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Something gripped her leg and pulled her backward. She screamed and clawed at the grass as she was dragged towards the house. She twisted around to beat at her attacker. The front door was thrown open and she was taken inside and thrown onto the couch. She sat up, with an angry glare at the face of the aggressor.

"MAX!" She cried, dissolving into giggles. "What do you think you're doing?"
Max brushed his medium length auburn hair which matched the color of hers out of his eyes and grinned at her. She sighed, her twin brother could be the biggest pain sometimes.

"You shouldn't let me sneak up on you like that, Mags. You know I've always been faster than you. Even when we were little you couldn't outrun me." He laughed and punched her playfully on the arm.

"You better not have ruined my berries, Max." She checks through her bag quickly to assess the damage. "Well..." She looks over at him ruefully, "You didn't hurt any of them so I guess it's okay." She sighed. "I better get started on dinner if we want to eat tonight."

"Yay!" Max clapped. "Serve me up something delicious, maestro."

She saluted him and walked away into the kitchen to begin cooking. Collecting pans from the cabinets below the counter and some box elbow macaroni and canned pasta sauce from the pantry, she set to work. As her hands fell into the familiar rhythms, she thought about the life she had now. The month before, she had graduated from the local high school, 19th in her class. She and Max had had their 18th birthday the week after that, on June the 13th. Their parents had thrown a huge party for them, with all their friends in attendance. That night, they were stars. The next morning, they had emerged downstairs for breakfast and found their parents. Lying, both of them, on the floor of the study. Their hands were still intertwined, twin scorch marks directly through their chests.
Maggie shook off the image and returned her focus to the meal she was preparing. She strained the noodles and mixed together the spaghetti. Spooning it onto two plates, she set the table and called up to Max.

"Max! Get your butt down here and eat before it gets cold!" She called up the stairs.

"Coming, Mags! Geez get off my back will you?" Came the reply from the hall.

She returned to the dining room, glancing at the closed french doors that led to the study as she passed. They hadn't been in that room since the police cleared it, neither wanting to deal with what they might find inside with the wound still so fresh. She took her place on the left side of the table and began eating, mulling over the day's events. She hardly noticed when Max walked in, he had to call her name several times before she looked up.

"Huh?" She asked.

"Mags, I've been trying to get your attention for like five minutes, what's the matter with you?" He asked with irritation.

"I'm just tired I guess." She sighed. "I've had a long day. I'm going to turn in early, we'll do pie tomorrow." She got up and began clearing her dishes.

"Okay, I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back by eleven." He went to the door. "Take care of yourself, we don't need you sick." He opened the door and walked out. A few moments later Maggie heard the engine of their old truck revving up and then the sound receded as he drove away down their long driveway.