3. Cracked ivory

The barbeque party was going well. Violet unknowingly finished three large sausages, cheese, nuggets, chicken and crab sticks. And she just felt full when I was about to take the fourth sausage.

Only then did she remember she hadn't eaten since yesterday, only drank tea.

Tiffany was still by the grill grilling the enoki mushrooms and seasoning them with the spicy seasoning their grandmother had made.

Next to her Isabelle ate less than Violet had expected. She took a bite of the sausage lazily. When finished, Isabelle said goodbye to go to the room first because she was sleepy. Diana asks if something is wrong but Isabelle replies everything is fine.

Violet knew better than her mother. She said she was going to the bathroom for a bit and headed for the sink to wash her hands. After that he went upstairs, to Isabelle's room which was across from hers.

The door is closed. Violet was contemplating whether or not to knock when she heard Isa's voice from inside

"Come in Vio"

Violet opened it slowly and her twin was sitting on her bed, looking out to the moonlit and the woods outside.

Isabelle turned "Want to share a bed tonight? Come here my twin" she patted the blanket beside her.

Violet walked up to her but she didn't sit down. Of course her twin didn't look as sleepy as she said to their mom "anything to share?" Violet smiled.

Isabelle looked at her, Violet continued "about anything that happened lately"

As if she was relieved to hear that, Isabelle chuckled "too much to share with you. I'm taking the time to tell it, but I'm not sure you'll like to hear this"

Violet sighed, she grabbed a wooden chair and sat on it. Now they face to face, they were like one person in two mirror. "Isa, you are not as usual. You are very quiet since arrived here, and I'm sure it's not just problems at school or problems with your boyfriend that are bothering you. Is there anything else?"

Violet's heart skipped a beat as she prepared herself to hear whatever the answer was.

For a moment Isabelle's eyes just stared at the swaying branches outside. Finally she opened her mouth "I met a strange woman the last few days. She was always across the street whenever I waited at the bus stop in front of my apartment. She was just silent, watching me with her cold eyes"

Violet approached "wait, is she a stalker? Make sure she doesn't know where your room is in the apartment"

Isabelle laughed "Violet you're funny. But no. She's not a stalker, she's..." Isabelle swallowed "that woman is a stranger. Stranger like us. She might be one of us, Vio"

And among the possibilities her twin might say, Violet wasn't prepared for this one. But she couldn't help but remember someone outside a cafe in Los Angeles. A stranger that Violet was sure was standing there watching her.

But for whatever reason Violet really didn't want to remember that. "are we open to talking about this now?" Violet said carefully.

Isabelle smiled, but a hint of disappointment appeared "I told you you wouldn't like this"

"It's not like that" Violet denied

Isabelle added "Violet, when I look at that woman, I see myself. Stranger. Aren't you tired of pretending? I'm tired of doing this sometimes. Being in a place we shouldn't be" Isabelle's voice was calm, she just wanted to make her twin understand.

The two of them, who shouldn't exist in this world. Violet glanced at the white strands in her jet black hair. The color she had since she was born which was not common among humans. Not infrequently her friends asked the same thing.

Violet glanced at Isabelle's hair, but her twin chose to dye her hair completely dark brown. If Isabelle thought Violet had forgotten, then she was wrong. Violet never forgets. Her hair became one of Violet's reminders that she was different. Different from this world. An uncomfortable silence flooded between them.

"I think it's about time" Isabelle whispered softly, but now her gaze on Violet was sharp.

Violet couldn't even remember when her twin would look at her this seriously. "What are you talking about?"

"It's about time we go back to where we came from"

Instantly, Violet stood up. Isabelle's words were a slap in the face to her. She gripped Isabelle's shoulders tightly. There was no way her twin would say something like this.

After years Violet was sure they wouldn't talk about this again "Are you crazy? Don't you love mommy? And dad? And tiffany? You're going to leave them"

 Isabelle brushed her hand off her shoulder "I love them. I love them all." Isabelle breathed "but that's exactly what makes me feel worse every time I remember that we just lied to them Vio. What if they find out one day that their daughter isn't human? How do you think they'll react?"

Violet had no answer to Isabelle's sentence.

"how would mom react if they found out who we are?"

Violet thought back to that time. When Diana and Davis Miller picked them both up from the orphanage. And brought Violet and her twin to their house. Raised them like their own child.

Diana put food into Violet's mouth. And he never knew that prior to being at the orphanage, Violet had been traveling at night. Horrible escape in the midst of chaos. She and Isabelle left their biological father and brother behind. Leaving Lusevell. The world she wanted to forget and bury deep inside.

It had not crossed Violet's mind that she had been lying to them all this time.

"Sometimes, I get tired of pretending"

Isabelle mumbled. "I know you do too" she took Violet's hand and held it tightly.

Even though she denied it but inside she felt the same way.

"Just like here, we have no one there Isa. The situation there could be many times worse" he assured Isabelle. "we won't be so easy to find help"

Isabelle let go of her hand, she stood up and walked over to a small dressing table. Opened the drawer and took something. She walked over to Violet and carried the thing.

Violet frowned "a mirror?"

"a key" Isabelle nodded "the key to open the gate to Lusevell. We can come back here again"

Violet shook her head "This must be a joke. How can a mirror do that?" she was surprised.

The mirror is a hand mirror. Ivory color with antique carvings. Beautiful thing.

"Isa, let's talk about this" She tried

Isabelle refused immediately "No. This time you are going listen to me. When we get there, we don't need to look for father. I've heard the call. When the full moon reflects the moonlight using this mirror on the seven trees in the forest, then you will arrive in Lusevell"

Violet saw the change in Isabelle's expression. Be hopeful. She himself did not know what her twin was talking about.

"none of the calls are real"

"The call was real. It was a call from the alpha. And he called me so I could be by his side" Isabelle insisted. Almost crying.

Violet was at a loss for words. She wasn't prepared to hear this. This scared her.

If what Isabelle said was true, then the call was absolute. And can't be denied. If she was destined to be the mate of the alpha then nothing would be able to change that destiny.

Fear overtook het. Inevitably Violet grabbed the mirror and threw it hard. Hit the wall and fell to the floor. But when it landed the mirror didn't break. Still intact.

Isabelle screamed hysterically.

She ran and grabbed the mirror. And Isabelle sobbed.

"Do you remember why father and brother abandoned us? They fought. Do you remember why we were abandoned and why Lusevell was not safe? Why did the witches burn and hunt others? It was because of the war of Isa. The War!. And the Alphas were the cause of all this. I won't let you fall into their hands" Violet snarled. Her heart was pounding wildly.

But Isabelle was still sitting on the floor. Her shoulders shook. It was only when Violet heard her sobbing that she came to her senses. She walked towards her twin "Isa...."

"go away" Isabelle snapped "get out of my room"

"Isabelle.."

"I said get out of my room Violet!" His voice trembled.

The sound of the door opening made Violet turn her head.

"I heard screams? Who?" Tiffany was standing in the doorway.

Before Violet answered Isabelle wiped her tears roughly. She hugged the mirror tightly and stood up "Vio slammed my favorite thing" she rubbed her red nose "get her away from me before she intends to slam the others" Calmly, as if nothing had happened Isa walked over to her  bed.

Tiffany looked suspiciously at Violet.

"Turn off the lights and close the door when you guys come out" Isabelle laid her head on the pillow and pulled the blanket up to her neck. She gripped the mirror tightly to his chest. Hugging her like she was protecting something very precious.

Violet was still scared, but she realized what she had just done. So without another word he turned away, passed Tiffany and left Isa's room.