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Description
     “You found the key?” Faust yawned, recoiled in his favorite armchair. It was old, and sagged under his weight.
     “Yes, I did. I… I don’t really know how, though.” Ari looked down at the key in his hand, frowning at it. “The twins disappeared. Is that okay?”
     “They’ll be fine. They know where the other key is.” Hayden put in; smiling at he watched Ari. He still looked identical to Sean, and it made Ari feel uneasy.
     “There was a second key?”
     “Yeah, but it was hidden in the wall, no way that you’d be able to find that one.” Hayden laughed, “That first test was more of an indicator to check how calm you’d remain in unsuspected situations. I guess you did pretty well, if you got out before the twins had to help you.” He grinned.
     “But the key-”
     The door swung open suddenly, and the twins stumbled out. Everyone’s eyes turned to them as they composed themselves.
      “Excuse us, Faust, but might we talk to you?” One of them asked, and Faust raised an eyebrow.
     “It’s about the exam.” The other insisted. “Important. Let’s go talk, okay?” In symmetry they strode across the room, each one grabbing one of Faust’s arms, and steering him towards and then through the door.
     Ari was now left alone with Hayden. He looked towards the boy, and their eyes locked. Ari was sure that they were the mirror image of his own.
     There was silence for a moment before Ari moved across the room, to sit next to Hayden on the couch. He sat rigidly, his posture too perfect for such a casual situation. He had his hands balled into fists on his knees, and was watching them with great fascination.
     “Sean…?” He finally tried again, hoping that this Hayden would awaken to the fact that he was actually his brother.
     “I’m sorry, I know this must be very confusing for you.” Hayden responded, sounding genuinely apologetic. Ari didn’t look up, but remained very rigid. The words hurt, even if they were gentle.
     “How can you not be my brother?” He asked, “You look like him. You look like me.”
     “No… Not really.” Hayden looked away, wrapping his arms around himself. “It’s not my fault, I swear. I can’t help it, just like Faust can’t help manipulating people. It was just something I was born with.” He shook his head, eyes closed. “I’m sorry that it hurts you. It hurts a lot of people…”
     “I don’t understand…” Ari began, finally looking at the other boy. He frowned deeply.
     “You don’t need to. Not now.” Hayden answered, looking back and smiling warmly. There was a spark in his eyes that reminded Ari of the looks his mother and Sean used to give him; was this compassion? The similarities were too great; Hayden had to be Sean, only with a rewritten memory. Ari internally made a promise to himself to help Hayden remember his Millenough origins.
“Listen, do you want to go get some ice cream, or something?” Hayden asked, breaking the silence. “There’s a great little shop only about ten minutes from here. Forget about the rest of the day, you’ve earned a break.” He smiled and stood.
     “Are you going to order coconut?” Ari asked, standing shortly after Hayden.
     “Coconut? That’s gross. I always order orange gelato.” Hayden replied, sticking out his tongue in disgust. Ari frowned; convincing Hayden that he actually was Sean was going to take some doing.

     “He took the other key?” Faust asked in disbelief. The Erablier twins nodded in unison. Faust looked around the small room, squinting as though doing so might reveal Ari’s secret for success.
     “And your spell was up, Erablier?”
     “Yes, Sir.” One of the twins responded slightly sarcastically, the other looking to him as he spoke. “That alcove was more than hidden by my spell.”
     “Just like that? Leaned against the wall, then walked over and punched his hand through the spell itself? I don’t believe it. One of you must have helped him. I bet you got bored of it, and just wanted to get out.” He accused, looking directly into the silent twin’s eyes. “Tell me the truth.”
     His eyes grew blank, and the regarded Erablier sighed softly, “He really did just find the other key. We didn’t help him find it at all, I swear…” Faust looked away and cussed, and the twin shook his head.
     “Stop doing that! It’s really annoying!”
     “Where’s he at now?” Faust asked, opening the lock by simply staring at it with enough raw anger. “I want to question him.”
     “We left him in the other room, he can’t be too far. After all, he can’t get out without one of -“
     “Hayden’s gone too.” Faust growled from the doorway, looking into the adjoining room. “That bimbo is never around when I actually need him.” The twins snickered, and Faust turned sharply. “What?”
     “Dunno.” one of the twins shrugged.
     “Maybe you’re just never around-”
     “When it’s convenient for him.”

     When Hayden had directed Ari to the parking lot, Ari hadn’t objected. Hayden had a car typical of most teenagers – one nearly falling apart from rust and neglect. When Ari struggled with the passenger side door, Hayden chuckled. “Just pull the handle and slam the door inward at the same time, she’ll fly open for you then.”
     The back seats were littered with chocolate stained candy wrappers, a torn map, a few changes of clothes, some ancient newspapers and a couple of CD cases. When Hayden turned the keys, the engine coughed itself back to life, and he grinned proudly, “We’re still working on that purr. It gets a little bit better every day.” He gave the dashboard, covered in dust, an affectionate pat. In response, a cloud of gray puffed upwards into the air.
     The seatbelt, as Ari had expected, was broken, and wouldn’t fasten. Hayden frowned, his own worked fine, “Oh yeah, you might just want to hold it behind you, if you’re really conscientious of your safety.” He shrugged, “But whatever… Let’s go.” The car lurched into reverse and left the parking lot, hitting the quiet street. Hayden turned up the music loudly, and sped off. Quite suddenly Ari was more concerned that the seatbelt didn’t work than before.
     As Hayden drove he bobbed his head along to the music, at times singing along. At least, that was what Ari determined; the music was far too loud for him to tell if Hayden was actually singing along to it or not.
     They stopped, not soon enough, at a small run-down looking ice cream parlor. Hayden grinned and turned down the music. He turned to Ari and moved his mouth wordlessly. Ari blinked.
     “What?” Ari’s own voice rang loudly inside of his head. Hayden seemed to laugh, and gestured for Ari to follow him. He got out of the car, and walked in the direction of the ice cream parlor.

Description
     “You found the key?” Faust yawned, recoiled in his favorite armchair. It was old, and sagged under his weight.
     “Yes, I did. I… I don’t really know how, though.” Ari looked down at the key in his hand, frowning at it. “The twins disappeared. Is that okay?”
     “They’ll be fine. They know where the other key is.” Hayden put in; smiling at he watched Ari. He still looked identical to Sean, and it made Ari feel uneasy.
     “There was a second key?”
     “Yeah, but it was hidden in the wall, no way that you’d be able to find that one.” Hayden laughed, “That first test was more of an indicator to check how calm you’d remain in unsuspected situations. I guess you did pretty well, if you got out before the twins had to help you.” He grinned.
     “But the key-”
     The door swung open suddenly, and the twins stumbled out. Everyone’s eyes turned to them as they composed themselves.
      “Excuse us, Faust, but might we talk to you?” One of them asked, and Faust raised an eyebrow.
     “It’s about the exam.” The other insisted. “Important. Let’s go talk, okay?” In symmetry they strode across the room, each one grabbing one of Faust’s arms, and steering him towards and then through the door.
     Ari was now left alone with Hayden. He looked towards the boy, and their eyes locked. Ari was sure that they were the mirror image of his own.
     There was silence for a moment before Ari moved across the room, to sit next to Hayden on the couch. He sat rigidly, his posture too perfect for such a casual situation. He had his hands balled into fists on his knees, and was watching them with great fascination.
     “Sean…?” He finally tried again, hoping that this Hayden would awaken to the fact that he was actually his brother.
     “I’m sorry, I know this must be very confusing for you.” Hayden responded, sounding genuinely apologetic. Ari didn’t look up, but remained very rigid. The words hurt, even if they were gentle.
     “How can you not be my brother?” He asked, “You look like him. You look like me.”
     “No… Not really.” Hayden looked away, wrapping his arms around himself. “It’s not my fault, I swear. I can’t help it, just like Faust can’t help manipulating people. It was just something I was born with.” He shook his head, eyes closed. “I’m sorry that it hurts you. It hurts a lot of people…”
     “I don’t understand…” Ari began, finally looking at the other boy. He frowned deeply.
     “You don’t need to. Not now.” Hayden answered, looking back and smiling warmly. There was a spark in his eyes that reminded Ari of the looks his mother and Sean used to give him; was this compassion? The similarities were too great; Hayden had to be Sean, only with a rewritten memory. Ari internally made a promise to himself to help Hayden remember his Millenough origins.
“Listen, do you want to go get some ice cream, or something?” Hayden asked, breaking the silence. “There’s a great little shop only about ten minutes from here. Forget about the rest of the day, you’ve earned a break.” He smiled and stood.
     “Are you going to order coconut?” Ari asked, standing shortly after Hayden.
     “Coconut? That’s gross. I always order orange gelato.” Hayden replied, sticking out his tongue in disgust. Ari frowned; convincing Hayden that he actually was Sean was going to take some doing.

     “He took the other key?” Faust asked in disbelief. The Erablier twins nodded in unison. Faust looked around the small room, squinting as though doing so might reveal Ari’s secret for success.
     “And your spell was up, Erablier?”
     “Yes, Sir.” One of the twins responded slightly sarcastically, the other looking to him as he spoke. “That alcove was more than hidden by my spell.”
     “Just like that? Leaned against the wall, then walked over and punched his hand through the spell itself? I don’t believe it. One of you must have helped him. I bet you got bored of it, and just wanted to get out.” He accused, looking directly into the silent twin’s eyes. “Tell me the truth.”
     His eyes grew blank, and the regarded Erablier sighed softly, “He really did just find the other key. We didn’t help him find it at all, I swear…” Faust looked away and cussed, and the twin shook his head.
     “Stop doing that! It’s really annoying!”
     “Where’s he at now?” Faust asked, opening the lock by simply staring at it with enough raw anger. “I want to question him.”
     “We left him in the other room, he can’t be too far. After all, he can’t get out without one of -“
     “Hayden’s gone too.” Faust growled from the doorway, looking into the adjoining room. “That bimbo is never around when I actually need him.” The twins snickered, and Faust turned sharply. “What?”
     “Dunno.” one of the twins shrugged.
     “Maybe you’re just never around-”
     “When it’s convenient for him.”

     When Hayden had directed Ari to the parking lot, Ari hadn’t objected. Hayden had a car typical of most teenagers – one nearly falling apart from rust and neglect. When Ari struggled with the passenger side door, Hayden chuckled. “Just pull the handle and slam the door inward at the same time, she’ll fly open for you then.”
     The back seats were littered with chocolate stained candy wrappers, a torn map, a few changes of clothes, some ancient newspapers and a couple of CD cases. When Hayden turned the keys, the engine coughed itself back to life, and he grinned proudly, “We’re still working on that purr. It gets a little bit better every day.” He gave the dashboard, covered in dust, an affectionate pat. In response, a cloud of gray puffed upwards into the air.
     The seatbelt, as Ari had expected, was broken, and wouldn’t fasten. Hayden frowned, his own worked fine, “Oh yeah, you might just want to hold it behind you, if you’re really conscientious of your safety.” He shrugged, “But whatever… Let’s go.” The car lurched into reverse and left the parking lot, hitting the quiet street. Hayden turned up the music loudly, and sped off. Quite suddenly Ari was more concerned that the seatbelt didn’t work than before.
     As Hayden drove he bobbed his head along to the music, at times singing along. At least, that was what Ari determined; the music was far too loud for him to tell if Hayden was actually singing along to it or not.
     They stopped, not soon enough, at a small run-down looking ice cream parlor. Hayden grinned and turned down the music. He turned to Ari and moved his mouth wordlessly. Ari blinked.
     “What?” Ari’s own voice rang loudly inside of his head. Hayden seemed to laugh, and gestured for Ari to follow him. He got out of the car, and walked in the direction of the ice cream parlor.