Beginning

Rebecca and Terry stared at their new flat. It was dark, felt a little damp, but would suit their purposes just fine.

“We need to buy a swifter-mop.”

They collapsed onto the floor and Rebecca leaned against Terry’s shoulders. It was comforting to know that he would always be there to catch her when she fell.

A moment later, they both got up again, their movements mechanical and listless. Neither would admit that they were tired.

They walked two miles to the nearest supermarket and bought a set of cleaning supplies (the cheaper, outdated type), food, and toiletries. Right before they were about to leave, Rebecca asked Terry if they could buy a futon. They could.

They walked out with two shopping carts full of items and a futon balanced precariously on both. Side by side, they wheeled the two shopping carts back to the flat. Anyone who saw would think they were homeless. But that would be a wrong assumption. Rebecca and Terry had finally found a home.

Back in their flat, both worked to clean every inch of it. This is ours and we will treasure it, they thought. Not a word was exchanged, but both were happy, and both knew the other was too. While Rebecca scrubbed the bathtub and Terry mopped the floor, each found their own form of peace. This is a good day, they thought.

Eventually, it got dark and they settled in for the night. The futon was small, but so were Rebecca and Terry. They snuggled up next to each other and slept in each other’s arms, using their old sleeping bags as cover.

Rebecca and Terry had been sleeping next to each other for a long time. It had since become a habit. After their parents died, it was Terry who found Rebecca asleep alone at night, and it was he who snuggled up next to her. At first, they were a little uncomfortable because they knew that they must be breaking some social convention. Teenagers shouldn’t be sleeping with each other, even if they were siblings.

But soon, they realized that they had broken too many social conventions to make one more broken rule matter. So they clung to each other all the tighter until it was difficult to tell that they weren’t the same person.