They were once the most feared duo known as Ezra and Irene Belmonte, two powerful twin exorcists who completely eradicated the demon race and sealed away their king.
However heroic their jobs were, at their core, the twins were not good people.
Af...
Eli sat up and looked at his sister with a stern and confused look on his face. "What? We shouldn't keep trying to push that girl away?"
Esther gave a sharp nod.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Let's just say she has more struggles than we thought."
Eli furrowed his brow. "You've just returned and started talking about the girl who has been on both of our nerves and how we now have to put up with her because her life is hard. Forgive me if I'm not completely understanding it all."
Eli rubbed his eyes in a childish manner that resembled what he looked like on the outside.
Esther pursed her lips and stared at him. She wondered what she could say so that he would understand better.
She decided to recount everything that had happened during her outing. Despite his firm refusal, Eli's face slowly began to soften as he listened.
"I get it," he sighed. "But I don't like-"
"I don't like it either," Esther interrupted. "But even good people have to go through these types of trials."
"We're not good people," Eli said coldly. The dream he had dreamt reminded him of that.
"We're trying to be, Eli," Esther said, refusing to give in to his pessimism. "And that's all that matters now."
"I guess so," Eli replied.
When he slowly reached for his neck, Esther knew he still wasn't over the nightmare despite the progress he seemed to be making. Truthfully, she wasn't over any of it either; she just knew how to hide it better.
"Let's just try to give her a shot, and if it doesn't work out, then we will cut ties with her." Esther looked down at the floor. "No one said it has to be forever."
"Fine," grumbled Eli. "But I'm only agreeing because I want us to both go downstairs and eat Grandpa's cooking together."
Esther smiled and hurriedly raced downstairs with Eli to see if the food was ready, and if it wasn't, they would help their dear grandfather out.
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Once they had decided to give Cheryl a chance, the twins discovered that she wasn't so bad. Especially, when she stopped trying to get them to like her.
It was another day of Cheryl inviting them over to play. As the three of them headed out the back way, Billy was outside standing off to the corner of the building with a few of his buddies. He looked at the twins with a smug expression on his face.
'What do you think is up with him?' Esther asked.
'I don't know,' Eli replied taking Esther's hand in his. 'Just ignore him; things will go easier that way.'
'Okay.'
Cheryl, who noticed the twins' hesitance, turned to them and asked, "Are you worried about Billy?"
Esther and Eli froze and looked at her.
'That scared me,' Esther said with a small laugh in her tone. 'I thought she suddenly gained the ability to hear us.'
Eli glared daggers at Cheryl. 'As if she could.'
'Right?' Esther chuckled.
After sighing deeply, Esther replied to Cheryl, "We're fine. Billy won't bother us anymore."
Cheryl scrunched up her nose in disgust. "Really? Billy doesn't ever leave anyone alone. I know that better than anyone."
"Yeah," said Eli, suddenly aloud. "Just because he's left us alone for a little while doesn't mean he will forever."
Cheryl nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly! It's not like him."
"Yeah," agreed Eli. "I haven't known him as long as the other kids here, but it doesn't seem like he would leave others alone."
Esther felt the intense pressure from both Cheryl and Eli as they continued to agree with one another.
"Since when are you two on the same page?" Esther asked confusedly.
Eli and Cheryl briefly paused to look at each other before turning back to her with serious and determined looks.
"Since we are both right," Eli replied without batting an eye.
Cheryl nodded again. "I would know the bestest!"
Of course, her improper use of grammar caused Eli to be less willing to agree with her.
"Anyway. . ." he started again slowly. "It's two against one."
Esther stood silent for a moment, pondering what she should say to make them understand she was right, and they were simply worrying about nothing. She sighed, this time more aggressively, grabbed both their hands, and began leading them up the hill.
"Look, you guys," she said less kindly. "The most he will do is probably glare at us like he's done today, but he won't do anything more than that, really."
"But how do you know that?" Eli asked combatively.
Esther tightened her grip on their wrists. She wondered why Eli was being so stubborn.
"Because," she grumbled.
She hadn't intended to say anything about her late-night visit with Billy, but Eli was being too persistent.
'Because I threatened him.'
"You what?!"
"What?" Cheryl asked, startled. "What? What is it?"
Eli face palmed as he said, 'Please tell me you're joking.'
'I'm not. It was right after you had that nightmare. I put on Grandpa's coat and went to his house.'
'Please tell me you didn't do anything drastic.'
However, due to his sister's silence, he knew the answer.
"Esther. . ."
"Yep."
As they came to the dividing path between their house and Cheryl's, Cheryl turned to the twins again and asked, "So, are we all going to play at my house?"
"Not today," Eli replied more kindly than Esther thought he would.
"Your house?"
"Not. Today."
Eli suddenly grabbed Esther's arm and pulled her closer to him. "We have a lot to talk about," he said grumpily.
Esther gave a small forced laugh as Eli began to drag her up the hill back home. She would have rather gone to Cheryl's house to play than have to go have a tense talk with her already upset brother.
As they passed Cheryl, they left the girl wondering what had happened between them to cause such a change of events. Unfortunately, the girl would never know.
