The Tricky Twist

Young genius Lucius Dalworthy climbed from his Subterranean Tunneller, straightened his top hat, and strode into the underground chamber. ‘Surrender!’ he cried. ‘There is no escape for you now!’

Standing amid the steam and dust, Cressida Mandeville – his equally young and equally brilliant arch-enemy – raised an eyebrow. ‘That’s odd. I was just about to say the same thing to you.’

Her hair was blond now instead of the hideous brown mess it had been in the last time Lucius had seen her and it fell perfectly around her shoulders. Her hazel eyes stared him down, with an expression of something that had never changed. ‘What are you wearing? You look ridiculous.’

Lucius raised an eyebrow and gave her a pointed look. ‘That’s odd. I was just about to say the same thing to you.’ He mimicked her high, feminine voice that bounced off the walls of the dark, waterlogged, sewer that after years of not being in use, had recently become their battleground.

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. ‘Boys are so immature. No-one talks like that.’

‘If you say som’ Lucius said doubtfully. ‘So, you’re…um…here for the scenery,’ he proclaimed sarcastically, gesturing around at the disgusting meeting place. ‘The uh… water lilies should be flourishing soon,’ he said, picking up with his fingertips what probably used to be a sock, from the sickly green liquid that called it-self sewer water, and examining it as it dripped waste back into the undisturbed pool that sat in the middle of the room. A quick glance at Cressida told him she was utterly horrified that Lucius would touch that sad excuse for a sock at all.

Dropping it back in the hideous muck, he turned to her with a smug look on his face, but Cressida only mirrored it, because she knew something he did not.

‘Now,’ he said, his face turning serious for the first time that night. ‘Why did you want me here?’

Cressida only smiled and looked him in the eye. ‘I have something for you.’ She watched as a black figure in the corner behind Lucius came forward silently, heading straight for the Subterranean Tunneller Lucius had left open. Just as Cressida predicted he would.

‘No you don’t,’ Lucius said flatly. Clearly unconvinced.

‘No, you’re right I don’t,’ she admitted. ‘But you have something for me. Don’t you,’ she added mischievously as behind him the figure climbed into the top of the Tunneller.

‘What do you…?’ he started, confused, but before he could finish the Tunneller behind him roared to life. He spun around, bewildered.  Glancing back, he saw that Cressida had taken the moment of his distraction and fled to the walls of the chamber. The tunneller sped toward him, with no intention of stopping. Despite his racing heart, he sighed.

Of all the people in the world he could have been twins with, he was the one to be stuck with the devious Cressida as his sister. Lucky him.

By Sinead Goodfellow, Year 8 (Female)