Curses, Fates & Soul Mates

by et al Kristie Cook

  “Georgia, I’m not sure what your circumstances are while watching this or if you’re even watching this alone. I have so much to tell you. I’ll just start at the beginning.

  “I am your mother, and Josh, my husband behind the camera, is your father. We had you and your twin sister but had to separate you two, for safety’s sake.”

  Twin sister? I glanced at Georgia. Her face blanched.

  “I have faith that Fate will bring you and your sister together some day. That you will find one another. I hope and pray this happens because you two may have very unique abilities. Like me.”

  My heart burst. Georgia was my twin? She stared at me with wide eyes. We’d always called each other ‘sis’ to goof around, joking about how cool it would be.

  “We kept your sister with us, but I watched you grow up in Trifle from afar. I’m so sorry we couldn’t be a part of your life.

  “Before you were born, I was unknowingly part of a genetic experiment with one of the companies your father worked for. It was presented as something all together different, and after the so-called results were inconclusive, it was promptly shut down.

  “A few years later, I began to change. Unique powers. I could freeze things, and my strength was immeasurable.

  “We can’t fully explain what happened to me, and for a long time we’d hoped I was an unexpected result of what we thought was a legitimate, sanctioned experiment. But as things progressed, we realized it was much more sinister than we’d initially thought.

  “I found out I was pregnant just as these changes appeared. We attribute the flare up of the powers due to the hormone shift of pregnancy.”

  Tears stung at my eyes. My head felt detached from my body.

  “It was then that some of the doctors involved in the project discovered my abilities. More than likely, they’d kept surveillance on their subjects and that’s how they found out. What was supposed to be a simple allergy test as part of the big scale clean energy project, I received three rounds of shots. All of the subjects did.

  “I wasn’t aware of any negative reactions, nor did I have any, so we were all surprised when the project was cancelled, the company claiming the results of the study were contraindicative.

  “After several attempts on my life and Josh’s, he swept me away and hid me through my pregnancy. When I delivered twins, we decided to split you up. Felt it was safer. We had no idea how, or if, the experiment would affect you or your sister.

  “Long story short, we placed you with Lois and George to give you a chance at a normal life. They knew nothing of my situation other than the story I’d fabricated about being a single mom needing to give a child up for adoption.

  “They were looking to adopt, so Fate placed me in their lives for a reason. I knew they would take care of you. I fudged your birth certificate to show your birth date as August 1st. But you were really born August 10th, two minutes after your sister.

  “Your true name is Georgia Lee Hillman.”

  “That’s our real last name.” I pressed pause and set the computer aside, then jumped to my feet. “That’s our real last name!”

  Tears streamed down Georgia’s face. Her nostrils flared.

  “And that’s my birthday. August 10th.” I rushed around the pew to Georgia and yanked her to her feet. I threw my arms around her. No wonder she was fire, and I was ice. Twins. We were twins.

  I stepped back. Behind the waterfall rushing from her eyes, I realized they were exactly the same as mine. Blue, big, round. And just like Scott’s and Mom’s. No wonder we felt a connection so quickly after I’d moved to Trifle. Twins.

  “I can’t believe it. You’re my sister.” I tugged at my hair.

  “Holy crap,” Scott said.

  “How’d you know to come to Trifle? How—”

  “She said she always believed that we’d find each other. Maybe it’s our connection. Maybe it’s a power we have.” Hell, maybe it was freaking Fate.

  “I’ve heard of twins having connections like that.” Georgia glanced to the computer.

  Mom’s big blue eyes stared at us. Even though she’d died four years ago, it felt like she was in that chapel with us. In a sudden moment of clarity, it all made sense why I wanted to stay here so bad. Sure, it was selfish, but maybe it was meant to be. I wasn’t completely sold on the whole higher power thing, but all I knew at this very moment was that I had a sister. Scott and I had chanced staying in this town after the Coats found us and look what happened? I found my twin sister.

  Scott yanked us into a hug. “And I have another sister.”

  “And I got a brother and a sister.”

  We held each other and cried for I didn’t know how long.

  “I remember when mom was pregnant with you, Mandy. I had no idea there were two babies. But then again, I was only seven.” Scott stepped to the side. “Let’s watch more and see if she tells about the experiment, and the people involved. Maybe we can figure out who’s after us.”

  “What’s it matter? Let them come. They’ll have to deal with fire and ice to get to us.” I didn’t care right then. I was so happy to know the truth. Mom had powers from an experiment, not because she was some freak alien from another planet.

  Scott stepped around the pew and put the computer on his lap. I kept Georgia’s hand in mine and sat next to her. I was never going to let go of my sister.

  “I pray you’ve found Amanda or she’s found you, along with Scott. If you’re watching this together, I love you, Amanda. Scott, I love you. I taped this after a series of attacks in case they were successful at ending us.

  “The Center has been after us for years, mostly because I won’t let them study me. They’d gotten their hands on me a few times, and I was even able to learn more about their intentions. That’s why I fought so hard to keep them from studying me.

  “Josh’s company wasn’t only working on clean energy resources, they were dabbling in nanotechnology. Specifically manipulating DNA. I’ve become very powerful and, honestly, I think that scares them. It’s either that or they want to figure out how to make more of me. Possibly for a weapon or to sell the technology. They knew of Amanda’s birth because we kept her with us. It might have been selfish of me, but I couldn’t give up both of my children. But, Georgia, they know nothing of your existence.

  “I’m sorry, Amanda and Scott that you had to suffer through many moves, but it was necessary. I pray that you are all safe and able to elude The Center. Don’t ever let your guard down. Even if you don’t have any powers, you will still be something they want. Their property.

  “Not so much you, Scott, but Amanda and Georgia, because they were born after the experiments. But I pray you’re able to watch over them.

  “Amanda. Georgia. I assume that if you receive any special powers, they’ll be like mine. But you know genetics—things can change. Especially since you are the product of a genetically altered human.

  “Now, in the book, where you found this CD, there’s a description of The Center. It lists names, too. In addition to more description of the experiments. Your father was able to grab some of the data, describing the organisms involved in altering my body. If The Center still exists when you’re watching this video, at least you’ll know more about it. If worse comes to worse, and you’re cornered, you may have to destroy them.

  “I hope it doesn’t come to that because lives would be lost. But your safety is all I care about. I, alone, couldn’t do anything to destroy them shy of exposing myself to the world as a victim of their experiments, but there was no guarantee that would even work.”

  “You said the pages of the book are blank.” Scott pressed pause.

  “They are,” Georgia said. “I checked, like, three times.”

  “Maybe there’s a different book.” I shrugged, still in disbelief I had a twin sister.

  “Why would she do that?” Georgia tightened her grip. “Doesn’t make sense.”

  “She was all cryptic with this disc. Maybe—”

>   The door creaked behind us. I jumped to my feet and whirled around. I heard the computer slap shut.

  “Oh, sorry. I can come back,” a teary-eyed woman said.

  “No. No, come in. We’re finished.” I nudged Georgia out of the pew.

  Scott packed up our things, and we made our way into the hallway outside the chapel. I glanced at my watch. Nearly eleven-thirty.

  “Are you going to go talk to Zach?” Georgia asked.

  For the little while we were in the chapel, hearing all that information from my mom, I’d squashed my sadness about Zach. But it came back like a boomerang and knocked me square in the temple.

  “I’ll go home with you guys. We’ll watch the rest of the video and figure out our next move. We’ve got to talk to your parents.”

  “We can’t. They’ll know I was in the safe.”

  “Once they know you know you’re adopted, breaking into the safe will be the last thing they’ll be worried about. We’ll figure out the rest.”

  “Maybe you’re right.” Georgia looked to Scott. “What do you think?”

  “Too late to talk to them tonight. Let’s think on it.” Scott gripped her shoulder. “You’re coming home with us tonight, though.”

  Georgia grinned, then planted her focus on me. “You should go see Zach.”

  “He made his feelings pretty clear, girl.” I shook my head.

  Georgia tugged me a few steps from Scott. He watched with scrunched eyebrows.

  “He’s just wigging out. Give it a chance.”

  I touched Georgia’s cheek then yanked her into my arms. I couldn’t believe she was my sister. My for real sister. “I love you, Georgia.”

  “Love you too, girl.”

  I buried my face into her neck and spilled another liter of tears. I wasn’t going to have any liquid left in me if I didn’t shut the faucet soon.

  “And as your sister—Your twin sister—I say you get your ass up to Zach’s room and talk to him.”

  “I can’t.”

  “You can. And you will. Mandy, he’s just scared. So are you. He covered for you with his folks. That means he’s still thinking about things. It might not be too late.”

  I pulled away. She released her grip around me but held my hand tight.

  “Visiting hours are over, but I’ll try.” I faced Scott. “I’m going to go try and talk to Zach. I’ll be home later.”

  “You going to tell him everything?”

  “Not sure what’s going to happen with him, bro.” I slugged his shoulder. “He’s wigging about what he saw.”

  “Then don’t say anything more. He might not understand. We could be exposed.”

  A young, dark-haired nurse scurried past us, holding her stethoscope to her chest. Scott and Georgia huddled closer to me.

  I rubbed my temples, trying to turn on the logic. “Look at all we’ve learned so far. And there’s more on the video. It’ll probably tell us more about Mom and Dad and what led to their deaths, right? I’ll go see Zach and make sure he keeps what he saw to himself.” And make a clean break, but I kept that part to myself. It hurt like crazy thinking it, I didn’t want to feel how bad it’d sting to say it out loud.

  But I needed to do it. End things after, hopefully, getting him to agree to keep my secret.

  “You go take care of Zach. Scott, we’ll head home and watch more of the video.” Georgia ran her fingers through her spiky hair.

  “What?” I asked.

  “It’s going to feel so weird going home to see my ‘mom and dad.’” Georgia made air quotes around the words. “My real parents are dead.”

  At least I’d gotten fourteen years with our folks. She’d had none and lived with people who’d lied to her for her whole life.

  “We’ll figure it out, G.” I nodded at Scott. “I’ll find my way home after I try and talk to Zach.”

  “I don’t want you walking home alone.”

  “Oh, please, who’s going to touch Kelvin? I can throw a motorcycle a hundred feet away, remember?”

  “But your skin isn’t impenetrable. You were stabbed with a flying car part, remember?”

  “And needles,” Georgia chimed in.

  “Yeah, yeah. I’ll watch out for sharp objects. I’m sure I won’t be long. Zach will more than likely kick my ass to the curb the minute he sees me.”

  CHAPTER 23

  I stole down the hallway to Zach’s room and peeked around the door. Crap, the nurse hunched over his bed, poking at one of his bandages.

  After a few minutes she stepped away. “Okay, hon. Sleep well. I’ll check on you in a few hours. Press this button if you need me.” The nurse’s voice carried out into the hall.

  I bolted around the corner, then hunched to the ground so she wouldn’t see me. The short, plump nurse waddled out from Zach’s room and went down the hallway in the other direction.

  Once she was out of sight, I glanced around. Small town, all right. Only one nurse on duty. My sneakers squeaked against the linoleum floor, and the hairs on my neck shot up. I stopped and took a deep breath to listen.

  Faint fifties music from the nurse’s station at the opposite end of the hallway filtered through the air. The white, sterile walls loomed around me. I imagined the Coats’ facilities looked like this.

  No wonder I didn’t like hospitals.

  Maybe I should just walk away from Zach. No need to drag him into my freaked-out world. He clearly didn’t like what he’d seen so far, even if I had saved his life. Hell, I even saved the lives of those two drivers in that car wreck. So I couldn’t be that bad, could I?

  I inched forward. I would check on him, hopefully get him to promise not to say anything to anyone, then scoot right out of his life. School was almost done. He’d go to college. Georgia, Scott, and I would be somewhere new, hiding.

  Ah, hell, I wasn’t fooling anyone, let alone myself. I wanted Zach. He was a dream boyfriend. Beautiful. Kind. And not to mention a wicked-awesome kisser.

  Please let him understand.

  I pushed the door open as slowly as I could. Of course it creaked louder than the one used in the opener to the Thriller song my brother loved so much. I ducked in and held on so it wouldn’t slam shut.

  Zach lay on the bed, eyes wide-open and fixed on me. I released my grip, and the door swooshed shut. I flattened my back against the wall and wrung my hands. How awkward. He’d kicked me out earlier, and here I was, sneaking into his room.

  Damn Georgia for telling me to do this.

  “Hi,” I said. I was so lame.

  “Hi.”

  So far so good. He didn’t tell me to get out right away like before. Or barf. Or call me an alien. I retracted my curse over Georgia.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked through a clenched jaw.

  Curse reinstated over Georgia.

  I picked at my blue fingernails. Stupid nervous habit. “I wanted to see if you were really okay.”

  His face looked like he’d gotten into a fight with a rabid cat and lost. His arm was still mummified. An image of him lying in the ditch flashed through my brain. I’d done the right thing. He could have been seriously hurt beneath that bike.

  He turned his head away from me for a second. “You picked up my motorcycle, Amanda.” He flicked the wrist of his good hand. “Threw it across the road. Normal people can’t do that kind of stuff.”

  “I’m still me, Zach.”

  “Only not.” His eyes closed. “Everything’s different now.”

  Shit. “I know. I—well—I wanted to make sure you were okay.” I swallowed the tears and stood straight. “And if…”

  “If what?”

  I rubbed my sweaty palms on my jeans and propped myself against the wall again. “Well, if you can—or—Will you keep my secret?”

  He raked his fingers through his brown locks. “Come here.”

  Had I heard him right? I didn’t dare move. Not that the cold wall felt particularly warm and cozy through my thin shirt, but I didn’t want to scare him any m
ore than he already was.

  He waved me to him.

  I reminded myself how to take a step forward. His eyes, focused on mine, didn’t waiver as I moved toward him. A few tentative steps later, I stood at the side of his bed, my hands clamped together in front of me.

  My pulse throbbed in my ears. What was he going to say? Probably nothing I wanted to hear. My gut flopped.

  “I’ll keep your secret.” He snatched my hand. “On one condition.”

  I took in a sharp breath, preparing for the worst. I was sure the condition wouldn’t be a sweet, flirty bribe-date at Java Joe’s. I wished it would be that. I’d say yes in a heartbeat. But this was a little different than being late for a class.

  There wasn’t a hall pass big enough for this situation.

  I cleared my throat. “Condition?”

  “That you’ll forgive me.”

  “Forgive you? Wait, what?”

  He nodded.

  “I’m the one who’s been lying to you about everything and you’re asking me to forgive you?”

  “Amanda. You came to my room and, like a jerk, I kicked you out. I was just so freaked. I didn’t know what I was doing. I treated you so bad.”

  I restrained myself from reaching over and squeezing my arms around his broken body. “Does that mean? Um—are you okay with this? With me? With what I am?”

  “About as okay as any guy can be, knowing his girlfriend can bench press more than him.”

  A hundred pounds of weight slid off my shoulders and chest. “Oh, my gosh. I can’t believe it. What changed? I mean, you were really mad earlier.”

  “More freaked out than mad. It’s not every day you see what I saw. My brain’s been on overdrive since it happened. I really did see you toss my motorcycle, right?”

  I nodded.

  “How?”

  Still holding his hand, I sat down in the chair beside his bed. Despite my super-strength, I didn’t think my legs would hold me up much longer. My mouth went dry, and my palms got sweaty. Hopefully he didn’t mind the latter because I didn’t want to release my hold on him.

  “Amanda?”

  I smiled and rested my other hand on top of his. “I think you’ve earned the right to call me Mandy, don’t you?”