Destiny

Inwe,” Linwe Taros whispered hesitantly into the darkened room that she shared with her twin sister. It was after midnight and they both were supposed to be asleep. And while Inwe actually was, Lin found that she had trouble doing the same. It was too noisy for her to sleep and an immense feeling of trepidation filled her to the core, making her uncomfortable.

“Inwe,” she called her sister’s name again when she got no reply and a hint of unfounded panic rose in her at the silence.

“Inny,” her voice was plaintive this time.

“What Lin?” Inwe finally mumbled in an irritated tone as she came awake. Linwe found that she couldn’t really blame her sister for being annoyed since they both had an early morning tomorrow and needed their rest. But this was important so she ignored that.

“The voices are back again Inwe and they’re louder this time. Much louder.”

Linwe’s quiet words made her sister instantly sit up and without a word Inwe reached over to turn on the lamp that sat on the nightstand between their beds. A soft light instantly bathed the room in a golden glow and it showed the look of sympathy mixed with concern on Inwe’s face.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes Inny, I’m sure. I’m hearing them right now. God they are so loud!”

“What are they saying this time?” Inwe asked behind a hand that stifled an impromptu yawn.

“The usual, they want me to talk to them, to tell them where I am.”

“Remember what mom said Lin,” Inwe reminded her instantly in a sharp tone. “Don’t answer them. Don’t even think about answering them.”

“I know but they’re so loud and so insistent.” Linwe held her head in her hands and let out a small despairing moan as the dark, whispering voices pervaded her thoughts.

“They just keep asking the same questions over and over again. It’s driving me crazy.”

And she wanted desperately to give them an answer just to shut them up.

“I know honey.” Inwe slipped out of bed and padded softly over to her sister’s side. Climbing into bed with Linwe, she held her sister in her arms and tried to give her some measure of comfort like always.

“I know they annoy you but you have to be strong. You know what could happen if you answer them.”

“I know,” Linwe said in a voice that was full of tears of anger, frustration and helplessness.

The last time she’d answered the voices had been six years ago and it had been in a fit of pique at her parents after they had refused to let her go to a sleepover that she’d been invited to. That one momentary act of disobedience had caused the death of her father. And it left her with a guilt she still lived with up to that very day.

“What do they want with me?” Linwe asked as she held tightly to her sister’s slight frame, even though she knew that Inwe couldn’t answer for her. “Why won’t they leave me alone? I'm no threat to them!”

“I don’t know Lin,” Inwe answered slowly. “I don’t anything other than I’m not supposed to use my gift and you can’t answer the voices. Mom said it was too dangerous.”

“Why doesn’t she tell us something? She knows what’s going on! Why won’t she tell us why?”

“Mom has her reasons Lin,” was Inwe’s sage reply and Linwe hated it. Sure their mother had her reasons but that didn’t mean she couldn’t share them.

Ever since Linwe could remember, she and her sister had been different from the other kids that they had known. Their mother had done her best to pretend that it wasn’t so, but it she had both known it anyway.

The sisters had been sharing each others thoughts and speaking to each other mentally ever since they were four years old. In fact it wasn’t until Linwe was six years old that she realized that what she and her sister did wasn’t normal behavior and that other kids couldn’t do what they did.

Since Linwe had thought it all normal, and had assumed other kids were able to do it too, she had foolishly mentioned it to one of her teachers one day at school. The teacher had given her a strange look that grew even stranger when Linwe also told her about the voices she heard in her head.

In the end her teacher had called both of her parents in and advised them to seek professional help for her before it was too late. Linwe had learned a valuable lesson that day.

Never trust adults.

She’d expected her parents to be angry with her for bringing attention to the family when she knew that was the last thing they wanted. But they weren’t. At least her father wasn’t, her mother didn’t say much to her about it.

Her father on the other hand, took the time to explain to her that she should never, ever speak about the bond between her and her sister to anyone outside the family and that no one could know about the voices.
The voices, he further explained, were never ever to be answered. They weren’t nice voices and wanted to hurt her.

At the age of six, Linwe was certain that her father was god or the next best thing and most assuredly knew everything there was to know. So she had listened and obeyed him without fail. At least she had tried to; there was that one slip that had caused them his life.

“I miss dad,” Lin confessed next as thoughts of their father intruded.

“I miss him too,” Inwe's voice was a sleepy murmur.

“I’m so sorry that I killed him.”

“Lin cut that out!” Inwe’s voice grew firm. “What did I tell you about that? You did not kill dad, ok. He died in a mugging gone wrong. The cops said so.”

“Inny, I’m telling you it’s my fault he died. I just know it. Dad was too careful for that to happen to him. I saw it Inny…”

“Lin, go to sleep,” Inwe cut her sister off abruptly and Linwe sighed heavily, realizing the topic of their father was over.

Whenever she spoke of seeing her father die, both Inwe and their mother would tell her that it had been nothing more than a dream. Linwe knew it wasn’t though. It had been too real and too accurate to be a dream.

As she listened to her sister fall asleep beside her Linwe thought back to that fateful night that had changed her life.