Return to Eden by G.P. Ching Page A

Healer." She bowed slightly at the waist.
    "And this is Jacob Lau, a Horseman," Malini said. Jacob extended his hand and she accepted it eagerly.
    "Girls! Come out here."
    Samantha returned and so did another Samantha. Jacob tried not to stare but the two girls, obviously twins, looked exactly alike, down to their baby pink nail polish. He’d known twins before but these two were exceptionally the same. Every hair seemed to be trained to lie identically, like they were dolls manufactured in a factory.
    "You’ve met Samantha. This is Bonnie." Grace flapped her fingers, calling the girls to come closer. They walked at the same pace with one arm tucked behind their backs in exactly the same way.
    "Weird. You guys look EXACTLY alike," Jacob said.
    "Don’t be rude," Malini whispered.
    Jacob’s head snapped toward Malini and then back toward the twins. "I’m not being rude. Look at them, they are the most identical, identical twins I’ve ever seen."
    Grace chuckled. "It’s true! Except that they are even more rare. Samantha and Bonnie are mirror image twins. Look here." She pointed to a large freckle on the left side of Samantha’s nose. The same freckle was on the right side of Bonnie’s. "And believe me, that is only the beginning of what makes these two special."
    "Will you show us?" Malini asked softly.
    Grace nodded. "Of course, Healer."
    "Please call me Malini, Mrs. Guillian."
    "Only if you call me Grace. Besides, my husband, Burt, passed away five years ago, so I’m not exactly a Mrs. anymore."
    "I’m sorry," Jacob said.
    Malini nodded in agreement.
    Grace smoothed her apron. "Water under the bridge." She turned toward Samantha  and Bonnie. "Since we’re on the subject, why don’t you show Malini and Jacob what your father looked like when he was alive?"
    "Sure, Mom." Samantha smiled and reached for Bonnie’s hand. There was a silent exchange between them and then one twin melded into the other. Like two mounds of clay that were forced together, they blended and blurred, until one was a six foot tall man with brown hair in a police uniform, and the other was a four foot tall version of herself.
    "This is what my father looked like," Bonnie said, in a man’s voice. Samantha, whose new form made her look around nine, pointed her hands spokes-model like at her sister.
    "The voice is off, but they’ve done a winning impression," Grace said.
    Jacob could not speak. His mind tried to wrap around what he’d just seen.
    The girls seemed to revel in his amazement. They nodded at each other, grabbed hands again and transformed into Jacob and a very small version of Malini.
    "So, they can share mass and look like anyone?" Malini asked.
    The girls transformed into themselves. "Anyone, yes. But we can’t weigh more than three hundred pounds," they said in unison.
    Grace smiled proudly.
    "Are you their Helper?" Jacob asked.
    "Yes. My mother was a Soulkeeper before she died. I’m a black-belt in Shotokan." The woman squinted her eyes and made a karate chop in front of her round belly. The twins rolled their eyes.
    "My mom’s more of a behind the desk kind of Helper," Sam said.
    "Sam! I have many underutilized talents."
    "We’ve trained but we’ve never actually faced a Watcher," Bonnie said. "We took down a shoplifter at the IGA last fall though."
    Malini frowned. "I’m sorry to have to be the bearer of bad news but we’ve come to tell you, you’re not safe here anymore. Your identities have been compromised."
    "Compromised to whom?" Grace asked.
    "Lucifer," Malini said, lowering her chin and closing her eyes as if it hurt to utter the word.
    "Lucifer! My heavens! The girls aren’t ready for that. Who could be ready for that?"
    "We want you to come with us. There’s a safe place. A place made for us by God where we can train until the attack. We want to take you to Eden," Malini said.
    Grace scowled. "Eden? As in the Eden?"
    "Yes. We want to organize the Soulkeepers so that we can face Lucifer with a united