Draft: The Keepers of the Peace

Chapter 1
It always started with a problem, did it not?
Well, it was to keep things interesting, wasn't it?
But why? Her life was perfect, why was she bothering to solve those problems?
Natalie just couldn't help it. It was like something just pushed her to investigate
and to work on that problem until it was fixed, until it was done, even if it had nothing to
do with her. She just wandered around the streets with a fresh mind, almost looking for
trouble. It was the way it had always been done. Her steps always led her to a new
place, with a new problem.
There was one time when she saw a poor family in the street. She started
working on a solution, to help them finding a job or studying. She began to give lessons
to each one of them in different subjects, and helped them with some resources for
them to start. In no time, the parents had jobs and the kids entered school. They even
graduated early.
There was this other time, when she saw a girl bullying some kid at some nearby
school. She defended the kid fearlessly and talked through to the bully. She didn't report
her, but talked to the bully to find her motive; she found that it was a result of the whole
craziness and lack of attention at her home. She recommended the family to start going
to therapy sessions, in a few years, that girl was one of the kindest human beings she
had ever met.
It hadn't been easy, but she had done it again.
Also, she had encountered a man. His name was Charles. He told her about the
problem he had at work. He worked in an office, and was not making the expected
loads of work. She first investigated the kind and amount of work he was doing, and
how to improve it in a general aspect. She realized it was too much work for a day. She
talked as Charles's legal representative to the company, but also showed him how to
get things done quicker and better based on her research. This improved the man's
lifestyle in many ways.
Natalie was a kind of superhero, if you saw it that way. Her life was destined to
save people's problems.
Unlike Martha. Martha and Natalie were very different.
They were twin sisters, even though Natalie had brown hair and Martha had
reddish hair, even though she always dyed it in some weird or different color. They both
had almost the same face. Pale and soft skin, and light brown eyes that stared into your
soul. Natalie had them slightly darker than Martha. They both dressed very differently:
Natalie always wore jeans and shirts, while Martha always wore blouses and skirts.
Except that almost one time of the year, they dressed the same without making it in
purpose, making things really confusing for people who didn't know them that well.
Was it all real? Of course. They were just sisters. All sisters were completely
different. Specially twins. Don't make this so dramatic.

Martha had always passed by in front of these kind of situations, cowardly.

Sometimes she even felt the urge to help, but something always pulled her to stop
doing it.
When she found the poor family, she gave them some pennies and passed by.
She thought about it all day, but when she came up with an idea, the idea just vanished,
as if it had never been there in the first place.
When she saw the bully, she just shouted at her and then ran. She was brave,
but not noble. She tried then looking for her, but then forgot who she was looking for
and left, like nothing had happened. After all, it wasn't her problem.
She had also encountered that man, Charles, and she had a chat with him,
encouraging him to work harder. She had also some ideas when she talked to him, but
as she tried to speak, no words came out, as if she didn't know how to say them. The
only thing that worked was encouraging him, but not exactly helping him in any way.
She then left him behind. Besides, what benefit would she get from doing that? She had
started realizing someone else would fix their problems sooner or later.
Martha had always been in the same situations than Natalie, but they had always
acted completely differently. Martha walked slowly through the streets with a closed
mind, not expecting any problems or trouble, but it always seemed to find her. I guess
you could say she just had a different purpose. Her steps always led her away from a
new place, away from their problems.
But why not? Her life was perfect, why not solve their problems?
Well, it was to keep things interesting, wasn't it?
It always started with a problem, did it not?
Chapter 2
Natalie heard the alarm clock, half asleep and half awake. She shut the clock and sat
on her bed. What could life have in door for her today? She thought about it while she
stood up and chose the clothes she was going to wear that day: A blue v-neck and
some shorts, with her red shoes. It was hot outside. She then walked over to the
bathroom to get a shower. She showered fast, so she wouldn't waste a lot of water, put
her clothes on, got herself ready and went down the stairs.
She looked at the calendar and repeated the day: May the 30th. She looked at
the window next to the living room and saw the sun shining beautifully outside. She
headed over to the kitchen and prepared some eggs for her and Martha. She hadn't
gone down yet; something strange, even for Martha. She then heard a loud thud from
upstairs; Martha had probably just fell from the bed, like she normally did when she
heard the alarm clock.
Martha startled as soon as she fell from her bed. She walked groggily to the
bathroom, and got a shower. She sang while she cleaned herself. When she got out,
she put on her bath robe and went straight back to her room. She then picked from her
closet what she was wearing today: A blue v-neck t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts, with
some red shoes. It was too hot outside to even wear a skirt, she thought to herself. She

put some eyeliner on, her flats and walked down the stairs. Natalie had already
prepared some eggs. She could smell it as she went down.
She looked at the calendar first: May 30th. She then took a look outside and saw
the sun out, shining hard outside. It was probably really hot. She then walked over to
the kitchen. She couldn't wait to eat the eggs Nat was making.
When Martha entered, they both looked at each other almost frightened. They looked
the same. "Guess it's that time of the year again."-they both said in unison and laughed.
Yes, they were very different, but they loved each other nonetheless.
They both sat at the table where their eggs where waiting. They were surprised
that they made almost the exact movements when they ate; something like that had
never happened before. They both looked scared at each other, but then forgot it and
kept eating. When they were done, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it."- said Natalie as she rushed to the door.
"Fine, if you want..."-replied Martha.
Some odd guy was the one who was at the door; he had messy short brown hair and
green eyes; yet something was odd about him, but Natalie couldn't quite put her finger
on it. He looked at her, first shocked but then with calm expression on his face, like he
was relaxing. Martha rushed to the door to see what was going on, and she immediately
noticed: The guy was wearing a blue v-neck shirt, jean shorts and red shoes.
"Don't panic"- he said when seeing the shock on Martha's eyes. Natalie then
realized what was going on. She also had a frightened look.- "I'm here to help".
"Help with what? We're very fine here, thanks."-replied Natalie.
"Calm down"-Martha muttered to Natalie- "But seriously, what kind of help? I
mean, our lives are pretty normal."
"Aren't they too normal?"-he said.-"Don't you feel them kind of, forced?"
Natalie then ushered to close the door. It was almost as if she had done it
automatically.
"What did you do that for?!"-Martha shouted at her, while she rushed to open the
door. It was stuck.
"I-I- don't know, Martha".
"Are you still there?"-Martha shouted to the guy.
"I'm here. It's stuck, isn't it? Kick it."
"Why on earth would I kick my door?"-Martha replied.
"Just do it".
"I'm taking none of your shit until you tell me who you are!"- Martha shouted.
"I'm James. I'm a friend. I'm here to help"- at least, that's what he had said in the
first place, and what he hoped could do.
"Why?"-said Natalie, frightened. She didn't know what she was doing, as if she
was being controlled by someone else.
"What's your name?"-said James.
"She's Natalie, I'm Martha. Now, why the hell should I kick my door?"
"How are you going to get out later? Now that's a problem".-James said jokingly.
As if James had said the magic words, Natalie broke the door with one kick.
James just looked a little scared at her. He seemed like he was 17, just like Natalie and
Martha.

"Now what's with that "forced" thing, eh?"- Martha said to him. She was getting
tired of this. Besides, she was still a little shaken with Natalies reactions.
"I would suggest getting your friend here to a hospital- she doesn't look well."-he
said.
"Okay, first of all, you show up here with our same clothes. Then you say you're
here to help and the door closes. You start saying some weird shit to us and then I
break the door. My guess is that someone- and by someone I mean someone related to
you- is watching us".-Natalie said, enraged by the whole thing.
"Girl, I'm not the one stalking you, if that's what you mean".-he said, throwing his
hands in the air, pledging innocence.
"And why should we just trust some guy that appears at our front door? I mean
the thing just seems pretty illogical, if you ask me."-Martha replied.
"Martha- I'm not feeling very well...-Natalie said.
"See? I told you."-James said.
"You got a car?"
"Sure".
"Then let's go"- said Martha, pointing her head to his car.-"Help me carry her."
Chapter 3
The hospital was silent. As if no one had ever entered the place. James and Martha
both carried Natalie to the reception, but there was no one to help them. They looked
around; a lot of people were sitting around, waiting; most of them sick. Natalie looked
around, weak but shocked; something gave her the feeling there was no one to help
them.
"These poor people-how are they going to get cured?"-said Natalie.
"Not a moment to get all super-hero like, Nat."-Martha told her.-"Just calm down."
"So she's that..."-James muttered.
"What?"-Martha told him.
"That kind of person. My brother's the same."-he said.
"I bet you don't even have a brother."-Martha replied.
"Bingo."
Martha rolled her eyes so high she could've broken the world record. I mean, if
there's a record for that. Still, she worried. She also had the feeling no one was coming.
"We need to go somewhere else."-she finally said, after 15 minutes of nothing.
"What?"-James replied.
"It's clear no one's coming. No one's helping here. There must be somewhere
else."
"Get me my laptop."-said Natalie, firmly.
"Nat, are you okay?"-Martha said.
"I know it's in by bag. I never go anywhere without it."
"But you didn't take your bag. Nat, the most important thing right now is to figure
what's wrong with you."-Martha said, concerned.
"I can figure it out, I just need a computer."-Natalie said, stubbornly.
"I've got mine on the car, if it helps."-James shrugged.

Martha threw him the hardest of looks. She finally sighed and said: "Fine. Just do
it fast."- she was concerned her sister could save everyone but herself. James helped
Martha carry Natalie outside the door, when a man in a black suit stopped them.
"Is everything okay?"-he said, harshly.
Martha didn't trust the man. Neither did James. Natalie was too weak to even
notice. But Martha knew they had to go carefully with him. He didn't seem like a man
who could be trusted- at least he wasn't friendly like James.
"Everything's okay, sir."-she said, a little nervous.
"Why don't you just wait for the doctor?"-he replied.
"I guess we could wait a little more."-Martha said nervously. She looked at James
and they both turned back and started moving away from him.
"Why the hell did you just do that?"-James whispered to Martha.
"He seems dangerous. We had no choice."-she whispered back.
"Then how are we going to solve this?"-James told her, still keeping his voice
down.
"We'll go through the back door and wait there. Then we will walk back to your
car, when he's no longer there."-Martha told him. Just after she finished saying those
words, Natalie collapsed on the ground.
"NATALIE, NATALIE! WAKE UP!"-Martha screamed to her. After all, she was her
sister. She couldn't just let some bloke creep her out and take away her only sister.
James felt Martha's feelings right away, feeling guilt. He saw it on her eyes. He
instantly started to check Natalie. She wasn't dead- she was just unconscious. He
touched Martha's shoulder. She instantly looked at him. He showed her the calm in his
eyes- he calmed her with his stare.
"She'll be fine. Don't worry, Martha."
Martha just stayed there, in the floor, shocked. She then realized her sister wasn't
dead. It was her time of the day to save problems; it was time to become Natalie.
"We need to get her to a room. If there's no one in this bloody hospital, they
shouldn't mind."-she said firmly. She finally looked at James and sighed.-"I hate to say
this, but we do need your help. I need your help."
"That's what I'm here for, am I not?"-he smiled at her and took Natalie in his
arms. -"Let's take her to a room."
"We won't stay here for long."-said Martha as she stood.-"Something is extremely
odd about this day. I need to talk to you. Alone."
They didn't waste time and looked for the nearest empty room. James put
Natalie's body on the bed and closed the door.
"If this bloody shit's happening, we need to know and fully trust each other."Martha said while she looked to the ground.
"Sit."-James said seriously.
They both sat on a couch next to the bed. Martha looked at James, waiting for
him to speak. He only looked to the ground.
"I'll tell you everything about me- if you tell me everything about you and your
sister."
"You've got yourself a deal."-she said, as if she was preparing herself for what
was about to come.

"My full name is James Dean Glemme. I'm 17 years old. I was born in Denver,
Colorado. I guess you could say I had a pretty normal childhood. A family, a place I
could call home, I went to school, and other stuff. It was fine. I didn't appreciate it a lot,
because I hadn't lost it. One day- he sighs and pauses slowly, as his eyes become as
watery as the river, as frightened as every nightmare- everything was...different. My
family was gone- for a trip, they told me- and I was alone in my house. Then suddenly,
all these "problems" if you want to call them that, started appearing, even without having
to do anything with me."
Martha, in a moment of realization, interrupted him and asked- "What did you do
about them?"
"I always started to solve them, but halfway there, a new problem appeared and I
left the old one. The same thing happened with every problem. I guess it's just
procrastinating or something."-he said, looking to the ground. All those memories
flooding his mind couldn't do any good. At least, not at the moment, except for making
Martha believe him.
Martha looked to her side and said almost whispering, hoping no one would see
the mad ideas forming in her head- "I'm the one that doesn't do anything about it."
"What do you mean?"-said James, intrigued and shocked. He wasn't grasping
the idea, and that frustrated him a little bit.
"I'll tell you our story"-she said, looking towards Natalie.- "My name is Martha
Vera Samme. Natalie's full name is Natalie Wood Samme. We were both born in
Detroit, Michigan. Since we were young we lived alone, to cope for ourselves. Natalie
had ideas which helped us out of the poor."-she looked down, full of sorrow and tragedy
in her face; remembering those times brought their feelings back to her.
"Now I get it: She's the one who fully solves the problems. So who are you?"James said, happy to finally grasp the idea and develop it inside his head.
"I'm the one who doesn't do anything."-Martha said, sadly, admitting the truth in
her actions.
"But..."-James said, confused.
"I have never done anything useful to solve the problem. I have just passed by."
"Did you find that poor family who had nothing? I-I started looking for something
that would help them, but moved on. What did the both of you do?"-James said,
alarmed.
"Yes. I just gave them some pennies, while Natalie helped them get jobs and go
to school."-this was beyond a coincidence, she could tell. Martha's inner thinking was
acting as if waking up after many time of sleep.
"And what about that bully girl?"
"I shouted at her and ran away. You?"
"I talked to her and promised to stay in touch. Never did though. What did Nat
do?"
Martha felt like a sword passed through her heart when James called her Nat.
She continued-"I guess you could say she stayed in touch."
"Do you know Charles?"-James said, hoping that they were just coincidences.
"Charles? Of course. I talked some nonsense to him, I remember. Natalie of
course, improved his whole life."

"I just investigated he was doing too much work."-he terrified when he saw
Martha recognized what he was talking about.
"What does this mean?"- Martha said, enraged.
"I have no fucking idea. But I know one thing: We've got to get her out of here."James said, as the last words clicked in Martha's mind.
Chapter 4
It was too damn late. A doctor came into the room to see Martha and James trying to
get Natalie off the bed. His expression was mysteriously calm,
something that worried the teens.
"Well what are you doing there? Let her get some rest, for God's sake."-he said.
Martha and James decided to play along with it. If this man was dangerous, running to
the door -where he was- wouldn't be of much help.