Free Web NovelChapter 49: Twins are Harbingers of death
WILLA
Two days after the student’s death and incident in the cafeteria. It felt like everything had returned to normal.
But it was not. At least, not for me.
Everyone had moved on. They went about their daily routines, and no one spoke about it.
For a school filled with supernatural beings, I had assumed something like this would pique their interest more. Instead, it felt like the students were strangely unaware. Or maybe they simply did not care.
Like they only knew how to follow whatever reality had been handed to them.
"I’m waiting!" Verah shouted from outside.
"Coming," I muttered.
My gaze stayed fixed on the mirror. Nothing about my appearance had changed. Same face. Same eyes. Same hair.
Still, unease crawled beneath my skin.
The thing possessing Verah had recognized me. Not Elyse. Me. I still couldn’t understand how.
Elyse and I looked identical. Close enough to pass as twins without effort. Yet that creature had seen straight through me.
"What are you doing?"
I jerked away from the mirror and turned toward the doorway. Verah stood there with a frown.
"Uh..." I grabbed the pink hairpin lying on the table and lifted it awkwardly. "Fixing my hair."
Verah stared at me for a second before shaking her head. "You’re better off putting it in a ponytail. Trust me."
"Okay." I set the clip down and searched around for the elastic band I’d taken out earlier.
Nothing. I checked the table again. Still nothing. Verah sighed and walked back into the room.
"You keep losing them," she muttered. She opened the top drawer of her nightstand and held out several elastic bands.
I took them from her. "Thanks."
After fixing my hair, I gave myself one last look in the mirror before leaving the room with Verah.
—
"You look fine, Elyse," Verah said for what felt like the hundredth time.
I blinked and looked at her. I hadn’t even realized she was paying attention to me.
"I picked the outfit, remember?" she continued. "You always trust my fashion sense."
It wasn’t the clothes bothering me.
The pink leggings fit perfectly. The white sports top hugged my body without feeling tight, and the oversized pink sweatshirt made everything look effortless. Even the white sneakers matched.
Verah wore the exact same thing. Combat training lasted all day, so we needed something easy to move in.
Still, my thoughts weren’t on the outfit. They kept circling back to the monster. The oath. The sigil burned into my palm that nearly had faded. frёewebηovel.cѳm
"So stop worrying," Verah said, slinging an arm around my shoulders and pulling me against her side. "I’d never let you wear something ugly. Or worse, outdated."
I laughed under my breath.
We passed two girls dressed in sports bras and tiny shorts. Verah looked them over and blew a raspberry.
Both girls glared at her. Verah didn’t care. I shook my head, trying not to smile as we kept walking.
Silence settled between us again. My mind drifted. Back to the creature. To the way it looked at me like it knew exactly who I was beneath Elyse’s face.
The question slipped out before I could stop it. "Have you ever seen someone who looks exactly like me?" I frowned. "Like...a twin?"
Verah’s arm tightened around my shoulders. Then she stopped walking. So did I. I turned toward her.
The color had drained from her face. The same expression she wore when I asked about Lycans.
A knot formed in my stomach.
"What?" I asked slowly. "Did I say something wrong?"
Her eyes widened even more. I didn’t even think that was possible.
Now she looked horrified. Not confused. Not shocked. Horrified. And the way she stared at me made me feel stupid without her saying a single word.
"I’m just thinking out loud," I said with a shrug when she still didn’t answer. "I thought it would be cool having a twin. Someone who looks exactly like me."
"No," Verah said in a strained voice
"Why not?" I wrinkled my nose.
She didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes darted around the area, in that nervous way she always did whenever she wanted to say something sensitive.
"Verah—"
"Shh."
Then she grabbed my wrist and pulled me behind the mini infirmary, close to the large training field where students were already gathering.
The noise from the field carried across the air. Shouting. Whistles. Wolves sparring. Verah shoved me lightly against the wall and stepped close enough that nobody passing by could overhear us.
"Why are you acting like I said something forbidden?" I asked, forcing out a small laugh.
"Because you did," she snapped.
My smile faded. I stared at her, waiting for an explanation that never came. Confusion churned inside me.
Over the past two days, I’d buried myself in books trying to understand this academy before something else tried to kill me.
Founders. Bloodlines. House politics. Supernatural species. Rituals. Everything. Nowhere, not once, had I read that having a twin was forbidden.
Verah puffed out a breath and took a step back from me. "Your parents never told you about them?"
"Should they have?" I mumbled.
"Yes!" she whisper-yelled. "Every student knows the taboo words before stepping through the academy gates. Well..." she rolled her eyes, "except you and that idiot Felix who never cared about consequences."
My curiosity deepened.
Verah glanced around once more before lowering her voice. "I’ll only tell you what my parents told me because I don’t want you getting into trouble."
She grabbed my hand.
The moment her eyes locked onto mine, my chest constricted. I swallowed hard, forcing down the lump rising in my throat.
"Twins are harbingers of death," she whispered. "They’re forbidden. Not just in the academy. Everywhere. So no, nobody admits to being a twin. Nobody is one."
That made absolutely no sense.
"What if a woman gets pregnant with twins?" I asked. "I mean...she can’t exactly control how many eggs get fertilized."
"They’re killed, Elyse," Verah said flatly. "They never get to breathe the same air we do. And if the mother survives..." she shrugged lightly, "she’s considered lucky."
Dread wrapped around my chest so tightly it hurt. A cold sensation crawled down my spine, making me fight the urge to shudder.
Twins are killed.
Which meant the possibility of Elyse and I naturally looking alike was impossible.
Then why the fuck did we have the same face?
The shrill whistle cut through my thoughts. I flinched, staring down at Verah’s fingers wrapped around my wrist.
"Let’s go. We are already late!" She dragged me away from the building. She did not stop until we reached the field.
She was right. We were late. Everyone else was already present, paired up and ready.
I had no interest in combat anymore. Verah’s words still echoed in my head, but I forced myself to push them down. I had to get through today.
"Miss Maddox and Mr Ashford!"
My head snapped up at my name. I looked straight at the combat instructor.
He looked around fifty, built like he could crush stone without trying. Veins ran down his arms. His dark hair was tied back neatly, not a single grey strand in sight. He wore dark sunglasses. In one hand, he held an opened coconut. The other was scrolling through his phone.
He was not even looking at us.
"That is Professor Marcus," Verah whispered. "He sees everything. Do not worry."
I was worried. Very worried. He had called my name and Elliott’s.
"Did I stutter?" Professor Marcus asked.
I shivered and stepped forward. Elliott did the same beside me. I glanced at Verah. She was watching. So were the rest of the students. The entire field had gone quiet, attention fixed on us.
Of course. Nothing was more entertaining than watching me fail in front of everyone. And with Elliott involved, humiliation always followed.
I did not look at him, but I felt his gaze on me anyway.
"Ah, yes," Professor Marcus said.
He slid his glasses down the bridge of his nose. His coffee-brown eyes flicked from me to Elliott and back again.
He studied us for a moment longer than necessary. Heat crept into my face. I looked anywhere except at him until he finally spoke.
"Yes, both of you," he murmured with a small nod. "You will be paired for the duration of today. You are also my demonstration partners."
Demonstration partners? What?!
Elliott shook his head and opened his mouth to protest, but Professor Marcus stepped closer and leaned in to say something in his ear.
I could not hear it.
Elliott’s face went red. He made a sound of protest, then shut his mouth and looked away from me.
I turned toward Verah.
She did not look pleased. Her glare was fixed on Professor Marcus. Beside her stood Kol and Eric.
Both of them were staring at Elliott. If looks could kill, Elliott would have dropped dead on the spot.
Then, almost as if they sensed me watching, they turned. Their eyes landed on me.
I looked away fast, but not before catching the sharp edge in their expressions. Betrayal.
Ugh. This was going to be a long day.
