or something and tune into her?” Dane sarcastically suggested. “Aron, sober up! I’m not kidding!” He clearly was not.
“Okay, okay…calm down, party pooper,” Aron said, looking defeated and slightly humiliated. “Let’s go outside. If she’s not there, at least it will be quiet and I can concentrate better. I’m so hot! I need fresh air,” she slurred. She was noticeably intoxicated. Dane guided her outside to the back of the house. Stella was nowhere in sight. He found a lawn chair for Aron to sit down and went to find her some water.
“Stay here, Aron. I’ll be right back. If you see Stella, wait here with her. Okay?” Dane instructed in a very concerned voice. Suddenly Aron was alone. There were only a few people nearby, smoking, minding their own business. The change in temperature outside registered and she felt goose bumps on her arms. Struggling to put her sweater on, she knew she didn’t feel so good. She was tired from the night before. She hadn’t eaten much all day. Too much to drink, she was spinning. Instinctively, she closed her eyes, folded her arms over her knees and bent over to rest her head. Apart from the negative side effects, Aron realized how relaxed she was. Every muscle in her body was loose. It was kind of a relief. She took a big deep breath through her nose and blew it slowly out of her mouth to savor the moment. She chanted to herself, “Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namah Shivaya,” a few times.
Without realizing what was happening, Aron was drifting into a kind of meditation. She cleared her mind and focused on her breath. It was nice. She felt a gentle, growing pulsation deep in her head, followed by a glowing white light that became increasingly brighter. Then a single, unified thought came forward. It mimicked her heartbeat. Stella. Stella. Stella. Stella. Keeping her eyes closed and not moving from her position she slurred out loud, “Stella?” She could clearly see Stella in her mind. “Where are you Stella?” After waiting for clarity, she formed the details and knew where Stella was. “Don’t worry. I’m coming,” Aron said. When she raised her heavy head, the connection was broken. Dane was standing over her. Had he just witnessed a telepathic conversation between the twins? Or was Aron just really drunk? He kneeled down in front her.
“Here, have some water,” he offered. “You okay?”
“I know where Stella is. She’s upset. She’s scared. She needs me,” Aron slurred. “Help me, Dane.”
“Come on, then. Up you go. Lean on me. I’ll hold you. Which way are we going?” He helped Aron up and after a few steps she seemed to be doing better. Making their way back through the house, she suddenly broke from Dane’s grasp. Her pace stabilized and quickened as she led him out the front door and out to the street. Dane didn’t ask questions. He just waited for Aron to choose a direction. It was like she was reading an internal compass. She closed her eyes to re-focus and, when she opened them and looked down the street, she recognized something.
“This way. She’s not far.” She grabbed Dane’s hand to pull him in the right direction and quickened to a jog. They ran to the end of the block and rounded the corner, stopping at a blue van parked on the street. “Stella?” Aron called. Peeking around the side of the van, she found her sister huddled in the shadows beside the tire. Stella looked up at her helplessly. Dane lifted her to her feet and then Aron held Stella in her arms, stroking her hair. “Stella, what are you doing out here?” she asked her sister.
Dane didn’t seem surprised. Wow! Drunk girl drama—nothing new. But he could tell that Stella was acting a little strange. Was she hiding something?
“I don’t know. I wasn’t feeling good. I needed to get out of there. I’m sorry,” she began to sob. Dane wondered if he’d made a mistake taking these two out. They clearly couldn’t handle their liquor. What was he thinking? “I just wanna go. Can we go now?” Stella begged.
The twins supported each other as the three made their way back to the dorms. “Dane, you don’t have to come with us. It’s fine. You can stay here if you want,” said Aron.
“No way! I’m not letting you two out of my sight until you’re back in your room,” he protested. The girls were grateful for the help. They felt safe with Dane. But they also knew they couldn’t talk about anything until they were alone. The rest of the walk was silent. When they were securely in their room and had repeatedly assured Dane they were fine, he was finally satisfied and left. He didn’t want to leave. He considered sitting outside their door in the hallway for the rest of the night, but knew it would raise suspicion from girls in the hall if they saw him. He went down to his own room and agonized instead. What the hell happened tonight? He needed to find out what was going on with these two. He knew they wouldn’t talk until he’d gained their trust.
When the girls were finally alone, Aron sat next to Stella on her bed and put an arm around her shoulders. “Stella, what happened?”
“I don’t know what I was thinking. I used your idea of stimulating my pinecone ‘thingy’ with alcohol. I wanted to see what would happen.”
“What? Oh my god! I wasn’t serious about that! I mean, it’s like, a rumor…I didn’t mean you should try it.” She immediately felt guilty for making that statement earlier. She couldn’t help herself, though, when she asked, “Did it work?” Stella was
fearless. She impressed Aron with her daring experiment.
“I think it did. I got super dizzy and couldn’t focus my eyes on anything in the house. I thought I needed fresh air, so I went outside. I don’t remember walking that far away from the party. The other Stella was showing me things from her life. It was scary. And weird. It’s hard to describe, but it feels like she was going through the best and worst experiences from her past that she thinks I should know. Like maybe I can learn from her mistakes and her triumphs or something. I don’t know. Professor Hanson was in a lot of the visions. A little creepy when I think about it now, but at the same time, I can feel her emotions during the visions, so it seems normal and comfortable when I see him. I know now…they were so in love. He was everything to her.” Stella did her best to include Aron in her experience. Aron was taking in every word like a sponge. “I’ve never had visions like this before. It was so clear and so easy. I have the usual headache, but I don’t feel as physically drained from it. Maybe it’s because I’m drunk. I don’t know. But I wanted to test your theory to see if it would work. Sorry if I messed up your night.”
“Well, I guarantee you won’t feel that great tomorrow. Neither of us will! And you didn’t screw up my night. At least I know where I stand with Dane now. I can’t believe I put myself out there like that. I made a fool of myself. I’m such an idiot.”
“I knew you liked him!” Stella shrieked. “But I’m telling you, whatever happened between you two that I missed, he’s the idiot.” She gave an animated eye roll and snort.
“Well, just so you know, I’m pretty sure he likes you. That sort of backfired on me. He was obsessed with watching you all night and just about popped a vein in his head when you disappeared,” Aron sulked.
