Sarah, the family matriarch, was just setting the lasagna on the table when the family descended upon the kitchen. Sam, Sr., always addressed as Samuel, gave her a quick hug.
“Alison evaded us today.”
Sarah smiled. “I bet she didn’t evade Alexa. They’re simply too connected.”
“Hmmmmm. Guess I should have paid more attention to her. Probably would have seen the tell if she’d located her twin.”
Sarah glanced over at the five siblings and watched as they good-naturedly shoved each other aside at the big wash sink, each vying to get their hands under the water to rinse the soap off. She laughed out loud as Alison slipped in under all their arms and commandeered the faucet.
“Hey!” they all cried in unison.
“Gotta be quick!” she retaliated before retreating with a towel.
The siblings were just sitting at their respective places when the cousins entered.
“Hurry up you three. Food’s getting cold.” Sarah admonished.
They quickly took care of washing up and joined the family. After ten seconds of silent self-prayer, Samuel began dishing up the food and passing it down the line of hungry youths. Silence ensued while everyone satisfied their initial hunger.
One of the cousins looked at Alison. “Where were you? Did you cheat?”
Alison was immediately offended and her response displayed it. Before the exchange could degenerate into an outright argument, Samuel intervened.
“Enough. There will be no accusations of cheating. Alison succeeded fair and square. Perhaps the three of you need more practice?”
All three cousins hung their heads. They knew what was coming and they were not looking forward to it.
“I think a night in the woods searching for the set of keys I left might be in order,” Samuel confirmed the cousins’ worst fears.
“But—”
“No buts. As soon as you’re through with dinner get your gear together. Oh, and the keys are not on the trail we took today. You’ll have to work a bit harder than that.”
There were groans and smirks coming from the group. The smirks were quickly smothered at a look from their father. The rest of the meal was finished in silence. The cousins stood and filed out of the room to prepare for their night ahead. Samuel looked to his children, then the table.
“Clean this up then go to the den and prepare for the evening discussion.”
“Yes Father.”
Samuel looked at his wife. “Would you like to take a walk with me?”
She smiled and stood. She looked forward to these times when it was just the two of them. The moments were brief, but the love and companionship between the two made them memorable. As they strolled down a well-worn path, Samuel asked the question that had been foremost on his mind for weeks.
“Do you think Alison and Alexa should be trained as a unit? There’s never been such a thing done.”
“There’s never been twins.”
“I’m afraid it will weaken them both if they’re too dependent on each other.”
“On the other hand, they could be our strongest force. Their attunement comes naturally. It goes beyond training. I would argue that we should do everything we can to enhance their connection. You know as well as I that some situations call for two. What better than two that can act as one?”
They walked on in silence. Upon reaching a designated point, they turned back to the house. As they did so, Samuel broke the silence.
“It will require more specialized training. Training that the boys didn’t start until they were much older. And there will be training the boys will never get, if only because they’re boys. I fear our girls may not be up for it.”
“You shouldn’t doubt them. Granted, they’re young. But they already show talent beyond their years. We’ve been gifted with them. We shouldn’t waste the gift. Your father wouldn’t have, nor your grandfather.”
He looked at her with sadness in his eyes. “It’s just that—”
“Shush. It will all work out. They will make us proud.”