Fated to My Twin Brother

CHAPTER 9

Hannah's P.O.V

I opened my eyes, arms stretching towards the air, feeling some weird mix of tension and lethargy. At least so it was during the morning when bright sunlight continued toward my window. My memories were still vague. I didn't remember falling asleep last night. The chamomile tea Mom had given me to help with the persistent headaches had worked, but I was still groggy. I could vaguely remember her saying in my head, You have to go to Hampton University today, Hannah. It's time you caught up on all you've missed.

Thinking back to a life I couldn't remember either stirred up uneasy thoughts in me. As I grabbed my towel, I fled into the bathroom, hoping that a shower might wash away some of the nervous energy from my veins. As I stood beneath the flow of water, I reached up and ran my fingers through my long hair-it was nearly waist-length by now.

"I need a cut," I could see myself saying aloud as I looked in the mirror, its surface foggy. My hair was growing at an unnatural pace-once week passed like a month in terms of its amount of growth. I felt weirded out, like something was just spiraling out of control, some entity inside my body-a ticking clock I couldn't slow down.

Just then, a knock at the door brought me back to reality. "Miss Hannah, your dad is waiting for you outside," one of the servants said from the hallway.

"Right away!" I said, trying to sound more composed than I felt.

On I dressed in a rush, pulling on a black leather skirt that hugged my curves and a ribbed white shirt, tucking into the waistband. It wasn't as if either of us gave much thought to how we were dressed. I didn't hesitate on how this looked since style wasn't something either of us was concerned about. I pulled on my leather boots and took off downstairs in a rush.

Dad waited there in the driveway, leaning back against the side of the open roadster, scanning the perimeter before focusing his attention squarely on me.

"Sweetheart," he greeted, breaking into a warm smile as he opened the passenger door for me. "Hop in. Let's get you to Hampton."

I slid into the seat, behind a stiff but exaggerated smile. "Thanks, Dad."

When the engine roared to life, we shot down the winding roads - the trees blurring into a sea of green. I tried to concentrate on anything but the looming uncertainty as to what waited for me at the University. The pieces of my memories blurred together like scattered pieces of a puzzle that refused to fit together; the weight of the unknown pressed heavily on my chest.

You'll like it there," Dad said, breaking the silence, his voice calm and steady. "But next time, your twin will be your personal driver," he added, chuckling, a little bit of playfulness creeping into his tone.

I strained to laugh. "Uh, thanks, Dad.".

As we drove up to Hampton University, my breath caught in my throat. The campus was huge-elegant, sprawling, and intimidating. The tall buildings cast long shadows over the immaculate lawns, and students bustled about like ants, each one moving with purpose.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Dad asked with a gleam of pride.

"Yeah." I whispered, my voice barely audible. "It's huge."

Hampton used to be located in the human world before this—three times bigger, in fact," he said, dropping his tone to something heavier.

I frowned at him, tilting my head. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged and looked at me, a knowing glint in his eyes. "I don't want to force your memories back, Hannah. You'll figure it out in time. Now go, or you'll be late.".

I smiled stiffly, grateful for his understanding even though it left me with more questions than answers. "Thanks, Dad. See you later."

As I walked away from the car, I felt his eyes on me, watching me take my first steps into a world I didn't recognize. Students whispered to each other as I passed, their eyes following me with curiosity and something else—expectation, maybe?

She's Alpha Alph's missing daughter, isn't she?" another girl whispered, her voice cutting through the din of chatter. "She's just so beautiful in person, too."

I quickened my step, my heartbeat pounding in my chest. It felt like everyone was staring at me, judging every move I made. My feet began to move even faster, trying to search for my first class in a mad dash to escape all these staring eyes.

My father's world spanned miles. I had gathered this information from the stories my mother shared with me each night as she carried me my tea to alleviate my headache. She spoke low and softly, spinning tales of power and legacy, of packs that stretched over regions and curtsied under our family. But no matter all of the stories, my twin remained a mystery to me: the one person I still did not fully understand.

I stopped in the doorway of my classroom and took a moment, taking a deep breath before entering the room. Inside, the room was full of conversation, students sitting in small clusters laughing and talking. The moment I stepped inside, the conversation died with the influx of silence in that room and air thickened with tension. Every pair of eyes turned to me, conversations dying mid-sentence.

I gulped and pulled my chin up straight and tried to maintain the posture. Confidence, after all. One needs confidence. I looked around the room again; the only vacant chair seems to be a desk by the window. I walked over to it, feeling hot stares along my back. However, before I could grab the desk chair, a girl with curls blocked my way.

"Well, well…' she drawled, crossing her arms. "So you really did find your parents, huh?"

Her tone was sharp, her eyes filled with challenge. My mouth went dry. "I-I…"

Excitement from earlier had drained away, replaced with a heavy knot of nerves twisting in my stomach.

"Enough, Nadia," a guy's voice called out from behind her. "If her brother finds out you're trying to scare her, he'll rip you apart."

The students around us laughed uproariously, though it did nothing to ease the tension. She turned to glare at the guy. "Shut up. I'm just being friendly." She smirked, moving closer to me. "It's rude to ignore a face like that, don't you think?"

She reached out with her fingers, brushing lightly over my cheek with her long nails grazing the skin. My heart leapt racing-her touch was not comforting; it was a silent threat.

"'Smooth," she muttered with a smirk spreading across her face as she disappeared in the darkness leaving me standing frozen in place.

I breathed out, realizing that I had held it for a longer time than I thought, my body shuddering with adrenaline. Why was I here? What was I to do? Whispers began again but this time were softer and even more crushing.

I slid into the seat by the window, gazing out into the courtyard beyond, trying to calm my breathing. Everything seemed vague, still filled with too much uncertainty. Why was that? Why couldn't I remember anything? Why did this all seem so detached from the rest of the world? And why did everyone expect so much from me?

I could barely ask my brother for answers because I hardly knew him. The gap between us seemed like a chasm that I would not be able to cross after all. I was drowning in this sea of questions and had no lifeline.

The professor came into the room, and conversations slowly died away. As class begins, though, I feel eyes still on me, watching, waiting for a misstep so I could prove to them I did not belong.

I tried to pay attention to class, only to find my brain continued slipping away, rewinding to the gnawing emptiness where my memories should be. Fists clenched beneath the desk, frustrated bursts of emotions would sometimes surge inside.

Who am I?

That was the question that had been disturbing me ever since I returned to this world. I was Hannah, the missing daughter of Alpha Alph, but that did not feel real. It felt like a title worn by someone else, like someone else lives in my skin. I wanted to claw it off and find the person beneath.

The bell rang, which was the end of the class, but I barely heard it. My body, on automatic pilot, packed up my things and edged out of the room while the whispers trailed behind me down the hall like a ghostly, unwavering presence.

But as I stepped out into the fresh outside air, I whispered a silent promise to myself: "I will find the truth. No matter how long it takes, no matter what it costs-I will remember who I am."