Chapter 2
Romeo was a genius, he was the first one to sit up, to walk, to grip the toys, to abandon said toys in favor of walking around and the first one to learn how to speak.
Tom followed suit not wanting to be left behind. If Romeo crawled Tom started to try to stand up. When his first word was Tom, said infant had to say Romeo as clearly as the adults. It was interesting, both babes slowly growing to toddlers already competed with each other. Tom made him sane, he measured his growth to a semi normal baby.
They formed a bond that Romeo couldn't explain. He only cried once when one night his bed was cold, they took away Tom. Maybe he was adopted his rational side thought. Who would want him, with his color changing eyes?
Tom cried more. He was believed to be sick, so the matrons separated all the babies and infants. Romeo only calmed down when he was back. They both didn't care if they catch a cold, they wanted to be together.
January 1929
"Do it again!" An excited Tom shouted as they were supposed to sleep. As three years old both had a vast vocabulary, a preference to each other over to the other kids and a weird thing that only happened around them.
"Sure. Which color?" Romeo giggled. It turns out he can change his eye and hair color. It is a damn useful skill to have, he really wanted weird colored hair but hair dye or a good hairdresser was expensive.
"Let me think?" Tom said. "Green hair and green eyes." He said. Romeo, already knowing that the boy liked green he kept his eyes green most of the time. Now he concentrated to his hair, imagining a shaved off mohawk with green color. "It looks weird." Tom confirmed. "Where did this idea come from?" Romeo just shrugged, his face blank. A life before this would be a weird answer to a toddler.
He touched his hair and indeed there was a mohawk. "It is green at least?"
"Yes like the grass or the veggies." He said back. Mission accomplished. His shapeshifting ability started to work better.
1930
"Mrs. Cole why don't we have parents like other kids from the street?" Amy Benson a fellow orphan asked. Tom wondered the same just he didn't want to waste matron's time with stupid questions.
"Your parents left you there kids. But any time a lovely pair can adopt you." Mrs. Cole tried to reassure the little kids.
"I don't think so." Romeo responded. "As we get older people will find us more ugly. They want cuddly babies or well behaved infants. Last time I checked we are not babes anymore." Tom agreed, but it hurt to know that nobody wants them. This made the stupid Amy cry and other insignificant orphans, who couldn't handle the truth sniffed along too.
Romeo got punished after his remark, but he said the truth. Tom wondered why was he punished for the truth? Martha said they should always tell the truth, never lie. Yet here they were Romeo had to crawl in the corner for hours.
"I don't get it." Tom stood next to him, never abandoning his only "friend". Only Romeo had the right mind capacity to think the same way as Tom and not play with stupid toys when they can discuss so many fascinating questions like why are there clouds and why can he turn his eyes green?
"What?" Romeo asked, but not in the mood to explain a harder topic to the child.
"You didn't lie. We are unwanted. So why did you get punished for telling the truth? Say the truth they said. Now you get punished for it." Tom wondered.
"I was insensitive. Yes I said the truth, but I shouldn't. Mrs. Cole wanted to sugarcoat the truth. That our families just put us up for adoption because they don't have the money to take care of us and one day they will come back for us and take us back. Probably there are some cases, but most of our parents are dead, uncaring or stupid. And people rarely adopt kids, we are four, not cute babies they can educate and shape as they want." Tom started to think. He knew well he won't get adopted, he was too cold and always serious for the foster parents. Romeo was always sad, if not his eyes gleamed with malice and annoyance.
"Do you know what happened to our parents?" Tom asked after a long pause of thinking. Romeo chuckled.
"Mine abandoned me. I heard the matrons gossiping about him. Mum died of childbirth, his first reacting he dumped me. Like I am not worth anything." He said sadly.
"We are so much more than this place. I know we are valuable but nobody sees it." Romeo's eyes flashed to blue for a moment. "You can do that cool thing and I noticed that I can do this." Tom tried to focus on the book that was in the other end of the room. It flew right into his hand. "We can do magic Romeo."
Romeo's expression changed to calculating. Tom too was wondering what can they do with this new revelation. "We are special Tom and I will make sure that nobody will ever toss us aside. Besides you asked why telling the truth hurts. We won't. From now on you and I, we will lie all the time."
"Even to each other? I promise I am not a wuss like those kids. You can always tell me the truth even if it hurts." Tom promised. Romeo smiled.
"You too have to tell me the truth too. Others will see a different Romeo from now on. I will try to hold back my remarks. I don't want to be punished for stupid things. What do you say?" Romeo held
out his hand for a handshake.
"No lies between each other but we will deceive others. Promise."
"Promise." Romeo said too with a smug face too.
(Romeo realized at age two that he shared a crib with Lord Voldemort. That was a reality breaking day and questioning his whole existence. Then he created a plan. They both will be partners in crime and rule over the world. Not one above the other, no they will be equals, but Romeo will pull the strings. Tom won't see it coming.)