I do not see much, and I do not fear much. All I know is of the ocean and myself. And that is how it has always been.

~~~

Hye Jin's thoughts are not comforting on such a stormy night, the rain beating down upon the bullet-proof glass window framed with dark byzantium drapes. Hye Jin's lips remain still, breathing softly beside you, across the room in her own queen sized bed. You watch her turn, the splitting image of your own, long hair tangled in a mess of pillows and sheets. As the elder twin, you would wake up in the dark of night to her wandering thoughts, the messages she attempts to figure out in her dreams, that unintentionally are transferred into your mind. It couldn't be helped. You read it yourself, in a novel from your father's grand library, The ESP Enigma. Identical twins who are apart may have the same personality traits, the stimulation of the brain to trigger certain memories,  what is psychic phenomena or what is the ability of the human body to produce extraordinary qualities. And that's what you two were,  extraordinary. Not extraordinary, the word that you spelled perfectly at the third grade spelling bee, defined as going beyond what is usual, regular, or customary. Extraordinary, the average twin with an average life, pumped with extra performance like an Aston Martin, given more than needed understandings of the world.

You decide tonight is not one to stay beside your sister, who sleeps peacefully despite the weather and her clouded thoughts. It was another night you wanted someone else by your side. Cautiously you creep out of bed,  gathering up the skirt of your nightgown to open the door. Hye Jin stirs in her sleep, and nods to assure you she would continue to sleep even if you were gone. She isn't awake, though through telepathy she acknowledged your presence leaving to visit him. And how could you sleep with another man tonight? In the modern world of technology and rapid changes in society, a young woman in bed with another man would be considered scandalous. If you were known for something to that nature in school, there would be crumpled paper balls thrown at the back of your head, screams of and , the girls envious of your confidence and style. No, it wasn't that sort of sleeping. The simple action was to lay beside someone you cared deeply about, disregarding ual behavior of any kind. To have his arms tightly holding you, his warm body providing you heat, the feeling of being comforted and safe.

That was what Leo provided. He was your brother, granted with the extraordinary capabilities as you were born with.  Intelligence, patience, and quiet, were the three words you could use to sum him up. His ability to express emotions however, lacked in terms of your other four brothers. Some nights when you had these uneasy feelings, these wanton emotions that you couldn't figure out, Leo was there. Slowly, you push open his door, the wooden frame heavy underneath your small arm. It is unlocked, as Leo always leaves it.   At first, you stand in the doorway, admiring his physical features. It was a strange wonder, how different your brothers looked from you. Leo is sleeping, his chest falling up and down, crimson hair tossled to the curves of his head pillow. He is perfectly handsome, just as the high school students used to describe him. Their senior, Leo who excelled in academic achievements and sports alike.

"Hye Jung-ah."

He discovers you.

"Yes."

"You're here late."

"I know. Hye Jin kept me."

You cross the room and he heaves himself up with open arms. Sometimes, you wished he would do this more often in public. In the quiet nights when you and Leo stayed up to speak, or fell asleep in each other's arms, he was much more affectionate. Like a lover.

"Leo," you whisper, curling up into his chest. He doesn't respond, as usual.  Instead, he your long hair in response, pressing his lips upon your cold forehead.

"You're cold."

"I am."

The thunder claps and you squeeze your eyes shut, burying your face into Leo. He shushes you, soothes your troubling mind that is filled with Hye Jin's after thoughts, he sings. He sings, in the most angelic voice, the voice that won the hearts of the night club girls who swung by on Saturday nights at the University.  

"Leo." I am afraid.

"Are we having this conversation again?" Please stop worrying.

Six words. That was more than he spoke the other day.

"Ordinary siblings don't do these kind of things do they?" It's like we're dating.

"No." They don't.

Too many times this year did you question your own identity, the family you were raised in, and you knew every answer was not as simple as they should be.  It was like the vast amount of books that Leo lingered around in afternoons in the library, the varieties of coffee that N boiled and stirred for the early mornings,  the words on tossed wastepaper sheets that Ken furiously scribbles upon. The older boys who had begun to change the last few years. Hongbin and Hyuk still retain a child-like innocence, trapped in shadows of protection of their older brothers.

"Why are we like this? Why do we have to live this way?"

We aren't who others think we are.

"We were found on the doorstep of our father, who kindly took us in."

"You were raised after me though." And yet you are older.

"Yes, I came into this family much older than you did." A baby.

"Are we more than just supernatural beings? Won Shik said we came from the ocean, that our dna is mixed. Does that mean we're merpeople or-"

"You're making things complicated Hye Jung-ah." Where did your mind wander off to tonight?

"I am?"

"Go to sleep," Leo's voice remains calm, tucking the blanket tighter around you two.  He nestles his chin exactly upon your head, lacing his fingers in between yours.

Because we aren't just ordinary siblings.