Flashbacks and Surprises

[Eva Mariani]

It was a normal day in the Mariani household, or as normal as it could get with so many people always rushing here and there, up and down, around the house. Eva sighed, and rolled off her bed. Although it wasn't morning, she found her bedroom to be a nice hideout for when too many people were what she thought was invading her privacy. Well, actually, her and her family‘s privacy. Somehow, Eva had never been to not even one of the homes of the many people her parents called ‘close friends‘, whom Eva was pretty sure were simply just business partners. With everything that happened, the girl doubted her parents had many friends. They really only cared for one thing - their money, including their investments and not losing opportunities to obtain what they always so selfishly wanted. With a heaved sigh, she forced the famous smile she was used to practicing, and got dressed, though she had to change five times before her mother approved of what she was wearing. Eva chuckled to herself drily, wishing Aminia or Eddie were allowed to be here. But no, although her father was okay with having friends over, her mother was much stricter. And obviously, her dad went along with whatever her mom wanted, which annoyed the Gryffindor to no end.

The girl didn't really know how to feel about the school year being over. On the one hand, she was relieved that exams were done, but on the other...she was back here, and every time it was the same thing. Her parents weren't the type of people she could talk to or open up to about what went on in her life. She didn't have the type of relationship with them every child should, in her opinion. She kept what she feeling to herself, most of the time. And now that she was suspecting her parents were up to something (probably not good), she didn't think she could trust them completely like she used to. With that thought going through her head, Eva packed her backpack, placing a change of casual, muggle clothing she could change into once she was out of here. She had no intention of staying, and repeat her entire life. She had to change something. Quickly, she closed the door of her bedroom shut as quietly as possible before locking it, and put the key in the drawer before tiptoeing to the window and opening it. Music could be heard from her garden, though that was due to the wizarding music band who were playing live. Another embarrassment - besides the decorations, Eva had to live with showing off how much money her family owned. Without a choice. This made her decision final. She was going to sneak out. She carefully slipped off her high heels and threw them next to the bed, then she proceeded to climb out the window. She took a deep breath before she jumped down and landed on the grass. Her heart was pounding in her chest, she had never done such a crazy thing in her life before.

Thirty minutes later, Eva was back in her casual clothes and was walking through the streets of a small town close to hers. When she found a restaurant, that wasn't too fancy nor costed a large amount, Eva ordered something, choosing to sit outside where there were less people despite the weather. She opened her journal and began to write, something she found gave her freedom when she felt overwhelmed or claustrophobic. More than that, she wanted to leave the house for a bit and she felt a little guilty for leaving her brother behind. But he was more of a people person than she was. Eva was tired of pretending to be someone she wasn't, just to please her mother and father. Something caught her eye. There was something familiar about...horrified, Eva dropped the pen she was holding. Momentarily forgetting about her food, she stood up and swallowed hard, wondering if she should just approach the person and get this over with. "Hi, um...excuse me," she said, her voice sounding much weaker than she had assumed. "Do you...are you...is your name Alice, by any chance?" Eva‘s voice sounded foreign to her own ears. Strange. She had a deep, terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. If this girl was who she thought she was, Eva would never forgive everyone who, probably, lied to her. It was cruel. She didn't know if to hope she was right, or wrong. All Eva knew was that she needed to find out the truth. She also had an inkling she knew exactly who her lookalike was, because why else would she feel like she already knew her? The reason the Gryffindor had approached the other girl was because, although she hadn't seen her face clearly, she had something peculiarly similar to Eva. It was as if she saw herself, when she glanced at her. ​

 

[Alice Mariani]

Alice had had a fairly exciting day. Not only did she get into a dance academy, with the request and approval from her aunt and uncle, but she also got to showcase her best style - hip hop. Everything had gone smoothly. She even made new friends, some she noticed were neighbours, and it was a nice break from being home all the time, studying. She was homeschooled, after all. That didn't leave many options for socialising. Alice loved dancing, and it was something she used to share with her twin. She smiled fondly at the memories she held ever so dearly of when her and Eva were younger, they used to put up a mini talent show for their family during Christmas. But that time was long over. Alice had moved on from her old life, after she had survived, though even if she wanted to go back to her parents and siblings she knew very well that she couldn't. Something was still holding her back and Alice had slowly come to terms with the big change. Pretending not to have a twin sister hurt more than she could express, every day it tore her heart. She sometimes wished she hadn't left that day, then the accident wouldn't have happened and she would still be with them. But that was years ago. She had settled in with her cousins, they had welcomed her with open arms when she told them, agitated, what had happened. Nick was the most understandable person and he had been the one to convince aunt and uncle to let her stay with them, instead of going back. She had been scared, even traumatised. Going back would have meant reliving what she had, and that was nothing any nine-year-old would want to go through. She still remembered the horrible, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she looked at the masked faces - people she had, in fact, seen before. People who had attempted something threatening to her parents, except, Alice‘s life had been on the line. She had been scarred for months after that.

Think happy thoughts. You just got into the best dance academy in town, dude. That‘s right. She didn't have to think about the past, what happened had happened, and now she was able to defend herself. She knew much more magic than she had at nine. Alice was back from her dancing session (they started immediately when you got in), after three long hours she was ready to head back home, though maybe she could get something to eat on the way. Something like ice cream. People thought it weird that Alice ate ice cream in winter too, but hey, she didn't suffer the cold. Ice cream was too good not to eat it the whole year round. As she passed by a restaurant she was fairly familiar with, Alice was contemplating whether the ice cream was good or if she should just get it where she normally did. But before she could make a firm decision someone approached her, and instead of turning around to the person since it was impolite to talk to someone without making eye contact with them, she froze. She knew that voice...it was all too well-known to the dancer. In a rush of panic, she muttered, "No sorry, you‘ve got the wrong person" and started to walk a little faster, her heart beating a thousand beats per minute. This was not possible. She had to get outta there.​