Long Lost Twin: Missing

 Happy Halloween! 

This is the last part of Long Lost Twin. I would love to hear what you thought about the story. But, if you love the series and don't want it to end just yet. I'll be making a detailed story version of this. I'll be adding it to my Wattpad, so keep a lookout for that. I'll also put all the parts together and add it to my Wattpad so it's all in one place.  Now without further ado, here's the conclusion of Long Lost Twin:

"Do you remember the last place you saw him? Did he tell you where he was going?" the police officer asked Nico's parents. 

"He just said he was driving around with my nephews. He promised to be back before nine," his mom sobbed. Her husband rubbed her back trying to soothe her. 

"The boys told us they were going to see a movie," Ethan's and Evan's dad said. He had come with his wife when his sons weren't answering their phone. Unlike Nico's mom, Ethan's and Evan's was sitting stoned face in the chair. 

"Alright, we'll send a team and call if we find anything." The officer mumbled something to his partner, and they both left.

"I hope the boys are okay," Nico's mom said worriedly. 

"I'm sure they're fine. They probably lost track of time and we're just overreacting, "her husband said.

"We know where they went," his sister-in-law stated, "Evan wouldn't stop asking me about Rico. They must have tried to find him."

"Rico is dead," Nico's mom said.

"We all know nothing can kill that devil's child. I told you two the moment he was born he was bad news. Now our sons have to pay for the decision you made," her sister argued. "Let's just hope we get to see them alive." She stood up and headed to the car.

"She's just hurting, don't pay attention to her. The boys are safe," her husband said sounding hopeful. He followed his wife to the car leaving Nico's parents alone. 

"Do you think-"

"No, we're not going to think negative. Nico is fine. Ethan and Evan are fine. We don't need to worry," Nico's dad assured his wife. He hopes repeating it would make it come true.  There was a knock on the door, and Nico walked in.

"Oh my gosh Nico!" his mom ran to him and embraced him into her arms. "We were so worried." 

"It's alright mom. I'm okay. I didn't mean to worry you," Nico said chuckling. 

"I have half the mind to ground you young man. Where have you been and where are Ethan and Evan?" his dad asked.

"They just left. We lost track of time. It won't happen again," Nico promised. 

"Go wash up. I put your dinner in the microwave."

"Thanks mom." Nico went upstairs to his room and closed the door behind him. He pulled out a knife in his back pocket.  His phone rang while he was examining it.

"What's up baby," he said into the phone.

"Did they recognize you?" Roxy asked.

"Oh please, we're twins. Is that even something you should ask?" Rico chuckled. He ran his finger lightly over the sharp end of the blade admirably. 

"I still can't believe you dyed your hair."

"They're stupid, but not that stupid. If I hadn't they would have known. How is my wonderful brother of mine?"

"He hasn't stopped screaming since you left. It's getting on my nerves." 

"Don't worry I'll silent him soon. What about Ethan and Evan?"

"Yes, I took care of them. You always make me do the cleanup," Roxy sighed. "When are you coming back?" 

"In an hour or two."

"Nico are you going to eat your dinner?" his mom asked from downstairs.

Rico cleared his throat. "I'll be down in a bit," he said matching Nico's voice. "I got to go babe. Love you."

"Love you too you psycho." Rico smiled as Roxy hung up the phone. Psycho was a name he hated growing up. He soon grew to embrace the name. He felt out of place with his family and always felt they never understood him. The moment he met people, they would turn their nose up at him as if they thought they were better than him.  

His mom called for him once more. Rico hid the knife behind him and opened the door. He walked slowly to the kitchen wanting to take in every moment. He was in for a bloody night.

Long Lost Twin: Roxy

 Evan and Nico waited when they heard movement behind the door. "I guess someone is home," Nico stated. The door opened revealing a chestnut sixteen-year-old girl with jet black hair pulled in a high ponytail. She was wearing a dark red tank top showing off her inked skin with jean shorts. 

"Who are you?" she asked giving both of them a hard stare. 

"Hey. The name is Evan and may I add you look lovely today," Evan said winking at her. 

"Pay no attention to him. We were wondering if we could ask you a few questions about Rico," Nico said. The girl looked Nico up and down.

"Rico did say he had a twin brother, but I didn't believe him. The only thing that separates you from him is your hair," she said staring at Nico's curly brown hair.  

"So can we come in?" Nico asked. 

"Sure, I'm not doing anything." She stepped out of the way, letting the boys come through. The girl led them to the couch that was near the door and went to the kitchen to fix them something to drink. Evan's phone buzzed. He checked to see it was Ethan asking if they were okay. While Evan was texting Ethan back, Nico looked around the small house. In what he assumed was the living room, was the couch they were sitting on and a fairly old tv with a DVD player plugin next to it. A folded table stood between the couch and two folded chairs. Other than that there wasn't any other furniture.  

"This was only a temporary place so there's not that much here." The girl came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with three cups holding tea. She placed it on the folded table and took a seat in one of the folded chairs. "I'm Roxy by the way."

"I'm Nico and you met Evan," Nico introduced, "We were wondering if you could tell us what you know about Rico?" Roxy picked up a cup that was closest to her. 

"I'm a person who likes to cut to the chase. You want to know if Rico is alive or dead right?" she asked looking at them over the rim of the cup. "He's alive."

"How do you know? It was said he was missing and no one could find him," Evan questioned. He took a cup drunk the tea in one gulp.

"You must have been very thirsty," Roxy commented. Evan smiled. "A body wasn't found so it can't be helped but to assume he's alive." 

"Are you assuming or are you knowing?" Evan asked. He blinked his eyes a couple times as if trying to focus on her. Nico hadn't touched his cup , and was worried about the situation they were in. The uneasy feeling was back and was stronger than ever. Nico thought being here would show that he was doing the right thing, but his gut was telling him to leave right then and there. 

"I know. You haven't touched your cup, Nico. Are you not thirsty?" Roxy asked. 

"No thank you. Thank you for your time, but we should leave," Nico said. A piercing scream cause Nico's heart to beat fast. 

It was Ethan's.

"Nico I...don't...feel..." Evan fell off the couch and laid facedown on the floor unmoving.

"What did you do to him?" Nico demanded

"Nothing that will kill him," Roxy answered. "It would have been a lot easier if you had drunk the tea as well." Nico pulled his phone out to call for help.  "No service here. I didn't think you would be that stupid Nicky."

"Nicky?"

"Does it bring back memories? Rico would tell me stories of how he would make you scream and cry. He hated you you know. It was because your parents chose you, and sent him away. They lied to him saying they would be back for him, but they never did. He hates your guts."

"I-"

"Of course, you have no memories of him. They're buried deep in your subconscious. Maybe if you had remembered then you wouldn't have come here," Roxy said.

The front door opened and a figure stood causing Nico's blood to run cold. 

 He had made a huge mistake and now he's going to pay the price for it.

Long Lost Twin: Finding Rico

 "Are you sure you want to find him? He doesn't sound like the best guy," Chris asked. After his talk with his parents, Nico video called Chris and his cousins to tell them what happened. 

"Right, I don't think we should look for him. He's missing anyway. No one has seen him in years," Ethan said.

"Where's Evan?" Nico asked noticing Evan wasn't with him.

"He went to ask our parents about him," Ethan answered, "Like you, he wants to find him."

"He is family. Why shouldn't we find him?" Nico asked.

"I don't know maybe because your parents said he's terrible," Ethan said rolling his eyes. Chris nodded in agreement. 

"It's one thing to want to know more about him, but another to actually set out a find the guy," Chris added. Nico tapped his finger on his desk irritated they weren't siding with him. Even if Rico was a terrible kid, five years was enough time for him to change. From Ethan's camera, there were sounds of an argument happening. Nico could hear Evan's voice but couldn't make out what he was saying.  A few seconds later, Evan came on the camera looking frustrated.

"What was that about?" Ethan asked.

"Mom won't tell me anything, and I accidentally said dad told us so now she mad at him," Evan said flopping on the bed.

"See, that's how you know he's bad news. Why else wouldn't our parents tell us anything," Ethan said. 

"Welp, this seems like a family problem. I suggest not going after him, but if you do tell me how it goes," Chris said ending the call. 

"Some friend he is," Nico mumbled. He really thought Chris would take his side and would help him, but it seems like Chris wants nothing to do with it. Evan moved from the bed and bent down so Nico could see him in the camera. 

"What are you doing right now Nico?" Evan asked.

"Why?" Nico asked taken aback by the question. 

"I did more digging and called the youth detention center-"

"When did you do that?" Nico asked cutting him off.

"Afterschool. Anyways, turns out Rico would spend most of his time hanging out with this girl. She was released two years after he was missing. I got her address. We can go see her," Evan said.  

"How did you even get that information?" Nico questioned.

"Don't worry about it. So do you want to go or not?" Nico checked the time and saw it was still early. As long he's back home before eight he wouldn't have to tell his parents where he was.

"Yea, let's go," Nico decided.

"We'll pick you up in ten minutes," Evan said.

"We? I'm not going," Ethan stated. 

"Yes, you are." Nico ended the call as they began to argue. He closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair. He should feel relieved or happy Evan had found a lead that could help him find his brother, yet the wave of uneasiness he felt earlier came back to him. He couldn't help but wonder if finding his brother was the right thing to do.

"I'm heading out with Ethan and Evan," Nico said as he saw Evan's car pull up. 

"Where are you guys going?" his mom asked from the kitchen. 

"We're just driving around," Nico lied. 

"Okay, make sure you're home by eight no later than nine since it's a school night."

"Got it, mom." Nico went out and got in the backseat of the car. "I thought you weren't going to come?" he asked Ethan who was in the passenger seat.

"This numbskull convinced me," Ethan said pointing at Evan. 

"Come on, you have to admit this is cool. It's like uncovering a family secret," Evan said. 

"I still don't think we should look into it," Ethan said worriedly.

"Calm down. We just going to see the girl and see if she may know where he is." Nico stared out the window while another argument ensued. He was still battling if he was doing the right thing. He knew nothing but the bad things about Rico. For anyone else that's enough for them to not find him, but his curiosity fueled him to look for him.

Thirty minutes later, Evan pulled into a one-story brick house. We're here," Evan said turning the car off.

"Is she even here?" Ethan asked. There were no cars nor lights on in the house to show anyone was home. 

"Only one way to find out," Evan said getting out of the car followed by Nico. Both boys walked up to the house and knocked on the door.

Long Lost Twin:Truth Revealed

Nico sat at the dining room table with his parents in silence waiting for his parents to explain. His mom and dad looked at each other having a conversation with their eyes. "Are you going to tell me what happened to him?" Nico asked impatiently. 

"We're trying to find the words to tell you," his mom said.

"You could start by telling me why I have no memory of him," Nico suggested. His parents looked at each other for a few seconds.

"We took you to a hypnotist who buried your memory of him," his dad explained.

"We also had Ethan's and Evan's memory buried. All three of you had traumatic experiences with him, but you Nico had it the worst," his mom added, "Since you two were babies, he would hit you and torture you. A few months after we sent him away, you would have night terrors of him. Night after night you would scream and cry. It was heartbreaking to watch." His mom wiped her eyes as she began to tear up. Her husband rubbed her back to comfort her.

"When you two turned twelve we sent him to a youth detention center in hope that he'll change for the better," his dad said. Nico listened taking in everything his parents told him. Nico had learned Rico was a child who caused trouble and would make it his personal mission to make Nico's life miserable. 

"If I never learned about him would you had ever told me about him?" Nico asked.

"How did you find out about him in the first place?" his dad asked without answering his son's question. Nico pulled out the picture and showed it to his parents.

"Ethan and Evan accidentally knocked the frame off the table. I pulled the picture out of the frame and noticed him in the picture." Nico didn't tell them Ethan and Evan had done more research on Rico and found out he was missing from the youth center.

"Nico, Rico was a terrible child and we both thought he would be better off someplace else," his dad said.

"So you tried to erase him from our family?" Nico asked in shock, "You gave up on him."

"We tried Nico. He wouldn't listen to anyone. He was unmanageable. You'll understand when you have kids of your own," his dad said defensively. He stood up from the table showing the talk was over. "It's better if you forget about him, Nico."  

"Please Nico," his mom pleaded, "I don't want you to relive what he did to you when you were little, but if you had remembered you would accept our decision." Nico nodded to show he understood.

"I'm going to my room to start my homework," Nico said getting up. His parents let him go hopeful he would forget about Rico. But Nico had the opposite intention. He was going to find him. 

Long Lost Twin: The Truth Comes Out

 Nico counted the hours until his mom would pick him up from school. He promised Chris, Ethan, and Evan he would video call them after he talked to his parents. The bell rang signaling the end of the school day. "Remember to do your homework," the teacher reminded the students who were rushing out. Nico and Chris were one of the last few students who were leaving. "Remember to stand your ground. Don't give up until you get answers," Chris said to Nico. 

"I'm not going to disrespect my parents for them to answer me," Nico protested.

"It doesn't bother you they didn't tell you about your brother?" Nico didn't answer. The truth was he trusted his parents. They always had his best interest at heart. Seeing the look in Rico's eyes as a young boy and how he posed in his photo unsettled Nico. There were reasons to believe Rico could be more trouble than he thought. Despite his worries, he shared his cousins' and friend's curiosity. Chris and Nico stopped at the entrance to the school. "Remember what I said. I'll talk to you later," Chris said. 

"See ya." They did their secret handshake and parted ways. Nico went out to the chilly fall air. He zipped up his jacket and went to the parking lot next to the school where parents wait to pick up their kids. He found his mom's white Nissan. He knocked on the window of the passenger side for her to unlock the door.

"Hey kiddo how was school?" she asked while Nico was getting in the passenger seat. He put his bag in the back seat before he answered. 

"It was good as usual," Nico said. He watched his mom turn the car on and back it out of the parking spot. "Mom, there's something I need to ask you."

"What is it?" she asked. She drove out of the school parking lot and was now on the road that led to home.

"What happened to Rico?" Nico asked cutting to the chase. 

"Rico? Who's that?"His mom asked. She stayed focused on the road, but her grip had tightened on the steering wheel. 

"My twin brother. Where is he? Why did you send him away?" His mom didn't answer any of his questions. "Mom?"

"I don't want to talk about this right now Nico," his mom answered quietly. Nico didn't ask any more questions for the rest of the car ride. Five minutes later, his mom pulled into the driveway of their two-story house.

 "Are you going to answer my questions now?"

His mom sighed, "Okay, you are old enough to know the truth. Your dad is inside waiting. We can all talk about it, but please understand that everything we did, we did for your safety."

The truth is finally out, but now the question is should Nico set out to find Rico, or is Rico going to find him? 

Long Lost Twin: Confrontation

Nico sat at a table in the school library letting the smell of books fill his nose. Whenever he needed to clear his mind about something he would always go to the library. "I was looking for you. What are you doing here?" Chris, his best friend asked. He put his bag down and sat across Nico.

"Just wanted to go somewhere where I could think." Nico told him what happened yesterday while showing him the picture. 

"He does look like you minus the hair," Chris commented, "You should ask your parents."

"That's what Ethan said, but I don't know how to bring it up to them."

"Well, first you'll need some more information about him. All you have to go off on is this picture. They could easily say it was printed wrong or say you're seeing things," Chris said taking another look at the picture. "You don't remember him?"

Nico shook his head, "That's why I'm not sure if I should tell them. How am I going to confront them about someone I don't have no memory of."

At that moment, Ethan and Evan ran into the library with a wild look in their eyes. Their eyes scanned the library until they landed on Nico. They ran over to him dropping their things on the table.

"Bro, you'll never believe what we found out," Ethan said excitedly. Evan bounced beside him matching his brother's excitement. 

"What happened?" Nico asked.

"We asked our mom if she knew anything about you having a twin brother," Ethan began.

"She was acting weird and wouldn't tell us anything. So we went to our dad and he told us your parents sent him away when you guys turned twelve," Evan finished.

"That was five years ago. How come you don't remember him. Shouldn't you two remember him?" Chris asked Ethan and Evan.

"That's what we thought, but we have no memory of him. Our dad wouldn't tell us anything else, but his name. It's Rico, but they used to call him Ricky," Evan said. 

"Rico and Nico. Sounds like a fun pair," Chris said chuckling.

"This is serious Chris," Nico scolded, "I have a twin I know nothing about nor do I remember him. Why did my parents send him away?"

"Dad wouldn't say. We did some digging and found out where they sent him," Ethan said. Evan went into his bag bringing out a folded piece of paper and a newspaper clipping. 

"He was sent to a youth detention center in downtown. Few weeks after he was brought in the whole building was burned down," Evan said pointing at the news clipping. It stated the forensic couldn't figure out who or what started the fire. Thankfully, there were no casualties but when doing a headcount Rico was missing.

"This is the picture they sent around when they found out he was missing," Ethan said. Nico examined the picture, a wave of uneasiness passed through him. Rico had his middle finger up, flipping off whoever was taking the picture with his tongue out. In his eyes, there was something Nico couldn't read. 

"So what are you guys going to do now?" Chris asked looking from Nico to Ethan and Evan. Ethan and Evan turned to Nico waiting for his answer. 

"I'm going to ask my parents about him," Nico decided. "They must know what happened to him and why none of us can remember him."

Looks like Ethan's and Evan's research shined a little light on Nico's twin brother. Yet, neither of them could figure out why he was sent away nor why they have no memory of him. In the next part, Long Lost Twin: The Truth Comes Out, we learn the truth about Rico.

Long Lost Twin: The Broken Frame

Hey guys, instead of creating a new story each day. I'll be breaking up a story I'm working on into parts. Hope you enjoy it!

Nico was in the kitchen fixing lunch for himself and his cousins Ethan and Evan when he heard a loud thud followed by glass shattering. Nico walked out of the kitchen to investigate. His cousins were rolling on the floor next to a broken frame.

"Look what you did!" Nico yelled annoyingly. Ethan and Evan were roughhousing and knocked over the frame that was on the coffee table. 

"Sorry," Ethan said not meaning it. He kicked Evan off of him and handed Nico the broken frame. It was a photo of his sixth Christmas where he had gotten the remote control car he bugged his parents about for months.  The glass had completely shattered and the frame itself was split in two. 

"Did you guys really had to fight here?" Nico asked.

"I don't know why you're so bent out of shape about it. It's just a frame," Ethan said. Nico rolled his eyes. He took the picture out of the broken frame, so he could throw the frame away. The picture was folded so it only showed the six-year-old Nico playing with his car and his parents standing by the Christmas tree watching him. Curious, Nico unfolded the picture.

There he was again holding the same car, but a different color. Nico stared at the boy who looked like him. Except his hair was a stormy grey, unlike Nico's chestnut hair. The boy was staring at the camera with a mischievous smirk as if he had a plan that could end in disaster. "Hey," Nico called out to his cousins who were shoving each other. They stopped and turned their attention to him. "Look at this." The boys examined the picture.

"Who's that?" Evan asked. "It looks like you but with different color hair."

"But why would there be two of me?" Nico asked.

"Maybe that's your long lost twin?" Ethan suggested. Evan nodded in agreement. 

Nico chuckled, "That's impossible. I'm an only child. Mom and dad would have told me if I had a twin. I'm sure something went wrong when the picture printed out." Nico took the picture from Evan. He looked at it again trying to remember if he ever had a twin brother. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't remember. He folded the picture up and placed it on the table. 

"I'm going to finish making lunch. Don't break any more frames," Nico said. He glanced around at the other frames around the living room wondering if the pictures in them were folded as well.

Tune in tomorrow for the second part, Long Lost Twin: Confrontation. It's been a couple weeks since the frame was broken. Nico couldn't help but wonder who the young boy next to him was. Is it really possible for him to have a twin he had no memory of?

10/25-10/31 is the Week of Stories

 Happy October! Halloween is just around the corner. 

I noticed artists participate in Inktober.  It's a month where artists could showcase their work and work on their drawing skills all at the same time. On Instagram, there's this page that gave me an idea. Instead of doing drawings, suggest writing stories, inspiring me to create short stories for the last week of October. Make sure to tune in on Sunday, October 25th, this is when it'll start😃😁

Don't forget to check out @thewritersgarden page on Instagram. They post cool short stories.

Also, follow my second account on Instagram @novelist_utopia