Identical (Marree)

Things had certainly changed for me since I met Gala. My worries about her have increased for some reason just because of what happened just the other day. The sleepless night I got last night was the result of my fears. As much as I tried to tell her what a good job she did standing up to those guys, she's seemed even more afraid though. There's the similiarity I see already and one that I didn't want her to have.

As for today, I feel the best thing for me, against my brother's wishes, is to take it easy today. The bruise on my cheek shines bright today. The blue and purple hue that decorates my entire cheek is only half hidden by the use of make up to make it seem dull and my hair is let loose in front of my face to try to cover the evidence of the fight just yesterday. I sigh heavily the longer I walk. The only thing going through my head is the fight. The guys that taunted the girl. The punches I received. The kicks that Gala got to her ribs and everywhere else. Even MAtthew is on my mind today. Especially him, because without him at the last moment, I feel that mine and Gala's odds would have been dramatically less to have recieved more wounds and bruises. Still, I watch the ground and end up somewhere not far from the gym, but the moment I look up, I see the one person that was on my mind the entire time.

"GALA!" I shout over to her, and keep a casual pace with my steps. I look at her and give her a friendly half smile because the swelling on my cheek has yet to disappear just yet. With her going in the direction I was coming from, I meet up with her easily. "Hey, you're looking well today? All healed, already?" I ask her noticing that she doesn't seem a bit phased by what happened.

I meet up with Gala quickly consider the opposite direction that we are both going and my first statement comes out in regards to her confident demeaner this day and no sign of her bandaged hand. I stare at here, eyeing every part of her body movements. I'm curious if she is just trying to hide the fact of the wound or if she really was alright. If I remember correctly, she took quite a few healthy kicks to her petite body. I never was met with the soles of their shoes, but getting punched twice in the same place on my face had to feel the same, right? Wish I could say that I was fully healed. Wish I could say the same about myself considering that I'm skipping training because of how sore I am. She may be quick to heal, but is she hiding the fear that I saw her express in the middle of the battle? What happened to that girl? Did she disappear the moment, she found the courage to punch the guy at the last of the battle?

"Yeah I heal quickly." She tells me and I nod a bit to her and search her features. I still can't beleive that she doesn't even act like what she went through didn't effect her. Even when I saw her curled up into a tiny ball, this girl was different today. Maybe her strength lies in her ability to come back from a hit without letting it ling. I admire that about her. I need to have that kind of strength. I need to be able to face my troubles head on and get back up so easily and to act like they never happened.

Her facial expressions seem so calm. It's almost like she's been undamaged. No amount of fear at all that I saw just the other day. It's almost like it never even happened to her. I furrow my brow just a little in order to figure it out, but shrug it off until she comments again claiming that her head hurts pretty bad and asks what happens. Maybe she is just trying to be strong. The poor thing. She really needs to have more training. She needs more time to prepare for the next time we meet up with those jerks. Gala, you're almost too sweet to have to deal with this.

"Gala... honestly, you don't remember?" I say it with an accusing voice, my eyes searching her eyes because I'm trying to see if something was off in her vision. Without even thinking anything more into it, I let go of any questions that I wanted to make her answer and instead I give her a compassionate nod. "I'd imagine so. That guy must have knocked you harder then I thought. We can go see that nurse again, if you need to. I'll walk you there? Besides, I need to see about getting her to check my cheek again... the swellings not going away." I tell her and nod my head in the direction of the gym, the exact place I was going away from.

It's just really blurry. I hear her tell me and for reasons that I can't fathom and without reasoning, I begin to retell a bit of the tale for why she can't rememeber. My words come out so innocently to Gwen because I had no clue that she was a twin to the Gala I had met just the other day. Information like that, just hadn't been part of the converstion and I'm sure that Gala really didn't expect for this to happen. As it was, my responce strikes up a weird answer to it. She repeats the part where I said a guy knocked her pretty good. I shake my head slightly to her.

"Yeah... are you sure you're okay, Gala?" I ask, concern filling my voice even more prevalent now because I'm starting to think she had gotten a concussion or something and I know that blows to the head, whether it was just a punch to the nose could do that sometimes. Then, just as soon as those words slipped past her lips, she strikes up a name. Not just any name, but Matthew's. A chill runs down the back of my neck for a moment as I shake my head feverishly at her.

"No. Why would you think that?" I ask her noting the tone in her voice. Was she upset about something that I couldn't figure out. She seemed anything but calm yesterday and now she was acting and looking like nothing had happened. Then with the sudden mention of being knocked, she assumes it was the one person whom had stepped in to help her. "No. He's the one who helped us."

I place a hand up to her shoulder, concern filling my eyes for the young girl. "C'mon. Let's get you to the training center." I say with some form of urgency in my voice. What ever is going on with her can't be good. However, before I can even get her to budge to go with me, something catches my eye. A figure running toward me and I happen to glance in that direction fully and see... double? Double? Am I the one with the concussion, now that I'm seeing two of the same girl? I have to blink several times thinking that the swelling in my cheek is pushing my eye to make me see two Gala's. I have to step back though when the name the second Gala shouts out isn't Gala, but Gwen.

"What?" I mumble and watch as Gala number two scolds the other one and asks what's she'd doing. I stand there dumbfounded because I'm truely at a loss for words.

Me! You're the liar! The other one declares. The two were beginning to fight and I fold up my arms in front of me and stare at the pair of them. Twins. Who knew? Although... I'm sure, that this new one is Gala that has came in and there on her hand is the bandage. I've been talking to the wrong one. Dear lord... I hope I havn't said anything I wasn't suppose to. No wonder she thought it was Matthew who did it. But why would she pretend to be Gala?

"Ladies... Ladies..wait! PLease. You're giving me a headache. What's going on? Gwen? Why... are you pretending to be Gala?" I ask her, my voice somewhat harsh and with an attitude. "Why did you let me talk to you like you were Gala. I knew something was off."

"Gwen? Why... are you pretending to be Gala?" My accusations come out harshly toward the girl who had, in turn, pretended not only to be Gala, but have me tell her things that were meant only for Gala's ears and made me worry immensely about her well being. Right now, as I stare at the pair, my anger is only directed toward the one who had already done me wrong with the first impression of the girl, the twin. My first impressions of people is usually the forever image I keep. Already, I distrust this girl; twin or not. I will not be able to forget what she has done to me, or her sister. I shake my head as the pair begins to fight and I watch them with interest to see how it was going to play out, while my thoughts try to run through every word I said to Gwen to make sure I didn't say anything wrong. I said only good things about Matthew, in which she inquired about. What made her ask about him though? Does she know him? Has she had a run in with him as well? Though, the fight... did that have any impact to the girl? Is that why she was trying to figure out more about the fight? Did Gala not tell her? Oh, gracious... I hope I havn't...

How's it feel being the disappointment? Gala asks her in a teasing voice only siblings could do. I recognized it the moment it came out. Being the younger sibling, I always heard that tone directed to me when my brother would try to tell me something and I didn't listen. Now, I hear what it's like on the other end. This is normal for siblings, but still, watching the pair argue is a little too much. Then Gwen speaks up and I have no other choice than to listen to her and I fold my arms up and prop my left foot out and balance on my right let.

Gala has lied to her family about the fight? Or did she just not say anything? What was it like to be in her shoes and have something that traumatic to go through? Would they have even understood the girl? Gwen doesn't seem to understand the position she was in. Obviously, they aren't as close as twins should be or Gwen would be more sympathetic.

"No one is going to be tackling anyone, and if you try it, Gwen, you will find you're head spinning faster than you can imagine." I threaten her. Harshly. I step to Gala's side and stare a the identical, younger girl. The one thing I can't stand, aside from bullying, is lying. About that time, I hear Gala joke and she gives me a rather late warning about her sister.

"We all make mistakes." I direct that statement to Gala and keep my hands folded up against my chest, my gaze left on Gwen for longer than needed. "Gwen, I can't stand for people to deceive others. I suggest you make yourself scarce."

I tell her and turn to Gala, my gaze not softening at all. I try to read her expression about the sudden change in my attitude. She hasn't seen me get mad at all. She hasn't seen what happens when someone angers me enough. This is nothing, though. I'm just throughly annoyed with the display I just had to witness.

"Gala, you coming or staying?" I question her and turn on my heels, my back to Gwen as I start walking.

I'm not the violent one. Gwen claims when I threaten her. Though, I have other reasons why I planned on making her head spin. Physical fighting maybe, but to give her sound verbal lashing would have done the exact same. Her facial expression appeared to be that of disappointment. Saddness, even. But why? I draw my eyes away from her. It made me curious, but I have no use in trying to figure out why, not now at least. A small amount of anger still resides deep within my belly for the girl. Though, there is one comment I feel she needs to know, so I open my mouth, to give her my statement.

"You don't have to be physically violent to hurt someone Gwen." I leave her with that statement to sink in. She knows nothing of my past. She knows nothing of how much words can effect someone. Words can cut deeper than any knife. Even Gala seems to be on my side when I tell Gwen to leave and I find myself at odds with threatening the identical version of the girl that I've felt the need to protect and take under my wing. Though, it hasn't happened yet except for just once against those boys. It has me thinking about what might happen in the future though? She's got Matthew as a trainer... perhaps, if she had two? I'm not going to overstep Matt, but perhaps on the side... The thought of it makes me feel elated even though Gwens next words bring me back to what's going on.

Well, you better watch out for Gala becasue she lies a lot. I tilt my head to her in boredome. Did she really just say that? After her VERY first meeting with me, even when she didn't know me, she lied right off the bat. This seems to anger me a bit more.

"Gwen, I wouldn't tell someone to watch out for a lair, when I just met you and you've done nothing but lie to me." I turn to leave and ask, rather harshly for Gala to come or stay. I don't wait and start walking. It's then that Gala tells me that she's coming with me and I feel like this training thing that I had previously though was going to work out. Though, her twin, her identical twin, confuses me. How could they look alike, yet act different? How could one lie and the other one be a potential lair that I've not seen. Who is telling the truth?

"Gwen's not usually like that... she just likes to know everything." I turn to her and nod while I speak to her in a much nicer tone than I gave her sister. I stop for a moment when I notice that Gwen is out of earshot.

"Well, she was pushing for information like you wouldn't believe. I do hope I've not said anything to get you in trouble." I tell her and bring my hand under her chin and I inspect her nose quickly where the guy had punched her. "I thought, she was you, and I was beginning to get worried that you might have had a concussion or something because "she" couldn't remember what happened." I bring my hand away from her face and fold my arms up in front of me. She questions me about how I'm doing.

"I'm doing well.. except for the fact that my cheek might actually be busted. The swelling not going down, but what do you expect. The guy slammed his fist on the same place twice." I tell her and as I talk, I can feel the swelling when I move my mouth. Still, the makeup over it drowns out the loud purple and blue of the bruise, not to mention my hair that half covers it. I shake my head. To lighten the mood, I give her a death glare.

"How many of you are there? I need to be aware in case I run into anymore of you." I give a light hearted chuckle to the thought of more Gala's. I do worry about her though, though she seems to be doing fine. "Gala, will you accompany me to see someone? I need to see about my cheek. We can talk on the way?" I ask her. I plan on going to the same guy who took care of me after me and Matthew had returned after our day out in the woods together. When our injuries were harsh. Our bodies frozen with a touch of hypothermia.

"Maybe he can look at you're hand, too?" I tell her. I know the guy stomped on her hand pretty good but I'm just wanting to be cautious.

"Well, I'm fine... probably in trouble, but that's no unusual." Gala's voice comes out in this joking manner and I have to wonder why she would be in trouble again. Could she be a trouble maker as well? If she was, I would have to wonder about what she has said to me since I met her to make me doubt her, but nothing has come up. That is, until she just mentioned that she was sorry again. Does she not know that things like this happens?

"Sorry? For what? For the fight? For Joel? for that guy that almost crushed you in his grasp?" I let the words roll off my tongue like water over a cliff. It has no form. It has no real direction. "You know, you have nothing to be sorry about, in the least. You really expected me to just let you get hurt, five against one? Not to mention, do you realize what I would have felt like had they gotten that knife I gave you and used it on you? What they would do to you from the point of the blade. I don't even want to think about it. I'm not an ass like Matthew. I do care for some people. Even those that I just meet. For some reason, I knew you'd be worth it. Afterall, you're putting up with Matthew, of all people."

I offer her nothing of an emotion to that small lecture. Just the truth. Though, I have to know about any more of her and her responce is exactly what I wanted to hear. I can handle just one more of you. That's about it. Any more and my head would spin off into space. I catch the giggles that she lets expell from her mouth and I know she understands my seriousness for needing to know about any more of her. It was rather entertaining though now that it is all said and done. How I couldn't see the differences between the two. Was there any? I wasn't paying attention to anything about her facial features just because I figured there was only one. Now? If I ever meet up with her, I will have to more vigilent.

"A codeword... suddenly, I feel like a little kid again." I state with humor in my voice and nod when she gives me the word that I'll use and ask for when we meet again. It seems childish to have codewords, but in this case, it seems almost necesarry because of the fact I had given information that might land Gala in trouble. Though, she did nothing to be in trouble for. All she was doing was training. It wasn't her fault that Joel and his gang decided to gang up on her. Then comes the next order of business, and that was to get myself checked out and Gala too, but her denial and claiming to be fine, almost wins me over.

"Yeah. I don't believe it. We'll see though." I tease her and we head off into the direction of where we needed to go to see the man who helped me and Matthew. Not but a few moments later, Gala asks a question that has me stumbling over my words.

"How we... met? Hmm... Luck? Or would that be unlucky?" I tease her, and bump into her shoulder easily to set off the good motions. "I guess I can spare a bit of detail to my first meeting with Macho Man. I needed to spar one morning and the coach had called him over. At first, he seemed like an ass. Told me I talk too much. Guess that's my way of being me. I still can't believe it though. 'You know what you greatest weakness is that you should work on... Your mouth.' That was what he said." I shake my head, allowing myself a fine laugh to come with that phrase. It's so weird, that from point A to now, our first meeting seems almost like it was never real. How he has changed around me. He don't treat me like that anymore... if I stayed around him long enough, that is.

"It was rather a horrible first meeting. I ended up sparring with him and I got so pissed at him when he took a cheap shot and landed his fist into my shoulder after helping me up. Told me that I needed to expect anything. Last time I took his hand for help." I tell her. All that information is safe. "Anyways, the rest of the spar was just that. He tried to make me tap out several times. Never did. Even when he had his arm against my throat, when I couldn't even breath, I still got out of the hold. We both ended up with pain after our first meeting." I put a hand up to my cheek and feel the swollen mess. "He punched me in the same place as Joel did that day. I swear. Why do guys always go for the face?"

I let the light hearted conversation go on. The walk to the doctor's house didn't take as long as I thought and before I knew it, we stood outside the city street and the two story house that was connected to the rest of the apartment like houses in this neighborhood. I go up to the front door and knock.