We were often told we had the same face. That it would be hard to tell us apart if it wasn’t for our hair and eye colour. Being twins, I supposed it made sense. But I did not understand how anyone could mistake me for my sister. She was beautiful in ways that I simply was not. Her beauty radiated from within her. While all I seemed to emanate was poison and hatred.

Dusk Thorn had deep green eyes. They glittered like emeralds. When her soft lips curled up into a smile, her eyes lit up. Sparkling and pretty. Her hair was a beautiful silky red. It curled neatly at the ends. Whereas mine seemed to have a mind of its own. It took an age of brushing my hair in the morning for it to even look a little bit presentable. Our one and only maid Martha used to call it her morning battle, when she came to wake us up as children. Her son, Adare once took over and got the hairbrush tangled within it.

My sister smiled as soon as she noticed me. She stood just outside the tower, the red door behind her still ajar. Long grass with their white cattails swayed in the wind in front of her. She clutched the bottom of her dress, so the wind didn’t blow it too much. She looked as though she stepped out of a painting.

One of a captured princess, waiting for her prince to arrive to her rescue. Unfortunate that I am not one.

Dusk could not leave the tower. Duke Bernard forbade it. He claimed it was for her safety. She was too weak. Too Sick. She had to be protected. Just like our mother. There was too much out there to hurt her. We knew otherwise. She was held there as a hostage, so I wouldn’t run away. 

“Dawn!” She called out happily. She waved with both her hands high in the air. “Dawnie! You’re finally here! It certainly took you an age! I’ve been waiting so long! Too long!"

The boat bumped gently against the bank of the little island. Tommy jerked a little bow, happy that he reached his destination, and then he fell completely slack.

“Thank you, Tommy,” I said, giving the automaton a little pat on the head, before turning to my sister. “I’m back Dusk,” I said with a wave. 

My sister’s lovely smile faltered when she looked at my arm. “What… is that?”

With my right hand on Tommy's head, I had not realised I was waving with my left. I quickly put my hand away. “Nothing.”

“Dawn!”

Sheepishly I showed her my hand. “It’s not a problem, really.”

“Your hand!” She gasped. “Dawn!”

“Don’t worry! It’s nothing. It doesn’t even hurt anymore.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing!” She fumed. She crossed her arms angrily. “What happened?”

“The usual,” I said with a shrug.

“Don’t the usual me!” She yelled. “You promised you would take care of yourself better!”

“It’s nothing. I can assure you!”

“Then tell me!”

“Uncle was upset that I did not answer all of his questions fast enough. But I was too hungry and tired to care. Then I went through the hedge.” 

“I told you not to go through that stupid hedge anymore!” she said. “We have gates!”

“But it’s the fastest way here,” I mumbled. “I just wanted to get back soon. Can you please drop it. I’m so tired. It’s been… a very long few days.” 

“Fine, fine.” Her face was a picture of not actually being fine. “Clean that up before coming in. You’ll drip blood everywhere. We just cleaned up everything the day before yesterday. We thought you would be home sooner, you know.”

I sighed. “Clean it? Really? You know how much I hate-“

“Yes!” She said angrily, her eyebrows knitting together. “Do it. Now! Before I make you!” She pointed towards the lake.

“You know it’s poisonous right?” I said in a mocking tone.

“And you know it won’t kill you right?” she replied back snarkily. “Do it before I dunk you in.”

“Fine, fine,” I sighed. With angry grumbling, I dipped my hand into Mirror Lake. I grimaced at the burn I felt, as the water flowed around my arm. I felt it sizzle around my wounds. And could feel the vine around my wrist throb heavily.

My sister and I were cursed by a thorny vine that grew out of the flesh, just underneath our palm. It wrapped around our wrist, as though some sort of intricate bracelet. It squeezed down hard, causing us to bleed when our uncle willed it. Which he did so often. He put them upon us  on the eve of our tenth birthday, calling it a present. How excited were we at first, for this early birthday gift. How naïve we were. We were both very sick for a week after that. And when we recovered we discovered that that day was the last day my sister was allowed to roam free from the tower.

“You know if I could do what you can, I would be away before anyone would know it,” she said, slightly wistfully as she looked at my healing arm. The poison in the lake was stronger for my sister than it was for me. I could swim in the lake if I really wanted too, but my sister, with her weaker constitution would not survive.

“You wouldn’t leave me,” I said with a smile. Just as I would never leave you.

She laughed merrily. “Yeah. That’s what you think. Oh well,” she smiled. “At least you get to be out and about. Now, after you’re done there, you’ll have to tell me the latest news from the manor. Any news of what the maids are up too? Did anyone new get fired for thinking thoughts above their station about a certain uncle of ours?”

“Well… It looks like you might have your chance to leave… soon.”

“What do you mean- oh,” she said. Her happy expression faltered and then fell. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes. “Oh. Oh no. It came? The invitation to the Trial of Roses? Please, tell me it did not, please Dawnie,” her voice was soft.

I nodded. She let out a large sniff, trying to hold back tears. It did not work. I quickly got off the boat and rushed to her. She opened up her arms and I fell into them.

“You’re always so quick to cry,” I mumbled with a sad smile.

She sobbed. “I don’t want you to go.”

“It’s alright. Why are you crying. Aren’t you meant to be my ‘big’ sister?” I said.

“Well, mother never told us who was born first,” she sniffed.

“Yeah, but you always claim it was you,” I said. “Don’t cry big sister. You’ll make me cry.”

I couldn’t help the tears that fell out of my eyes as well. I did not want to leave her. The competition took place over a month. The longest my sister and I have ever been separated from each other was a few days, and I was always only a few minutes away at the manor.

“Besides, you know I have to, Dusk. We have to make our escape from this wretched place. And the only way to do that is to find a way to rid ourselves of this stupid vine. And we can’t do that here. We simply don’t have the materials. And with uncle watching our every move, it’s impossible to get them here.” 

“But it’s so dangerous!” She said sobbing. “You know all the stories we heard from mother! You… you… you could die!” Her voice quivered. “Mother never wanted us to go! She always told us to avoid it if we could!”

“But we will rot away if we stay here,” I said softly, my voice shaky as well. “It isn’t fair for you to be here.” I patted her gently on the back of her head, stroking her soft hair. “And I’ve been training for this.”

“We can find another way for us to escape! We’ve been trying! I’ve learnt so many new things, and-”

“Dusk. Dusk, please. You know I have to go. It’s our best chance.”

“No!” She squeezed me hard. “No…”

“Duskie…” I said. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be. Please. I have to leave.”

“I know,” she said quietly after awhile. “But it doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

I held her as she sobbed in my arms, whispering words of reassurance, until she stopped crying.

I wiped the tears away from her eyes and cheeks with my non-bloodied sleeve. She did the same to my tears.

“What a sorry sight we are,” I chuckled.

“Yeah,” she sniffled. She breathed out heavily. “Well, I suppose it’s a good thing that I finished your present.”

“What present?” I asked curiously.

“Well, your birthday present!”

“Birthday? Our birthday was a month ago,” I said confused. “And you made me that scarf.”

“That wasn’t actually made by me,” she giggled. “It was a ruse. The actual thing wasn’t done yet. I had to wait for a full moon.”

“What?”

 “Come!” She excitedly squealed, as she led me by the hand into the tower.