It was obvious they were twins because they were almost completely identical. With exception of their heights and hairdos, they could easily be mistaken for the same person. They even wore the same clothing-black slacks and a green and yellow striped shirt. It was uncanny… and very creepy.
The strangest thing of all was the way they were looking at me, and I thought Ironshot was weird. He had nothing on them.
“Emelia, meet the doctors, Hanson and Hanson, Jill and James.” Ironshot thought to introduce us and normally it would be a nice thing to do but I wanted nothing to do with any of them.
I gave them both a tight smile and I thought they might reciprocate, but they just acted as if studying me was more important and continued staring while blinking dramatically.
“Exquisite,” Jill breathed and leaned in closer toward me while adjusting the glasses on her face.
I took a small step backward when she did that and frowned at her. What the fuck, man? Personal space apparently meant nothing to her.
“Have a seat, Emelia,” Ironshot commanded, thankfully giving me a little space from the creepy twins.
Harris and Kenny led me over to a gray metal stool situated near a table, pushing me into it, and then moved to their spots by the door. Fuck, I hated them. I gave them ‘go to Hell’ looks then turned back around toward Ironshot and the twins. The councilman found a chair in the corner and sat stiffly with his arms crossed over his chest while Jill and James sat on stools on the opposite side of the table. They both opened notebooks and clicked their pens at the exact same time, then looked up at me expectantly. Their similarities were beyond freaky, but I tried to not let it get to me. I needed to stay on my game if I wanted to get out of there with my life.
I gave them another small smile and waited for them to do whatever they were going to do. I didn’t have to wait long. James looked down into his notebook and began reading from notes.
“So, Emelia Jane Stratton, born to mother Lucia Stratton, caster, and father Eric Von Brandt, dragon shifter. You were raised by your mother as a caster until your first partial shift into a dragon at the age of twelve.”
My eyes shifted to Ironshot, wanting to see his reaction to those words being spoken aloud. He kicked out one leg and clenched his jaw so hard, I almost expected him to break some teeth but otherwise remained silent.
“What magic were you able to perform at your young age?” James then asked, making my attention return back to him.
I frowned and began playing with my nails on top of the table.
“I don’t remember much,” I replied, “just the basic stuff. Lighting candles, learning to make potions, stuff like that. My mom believed in learning the basics before performing the actual acts, so I did a lot of studying before I was able to do anything.”
The twins both wrote down my responses quickly, wanting to make sure they got it all.
“What was your first shift like?” James questioned.
A lump formed in my throat as the memory came back full force. It was one of those things I would always remember for the rest of my life… now that I had my memories back, anyway. I remembered every detail from what I was wearing to the look on Chei Yun’s face when he saw me change. I looked out toward the window as I recounted the event.
“I’d gone to my friend’s house and his father answered the door…”
“Councilman Chei Yun Liu.”
“Yes, Councilman Liu. I asked if his son was home and he told me he wasn’t.” I couldn’t say Xan’s name without breaking down into tears, so I didn’t. “That was when my body felt strange, which turned into unbearable pain and I fell on the ground. I wasn’t sure how long it lasted, although it felt like forever and no time at all, all at the same time. He began yelling and I got scared, so on wings I didn’t know I had, I flew home, across the field that stretched between his house and mine. I don’t know how I made it. That part and everything that followed is a blur.”
I looked back toward Ironshot, who was watching me intently. If his gaze were magical, I was sure I would have been turned to stone by the way he was looking at me. He hated me, not that I didn’t already know it. But him sitting there, listening to me recount that one event that sealed my fate. He couldn’t hide his true feelings.
“Do you remember what happened when the Council came to collect you and your parents?” This time it was Jill asking the question.
My eyes flit back toward the twins and I decided to ignore Ironshot the best I could for as long as possible. I didn’t want to be affected by his searing looks any more than I already was because staying cool and calm made me smart, and I needed to be smart.
I shook my head. “I remember the horror in my mother’s expression when she saw me half changed in our backyard and then she rushed me into the house, but after that, I don’t remember anything.”
It was completely true. I know what Devlin told me, but I didn’t remember any of it. I wished I could remember, I really did.
The pair took turns asking me question after question about my life as a child in the supernatural society and in the human foster care system for hours. They were especially intrigued about the growth of my mark but thankfully, they didn’t ask to see it. I didn’t think I could handle having them touch me, and I knew they’d want to examine it closely. I needed to build myself
