“Close your eyes.”
I roll them instead. “Why?”
“Just close them,” Jayson insists, a playful edge to his voice.
Reluctantly, I oblige and squeeze my eyes shut.
Running footfalls thunder around me in dizzying circles, and laughter bubbles up in my throat as I try to follow their movements.
“Okay, open your eyes.”
When I blink them wide, they’re grinning like they’ve pulled off the greatest of tricks.
“What’s my name?”
“Julien,” I say confidently.
His grin falters and is replaced by a frown. “Lucky guess. Close your eyes.”
With an exaggerated huff, I do as he says. More footfalls, the swish of leaves under their feet, the sensation of a breeze tugging at the loose wisps of my hair.
“What about now?”
I quickly study their faces. “You’re Jayson,” I declare, locking eyes with the twin on the right. “And you’re Julien.”
Their mouths drop at the same time, clearly shocked at my superpowers of deduction. It’s kind of funny to watch.
Jayson narrows his eyes, clearly suspicious. “How can you tell?”
They may look the same, but there are a lot of things different about them. Jayson’s eyelashes are slightly longer, and Julien has a small scar above his right eyebrow. Jayson has seven freckles across his nose, but Julien only has four. I counted.
Standing up, I dust off the dirt and crumpled leaves clinging to my dress. “I just can. Want to play castles and dragons?”
We abandon the half-built dam by the creek and dive into an afternoon of grand, imaginary adventures. Julien becomes the brave knight, Jayson the cunning wizard, and I—naturally—am the princess, leading them into battle against a fearsome dragon.
By the time we defeat the beast, the sun has dipped low, casting long shadows through the forest canopy.
“Lizzie! Boys! Time to come in,” Mommy calls from the backyard.
Hailey shouts, “Daddy’s grillin’ burgers!”
We scramble to the creek, frantically washing the mud from our hands, though it’s no use against the sticky residue of candy. Our clothes are a lost cause, smudged with dirt and grass stains. But none of that matters as we link hands and head toward the house together, our laughter floating up into the warm summer air.
Walking hand in hand, my heart swells with the kind of happiness that fills every corner of my chest. I glance at the twins, and something inside me instinctively knows that meeting Jayson and Julien has changed my life forever.
CLICK.
Just as my bedside clock turns ten, Jayson appears outside my bedroom window. I should have known.
“Oh, my gosh,” I gush when he holds out a small bouquet of wilting flowers.
Taking them, I hold them to my nose and sniff.
“I may have stolen them from Mom’s garden. Hope you like them.”
Aw. So freaking sweet.
“Liz, you look beautiful.”
