The unknown skeleton in the closet

The unknown skeleton in the closet(Gail Moore) I want to tell you about an extraordinary thing that happened to our very ordinary family, I am writing about it because when the time comes and I can tell people about the skeletons in the closet I am sure there will be great interest.

I live in an apartment with my parents Thomas and Ella Bell-Stark. I am 12 years old and attend learning programme St Gerard's Senior school each weekday from 9.00 until 3.00
I awake at about 7 and order my breakfast. I am watched by my mother to make sure I am not ordering any sugar. She doesn't like me to have much of that , She says its like poison. Mostly I press the screen and get fresh a apricot and banana and 1 minute later it appears out of a hole in the wall
I eat my breakfast as I organise my bed by flipping it upside down turning it into my learning screen . By the time 8.30 comes I have finished all the morning chores shower, teeth,hair
and hooking my palm up to my bare snowy white hand. I yell out to my parents ,see ya and they walk off into there places of employment, 2 different rooms in our apartment with their working screens. See ya sweets my mum yells back. Dad says his usual , "Be the best in the class sweetheart "

I zone in to my class to see who is their, Two of my friends had zoned in so we play a game for 20 minutes while we wait for the tutor Mr Fumpie to stream in and for everyone else to zone in.
Grumpy Mr Fumpie streams in on his pupils. He wasn't really Grumpy, we just call him that because it rhymes with his name .
Its your annual essay I want to discuss first he tells us. It has to be about a family member. Great I am thinking I have a really good story that came to mind about our family. Then in the next sentence I was let down when he said . It has to be about a relative that doesn't live with you.
Damn I said out loud and everyone looked at my screen . Is something wrong Molly. No I said ,sorry I was thinking out-loud. Everyone had a laugh and I felt embarrassed.
Okay he said, "You have a month from now to hand in a 2500 word essay "

I really want to write about the news mum and dad gave me on Monday evening. We had just had our evening meal arrive and they announced they had ordered a baby ,the facility had phoned a few days earlier to tell them their sperm and egg had united and they would be parents in 38 weeks. As we were all discussing this very exciting news mums palm started flashing. She looked at her palm then looked up at dad and said. Thomas its the facility . They both looked concerned ,she answers," What "she said tears rolling down her cheeks, laughing at the same time. 'Oh my goodness , thank-you so much goodbye "
Dad and I staring at her she announces. "Its twins "
"Holy Moly" I shout out with excitement . We all sat down very excited and finished our meals. Every-time I looked at them I could see they were happy but concerned at the same time.

Lets have a dessert to celebrate dad says and I jump up before mum could say no and start placing our order. She looks at me and grins. Okay I will have apple tart, me too says dad. I push in 2 x apple tarts and then push ice-cream and chocolate for myself.. Waiting time 5 minutes the computer tells me. I stand beside the serving shelf for the whole 5 minutes.
We only had dessert on special occasion so this was a real treat.

Anyway that was the essay I would like to have written but I will think of something else. I need to make it a really good one because there is a great prize , One boy prize and one girl. A slider ,an awesome multi coloured one. My slider was just a boring faded yellow one.
Lunchtime came and I attached my oxy mask to my face and took the elevator to the roof top terrace to met with all the other kids in my learning programme. We normally played for 40 minutes then went back to our own apartments to eat lunch with our parents.
Today we all talked about a new place that had opened. The Jolly Jester .Some of the kids had been and they loved it. Seriously my friend said. Its so cool You have this menu thing and its like an old book type thing not a computer on the wall and you have a waiter that's a real person. Its just like in the 2010s and 20s .
They serve actual ,real yummy food, Not the apricots and bananas we all eat for breakfast, "Real junk food my dad said" . One of the girls exclaimed
"Yum" I said " I had a junk food dessert on Monday"I said and they all turned and said." Who's birthday was it. I didn't tell them about the babies I was keeping that news for another time. So I answered I helped mum so she treated me.
.
Hey , one of the girls said. Its my birthday in 4 days I should ask if we can all go. yes ,yes, yes we all said. We got so excited .
That afternoon my palm device started flashing and it was my friend Katala , She had asked her mum about a party at The Jolly Jester and she had agreed . This is so exciting.
My mum agreed for me to go and I was so excited I had never been 3 blocks away with my friends by ourselves .
Mum said okay stop thinking about the party and tell me who you are going to write your essay on.
I don't know I told her. She smiled . I have an idea. You are so excited to get to this old fashion type junk food place why don't you write about your cousin Bethany, They are so old fashion. They have a kitchen in there home were they cook meals and they don't wear palm devices and can you believe the women that live in that town still carry babies around in their bellies. She had me in fits of laughter talking about them.
"Are you telling me all the new babies have those holes in their stomachs like you and dad" . "That exactly right sweets" she tells me. They are called belly buttons.
"We can arrange a visit if you want. I haven't seen my sister in 7 years and Its about time we visited them " Okay that's what I am writing about, Should be interesting.

Day of the Katala's birthday and 6 of us girls meet outside the apartment , One of the girls had to run back because she forgot her oxy mask. We stood and waited and watched 2 ladies argue about a baby carriage being attached to the wrong track." I am not going on the slow carriage track and its none of your business" the woman yelled at the other one. I was thinking about how we were going to get on with 2 baby carriages . I will go on the fast one and mum and dad on the slow one.

Lana comes back with her oxy mask attached and we all attach our sliders to the track ,at the end of the block we get off walk the crossing and attach back on , 20 minutes later and we arrive at The Jolly Jester and we all lift our palms to inform our parents we have arrived . Mum says "I know I have been tracking you, Well done "
Inside looks like something from an old fashioned movie, We sit down at the seats Katala;s mum had arranged for us. A bright blue light came up on the table top flashing Fresh air Zone. We all removed our oxy masks and hung them on the Jester shaped hooks that were attached to the side of our tables.
We have the cardboard menus and are reading the list. A waiter appears all dresses as a happy Jester to take our orders.
He looks at me tilts his funny head and asks , "You back for seconds are you " I was puzzled and just placed my order as did the other girls.
Katala and 2 other girls sat opposite myself and 2 others. The girls opposite all started giggling and we were saying what up. Then they said, "Look behind you "
We all turned at the same time and there was a girl sitting ,facing us that looked very similar to me.
I said she sort of has that same generic look as me but they all said she looked just like me. When the waiter came back with our food. He said "now I get it ,twins "

We started a conversation with the girls that sat behind us and they also agreed that the girl Megan and I looked similar. We all got over the look alike thing and had a great time.

Back at home I told my parents about the girl. Mum asked about 20 questions about my look alike and said . You know everyone through St Gerards and the neighbouring learning programmes so how come you have never seen her on screen before.
" I don't think she's been here long ", She didn't seem to know the other girls that well and she doesn't really know the Auckland area.

We planned our trip for the following weekend. I started to pack a few things then mum came in to check it all. Day of the trip and we pack the back of our hovercart and pile in. This was going to be interesting, I has not been out of the city since I was 5 .

We arrive at the end of Auckland City, A hovercart park with 100s of them parked up . Cars and buses were there to met all those that had parked . Are we going in a car ?I asked. Not likely my mum answered . Neither your dad or myself have driven in 20 years. They are not like a hovercart. We will take a bus from here.
In Auckland you never ever see cars. Is illegal to drive one in their. Only the delivery vehicle's can come in.
We pile onto a bus and all make ourselves comfortable. 20 minutes out of Auckland and blue lights start flashing on the side of the road and in the bus. Fresh Air Zone you may remove your oxy masks.
Seems funny being out in the open and no mask on. Couldn't remember doing that on our last trip. We all settle in for the 3 hour journey. and I started to have a nosey at the people around us.
About 4 seats behind on the opposite row sat the girl Megan that looked like me. I waved out and she smiled. I tugged at mums dress and said. "That's her mum, my look alike " Mum looked up from her palm that she was busy playing with looked at Megan and went as white as a ghost. She nudged Dad and he had the same reaction.
I sat feeling quite uncomfortable. She announced to dad. "I have to get off this bus When is the next stop ? She didn't have to wait long. Only 10 minutes or so.
The Bus stops and we all get off. Right behind us Megan and her mum get off.
Mum very shakey approaches Megans Mother. She smiles and says our daughters look very much alike. She looks at me and agrees. I hear this is not the first time they have crossed paths.
No its not says mum. What brings you out here mum asked Megans mum. Just a pickup for us ,We are waiting for my hubby. He works out of town so we get picked up here and go to our home for the weekend at our beach home. Would you like to join Megan and I for coffee while we wait.
The adults sit for coffee and Megan and I go hang out at a park beside where they were sipping drinks.
When we came back to the table Megans dad had arrived and the 4 of them seemed to be all getting along . They had been sitting and talking for well over 2 hours , They baffled us both with their discussion.


Megans mum Sally started. Girls we think we have stumbled upon something. Not sure but we have to let you girls in on this as it could be detrimental to Tom and Ella unborn twins.
Where do we start , We have just discovered you girls are only born 15 hours apart. You Megan at the Bouncey Baby Facility in Hamilton, and you Molly at the Bonney Bay Facility in Auckland ,
When you were at 24 weeks growth Megan we could already see your beautiful blonde hair growing , you were looking just too cute for words. You began to go down hill and we were allowed every 2 day visits instead of 4 day visits. We thought you may not make it for a while .On one visit they called us in to the office and told us you were now fine and had more colour in you. We went out to visit and you were kicking away there cute as ever but your skin had turned an olive colour and your hair had turned quite dark.
Your dad and I questioned this and they said ,That just how things happen. We were extremely puzzled as we both have very blond hair.
We didn't say anymore as you don't question things like that you just accept them. As far as we were concerned we were just happy you were going to be okay. However we did discuss between ourselves.

My mums turn and she takes over the talking. Molly when you were in you growth tube you weren't alone. You had a twin, That twin passed away at 24 weeks growth . When we went to see this twin girl she had blonde hair, Not dark like you. Or like your dad and I ,In fact she looked nothing like you at all and yet 2 days before you and her were identical .
We questioned them and they told us that this is just what happens when an unborn passes away. We have never been comfortable about what happened.

Do you girls see were we are coming from. You see if Megans parents had not have been given a healthy baby the Facility does not get paid. We have just googled both facilities and they are owned and run by the same company.
I look at Megan and she's looking at me and we both go ." Oh shit." I had never said that word before . We could be twins.

Megan this does not change anything for you. You will always be our little princess. Her dad gave her a big hug and her mum came up and hugged them both.
Okay girls Megans dad says. I have just called my brother who is about 1 hour from here and explained all of this . He is a senior with the police. He is going to bring out a DNA kit.
He will test you both and we will see if our imaginations have run wild or if what we suspect is for real.
I know its a lot for us all to take in but we must do this for the sake of Molly and her parents and their unborn twins. The facility may have done this to 100s of families.

Megan and I go off and talk and laugh. I heard my dad say. "They seem to have taken that well , Don't know about the rest of us though." Her uncle turns up 55 minutes later and takes us into the van that he had driven to the café we were at.. He laughs and tells us this is my undercover van. I have come to spy on you.
He does the necessary test and buys us piece of ice on a stick with a very yummy flavour. Megan tells me .Its called an ice-block.
The thought comes into my head. My essay. No one could out do an essay like this. A relative that doesn't live with you. Wow my own twin sister.

Half an hour goes by and the results are in. Its confirmed . We are twins ,real real twins , unbelievable
Megans uncle makes all the arrangement to confiscate all the files from both facilities , New staff are put into both , our growing twins are safe.
Megan and I become best friends , Our parents become best friends and are also to become god parents to the new twins ,James and Josh

The facilities were found to have switched dozens of babies and all involved will be sent to prison.

Best thing was I won the essay , I received a lovely multi coloured slider
I also have a lovely new friend that looks just like me. I finished my essay with . I bet the skeleton in your closet isn't as lovely as mine. My identical twin