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C H A P T E R    O N E

  "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned."   

"Which Father you are apologizing to?" Sophie Ackerman asked, sitting by herself on the long wooden chair in the church's front row. "Our father or the Big Guy Upstairs? It gets hard to differentiate the two honestly."

The girl who was praying did not bow or kneel in front of the altar, as one was supposed to when praying in a Catholic church in their hometown. The hometown that Sophie had lived for the rest of her life and the one that Vivian had left behind, following her father in the aftermath of the divorce. Vivian Ackerman was casually sitting on the spot beside Sophie, not even bothering to make a cross sign gesture with her hands. Apparently, Vivian was still as unapologetic as ever.

Then again, Sophie had not been talking to her twin sister for a long time, only meeting twice a year during important family holidays. And their interactions were always held back by the awkwardness that stemmed from their parents' destroyed marriage.

"Viv, you are not answering the question."

"Well, for your information, Sophie," Vivian turned her head and faced Sophie, a sinister smile tugging on her lips, "The apology I said was meant to be a sarcastic jab."

"Is it meant for Dad or the Lord himself?"

Vivian laughed, and the sound was always pleasant to Sophie's ears even if the humor was absent and replaced with a bitter undertone. "Like you just said, it is getting harder to differentiate the two."

"Only with you I can talk about religion and my faith freely, Viv," Sophie admitted. "In what context do you think that Dad and God are similar because they are the absent father figures in our lives?"

Both of them were raised as Roman Catholics, an aspect in their family which their mother Irina always insisted on being practiced. It was not long before Sophie's faith had faded away when she was old enough to understand that her high intelligence often questioned and contradicted the teachings her mother tried to instill into her heart. At the same time, Vivian's probably faded and never instilled in the first place because her twin sister just refused to live by anything other than her own terms and moral compass. The fact that she was the one who lived with their father in New York City probably contributed to wash away the last remnants of their mother's influence.

Truth to be told, Sophie never envied her twin sister, despite the fact people thought she should be.

"You can say that," Vivian stated simply, her voice was strangely devoid of any emotions. "I feel really disappointed towards them both, honestly. But that is where the similarity ends. Our father is certainly not as virtuous to be called religious."

"What are you doing here, in Pine Creek after such a long time?" Sophie questioned, not quite understanding her sister's motivation to suddenly get into a plane and grace their hometown in Idaho with her presence. "If there is something you want to talk about, don't waste your time bitching about Dad."

For several moments of silence, Vivian did not say anything, letting the silence stretch between them. Honestly, surprise stroke Sophie when her sister chose to let the moments waste into silence. Vivian was a wildcard, the type of person who hated to waste every moment in her life with something as meaningless as silence, always constantly in motion. Sophie thrived in silence while Vivian abhorred it. Sophie suspected that her twin was terrified of silence, despite how Vivian claimed nothing could render her into the realm of fear. Vivian's inability to fill the void of silence with brash words and reckless schemes hated stagnancy more than anything.

"Soph, have you been roaming around the internet lately?" For the first time in her life, Vivian asked Sophie heard unsteadiness brimming underneath Vivian's self-assured composure. "I am in deep, deep trouble."

"Should we walk outside the church so we can talk without Mother Mary's statue staring us down?" Sophie retorted, inducing a burst of humorless laughter from Vivian. "I can tell that this will be...an interesting talk."

"I can guarantee that."

The two sisters separated by merely minutes in age, stood up from their seats, and walked out of the church. Usually, Sophie noticed Pastor George's presence that often graced the church, given he was the caretaker. Maybe he noticed that Vivian was back in town and opted to give Sophie some space to reconnect with her twin. The Pastor was their mother's close friend, always an understanding figure in Sophie's life despite her faded faith.

"Hey, Sophie!" as soon as Sophie stepped out of the church, a chirpy voice greeted her. The sun was blazing in the sky, and Sophie hoped the sun's hot rays could blast away this girl who always seemed to be too friendly for her own good. Sophie could sense that Vivian froze as soon as someone greeted them. Before Sophie could let the gears inside her head to process why her sister was suddenly petrified, she was dragged into a small talk by none other than Miriam Blake, an old classmate of hers.

"Hey, Miriam," Sophie replied, eerie politeness laced in her voice. "Is there anything you need to talk to me about?" She certainly did not have the time to engage in meaningless small talks with one of the nicest people in her grade (too nice, even).

"Well, I thought that I could say hello, given that you will not be in the same class as I am later on this fall," Miriam replied with a bright smile on her face. Frustration coursed through Sophie's vein, not understanding why Miriam was not in the least bit intimidated by her emotionless disposition as so many were. "You graduated two years early, Soph, as valedictorian no less! I am sure that you already have colleges begging you to accept their admission. Oh, and who is it here? You look really familiar, by the way, and really pretty." Miriam turned her head to take a good look at Vivian, who was still frozen in the place.

"Uh, we need to go now, Mir," Sophie hurriedly said as she pulled Vivian and walked away from Miriam, who looked befuddled. Maybe Sophie had not been living with Vivian for a long time after their parents' divorce tore them apart from each other. That certainly did not mean Sophie's innate instincts about her sister had faded along with their parents' marriage.

"Where are we going?" Vivian asked; the boldness in her voice had returned after it was petrified away by silence.

"Well, we are definitely not going to public places, given that you seem to be terrified just now when someone took a good look at you. Be grateful that I am used to brushing people off, or else we would be stuck in a circle of hell, which is small talk with Miriam Blake. Oh, and the way you seem to back away when she started to give you a once over indicated that somehow you are not supposed to be in a public place, Viv. Somehow, you asked me to meet you in the church through a text after years of empty inboxes from you. I take that this is very urgent, and you should not be in public."

They had arrived right in front of a modest two-story house, a house where Sophie and her mother lived together for the last several years after her mother had finalized the divorce. "We are going to talk in my bedroom, and I will weasel the truth out of you, trust me in that," Sophie insisted.

"We can't be here, Soph."

"If you are worried about Mom being at home, you don't have to. She probably is attending her Junior League meetings or paying a visit to one of her fellow mom friends or something," Sophie pointed out as she fished for her keys in her khaki pants' pocket. After retrieving her home keys, Sophie unlocked her front door and walked in with Vivian on her tail.

"You have not changed much, Soph. You're still incredibly smart, too smart for this small town." Vivian's hand caresses the framed pictures organized on the table near the front door. "So you graduate high school two years early? I know that. Why Dad and I are not invited to attend the graduation?"

There was a hidden message of questioning laced beneath the sentence Vivian just said, and Sophie noticed it. "Not something I like to brag about," Sophie said as she led Vivian into the living room. "You can sit on the couch while let me make a cup of coffee for you."

"I take my coffee with-"

"-with three spoonfuls of sugar and milk because you can't stand how bitter true black coffee tasted," Sophie interrupted as she strolled into the kitchen. Her hand nimbly pressed buttons on the coffeemaker, an important skill she had acquired as a coffee-addict. "I guess that you run away from home, correct me if I am wrong."

"Of course, you will deduct that quite easily," Vivian muttered as she sat on the comfortable couch with a sigh. Looking for a remote, Vivian's hands roamed around the couch, but somehow she stopped, seemingly doing it out of her better judgment. "I am not surprised how casual you are about your long lost twin suddenly contacting you, asking to meet up with each other even if said twin lived states away."

Sophie raised an eyebrow as she saw her sister's antics from the kitchen; her astute mind was scouring reasons for her sister's apprehension to turn on the TV. "We are twins, Vivian, a built-in best friend for life. Of course, I am not surprised that you are very much inclined to attracting troubles. So, enlighten me," Sophie said, bringing a tray of hot sweetened coffee and set it on the table right in front of them before sitting down, "What the hell happened until you choose to run away from Dad's penthouse in New York and ended up here in Pine Creek? And how you ended up having enough funds to get into a plane?"

Vivian's smug face only served as an answer to Sophie. "Oh, God, you don't actually hijack one of Dad's private planes, don't you? Making your journey here is untraceable to public flights. I am guessing that you are in a shit ton of trouble, Viv. The trouble that involves you being one of the most wanted people in America, the way you seemed apprehensive to turn on the TV is a huge giveaway, by the way. And the trouble that also makes Dad really, really pissed off. So pissed because he is landed into heaps of trouble because of your mess to the point he does not notice that one of his private planes is gone. Where do you land, by the way, and what crime you commit this time?"

The smirk immediately faded, replaced with an expression that Sophie never associated with Vivian: uneasiness and a little bit scared. "Let's just say that a one night stand can...bring a lot of problems."

"That is saying a lot, coming from you," Sophie sat herself down beside Vivian. Her hand was about to reach out for the TV's remote but stopped herself when she remembered Vivian's apprehension. Turning her head to face Vivian, Sophie reluctantly asked, "What actually happened, Viv? You started to scare me now."

Vivian let out a sigh, an exhausted one. Her hand played with her brunette strands of hair, twirling her wavy brown hair expertly. Sophie recognized the gesture. Her twin always played with her hair when she was either thinking quite hard or was drowning in fear. "I...had one night stand, and it was taped. That's why I asked you if you're frequently online or not."

"I am active on an online writing community, Viv," Sophie explained. Realization dawned on her when the puzzle pieces started to form an image of what trouble Vivian landed herself on. "So yeah, I am frequently online. You filmed a sex tape, alright, and people do that all the time."

"You deny the ending of my story, Soph," Vivian said as a matter of fact. "I know that your brilliant mind had already formed a conclusion without me mentioning the results. Dear God, the sex was really, really good."

"Are you going to tell me something important, or you wanted to get your ass kicked out of this house if you continue to disclose your sex life details to me?" Sophie retorted dryly, which induced laughter out of Vivian. "So what if you taped your sexual intercourse? As long as it is consensual and-"

"-Trust me, it is very consensual. You know how much of a thrill-seeker I am," Vivian immediately interrupted. She reached for the cup of coffee that her twin sister made and sipped it quietly. "Oh well, apparently both of us accidentally posted it online."

Flappable was not one of Sophie's traits. She could keep her head cool even when everything around her started to fall into chaos, but Sophie was not one to lose her shit easily. Growing up with an overbearing mother who was more worried about her Junior League friends and easily drifted into hysteria certainly helped Sophie mature into a level-headed individual. But Sophie was on the verge of losing her shit the moment Vivian said that she posted her sex tape online.

"I'm sorry, but WHAT THE FUCK?!" Sophie's voice rose higher. "Are you fucking crazy or what? Is this why you asked me to meet in the church to feel better about yourself? Okay, I'm sorry that is a little bit harsh, but really Viv? At least...it is not viral, right? You are maybe the daughter of one of the richest men in America, but you are basically a nobody compared to other celebrities or models that-"

"-Okay, calm down, sister," Vivian reminded her twin sister to calm down. "Wow, I do not expect you to lose your shit about this."

"Viv, how the fuck can you be calm about this problem? Only just now you are scared that Miriam Blake almost stopped both of us in front of Pine Creek Church and-"

"-she seems nosy, and I don't like it if someone being nosy," Vivian simply said, nonchalance emanating her body. "I jumped into Dad's private plane by seducing the young pilot not for you to lose your oh-so brilliant mind, Sophie."

"God, I am not remotely surprised that you did just that to hijack Dad's private plane," Sophie commented, finally gathering her wits. "Dear Lord, I know that the video is viral. Is it viral, Viv? I really wanted to hear it from you saying it before I turn on the TV to see the gossip channel and found your name all over it."

It was long established that Vivian was the magnet of trouble among the sisters. According to her own set of rules with a hell-raiser trait and thrill-seeking nature, Vivian lived her life and was not once ashamed about it. Partying and drinking was a huge part of her twin's life, probably as her way to find herself. Outgoing, social, and unapologetic, many people attracted to Vivian like a moth to a flame. Contrasted to Sophie's careful and planner nature, Vivian abhorred letting even one second wasted holed up in the bedroom doing nothing. She was always constantly in motion with her unapologetic nature and bold tendencies, living her life day by day and adopting the motto 'Carpe Diem' as her life motto.

Sophie remembered what her Russian maternal grandmother said to her when she was nine years old, seeing Vivian climbed the tree and was hanging upside down by the tree's branch in their grandparents' home. "You are the thinker of the family, Sofia, always buried your head under the books, soaking knowledge possible with your mind. Beneath your quiet nature lies a brilliant mind that often planned the grand scheme of things, and I am sure your mind will take you far, dear. Vivienne is the one who acted, the one who marched her way into the world without a second thought or regret. Both of you will go far in life in different ways. She is the actor while you are the thinker. She is the star of the stage while you are the scriptwriter behind the scenes."

"Yes, it is viral. Dad was so mad about it because apparently, I am having a one night stand with a Crown Prince from a European country," Vivian nonchalantly elaborated. "Dad is mad as fuck. He already arranged for me to be shipped off to boarding school to protect my name and his reputation. If the media knows about my true identity and am sure those paparazzi will immediately get my name, I am screwed. If Mom knows about it, she will lecture me about the importance of keeping my virtue and blah, blah, blah."

"What the heck are you thinking, Vivian..." Sophie could not help but lament. She always was aware of Vivian's rebellious streak, but never her brilliant mind would think that her twin will take it too far. "Dear God, so you are here to escape Dad's punishment? Boarding school is the best option for you as of now. Which country that the prince comes from? Dear Lord, only you who will ever land herself in trouble like this."

"You know I will not survive a day there, Soph," Vivian replied. "Worse of all, Dad already created a new identity for me, going to the school under a different name, so I will not use the Ackerman name to save my ass."

Sophie had to admit despite her father's overbearing nature, and detached parenting Alastair Ackerman could devise one hell of a creative punishment. "You deserve it, Viv. I may be your twin sister, but this is getting out of the line. A crown prince, what the actual fuck, Vivian! Is he older, and you concealed your true age?"

"Don't worry, he is our age, and he gives a good sex, but that's it," Vivian elaborated, a mask of nonchalance was perfectly in place. Her twin sister may seem calm and not giving much thought about it, but Sophie could sense that Viv hid behind her nonchalant nature to protect herself from the repercussions of the troubles she left in her wake. "It happened several weeks ago in Hawaii when I am enjoying the first days of summer break. I met him in a bar, flirted, and the rest is history. I know it is not his first time, but let's say that he is unhappy with his life, that much I know."

"I bet you are looking for a hideout this summer, so you can safely go back to New York City when the whole shebang has calmed down after summer is over."

"Oh dear Lord, this time your deduction ability missed the bulls-eye," Vivian said as she shook her head, her usual sneer was playing on her face. "Since you have graduated high school two years early and will not attend college for some-"

"-Yale has saved me a seat whenever I want to attend, for your information," Sophie interrupted. "So no, I don't want to be involved in any kinds of your scheme to drag you out of trouble."

"That is even better," the smirk on Vivian's face got wider. "Let's just say that I want you to impersonate me, taking the whole new identity that Dad has created while I will be you. I'll tell Mom that you wanted to take a gap year traveling around the world using Dad's resources. I am sure she will understand."

Sophie was rendered speechless, astounded that her twin sister had already planned everything out to drag herself out of the troubles she created. "What if I refused, Viv? I had no intentions of traveling or be you, attending high school all over again. There is a reason why I agreed when the principal recommended me to skip two grades back in middle school."

"Well, I will persuade you to do it," Sipping her coffee, Vivian let out a bright smile that would make people kneel, and Sophie cringed.

Fuck her twin sister, and fuck the

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