This is a roleplay between zigbigadorlube and BCNSDJ only. Please do not post unless you've been invited.

OOC Thread

Let the games begin!

[imgleft]http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/9885/maxwellf.png[/imgleft]Maxwell Swift heard the alarm click on across the room, but he refused to open his eyes. There was light streaming into his bedroom and he wondered briefly why in the world he decided to leave the blinds open last night. Rolling over in his bed, Maxwell ignored the loud music erupting from his radio on the dresser opposite of the corner he laid in. The first alarm was set for seven. Their plane left at twelve. He had at least another hour before he would be rushing to dress and ready himself.

Minutes passed. Sweet minutes where only the soft lyrics of a Journey song leaked into his uncovered ear. The darkness that had been cloaking his eyelids when he fell asleep hours ago had long disappeared. Now everything was a deep shade of pink. It made it impossible to fall back into dream land. After another handful of sixty seconds he gave up completely and kicked the blankets off his body.

Cursing under his breath for being stupid and forgetting to close his only protection from the horrible sun, Maxwell stomped across his bedroom, switched off the radio, then stalked out through his door and into the hallway with just as much rage boiling inside him as the day he found out he had to go to this stupid school. The school that forced him to wake up on a Sunday at seven in the morning. The school that was sending him into the north to train his 'gift'.

He pounded on the door across from his own. Liesel was always depending on him to wake up first. It had been that way since the beginning. Whether it was when they were children sleeping together in their tiny bed or now with their separate rooms and new alarms it didn't matter. Maxwell was the older brother. The one who was always one step ahead. Waking up his twin wasn't any different than the rest of life.

"Wake up, Li," he said, cracking open her door to poke his head inside. "It's seven. And I'm having a shower first by the way."

[imgleft]http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g280/zigbigadorlube/Anime/Girl78.jpg?t=1283697582[/imgleft]


Liesel's chest raised slowly up and down as she lay motionless in a tangle of blankets. Beside her the digital display of her alarm clock read 7:00AM in bright green light. Little did the young girl know that soon her peaceful slumber would be interrupted.

- - -

The younger twin's eyes snapped open when the pounding began then closed again when she realized what it must mean. Today was the day and Liesel was far from excited about going. The pounding stopped and a crack of light appeared in her completely darkened room. Liesel groaned but got no sympathy from her twin. "You always get first shower..." she said matter-of-factly, "Why would today be any different?"

Her brother Maxwell was the only person Liesel was able to speak to in this manner. Not even her parents could coax her out of her shell like her Twin could. The two of them shared a special bond unlike any other and nothing could change that. Propping herself up on one elbow she called out to him, "Get going already, I'm up." And with that she managed to drag herself out of bed.

Maxwell shrugged his shoulders. He got first shower because he was older, taller and... that was about it. Those two facts gave him more privileges than anything else. He could go on to rant about how he was a man and since the beginning of time men were the highest priority but nowadays that could be called sexism. Maxwell didn't feel like being labelled such a thing right now so he left his sister's door open and wandered down the hall.

He ducked into the bathroom before his mother, who was coming down the hallway humming to herself (no doubt thinking Liesel still needed to wake up), caught sight of him. Today was nothing day he wanted to be lectured about being polite and nice at a new school. Parents these days didn't understand a damn thing.

Locking the door behind him, Maxwell turned to the shower and flipped it on, shedding himself of his clothes as the water slowly heated. The papers didn't say anything about having double dorms. It only spoke of how the females and males were to be placed into separate wings. Maxwell really, really hoped he wasn't forced to stay in the same room with someone else. He was not a friendly person.

Liesel sighed when Maxwell traipsed off without shutting her door. Hearing some footsteps from down the hall made her think twice about leaving it open however and she jumped out of bed to close it before her mother or father could come in to tell her one last time that they would miss her or some such crap like that. Being the younger one, Liesel had been sheltered and babied most of her life which hadn't done anything to help her break out of her shell. Although she was nervous about leaving, she honestly wouldn't miss her parents. Perhaps she was just at that stage in her life that all children pass through but she was becoming more and more annoyed with their parents since the decision had been made on their new method of schooling. They seemed to treat her more like a baby than before and fretted over how she would make friends at school. She had tried to explain to them numerous times that she wouldn't be alone, that Maxwell would take care of her, but it never seemed to do any good and Liesel was beginning to wonder if her parents regretted their decision.

Locking the door behind her, Liesel set herself to packing. She probably should have gotten around to it sooner but she just couldn't be bothered. Hauling a large duffel out of her closet, she began emptying the contents of her dresser into it but made sure to save out one set of clothes for after the shower. Along with her clothes, Liesel added her fencing gear and then looking over to her clock to check the time, she decided that she ought to pack that as well and threw it in with the rest. She honestly didn't need to take much with her, the school would be providing them with bedding and linen, which made things easier. It seemed like the only other things that she would need to add would have to wait until after she showered. Picking herself up off of the floor she ventured a look outside the hallway and noticing that the coast was clear, snuck off to the kitchen for a quick bite to eat before Maxwell finished in the shower.

As Maxwell stepped out of the shower he wrapped a towel around his waist. There was no point changing back into his pyjamas and he was home, who cared if he walked around wearing the green fluffy article of clothing? Then again, were towels really thought to be clothes..? Maxwell shoved the questions aside and exited the bathroom. He threw his pyjamas into his room, missing the hamper by a mile (to which he scowled and cursed at heavily) and made his way into the kitchen rubbing a hand through his damp dark hair.

Liesel was sitting at the table munching on some food. Fried eggs, toast and hash browns with a side of Hollandaise sauce. The typical morning breakfast.

Sneaking up behind his sister, Maxwell reached over a long arm and snatch a piece of toast from Liesel's plate. He ignored her protests, shoving the bread into his mouth rather grossly. Butter drizzled out of his mouth and down his chin but he ignored it in favour of pouring himself a cup of coffee. Once he swallowed the food he sipped the liquid. Ah, straight, bitter, black coffee. Nothing better.

Liesel had only intended on stealing a granola bar from the pantry but when she arrived in the kitchen she wasn't disappointed to see a full-fledged breakfast on the table. She heaped a rather large portion onto her plate and began eating quickly, determined to finish before Maxwell finished in the shower. Unfortunately however, she didn't succeed and a stolen slice of toast was the victor's spoils. "That's really rude you know..." she said in a huff, "The toaster's right there, make your own." Liesel knew it wasn't going to get her anywhere however when her twin gulped down the piece of toast in nearly a single bite.

Abandoning her unfinished plate entirely, Liesel left the room without another word, determined to take a shower. Locking the bathroom door out of habit, she undressed and stepped into the steaming stream of water. After pouring loads of shampoo into the palm of her hand, she began meticulously scrubbing her super-long hair. Once that task was finished, washing up was a cinch and the younger twin was out of the shower in no time. Like her brother she wrapped a towel around herself and left the bathroom to get dressed in her own room. She pulled her clothes on without ceremony: a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, a loosely fitted plain fitted tee and belt for good measure.

Once finished she marched across the hall to peak into Maxwell's room, doubtful that her twin had gotten dressed yet, let alone started his packing.

Make his own toast? Maxwell almost laughed. Silly, silly Liesel. He didn't cook his own food. Someone else did. That's how the world worked for her older brother. Things were always done for him. If they weren't, he'd find a way to get around it.

Behind him he heard his sister stand and leave the kitchen. He glanced over his shoulder. A plate of food, still partly full, sat on the table. It called him. It urged him. It whispered his name, coaxing him to eat. Slowly Maxwell took a step towards the plate. He peered through the archway of the kitchen. No one. He heard the door to the bathroom close and mentally punched the air. Fingers greedy, the dark haired teen snatched up the plate and began shovelling the food into his mouth, hardly stopping to breathe. When he finished he set the empty dish back on the table and waltzed out of the kitchen as if nothing happened.

He bumped into his mother on the way. She smiled up at her son, being a few inches shorter like her daughter with the same peaceful expression on her face. "Maxie! You're awake."

Obviously. Maxwell flinched inwardly at the nickname his mother had given him when he was a child. It was okay to call a boy that when he was only a handful of years old. But fourteen? That was going too far in his opinion. He shifted sideways, scuttling slowly away from his female parent. "Yes, I must be if we're talking right now," he muttered in response to her air-headed question.

His mother didn't falter at his tone. She touched his shoulder and he swore he saw her biting the inside of her cheek to stop herself from saying something emotional. She was sobbing and weeping about her children, her 'babies', being taken away from her only last night. God knows how she was going to act at the air port in a few hours. "You should be getting dressed, you know."

No duh. "I can't very well do that if you're holding me up." He didn't care to lose the sharpness in his voice that always seemed to stick there. His parents had long become immune to it, much like Liesel. Maxwell turned his back on his mother and disappeared within his room.

The clothes he wanted to wear walking on the campus of his new school were laying nice and neatly on his desk chair. If there was one word to describe Maxwell it was anal. Everything had to be perfect in his mind. If it wasn't then there was no point in even trying. The clothes consisted of a nice white dress shirt with a pair of black slacks. His dress shoes were in the closet all shiny and ready to be worn. Of course he had other footwear to bring due to his obsession with running, but first impressions were the most important of them all. He wouldn't be known as the gross kid with the ugly sneakers. No way.

He had just slid on his pants, still shirtless, when Liesel poked her head into his room. He turned at the sound of his door creaking open and cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

Liesel just shrugged and slipped into the room before closing the door behind her. She didn't seem to be bothered at all by his state of half dress. Walking over to where his shirt was draped over the chair she picked it up, seeming to study it for a moment before thrusting it at him, "People are going to think you're a prep," she said matter-of-factly before sitting down on his bed. She doubted the statement would change Maxwell's mind about the shirt but she felt it needed to be said. She had also picked out a white tee and dark pants so they would match in color at least, if not in style.

When they were younger her mother had obsessed over dressing them in matching outfits. The older they became however, the harder it had been for her to find matching clothes without making Liesel look like a tomboy and eventually at the insistence of their father she had given up her favorite pastime. Liesel hated dressing exactly like her twin but sometimes she amused herself by dressing in a similar color scheme. Some days she made a conscious effort and some days it happened by chance but she didn't obsess about it like her mother had. The young girl believed her clothes should show something about her own personality rather than state that her brother and herself were like simple clones.

Spotting a hairbrush on the bedside table, Leisel began methodically pulling it through her lengthy locks and looked slowly around the room. There were no signs of packing. "What have you been doing this whole time?" she asked suddenly. She had taken a quick shower but not that quick of a shower. Her brother had been up to something and she could sense it. She turned to stare at him, awaiting a response, as she continued to gently tease the snarls out of her hair.

Maxwell snatched his shirt out of her hands with a scowl. "They should recognize someone better than them as soon as they see it, that's all." Leaving his belt and pants undone, he slipped on his dress shirt and began buttoning it.

Their father once told Maxwell how clothes were the first thing someone judged you on. Your hygiene was second and your facial appearance third. They didn't care to get to know your personality unless you were clean and proper looking. Maxwell took the words to heart. His hair was always shiny and soft and his clothes were never specked with dirt and grime. His regeneration gave his face the flawless pale skin girls seemed to swarm to, along with his inability to sport scars.

Finished buttoning his shirt, the fourteen year old turned in the mirror after he tucked the hem into his pants and doing up his zipper and belt. His eyes raked over his body checking for any flaws. Nothing. He adjusted his collar and shot his reflection a little smirk. Alright, maybe he was a little vain.

Liesel asked what he had been doing while she was in her shower and Maxwell smoothed back his hair from his face. Uh oh. "I... Fixed myself something to eat," he lied. He'd lock his door as soon as she left. Then he'd sneak out his window. No wait, that might wreck his clothes. Damn. "Do you think the uniforms are going to be tacky?" He asked quickly, trying to change the subject.

Liesel watched him dress as she lazily dragged the brush through her waist-length hair. Everything had to be just so with Maxwell. It didn't bother her though, it was much better than him being a slob like some of the other boys she knew from school. When her twin responded to the question she posed, Liesel just rolled her eyes. Maxwell fix himself something to eat? And pigs could fly. Luckily for the lazy boy she was sure that three meals a day would be fully prepared for them at the new school.

When the conversation turned to the subject of uniforms, Liesel hesitated. Uniforms? She hadn't thought about that... She pondered how she felt about the possibility and finally decided that she'd like it if there were. It would make it much easier for her to blend in with the rest of the student body. Liesel hated standing out. Fortunately for her Maxwell's attitude tended to make him the center of attention so she could slip by unnoticed at his side so long as she stayed quiet, which was of course the norm when she was in public. "I honestly don't know..." Liesel responded at last.

Finally finished with her hair, Leisel set the hairbrush back where she had found it and stood to leave. There were a few more things she needed to pack. Just before she left, the younger twin took a moment to muss up the taller boy's hair and then quickly darted out of the room before he could retaliate. Once inside the safe confines of her own bedroom, her attention returned to the half-packed duffel in the middle of the floor.

Maxwell yelled with rage as his sister messed up his hair. He reached out to grab her, maybe to tickle her to death or something (he'd never hurt his twin physically. Who knows how much trouble he'd get into. Not to mention the fact it wouldn't do a damn thing), but Liesel was too fast. He could have run after her. He was, after all, the top runner in their schools. At least he used to be. Who knew what kind of freaks were at this new... 'special gift academy' place. However, Liesel was out of the room and hiding in her own sleeping quarters before Maxwell could even decide to try and chase her. Besides, his pants might get wrinkled.

The empty suitcase he always used to pack his belongings sat waiting in his closet. There were uniforms at this new school, he knew it thanks to a few connections of his father, so all he had to bring were a couple sets of clothes. Besides, even if the uniforms thing turned out to be false, he could just buy more. It's not like he didn't have money.

It took about half an hour for Maxwell to pack his favourite outfits. Shirts were folded on the left, pants on the right. Everything else (undergarments and such) were tucked away in the pouch. His hair was almost completely dry by then and as the teenager ran a hand through the dark locks he took one last look at himself in the mirror. This was how he'd look coming onto campus. This was the image people would first imprint into his mind. He smirked. He'd blow them out of the water.

His father knocked on his door. It was already open, but the action had politeness written all over it. "Hey, you ready?"

"Just let me grab my bathroom utensils," Maxwell said and left to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth quickly, dried his toothbrush, then stuffed it into his suitcase along with anything else he found important. His carry on case (a black, soft leather briefcase, of course) had a novel, a portfolio of the information he had on the school, his laptop and a set of headphones. That really was all he would need for the six hour flight Liesel and he had to take.

"Li, hurry up," he called down the hall into his sister's room. He wasn't sure if she was still in there, but the house wasn't exactly big. She'd hear him regardless of her location. "It's an hour drive to the airport! If we miss our plane I'm going to melt your precious little clay animals!"

Liesel stared at the bag on the floor and then after a moment's thought started unpacking it. Maxwell's comment about the uniforms had given her doubts. If there really were uniforms, she wouldn't need to take so much clothing and so deciding to trust her twin's instincts on the matter, she only packed in half of what she was originally going to bring along. That which remained was put back neatly in her dresser. Adding her fencing uniform and epee once again to the top she nearly zipped the bag closed before remembering to collect her toiletries and add them to the mix. And a few more pair of shoes. But wait, would she need to take school supplies? And then there was her carry-on to pack. Gar! Why hadn't she thought of all of these things the evening prior. And there was Maxwell calling to tell her it was time to leave.

Zipping the duffel closed, Liesel slipped her feet into a pair of black flats and rushed to her desk to grab her school bag. Dumping all the useless crap out onto her desk she shoved in a notebook and pen, some book she didn't know the title to, and her wallet. She really hoped she wasn't forgetting something important but even if she did it probably wouldn't be too big a deal for her parents to just mail it to the school. Catching Maxwell's threat she grabbed the bag and her duffel and exited her room without so much as a backwards glance. There really wasn't too much that she'd miss about the place, it was honestly quite boring. Turning her attention to her twin she retorted, "I'd like to see you even try Maxwell. You'd have to fire them at over 2,000 degrees to even get the outside to melt, and that wouldn't even do anything to the form itself." And with that she stalked outside with her bags and threw them unceremoniously into the trunk before taking her usual seat in the back.

Maxwell rolled his eyes at her reply. He mimicked what she said in a higher octave, distorting his face, " 'You'd have to fire them at over 2,000 degrees to even get the outside to melt, and that wouldn't even do anything to the form itself.' " He followed Liesel and, completely opposite of her, gently laid his suitcase into the truck. Ah, the joys of being the older sibling. He adored teasing his sister.

He kept his briefcase close to him as he climbed into the back of the car. It was a nice little blue Honda. Not too big, not too small. Perfect for their family of four. Their parents took the driver and passenger seats.

An hours drive to the airport was complete hell in Maxwell's mind. The first fifteen minutes of the trip consisted of his mother yammering about the school and what she thought about it. Then, as if cued, her voice became stuffy and sobs erupted from her throat. Their father turned on the radio, clutching his wife's hand. It was his silent way of telling her to shut up and get a grip, she was annoying everyone. The sympathy for his lover had long run out after the tenth mental break down last week.

Maxwell's head lolled sideways. He was so tired. So, so tired from waking up early on their summer vacation. His coffee wasn't even kicking in yet. Damn caffeine. Always with the drawbacks. Unbuckling his seat belt (very quietly so his parents didn't hear over their music), Maxwell untied his shoes, set them beside his briefcase with the care and love of a shoe obsessed teen, and leaned back to put his head on Liesel's lap. It reminded him of when they were children, Liesel used to do the same to him. Or when they were both tired and curled up together, once small enough to fit on the same seat, arms and legs tangled.

Their mother began singing in her tear choked voice. Maxwell's brow creased, eyes closed. His hands were folded on his stomach, legs bent in a way that wouldn't wrinkle his pants. His shirt would be fine if he stayed still. "Only forty-five minutes longer," he muttered loud enough for Liesel could hear. "I think I'm going to die within the next ten at this rate."

Liesel completely ignored Maxwell's mimicry, he was so clueless about her passion. When she heard him come out and lay his suitcase down in the back with the gentlest care. She vaguely wondered if he was doing it just to try to be the exact opposite of her but then she discerned that he more likely did it to prevent the clothes inside from shifting and ruining his perfect pack job.

When everyone was in the car, they finally got underway. It started off alright with mother yacking about the school. That was easy enough for Liesel to tone out, but when the annoying chattering turned into wracking sobs, her heart started to wrench a bit. But only a bit. As seconds turned into minutes, the youngest twin started to clench her teeth in annoyance. When their father finally turned on the radio it was a godsend.

Liesel rested her head against the window and closed her eyes but only for a moment until she felt Maxwell moving around. Opening her eyes she watched him untie his shoes. She knew what was coming next but didn't do anything to prevent it. She waited for Maxwell to make himself comfortable before resting her hand on his shoulder. The weight of his head in her lap felt warm and comforting.

When he whispered to her she merely smiled when he whispered to her so low she could barely here. Even so she seemed to make out the words without any difficulty and whispered back in the same manner, "You know, I've been thinking... If you died, what would happen to me? Are you even sure you can die?" The questions probably sounded rather stupid but they were interesting concepts in her mind. It wasn't like they could test them after all...

Maxwell's eyes snapped open. Die? Him die? The thought made his stomach do a flip. What would happen if he was killed? They were twins with regeneration. Everyone always said if one twin died the other soon followed. Like two halves of the same item. They couldn't live without each other. Would that be the same outcome for them? Or... were they immortal? They aged perfectly fine and they felt pain. It wasn't like they were abnormal (aside from the whole wound healing issue).

" I... don't know." He hoped they couldn't. Still, thinking about either of them dying... Maxwell suddenly glared at Liesel darkly. "I was just joking anyways! Neither of us are going to anytime soon." He paused, wondering if that was a little harsh. He had, after all, kind of brought it up. He frowned, closing his eyes again. He rolled onto his side, burying his face into his sister's stomach. She was sitting slightly slouched so it wasn't too uncomfortable."Just... don't think about it," he murmured. Better yet, stop talking about it. He didn't like the topic of their deaths. It made his chest expand in a way he worried it would burst. His heart always stalled and his emotions betrayed him. He felt like a child, scared of the conversation. He hated these moments. They didn't happen too often either which made it worse.

Leisel was quite surprised by how deeply her musings had effected her twin. The dark glare he sent her way scared her and she immediately shut her mouth and turned to look out the window. A moment later Maxwell rolled over and buried his face into her stomach. She could feel the heat of Maxwell's breath through her shirt but didn't budge. She did her best to ignore him but it was difficult, as it always had been.

Reaching over to the door, Liesel cranked the handle of the window to open the window a few inches. Her long hair loosened itself from behind her and blew in wisps around her face. It was still quite wet and the back of her shirt was damp from sitting against it. The wind would likely dry it by the time they reached the airport however so she wasn't worried about it.

Looking out the open window at the countryside Liesel watched the countryside blur by and wondered what their new home would be like. Would the campus be in the middle of a bustling city? Or perhaps secluded deep within an ancient forest? It sure was far enough away... Liesel had never been so far from home and neither had Maxwell so she could only imagine what it might be like.

He thought he had only closed his eyes for a moment. Taking in the scent of his sister and feeling her breathe with each rise and fall of her stomach. But when he opened his eyes again Maxwell was laying face-up staring at the roof of the car. Liesel was still sitting in the same position and he briefly wondered if he had been a burden to her. Shrugging off the thought, Maxwell sat upright and stared around.

They were sitting in a parking lot. Their mother was knocking on the window, telling him to wake up, while their father had the trunk open. No doubt removing their cases. Instantly, Maxwell opened his door and leaped out of the car. His socked feet touched the pavement below and he swore--obtaining a dirty look from his mother as he did so--and quickly slipped on his shoes, tying them up.

"Don't touch, don't touch, don't touch!" He cried to his father. The man stopped in his action of reaching for Maxwell's suitcase. The teenager all but shoved his male parent aside and gripped the handle of his case. Gently, as if it were made of glass, he heaved it up out of the trunk and on the ground, exhaling in relief when it made contact with the grey below. Safe.

Grabbing his briefcase from its spot in the backseat of the car, Maxwell closed his door and looked around. People were milling about. Adults, kids and babies of all different kinds. He noticed only a few their age. Would they be their classmates? No, the chances of meeting a kid going to their school was slim. Very slim. Maxwell turned to his father while his mother began hugging the life out of Liesel. Poor girl looked ready to combust she was being squeezed so hard. "Where are our tickets?"

His father pulled them out from his coat and handed them to Maxwell. No passport. That meant the school was in the country. "You'll need to show some photo ID before you get on, so make sure you have your student cards with you in your wallet," his father lectured. "And don't forget to take off everything metal when you go through customs or else you'll back the line up."

"Yes, yes, I know all this. Don't be so repetitive," Maxwell retorted.

"Well you haven't been on a plane before and we can't come with you..."

"That doesn't give you rights to treat me like a baby!"

His father sighed, hugged him briefly, said a soft good-bye, then moved on to Liesel. He had to literally pry his wife off their daughter before shooing her over to Maxwell. The woman sobbed and clutched her son to her chest as if this were the last moment they would ever see each other.

"Mother, I'm going to school, not dying," Maxwell wheezed. Great, now his shirt was going to be wrinkled. "Please... let me... breathe..."

It didn't feel bad leaving his parents. In fact, Maxwell was glad for it. The only thing he'd miss was... No, wait, there was nothing. He was completely content with leaving them. It was going to this stupid school he hated. He'd rather suck it up and stick with his boring parents and boring life rather than journey to who knows where to train under some freak show.

After a while Liesel's mind stopped consciously functioning and she fell into a sort of half conscious stupor. The next thing she knew her mother was taping at the window and she looked around to realize that they had already pulled to a stop in a parking space not far from the airport entrance.

The younger twin started at the sudden movement of Maxwell jumping out of the car, somehow managing to not bang his head on the ceiling in the process. Contrary to her brother, Liesel opened the car door and stepped out calmly. She waited patiently as Maxwell fawned over his baggage and then allowed her father to pull her cases out for her.

She didn't get the chance to take them from him however as her mother wrapped her arms tightly around her. Arms pinned to her side, Liesel could do little but stand there as her mother hugged the living daylights out of her. She wondered if Maxwell could feel the onset of her bruises as she sometimes felt his pain as well.

From a couple of feet away, Liesel could hear father talking to Maxwell about the trip but she ignored them and instead concentrated on trying to feel her fingers as her mother's death-grip was starting to cut off circulation. She was relieved when father came over and pried her mother off before any lasting damage was made to her person.

She kissed her father on the cheek and gladly recieved his much gentler hug. She had always been closer to her father than she had her mother. He was a rather down-to-earth man who cared for nothing more than the well-being of his family. Pulling away from her father, Liesel took her baggage from him and managed to drag Maxwell away from mother before their theory on death could be tested out.

Upon entering the airport alone with her brother she nearly glued herself to his side. There were so many people... There were babies crying, children running around, old people sitting with dour expressions on their faces in rather uncomfortable looking chairs. Liesel was starting to feel a bit claustrophobic already...

Maxwell stared around the airport. They were supposed to board the Airbus A330. Whatever that meant. Was it the plane manufacturer and its registration number? Maxwell narrowed his eyes at his ticket and frowned deeper. The airport was loud. Very loud. People were milling about going in every direction. It made him dizzy just to look around.

A little to their right he caught sight of the check in and touched Liesel's shoulder. "Over there," he instructed. As he glanced down at her face he saw something close to discomfort staring back at him. Of course, she was shy. Sometimes Maxwell forgot about his twin's timidness because they were so normal with each other. He sighed and touched her shoulder, motioning her in the right direction. "Don't worry, I'm right here," he told her, attempting to be of some comfort.

When they were children Maxwell used to hold Liesel's hand and take charge. Now they were fourteen and he was far too old to be doing such a thing. His fingers pressing into her shoulder, he steered them into a line under the screen that read Airbus. His father had run through how checking in and customs worked yesterday. He was always telling Maxwell to watch Liesel. Sometimes it grew very tiring and annoying. She wasn't a child. She was simply... meek...

Liesel looked in the direction that Maxwell indicated but wasn't sure exactly what he wanted her to see. There were too many people and too much going on for her to know where they should be going. Dad had explained a bit about airports to Maxwell but the commotion seemed to have him confused as well. She felt slightly comforted when he touched her holder and was happy when he guided her in the right direction. She took a step forward but waited to go any further until her older twin began leading the way. She followed as closely behind him as possible without tripping over his heels until they stopped behind a line of about ten to fifteen other people.

As they waited, Liesel stood with her head down, seeming to stare at her feet until the noise of the approaching airbus caught her attention. When it came to a complete stop at the platform, everyone in line hurried to get inside, jostling the twins in the process. Liesel had a death-grip on Maxwell's arm with one hand and her baggage with the other. Somehow they managed to make it on together before the doors closed and the small train took off.

Even inside the car Liesel refused to relinquish her hold on Maxwell and did her best to ignore the thirty or so other people crammed in around her. She wished there was somewhere she could hide from their gazes. By the time they reached their stop the poor girl was trembling all over and practically dragged Maxwell off the car she was in such a hurry to get away from everyone. Once outside she just stood there silent and motionless, unsure of what they should do next.

Maxwell clutched his suitcase in one hand, the other holding onto his briefcase. Liesel's grip on his arm felt strong enough his bone might break. He glanced down at her. Pure terror. The poor girl hated crowds and there was an obnoxious kid behind them with auburn hair and sunglasses. Maxwell glared at the teenager who continued to yap away on his cell phone, oblivious to the folks around him.

"Just a bit longer," he told Liesel. Sure enough a handful of minutes later the doors opened. Liesel yanked on Maxwell so hard he stumbled, nearly dropping his cases. "H-hey! Don't pull like that!" He snapped, ripping away from her grip. "Jeez, Li, you could've killed me..."

They were standing in a terminal. The boy on the cell phone exited after them, still talking away. He didn't seem to have a care in the world for anyone else. When he passed Maxwell coughed because suddenly the air felt thick. Heavy and moist. He shook his head and breathed in again but the sensation was gone. What in the world was that? He glared at the teenager waltzing off and the people behind them pouring out. The twins were no doubt in the way.

"We need to find our boarding gate," he told Liesel. "Then we walk onto the plane and take our seats." He was trying to explain what his father had told him. Did their mother say anything about this place. He nudged his sister off to the side so they didn't block the flow of human traffic. He tapped her ticket with his knuckle of the hand that held his briefcase. "See that? Airbus A330. That's our plane. We need to find the gate, sit down, and wait for them to board. It's that simple."

He paused. Liesel had been trembling in that car. Maxwell set his suitcase down (carefully, of course) and touched his twin between her shoulder and neck. "You okay? We can turn around and go right back home if you want." He knew better than anyone how nervous and scared she became of others. An air plane might be too much. Especially a new school. What if they didn't have the same dorm? What if they were separated and didn't see each other? She wouldn't last more than two days. "Don't do this because you think everyone wants you to. Believe me, Mum will be happy if we come home. She might drown us in her tears of joy though..."

Liesel barely noticed the teen that seemed to have taken Maxwell's interest so keenly. She was taking deep breaths to calm herself down after being squished into the train car with so many other people. A few of those breaths felt heavier than normal but she hardly seemed to care.

She was relieved when Maxwell moved them to a slightly less congested area and started to explain the next steps they would take in their journey. It helped take her mind off the people around them and let her know what to expect. It didn't seem long now if all they had to do was find the place and sit down. Still, that didn't seem quite right. Hadn't dad been talking earlier about something with showing their IDs and taking off metal? And what about their baggage, Liesel couldn't help but think that maybe Maxwell was forgetting a step.

When Maxwell placed his hand gently close to her neck Liesel could tell he was worried for her. When he mentioned going back home however she fervently shook her head no. There was no way in HELL he was going to get her back onto that train. She leaned against his body and gently pulled his head down so she could whisper in his ear, "It was just the train... I'll be alright, as long as we sit together." Liesel gave a meek smile and then remembered there was something else she wanted to tell him, "Dad said something about customs and metal..." Hopefully Maxwell knew what he was talking about because she sure didn't.

Oh. Right. Customs... Maxwell turned and glanced around the area. People were flowing like a river with two currents. One going towards the different archways, another heading away from them. He wasn't sure which direction they needed to take. He'd never been to a place like this before. Maybe... Maybe they should ask someone?

No! Maxwell was a man! He wasn't going to be another meek fourteen year old begging a worker for help! His lips twisted into a harsh frown, and the older twin bent down to pick up his suitcase again. " Come on, I'll find it."

It took about fifteen minutes, but finally Maxwell caught sight of the signs and Liesel and he followed them to the customs where they proceeded to strip of everything on them that was metallic. Maxwell had to tell Liesel what to do as they stepped in line for the process. As the older sibling stepped through the large archway he was greeted to silence and the woman standing with the hand held metal detector smiled at him warmly, motioning him through. The lineups were thick and they didn't want him blocking it. Grabbing his cases, along with his sister's, Maxwell stood off to the side and waited for Liesel to pass through the gate. He sent her a quirk of the lips, his equivalent to a reassuring smile. His mental words were 'don't worry. Just walk towards me'.

Liesel followed Maxwell aimlessly for the next fifteen minutes, nearly glued to his side as the congestion of people seemed to worsen. She had the feeling that Maxwell wasn't quite sure where they were going but she kept her mouth shut. She wasn't exactly helping so it wouldn't be her place to complain about it.

It took a while but Maxwell seemed to find what he was looking for and they were herded into line with other travelers going in the same direction. Liesel stayed behind her twin where she felt safest but spared tentative glances over his shoulder to see what was going on in front of them. Though everyone else in line seemed to know what they were doing, the purpose of the process remained a mystery to Liesel and when the twins were called forward to take their turn she looked to Maxwell for guidance.

She did as he told, quickly placing her bag on the conveyor and then adding her belt to the plastic bin that Maxwell had emptied his pockets into. He passed through the gate and made it safely to the other side. A woman on the other side motioned her to walk through and she followed suit, nearly jumping out of her skin when a loud beep rang behind her. The woman began waving a stick over her body and then without warning started to pat her down. Liesel froze, her eyes searching out Maxwell's with an expression that clearly read "HELP ME!" but before he could come save her from the situation the woman motioned her through.

The younger twin skittered over to her other half, completely bewildered and violated by what had just happened. She quickly snatched her belt off and dragged Maxwell away from the horrid woman before she could come back to harass her some more. Once a safe distance away she stopped to put her belt back on and take her bags back from her brother. From what he had said earlier, they would just need to find the gate now. She hopes it was almost over... It couldn't possibly any worse after everything she had already gone through.