EMBER

It was hard being an impostor. Ember lay awake in her bed as the grey morning light began to illuminate the room. Her twin Reid was laying beside her, her breathing barely audible. Ember guessed that she was awake. Every now and then Reid scared her. Reid was so quiet, but so observant. Sometimes Ember felt like she knew. Knew that Ember was part of the Resistance.

Ember shuddered and carefully maneuvered her way out of bed, trying not to provoke a comment from Reid. Throwing on a dress, she glanced at herself in the tiny, cracked mirror. She ran a hand over her gray fur and peered at her emerald green eyes. The color of her eyes was the one thing about her that she actually cherished. Well, that and her name. It was a reminder of the bits of good still left in the world - a reminder of the forbidden stories she so loved to hear. A reminder of the Green Ember.

Reid shifted in the bed behind her and Ember quickly straightened from the mirror. Sighing, she slipped out the room and ran down the stairs.

She found her parents, talking in the kitchen, sipping cups of potato tea. Jay and Joel, Ember’s two little brothers were on the floor, rolling around and laughing.

“Good morning,” Ember said as she took her seat and accepted a cup of tea.

“Same to you, sweetheart,” her mother said.

Her father smiled and ruffled her just smoothed fur. “How are you this morning?”

“Wonderful,” Ember replied mechanically, absently.

Jay and Joel started to climb onto her lap. Ember grinned and pulled them up, tickling their ears. They squealed in laughter.

“Do you know what you’re going to be assigned today at work?” Mother asked.

Ember felt the urge to freeze up, to go blank, but she pushed it down by instinct. “Yeah, I’m probably going to be making deliveries but I’m not entirely sure.”

“Okay.” Mother frowned at the ceiling. “What’s taking Reid so long? Breakfast!”

Ember sighed. “I’ll get her.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cold wind blew softly through Ember’s fur as she scurried along the streets on her way to work. She always left on time, never wanting to put herself in danger of being anything other than ordinary and safe. Her job was to fly under the radar. So far, no one had openly suspected her to be part of the Resistance. She risked her life every day for the cause.

Every now the thought would cross her mind that she should consider telling her sister, Reid. But one word from the Tunneler had silenced her on the subject forever. Reid didn't have the same passion - the same spark - the same drive. She didn't have the same openness.

Reid wasn't trustworthy. Not yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

REID

It was hard being a traitor. Reid sighed and stared at herself in the mirror, at her dark red fur and blue eyes. Downstairs she could hear the clatter of pans in the kitchen where her mother was getting breakfast ready. Reid cringed. It happened every morning - she would smile and wave and go to work, and her mother would smile and wave back, oblivious of the fact that her daughter was a traitor. That she was recording her every move. That she was a Wrongtreader.

“Breakfast!” Her mother’s voice.

Reid rolled her eyes and sighed. She sat there a few moments longer, then dragged herself up and began to head for the door of her bedroom. She gasped and fell a step back.

Ember had been watching her the whole time, right outside the door.

“Ember!” Reid hissed. “What was that for?”

Ember frowned. “Nothing… I just… are you okay?”

Reid frowned in turn. “Yeah.”

The sisters regarded each other for a moment, then Reid pushed past Ember and jogged down the stairs.

Ember was so weird. Sometimes Reid wondered whether they really were twins. They were so different. And yet somehow fit together. Ember was like a dark, shimmering jewel, and Reid the sharply chiseled edges.

Reid shook her head, turning her mind away from her sister. She flashed a smile at her family and sat down to her bowl of potato porridge. Jay and Joel did not come to her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reid tightened her preymark and headed down the street, her eyes alert and ears stiff. Captain Vitton was a demanding master, one who showed no mercy even on his own if they let him down. Reid had been trained to detect any abnormalities, to harden herself to any guilt. She had turned in friends. She was prepared to turn in her own family.

It was her job.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you enjoyed this! I got bored yesterday and just wanted to try writing something new, so this happened. :) lol. Honest critique and feedback is exceedingly welcome!!! (I'm currently out of ideas for the next part of Picket Packslayer so that's why it's taking so long... but I hope to work on more of that soon when I get more ideas.)