Kelsey strolled leisurely down the boardwalk towards Lumen Cove, breathing in the fresh ocean air and enjoying the warm sun on her face, despite the late October chill. She was blissfully unburdened, for once not having to navigate the landmines of half truths and made up obligations because it was show week for Reva so she was safely ensconced in the Community Center doing run throughs before opening night. Logan was at football practice and Elliot was grounded for missing curfew. It was nice being able to just walk out of the front of the school and head back to The Cove, not having to take a secret route or dodge questions about where she was off to.

She’d spent the last few weeks in a blissful haze. While most residents of Lambency were grumbling about the onset of winter she remained cheery and unbothered by pretty much anything. Reva was suspicious of her new found optimism but didn’t pester her about it, however Kelsey did catch her looking through her text messages the other day. Luckily Reva didn’t know anything about android devices and Kelsey had installed a hidden messages app almost immediately after she and Alex started dating.

She scrunched up her nose. Could she really call it dating? Sure they spent the majority of their time together, dinner at his place then snuggled on the couch watching movies that turned into make out sessions which led to the bed more often than not. She couldn’t get enough of him and he often accused her of trying to kill him but he never once turned her down, even when she woke him in the middle of the night and he was half asleep. If she had to pick, that was probably her favorite, slow and lazy with no sense of urgency, just enjoying the feel of each other.

She trotted down the steps to the beach, the steel colored sky hanging low over a charcoal sea and she wondered if there would be storms tonight. She loved laying against his chest as lightening flashed through the room and the rumble of thunder made him squeeze her tighter in his sleep, a protective gesture that made her chest feel full to the bursting point. She watched down the beach as she rounded the bight and found Lumen Beach deserted but she still hurried along length of the crag until she was safely hidden by the building then climbed the stairs to Alex’s back door.

The knob turned easily which she smiled at; Alex always left it open for her when he was home and that meant she didn’t have to wait for him. She slipped inside and stepped into the kitchen, dropped her school bag next to the counter and turned to shuck off her coat. She jumped, finding Alex sitting behind his desk looking bewildered by her presence and she laughed, pressing a hand to her chest.

“Jesus, Lex,” she breathed, continuing to pull off her coat and draped it over the back of one of the barstools. “You startled me.”

He didn’t say anything, just narrowed his eyes at her as if confused and she gave him a strange look, bending to tug off her boots before walking to stand in front of his desk.

“How was your dentist appointment?” She asked and he blinked at her before giving her a smile that was all teeth and she laughed at the strangeness of it. “Well, I’m sure you’ll hear about this tomorrow” she said putting her hands on her hips and grinning at him. “But they pulled Cody Algers out of class again to try and catch him with pot somewhere on campus and came up short. I don’t know how he does it but it’s gonna give Vice Principle Danes a stroke here soon if he keeps coming up empty handed.”

He was still looking at her as if she were an alien, his blue eyes intense but not in their usual serious way. It was beginning to unnerve her.

“Is everything okay?” She asked, her head tilting to the side and his face smoothed. He nodded his head as his eyes ran over her with interest and she sighed.

She walked around his desk and he didn’t take his eyes off her, turning in his chair as she came to stand next to him. She felt his body stiffen as she climbed into his lap letting her arms wrap around his neck. The chair wobbled precariously and he planted his feet to steady it. She twisted her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck, studying his face and something was different but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. He rested a hand on her thigh, studying her face in return and amusement danced in his eyes. She looked down at his shirt, a soft gray thing with a Harley Davidson Eagle on the front and she frowned.

“Where’ve you been hiding this?” she questioned with a laugh, never having pegged him for a Harley guy but she had learned a lot of odd quirks about him over the past few weeks. She loved feeling like she was privy to things no one else was.

He shrugged, still watching her face and something was definitely off. Maybe his mouth hurt. She cupped his cheek with one hand which he jumped at and she leaned in to kiss his lips softly, trying not to apply too much pressure. It was like a shock when their lips touched, something in her brain screaming wrong and she was just about to pull back when she heard the front door open.

Her head whipped round and her mouth fell open when she saw…Alex, closing the door behind him and bitching as he shuffled through his mail.

“So, what the fuck is it this time? You need money? You need an alibi, what?”

Kelsey looked from the Alex by the door to the Alex on whom she was sitting and back again, her brain jamming hard, mouth working around silent syllables of shock. The Alex sitting under her grinned and she scrambled out of his lap as the Alex by the door yelled out.

“HEY!”

Kelsey’s back hit the bookshelf as she stumbled to get away, a few frames falling over from the force and the Alex in the chair broke into a bray of laughter that Kelsey had never heard before.

“You never told your girlfriend you’re a twin?” The Alex in the chair asked through his laughter and Kelsey looked over at the Alex by the door slack-jawed. He was pale, the mail having fallen from his hand to the floor. “Pleasure to meet you darling. I’m Drew.”

Kelsey felt the other Alex - Drew? - slip his hand into hers and give it a shake, his fingertips smooth and she jerked her hand away, skittering sideways to stand over by the couch. Drew just laughed again and Alex cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck hard as he dipped to pick up the mail.

“Sorry for giving you such a shock,” Drew said smirking as he spun forward again in his chair. “Lexi never did like admitting we were family but obviously it’s a little hard to deny.” Drew gestured to Alex’s face then his own.

Kelsey couldn’t help staring at him, everything about him identical to Alex but also distinctly different. His features were an exact match but Kelsey had never seen them situated into the expression that Drew was wearing. His eyes were the same indigo but held much more mirth though underneath Kelsey felt a current of maliciousness she never sensed in Alex.

“You’re… you’re his brother?” Kelsey stuttered and Drew nodded before looking at Alex.

“Got you a smart one I see,” Drew teased. Alex glared at him, moving to throw the mail down on the coffee table. “I’m his older brother,” Drew said to Kelsey, “By seven minutes. Twins run in our family. Dad had a twin. Died in Vietnam, really fucked Dad up, which is what I remind my baby bro about every time he threatens to murder me like he’s about to do right now.”

“I swear to God, Drew,” Alex snarled and Kelsey jumped, never having heard his tone so hateful. She gave him a confused stare and he avoided her eyes.

“Here look,” Drew said and Kelsey turned to find him pulling an album off the bookshelf and flipping through it. He turned it outward to Kelsey pointing to one of the washed out photographs at the bottom of a page. “That’s dad, Frank Danvers, and his brother, our uncle, Eddie.”

Kelsey stepped forward to look at the grainy photograph that looked like it’d been run through the 1977 filter. Two young men in navy fatigues with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths leaned against a pile of sandbags that was waist high on what looked like a deck of a ship, an endless ocean in the background. Kelsey took the album in her hands and squinted at the two men, identical as the two men in the room with her right down to the side of their mouth their cigarette was hanging from. The resemblance to Alex - and Drew, she thought - was also striking.

“Uncle Eddie died two days after that was taken,” Drew said and Kelsey looked up at him finding his face neutral, this news having no impact on him at all. “Dad named the Echo Delta after him. Hey Lex,” Drew said looking to his brother who was glaring at him with obvious dislike. “Where is the ol’ Echo Delt? We should take her out for spin. For old times’ sake. We can both get drunk and take turns yelling at each other about what lousy disappointments we are. It’ll be like Dad’s actually there. You’ll never be able to tell the difference.”

Drew winked at Kelsey and she looked to Alex with eyebrows drawn to find him looking at the floor.

“Kels,” he said, his voice thin with tension as he gestured her over and she handed the album back to Drew who took it and began to turn the pages but made no attempt to hide the fact that he was watching them.

Kelsey’s eyes were asking him a million questions as she stepped up to him and he was refusing to look at her. He put a gentle hand on her lower back and inclined his head towards hers, his mouth next to her ear.

“Look I have to deal with this,” he said lowly, his eyes flicking to Drew who was smirking at them knowingly and Alex swallowed hard, beginning to edge Kelsey over to the kitchen.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Kelsey whispered, her voice a little louder than she intended and Alex winced, taking her coat off the back of the barstool.

“We will talk about this later I promise.” He nudged her arm so she turned and he was able to help her into her jacket. “I’ll text you,” he said with a finality that left no room for argument as he leaned over to put her boots in front of her, helping her into them awkwardly.

“You’ll text me?” She asked, trying to keep her balance as he hooked his thumb in the back of her boot to pull it up her leg. She grabbed onto his shoulder as he did the same with her other foot, hesitantly looking at Drew again who was now sitting back in the desk chair, perusing the photo album with mild interest. He looked up then and Kelsey felt sucker punched by the resemblance. As Alex stood he picked up her bag and held it out to her, Kelsey looking to Alex’s face and back to Drew’s feeling like this was all a very strange dream.

“Yeah,” Alex said and then seeing the look on her face quickly added. “Before I call I mean.” She narrowed her eyes.

“Nice to meet you Kelsey!” Drew said brightly. “Would love to spend more time with you. Can’t remember the last time Lexi had a steady.”

Alex made an annoyed sound and blushed when Kelsey looked up at him startled. He grabbed her arm with a little more force than was necessary and ushered her to the door.

“Alex–“ Kelsey said as the entered the laundry room and he began to open the door.

“Please Kels, not now okay,” he begged his eyes fatigued in a way she’d never seen before. “I’ll text you. I promise.”

And with that he nudged her out the door and closed it behind her, leaving Kelsey standing on the landing, dazed and wondering what the hell had just happened.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Andrew?” Alex asked, his hand still planted on the door and he could hear his brother’s chuckle from the other room.

“I can’t just want to check on my baby bro?” he asked, the innocence in his voice misleading and Alex growled, returning to the kitchen to find Drew leaned back in his desk chair his hands folded behind his head while he grinned obnoxiously. Drew leaned forward then, standing and stretching. “Didn’t mean to kiss your girl but in my defense she sat down on my lap and initiated,” Drew teased. Alex felt his blood begin to boil, his hands clenching into fists. “This was not a Mallory Benson thing I swear.”

“What are you doing here, Drew?”

“You’re not still pissed about that are you?” Drew walked around the desk and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at his brother in concern. “It was…” Drew eyes widened as his cheeks puffed to blow out a slow breath. “…fifteen years ago? I mean, it was an honest mistake on her part. We are identical but I’ll admit that made me finally get why you went for the quiet girls. Wow, she sure wasn’t quiet in the sack-”

“Andrew!” Alex yelled and his brother’s laugh cut off, his face situating into a wounded frown. “What. Are you. Doing. Here?”

“I can’t just want to come see you, Alexander? It’s been almost six years. And color me surprised when I find out you moved to Alabama of all fucking places. You seem to be doing all right for yourself though…” Drew looked around with approval and envy though no one else would have seen the second emotion except for Alex. “Was that girl your student?” Drew asked suddenly, gesturing towards the laundry room and Alex stiffened, his back went ramrod straight and his face slipped into a blank stare. Drew smirked. “Settle down, Marine I’m not gonna report you. Good for you getting in while the gettin’s good.”

Alex glared at him, crossing his arms over his chest petulantly. “What do you want?”

Drew sighed, the humor leaving his face and then it really was like looking in a mirror. “I need a place to crash for a while.”

“No,” Alex said simply and picked up Drew’s duffle from beside the couch and started to walk it to the door.

“Come on Alex!” Drew whined following his brother to the front door and leaning on it before Alex could open it. “I’m your brother and I’m homeless. You want me sleeping on the street?”

“Why are you homeless, Drew?” Alex asked glaring at him. “Last I heard you were in jail for petty larceny. What are you doing here?”

Drew scoffed. “That was a misunderstanding and that’s why I need to crash with you. I gave your address to my parole officer.”

Alex looked up at the ceiling, his arms flailing in a way that only happened when Drew was involved. “Why the fuck did you do that?”

“Because when the parole board asked if I had any family I could stay with to help me stay out of trouble, I naturally told them about my twin brother who was a decorated marine and high school teacher!” Drew’s face went serious and his voice turned mocking. “‘He got all the brains and sense, Officer.’” Drew grinned at him. “Worked like a charm.”

“I’m sorry, man. You can’t stay here,” Alex said, his tone indicating that he really wasn’t all that sorry and tried to open the door again but Drew nudged it back shut.

“Look, you know how this goes. I’m not gonna be in your hair for long and as soon as I get a steady job I’ll be in my own place and you can start sleepovers with Lolita again.”

“Andrew!” Alex yelled bringing a hand to his face and rubbing hard, letting out a frustrated growl. “When have you ever had a steady job?”

Drew blinked at him. “In high school, the barbecue place-”

“You burned that down!” Alex yelled and Drew looked appalled.

“That was an electrical fire, everybody said so.”

“I am throwing this off the deck and you’re gonna follow it if you don’t go quietly.” Alex turned to the sliding glass doors and Drew grabbed a hold of one of the straps tugging him back.

“Alex, I’m your brother!” Drew jerked on the strap trying to pull it from Alex’s grasp.

“You’re a felon who hasn’t worked a real job in your life. You are not staying here.” Alex jerked the bag back towards him and Drew jerked forward with it. He narrowed his eyes at Alex.

“You gotta lot of nerve throwing words around like ‘felon’ when you’re fucking an underage student,” Drew said, tugging the bag towards him again. Alex squawked, ripping the bag towards himself again.

“She’s eighteen!”

Drew’s eyes widened joyfully pointing a finger at him. “So you are fucking her!”

“Goddammit, Andrew!” Alex screamed, letting go of the bag to spin away from him and rip his hands through his hair in frustration.

“Come on bro,” Drew said evenly, letting his bag fall to the ground and putting his hands on Alex’s shoulders, rubbing his tense muscles and shaking him encouragingly. “Three weeks, a month tops and I’ll be gone.”

Alex closed his eyes, holding his breath so he could hold his temper. He guessed he didn’t have much choice. He never did with Drew. Ever since their mom died he blew in and out of Alex’s life whenever he needed money or a place to stay not to mention an alibi. Every time Alex tried to decline, Drew would beg and plead and eventually Alex would give in, but not because Drew had convinced him of anything. This was usually the point when Alex remembered the promise he’d made to their mother as she struggled for breath in an overly cozy hospice room. He couldn’t look into her faded blue eyes, once an exact replica of his own and tell her his brother could rot for all he cared. So he agreed even though he knew he would regret it for the rest of his life.

“Fine,” Alex spit throwing his hands in the air. “But you’re doing your own fucking laundry and buying your own fucking food and you will be out in one month or the ride we take in the Echo Delta will be to dump your dead body.”

Drew grinned widely at him. “Dually noted, baby bro, dually noted. I’ll even spend a few nights out so you can get a piece of that sweet cherry pie of yours. Did you take her virginity or is she one of those naughty school girls-“

Drew was cut off by the large squelching sound that came out of him when Alex whipped around and grabbed him by the throat. Drew gripped his brother’s wrist as his feet left the floor supported only by Alex’s crushing grip on his throat, his other hand tangled in his shirt. Drew hit Alex’s shoulder hard.

“Can’t breathe.”

“You say one fucking word about Kelsey to me,” Alex’s fist clenched harder and Drew’s eyes bulged, his face turning redder by the second, “or anyone fucking else and I will kill you, Drew.”

“Okay,” Drew choked, banging his open palm more urgently against Alex’s shoulder.

“Is that fucking clear?” Alex barked, squeezing tighter still and he felt Drew’s Adam’s apple bob against his palm as he attempted to cough, spit running down the corner of his mouth.

“Yes! Yes!”

Alex let go and Drew’s feet thudded against the floor, his body heaving over in a raucous cough, sucking in air desperately. Alex grabbed his shoulder hard, leaning so that his mouth was right by his ear. “One month, brother. One.”

He patted Drew on the shoulder a little harder than necessary and walked out onto the deck to cool off, wondering how this was all going to play out and what his brother was actually here for.