Twins Pt. 01

*Follow me.* And she took it to the shed at the bottom of the garden and put it inside, then she turned and gave him a big kiss of love and unity on the cheek, to help him heal and build him up for the argument that would surely happen when he got home.

#Thanks Ali, call me on Skype at nine and I'll let you know how I get on.#

*Okay Addy, good luck.* and he rode away slowly, in no hurry to get home.

When he got home, he put his bike in the shed and locked it, hanging the key in the kitchen. His grandfather walked in and snapped,

"You keep away from that girl and her family, they've caused us nothing but pain!"

"That will be difficult as I am in the same class as her and I won't do it because she's my sister!" Adams voice got louder and he pushed hard.

"Okay, okay" Barry said holding his head, "Just never bring her here again, I don't care what you do when you're not here but I won't have any of them here!" And he walked out and slammed the door, then moments later the front door. A minute later Marie came in and he could read that she was sorry for her husband's rant and his whole attitude.

"He's gone to the pub, how is she?" she asked quietly.

"She was upset but we talked it through and she's okay now, I took her home and explained to her grandparents what had happened and they were very understanding. I want to live with them but they explained about the Judge making me stay until I am sixteen so I will, then I will leave." Adam stated.

"I understand and I don't blame you and I will try and keep in touch when you do." she replied, "Now what would you like for dinner?"

They returned to school and used the wooden walls that they had practiced to block each other out when they were in class except if one or the other had a problem and knocked on the wall to ask a question. They developed other friendships and met regularly to practice and Adam got to know Alison's grandparents quite well. Both children were happy except for when Adam was at home, his grandfather rarely spoke to him and he was okay with that, his grandmother tried hard to make up for her husband's lack of love and understanding.

Chapter Five.

Adam spent a lot of his weekend days at Alison's house and was trusted to be with her alone in the house when they went shopping but there was a slight problem, bathroom things were embarrassing for both of them so each warned the other when they were doing anything in there, then both put up the wall until they came out again.

This was weird but they decided that this solution was the best they could think of at the time, it was all down to trust. They continued to practise whenever possible but improvement was slow, they both excelled in sports whether in a team or as an individual. Alison was fast and a good sprinter, Adam was slower but better in longer distance events, both had excellent hand to eye co-ordination which was good for tennis, rounder's, hockey, cricket and table tennis.

Sometimes Steven and Marie would take Alison out on a Saturday or Sunday and Adam would feel lonely without her but it would be good again when she came back. Barry and Alice didn't take Adam anywhere except on their annual holiday to Bournemouth on the south coast for a week, he missed Alison but still had a good time as long as he kept away from Barry.

She missed him too and a long hug when they were re-united made the wait worthwhile. Of course it was the same when she went abroad on holiday and that was usually for two weeks which was hard on both of them but they survived the separation.

Alison took on a weekday paper round too, for twenty five pounds a week and both started saving for a mobile phone for holidays or any when else when they were apart and felt the need to talk. The summer holidays were great fun except when Alison was on holiday, but they briefly talked on their phones on alternate days, skyping on the nights in between and individual practice continued in secret. Before the start of the new school year they had identical mobile phones with a monthly usage limit.

When the new term started Alison was no longer eligible to ride to school on the bus for free so she cycled to school which was fine for her except, when it rained. It was about three miles, she carried her sports kit and books in a backpack and as there were no big hills between her house and the school, she didn't arrive hot and sweaty.

One morning, about a week before their seventeenth birthday, she got a puncture in her back tyre and had to push her bicycle from the half way point. She was alone on a street and when she walked past a dark van, the side door slid back and a man jumped out, grabbed her and picked her up, her bike falling over, then jumped into the van with his hand over her mouth, sliding the door shut.

*ADAM!! HELP!!* Alison screamed mentally.

#Where?#

*By the Rose and Crown, dark van, man got me!*

#USE THE PUSH! I'M COMING ALI!!# Adan shouted and raced on his cycle straight past the school. When he arrived at where her bicycle was leaning against a wall, he saw his sister standing with a woman on the pavement. The woman was on her phone to the police, as he stopped he looked into the open side door of the van to see a man lying on the floor, unconscious or worse.

"Are you okay Ali?" verbally and #What happened?# mentally.

"I'm okay and don't touch me," she warned, *I had a puncture, he jumped out the van as I walked by and picked me up and got back in and tried to put that rag over my mouth and shut the door. I heard you and pushed backwards and we hit the back door and I got free but I was in the back and he came for me again and when you said 'push' I did, as hard as I could and he... he... flew, right up to the front and hit his head and fell down there. This woman opened the door and let me out and called the police... is he dead?* Adam concentrated,

#No, but he's hurt bad and good for you, you know what happens to young girls who get taken like this.#

*Yes, I know, assaulted and dead!*

"Are you her friend, young man?" the woman asked.

"Yes, we are in the same class."

"You'll have to tell the school what happened, the police will be here in a minute but I doubt that they will want to speak to you, but we will have to go with them to give statements."

"Okay, I will."

#Call your grandad from the police station to pick you and your bike up when the police have finished with you and skype me tonight, okay Alison?#

*Okay Adam but what do I tell them?*

#Exactly what happened without the 'push' only that you pushed him and he tripped and hit his head, just keep it simple, like a poor defenceless schoolgirl.#

*I've got the shakes now but I can do that, by the way, where were you when I called and how clear was it?*

#Like eleven out of ten, and I was about half a mile from the gates, why?#

*Because that's two and a half miles away, five times our best distance, dummy, now go!*

"Okay Alison, if you're alright, I'll see you at school tomorrow." He said for the woman's benefit and rode away.

He was worried about her all day, but the teachers made allowances for his lack of concentration due to the incident, which was even on the six o'clock local TV news.

The two police cars and an ambulance arrived a couple of minutes later, Alison and the woman both told them had what happened, an officer sniffed the rag and said "Chloroform." He put her bicycle in the back of his estate car, on top of all the equipment. The paramedics put the man on a stretcher and an officer went with them to the hospital while the woman and Alison were taken to the police station.

Neither Adam nor Alison were carrying their mobile phones as they were not allowed in school so she called her grandparents from the police station before her interview. She was given a Pepsi from the machine in reception while she waited for them to arrive and had just finished it when they rushed through the door.

Marie hugged the girl and Steven kissed the top of her head, an officer was waiting to take them to an interview room so all three went with him to a small room with four chairs a voice recorder and camera. A detective came in and introduced himself to them all and gave a chair from his side of the table to Steven, the other officer stood in the corner.

"Now Alison, take your time and tell me exactly what happened." The detective said after turning on the voice recorder.

She described what had happened, leaving out Adam and the 'PUSH' saying that she pushed him, he tripped and fell backwards and hit his head. He thought it strange that a slim sixteen year old could push a large grown man over.

"Perhaps he didn't expect me to push him, maybe he was off balance, I don't know, it all happened so fast."

"Hmm," he said and turned off the recorder, stood up and said that he would be back in a minute and left. He returned a couple of minutes later, "That sounds okay, I have spoken to the detective who interviewed the woman witness and what she heard and saw ties in with your story, so we need not detain you any longer. You will of course have to go to court to testify against him at his trial but that might be done by video from here instead of actually being in the courtroom, okay Alison?" she nodded and they left, with Steven putting her bike in his car boot to go home.

She stayed at home for the rest of the day and Steven fixed the puncture ready for her paper round, which she insisted on doing as it was her responsibility.

Alison skyped Adam at nine as usual and told him what had happened after he had left and he told her what happened at school. He went straight to the Headmaster's office and reported it to him, he called over the Tannoy system for all teachers and students to report to the Assembly Room at the end of the lesson.

When everyone was there he announced that there had been an attempted abduction of a girl from the school that morning without mentioning any names, and that all students should be careful when walking to and from school.

The next day Alison was a celebrity at school because she had been the only one missing from her class, 'The girl who beat up an abductor and put him in hospital.' She was not sure she wanted all the limelight, but it was fun until one of the school bullies picked on her at break before Adam arrived.

"I don't believe a skinny wimp like you could knock a man out, you must have used a club or something, here try to push me over, wimp!" Alison knew she had to do it or she would have a lot of problems but she didn't want to hurt him... too much.

#Give him half a push Ali.# She heard and took two steps towards him, brought up her arms, palms forward and 'pushed' as she made contact and he was suddenly on his ass.

"Hey I wasn't ready" he cried.

"And neither was the man in the van!" she snapped and walked away leaving him with a bunch of laughing kids.

#That was perfect Ali, and in front of witnesses but we will have to be careful of him from now on, he could be trouble.#

*But I had to do that or I would have been in different trouble.*

#I know, it's what they call a 'no win' situation.#

Chapter Six.

Two weeks later it was their seventeenth birthdays, Adam was invited to Alison's party but of course she wasn't invited to his, actually he didn't have a party but a very nice dinner and a card from Alice and Barry with some cash and a hug and kiss from her and a grunt from him. Adam immediately cycled to Alison's house for a proper party, with other kids and games including spin the bottle.

A spun bottle pointed to a person in the circle and they went into the kitchen, the bottle was spun and the next one went in to kiss the first one who then re-joined the circle, if two kids of the same sex were in together they just swopped over.

The game went well and both Adam and Alison got to kiss some of the others kids but when the two of them were in the kitchen together they daren't touch each other, no matter how much they wanted too or the flash would affect everyone in the house. Things went on a bit late and Steven drove Adam and his bike home and dropped him a few yards from his house.

"Nice party?" Barry snapped as he passed the lounge door.

"Yes thank you." He replied and went straight upstairs to the bathroom and then to bed. He lay there and thought 'If Ali could send me a super strong thought from two and a half miles away then we ought to be able to reach each other at home if we try really hard.'

He lay still and built up his concentration, then just thought "ALI!" with all his strength.

*Adam...Wha...? Where?*

He couldn't hear her response, just feel it slightly so he concentrated again and sent a big lip-smacking kiss.

*Hmm... nice.* She thought and fell asleep again, but he felt the response and was happy.

The next day at school Alison said,

*I had the nicest dream last night...*

#Ohh.# he thought innocently, the wooden wall in place but with holes in it to hear her.

*Yes, I dreamed you called me and then you sent me a big kiss but you must have been in bed, so I must have dreamed it, funny huh?*

#Yeah... funny... was it like this.# As he sent her another one but at a much reduced strength.

*Yes, just like...What! It was you and not a dream, how did you do that?*

#I really concentrated and sent it hard as I could, I felt you heard it so I sent the kiss, I was really wiped out afterwards though.#

*My turn tonight, if we can talk at three miles, with more practice (and maybe more kisses and he felt her grin), we could have a conversation like we are doing now but from home to home but one thing, no spying on dreams okay Adam.*

#Okay.# He laughed.

Alison tried it before dinner but felt nothing so left it until she was in bed and tried the same method Adam had used and could feel him say 'Hi' and she sent him a big kiss too but it was very tiring and she thought she caught a flash of something else he would like... then he shut down quickly or his wall went up, she didn't know which but he was gone.

He said nothing about it the next day, only that he had received it and it was nice, but she was suspicious that it involved more that kissing.

Over the next few weeks, lessons and practice progressed slowly, then just before Christmas the bombshell dropped. Adam had a feeling that something was going on but didn't want to dig too deeply into his grandfather's mind, as he was sensitive to pain that way and although he didn't really like him anymore, he wouldn't deliberately hurt him.

They were eating dinner when Barry announced,

"We are moving house in the spring, I am taking early retirement in March and we are moving to the south coast of Kent where the weather is much nicer than here."

"But that must be... nearly three hundred miles away!" he cried, thinking of his geography lessons.

"Just over three hundred miles, nice house, nice weather and none of their influence on you." He snapped.

Adam read him and was astonished at the hatred behind those words, it had not gotten any less over the years, and in fact it had become stronger since Adam had met Alison. Alice did not feel the same but she would go along with whatever he said.

"Well I'm not going to leave my friends and my school, just because you have a grudge against Alison's family!" Adam answered back.

"You will go where I say you'll fucking go, you little ingrate, now get to bed, I'll deal with you in a minute!"

Adam sat on his bed and tuned into the grandparents arguing downstairs, the trouble was, if his grandmother stayed with him, they would have very little income so she had to go with him, but he would not, he had to think of a plan and quickly as he could hear footsteps on the stairs.

Barry stormed in and shook his fist at Adam.

"You are legally still a child for another year and under my guardianship, so what I say goes and we are going to Kent and that means you too!" he shouted. Adam stood up defiantly and said,

"You two can go wherever the hell you want but I'm staying here even if I have to live in the park! Why should I want to live with you, who has nothing but hate for your own granddaughter and my sister?"

"You little shit!" he shouted and swung his fist at Adam who stood there and took it, knocking him onto his bed. He stood up and hissed through the pain,

"I... will... not... move to Kent!!" and Barry hit him again, knocking him onto the bed again. He stepped forward and gripped his upper arm tightly and pulled him up and hit him in the ribs when Alice screamed from the doorway.

"Barry, leave him alone, look what you are doing!" He turned to her and back to Adam and lowered his fist and let him drop back onto the bed before storming out saying 'I'm going to the pub,' Adam waited until the door slammed and sat up painfully as Alice came over to him and hugged him gently.

"I'm sorry Adam, it's only been since you brought her here that he has become so bitter and twisted, I will have to go with him but if I can help you to stay here, somehow I will." Then she cried on his shoulder. A few minutes later he said,

"I'm going out now, I will be back after my paper round tomorrow; I have an idea how to get around this, okay Gran?"

"Okay Adam, please be careful."

Adam packed his backpack with the things he would need for the next day, took his bicycle from the shed and turned his lights on and pedalled away, as he cycled past the park, he called Alison.

#ALI!#

*Adam? You're hurt! What's happened?*

#Coming to you... move to Kent... fight with Barry... can I stay with you for tonight, ask, I have a plan.#

*Okay, I'll say you phoned.*

Alison raced downstairs and told her Grandparents what Adam had told her and they were waiting at the door when he arrived. Steven took his bike and left him for the women to deal with, while he locked it in the shed. When he went inside Adam had an icepack on his eye and had taken some painkillers.

"Okay son, tell me everything," he said and when Adam finished he mused, "He's right, he is your legal guardian and if they went to Australia you would have to go too until you are eighteen, but why didn't you fight back?"

"I had to come up with a plan quickly and the only thing I could think of was if he got so angry that he hit me, I could use it against him and make him sign the papers to transfer me from them to you, if you would accept me."

"Well I don't know if you are very clever or very foolish but it might work..." Marie added, "...and of course we would love to have you here, what's your plan?"

"Once the bruises have developed, hopefully I haven't got any broken ribs, I want you to take photos of them and print them for me and I will blackmail him into signing the papers or I will go to the police."

*You clever boy but it was brave of you to take that beating for us.*

#It was all I could think of Ali.#

Adam carefully took off his jacket and shirt so that Steven could photograph the bruises on his face, ribs and arm, where he had been gripped to pull him up, once printed in colour, he put them in his bag. Marie had set up the spare bedroom for him to sleep in, after a long hot bath.

He could read them downstairs as he soaked and found that they were totally different in attitude to Barry and Alice, if his plan worked then the other grandparents could go to the moon for all he cared, he would not be separated from Ali until they were both married with their own families.

He did not sleep well even after taking more painkillers, then Ali came into his mind,

*Let me try something Addy, just try and relax.* She tried to replicate the mental kiss, there were no rockets and flashes but a soft glow that spread throughout his consciousness making him relax so he could sleep.

A few hours later he woke up to a world of pain, everything from the waist up hurt, he took more painkillers and waited for them to work. He read Ali and discovered that she had stayed awake for half the night blocking his pain so he could sleep and he had only woken because she had finally fallen asleep and dropped her guard. He sent her all his love and the big kiss, she sighed in her sleep and he had a little flash of where that kiss had gone and he was amazed and exited.