The Storm's Thunder (#Wattys2016)

Chapter I

    It all began with a dream, or a flashback if you may, shared between lonely twins who never should have been separated.
Twins are born together with the destiny of remaining together. They are there to protect each other, support one another. They understand each other because they have spent all their life together. That is the way of life for them. But they should never be separated.
For losing a twin is like losing yourself...
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    January first, 2010. A warm wooden cabin on the edge of the woods glowed with light. A silver haired woman handed colorful presents to a young black haired girl, who squealed with each new thing. The woman smiled at the silent, dark haired figure beside her - her husband. A taller boy stood by the girl, smiling with each present and shaking his head, sending his silver hair swinging. He had his hands behind his back. Finally he pulled a bulky, unusually shaped box out from behind him and handed it, smiling, to the girl who snatched it from him with a laugh and a word of thanks before gazing at the musical wrapping paper.
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Storm Heart gasped as she tore the colorful wrapping paper from the strangely-shaped package, revealing a bright, polished violin. Faint gold streaks glowed in the wood like trapped sunlight, just as gold as her eyes. The rest of it was a dark stained wood. She ran her hands over the smooth glossy bridge and traced her fingers over the golden strings, causing it to hum. It was just what she had asked for - the violin was her favorite instrument, and she had wanted one ever since her brother had gotten his own on his eighth birthday. She ran into Diamond's - her mother's - arms, laughing. Her brother, Thunder Heart, stood in the corner, arms crossed, leaning back on the wall as he laughed at his twin's reaction, shaking his head.
She noticed her brother's reaction and charged at him, throwing her arms around him. His silver hair fell past his shoulders, slightly spiky and the same color as their mother's; but his piercing, icy blue eyes came from their father, Fang. Storm's own long, black, silky hair matched their father's but her bright golden eyes were her own. She didn't get them from either of her parents, and they were her favorite part of her looks. Both of the kids had pale skin, but Storm seemed paler because of its contrast to her dark hair.
Technically, they were twins, but they were born late at night - he was born at 11:59 PM, December 31st, 1999. She was born two minutes later - but by then it was the 1st of January, 2000. Today was Storm's 10th birthday, just like yesterday was Thunder's. Despite such a minuscule difference between their ages, though, he had always seemed like a big brother to her - protective and mature. He towered over her, at 5'5" to her 4'9".
    Her friends, Sky and Earth Blaze, were sitting at the table. They were also twins, but besides their heights they couldn't be more different. Earth was quiet, and loved animals. Her hair was brown like spruce trees, long and dark like Storm's. Her skin was darker from all the time she spent outside in the sun, playing with animals and caring for her garden. She had a wonderful memory for plants and flowers, and learned many natural healing methods from Storm's mom. She was very smart too, and often came up with her own remedies. With her connection with animals, she acted as the town vet. When someone's pet was hurt or sick, she was the one to come to.
On the other hand, Sky was wild and loud, and a bit bossy sometimes. She was popular and pretty with her blonde hair that she always twisted up into a messy bun and her pale blue eyes, always covered in eye shadow and mascara. She was a bit pushy, but she was one of Storm's best friends - both of them were. They did everything together.
    "Get your violin! Get your violin!" Storm jumped up and down in front of Thunder. Laughing, her twin complied, returning with a violin much like his sister's. The only difference was that the wood had a strong silver sheen, like moonlight trapped within the wood. That's what the two of them were like - the sun and the moon. No - they were like the thunder and the storm. First comes the warning thunder, then the storm is upon you.
    The first stroke of his bow brought out a single, clear note - long and low. The air caught it and held it, seeming to hum with it, shivering with the sound. Storm tried to mimic it, resulting in a high-pitched screech like feedback that cut the air like a knife and made the others flinch and cover their ears. It was followed with a few more piercing squawks and then, after a few tries, she got it. Then she started experimenting, quickly learning the ropes. Soon she was playing - well, not quite like a professional, but certainly not like she had just picked up the violin, either.
    But the moment her brother put the bow back to his own instrument's strings, she stopped playing and listened. She loved to hear Thunder play.
    The song he played sounded like the ocean, tossing with waves during a storm, seething with Poseidon's wrath. The Master of Tides, he called it. Storm danced with it - much to the amusement of Sky - as Earth clapped along to the beat. In her head, Storm sang along with the violin. She had come up with words for this song, but kept that a secret. She was kind of embarrassed about it. And besides, they didn't rhyme like lyrics were supposed to. They just... fit. She didn't really like to do things like other people do. But that doesn't mean that she wasn't embarrassed about it.
    But... that was strange. Was there something wrong with the violin? Storm thought she heard a sound like a raven's caw...