York and Mori

Mori:

Mori’s nose cringed seeing Prince at the door way. His eyes lowered noticing her red face.
“What do you want?”
“Please, can I explain myself!”
“You’ve got one minute, or I’ll release the dog.”
Bear only snored in the living room. He didn’t even come up to bark at the man. Some guard dog. Prince messed with his hair and looked at the ground. He smiled painfully mumbling something about how hard it was to say this.
“I-I never was Prince Charming. Alright?”
Mori arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms. He looked like the perfect Abercrombie model that every girl wished to date. He messed with his hair again and kept fidgeting with something in his hand.
“I told you briefly before that my parents never liked me, and that was true. Ever since I’ve been young, I’ve always been the child that ruined my parents perfect status. My brother was the Prince Charming while I was the clumsy fat kid that no one talked to.”
“Wait… you had a brother?”
“I still do…” he glanced down to York’s window on the front of the house, “twin brother actually.”
He said that Mori was lucky to actually look like her brother and family. He didn’t. He had brown hair, horrible vision, crooked teeth, and wasn’t that bright. Everything his family wasn’t. They praised his brother for amounting to everything that they wanted their sons to amount to, and scolded Quinn when he tried and failed. His voice wavered when he said the word “failed”.
“My brother ran away five years ago. I only heard part of the argument that he had with my parents, but when he left, my parents were devastated. They ignored me even more and I guess I snapped. His title was up for grabs and I took it.”
He looked like that he was about to explode with tears any second. However, he was taught better in etiquette class. But if he had been pushing back tears for years, it was only a matter of time till they surfaced. He had never told anyone what he was telling Mori. His minute already passed but she didn’t care. He told her that he fixed his teeth, worked out, did everything and anything to be that perfect child that his parents wanted. When he finally achieved it, he only then realized the cost. His parents never wanted to see UD again.
His tears finally pushed through and both of them sat down on the porch.
“Wait, we walked to your house the other night. You were UD then-”
“Once I stepped into the house, my mother almost killed me. I escaped to my room, for the rest of the night. I can’t even leave my room with out being that perfect person anymore!”
Mori tried to calm him down. He rested his head on her shoulder, breathing heavily trying to make himself stop. Mori tried to tell him to quit talking, but he still continued. He told her that it was the only way for him to feel accepted. He hated the work and the process it took, but he gained that love he wanted from family and friends.
“And for you to even stick up for a guy like me-”
“Hey,” she lifted his head seeing his freckles slowly start to appear, “It is not your fault for the way you look. It’s only your parents fault for not accepting you as you.”
He shook his head not believing that statement. He mumbled how it was his fault for forgetting himself. It was quiet for a bit, and Quinn finally got a hold of himself. Mori then smiled.
“Do you feel better?”
He laughed, “you won’t believe how much better.”
He looked up and she poked at her face telling him that all that makeup is ruined now.
“You know, if you lived in the city, we could easily make the “ugly duckling” beautiful. Haircuts, facial products, and even a new pair of glasses would make UD look nice.”
He half smiled and looked away, “The bad thing is, I just don’t know who I am anymore. All I know is that I hate all of the preparation.”
“Well, how about this? The next time I get a chance to go back to the city, I’ll take you with me. I know a wonderful fashion expert that could make a rock look beautiful.”
They laughed and nodded saying that he would like that. Mori awkwardly hugged him and they both stood up. Mom’s car pulled into the drive way and she called out to Mori saying that she got take out. Mori asked if Quinn would like to stay for dinner and he graciously accepted.

The next day Mori was dreaming of being strangled and she couldn’t breathe. She opened an eye to see Madam Oliver sleeping on her throat and someone at the foot of her bed. Mori started to freak out and almost threw the cat at the intruder in her room. Suddenly the lights clicked on in the room and Mom stood there with noise makers and a party hat.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!” She yelled jumping onto Mori’s bed.
“Mom! It’s-” Mori looked at the red blinking lights of her clock, “Five?!”
“I had a late shift last night and what would be better for you and your brother to have an actual pancake breakfast?!”
“No premade pancakes?! I must be still dreaming!”
She placed her hands on her hips and laughed sarcastically and pulled Mori out of bed. Mori met York in the hallway with Dad pushing him out of the room. Mori saw York’s hat secured on his head. He probably forgot to take it off last night while studying. She wondered what Dad would have said if he saw York’s little doggie ears.
“Dad… come on… I have a huge test today and I need my sleep…”
“Come on York,” Dad smiled.
They pushed the two into the kitchen and York and Mori saw a beautifully decorated kitchen and dining room with a pancake cake in the center. The “cake” had candles that said “17”, and Bear was on the table just about to take a bite of the giant stack of pancakes. Mom scolded the dog and Mori swore that the cat smiled as if she tried to warn Bear not to do it.
Mom and Dad horribly sang happy birthday and they ate their pancake feast. Mori could tell that Mom made them because they were a little chewy. But Mori and York both said that they were great.
“Alright,” York said pushing away his plate, “So what’s happening today?”
“Whatever do you mean, dear?” Mom said with a smile.
“You did all of this now instead of for dinner. Are we doing something today?”
Mom and Dad suddenly started to speak in German and Mori and York kicked them lightly telling them to spill on what’s happening today. Mom got up and left quickly. Dad still spoke in German to annoy Mori and York, but when Mom got back everything went back to English. Mom had two presents, one pink and the other blue. She gave the pink one to York and the blue to Mori.
“keeping up with the tradition of our family birthdays, here you guys go! Enjoy your first present!”
Mori tore into her present as if she was five again and pulled out a shoe box. She opened them and saw a girly pair of Converse that were ruby red. They were nice slip on shoes that Mori had been needing for a while now. York had a new knit hat that Mom found at some artsy Indie store. The rule in their family was that their first gift was always clothes or something for them to wear. They had to wear it all day and then the rest of the gifts would come later that night.
Mori and York thanked Mom and Dad for their gifts and they shoed off the kids to go get ready for the day.

Mori and York went to school early that day. York wanted to push in some more studying for a test and forgot something at school. Mori forgot to tell him about the secret passage ways that could have got him into school, but he was focused. She walked to her locker and opened it to see the picture of her friends back in the city. They all celebrate each other’s birthdays differently. Mori’s would be that they would skip out on club day and go to the same burger joint in town that they’ve gone for her birthday for five years. She had a bad craving for their burgers now.
She closed the door to the locker and there stood Todd and Zee. They had large smiles on their faces that creeped out Mori and pushed her away from her locker.
“Guys! What are you doing?”
Todd stole Mori’s camera and Zee took it from his hands. Mori looked in her bag and yelled at them to give it back.
“Oh, come on! You need a picture of yourself on your phone!”
“Now… move a little to the right…”
Mori moved and Zee kept motioning her to move.
“Wait! Perfect!”
“Guys…”
“On the count of three! One- Two-”
Mori smiled awkwardly to the camera as Zee focused it to her. Zee told Mori that she had something planned for her special day, but Mori didn’t understand why it had to be taking her picture.
“THREE!!” a group of people shouted behind Mori.
Mori almost shot up into the air and turned around to see a camera, a boom microphone, and a news announcer.
“Today marks the 17th birthday of Mori Asher. Seventeen many long years ago her parents agreed to have kids and pop! Out came two twins. Those twins began to do amazing things including lift a car with one hand and super agility and speed to make her win the mile twice in one day.”
“SARAH?!”
“Now we find her at a little place that took five hours to find in the back of our van, and here she is. Now Mori, do you have anything to say for the audience?”
Mori screeched and hugged her friend’s neck. The camera and the boom microphone lowered and Mori saw the beautiful faces of her friends.
“Sarah! Kendal! Vi! Brady-”
She stopped seeing the friend that she hadn’t talked to in over a month. Her awkward gaze to him was interrupted by Sarah hugging her.
“How…. Why…. How?!”
“Your parents that’s what!!” Vi laughed.
Mori looked over to Zee and Todd who both gave her a thumbs up. They told her to have fun and ran off before telling her anything else. Kendal rubbed Mori’s head and told her that Zane was also there at the school. He apparently ran off to go find York.
“Guys! I’m so happy!” Mori said hugging all of them in a group hug, “Are you guys staying for the weekend?”
Vi gave one of her famous evil looks and shook her head no. Kendal suddenly picked her up and they ran to the door.
“We’re kidnapping YOU for the weekend!”
Mori was confused and screeched in excitement anyway. Kendal kicked the door open and there in the parking lot sat the Ol’ Video Van, an old news reporter van that Kendal bought a year ago. He said that it would make them seem cool if they appeared on a scene with an actual reporter’s van. Zane’s car was behind the van and Mori was smiling ear to ear.
“Mori?!” Prince’s voice called from the other side of the van.
He had just gotten dropped off and was beyond confused of the cars in the parking lot. Sarah evilly smiled and commanded Vi to go grab the witness and both were stuffed into the van…