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It was a random Thursday after school and twins Loral and Finnick were home alone. Their father was still at work- they always knew if he was based if the trident was taking its place on the wall or not. Or he was out teaching the twins how to use it- and their mother was out in town shopping for groceries.
Being only eleven, they weren’t allowed to leave the house if their parents weren’t home, so they were sitting on the beaten down, green couch watching the old television that is playing the Capitol news- one of the only channels available to the average District resident. Loral had a distinct look in her eyes that match Finnick’s sea-green usually, but now hers are glossed over.
When Finnick finally looks over, he notices. He nudged her side with his arm. “What’s wrong, sis?” Loral dabs her sleeve to her eyes before her tears have a chance to fall. “I don’t know… I mean, my stomach hurts a little bit.” Concern crosses over Finnick’s eyes. “What? Eat something bad?” She glares at him- she’s mad, for whatever reason. “We eat the same things, idiot.” With a roll of her eyes she buries her back further into the back of the couch.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean that it would affect us the same.” Finnick answers, eyebrows furrowed. “We’re twins, we probably have the same immune systems and stuff.” They were pretty alike physically. Same eyes, nose, hair (texture and color), but slowly the differences were becoming more prominent- especially in their bodies.
Finnick’s eyebrows furrow further in confusion as he notices a red stain on Loral’s light green pants in about the area of her inner thigh. “Hey… what’s that?” His finger points to the stain. Loral’s face heats up. “I…I don’t know….” Panic surges through both of their faces- contracting in different forms.
Finnick almost immediately straightened up and his eyes darting all over Loral’s lap trying to analyze the cause and where she was bleeding from. Loral started hunching over and sobbing irrationally and scared.
He pulls Loral into his arms. “You’re not going to die, okay? You won’t die.” Loral is so scared- not a signal thought is able to stand straight in her mind.
Just then, their parents come through the door finger laced and hand interlocked together. Their mother would normally wait on the docks where the fisherman fish for a bit until her husband’s work was done. They don’t notice the twins’ distress at first. Their mother makes her way to the kitchen to put the few groceries away- their father hangs his trident on the wall.
“Finnick! Loral! We’re home!” Their father announces. At the sound of his voice, Finnick and Loral finally realize that they are home. She springs off the couch and rushes into her father’s arms.
Finnick ran to his mother who was still in the kitchen finally letting the scared tears shed. “Honey, what’s wrong?” She picks Finnick up and sets him on the wooden countertop so they can see eye to eye.
“Loral… she’s… she’s-“ He stutters trying to find his words. Anyone would be able to distinguish the fear in her eyes for her daughter. That’s when their father comes in walking with his hand pulling Loral along whose eyes never seem to be able to leave the floor. Their father makes his way to his wife and whispers something into her ear. Her lips for an ‘o’ shape seeming to understand.
“Come on, sweetheart.” Their mother whispers to Loral as she ushers her to the bathroom. Finnick’s eyes dart to his father looking for answers.
His father approaches where he sits on the wooden countertop taking a deep breath. “Listen… buddy, remember that time we had that talk about all these changes happening to your body? Finnick nods, remembering the conversation. Their mother was planning to talk to Loral soon, just hadn’t found the opportunity yet. “Well, there are some changes happening to your sister. While you’re becoming a young man, your sister is becoming a young woman. And one of these… uh… transitions is menstruation.”
Finnick narrows his sea-green at his father, waiting for him to explain. “When girls uh… hit a certain time in their lives… they’ll bleed from… down there. For one week a month.” Finnick’s eyes widen. “All girls? Even mom?” His father nods. “Yes, even mom. It’s that same process that had let mom be pregnant with you and your sister.” A more firm look takes over his father’s eyes, finding his place to speak about the topic. “It makes them a little moody. They may also have stomach cramps.”
Finnick watches as his sister and mother then leave the bathroom watching his sister disappear into their room. “How about you go talk to her, boy? Be a gentleman.” Careful and still disgusted by the information, Finnick hops off the counter and walks towards the room he and Loral shared.
He approaches the bunk-beds their father had made them when they were only toddlers. He sits on the lower bunk that belonged to Loral. “Hey, Loral? You okay?” Loral was curled up on the bed facing the wall. “Go away, Finnick.” She mumbles through her tears. Carefully, Finnick decides what to say next. “It’s my duty as your older brother, it's my duty to make sure you’re okay.” He jokes, he never considers him as her older brother in a serious manner- feeling as if it’s an emotional downgrade from twins. Loral turns over to face him. “You’re six minutes older.” She responds with a hint of amusement in her tone despite the tears. “And? I’m not hearing younger.”
Pushing through the cramps and tears, Loral sits up. “I’m okay, Finnick.” Her tone now lacking its original harshness. “I know.” Finnick responds.
He covers her in a blanket and looks up to her eyes that match his with an earnest smile. “I know you’re okay.” A smirk then plays on his lips. “Now move over.” With a sheepish smile Loral scoots closer to the wall allowing Finnick to join her. “You won’t tell your friends?” Loral asks, unusual- yet understandable vulnerability present.
Before Finnick can even answer she interjects with another question. “Wait- do you know what’s happening?" Taking a deep breath, Finnick nods. “Yes, I do know what’s happening. And no, I will not tell them.” A sigh of relief escapes Loral’s mouth.
“Good, I have blackmail against you, you know if you try anything.” Finnick moves his eyes from the boarding of the bunk above to Loral’s. “Yeah? Like what?” He challenges her- a bit scared though. “Like that one time you peed-“ She is cut off as Finnick covers her mouth with his hands- his face flushed. “We agreed not to talk about that!”
He takes a deep breath and uncovers her mouth again. “It was an accident, okay?” Loral rolls her eyes at Finnick's defense. “A big one.” She mumbles. It only makes Finnick blush and shudder more. “You were an accident.”he mutters back. They had the whole ‘Birds and Bees’ talk only a few weeks ago. “You were too then!” Loral answers with a need to make her point heard. “Nuh-uh! We’re twins! At least one of us wasn't planned and I’m older so…..” He trails off knowing Loral would get the point. The Districts didn’t have hospitals so the only way to know if you were having twins were suspicions. “At least I don’t have accidents.” She mutters still poking fun at Finnick's past accident. “One that happened over a year ago, so shut up.”
When he finally recollects himself, he decides to divert to the original topic. “You seriously okay though?” The teasing smirk on Loral’s face slowly melts away.
“Yeah, it just hurts a bit.” Finnick nods remembering the past conversation from earlier with his dad. “Yeah, I heard it might.”
He protectively tucks her into the blanket a little tighter. “Just tell me if it starts hurting bad, yeah? I’ll find some way to make it better or distract you.” Loral nods, a sentimental, thankful look in her eyes. “I promise I will.” Finnick nods again at the confirmation. He wishes there was more he could do, to take it away, to him it feels unfair that he will never have to go through what Loral and all other girls go through because it’s “nature.” He is grappling with his mind to think of anything he could say in response to make her feel better, but maybe there isn’t always the perfect way to answer something. “Good.”