Before it had started raining Carter had been having a pretty good day. Though it was a school day, she has started it with her usual smile in place and her trusty purple shoulder bag by her side. Her brother had followed her out the door when she left and his jingle of keys could be heard behind her as she walked forward. They had went about their day as they did everyday… So, finding herself sitting on the worn out bus bench beside the school with a tiny overhanging roof, she could do little more to vent her frustration than attempt the most exasperated sigh ever. This was not how today was supposed to go. Where was the happy friendly sun in the sky? The breezy wind and scent of flowers? Another sigh is released as she changes the song on her ipod and the rain pours harder in the background of her acoustic guitar music.
Her brother was supposed to be here by now.
He was never late, or tardy, or pretty much anything with the definition of being somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be. It didn’t help that they couldn’t ride the bus home. They lived too far away for a school bus to get them there. With an anxious leg bounce Carter scans the street in front of her. A garbage can sits lonely off to the right near Mr. Browns Coffee Shop and a stray cat sits on top of it, idly licking its paws. The feline doesn’t stay for long though as the heavy sound of tires screeching around a corner scares it into the alley to be devoured by the weather’s cloudy embrace. Not five seconds after the cat disappears does a truck finally pull up to Carter’s seat on the bus bench. The passenger window slowly rolls down to show her brother, Delin. His hair is fluffy and all over from the wind and his eyes were already saying sorry to her.
Delin was the poster child for all things good and gentle in the world. He hated violence and confrontation, preferring to be nearly invisible a good majority of the time. However, his tall stature and moderately muscled torso didn’t exactly hide him well. His shyness did not stop his sarcasm though. It’s brought out even more so when he’s with his sister.He was without a doubt the exact opposite of Carter. Carter is rebellious and never has to try hard to find the limelight. She’s tough, quick and stubborn. She makes things go her way and she’s not too ashamed of saying her opinions. The two together however were a wonderful combo. Through Carter, Delin was given confidence and reassurance. Through Delin, Carter was given support and another view point. They bring out the best in one another and without the other it was as if they were missing a piece.
Delin offered his sister a nervous apology and a smile. His face is a canvas painted with worry. Carter was having none of it though and gave him her best ‘Carter-is-slightly-miffed’ face. Delins eyebrows creased further and his fingers danced across the steering wheel in a tiny dance of anxiety.
“Carter, come on you can’t be angry at me, it wasn’t my fault! Practice ran a bit late,” Delin whines, and Carter notices the bow in the back seat.
Without saying a word Carter hops into her brothers truck, shuts the door and sits her bag on the floor in front of her. She rolls the window up then turns her head to her brother's worried face. His peridot eyes are swimming with a thousand apologies and he’s put on his best ‘kicked puppy’ expression. Her defenses fail and the miffed face crumbles.
She never could stay mad at him.
“It’s alright Del, no harm done. Well you know, except for my hair.” She points at her brightly dyed, cyan hair with one black nailed finger. It’s utterly soaked by the rain and plastered to her smiling face. Delins eyebrows return to their neutral state when they catch a glimpse of Carter’s expression and he breathes a sigh of relief. Giving her a small smile he centers his attention on the road and pushes the truck into drive.
“So practice ran late?” She asks. Her gaze is directed through the front windshield.
“Yeah. Mrs. Drig decided the rookies needed to have a short brush up on the basics so I stayed behind to give them a brief refresher.” Delin glances at her out of the corner of his eye before returning back to the road.
“Well, did my humble twin teach them how to bow correctly?” Carter sing-songs while making a wiggling gesture with her fingers at him. Her small star tattoos that dot the inside of her fingers make the hand gesture -in Carter’s words- all the more effective.
Delin laughs. It’s a full sound that bounces off the walls of the truck's interior.
“You bet I did Car,” he gives her his familiar grin as he reaches for his water bottle and takes a long swig before sitting it back in it’s place.
“So… how was your day?”
Carter hums before she answers.
“It was a pretty okay day, in Talen standards anyway. What did you think of the big test they had us take today?”
“The AXE exam?” Delin asks with a raised eyebrow.
“That's the one,”Carter says while she takes a big-stolen-swig of Delins water.
“It was really surprising … I mean normally they warn us about the really big tests, but this one came up with absolutely no warning,” He pauses a moment, his brows scrunching together, “The questions were weird too… ”
“Yeah, I thought so too.” A small note of a familiar song pings in from the radio and Carter gives a look to her brother. One he happens to be very familiar with.
“Car, Car no. Don’t.”
“It’s too late Del, I’m already in motion.”
Her hand reaches for the volume knob of the radio with comedic slowness and when she finally gets there the song is blasting through the speakers. The song is full of head bang tendencies. A groan of brotherly frustration sounds out, albeit muffled by the loud music.
“Car why must you hurt your brother so,” Delin says, a small smile on his face. What could he do, Carter was Carter.
“Can’t hear you! My jam is currently blaring out all the nerd in the truck!” Carter says above the music. Delin just shakes his head and drives on.
---
It was about an hour into the ride home that Delin turned off the radio. As she always did Carter fell asleep halfway there. Casting a glance over at her Delin can’t help but snort, his eyes crinkling as he smiles. She’s leaning against the window with her jacket being used as a pillow. She’s drooling and snoring, the small noise fitting in right beside the hum of the truck as it travels down the old dirt road. Shaking his head at his sister's sleeping form , Delin can’t help but wonder what that test was really about. The questions were strange, delving deeper than your average school multiple choice test. They asked about personality traits, hobbies, even feelings and emotions. With a small grunt of thought he told himself he’d have to talk more with Carter about this later.
As the truck pulled into the driveway Carter stirred from her truck ride induced slumber and wiped the drool from her mouth. Muffled laughter stirred beside her and she turns to see her brother holding one hand to his mouth trying to smother his giggles. Carter smacks her brother lightly on the arm for his laughter.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Nothing, nothing it’s just… you look like dad when he falls asleep on the couch.”
“I do not! You take that back right now!!” Carter shoves his shoulder and Delin laughs it off as both of them collect their things and hop out of the truck.
The Schifrin house was a fairly large one. It’s a one story that as fate would have it is carefully hidden practically in the middle of nowhere. It’s an hour outside of town and the dusty old road doesn’t get much traffic. The front yard looks like it’s been blessed by an angel as the flowers planted around the porch have taken full bloom. It’s an explosion of color to all who happen to see or visit the house. But for Carter and Delin this sight is a welcome and very normal one. Their mother had planted them. All of them. When she was alive she practically lived in the front yard. She was always there and the twins can’t recall an unhappy memory pertaining to the front of their house. But now that she was gone… the garden too often reminded them of her, making them feel the loss of her a bit more than they normally do. The two even seem to think their dad feels the same. They caught him staring at the flowers for a minute or two before going to work one spring morning, his face lost in a rewind of his life with her.
“You still miss her sometimes right?” Delin mumbles quietly. His hand is twitching. He wants to hold her hand.
It’s a habit neither one had quite grown out off. Carter reaches for it and squeezes tightly.
“All the time,” Carter responds, giving him an extra squeeze before letting go.
Without saying much else the two head into the house.