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"Actually the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures." - Lewis Caroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
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Without even opening her eyes, Aura slammed her hand onto the snooze button of the blaring alarm clock. Once again, her and her sister only heard the sound of leaves rustling in the morning breeze.

Silvia tiptoed into their small bedroom with two petite cupcakes in one of her hands and a lighter in the other. With the flicker of the igniter, the candles situated on top of the dollops of buttercream were lit aflame. She cleared her throat before softly singing a couple bars of "Happy Birthday."

The twins stirred back to consciousness and jolted awake when they saw the pastries in their grandmother's hand.

"Good morning, girls! Happy birthday!" Their grandmother handed both sisters their treats. "Your mother's recipe, just how you like it. Now, make a wish!"

Aura and Carolyn looked to each other, silently agreeing on the same request. Together they closed their eyes and blew out the candles.

Their grandmother smiled before making her way back to the hallway. "Birthday breakfast will commence in fifteen minutes!"

As the door shut behind their grandmother, Aura was quick to turn to her sister. "Did you wish for the same thing?"

Carolyn put her blonde hair into a messy bun. "Same as every year."

Aura opened a dresser drawer. "Maybe this year it'll come true?"

"Doubt it," Carolyn eventually muttered, changing out of her pajamas into high-waisted jeans and a cropped t-shirt before sitting down at the small desk in the corner.

"Who knows, maybe Gran will finally be up for it!" Aura said hopefully a couple minutes later as she pulled a thin maroon sweater over her head.

Carolyn tried her best not to roll her eyes as she fiddled with a mascara wand. "I'm not going to get my hopes up just for her to tell us the same five stories about them that she always tells us."

Aura ran a brush through her hair as she looked at her sister through the mirror. "Sometimes you just gotta have faith, Cora!"

Carolyn smiled slightly at her sister's nickname for her but didn't respond. Over the past sixteen years, Silvia had only given the twins small pieces of information about their parents: they were deeply in love, they were so thrilled to have Aura and Carolyn, they died in a car crash — the end.

Aura stepped behind Carolyn, laid her hands on her shoulders, and leaned down so their heads were at the same level. "I will do everything I can to get a new story out of her."

Carolyn smirked slightly and held up her pinky finger, looking into her sister's blue eyes through the mirror. "Promise?"

Aura smiled and interlocked their fingers. "Promise."

Carolyn stood up and walked toward the door, grabbing her bag and slipping on her Vans. "Good. Which means you can't chicken out if it comes down to it...and make it a funny story if you can."

Aura quickly swiped a few coats of mascara on her long lashes before joining her sister in her walk downstairs.

Instantly their senses were overcome with the sound of eggs sizzling in the pan and the smell of bacon wafting up the stairs.

Silvia was in the middle of taking out freshly baked cinnamon rolls when the twins entered the kitchen. "You two look cute," she commented when she spotted them before motioning to the small oak table that was laden with enough food to feed a small army. "Take a seat, I just need to put the icing on these real quick and then we can dig in." Together the three feasted until they couldn't take another bite.

As they began to clean up, a loud honk sounded from their driveway. The twins each gave their grandmother a kiss on the cheek before rushing out the front door with their book bags hanging from their arms.

Bailey jumped out of her car and almost tackled the twins as she gave them a hug. "Happy birthday you guys!"

"Turning purple now," Carolyn said, dramatically gasping for breath.

The brunette pulled away, a small blush reddening her cheeks. "Sorry..."

As they piled into her small Toyota, Bailey excitedly pulled out two petite boxes from her glove compartment. "Surprise!"

"Bailey! You're too sweet," Aura said as she was handed a box.

The brunette flashed a cheeky smile as she pulled out of the twins' driveway. "I try."

"Open them together?" Aura suggested, leaning around the passenger seat to lock eyes with her sister.

"3...2...1..." Carolyn counted down before the sisters popped open the boxes. She lightly nudged her friend's arm, a smile forming on her face. "Are you serious?"

"Bailey, they're gorgeous!" Aura exclaimed.

A delicate silver ring was situated in black velvet in each box, complete with gems that matched each sister's favorite color.

Bailey held up her right hand to reveal a similar ring with a purple stone on her finger. "Since you've always liked mine, I thought I might as well get yous your own."

Aura gently ran her finger over the petite baby pink crystal. "Thank you."

"Look on the inside."

The twins carefully took the rings out of their boxes to reveal the words "dán go deo" engraved into the bands.

"It's an old saying from where I was born," Bailey said gleefully. "It loosely translates to 'fate is forever'."

Carolyn twisted her ring in the sun, allowing the smooth opal to shine a soft rainbow under its cloudy exterior. "These are literally amazing. Where'd you get them?"

"One of those cute little boutiques downtown," Bailey replied, rustling her waves as she pulled into the parking lot.

As they walked into the musky hallways, a pair of strong arms swept up Carolyn's hourglass figure.

"Hey you," she said, pecking her captor on the lips before untangling herself from his arms.

"Happy birthday," he said with a small smile as the other two girls walked to class.

"See you later Eli!" Aura shouted over her shoulder. The boy nodded his head before turning back to Carolyn.

"Remember, the party is at six, but Gran loves when people are early so get there by quarter-till," she said as she intertwined their fingers together and navigated the crowded hallway.

"I'll try my best," Eli said as they turned a corner. He stood much taller than Carolyn, who was merely a petite five-foot-three.

Carolyn looked up into his amber eyes. "What do you mean 'I'll try my best'?"

"You'll see," he replied cheekily, an even bigger smile lining his dark skin.

"You know I hate it when you say that."

Eli stopped in front of one of the light wood classroom doors. "I know." He placed a small kiss on the top of Carolyn's head before sauntering down the hallway. "I'll see you at six!"

Soon the bell rang as a dozen students loudly clamored into their assigned seats.

"All right class settle down. We have a lot to do...including a brand-new project that's due by the end of the quarter," Mrs. Brown, an older woman with greying hair, said in her nasally voice once the bell rang. The class let out a collective groan as she passed out the information sheet.

"Ancestry Project?" Carolyn asked, reading the bold font.

"I thought it would be a nice easy A for you all... seeing as most of you bombed the last test." Mrs. Brown pulled up a slide presentation with a neon design, smiling at her handiwork. She repositioned her headband atop her frizzy hair and cleared her throat to grab her class's attention. "All of us are immigrants, we all come from somewhere. So, I want all of you to search around your house, go into your attics and basements, ask your parents, and find out about your story. I'm gonna show you examples from years past, then leave you the rest of the bell to begin to brainstorm."

"Well this might be a little challenging..." Aura whispered as they watched the presentation.

"You're telling me." Carolyn leaned forward on the desk, resting her chin on her palm.

"Gran! We're home!" the twins yelled in unison as they walked nto the foyer.

"In here!" their grandmother yelled back from the kitchen, followed by the clinking and clanging of pots. Aura and Carolyn slid off their shoes before following her voice. "How was school?" She wiped her floured hands on a rag before hugging the twins. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Where's Bailey? I saw her pull into the driveway."

"Her mom needed her back at home for something, but she'll be back in time to help set up decorations," Carolyn said, sliding onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar.

"School was boring as usual, but we got this new, elaborate project that's due at the end of next month," Aura said, setting her bag down on one of the seats.

Mrs. Addams opened the oven door slightly, quickly peeking, before closing it. "Oh?"

Carolyn unzipped her backpack. "It's all about our ancestry and 'family story'." She handed her grandmother the assignment sheet before sitting at the counter.

"So we," Carolyn waved her hand between her and her sister, "were wondering if you could tell us absolutely everything you know so we can get an A on it to make up for the C that I got on the last test?" She held her breath after rushing through her words.

"I'm sorry, what was that last part?" Her grandmother looked up from the piece of paper.

"Nothing! Just that I appreciate you!" Carolyn shot her grandmother a huge, toothy grin.

Aura rolled her eyes at her sister but couldn't stop a small giggle from escaping. "We know family history isn't exactly your favorite subject, but is there anything you can tell us?" Her grandmother looked up at her. "Nothing that you're not comfortable sharing, but maybe just a new story or two?"

"Or if you have anything of theirs?" Carolyn quickly added.

Mrs. Addams sighed and placed the sheet of paper on the last remaining tidy countertop. "I'll go grab everything I have from my office, but don't be too disappointed if it's not all that you're hoping for." She carefully slipped her flour-covered apron off and walked towards the stairs. "And please make sure the cake doesn't burn!"

"Nose-goes!" Carolyn exclaimed, quickly flinging her index finger onto her nose.

Aura touched hers half a second too late. "Dammit." She scooted off the stool and walked over to the oven, watching the rising cake through the door.

Mrs. Addams appeared only a few minutes later with a small box. She set it in front of Carolyn before placing her apron back on and returning to work. "I know it's not much, but that's all I have," she sighed as she whipped icing in a bowl.

"Thank you, Gran," Carolyn said, glancing into the box. She grabbed her backpack and the box before gesturing to the staircase at her sister. "Well, we're gonna head up to our room to start prepping. Holler if you need us!" Silvia gave the two a thumbs up before they ascended the stairs.

Aura plopped onto her bed as Carolyn rustled through the items in the box. "There's a couple of good things in here but I don't think it'll be enough for the assignment."

"Then let's just tell Mrs. Brown on Monday that we can't do the project due to lack of resources and that we need a different assignment," Aura said, closing the box.

"Or instead of doing more work—because it's Mrs. Brown—we could just go and find more information ourselves?"

Aura sat up and raised an eyebrow at her sister. "Cora, I am not paying $50 to spit in a tube and find out I'm 2.43 percent Russian."

Carolyn waved her hand. "That wasn't what I was gonna say...although that is a great plan-B." She pointed in the direction of the hallway. "What if we went into the attic? Gran's gotta have something in there!"

"You know Gran doesn't want us going up there."

"She doesn't need to find out." Carolyn shrugged. "Aura, we've only been in there, like, twice—who knows what we could find."

Aura wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't know, Cora. I don't want her to get mad."

Carolyn sighed. "She won't." She walked to her sister's bed and held out her pinky finger. "I promise." Aura let out a soft sigh before interlocking her finger with her sister's. "We'll go up tonight when Gran's asleep, take a quick look around to see if we spot anything, and bring back what we might need for the project." 

The ringing of the doorbell resonated throughout the house. The twins raced downstairs and flung open the door to see Bailey in a casual lavender dress.

"I'm ready to fill up some balloons!" Their friend smiled cheerfully, the soft ringlets in her hair bouncing as she walked into the house.

The traditional living room was soon transformed into a colorful spectacle complete with streamers and golden balloons that formed the number '16.' The twins had changed into informal cocktail dresses that accentuated the curves in their petite figures. They had styled their long, voluminous hair to cascade down their backs in loose curls.

Eli was the next to arrive at six and was dressed in slacks and a grey button-up, two gift bags filled to the brim with tissue paper in hand.

Carolyn was quick to greet him at the door, wrapping her arms around his body and giving him a long kiss. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow, studying the bags in his hands. "For me? You shouldn't have."

A smile danced upon his lips. "That's why you love me."

"Eli, a pleasure to see you again," Mrs. Addams said coolly as she approached the pair.

Carolyn nudged Eli in the side.

"You too, Miss Silvia. Thank you for allowing me to come," Eli replied with a small smile, shifting one of the bags to his left hand and outstretched his right.

Silvia smiled contently before shaking his hand. "It's my pleasure. Here, let me take those from you." She grabbed the two bags from his hand and led the pair back into the living room. The five socialized for a while over drinks and appetizers as soft pop music played from the speaker on the white coffee table.

"Do you know when Jewel will be arriving?" the twins' grandmother asked them. Just as they responded in a shrug, the door creaked open and the friend in question rushed into the house.

"I'm so sorry that I'm late! I totally lost track of time!" Jewel sheepishly held up two perfectly wrapped presents before grabbing a seat next to Bailey on the brown loveseat.

"Don't worry about it," Aura said with a small smile. "Were you helping your mom?"

Jewel scratched the top of her head. "No, actually, I was—"

"—with Casey?" Bailey asked bluntly, a blank expression on her face.

Jewel looked down at her shoes before clearing her throat and offering the gifts to the twins cheerfully. "Here, you guys should open your presents."

The twins accepted the boxes. They tore off the blue wrapping and discarded the tops. Inside were matching grey sweatshirts with the name "Anastasia" written in gold cursive.

"Aww Jewel!" Aura squealed, holding the hoodie up to her chest.

"Just figured you might like a memento from the musical."

"Thank you, Jewel," Carolyn said as she put the gift back in its box.

"Mine next," Eli said, squeezing Carolyn's knee, nodding toward the pale pink bags on the coffee table.

Aura grabbed the bag closest to her. "You didn't have to get me a gift, Eli."

"Gotta make a good impression."

Aura carefully took out the tufts of white tissue paper and pulled out a small teddy bear with a chocolate rose in its paw. "Aww! Thanks, Eli."

Carolyn gingerly removed a small velvet box from the paper bag, shooting a curious gaze at her boyfriend. "You aren't proposing, are you?"

Eli chuckled and shook his head. "Just open it."

Her eyes lit up at the sight of a sterling silver, heart-shaped locket. "I love it!"

Eli moved her golden locks to the side and clipped the necklace around her slim neck. "There. I like it even more now. I've been waiting to give it to you for a while." He gave her a kiss on the cheek before placing the bag back on the table.

"Would anyone like a slice of cake?" Silvia asked, getting up from the leather lounge chair.

"I'll clean up," Bailey volunteered as everyone else migrated to the kitchen. She bent down to pick up a small pile of tissue paper when a slip of paper fell out of the clump. Printed on the thermal paper was a receipt with the locket and teddy bear listed in the fuzzy typeface. Stamped at the top was the current date with the time written as '5:13pm' under the logo of the nearby supermarket.

"Bailey! Come get some cake!" Carolyn called as Bailey crumpled up the receipt in exasperation.

"Girls I'm going to bed!" Silvia called from the hallway.

"Okay! We love you, Gran!" Aura yelled back over her shoulder as she placed her new teddy bear on her nightstand.

Carolyn sat in front of the vanity, her almond-shaped eyes studying her new locket in the mirror. She pulled her loose curls into a high ponytail before spinning around in the cushioned chair to face her sister. "Ready to go?"

Aura opened their door slowly to keep the hinges silent. Swiftly, the twins navigated the darkened hallway, avoiding floor panels that were known to creak. They froze when a soft, golden light spilled from the sill of their grandmother's bedroom door.

After what felt like an eternity, the light faded out, encasing the twins in only the faint glow of the plug-in hall light. They continued their cautious journey until finally reaching the carpeted stairs. One step at a time, one foot after the other, they climbed to the top, letting out deep breaths they didn't know they were holding.

The only thing in the small hallway was the attic door. It wasn't much to look at and didn't seem like the type to guard possible family secrets. Its brass handle looked almost as good as new compared to its faded counterparts in the rest of the house. The twins moved even slower toward the door, occasionally looking back to make sure their grandmother's bedroom light was still off.

With a cautious hand, Carolyn reached out and grabbed the handle. She looked back at her sister, who gave an eager nod. Carolyn let out another deep breath before trying the handle, only for it to stay frozen in place. She placed her forehead on the cool wood defeatedly. "It's locked."

Aura furrowed her brows. "What do you mean 'it's locked'?" she whispered back, stepping closer to the door. She walked in front of the door and tried to open it, but it still wouldn't budge. Aura sighed before turning her back to the door and sliding down to the floor. "Now what?"

Carolyn sat down and gave a small shrug. "We'll just have to find the key on a day when Gran isn't home."

Aura placed her chin on her knees and sighed. "Why would she keep it locked, though?"

Carolyn pondered for a moment. "Maybe Mom or Dad killed someone, and the attic has all the evidence?"

Aura stifled a laugh. "You have to admit, that would make for a pretty interesting ancestry project."

They wandered back to their bedroom, quickly changing into comfortable pajama pants and oversized tees before slipping under their plush duvets.

Aura whispered a soft, "Good night, Cora," before switching off her lamp.

"Good night Aura."

When she was certain her sister was fast asleep, Carolyn unweaved herself from her sheets and tiptoed over to the bay window to retrieve a worn, folded piece of paper from one of the drawers. The text around the creases was long past worn away, but Carolyn had already memorized them long before the ink had disappeared. In the glow of the streetlight, she read over the newspaper article of a fiery car crash from sixteen years prior. Her eyes dampened when they reached the photo of a couple at the bottom of the paper. Even though the portrait was in black and white, Carolyn could see the rosy glow of the woman's cheeks and the lively sparkle in the man's eyes.

She was told by her grandmother since she was little that she and her sister had the same golden hair as the woman and the same infectious laugh as the man. Anytime she looked at the photo, Carolyn swore she could hear their voices echoing in the back of her mind as if part of a distant memory.

Carolyn returned the article back to the drawer and crept back to her bed. Before she allowed her mind to escape into blissful sleep, she whispered soft enough for only the couple in the photo to hear, "I miss you."

Hello lovelies!
The girls are 16! They grow up so fast.
What do you think Silvia might be keeping in the attic that would make her want to keep it locked? And what do you think about Eli? Do you think Silvia had a right to be reserved toward him?

Until next chapter!
♡ Melody & Rebekah ♡