Twin Roses: A Beau Rivage Short Story (6 page)

“Ah, bear jokes,” Thurston said with a happy sigh.

“Thought you’d like that one.”

“He also has to get used to using toilet paper again. And not running through the woods naked.”

“Careful. That’s my sister’s boyfriend you’re talking about.”

Thurston grinned, like he was still relishing the image of Theo in the woods—and then the joy dropped away and he was quiet again. Ruby waited while he gathered his thoughts. There was so much twisted up in there. It had probably been a long time since he’d admitted these things, even to himself.

Finally, Thurston said, “I didn’t want my life to be defined by what happened to Theo. But it is. It always was.”

“How could it not be? He’s your brother, and one day he was just … gone.”

“And then I had this märchen mark on my back. Double roses. I never even saw the fairy who marked me. But that was the proof my parents were looking for. They knew what had happened to him then. I felt more like a piece of evidence than a person after a while. They knew I was there, and I wasn’t going anywhere, so they could afford to forget me while they focused on finding their lost son. I guess things were supposed to go back to normal once they found him. But ten years is a long time. We don’t have any normal left.”

“Something’s missing—a lot has been missing,” Ruby said. “But Theo didn’t take anything from you. You both had ten good years stolen. If you need someone to blame, blame the fairy who cursed Theo, or the bearded guy who set all this in motion. Or just … decide what you actually want out of this. The past isn’t going to change. What do you want now?”

Thurston laughed. Shaded his eyes.

“Did I say something funny?” Ruby asked.

“No … just … this curse. All this time, I’ve been looking at it like Theo and Pearl were the chosen ones and we were in the background. You were the runner-up and I was the consolation prize. Because that’s how everyone else sees it. But—”

“You’re starting to realize that I’m amazing, but you’re still the consolation prize?”

“I’m starting to think I’m lucky. Way luckier than I have a right to be.”

“It’s too bad I don’t date boys who have brothers. Especially if their brothers used to be bears.”

“I don’t need to date you. I just need your help. I think … you could really help me. Maybe that’s why the curse brought us together. So you could help me get my brother back.”

“So I could help you pick a different hairstyle.”

He laughed again. Squinted at her, sidelong. “I’m serious.”

“I know,” she said. “But I can’t
only
make jokes about Theo.”

“He’s smarter than the average bear. In his defense.”

She rolled her eyes—although she actually didn’t mind that one. “You’re going to have to do better than that if you want me to tolerate these jokes.”

“I will. I’ll do better. And you’ll help me?”

“I’ll help you.” She got up, smacked at a ticklish feeling on her ankle. “I taught your brother to ride a unicycle. I think I can teach you to be a good brother again.”

“You beat me to the unicycle joke! If that really happened, you better have pictures to prove it.”

Ruby grinned—of course it had never happened. There
was no way her mom would have bought a unicycle just so she could teach Theo circus tricks.

“I don’t have pictures of
that
. But I have pictures of Theo from back then. You want to see them?”

“Yeah … I think I do.”

She took his hand and led him inside. Sat him down in front of her computer and a bowl of honey ice cream—she gave him half of what was left—and opened her file of Theo photos. Theo as a bear prince. Theo with Ruby and Pearl piled on top of him, planting a flag in his furry back like it was a mountain. Theo and Pearl and Ruby with raspberry jam on their faces. Ruby and Pearl curled up against Theo, all three of them sprawled on the floor watching cartoons.

It felt weird to share this part of her life with someone new. Weird, but good, too. Because it wasn’t just her life she was sharing—it was Theo’s, and Pearl’s, and even Thurston’s. These were years he’d missed. Time with his brother he hadn’t had. Time she could give back now. She laughed, telling him the stories, and he laughed, hearing about Theo and the broom-beatings, the junk-food breakfasts, the way they rolled him over with their feet. He asked questions; once they got started, there was so much he wanted to know.

They talked for hours. About Theo, about Thurston, about her, about Pearl. About having a brother and losing him; about having a sister and feeling like you were losing her, too. But nothing had truly been lost. Everything—everyone—was still there. They were more blessed than cursed. All four of them.

Available from Egmont Publishing wherever books are sold

Available from Egmont Publishing Spring 2015