Twisted Fate

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“I still can’t believe you and Simon have the same birth date but you are a year apart. I mean, it’s not good because it obvious when your mother was cheating but…I mean to have children on the same day is freaky,” Candy rambled. Reggie scowled and blew a ring of smoke into the air. She pushed her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose and glared at Candy. The bubbly blonde looked over, her mouth still moving and lingering on the topic.

“Shut up, Candy,” Reggie said, coolly and replaced the cigarette into her mouth.

“Sorry, Reg. I mean that isn’t an everyday occurrence and…”

“Shut up, Candy.” The petite, pink mouth shut and she looked over at Peter, shrugging. They were sitting in an outdoor café, watching the traffic of the city pass by in a rush of confusion and chaos. They had been looking for hours and the search wasn’t fairing well for them. Each apartment was overpriced or filthy or crawling with druggies and crack whores. It was frustrating on how fruitless their efforts were, so they had treated themselves to café lattes and pastries. Reggie tapped her cigarette over the ashtray and sipped her mocha latte. Reggie had to admit that the coincidence was eerie.

They were born exactly one year and three hours apart. Yet it also showed Molly’s infidelity to Reggie’s father, Fredrick. She ran off with Charles and started a new family with him, leaving behind three-year old Regina with her father. Her father remained in a major depression until the end of his life and fourteen-year-old Reggie was sent to live with her absent mother. Reggie made it evident that she wasn’t going to accept the family as her own. As far as she was concerned, her only family was dead and she did not need anyone else.

“Okay. We tried the one of 24th and Holt and…”Peter began, taking out a notepad.

“Too much,” Candy replied, taking a bite of her bagel. Reggie nodded in agreement and puffed the cigarette. Peter crossed out the apartment and jotted down a little note. They went over this routine for several minutes until they narrowed down to the last two of the day. One was on 75th and Green Briar, close to the bus station and the other was closer to the university. They opted for Green Briar since their time was limited and they needed to get back for a party at Gretchen Gilliam’s house. They gathered their things and were about to hail a taxi when Reggie’s phone went off in her jacket.


“Shit!” Reggie cursed when Charles’s name popped up on her cell phone. No one in the Baudelaire household knew she was out looking for apartments. She had lied and told them she was out looking at colleges. Reggie grabbed Candy’s jacket and dragged her into a nearby shop with the phone to her ear.

“Regina. Where are you?”

“I…um…at…Greenstone Community College with Candy and Peter. We are…exploring the campus.”


“Oh. Well, I was a bit worried. You have been gone most of the day. Will you be home for dinner?”

“Uh…no…I will be at Candy’s…” Reggie snapped her fingers quietly at Candy. Candy looked at her with startled brown eyes and tried to think of something. Peter, who had noticed Reggie and Candy were no longer behind him, took the phone for her hands.

“Hey. Mr. Baudelaire, it is me Peter. I am fine and you? That is good. Reggie, Candy and I are going to be studying for the SAT’s tonight. Yeah, well they need it. Okay. Alright. I will tell her? Bye.” Smirking and raising his eyebrows, Peter handed Reggie her phone. Reggie gaped at him and grinned.

“Peter. You are a god. Thank you.”

“No problem and if you leave me without telling me again, I will leave your asses behind.” Reggie and Candy giggled, following Peter into the chaos of the city.



* * *


Simon was lying on his stomach in the middle of the living room. A science book lay in front of him as he jotted down notes in his spiral notebook. Music blared in his ears from his headphones as he bobbed his head to the beat. Even though it was summer vacation, Simon was determined to get a head start on his classes. It was never too early to get a head start. He was too involved in his work to notice his dad entering the living room. Charles stared sympathetically at his son and sat down on the couch in front of him. Simon looked up at him when he noticed Charles feet.

Charles was a handsome man in his late thirties with sandy hair peppered in gray and honey brown eyes. Though they mildly looked a like, Simon inherited Charles’s intelligence, wit and sensuality. It made him a real winner with girls at his school. Simon slid the headphone around his neck and they stared at each other for a long time. Charles was the only one who knew that Reggie was Simon’s soul mate and since he found out, a sympathetic tension had come between the two men. He had found his true soul mate in Molly and they were living happily together. A bitter jealousy for his father had grown within Simon and it made him angry to think he would never have that with Reggie.

“Hey, bud. Excited about your birthday.”

“Yeah, dad.”

“Want anything special?” Simon’s face went dark and Charles realized he had chosen the wrong words. He sighed and laid back into the couch, rubbing his temples gingerly. Simon, unfortunately, had his mother’s mood swings. A moment of silence passed between them. Simon went back to his book but did not bother to replace his headphones. After a long moment, Simon spoke without even raising his head.

“Where is Reggie?” Charles scowled to himself. His son sure did have a streak of possessiveness for his sister. He always wondered where she was and who she was with and what she was doing. It would seem like he was more of a father than Charles was. Charles did not fully understand Simon’s possessiveness for Regina but it was getting to a point where Charles was afraid that all the pent up tension, hostility and frustration were going to erupt between those two and all hell would break lose.

“She is with her friends looking at colleges.”

“Will she be home for dinner?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Damnit, Simon. This is why Regina despises you.”

“She hated me from the beginning. She told me herself,” he replied coolly.

“Why do insist on keeping tabs on her?”

“It is the only way I can be involved in her life,” he said softly, his voice edged with bitterness. He stared at his father from underneath hooded eyes. “Some of us aren’t as lucky as others.”

“She is studying for the SAT’s at Candy’s house,” Charles gave in. He could not win with Simon. He held his anguish like a sword and when the time was appropriate, he would poke Charles with it. Charles sat there for a moment, studying his son as he intently worked. He pitied him. A soul mate was the person who would complete your life and fill any emptiness inside. They could be your lifelong partner, spanning for the ages until the end of time. Or you twin flame, someone who completed your soul. Molly had been the second half of his soul and Charles wondered if that was true with Simon and Reggie. Or were they old partners, together for centuries and connected in time.

“I am going to my room,” Simon said briskly, feeling his father’s gaze intently on him. He gathered his things into his arms and quietly stalked off. Charles watched him and shook his head. Teenagers. Simon dumped his things onto his bed and fell upon it. He did not want to work anymore. With clumsy fingers, he picked up the phone beside his bed and dialed his friend, Samantha. He was in need of a good time and she was just the person to call in a time like this.

“Hello,” a groggy voice answered on the other side.

“Hey, Sammy. What are you up to?”

“Simon. Hey, baby. Just woke up. There is a party of Gretchen Gilliam’s house tonight and I was getting my rest.”

“A party? Don’t you wanna come over,” Simon purred. Even though Reggie was his soul mate, Simon’s life was not complete void of sex. Samantha and he had become close friends and enjoy a very rare fuck together. Casual sex usually helped them feel better and forget for just a moment their troubles. Simon, admittedly, would imagine Samantha was Reggie and even though it left a bittersweet feeling afterwards, he felt content. He loved Reggie but it was not based on carnal desires. He did not feel like he was cheating on her when she did not have the vaguest idea of his love and he could not have her anyway.

“Aww. Not tonight, baby. But, hey, why don’t you come to the party? Maybe we can slip away for a little bit and have some fun.” Simon grinned and agreed. A party would do him some good. And if the promise of a fuck was in the air, Simon would not pass it up. Satisfied for the moment, Simon rolled on his back and drifted into a light slumber. He dreamed about Egypt and he dreamed about Miriam, his soulmate.