“Hey! There are other people in this house that have to get ready too y’know!” Quartz was taking forever to get ready for the plane to Canada where we would catch up with the rest of our family. Finally, she breezed past me.









“Here you go. I don’t know why you’re in such a hurry, we still have three hours.”





I let my breath out in a huff. It would do no good to try telling her that we still had to pack and get to the airport. Not to mention that we still had to get through baggage check, get to the departure gate, and find our seats. Oh well. “Quartz, do you have the tickets and the directions?”








“ Of course Oceana. Don’t be such a worry wart! It’ll give you wrinkles!” Just like Quartz to tell me about appearances instead of real advice. This is one of those times that I can’t help but think of how different we are, though we are twins! Quartz, who’s real name is Crystal, is hyper, kooky, fashionable, absent minded, and just down right happy-go-lucky!






My name is Oceana. Some people describe me as serious, not forgetful, but ready to have a good time. We both like sports, art, chorus, and going to places. Though all of our differences, we are the best of friends. But sometimes I half wish that we were triplets, and right now I was feeling just the opposite of best friend. “Get packed! Now we only have two hours! We’re almost out of time!” I shouted as she went to go get dried off.












“Time, shmime!” she shouted back. I guess I always correct her with school work because, just to annoy me, she said, “ As Thomas Eddison once said “what is time? If-”












“ Oh, be quiet! Lets go. Are you packed?”


“ Uhhh, almost” she said sounding guilty. I stormed in and found her, clothes bulging out of her suitcase as if she stuffed it in there all at once. I started laughing hysterically and she just had to join in.


“I don’t think you-”







“I’m not exactly pac-” We said at the same time. We burst out laughing again.







“ Twin telepathy?” again at the same time.


“ I’ll help you pack the right way, but hurry! We only have an hour and a half.” Eventually, we were on the plane. Fortunately, we got the only row that was in a two instead of a three. Unfortunately, there were two people in our seats, but fortunately again, they moved. We were just getting settled into our seats when a flight attendant’s voice buzzed through on the intercom. The bright, chipper voice was crackly and annoying. Expecially at 4:oo in the morning. “Attention. We are just Departing from Chicago. We shall arive in our destination, Transylvania, in approximately ten hours, at 2:oo. Now please pay attention while I go through these precautions to ensure your sa-” she went on and on, but neither of us were listening.








“ Did she just say-”







“ I think she did-”







“ Transylvania?!?” we sat throught the rest of the flight in total silence. When the plane landed, we barely noticed, but as soon as we set foot in the small airport, Quartz snapped into action dragging me along behind. “We have to go get another flight” she told me. I nodded my head to show that I understood. But, when we got there, the receptionist said with a heavy accent “I’m sorry girls,” she said dragging out the S’s and R’s. “ but there is simply no flights left for at least three days. Would you like thet?”











“Sure” I said, trying to not mind that she mispronounced the word “that”.





Over the next two days to get away from the hotel we were staying in, we went exploring in the woods near the small town. On the day before the flight, we found a girl their age huddled in a cluster of trees. “Hello?” I said. “Do you speak English?”

She looked at us then slowly nodded her head.

“How did you get here? Are you lost?”



“ I was taken here when I was a baby. As soon as I could, they put me to work in the factories. I just excaped a week ago.” she was speaking slowly and softly.











“ How horrible!” Quartz gasped as I whispered to her “ She looks like us!” And it was true. She had amber blond hair, turquoise eyes and berry red lips.

“We have to take her home.” Quartz said.




“I agree. Maybe we can get our birth certificates and see if we are triplets.”







“I think she really is! Lets ask her if she wants to go.”











She agreed eagerly. “Yes, yes!” she said “Let us go now!”











“Tomorrow. The plane leaves tomorrow.”


On the way home, all I could think about was Rosa and how she was, how she is now. Sort of like a before and after picture you get in salon makeovers. As we got off the plane, Rosa was stumbling and so tired. She asked many times about why this was happening, so I said “it is jet lag. It’ll wear off soon”








“I hope so. This feels terrible. And on the plane, my ears felt like they would burst!”




“that is the pressure you get on a plane when you take off and when you land. The air pressure changes if you go higher or lower.” I said “In other words,” Quartz said, “if you go higher or low, it hurts”










“Oh.”









This was 2 years ago. As it turns out, she was our sister. She was kidnapped when she was a baby. And most importantly, she was able to identify the kidnapper and put them in jail. My parents were overjoyed when they saw her and I am so gleeful. Now, I owe all my happiness to that wrong turn!