One: Introducing The Bella Twins

CASTLE LORE.

Ixora Crystabella Moores woke to the sounds of chirping birds, people talking, and laughter. Slowly, she opened her eyes, struggling to focus after a deep sleep. When her vision cleared, she shot up from her bed.

"Oh no!" Ixora exclaimed, glancing outside. It was already nighttime.

"Cherry!" She called out desperately, holding onto hope. "Cherry?" She repeated as she searched for her slippers. When met with silence, she made one last attempt. "Silverbella?"

But deep down, she knew. Her twin wasn't at home; she had gone out again.

Ixora sighed. She wasn't supposed to oversleep. If she had been awake, she might have been able to stop Cherry from going out. She quickly found her slippers and headed outside. She thought about how her late Grandma Nora would have been driven mad by Cherry's wild antics.

Outside, Ixora paused to enjoy the fresh evening air of Castle Lore, their small town. Her dyed blond hair swayed in the wind, brushing against her face. There was no place like home.

Back when she was in school in New York, she had missed the peacefulness of Castle Lore. New York was a bustling city that never slept, a stark contrast to the tranquility of Castle Lore, where everyone knew each other, but there were always new faces passing through.

That's why she found herself at the gates of A-Good-Night, known as AGN, the largest bar in town. Most travelers passing through the place. Whenever she needed to find her twin, AGN was her first stop.

It was still early in the evening, so she didn't bother checking AGN's club or its rooms. On some nights, she had to search room by room, disrupting couples and witnessing things she'd rather not see while looking for Cherry.

She stood at the entrance of the bar for a moment, hesitating. Would there ever be a time when she didn't have to chase after Cherry like a worried mother hen? Would there ever be a time when she didn't have to rescue her twin from her own actions?

With a resigned sigh, Ixora took a deep breath and pushed open the bar's door, entering inside.

*******

Cherry Silverbella Moores took a sip of her beer, eyeing the man across from her. His name? Mark? Matt? She couldn't recall, but he looked at her as if he wanted to sweep everything off the table, place her on it, and devour her. His eyes held unmistakable promises, and she felt a tingling sensation at the thought.

Bring it on, boy. 

She casually shrugged, taking another sip of her beer. There was no need to hurry; they had all night.

"Have I mentioned how beautiful you look, baby? You're absolutely stunning," he drawled, his gaze fixed on her again.

Compliments didn't faze Cherry; she was confident in her looks. But well, what should a girl do?

"Thanks, Mark. You don't look bad yourself. So, where did you say you were headed?" She asked, though she didn't really care about his destination; he was just her company for the night, sparking conversation.

"Oh, Casa Varde," he replied with a smile. "And it's Matt, short for Matthew, not Mark."

Whatever. Cherry doesn't give shit if it was short for Nicodemus, but she played it cool. "Sorry, my bad. So, what's taking you to Casa Varde? The gold mines?"

"Well, I'm on leave from work, so I wanted a vacation... You know, take a stroll, see the world, explore new stuff," he explained. "Casa Varde was my first choice because I've—Holy shit!" He suddenly exclaimed, looking past her at the door, then back at her, alternating between the door and her as if in disbelief.

Cherry sighed dramatically. Ixora was here.

Matt couldn't believe his eyes. The beautiful blonde before him suddenly looked like a duplicate copy. It was mind-boggling, and he had never encountered such a strikingly identical twins.

Without bothering to turn around, Cherry knew her twin was now at the bar, about to ruin her fun, as usual. Three seconds passed, then two, then one.

"Look who I found here! It's my pregnant twin!" Ixora exclaimed, standing next to Cherry and placing a hand on her shoulder.

Cherry snorted, rolling her eyes. Pregnant? Seriously? That was Ixora's idea for tonight?

"Pregnant!?" Matt echoed, eyeing Cherry's stomach skeptically.

Cherry thought the same thing, but she kept quiet. It didn't really matter; once Ixora found her, she always ruin the fun. Always.

"Oh, but she is. She's two months along, my poor twin," Ixora gasped, covering her lips dramatically as her eyes shifted back to Matt. "Oops. You weren't supposed to know that! After tonight, you were supposed to become the father of the baby!" She turned regret-filled eyes on Cherry. "I'm really sorry, Cher. I didn't mean to let the secret slip." She batted her eyelashes apologetically, knowing her twin was an excellent actress.

Matt looked horrified. Of all the girls in the club tonight, he had to pick the one with a lying pregnant twin? Unbelievable!

Exasperated, he thudded his beer on the table. "Conniving bitch!" he hissed at her, storming out of the bar.

Cherry sighed softly, watching him leave. She remained calm until he was gone and the door slammed shut. Then, she turned and shot her twin a furious glare, her eyes blazing with anger.

Cherry was simply furious.

*********

Ixora sensed her twin's seething anger as they returned home, and when Cherry slammed the door with a resounding jangle, she braced herself for a shouting match. Instead, Cherry shot her a glare that could've frozen fire. She grabbed her bag, intending to retreat to her room, but Ixora halted her with words; anything was better than Cherry's cold silence—anything.

"What!? You've got nothing to say?" Ixora demanded, her own anger flaring.

Cherry spun around so abruptly it felt like a whirlwind. "You mind your own fucking business, Ix," she spat, venom lacing her words.

Anyone else might have cowered under the intensity of Cherry's anger, but not Ixora. She was too furious to care. The Bella Twins had one thing in common, and that was their fiery tempers.

Ixora almost relished Cherry's anger because it was far preferable to her cold indifference.

"Your business is my business! You've got to stop acting like some cheap prostitute! Just yesterday, you climbed out of that drunk David's bed, and now he's spreading rumors all over town about what you both did! The worst part? He's not even claiming he slept with you; he's boasting about bedding a Bella twin, leaving it ambiguous. It could be either of us. I had to hear it from old Ceaser yesterday; he wondered why I got involved with that guy, knowing how loose-lipped he is!"

Cherry rolled her eyes, smirking. "I couldn't care less about what people think, Ixora. Maybe you should give it a try; it's incredibly liberating. I'll be with whoever the hell I want, however the hell I want, and I couldn't care less if they labeled you as the 'prostitute.'"

Ixora couldn't believe her twin sister, anger simmering deep within her. "Enough, Cherry. Get a life, find a job, and stop behaving like a reckless teenager. You're twenty-three fucking years old, and a Moores.  For crying out loud, you're  my twin! People mistake me for you all the time! Your conquests approach me on the street, begging for 'another night of awesome sex,' and your dealers offer me drugs! Pull yourself together, Cherry!" Ixora's voice was practically a shout now.

Cherry let out a humorless laugh. "Oh, poor you. Stuck with the evil twin as always," She shook her head.

"But guess what? It's my life, not yours! I do whatever the hell I damn please, and I don't give shit about you or your fucking reputation. If you've had enough of me, there's the door—" Cherry pointed angrily at the exit. "Feel free to get the hell away from me! I'm hate looking at your face. I'm sick of seeing you...God, you disgust me." She turned her back to Ixora, stormed into her room, and slammed the door shut.

Ixora stood alone in the living room, frozen like she'd seen a demon, Cherry's words echoing in her ears. She took shaky breaths to calm herself, but already she could feel the tears coming. Her chest suddenly felt too damn heavy.

I hate looking at your face, you disgust me. I hate looking at your face, you disgust me.

Ixora retreated to her room, laid down on her bed, and then, the tears really started coming.

Was Cherry truly fed up with her? Despite her sister's flaws, she was still her twin. They had once been inseparable. Cherry was never this wild before, infact, at some point...she'd been the 'perfect' one.

But all that had changed. Now, it felt like she had lost her twin the same day she lost her parents.

She wished Grandma were still alive; she could have used another ally in dealing with Cherry. Her heart ached as she cried herself to sleep, muffling her sobs so her sister wouldn't hear just how deeply she was hurting.

In her bedroom, Cherry unpacked her boxes of cigarette, selecting one without bothering to put the rest away.

She sprawled on her queen-sized bed, retrieved her lighter from the nightstand, and lit the cigarette. She took a long drag, trying to ignore the muffled sobs coming from Ixora's room. Her nearly non-existent conscience pricked at her, but she quickly shoved it away.

She was Cherry, and Cherry simply didn't give a damn. Not anymore.

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**********************

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In the dead of night, the room echoed with soft whimpers, gradually intensifying into strangled cries.

Ixora stirred from her slumber, her senses alert to the distressing sounds that filled the silence. With a swift glance at the clock, its hands frozen at midnight, she felt a pang of worry clutch at her heart.

Driven by concern, Ixora swung her legs out of bed, her bare feet meeting the cool floor as she ventured toward the source of the unsettling noise. The corridor was dimly lit, shadows dancing ominously on the walls as she made her way to Cherry's room.

Upon entering, a scene of heart-wrenching vulnerability unfolded before her eyes. Cherry laid trapped in the clutches of another haunting nightmare. The contours of her twin's face were etched with fear, her body contorting in the grips of unseen terrors. Ixora's heart tightened in her chest.

 She approached quietly, her steps cautious, not wanting to startle her sister further. Ixora didn't attempt to wake her; she knew it was futile because Cherry remained unresponsive during these episodes. Instead, she settled down beside her twin, watching as Cherry wrestled with unseen terrors, making incoherent sounds.

Ixora had often wished that Cherry would utter just a single word during these nightmares, something that might offer a clue to what haunted her dreams. But all she ever heard were gasps, sobs, and those strangled whimpers, like a frightened child.

"It's alright, Silver. Everything's alright," Ixora cooed, gently rubbing her twin's leg. Like a tempest that had run its course, Cherry calmed instantly.

In this state, Cherry didn't recoil from Ixora's touch, unlike usual. Her twin despised sleep, which was why she often kept herself occupied at night, either by leaving the house and indulging in her "Cherry ways."

Does these nightmares have anything to do with their parent's death? Ixora wished her twin would say something to her, anything at all.

Ixora and Cherry had their differences. They fought constantly, and Cherry would always pull away from her touch. Her twin had made it abundantly clear that she hated her. Despite all of this, Ixora loved her twin deeply. She was willing to do anything within her power to protect her.

"Sleep well, Cher," she murmured an hour later, as she rose from the bedside and returned to her own room.

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