The next evening when Sky and Star somberly made their way downstairs for dinner, they were more than a little terrified to find two police officers waiting in the living room with their parents.

“They have some questions for the two of you” Brie greeted them, her voice more than a bit choked.

Sky and Star looked at one another, trying to keep their expressions blank as possible. As they took wary seats on the sofa, both Connor and Brie moved to stand at the side of the room, looking just as upset, themselves.

Seeing as neither teen was offering the first word, one of the officers began, “we can place both of you at the scene of a crime. What can you tell us about what happened at that motel last night?”

Sky forced his expression to remain blank, his eyes downward while Star was very nearly hyper-ventilating, trying to find some story that would be remotely believable. Glancing over at where she was searching desperately for that story, Sky sighed softly and spoke up.

“Three boys from our school, they forced us to go there against our will. And they threatened to rape Star. But we got away. That’s all there was to it” he stated, forcing the calm tone despite how his heart was racing.

“The scene of what crime?” Star whispered.

“Triple homicide” the officer offered, as both Brie and Connor gasped at the information, and Star bit back a sob, “at least that’s what we’re calling it, for now” he added.

“Calling it?” Sky asked, still trying to force the calm outside to alleviate the panic inside.

“We haven’t managed to actually discern the cause of the deaths. We just know the two of you were there, and it appeared to be against your will, as you said. And we saw you leaving the room looking quite distraught.”

“Wouldn’t you be distraught if you were kidnapped and your sister threatened like that?” Sky pointed out.

“So you admit the two of you had motive to want the boys dead?” the other officer pressed.

“Of course we did. But like you said, with no official cause of death, you can’t really even say for sure what happened to them, right?”

“Technically the cause of death appears to be a brain hemorrhage, happening to three teenage boys, at once. Though that doesn’t exactly make a lot of sense, does it? So we’re trying to find a slightly more likely answer.”

“Well, if it’s not even officially a murder, you can’t officially charge anyone for it” Sky pointed out plainly, “so, is that all you needed to know?”

Not able to argue the young man’s point, the two officers conceded to leave, but with the usual warning for no one to even think about leaving town. When the policemen were seen out, their parents just looked back at them, their faces saying it all.

After several more terrifying days of waiting to be hauled off to jail, Sky and Star finally got the news that the case had, startlingly, been dropped. The cause of the deaths determined as ‘accidental exposure to unknown radioactive element.’ And that was that. Not that that made either of them feel any better, at all.

The day after the police investigation had mysteriously come to an end, Sky and Star woke up almost feeling hung over. But when they opened their eyes, they startled even more to find themselves back in what looked like a part of the experimental home they had lived at for a week back after nearly destroying the house with their carnal explorations.

However, this was a part of the house they hadn’t seen before. There was no more austere post-modern architecture to at least try and make the place look like people could actually live in it. This time, they were in a room that looked like a science lab, plain and simple.

“Ok, I’m getting really sick of waking up in strange places. I coulda started doin drugs if I wanted that kind of daily thrill” Sky stated angrily as he and Star sat up from where they had each been unconscious on a gurney of some sort.

“We’re back at that house, aren’t we?” Star asked with the same anger and dread.

“And apparently they drugged us to get us here or some shit” he stated even more angrily.

That was when Connor and Brie entered the lab, complete with lab coats and tablets. “Morning kids” Brie stated quietly as she and Connor each pulled up a chair nearby.

“Are you fucking serious right now?” was Sky’s return greeting, followed by, “what in the actual fuck?”

“Language” Brie stated under her breath, ignoring his scoff as she typed a note into her tablet.

“Mom, seriously, what the hell?” Star joined in on the outrage Sky had already made apparent.

“We’ve tried a few differing approaches, and all of them involved trying to let the two of you at least attempt to live normal lives. But that obviously didn’t work out. And now people are dead, and now we have to move onto a much more direct approach” Brie attempted to begin some explanation, though their expressions showed that that didn’t seem to be working either.

“The point is, it’s gotten too dangerous to let you two try to live out there, in the real world. So now you’ll be in here instead. It’ll be an adjustment, but we’re hoping you’ll eventually see that it’s for the greater good” Connor put in, speaking in the same emotionless tone that he had nearly perfected over the last decade.

Sky spoke ever so slowly, through gritted teeth then, “what are you talking about?”

“If you just cooperate, I’m sure you’ll see that being in here is ultimately better than being out there. At least until things are more...settled with the two of you” Brie stated with that forced calm.

“Maybe we could cooperate if either of you actually told us what the fuck you’re talking about” Star interjected, her own anger rising then.

Brie just scowled before moving on, “first, we need to get honest answers from the both of you. And the questions may be difficult, but we’ll need you to give us the truth so we all know how to move forward here.”

Sky just rubbed his eyes in frustration, “one of us is obviously having a nightmare or something” he told Star with a shake of his head, “hopefully we’ll wake up soon and get out of this twisted fucking Twilight Zone episode.”

“If you two don’t calm yourselves, we do have sedatives. Do we really have to use them?” Connor asked pointedly, to which both the teens just gave them looks of disbelief.

That was when Brie cut in with her continued attempt at a more gentle approach than her male counterpart, “can you please just answer our questions, truthfully. It’ll make this much easier for all of us” she added with what almost sounded like the slightest trace of regret, almost.

“Fine, ask your fucking questions” Star conceded as Sky just continued to glare at their parents.

Brie then cleared her throat, looking over her notes, “so, the day the house flooded; was that the first time?” she asked, causing both of them to pale even more, if that were possible.

Sky quickly deflected, “what? The first time the house flooded? Yeah, I think that’s a given” he answered with sarcasm to cover he and Star’s very real discomfort.

“I mean” Brie swallowed hard, “is that the first time the two of you had intercourse?”

They both then found themselves fighting the urge to pass out right then. Star finally spoke, her voice breaking, “I’m sure you don’t mean...with...each other...” she whispered.

“Is that a yes or a no?” Connor put in.

That was when, through his scoff, Sky actually smiled. The expression dumbfounding everyone around him. “Why the fuck are you smiling?” Star whispered to him with disbelief.

“Because” Sky stated with a slight trace of victory in his tone then, “if you and I really are twins, or related, at all...they’d be strapping us into chastity belts, and performing electric shock on us with a side of castration...not just asking us how long we’ve been fucking” he stated plainly, eyes narrowed back at the adults, daring them to deny his words.

Brie and Connor then swallowed hard, both of them attempting to find some response to his realization. Finally, after another long pause, Brie spoke again, “whether you’re related or not, that’s not important right now. What is important is that we figure out exactly how to deal with the things you two can do, when you’re....close.” she decided on.

“Not important?” Star responded, her voice raising in rage, “not important?” she repeated with a near shriek, “when you tried to convince us that we were related and everything we felt for each other was wrong, he fucking tried to kill himself cause of how horrible you made us feel about loving each other! So fuck you if you say it’s not important! He almost died, at his own fucking hand, because you two are twisted fucking liars!” she screamed as she turned away, her whole body shaking with rage then.

Another long pause before Brie spoke, almost as though she did actually feel some form of guilt right then, “we thought we were doing it for your own good.”

Upon hearing that excuse, Star’s rage increased tenfold as she turned on the heel of her high boots and slapped Brie hard across the face. However, in the next moment, Connor had pulled her away from the older woman, sliding a syringe into her neck with a deep breath as she fell unconscious in his arms.

Already guessing at Sky’s reaction, Brie moved toward him just as he rose from his own seat, and managed to slide another syringe into his arm, “just in case he doesn’t actually hit like a girl, too” she breathed heavily back at Connor as the two moved them back to the gurneys, just looking at each other, trying to figure out how on earth to deal with the consequences of all they had done, and all they had created.

“So, that went really well, right?” was all Connor could say as Brie shook her head back at him once more.

The next day in the lab, Sky and Star were still quite sullen and morose, despite discovering that the guilt they had felt for so long had been baseless all along. It still didn’t change the fact of their situation and the fact that their so-called caregivers had lied to their faces every day for their entire lives. Nor did it change the fact that people were now dead because of them.

That day, Connor and Brie decided to attempt to keep them separated while they asked their questions. The only thing that changed was that they were each greeted with angry silence instead of any more sweltering rage.

Brie sighed as she looked over her notes while waiting for Star to finish the lunch she had brought her that day. Finally after several minutes of that silence, Star finally used her voice for the first time that day, “did we actually kill Curt, and Tim, and Scott?” she whispered.

Brie looked up at her with another deep breath, “the police said they died of a brain hemorrhage” she stated simply, to which Star only gave her a rueful look. Brie took another breath, before trying that answer again, “I suppose it’s possible...probable” another look at where Star bit back more tears.

“They were gonna hurt us mo---Brie” she quickly corrected, “Curt was the one who tried to rape Sky. Then, that night, he threatened to rape me instead” Star sniffled as Brie averted her eyes, “then they wanted us to...” she just simply shook her head as she looked down at her untouched meal again.

“Wanted you to what?”

Star sniffled again, actively debating on giving her that answer, “They wanted me and Sky to....to have sex with each other...in front of them...and they were gonna film it...and show it to everyone” Star confessed as she bit back another sob.

Brie was quiet a long moment as she took in Star’s words, and her tears. She then took a breath, “well then I’m glad you stopped them, and made it so they can’t ever hurt anyone else again.”