by KT Webb
“I remember all those things. She used to tell the best stories. I loved that she never needed a book to tell us stories. She had the greatest imagination. Sometimes I wish she would have stayed, and I wonder what would be different now if she had.” Hadley blinked away tears as they threatened to escape her eyes.
Whitley reached over and took her hand. “I know, me too. But it doesn't do us any good to think about it. What's done is done.”
Hadley nodded in agreement. They lapsed back into silence and sipped their coffee, enjoying the quiet of the morning. She found herself thinking about their mother more every day. On her sixteenth birthday, she decided she would start to look for their mother. She hadn't shared her search with Whitley because she didn't know how she would react. There were so many questions only their mother could answer. So far, a year of searching had proven fruitless, and she grew more frustrated each time she followed a dead-end lead.
It wasn't the only secret she'd been keeping from her twin. Hadley stole a sidelong glance at her sister. There had always been one constant in her life; she always had Whitley, and Whitley had always been so like her that it seemed they were perfectly in tune. But ever since they hit puberty, Hadley noticed odd things happening to her. If she was really upset, or really happy, or feeling a little blah, the weather seemed to respond to her mood. It was terrifying at first. She really didn't even notice it until Whitley made a joke about her mood swings messing with the atmosphere. Since the discovery, Hadley spent a lot of time learning to meditate. She found that if she put all her focus on whatever feeling was strongest, she could also focus whatever this strange ability was. She had been teaching herself to control it, and had gotten to the point where she could call up a breeze at will. And if she focused, she could adjust the temperature indoors or out.
At first, she had been excited to tell Whitley, because she was sure Whitley could do it too. They were identical twins, so everything should be the same. But Whitley never mentioned anything. Hadley didn't want to be responsible for bringing up the only thing that ever made them truly different. She didn't want to lose the only constant in her life.
Sighing, Hadley looked up. The sun was shining and rising in the clear blue sky. Crisp clouds dotted above them like little puffs of cotton. It really was a beautiful day. She was glad she'd learned to control herself, or the weather would reflect the sadness creeping into her heart.
“Hey, there's a new book store opening over there. Let's go check it out,” Whitley exclaimed, shocking Hadley out of her thoughts. Leave it to Whit to bring her back to reality and keep her from wallowing in self-pity.
Smiling at the prospect of spending the next few days lost in a good book, Hadley nodded at Whitley. They were free of bodyguards for a few days because their dad was on the campaign trail, traveling the country to meet voters at various speaking engagements. Eric Callaghan had always been overly concerned with their safety and didn't want to leave them alone. But they finally convinced him, at seventeen, that they were old enough to take care of themselves. He only agreed to leave them home alone if they agreed to call him every evening.
She glanced at the sign above the display window, and she could tell it wasn't one of those overdone chain stores. This was an honest-to-goodness old-fashioned book store. A large banner announced The Benton Book Nook was having a Grand Opening Sale. Hadley had noticed workmen coming and going from the space in the months they'd lived here, but there had been no sign until today. She smiled at the thought of immersing herself into the world of ink and paper.
After looking both ways to ensure the road was still deserted, they sprinted across the street, careful to hold their tall lattes steady. She opened the door with a jingle of the bell. They were greeted by the scent of fresh paper and simultaneously inhaled it deeply. The realization made them both giggle.
A young man with black hair and piercing blue eyes poked his head around the corner. “Be with you in a minute!” he called as he disappeared again.
Chapter Three:
Whitley
As soon as Whitley walked into the store, something strange started happening. She could feel a buzzing in the air. It was as if she could feel the energy pulsing around her. She shook her head, writing it off as the anticipation of exploring the book store. It had been so long since she’d been able to go to a physical book store.
As they took the two steps down into the store, Whitley was overwhelmed at the magnitude of books. Usually, if it wasn't a chain store, they only had a few books on hand, and you'd have to wait to order anything they didn't normally carry. But just by sweeping her eyes from left to right, she could tell she would be hard pressed to find something they didn't carry. The exterior walls were lined with rows of beautiful mahogany bookshelves, with more bookcases jutting out from the walls, creating a narrow hallway of books. Whitley began to wander down the aisle and was surprised to find one of the small nooks created by the interior bookshelves held a fireplace with big leather couches around it. Across from the couches, the sales counter wrapped around a glass case filled with old hardbound books, which she imagined were first editions. It felt like a small library.
She wanted to see how deep the sales floor went, so she headed toward the travel section in the back. When she came to the end of the store sales floor, she found a black metal stairway leading up to a loft. It was roped off with a “do not enter” sign. Curiosity almost got the best of her as she reached for the hook on the chain. Shaking her head, she turned and headed back to take a closer look at some of the sections. She decided there must be thousands of books in the store.
She stopped in the travel section and began perusing the books, looking for their next vacation spot.
“Hey, Had, we should see if dad will let us go to Morocco for Christmas next year. It would be nice to get away, and get some sun instead of freezing here!” Whitley called over the rows of books.
The twins may have shared identical DNA, but their personalities had always been like two halves of a whole. Hadley was so different from her. She smiled at the thought of her twin missing out on the festivities of the Christmas season. She knew Hadley was actually looking forward to the coming winter. They hadn't lived in an area that had any snow fall since they were in second grade. Whitley didn't mind not having snow, but she knew for sure her sister was planning to enjoy every inch of snow that fell.
The girls were like mirror images of each other; their thick blond hair and deep brown eyes stood out against fair complexions. But when you look in a mirror, you see the world reversed, and while she shared identical physical features with Hadley, their personalities differed in some major areas. Whitley had always loved that they were like two halves of one person. She enjoyed having Hadley as her sister and confidante, but prided herself in the things that set them apart. It kept things interesting. They were both beautiful inside and out, and their father had instilled humility, along with confidence, in them; they were always caught off guard when someone admired their looks.
Whitley made her way back to her twin holding the book about Morocco, when the man with the black hair stepped in her path carrying a stack of books. Instantly, she felt the buzzing again. They met head on without stopping, and books fell to the floor in a loud round of thuds. Her coffee spilled, covering her white sweater in pumpkin-scented liquid. As soon as they collided, she felt an immense pressure from all angles. She looked around, wondering if they had created a book avalanche. As she reached for the book, the clumsy book store clerk reached a hand out to help her. Whitley felt an intense heat rise in her cheeks. She wanted to melt into the floor, and she was so embarrassed she almost forgot he was there. Her hand touched the book guy’s hand and the heat intensified. The room got dark, and light again, she thought she was about to pass out when the realization hit her, the lights were flickering. She hid her embarrassment easily by adding a little senator’s daughter condescension to her voice. Her father would have been disappointed in her.
“You
should really pay your light bill,” she threw at him while the lights continued to flicker.
“Uh . . . what?” Was all he managed to force out.
Whitley pointed up and said, “Your lights. Do they do this often?”
“Oh, no.” His eyebrows knit together as he looked up at the ceiling. “In fact, I've owned this building for three years and it's never happened before.”
“You own this place?” Hadley asked, coming up behind him.
“Yeah, Kerr Mason, at your service.” He made a little bow and grinned. The light seemed to sparkle in his eyes.
“Hadley Callaghan, and the klutz you ran into is my sister Whitley.”
“Callaghan, huh? As in Eric Callaghan? Senator Eric Callaghan? The presidential candidate?” Kerr asked.
“Yep, that's our dad. Mr. President himself,” Whitley responded with just a hint of venom in her voice.
“Soft spot huh?” he stage whispered to Hadley.
She nodded and giggled a little. Whitley rolled her eyes at her sister. She couldn't believe Hadley hadn't grabbed her hand and dragged her from the store. That's what she usually did when she caught Whitley in situations she found embarrassing. She noticed Hadley narrowing her eyes at her, and she wondered if her sister could sense how flustered she was.
“Whit, we should probably get going. I'm sure Kerr has to call an electrician or something to get this fixed.” Hadley looked around uncomfortably.
Kerr nodded and started to head to the back room when the jingling of the bell alerted him to another customer. The three of them turned to see who had come in, but couldn't see anyone. The flickering lights made it hard to focus on anything. As Kerr tried to pass the girls to offer his assistance to the person who'd entered, he stumbled over one of the books still strewn across the floor. Whitley instantly reached out to steady him. As soon as she made contact with him again, the lights instantly grew steadily brighter.
“Must have fixed themselves,” Kerr said as he grinned sheepishly at Whitley. She noticed he had the tiniest specks of green in his clear blue eyes, and having him this close to her sent a shot of pressure through her body again. A moment of familiarity passed through her, as if recognizing a kindred soul. The moment was fleeting, but she grinned back as he steadied himself. Her grin relieved the strange sensation all at once, like a weight had been lifted off her body.
An explosion filled the air, and glass rained down on them from above. They all ducked and put their arms up protectively. Whitley opened her eyes and found herself in darkness, save for the mid-morning light filtering through the large shop windows.
“What the . . . ” Kerr strode to the front of the shop, looking all over for the source of the explosion.
Whitley squatted and touched the ground, looking for the glass that had scratched and cut her arms. Using the light of her cell phone, she found the floor covered in the remnants of fluorescent lights, and the fine powder they leave behind when they burst.
“It's the lights. The light bulbs exploded,” she said as she stood up, holding a chunk of the bulb in the palm of her hand. Dumbfounded, she held it out to Kerr as he came back over to her.
Kerr looked at her in bewilderment. She was speechless. How could this happen? She couldn't help but wonder about the strong energy she felt, and then the place exploded. Using her cell phone for light, she searched the area for an exposed wire that may have shocked her, but there was nothing to explain what happened.
“I'm very sorry about this, ladies, but I'm going to have to close the store until further notice. I really need to clean this mess up and call someone to help figure out what went on here today.” Kerr began to usher them out by placing a hand on each of the girls’ shoulders.
Whitley felt the rush of heat again, and Kerr pulled his hand back with a shout.
“You must have had some static electricity built up in your sweater. I haven't gotten a shock like that since I tried to stick a paper clip in a light socket.” Kerr chuckled.
"Are you sure you don't want help with the clean up?" Hadley asked.
Whitley shot her twin a sour look as she tried to think of a reason not to stay. Something was off; she didn't know what it was, but she was thoroughly freaked out by everything that had transpired in the last ten minutes.
"Um, sure, if you want to. I'll have to go downstairs to grab a few flashlights and brooms. I'll be back." Kerr hurried out of sight.
Whitley rounded on Hadley. "What is your problem? We need to get out of here. There is something wrong with this place, with this guy. I have felt so weird since we came in here, like the air is vibrating. Then he rams into me and everything goes all haywire."
Hadley was staring at her as though she'd never seen her before. Whitley was getting irritated and frustrated. She felt like she was going to be next in the explosion line if she didn't get out of there.
"Or maybe it's you. Maybe your hormones are messing with the atmosphere," Hadley replied simply, reminding Whitley of something she'd said years ago.
"Come on, Had. You know that's not possible. Let's get out of here before he comes ba—"
Kerr came up behind her, careful not to touch her again. "Here, I only have two brooms and one flashlight, so do you want to sweep or light the way?"
Whitley hesitated for a moment before grabbing the broom. She didn't want to take any chances with the flashlight.
"Boy, that sure was crazy, huh? I mean I've never seen anything like it. What in the world would make all those lights explode?" Kerr was chattering like a hyperactive squirrel, and Whitley couldn't help but giggle. There was something different about him, but somehow she knew he wasn’t dangerous.
“I can explain these events if you have time.” A voice came from the shelves to their left, causing every cell in her body to stand at attention.
“Who's there?” Kerr held the broom in front of him, protectively stepping in front of the twins.
Whitley smiled. No he was definitely not dangerous.
A man stepped out of the shadows and into the shaft of sunlight they were standing in. He looked to be in his mid-forties. He wore a brown tailored suit jacket, jeans, and a red button up shirt. His chestnut hair was beginning to gray, and he beamed at the trio with perfect teeth showing from behind his full beard.
“The name's Dorian. You don't know me, but I've known all of you for a very long time. Excuse me if I seem a little strange. I've been waiting for this day for twenty years.”
Whitley felt a chill, wondering if this man was crazy. It was too much of a coincidence for him to show up right after the explosion. She felt Hadley's hand grab hers, and she squeezed back in reassurance. Kerr had tensed. His body looked rigid, and she knew if she could see his face it would be filled with the confusion she felt.
“I have to say, I'm not surprised you three crossed paths. Of course I knew Hadley and Whitley would be together, but what a happy coincidence for your father to choose to move you here. Kerr has been here for fifteen years. Ever since his mother married his stepfather.” Dorian continued, as if it were completely natural he should know these things, “I imagine you all would like to know who I am, but before we get into the details I would suggest we allow Kerr to contact whomever he must in order to get this place back together.”
For a moment, they were all frozen, staring at Dorian as though he were a strange sculpture they couldn't make sense of. Whitley noticed Kerr attempt to start a sentence multiple times, but he failed to utter a sound. Hadley was clinging to her. After a few moments, Dorian cleared his throat, and Kerr threw his hands up in the air and grabbed the phone off the desk. The girls inched closer to him in the gloom, leery of being left alone with Dorian.
Dorian just stood there, smiling with pride. “You ladies really grew into beautiful young women. I knew you would. You look just like your mother.”
Chapter Four:
Kerr
Kerr looked over his shoulder suspiciously at the man in his shop as he headed to the phone. He did
n't know what was going on, but today had definitely been a weird day. His grand opening sale was just getting started, and he had done fairly well so far. The first few days he had nominal sales, and was pleased to see not only locals, but tourists enter his shop.
Thinking back to how the last few days had gone made him think about how today started. Kerr had opened the store at nine o'clock, and gone about his regular routine. Everything was in its place, so he decided to relax and read a book. It was one of the many great things about owning and working in a book store. He got to spend time doing what he loved. He stepped into the back to grab a bottle of water when the bell jingled to let him know it was show time.
He knew the moment the girls walked into his store that he had to get to know them. Kerr had never bought into all the stuff about soul mates or fate, but he had always been able to sense things about people. His father called it “reading auras.” When Kerr peeked around the counter at the twins, he saw it immediately. More than saw it, he felt it. They were connected somehow. He disappeared into the back room, hoping he could take a moment to breathe before having to face them.
Kerr had spent much of his life avoiding people, because the feelings he got from people weren't always positive. He was raised by loving parents—a stay at home mom and a hardworking dad. He didn't have any siblings. His mother always said the moment she looked into his eyes she knew their family was complete. As a child, he spent most of his time with his mother. But his father made sure they spent quality time together whenever he was home. His father was the one who taught him how to read people. He taught Kerr to embrace his gift and not be afraid to use it. It was the most important secret they shared, and the only secret they kept from his mother.
His father meant so much to him, and he soaked up every moment he possibly could with him. Cole was a well-respected historian, and often traveled to museums to authenticate various items. One such trip happened to fall over the week of Kerr's sixth birthday, and he'd surprised his son with the opportunity to accompany him.