Only The Young | ✔

Chapter One

"This is not going to end well." Castor warned Pollux, tugging at the sleeves of his wet hoodie. His twin brother turned briefly to flip him off and returned to picking the locks on the school gate. Castor shrunk back, wishing he could disappear into thin air, instead he almost toppled into the hedge of bushes.

He hated the stickiness of the earth during rain and He hated the feel of water dripping into his worn shirt. In Eden, rains could go on for days in drizzles before stopping, He should have been used to this having lived in Eden for most of his life but Castor preferred whining about it every chance he got to. If their grandmother were here, she'd tell him to get over it and stop complaining, then their grandpa would chide her in return. Most days, his grandfather was the only person who Castor was sure liked him, others just tolerated him, even Pollux.

While they were kids, Pollux had tried to coarse his quiet twin out of his shell, he had tried to include Castor in everything he did but had eventually given up when Castor only retreated further into his shell. It had taken several bribes for Castor to even agree to join him tonight.

Pollux let out a loud whoop of excitement as the lock twisted open and the gates creaked open. Castor grumbled lowly and jumped out of his hiding place, and almost tripped on a branch.

"Great, we broke into the school successfully, now can we leave?" Castor said.

"Not yet," Pollux didn't detect the sarcasm in Castor's voice. "I still need evidence I broke in or else I'm not winning the bet, Castor." He wiped the screen of his android on his wet clothes and shoved it into Castor's hands, making the scowling boy drop the flashlight in his hand.

When Castor made no attempt at picking the fallen light, Pollux bent to pick it, grumbling under his breath.

"Geez, you complain too damn much." Pollux said, he meant the words in jest but Castor took them to heart. Everyone always complained about how Castor complained too much.

You worry too much, Castor. You should smile more, Castor.

What they didn't understand was that he had to frown so his brother could smile, someone had to be responsible when Pollux wasn't. Instead, he had earned the name of worrywart.

"Take a picture with the flash on, remember." Pollux said, pasting a grin on his face as he posed by the open gate. Castor was in the motion of unlocking the phone when both brothers heard the unmistakable sound of sirens. The twins shared a quick glance, Castor's was accusing and Polluxs's was desperate. If they got caught, Castor would likely get into more trouble than his twin, Pollux would get the lesser blame because the high school needed him, he was captain of the football team but Castor was a nobody, he wasn't even that smart, only an average student, nobody gave a damn about him.

A few times, he found himself staring at his identical twin, looking at that same angular face, same tan skin, and same copper hair and wondering how two people that were so alike in looks could be so different in behaviour. Why wasn't he like Pollux? Why wasn't Pollux more like him?

"Shit, cops." Pollux said, he pushed his twin in urgency. "Behind the hedges, now!"

When his brother refused to move, Pollux pushed him even harder. "Don't just stand there and get caught, there's a cemetery across the street, the gates are still open. Go!"

***

"I didn't plan on our girls night being interrupted because you're too scared to leave me home alone," Tehani watched Yurika argue with her father. Her best friend could be known as a quiet person, but for those who really knew her, she was louder than an empty drum. Even her father winced at the sound of her voice.

Tehani watched him tap repeatedly at the steering wheel as he drove, his fingers were severely scarred and several times, Tehani had wondered how he came about them, she had made the mistake of asking her best friend once, Yurika had clammed up and then swiftly changed the subject. She had never asked again since then.

"Eden is not as safe as it used to be, Yuri, I'd have let you stay home if there were someone else at home. Just last week, there was a robbery at the local bank." Mr Takahashi said, the strain in his voice told Tehani he was trying to be patient. Tehani understood why he was paranoid, he was a cop and he had probably made enemies out of the criminals he sent to jail, it was understandable that he felt he had to look over his shoulder every time. Of course, Yuri didn't see it that way.

"Why would anyone want to break into our school anyway?" Tehani said in a bid to distract her friend, it worked and Mr Takahashi sent her a grateful smile, he was as much a father to her as her own father was.

"We are about to find out." He answered as he parked the car across the street from the school. "Whatever happens, do not leave this car."

After he left, both girls were silent, the only sound between them was the low hum of the radio dispatcher and the steady drizzle of the rain on the police car roof. Tehani tapped a low beat on her jean clad laps, feeling slightly unsettled. Something hung over the air like electricity.

"What if we actually caught the bad guys ourselves? We'd get to go home early and think of all the praise we'd get. Shanna and her bitch face will never talk back at me again." Yuri spoke suddenly, rapidly and with growing excitement. For a moment, Tehani was sure Yuri was joking but her best friend was already reaching over to unlock her seatbelt. Sometimes, Yuri was intent on proving herself to everyone around her, to the whole town that she was every bit as smart as her father and that she would not end up like older sisters; pregnant before graduating high school. Shanna was the smartest girl in their grade who tended to look at others like she was God's gift to mankind to save them from their stupidity, she always had a patronizing smile on her face and Yuri hated that smile.

It didn't help that Yuri's family was the only Japanese family among a community that consisted mostly of blacks.

"Your dad said to stay in the car, it could be dangerous out there." Tehani said. Yuri rolled her eyes under the car light.

"I'm sure it's just a bunch of guys from our school, besides, I'm training to be a cop, might as well start from somewhere." Yuri added, pushing the car door open. Tehani had no choice but to follow, sighing as the rain drizzled onto her favourite top, it was in a pale shade of yellow that complimented her burnt caramel skin. It wasn't very dark outside, thanks to the street lights.

"There!" Yuri exclaimed, pointing across the street, where two silhouettes raced past the school, crossing over to where to where they stood before racing past the two startled girls. Before Tehani could get a word out, Yuri was running after them and Tehani had no choice but to follow.

It was no trouble catching up with Yuri, Tehani ran track for Eden High and she was pretty damn good at running. The other two strangers were no where in sight, but Yuri was hell bent on following their trail.

"Maybe we should stop and think," Tehani panted, feigning tiredness, the truth was that she could run for at least a mile without feeling exhausted. It was her dream to enter into the Olympics and win, a dream that would never see the light of the day in Eden. She could count on the number of times she had been laughed at for confessing her dream aloud.

"I saw them run into the cemetery." Yuri shot back, they took a sharp curve at the end of the street. The cemetery loomed ahead like a bad omen.

A chill ran down Tehani's back, the gates were wide open as if inviting evil. Some dark vortex seemed to swirl in the insides, Tehani blinked and was sure she had imagined it. She halted in her steps and parted her lips to shout a warning at her best friend, but Yuri had already run into the wide gates and vanished from sight. Thunder rumbled in the sky as the rain began to fall in heavy torrents, cold fear gripped Tehani and she hesitated, waiting for her best friend's screams, for any sound at all from the cemetery.

Somehow the wide gates appeared to her like the wide jaw of a monster.

Tehani got the distinct feeling of being watched by something in the shadows of the night, she could still turn around and get help, but something called out to her in the darkness. Her chest heaved up and down, racing in adrenaline.

She picked up her pace, striding into the darkness of the cemetery and into nothing.