CHAPTER 5

"Have you locked the door?"

"Hn."

Bella didn't waste any time on freeing her hair from the scarf and her twin followed her not a second later. Serra sprawled on the bed that they insisted on sharing; well Bella insisted verbally while Serra helped convey her point with her scowl until Grandma Millia caved. The bed are large enough to fit an adult, it fits them both and there's still a space to fit another person of their size. Silver lining from all the malnourishment, thanks to Luccia.

Millia's house consists of 3 rooms and a bathroom that they all share together. She told them to take a room each, both rooms were formerly owned by her sons. The old woman assures them that the boys won't mind them having their room. In fact, they actually already pressured Millia to kidnap the twins and make them live with her, offering their rooms for the children. They still can't get used whenever Grandma Millia speaks of kidnapping them casually.

When the twin asked where her son's would stay when they visited, Millia just shrugged and said that they didn't really stay at their room anymore when they visited but preferred to sleep at the living room, sharing a large mattress between them.

They just used their room to change their clothes and put away their things during their visits. Serra and Bella just had to share a glance before they both agreed that staying in a different bedroom is not something that they both want. They helped Millia clean Michael's room, moving all of Michaels' things into Matthews'. Grandma Millia makes them take all of her son's toys, books and anything that caught their eyes. Serra took the boys' old writing sets, the ink needed to be refilled though. Bella keeps all of their books, even on military topics; in which a lot.

They both asked if they could have the boy's old clothes to wear but Millia told them that she's making new clothes for them to wear later. But she relented when she saw that the twins eyed the trousers longingly and turned their puppy dog eyes on her at the same time. Although she did make them promised to let her make them new dresses.

It has been 3 days. Millia had made them try a lot of dresses in which she had actually made whenever she had a free time before. She didn't give it to them before because she didn't trust Luccia to not do anything to the dresses. Serra feels like her soul is being sucked out while Bella was having a blast time with Millia trying all the dresses all the while full with Bella's and Millia's squealing and cooing. She even made them scarves that match with their new dresses.

"I wonder why Grams never question our scarves…"

"Hmmm…"

"She has all the opportunity to ask these days."

"Uhm."

"Do you think she knows?"

"Hn."

"Well, yeah. There's always probability… you think we could ask her?"

"...Hnn."

"Well, it couldn't be any worse." Bella shrugs before laying her head on Serra's stomach.

"Hmf."

"There's no such thing as jinxing! You watch too much drama." Bella rolled her eyes.

As a writer before, Serraphina spent her adulthood confined in their house. Her twin enjoys handling the cooking and watching the tv but somehow despised cleaning. That odd girl even made a weird motivation from it, she'd hang a season of her show as a promise if she managed to finish a new manuscript on time, and that carrot-stick kind of motivation was surprisingly effective. But also one of her biggest regrets now; as Serra didn't get a chance to watch the new Loki series as they had agreed to drive home as soon as Serras' new manuscript was given a greenlight.

Poor girl.

Unlike Serra, who's obsessed with anime and those… variables tv series, Isabella enjoys reading the most. She has loved reading since a child as she grew up with her father as a writer. He used to write pre-teen stories when she was little and changed to romance-fantasy when she started elementary school. Isabella fell in love with Serraphina's writing when she started to write short stories for competition in their high school years and became her biggest fan when she became a writer.

She's grateful that her twin began to continue her passion in writing since they got Matthew's old writing kit. Isabella even managed to write down one of her fathers' books from her memories. Speaking of memories, it seems that Isabella has photographic memories that she knew she didn't have before. Although Serra didn't seem to share this specialty, her twin still has strong memories but tends to forget things that she deem not important, including people that she labelled as 'not worth it'.

Before, Isabella was fluent in 2 languages; Japanese and English, both writing and speaking. Her mother-tongue and a language that had been drilled on her head by her best friend. Meanwhile Serraphina proves herself as an extraordinary person as she manages to learn Korean from watching her favorite shows and Malay during their 3 years of staying at Malaysia for their study. Bella could speak Malay although brokenly but she couldn't write in it.

Bella regrets the day her best friend managed to force her to watch both Naruto and Naruto Shippuden because of a lost bet. Serraphina manages to train Bella to understand her own language. Since that day, that girl manages to avoid talking in full sentences if Bella is by her side to translate for her.

Serra calls it 'Uchiha speak'.

Bella called it 'Grumpy Grunt'.

They experiment with the languages here. It seems like the same language as English; she didn't know the full extent of the differences to English 'before'. They use Japanese and Malay (this one rarely) to speak of something that they didn't want anyone to know. People just thought that it was their garble gibberish words that they stick with since a baby; they happily let them be.

As Bella knew of her twin's nature of swearing and cursing, Serraphina had only been allowed to do it in Japanese. This mostly to protect the innocent heart of the people who see them as the abused, innocent, doe-eyes children. Somehow Millia always glared at Serra whenever she spoke the forbidden words in another language, as if she understood. They had been so afraid that she'd understand that they experimentally spoke to her using the languages to see her reaction.

The relief they felt when they were sure she didn't know was palpable.

...…..

"What do you two want for breakfast tomorrow?"

"We don't mind anything." Bella looks up from her dinner plate. She glanced at Serraphina who continued munching without care.

"Well, think of something then. It's your birthday tomorrow, so something special to begin your special day."

"Oh, ummm… French toast?" She looks at Serra for agreement and grins at Millia when her twin just nods.

Her chubby cheeks bulged like a chipmunk. Now that Bella looks closely, her twin has a chubbier cheek than she does. So that's where all the potatoes go. Serraphina's love for potatoes is quite infamous in the village. All because they could see a small smile on her usually stoic grumpy face when they got their payment in potato form.

"Well, French toast it is! Dianne gives some berries that she picked up this morning. We could have it with the toast and make berry pies with the leftovers." She felt excited to celebrate the twins first birthday since living here. Something that she wished she had done a long time ago.

"That's a lot of berries. Mixed berries?"

"Yes, she gave me a whole basket. Tell me that it's a birthday gift for you two."

"Ooooo! We have to thank her later! Maybe give her some of the pie? I know Frank would love it."

"That's a good idea. You two could give it to her tomorrow wearing that new dress that Luccia gave for your birthday."

"Pfffttttt!!!"

Serra's mid-process food in her mouth sprays all over the table and some manage to land on her gaping twin. Some even went into Bella's gaping mouth, which her twin was too busy to notice as she stared bugged-eyed at Grandma Millia. Serra did and made a face at that. She's sooo not going to tell her sister though, she doesn't have a death wish. Her mouth automatically whispers in Japanese towards her twin.

#What kind of satanic ritual did she do to the dress?!#

#...Now that makes sense!# Bella actually sounds relieved on Serra's question.

#Did she finally lose her mind?#

#Did you think Grandma Millia did something to her?#

"That's enough for you two. Remember, only words that I can understand on the table." Millia cut off what sounded to her the gibberish words that were being thrown between the siblings.

"Yes ma'am."

"Hn."

"Now, speak clearly."

"...."

"What did you do to her?" Isabella asked uncertainly.

"I didn't do anything!" The older woman sounded affronted.

"She NEVER gives us anything, Grams." The twins eyeball Millia hard.

"Well… "

"..."

"..."

"You made that dress and gave it to her so that she'd give it to us, didn't you?" Bella couldn't help but sound fond.

"Hmph… I told her that it would be the last interaction between her and you two."

"So it's your present then?"

"No. Mine are different."

"I think that is just one of your schemes to give us more presents, Grams."

"Oh, pshh!" She waved Bella off.

"Thank you, Grams."

"Hmm."

"...You're welcome.."