The Shadow Twins by Fiona Holloway

Author:Fiona Holloway [Holloway, Fiona]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Swan Digital
Published: 2026-01-27T00:00:00+00:00

15

Morning had the thin, papery light that looks like it should contain more warmth than it actually has to give. From the kitchen window Tanya watched Ella in the yard now that her laptop lesson had finished. Her small body was tilting between dandelions and the bald patch of scrubby lawn where a swing once hung. Ella’s mouth moved, as though constantly chattering, but without sound. Her hands drew shapes in the air as if describing something only she could see. Talking to herself, anyone else would say. Talking to Lila, Tanya knew.

On the table the detritus of home school lingered. There was a workbook open to fractions, with Ella’s uncertain scribbles dotted across the page. The laptop was asleep, its screen dark and watchful. A pencil gnawed at the end by small, thoughtful teeth. At half eleven, the lesson had come apart when Ella paused mid sum, looked at the window and smiled at nothing. Tanya recognized the change in her, as though part of her had left the room. Tanya praised her neatness anyway and closed the book softly, as if quiet could make the day behave differently, and not acknowledging the change would mean it hadn’t happened.

The letterbox clacked and Tanya flinched. Her heartbeat stumbled and ran. She wiped her hands on a tea towel she did not remember picking up and walked the short corridor. As she passed through the hallway, she straightened the tilted photo of the twins without looking. It felt as the house kept score of her habits now. It knew where she would place her palm when the air thinned, or when her heart hammered. It knew she would not look directly at anything that might look back and stir memories that didn’t want to be awoken.

Two envelopes lay face up on the mat. One was a supermarket circular, full of tempting images of bright fruit and clean families. Promises of more for less. The other was heavy and formal-looking. Her name and Jonah’s sat in a font that held indisputable authority. Tanya crouched, lifted the envelope with two fingers and tore it open with shaking hands.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts — Probate and Family Court. Notice of Temporary Custody Hearing. The letters rose off the page as if embossed by heat. For a second her brain refused to read in order. Words came like teeth knocked out by a sucker-punch.

Outside, Ella laughed at something only she could hear. The sound threaded through the window, both light and far away. In the hallway, Tanya’s heart hammered. She leaned with her back to the wall, letting the sturdiness of the building hold her upright.

More pages from the envelope slid into her hand. Too many sheets for it to be good news. Her name repeated as Mother in a place where the word felt like an accusation. There were dates. A time. A judge’s name. The line: The Court will consider whether temporary physical custody of the minor, Ella Anderson, should be granted to the petitioner. The petitioner had Jonah’s name and his Boston address.

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