Prologue:
You may wonder how the nickname “Twitch” came to be.
You see, my real name is Conner Folley…but only people who don’t know me still call me that.
I used to love my name…so original, you know? Now, I get kind of angry. It’s like everything that has gone bad in my life is thrown in my face whenever someone needs me.
My name represents a lot of things; misunderstandings, trouble, lies.
But enough of that…right now, I am a sixteen year old boy. You might as well know that upfront.
I’m not popular at Roberson High School…I’m not known as geek…a freak, maybe, but not a geek.
I’m just trying to get by…without electrocuting someone, that is.
As you can see, I’m definitely different.

Chapter One
“Twitch! Get down here now…gosh you’re so lazy!”
That’s my sister…or should I say twin O’D.
Her real name is Odessa, but she never really cared that much for it. What a twin-like coincident.
“O’D would you stop yelling? I don’t fell that great, alright?” I complained as I plopped my weightless body down on the couch.
She sighed and walked over, hand on hip.
“Sorry. Just a little stressed, that’s all; frustrated. Anyway, I’ll take your temperature… you look a bit flushed”
Okay, so, O’D’s been like a mother to me ever since we lost our parents a while back. She took it hard…still cries every once in a while when she thinks I’m not watching. Now our guardian is our crabby old Aunt Madeline. She’s out all night, doing god knows what, and comes home around midnight, knocking over tacky vases she picked out and waking us up.
Always wasted that witch is.
Anyway, O’D is tall, curvy, and every boys dream girl. Blonde hair with golden streaks, her skin is perfectly tan, and has bright blue eyes.
Her blue eyes and blonde hair are the only traits we share.
Other than those, I am completely and utterly different.
I’m short, thin, and have barely any muscles.
Oh, but I forgot one more thing. We can produce energy volts from our body.
That one I missed.
So basically, my sister and I were born with, um, “special” powers.
When I say that, it makes us sound like superheroes or something…that is completely wrong. Most of the time, we feel like villains; but most of the time, like the victims.
Not that I’m saying that these powers are not awesome, because they are…they just get us in to trouble too often.
We feel stalked by the pressure that people put on us everyday; it follows us around like an evil shadow.
Anyhow, my sister came back with the thermometer and stuck it in my mouth. We waited long and patiently for the overwhelming beep we were prepared for.
She lifted it out of my mouth and studied it.
“Yep, 108 degrees…normal.”
Electric energy, remember? Gets rather hot you see…so 108 degrees is pretty average for us.
When we are really sick though, we break the thermometers.
“I feel…strange” I stated randomly. I rubbed my forehead and crossed my eyes.
O’D went back to the medicine cabinet in the restroom to put up the thermometer.
“We always feel strange” she called.
I laughed. “Okay, stranger than usual”
She strolled back with a huff. “Do you feel well enough to go to school? I mean, you’d be kind of pushing it, you’ve already missed eleven days so far…”
I thought deep for a second; I was weak, I definitely knew that… but if I stayed home again the school would probably send another note home.
“I’ll go”
She gazed at me worriedly, while grabbing her backpack.
“Are you sure?”
I grabbed my backpack and a poptart, avoiding eye contact with my rather perceptive sister.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Absolute lie.

Chapter Two
“Twitch! What’s up man?” Clay, my best friend since the first grade, asked. His long surfer-like hair swayed back and forth as he jogged over to me.
“God, Clay! Will you stop screaming?”
Clay shook my shoulders. “What are you talking about, man? I wasn’t scream-Twitch! What’s wrong?”
I grabbed my head; it felt like everything and everyone were spinning as fast as a roller coaster.
Blurs of classmates surrounded me as I peered up with my eyes half closed; knowing that something horrible was going to happen.









***

It felt like eternity when I woke up in the nurse’s office. Felt like I’d been sleeping for days…but in reality only for a few minutes.
The nurse, old but kind, faced down at me, which made me feel somewhat more comfortable on the cold cushioned chair.
O’D was by my side also. Which I assumed was because she protested when the teachers tried to drag her away.
No one gets near O’D when she’s upset. It increases her energy…literally.
“Conner Folley, the ambulance is coming soon Hun, try not to move…”
The nurse grabbed my hand when I tried to reach the back of my head.
It was matted and stunk; warm liquid oozed out of the swollen lump, which I assumed quickly was blood.
“Great” I uttered, only able to speak one syllable.
“Shush…lay back down!” My sister ordered.
I was very much obliged to do so.

Chapter Three
The next thing I knew, I was lying in a white room, decorated with balloons and cards, most likely from my friends.
“They didn’t have to do all this” I boasted weakly, surprising my sister.
“You’re awake! I’ve been so worried! We all have been! You’ve been out for two days straight!”
She gave me a kiss on the cheek and grabbed a button that was in my reach, and soon two nurses rushed in.
“Thank the heavens” One older nurse prayed. “We lose too many young ones these days, you’re lucky you know”
Somehow that didn’t make me feel much better.
They did all sorts of tests and hospital trickery that I didn’t know the name of…only seen it on television.
The other nurse had bright red hair; in her early twenties, and strikingly beautiful, in a more subtle yet obvious way.
“How you doing, sweets?” the pretty nurse asked. Patty, from what I read on her badge.
“Fine” I croaked, blushing madly.
“I need to take your temperature now, okay?” I gasped as I glanced around the room for my sister, who saw the nurse pull out the thermometer from her apron.
“No! I mean…can I do it? He’s not really used to anyone but me doing that sort of thing”
The nurse frowned, contemplating the rule book in her mind, I’m sure.
“Alright…here. I’ll go get sugar britches a glass of water then”
I blushed.
“Oh, stop” My sister said, rolling her eyes.
“What?” I asked defensively.
She rolled them again.
She set down the thermometer and gave me the stare. The stare she uses when she’s fully sincere and or concerned.
“Twitch, this isn’t normal…not even for us. What’s going on?”
I sighed. I truthfully didn’t know how to answer.
“I don’t know”
She frowned, for my well being, but obviously also concerned for hers. What ever I’m going through, most likely, will happen to her one day. What’s weird was that most of the time I went through that sensation.
She grabbed my hand and held it for several minutes, making me feel at home; she pulled back in shock.
“Twitch! Stop it! You’re going to get us caught! Twitch!” She screeched, stepping away from the bed.
I peered down. My whole hand resembled television static. Blue energy volts stretched across my arms down to my fingers.
I was twitching, which I only do when I use my powers.
I don’t get it, whenever I used my powers I looked like I was having a convulsion, but when O’D used hers she had complete control over it.
“I… don’t know what’s…happening” I stared at my sister who was holding the door shut.
“You can control it, Twitch. You know how!” she called through the fuss.
“I can’t” I gripped my hands in to fists and squeezed with all my might, fixing all my serenity and concentration on calming myself.
After several minutes of O’D holding the door, I had it under control.
The nurses barged through, rushing to my side, glaring at my sister.
“We heard screaming…” the older nurse said.
O’D shrugged casually.
“It was the TV”

Chapter Four
“You’re home…how does it feel?” O’D asked a couple days later.
I smelled the air. “Finally it doesn’t smell like stale Lysol”
She laughed.
When we sat down comfortably on the couch, she asked with her forehead crinkled.
“Twitch, what did happen? Why did your energy just spin out of control?”
I still didn’t know how to answer completely, but I did realize something when I was lying those many days down in the hospital.
“Maybe I’m leveling up” I suggested.
She couldn’t help but laugh.
“Leveling up” I repeated, laughing also. “You know, maybe earning strength…maybe even another power…I read it in a story…all the effects are taking place…it’s a possibility, O’D”
She bit her lip and tickled my stomach.
“Then that means you’re growing faster than me! You’re beating me in something, how could you?” She teased, tousling my hair.
“I guess that means that I’m better than you” He stared competitively.
“Oh, no you didn’t. That’s it!” I ran in to the kitchen, her following behind me.
Horse playing around with my sister was something I missed.
We hadn’t acted like brother and sister since Mom and Dad died.
When we started to fall over from laughing too hard, we collapsed on to the couch once again.
“Twitch…what ever you’re going through…you know I’ll be there for you, right?”
Twitch smiled. There was so much sincerity when she called out my nickname.
“I know”
For the first time in a while, I didn’t want to be anyone but me, Twitch.