"Thana! Thana! Where are you?!" I have a quiet giggle at his search for me. I scanned the area, looking for said boy. Then all of a sudden I heard a voice in my right ear, "Found you~" I gave a sudden shriek and fell out of the tree I was hiding in. "Ooowww..." I groaned in pain and rubbed my back. I looked up to see him laughing at me. I gave him a quick glare. He jumped down and helped me up. "That wasn't funny Thorn!" I angrily yelled at the boy.

"Sorry, sorry. But I couldn't help it! You should have known better than to let your guard down around me Thana!" Thorn said, laughter still clear in his voice. I gave a little pout as he pulled out a leaf from my blonde hair.

  My name is Thana. I live in a village that has been long since forgotten by the outside world. The boy who is with me is Thorn. He is my identical twin brother and best friend. We have been through everything together. We both have blonde hair and emerald green eyes. We are also 13 years old.

  He ran his fingers through my medium blonde hair trying to get some leaves and small twigs that are still in my hair. "Thorn! Thana!" We heard our mother call out. I looked at Thorn, he helped me up, and we headed back home. We live with our mother on the outskirts of the village and next to the forest. Which is where Thorn and I love to play in. Father had died when we were really young, so I don't really have many memories of him. We soon reached home and went inside to eat supper.

  A few hours later, night had fallen. I looked over at Thorn, whose back was facing me. "Hey, Thorn? You still awake?" I asked. He turned over to face me from the other side of our small bedroom. "Yeah. Can't sleep again?" Thorn asked. I always loved how Thorn can be so caring and loving at times. "No, I was just wondering if we could play in the village tomorrow?" I asked. A frown graced his lips. I knew his answer would be no. The reason for this is because the villagers treat us like outsiders, and they have this weird hatred for roses. I never understood why though. "Please!" I begged him. He held out for a few minutes until he gave in, "Gah! Fine! Just stop with the puppy eyes!" I gave him a wide grin. "Night!" I told Thorn. "Night." He groaned.

  "Come on, hurry up Thorn!" I rushed him. "I'm coming! I'm coming!" Thorn replied. Once out of the house, we headed towards the village. It only took a few minutes until we were in the heart of the village. Once we were there, small children could be seen running around, people taking, well, it was as if the village itself was alive. I love coming here for that reason. It's just so enchanting how everyone can live so peacefully here.

  We walked up to the fountain in the middle of the square. I picked up a small red rose I found on the fountain and put it Thorn's hair. "H-hi Th-Thorn. U-uh...Th-Thana..." I heard a voice say. I turned around to see Chase. He was out only friend in the village, and the chief's son. Chase has always had a stuttering problem. Due to this, people view him as a coward, but in fact, he is one of the bravest people you will ever meet. He has dark brown hair and wears glasses. He also has black eyes. "Hey Chase!" I cheerfully greeted. "Hi Chase." Thorn greeted as well. Chase then looked at Thorn and gasped. "R-rose! R-rose!" He screamed. As soon as those words left his mouth, the whole town went dead silent. All eyes were on us. "Rose? You mean this?" Thorn asked and took the rose out of his hair. "Th-Thorn, are y-you infected by the r-rose?" Chase suspiciously asked.

  Thorn and I gave a puzzled expression. "Infected by the rose? No, Thana found this on the fountain and put it in my hair." Thorn explained. After Thorn said that, I swear it was like the whole town had given out a sigh of relief. Chase had grabbed out hands and took us to a a small area of land that was covered in flowers. As we left, the village started to return to normal. "D-do you guys e-even know a-about the curse of the r-rose?" Chase asked. Thorn and I looked at each other before shaking our heads no.

  "Then I'll tell y-you. There o-once was a w-witch that l-lived in the v-village. She was v-very evil and h-hated the villagers. She tormented the v-villagers for a-ages. B-but then one day the v-villagers h-had have enough of the w-witch and b-burned her. But b-before she was burned, s-she placed a c-curse on everyone. Th-the curse was th-that anyone who tried to leave the village would b-be cursed w-with a rose that w-will infect and k-kill everyone." Chase told us.

  "So that's why everyone was so tense.." Thorn said. "Y-yes. And it w-would make sense that you t-two wouldn't k-know about it. A-after all, you g-guys are h-homeschooled." Chase commented. I then sat on the ground and started to make a flower crown out of red, yellow, and blue flowers. "A-and that curse l-lives in the f-forest too." Chase commented. Thorn crouched down next to me and asked, "Thana. You have been in the woods longer than I have. Have you seen any bad things in there?" I didn't  look at him and focused on the flower crown I was making. I hummed a small tune as I worked.

  "Verflucht Rose eine unglückliche Schicksal erleiden." I whispered.

  Thorn stood back up after I uttered those words. "Wh-what did sh-she say?" Chase asked. "She said, "cursed rose suffer an unfortunate fate'." Thorn translated. I finished making my flower crown and stood up to place it on Thorn's head. He gave me a small smile before looking back at Chase. I turned to look at him and his face was ghostly pale. "What's wrong Chase?" I asked him. "N-nothing..." He said and looked away from me.

  "W-well I sh-should be getting back n-now. M-my dad is p-probably looking f-for me." Chase said. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. As soon as Chase was out of view, Thorn turned to me. "We should head home as well Thana. It's getting pretty late." Thorn told me. "Okay." I replied and we walked home.

  On the was there, an elderly voice called out to me, "Ah, young miss. Would you care to have your fortune read?" I stopped dead in my tracks and looked at the woman on the side of the road. She was dressed in a black cloak, so I couldn't see her face. "Come on Thana. We need to get home." Thorn told me, trying to pull me along. "Aw, come on Thorn. A little fortune never hurt anyone." I persuaded him. He gave a huff at me. I sat down in front of the woman. She pulled out a deck of some sort of cards and placed some in front of me. She then turned them over one by one. "Oh my." She said. "What is it?" Thorn asked. I could see that he was trying to study the cards in front of me. "My dear girl...you have a long road of misfortune ahead of you. I would highly suggest that you stay away from that forest you are so fond of." The woman warned.

  "That is very interesting. Thank you." I said and got up. I brushed off my dress and continued to walk with Thorn. "What an odd fortune." Thorn commented once the woman was out of sight. "Oh well. A fortune is a fortune." I tell him.