Her eyes were a deep, dark walnut that also contained hints of gold and bronze, and they were shielded by thick lashes the likes of which I’d never seen before in my life.
If she’d been in my class, I’d think she had those stupid eyelash extensions or something. Instead, as poor as the people in this district were, I knew these were real.
Just like everything else about Theodosia Kinkade.
She had a smallish build, short for someone with her power, but the second she was beneath the surface, it was like she commanded the water. It was as though she belonged in there, and whenever she raised her body out of the liquid, I felt like she mourned it and it mourned her.
I’d always thought poetry was pathetic, written by dicks in need of pussy to get laid for real. But the second I saw her, I understood what Shelley and Byron and all the so-called greats had been going on about.
Not only when I saw her swimming, but when I just looked at her.
She was poetry in motion.
Made to be painted, formed to be written about. Existing to make my heart swell.
As well as other parts of my body.
Her face was dainty, delicately pointed at her chin with angular cheeks that looked just this side of gaunt. Her nose was straight and thin, just like the rest of her, and her brows were kind of thick, but they framed her face in a way that gave her more structure.
She was different.
So different than all the girls in my class, so different than the mothers of my friends, so unlike Mom, that she grabbed at me with invisible hands. Drawing me to her without even trying.
“You’re staring.”
I hadn’t noticed my brother slithering along, moving toward me, so I jolted in surprise as he broke my focus on the girl who’d captivated me. Because I was pissed at the interruption, I wanted to glower at Cain, but I didn’t. Couldn’t. Instead, I muttered, “Shut up.”
His lips curved. “Umm, nope. This is too good. You’re falling for one of Mom’s charity projects.”
“I’m not falling for anyone,” I growled, pissed off and flustered all at the same time.
Cain was the only person I knew who could worm his way into my control, making me lose my temper. But that worked both ways. We were twins. Had shared every major milestone since birth and probably would for the rest of our lives, considering we were damn fine swimmers who were aiming high. He knew me as well as I knew him, and because of that, we were well aware of the other’s weaknesses.
Mine was a tendency toward being prideful and bossy. Cain? He had issues. I wasn’t sure why, when we’d been raised in the same house, under the same stressors, with the same parents and environmental strains, that I was fine and he suffered so badly, but I wished I could take some of his pain away, even if the reason was selfish.
If he was normal, then maybe he’d let up. Stop being so fucking…
God.
So what?
So Cain?
That was why I let him tease me. Getting Cain to smile was impossible some days, and it made it easier on me in the long run for him to be in a good frame of mind.
He elbowed me in the side. “Stop grinning like that at her. You look like a real dick.”
I forced my mouth to remain flat, forced my features into an expressionless mask. “I’m not grinning,” I told him blankly.
“You are.” He rolled his eyes. “Stop staring at her,” he demanded. “You’re going to look like a creep.”
“I am a creep according to you,” I pointed out.
“It’s my duty to keep you grounded,” he said piously, making me snort. God, spare me from his bullshit.
“Oh, that’s what it is, huh? Your duty?” I rolled my eyes. “If you say so.”
“I do.” He shoved me in the side again, then before I could say another word, strode off in Theodosia’s direction.
My heart flared, and though the strange pang of jealousy hit me, a jealousy that was formed from Cain’s ability to speak with anyone and everyone without revealing what he was truly like, I found myself hovering.
It was almost inevitable that she’d like him. That she’d prefer him to me.
Everyone did.
Cain made sure of that.
As she treaded water at the side of her lane, Cain sat down on the edge of the pool and dipped his toes in. Within seconds, he had her laughing and smiling.
Not because he wanted her, not because he cared, but because I’d been stupid enough to look at her overlong.
Because I hadn’t shielded my attention.
Fuck. When would I learn?
Mad at myself, I gritted my teeth. He’d done this with two other girls I’d liked, including Maria, his current girlfriend. I’d liked her, had stupidly sent her a few goofy texts, and within five days, they were dating.
Stomach churning at Theodosia’s laugh, I forced myself not to turn away. If I did that, then he’d know he’d gotten to me. He’d know he’d made a hit. Some days, I wondered what the fuck I’d done to him to make him hate me so much. Then, on others, I was past caring. Surviving a psychopath who was your twin and who seemed intent on destroying your happiness wasn’t something I’d ever found a self-help guide on.
A fucking shame.
I could have used the assistance, and my parents gave me none of that. Mom believed whatever shit Cain spewed to her, and Dad? Well, he wasn’t as taken in by my twin’s BS, but he was a busy man. One who I thought was boning his PA.
Naturally, his PA’s pussy was more interesting than his eldest son’s misery, so there was no pity there.
Another laugh trickled toward me. Only this time, it stood out because it was uneasy. Restrained.
Cain could charm the birds from the trees... I’d almost never heard that kind of fake laugh coming from a woman he’d set his sights on. Women who I dared to find attractive.
I wasn’t sure if Cain even knew what attraction meant. Surely if he did, he’d go around getting a boner for his own crushes rather than worrying about what made my dick twitch? But then, psychopaths weren’t attracted to the same things as regular people, were they? And Cain was, without a shadow of a doubt, a whack job.
No one else saw it but me, but I knew.
Eager to understand what was different, why she’d laughed like that, I aimed for the girl whose beauty and skill in the water had caught my eye. Now? She was ten times more attractive to me if she could recognize my brother was an ass.
Padding toward them, I moved behind Cain, waiting for her eyes to drift up to me, the intruder on her conversation. I waited for the usual cascade of giggles and trite, “Oh my God, there are two of you!” But it didn’t come.
When she looked at me?
The Earth stopped spinning. It was like the moment when atoms collided, when miracles came to be in the beat of a heart...
I’d never anticipated this. Could never have anticipated this because, my God, how could anyone unless they felt it themselves?
It went beyond attraction. Morphed into some kind of connection that went beyond the surface crap and penetrated bone deep.
I felt like I’d been kicked in the gut.
Felt as if... Fuck. Maybe like I’d been kneed in the damn balls. Only, there was no pain here. Nor was there joy, to be fair. Mostly there was confusion and heat. Not like horny ‘heat.’
More like the energy building between us necessitated its own byproduct—like a lightbulb that scorched your fingers when you touched it…
Cain shattered the moment—of course. He twisted around, glowering up at me and snarling, “It’s rude to stare.”
My jaw tightened at his attempt to make a fool out of me—even if he was totally right, there was no need to point it out to the person I was goddamn staring at!
But I didn’t have to worry about being humiliated. Theodosia had taken advantage of Cain’s distracted state, and had ducked her head under the water, launched herself off the wall, and was swimming to the other side of the pool.
Spyi
ng this, Cain’s brows snagged into a scowl as he grunted, “Frigid bitch.”
My mouth twisted, and only by the skin of my teeth did I refrain from forming a smile. If I did, then Theodosia was fucked. Literally.
Instead, I just blinked at him, and when I didn’t say shit, he huffed, peered back at the other end of the pool, then scampered out of the water. Shuffling into his flip-flops, he slinked away, which merely confirmed the obvious—Theodosia hadn’t fallen for his brand of ‘charm.’
Christ, I liked her more and more.
Taking his place in the water was a calculated risk. If he thought I was interested, then he’d undoubtedly make more of a play for her, but if she wasn’t interested, he couldn’t force her, could he?
My lip ached where I bit down. Cain was sick...but even he wouldn’t go that far. Right?
Uneasy, I almost climbed out and returned to my parents’ side. No one deserved to be in Cain’s crosshairs, not unless they were as twisted as he was.
Uncertain, I cast a quick glimpse around, trying to see where Cain had skulked away. This fundraising gala was boring AF, and one of Mom’s pet projects that always brought us together as a family and reminded us of how miserable we were as a unit. But before I stopped wavering over my next move, Theodosia appeared, slicing through the water like a mermaid, her hands gripping the side of the pool, placing her fingers a few inches away from my thigh.
The heat arced between us again, and I could no more have left her side than I could have made my heart stop beating. Her presence made the internal chill that plagued me because of Cain dissipate somewhat. He and I should have a unique bond, but somewhere along the line, that had morphed into something monstrous.
Something evil and cruel.
With thoughts of leaving abated, with thoughts of Cain having fucked things over for me before I had a chance to say a word, I mumbled, “I’m Adam.”
Her brow arched. “He said he was Adam.” Her face, slicked with water, wasn’t puckered with confusion. Instead, she seemed to see something I didn’t as she murmured, “I didn’t like him.”
My throat felt tight at her remark, which was said in a tone that reminded me of a child declaring they didn’t like broccoli. As they penetrated, a strange kind of relief filled me. Everyone liked Cain. Most people preferred him to me, which, though ironic, I understood. To protect myself from him, I wore a mask. Rarely letting people inside, never letting them see the real me, because I knew he’d steal them from me.
In our sixteen years, no one had ever told me they didn’t like him. Nobody had ever come across him at his most charming and hadn’t fallen under his sway.
I knew that sounded impossible.
Not everyone could like someone. There was always someone who didn’t like us, right?
Not with Cain.
That wasn’t how it worked for him. And if someone wasn’t a fan? He worked on them and, like our mother, he campaigned until they were his friend. I’d seen it happen. Gifts, money, coffees, long chats on the phone. If he’d tried as hard at school, his only chance at getting into a good college wouldn’t be on the back of a swimming scholarship.
But Theodosia?
He’d backed off.
Why? What had she said to him?
“His name is Cain,” I told her woodenly. It wasn’t the first time he’d pulled some twin shit like this. I highly doubted it would be the last either. My brother had no shame. None at all.
“I knew he was lying.”
Her answer had me tilting my head at her. “How?”
She pulled a face. “It’s weird!”
It was a freakin’ miracle—that’s what it was.
“I’m all ears.”
“That would be strange.” Her smile was faint. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Her hand moved, and her little finger brushed my thigh. “I know what it is to be bullied.”
My throat tightened. Even as I wanted to disregard what she said, scoff at it even, I didn’t. She didn’t deserve my disrespect. And if she did know what it was to be bullied, then I wasn’t going to humiliate her just to save face.
So, I told her a half-truth. “Do you know what a narcissist is?”
Her brow puckered. “Yes. Stems from Narcissus. He spurned a god, and Nemesis took revenge. Made him fall in love with his own reflection.”
For a second, I could only gape at her—whatever reply I’d expected, it wasn’t that.
Her lips twitched. “I read,” was all she said, but she didn’t seem offended by my surprise.
It shamed me to think that I’d maybe considered her dumber because she was poor.
Talk about asshole... Hell, Cain and I were just as bad as each other.
The tip of her little finger collided with my thigh once more. “It’s okay.”
“It’s the opposite of okay,” I countered gruffly. “I’m sorry.”
She shrugged, making glittering shards of water whisper over her shoulders. For a second, I could do no less than stare at those droplets, fascinated by their path over her collarbone, down between her breasts. My mouth grew dry at the sight, and my dick hardened.
I was no virgin, even though I thought Cain wanted me to be one until I was a hundred—he worked hard to take every woman I liked away from me—but I felt like a stupid jerk, getting a semi in public. Cheeks blooming with heat, I cleared my throat and explained, “Cain’s a—” I wanted so badly to say psychopath, but I didn’t. “—narcissist. If it he wants it, he’ll do whatever he has to, to make it happen.”
Her eyes narrowed on me like she sensed the more palatable lie I’d just told her—but that was impossible, right? Yet, somehow, she’d sensed Cain’s lies… I was almost relieved when she simply said, “That sounds difficult to live with.”
An explosive laugh escaped me. “You bet your ass it’s hard.” I blew out a breath.
“I’m sorry.” She winced. “That sucks.”
She meant it.
My eyes burned with tears at her simple belief in me, but I ducked my head because the last thing I wanted was to look like a pussy. I’d already admitted my twin was a fucking bully. Sheesh.
“If the loudspeaker didn’t give it away, I’m Theodosia.” Her other hand came up, and she held it out for me to shake. “Pleasure to meet you, Adam.”
My heart walloped in my chest. “Pleasure to meet you too,” I rasped.
THEA
“Pleasure to meet you too.”
The words echoed in my head for hours after he’d uttered them, and though it was stupid, the thought of him, the thought of our conversation, put a spring in my step as I walked home from the community pool.
I had to wonder if he realized the significance of my giving him my hand to shake, but knew he wouldn’t. In his world, shaking hands was normal. In mine? It was anything but.
Yet, I’d done so because I wanted to feel him.
Had wanted to know if there was more to the union of our souls than something intangible.
And there was.
Dear God, there was.
Initially, the fundraiser had been stressful for me. Without the pool to visit every day, I thought I’d go mad, but the fundraiser had done what it had set out to achieve—earned the place enough to fix the roof—and having a politician swanning around had put me on edge at first, but she could come around whenever she wanted if it meant having her son visit.
Son, singular.
Cain...what a creep. I hated guys like him, who thought the sun set on them, and the world would stop turning without their presence in it.
He’d made a few jokes, commented on how great my tits looked in my swimsuit, and that was it.
I was done.
Talking about my breasts like it was a compliment when all it did was shame the pair of us.
Asshole.
His aura had flashed the darkest, murkiest colors imaginable as he’d spoken to me, and without the strange skill to guide me, I still wouldn’t have liked him. Sure, I might not have s
ensed his malice, but I’d have known something was wrong.
When he’d told me his name, his aura flashed a cloudy red before mellowing into orange, showing me his amusement.
When his twin had appeared, I’d known the game he tried to play, and had taken the chance to escape. Mostly because the other boy? The real Adam?
He was mine.
Just thinking that made me blow out a shaky breath as I passed a broken down car that was a burned out wreck. I kicked a stray can, watching as it danced along the slick sidewalk, and thought about my grandmother. She’d told me there’d be a day when I’d come across him. She’d said it was in the cards and that I needed to watch myself, and back then, I’d believed her, but I’d stopped believing when she’d passed. I’d stopped living life the old way because I’d had no choice if I wanted to fit in.
I’d even tried to shove aside my abilities with auras. Not wanting to be weirder than I already was, I pretended they weren’t there to the point I didn’t often see them anymore. It helped that I rarely looked at people as a result, preferring to stare at my feet. Sure, people thought I was shy. Really, I was just avoiding seeing them.
The real them.
But Cain?
Even now, on the walk back to the Majors’ home, I shivered.
He was malevolent.
Evil.
And it felt strange to say that about a boy, a kid in the grand scheme of things, but he was twisted.
Adam had lied when he called him a narcissist. I wasn’t sure why, but he had. I’d sensed a depth in Cain that I’d never come across before—everything about him was wrong and mahrime. Impure.
In this new life of mine, to be fair, most things were, but not like him.
As for the rest of my life, while my nanny wouldn’t like where I was, the place had running water and we weren’t always on the move, so I appreciated that.
The Majors were like a lot of foster parents—doing it for the extra welfare check. But I didn’t blame them. They weren’t cruel like other foster families I’d lived with, and they weren’t mean with food or care. They had a sick daughter whose meds cost a fortune, and they needed all the help they could get. They were way better than my last foster home, and Emma fed me and the other foster kid well, made sure Kenny and I were properly clothed, and generally looked after us.
Above The Surface Page 4