Dedicated to my wonderful friend Bernadette who is always there for me.

Chapter One: The Begining

I was always the prettier twin. Maybe not stunningly beautiful or fashion-model material but I was certainly an eye-catcher. My soft chestnut-red hair fell in soft flowing waves, stopping at two centimetres past my shoulder. My white pale face was said to have been the colour of dove’s feathers. It was not the “style” but I didn’t mind—not after a priest of my church compared me to an oil painting of the Virgin Mary. My lips were naturally red—let me put it this way; everyone thought I was wearing lipstick. My violet eyes, in their youth, flickered with an undying energy and light.

I could wear a bathing suit and feel really good in it. I could wear any colour and it would match my eyes.

“That body of yours will go with anything!” The clerks would always say.

As vain and selfish as these descriptions sound, one would probably have already set their opinion on what kind of person I would have been. But one’s opinion would have to be based on a limited source of information. Just because I looked a certain way, does not mean I would match up to it.

As young children, Cecile and I would play the usual twin games.

We had our own language.

We would pretend to be the other.

We knew each other inside and out.

My mother would call us in from playing outside and as usual one of us would be dirty while the other would be peach clean. Our mother would sigh, “You girls! One day Cecile is dirty, the other day it’s Charlotte. Do you take turns or something?” Little did she know that she was right.

We had our own speech until about six when we started grade one. That was the year the twin thing started going downhill. It wasn’t completely evident though, until eleven when the era of magazines started…

I didn’t notice any changes, but the first time something keyed into my head was at a slumber party. Cecile and I were hosting it with three of our friends. We were looking at magazines.

“Hey, look what it says here!” Caitlyn exclaimed. She taped the page. “It says that this model’s clothes are the new style. After she wore this outfit down the runway, sales went up 70!”

“Let me see that!” Saffron grabbed the magazine. She read a little and then came to a conclusion. “Guys, listen. We have to buy this!”

“Why?” I asked confused. Just because the magazine said it was a style, didn’t mean we had to also agree. That’s what my mother had always told me and that’s what I believe.

“Yeah,” Lana agreed, “why?” She was my second best friend—other than Hannah.

Cecile popped a bubbled. “Well duh, Lana! It’s popular.” She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The next day we made the trip to the mall. We found the outfit no problem. It seemed that every clothing store in the mall had it. The outfit consisted of a tight light purple T-shirt with light green and blue layers underneath and a sparkled jean miniskirt. Against my oath, I felt excited to try the new outfit as we headed into the store.

As innocent eleven year-olds, the store clerk immediately spotted us. She smiled brightly as she walked over, “Can I help you ladies with anything?”

My sister had gotten into the stage of attitude ness but upon hearing the word ‘ladies’ she—and all of us softened up.

Cecile beamed. “Yes! We’d like to try the new layer-top-and-skirt outfit in the display window.”

The clerk nodded with a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Of course.” Her bright voice was replaced with a tone of sadness. “You wait at the change room and I’ll get an outfit for each of you.”

Our group could barely contain our excitement as we headed to the change rooms to wait.

There was something my sister said right then, as we were waiting, that has stuck with me for the longest time. She said, “I will be so popular now!”

When the clerk brought us the clothes, my friends and sister each took their size and rushed into a change room while I lingered to say thank-you.

The clerk nodded in understanding. “The wisest one, eh?”

I didn’t know what to say to that so I didn’t say anything at all. I just nodded and found a change room.

When each of us had put on the outfit, we came out for input from the clerk and ourselves. I had taken a glance at myself in the mirror and found to have looked and felt oddly good. I guess I should have thanked my sister, for I never would have second-guessed this outfit.

However, outside of the change room, something life-altering took place. The clerk lady took one look at us and shook her head. “This outfit does not suit any one you.” She paused returning our disappointed faces with an uneasy glance. “Except”—she pointed to me and Lana—“you girls. The outfit will be right for you in a few years.” She stressed the word years.

I felt myself blush as my friends and sister gaped—partly in confusion.

The clerk lady explained to my twin and her friends. “Please take a look in the mirror. You are all too young. And your body types do not fit it. You are underdeveloped and your bone structure is….well…” she lingered here “too big.”

It was here that my life changed. Caitlyn and Saffron were both overweight—that was known—but Cecile and I had always looked identical for as long as I can remember. But now, as this clerk lady said her words, I looked at my sister and saw the truth. We were completely different.

And when I looked at my sister in the eye, there was a spark of something new there. Something different.

Jealousy.

A/N: This is my first story on fictionpress and I hope at least someone reviews and tells me how they like it or don't.