Twins
Joseph Stone drove excitedly towards his fathers house with his twin sister Josephine. Apart from being a boy and a girl the twins looked very similar, with brown hair and green eyes. Joseph was taller than his sister while Josephine’s hair exceeded the length of her brothers. When they were five their parents had split up. Their mother had won custody and tried to make their lives good. She was a surgeon and could afford to, but her job prevented her from ever really connecting with her children. They got to see their father once a year on their birthday. And today was there eighteenth birthday!

Their father had phoned them at about five in the morning telling them to meet him at his house. They drove along the street lined with rows of mailboxes and gardens. It seemed rather strange for that setting to exist in New York but their father was very rich and could afford to live in the nicer areas. As they got out of the car they saw that their fathers yard was yellowing. “Thats strange.” Joseph said, “Dad always keeps his yard green.”

“I’m sure its nothing.” Said Josephine. They walked up to the door and saw a note stuck to it. It read: If you want your father back bring us one million dollars in cash in three days. We’ll be waiting at the old warehouse at midnight. Don’t disappoint us! The sharks. “What are we going to do!?” Joseph heard Josephine scream, only her mouth had not opened.

It was a strange ability discovered by the twins at around the age of six. It started when Josephine lost her stuffed animal. She was very sad and started to cry. Joseph inexplicably started crying as well. Later when their mother found it Joseph felt as happy as Josephine. Another time Joseph skinned his knee and Josephine felt her knee hurt too. But she was in the house watching television. And finally when they were twelve they had an argument. Josephine said Joseph had taken her homework. Joseph denied it saying she was just a scatterbrain and lost it. When the argument reached its highest point the window suddenly broke. Their mother had simply said that some idiot threw a rock at it. But the twins knew better.

They kept it to themselves what had really happened. As the years passed their abilities grew. They began to hear each other's thoughts. They tried to hide it but it scared them at times. The had had too many slip ups in the last year. Answers to unspoken questions, inability to be surprised, objects flying out of place by themselves. People were noticing! But back to the present matter. “You know what we need to do.” Said Joseph. But he didn’t want to any more than his sister. They walked towards the nearest bank.

The ended up at a glossy black building made of polished marble. There were columns at the entrance as well as two armed guards. Joseph and Josephine walked briskly past them and made towards the front desk. There sat a middle aged man with an earpiece and glasses. They walked up to him, eyes not leaving his.

“May I help you?” He asked, still the twins just stared at him. “May I help you?” He asked again in a louder voice. They noticed his hand slip under his desk. “I am going to have to ask you to leave.” He said as the two guards from the entrance walked forward hands resting on the guns at their waists.

“Sir,” One of them said, “would you like us to escort these two out?” The teller opened his mouth to speak but then closed it. A look of confusion crossed his face. “Sir?” One of them asked again.

“Yes?” The teller snapped, the guard was quiet for a moment, taken aback by the tellers sudden annoyance.

“Well, I asked if you wanted us to escort these two out.” One of them said meekly.

“And why in the world would I want you to do that?” Asked the teller.

“Uhh... You called for us with the alarm button.” Said the second guard.

“Called you!” Exclaimed the teller, “Why would I call you? My finger simply slipped. These are my neice and nephew! Why would I ask you to take them away?”

“Right sir.” Said the first guard sheepishly, “Our mistake.”

“It is indeed,” Said the teller, “And I expect no more from you or I’ll have you fired! Now get back to your posts!” The guards stumbled away glancing back as the went. “Sorry about that.” The teller said, “What do you need?”

“We need one million dollars please.” Said Josephine.

“Right away.” Said the teller and he disappeared behind the wall.

“I hate doing this.” Said Josephine, and Joseph agreed with her. But this was the only way to save their father.

“Here you are.” Said the teller walking towards them with a large briefcase. “One million dollars exactly.”

“Thank you.” Said Josephine “We’ll see you later.”

“Goodbye.” Said the teller.

“Come on,” Joseph said, “let’s go.” They walked out of the bank and down the street. Night was falling. The reached the abandoned warehouse they read about on the note in an old junkyard. It was large with rusted metal walls and a sagging roof. They walked inside.

The room inside was dark, with a few blinking light bulbs on the ceiling. There, in the center of the room, sat their father, tied to a chair. They rushed forward but stopped dead in their tracks when a hand shot out from behind their father. The hand belonged to the body of a stooped old man with thinning gray hair and a face creased by wrinkles. The only thing that stopped them from charging towards their father was the gun in the old man’s hand pointed directly at their father’s head. “Don’t. Move.” The old man said, as if the twins needed to be told. They dropped the metal briefcase and kicked it across the floor. It skidded to a stop next to the old mans foot. He stooped low to pick it up and that was when Joseph struck.

He had been practicing for months with his sister, but that was the real deal. The briefcase suddenly flew up and smashed into the old man’s face. He howled with pain and fired his gun. But it wasn't their. It was gripped tightly in Josephine’s hand, pointed straight at the old man. He was bleeding from the nose and had a black eye.

“Down.” She said, and the old man complied. Joseph walked towards his father and untied him. “Please,” The old man begged, “I only need the money to feed my family.” Doubt settled on the children like a cold fog. But in their anger, they crumpled the case to the size of a soda can. Their last image of the old man was of him kneeling next to the case in shock.

“Lets go home. And never speak of this again.” Said their father, Joseph agreed, and, being a twin, knew his sister felt the same.