Serpent+Sisters

My Sister, Sarah and I walked past the park on our way home. We walked faster than usual, because of the biting November chill.

"Elen, did you finish your book report?" Sarah said, shivering against the cold.

"Yeah, do you need me to proof read yours for you? I replied. We may be identical, but our talents are far from the same. Sarah may have the brains for math and science, but when it comes to English and History, I am the expert.

"Yeah, thanks." She paused. "Mr.Grummel called me Elen //again//."

"Well, I'm in Spanish the period before you, and we //are// identical." With our matching light brown hair, and hazel eyes, I'm surprised that //anyone// can tell us apart. Most of the eighth grade teachers somehow manage it though.

"You know, maybe //you// should wear dark colors, and //I'll// wear light colors. Then people will be able to tell us apart," said Sarah with a smile.

I could see our house now, as we turned onto our street. It's a light blue, two story house, with white trim. Even though it was the afternoon, the grass was covered in a fine coat of frost. We hurried inside as a cold wind began to blow.

We took of our coats and gloves, and put them in the closet. Then we went into the kitchen to find some food. I took an apple out of the fridge, and sat down at the kitchen table to get started on my Spanish homework. Sarah grabbed a bag of crackers and pulled her math book out of her backpack.

Our mother worked as a veteranary assistant, and she didn't get off until five o'clock. Our father divorced our mother before we were born, so it was just Sarah, Mom, and I.

I finished my Spanish and went to the computer to do some research for my history report.

We had stew for dinner and I ate quickly, then went up-stairs to my room.

My room had pale green walls, with few posters on them. My full size bed was covered in a dark green quilt. On the table by my bed was the tank that held my snake, Merlin.

Merlin is a three foot long cornsnake. I fed him a few days ago, so he won't need another mouse for a few days.

As I watched, Merlin climbed up one of the branches in his tank. He seemed smarter than the average cornsnake. I didn't know why, but he had a light in his eyes that looked almost human.

I opened the top of his tank, and reached in. He climbed up onto my arm, and I slowly removed him from his tank.

"And how have you spent your time today, Merlin?" I said to myself, sitting on my bed. "Probably climbing branches."

"Yes, Mistress," said a soft voice.

"Wh-who's there?" I said fearfully, leaping up and looking around. "It's not funny, Sarah!"

"It is I, Mistress, the one called Merlin," said the strange voice. I looked down to dee Merlin staring intently at me.

"Merlin, is that you?!" I said in disbelief. His haed bobbed up and down in what appeared to be a nod. "Say something; prove it.

"Like what, Mistress?" said Merlin. This time I could tell that he wasn't speaking English, but I could somehow understand his hissing.

Suddenly, my door burst open. "Elen, Marvolo just talked to me! Like, in English!" said Sarah as she rushed into my room, carrying her own cornsnake, Marvolo.

"I know," I said calmly, "Merlin just spoke to me."

"What? But how can our snakes be talking?!" she said confusedly.

"I don't know," I said. Then, turning to Merlin, "Why do we suddenly understand you guys?"

"I don't know why it took you so long, mistress," he said in his soft, hissing voice.

"What do you mean, 'why it took us so long'? As far as I know, normal people can't talk to their snakes!"

"But you are not normal people," he hissed.

"What do you mean by that?" I said offendedly. But Merlin wouldn't answer me.

Sarah and I turned to Marvolo, but he looked away.

As it seemed that neither snake would speak again, Sarah took Marvolo back to her room, and I put Merlin back in his tank.

At school the next day, things got stranger.

As I walked down the hall toward my English class-room, I saw my sister walking ahead of me. I walked quickly to catch up to her.

"Hi, Sarah," I said, smiling.

Sarah looked around, then turned to me. "Um, hi," she said tentatively. "You must have mistaken me for someone else. This is my first day here. My name is Maddy." Then her eyes widened. "Wow, you look just like me."

I blushed, embarrased by my mistake. "Yeah, I thought you were my sister. We're twins, so you also look just like her," I said, trying a smile. Then I realized that she didn't. She had no acne, or freckles, and from what I could tell, she wasn't wearing cover-up. She looked like a porcelan doll. She looked perfect. Unnerved, I said, "Well, I've got to get to class. I'll prabably see you around, though." I forced a smile.

"Yeah," she said, also smiling. Then she turned and walked down the hall.

I walked into gym class sixth period, and saw that Maddy was in my class. We were playing basketball that day, and Maddy was on my team. She was actually a pretty good player.

Maddy got the ball and ran for the basket. A girl from the other team, Caitlyn, knocked the ball from her hands.

Caitlyn passed the ball to a tall boy, Richard, and he ran to the other basket and scored.

Maddy turned to glare at him as he trotted back to the half-court line. Suddenly, he tripped, and fell hard. He yelled in pain, and clutched his arm. My teacher, Mrs. Crowler, ran out on the court, and escorted him out of the gym. She left us with the other teacher, Mr. Fischer.

We continued playing, but eveyone was warry of Maddy. It was impossibe, but it seemed that just by staring at him, she had made Richard fall and hurt his arm.

I sat down hard on my bed, and looked up at my sister.

"What did you want to talk about, Elen?" said Sarah, sitting down next to me.

"Have you met that new girl, Maddy? She looks almost exactly like us, except she's to...perfect," I said hesitantly.

"Ah, so you have met your sister," said a soft voice.

"Our what?" I said, turning to Merlin, who had spoken from his tank. "Just because she looks like us doesn't make her our sister."

"Yet she is," he hissed. "'Maddy' is your sister, Medusa, and you are not 'Sarah' and 'Elen', but Stheno and Euryalo."

"Wait," said Sarah. "Medusa as in the //gorgon//?"

"Yes, and you are here sisters," said the cornsnake. "She wants you to join her, and become more famous than your Greek ancesters ever were. I can feel her coming for you."

"Now?!" I cried. "What do we do?! Isn't our only weapon our eyes? And how can we be gorgons? Last time I checked, I didn't have snakes for hair, and neither did Sarah! And neither did Maddy for that matter!"

"You were all in human form. She has morphed back into a gorgon; that is why I can sense her," said Merlin in his soft voice. "You must learn how to morph, because if you don't go with her, she will try to kill you. Marvolo and I will try to help you."

Sarah turned and left my room, to go get Marvolo, and I opened Merlin's tank and took him out.

As Sarah walked back in, Merlin hissed, "She is very close now."

Sarah and I shared a terrified look, and a few minutes later, I heard a low hissing. It wasn't coming from Merlin or Marvolo.

The door creaked open, and I saw the most beautiful and horrible creature in existence. Medusa looked even more perfect than she had during school. She wore a green toga made of the largest snake scales that I had ever seen. They were at least the length of my thumb. The toga was belted with a band of tiny gold scales. On top of her haid was a writhing mass of a snake species that I had never seen before. They were bright gold, and they were all staring at my sister and I.

"Come with me, my sisters," she said with an evil smile. "We will be the greatest monsters ever to have existed!"

//"No!"// I yelled, "We won't be monsters and we're staying here!"

"You will regret your choice," she said icily, and her eyes seemed to flare with a deadly fire as she began to glare at us. Her sakes reared up, and hissed viciosly.

I tried to fight her glare, as my vision blurred, and I realized how much stronger than us that she realy was.

I felt Merlin sled up my arm, and onto my head. There was a strange sensation of completeness, and then I could see everything. I could see behind me, and to the sides, yet my eyes were still locked with Medusa's. With my other sight, I could see only heat.

//I am many now Mistress. We have morphed!// I heard Merlin's triumphant voice inside my head. With my other sight, I could see a mass of moving heat on top of Sarah's head, and I knew that she and Marvolo had also morphed.

I smiled, and as one, my true sister and I turned our own glare on Medusa. She may have been stronger than each of us individually, but together, she was no match for us. I saw her lose strength as she crumpled to the floor. There was a burst of light, and she was gone.

I hope that she is gon forever, but just before she dissapperared, I saw a glint in her eyes that seemed to promise that she would return.

And I think she will.