The Shadow Sisters

[E1] Chapter 5 - Hannah Cole

When Hannah entered the dining room, she could see the kitchen through the partition. Her mum was in there, shuffling the fizzling pans and steaming pots.

"Smells good," Hannah remarked, raising her voice to be heard above the hum of the oven.

Spinning, Mum noticed her. Her lips curled up into a radiant smile. "Oh, well, you're looking very smart."

"Why thank you." Hannah adjusted her tie.

The Willow Wood Secondary School uniform was every bit the opposite of the one she'd worn at St. Mary's. That one had been almost a rainbow of bright contrasting colours. The one she wore currently was extremely basic. Her blazer was black, her skirt was navy, her socks were navy, her shoes were black, her shirt was white, her tie was slate grey, and her jumper was storm grey.

Basic, but she did feel smart.

Mum arrived into the dining room with a jug of orange juice, a trio of mugs, and a pot of tea. On her next trip, she balanced three plates on one arm, even though she had the other to spare. Hannah gathered it was a leftover habit from one of her former jobs as a waitress before she'd gone into teaching.

She sat one plate down for Hannah, one for Marie, and one for herself.

Hannah was taken aback by the contents of her plate, which was positively stacked with food. There was a wholewheat bagel, a banana oat pancake speckled with chia seeds, a mountain of scrambled eggs full of chives, a serving of baked beans in a small metal tub, and a sliced avocado, seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika. "Oh, wow. I can't remember the last time you made us a breakfast this big."

"It's been a while."

"You don't think it's a bit... much?"

"I want you to be full of energy."

"Well, I doubt there'll be an issue there."

Mum smiled approvingly and began eating her own food. She had left out the bagel and pancake on her own plate. Back to her low carb diet then, despite being as thin as a rail.

"Are you excited for your first day, dear?" Mum asked.

Hannah nodded and spooned the eggs into her mouth. Her mum made the best eggs in the world, fluffy, but still creamy, buttery, but still light. "Not sure what to expect, to be honest, but I'm excited for the challenge."

"You'll do great. Is your sister up?"

"I think she's just getting dressed."

Speak of the devil, Marie slouched into their company almost immediately after being mentioned. Her hair, which had been frizzy when she woke up, now hung beyond her shoulders, neat and straightened. Her pale skin, which had always been a major source of insecurity for her, was now sufficiently darkened under a soft layer of makeup.

But no amount of foundation could conceal that grumpy expression that was fast becoming a permanent fixture of her face.

"Oh, you're looking so well, sweetie," Mum said.

"This uniform is so drab and boring," she said.

Suits you, Hannah wanted to say but stopped herself. Marie, however, shot her a glare that indicated she knew exactly what her sister was thinking.

Marie tugged her jumper. "Would it have killed them to make this a nice maroon or something?"

"Eat your breakfast, honey. You have to leave in twenty minutes."

Sulkily, Marie lowered her head and focused her efforts on her bagel. She ripped it apart and popped the separate chunks into her mouth.

"What about you?" Mum asked. "Looking forward to your first day?"

"Looking forward to having it over and done with."

Hannah rolled her eyes, wondering how on earth she shared DNA with this miserable creature.