Chapter 1

Emily took a deep breath. She looked down at the bathroom scale nervously, wiping sweat and strands of her long blonde hair out of her face as she took a tentative step towards the evil device. Her muscles still ached from her workout at the gym – her calves, in particular, felt like knives were stuck in them after a long, grueling ride on the stationary bike. Her stomach ached a bit as well, from hunger – she hadn't eaten much all day except for some cabbage soup and string bean salad with tofu. Both were horrifically gross, but her friend Donna had told her it would be the best way for her to get down to weight for the cheerleading squad.

Emily frowned. Well, the weight those bitches want me to be, she thought bitterly.

Gingerly, Emily stepped up onto the scale. She closed her eyes and sighed ... and then finally looked down at the angry red numbers that popped up on the screen.

"Fuck," Emily said angrily. She stepped off the scale. Irritably, she kicked it. The number was a good one, but ... well, Emily hadn't made the cheerleading squad for Patriot High School in either her freshman or her sophomore year because the captains of the cheerleading squad didn't like her. Emily wasn't quite sure why. She thought maybe it was because they felt threatened by her. Even as a freshman, she'd been slim and attractive, with long blonde hair, perky breasts, and an infectious smile ... and she'd only gotten prettier with each passing year. Emily was certainly one of the prettiest girls in Patriot High, even as a junior, and arguably the prettiest. Emily personally didn't know quite where she ranked on the pretty scale, but she saw guys' heads turn when she walked down the school hallways – especially when she wore tight sweaters, or short skirts – so she knew she was attractive.

Whenever Emily tried out for the cheerleading squad, though, she saw the look on the captain's faces. They gave her snide looks, and made catty whispers behind her back. They didn't want her there. And they always looked for the slightest excuse to not let her on the team. Last year, it was because she was "too fat" – she was two pounds over the weight the captains demanded, despite the fact that she was clearly the skinniest girl trying out. The year before that, she'd made one slight misstep in one of the tryout routines – only one, but it'd been enough to give the captains a reason not to let her on the squad.

This year, though ... she was determined to make the team. By hell or high water.

As Emily made her way to her room, she glanced over at the door across from hers. The door was closed. From inside the room, she could hear an obnoxiously loud laugh.

Of course, maybe it's not just some sort of weird jealousy, Emily thought. She sighed and shook her head. Maybe it's because whenever they see you, they can't help but think of your twin brother Jack...

Emily always heard stories about how twins were inseparable, that they could share feelings, almost instinctively ... and some twins even had a strange bond of understanding between each other, like telepathy. A lot of people over the years had asked Emily if she and Jack shared such a bond.

Her answer, always, was a resounding no.

Emily and Jack had nothing in common, apart from the fact they both had blonde hair, and had come out of their mother's womb on the same day a little over seventeen years ago. Emily was the outgoing, cheerful, sociable twin; Jack also seemed so somber and silent. Emily was popular; Jack was a well-meaning social misfit who would usually get tongue-tied if a stranger – especially a girl – even tried to talk with him.

Chapter 2 »