Where the Lines Overlap

Note: This story is a sequel/spinoff of my other story 'The Lunar Life'. While it is not absolutely necessary to have read that beforehand to understand this, it is highly recommended. If you are not a fan of sci-fi, I would appreciate if you gave it a shot anyway. It's not 'Star wars' sci-fi, more 'dystopian future' sci-fi.

Hey guys, I'm back with the requested sequel to 'The Lunar Life'. I'm really proud of this one and I think it's one of my better written works. Sorry it took so long, I've been busy. Shoutout to Karol whose comment on 'The Lunar Life' inspired most of the plot for this story.

As always, all comments are welcomed. Enjoy.

P.S. The story is completely written and all chapters will be up shortly.

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"Kev! Are you even listening to me?" Ken's voice cut through my stupor. I shook my head, pulling myself out from my daydream as I turned my head to my twin brother.

"I'm sorry, what?" I replied, looking into the blue eyes that both my brother and I shared.

"Dude, what's got you so distracted?" Ken asked, cocking an eyebrow at me. I was never one to daydream so when I started doing it a few weeks back, it was no wonder my brother caught on; he's my twin after all. Before I could even reply, Ken's frustrated look was replaced with a smirk. "Oh, you're thinking about him again."

"I am not," I rebutted, putting on the best 'wrongfully accused' look I could muster. I should have known better than to try hiding things from my twin though.

"Yeah sure," Ken said, rolling his eyes as he returned to his breakfast. "You should just tell him you know."

I had to scoff at his statement. He was the last person who had the right to give me advice on the matter. "Excuse me? I don't see you telling Alena about your feelings."

"Hey, that's a completely different matter," he scolded.

"It's the same exact thing and you know it," I said, finally devouring the food in front of me. The only response I got was a roll of his eyes. I was right of course, which is strange because he was usually the correct one, being the smart one between us.

You see, even though Kenneth and I were twins, we couldn't have been more different. While I had short spiky hair, his brown locks were longer and neatly slicked back. He was a science geek while my strengths revolved around mechanical stuff. He was thin and hated exercise, while I frequented the gym. But I guess the biggest difference between us, was that he was straight while I was gay.

More often than not, people always question if we are actually twins, because other than our faces, we looked totally different. That is, until we open our mouths, because sure we looked different, but our personalities were two peas in a pod. If you could use only one word to describe us, it would have been sarcastic.

"Morning boys," my mom said, walking into the kitchen. "You're both up early."

"We have to head to class earlier today. Something about an interview or something," Ken replied, while I scooped a spoon of my now soggy cereal into my mouth. All the advancements on Lunaris, and still no one could figure out how to keep cereal crispy.

"Interesting. Anyway, are you boys coming home for dinner tonight?"

"We're hanging with Alena after school, so probably not," I replied.

"Okay, send my regards to Alena too. She hasn't been around lately."

"You know her, always running around with something important," Ken replied, shaking his head as if disapproving, but I couldn't help but notice that look he got whenever he talked about her. Yeah, he got it bad. My smirk wasn't lost on him either, immediately glaring at me.

"Well whatever it is, have fun tonight. Gives your dad and me some alone time," my mom said, wiggling her eyebrow suggestively in our direction.

"Oh my god. No Mom!" both Ken and I cried, getting up and bringing our now empty kitchenware to the sink. The victorious grin that plastered my mom's face just carried her win home. She just knew how to push our buttons; I mean what kid wants to hear about their parents doing the nasty. Hell, I don't even want to think about it.

After making a hasty exit, we got ready to head to school. At the age of 20, we were almost done with our education. Less than a year later and we would both be taking the test to know what we would be doing for the rest of our lives. It wasn't really something that either of us were worried about though. We were so tuned to what we liked and what we were good at, we were almost certain where out postings would place us. Ken would be placed in a lab somewhere and I would be in a dingy workshop.

As a natal, you don't really expect your life to be any sort of exciting. Everything is laid out for you and that's the way life goes. Ken was a natal through and through, his slim body hidden beneath loose fitting clothes just screamed natal. At 6'2", he was on the tall side, but other than that he fit in with everyone else. Me on the other hand, people had trouble believing was natal, what with the amount of time I spent at the gym. Most natals didn't have the physique I possessed and I was definitely proud of it. Though the same height as Kenneth, I probably weighed fifty pounds heavier.

But of course, I wouldn't have even gotten the chance to bulk up if not for Alena, our best friend and Ken's secret crush. You see, what made us different from most other natals, was that our best friend happened to be an elite. If not for Alena, Ken and I would not be able to live the life we currently lived. Having an elite best friend did have its advantages, like the occasional ride in a hovercar to the city centre, or access to facilities that only elites frequented.

The way we met was also kind of funny, and really the only reason we even met Alena, was because of Ken.

It was almost three years ago when this happened. At the time, Ken and I were in class, just another normal day interning for a new job. This new job, while brought me nothing but boredom, made Ken bounce around like a little kid. I mean, he was a science freak and interning as a laboratory assistant was right up his alley. The only thing that really intrigued me was that it was the first time any of us were in the city centre.

"Kevin, this is too cool. It would be a dream if I could work here," Ken said, as we were leaving the place. I shook my head at my younger brother, smiling at his enthusiasm.

"I'm sure you'll have a great time here, surrounded by all your nerd friends," I mocked. Ken immediately turned to me, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not really an insult and you know it. I am proud to be a nerd," he said, raising his head in pride.

"And you never let me forget it," I said, slapping my hand across his shoulder. This was still pre muscle me, so Ken didn't so much as move. If I were to do the same thing now, he would have stumbled forward. Anyway, it was this time that Ken decided to run off down an empty corridor, away from the class group we were following. "Where the hell are you going?" I whisper shouted as my eyes shot between the class group gradually disappearing ahead of me, and Ken running down an adjacent corridor. "Ken, get back here," I called out to which he simply ignored. I stood there, my gaze darting from Ken's departing form, and the shrinking class, contemplating who I should follow. I groaned and rolled my eyes, taking off after Ken.

I knew we would be in so much trouble when the mentor did a head count and find us missing, but not as much trouble if we were found sneaking around the place without supervision. Not only were we natals in an predominantly elite area, we were natal interns. I saw Ken standing in front of a glass window, looking into the brightly lit room, the fluorescent lights illuminating his smiling face.

I ran up to him, punching him in the arm. "You're gonna get us in trouble. C'mon lets go," I said, attempting to pull Ken away and back to our class. Hopefully we could get back without anyone noticing we were gone. Ken was rooted to his spot though, totally ignoring me. I looked past him to see what he was so intrigued about and saw a huge lab with high tech machinery, shiny apparatus and clean work benches. I didn't really see the appeal but apparently Ken was in geek heaven.

"Look at this place. It's a dream come true. I've never seen something so wonderful," Ken babbled. I swear if I hadn't been there looking at exactly what he was looking at, I would have thought he was staring at a beautiful girl, but no it was a lab. My brother was such a geek.

"Yeah yeah, ooh aah, very nice. Now let's go," I said, once again pulling at my brother's arm, but immediately stopped when I saw a pair of eyes staring at us. Judging by her stature, she couldn't have been much older than us, probably a year older. She had silver hair, which she pooled on one side of her head, revealing an ear with piercings running across the upper rim. Examining her face, I could immediately tell that she was an elite, and she was gorgeous. I may be gay, but I can tell a pretty girl when I see one, it's just that I manage to keep my hormones in check.

I watched her as she watched us, Ken still staring at the lab behind me. I was shocked because not only was it the first elite I had ever met, but also that we were caught somewhere we shouldn't be. To say I was panicked was a gross understatement, although you probably couldn't tell from the calm facade I was putting on. Internally, I was berating myself for letting Ken lead me into this. I should have just left him and let him get into trouble on his own.

"What's his deal?" she spoke motioning to Ken behind me, finally breaking the awkward staring session we had. Her voice was smooth and yet had a deadly edge to it. I turned briefly to see Ken still taking in the beauty of the lab, unaware of the scary elite girl standing behind him.

I shook my head. "He just really loves science."

"I can see that," she said matter of factly. "So mind telling me who you two are?" She crossed her arms across her chest and I immediately stiffened at her change of pose. Sure she couldn't have been much older, but you could definitely feel the authority that emanated off of her.

"Um...we uh...we got separated from our class," I said. I didn't know why I lied, but I chalked it up to self preservation.

"Kevin, this—" Ken started, finally pulling himself out of his trance involving the lab but stopped when he caught sight of the elite. I glanced back at him and saw his mouth hanging open. To this day, he won't tell me why, but I guess he was just overwhelmed by her looks. He never told me this, but I get the feeling that that was when he started developing feelings for her.

"Oh, so glad you could join us," she said, looking as stern as ever, not even a smirk gracing her features. Ken remained dumbstruck as he stared at her. "So, you got separated?"

"Yeah. We're trying to find our way back," I said.

"Really? Because I could've sworn I saw you both taking off, leaving your class group," she said. My eyes widened at her and the color drained from my face, shocked that we had been spotted in the act. Not only that but the fact that I had just lied to her, and she knew it, scared the crap out of me. Before I could even speak, her face broke into a grin and she burst out laughing.

The only emotion that registered in my head was shock then. Shock at being caught lying to an elite, at her sudden change in temperament, and really just shocked at her laugh. Her laugh was booming, reverberating across the walls of the corridor, echoing down the empty hallways; a laugh that seemed out of place from someone who had just minutes before been glaring daggers at me. "Oh man, you should've seen your face," she cried, wiping the tear from her eyes as she clutched her stomach from the cramps caused by her uncontrollable giggles. In that instant, I felt my panic wash away, instead replaced by slight irritation at this strange elite.

"Glad I could amuse you," I muttered, not intending for it to actually be spoken aloud and a little shocked at myself for letting it slip.

"Oh man, I haven't laughed that hard in forever," she continued, either not hearing what I said, or simply choosing to ignore it. By this time, Ken had finally regained enough of his composure to shut his hanging jaw, sending me a raised eyebrow as we both waited for this strange elite in front of us to stop laughing. Eventually, the laughter subsided to chuckles and she walked up to us, resting her hands on her hips as she regarded us. "So, you two have names or what?" A part of me wondered if I should lie again, knowing that there may be a slim chance of us not getting in any kind of trouble if I do. I mean I had already lied once. What's the harm in lying another time? "Nope, don't even go there. I can tell if your lying," she said without so much as a stutter. Eventually, I decided to tell the truth.

"Kevin Branson. This is my brother Kenneth," I replied, pointing a finger back at my silent twin. I was still slightly worried about where this conversation would lead. I wondered if she was going to squeal on us and get us into a shitload of trouble, or let us off with a warning of sorts. Hell, I had lied to her and I was kinda scared that it was going to bite me in the butt.

"Relax dude, I'm harmless. I swear I'm not gonna rat you out. I'm Alena," she said, as if she was reading my thoughts. It was only later down in our friendship that we learnt that she specialized in psychology and her gift to read people like a book, but anyway, that's how we had met.

It's been over three years since our chance meeting and it's funny how much we've all changed in those short three years. Alena had grown up quite beautifully, which wasn't really surprising seeing that she was an elite, only to the dismay of Ken. He would never admit it, even to himself, but I knew he was in love with her. I mean, she was at least 6' tall, had a hot bod, and a carefree personality that most guys would fall for. I know I would if I wasn't gay, so it wasn't that difficult to believe that Ken was in love.

Speaking of my little brother, Ken hadn't really changed much over the years, physically at least. Sure he grew taller and grew his hair out, but other than that he hadn't really changed appearance wise. He did however, come out of his shell more. He was never shy or anything, just reclusive, but when you spent as much time in an elite centric environment as he did, some of their personality traits rubbed off on you.

Me on the other hand, changed quite drastically on the exterior. It was Alena who actually got me to go to the gym. We had dropped Ken off at the Lunaris research centre for him to do whatever sciencey thing he wanted and she had pulled me along to the gym. The rest was history. It became a routine and I found myself gradually getting larger. Personality wise I hadn't really changed much, except that maybe I was no longer so uptight when it came to adhering to rules. Yeah, I was a goody two shoes as a kid.

But enough with the trip down memory lane. "So what do you think this special interview is about?" I asked Ken as we walked down the street towards the tram station, talking about the plan for school. Nothing much was told to us, other than we had a special interview, whatever that meant.

"Who knows? My guess it's some survey about the jobs we've been interning for or something, seeing that were about done with it all," he replied. I thought about his explanation, nodding my head slightly at the sense he made. I, on the other hand, was completely stumped on the matter and any kind of reason was good enough for me. Like I said, I wasn't the thinker in our little relationship. "What's the plan tonight though? Did Alena tell you anything?"

I rolled my eyes at him. It was Friday, meaning it would have been our usual routine, with him heading down to his favorite place and me to the gym. The only question was who Alena was going to follow. "Do you really need to ask?"

"Well...no, but I thought maybe she wanted to do something else," he said. I could almost smell the awkwardness of his words and I smirked at his comment.

"You want to take her on a date." I said, more a statement than a question. "Aww, little Kenny is trying to romance her."

The blush that crept up on his cheeks told me I had hit the nail on the head. "It's not a date, just maybe a quiet dinner together."

"Whatever you want to call it, message received loud and clear. You can both drop me off and then be on your merry way. Are you finally gonna confess?" I prodded, lightly elbowing him in the ribs. Ken had been pining over Alena for so long, I wondered when he would actually get the guts to take things further. Of course, he'd always blown me off with the same excuse.

"No!! You know I can't," he exclaimed. See? So predictable. Of course I did know why though. He was natal and Alena was elite. There's something about crossing that boundary that seemed taboo. I had no idea why though, seeing that there wasn't any kind of rule that forbade it. Still, I had never heard of a natal and an elite pairing up... well, other than one couple, but even that was a special case.

"You know, if you're gonna stick to that excuse forever, why are you even bothering with the whole dinner plan," I asked.

"Shut up. It's...complicated," I rolled my eyes but I knew I had no right to. I may tease the hell out of Ken about his crush but I wasn't much better to be honest. I too was hopelessly infatuated with an elite. Taron Wolfrum had invaded my conscious mind for the past month and I was so painfully in the same position as Ken that I should not have been making jabs at his love life.

"At least you know how much of a hypocrite you're being," Ken shot, rolling his eyes at me. I was still debating whether I liked having a twin, and it's times like this, when he goes all mind reader on me where the feeling starts swaying towards the negative. Of course, having someone who was my best friend and brother was cool too, so it was a never-ending seesaw of emotions.

The ride to class was quiet as we both got consumed in our thoughts. I was sure that Ken was debating if he was really going through with his little date plan with Alena later tonight, from the way he kept rubbing his knuckles. Ever since we were little, he had done that whenever he was deep in thought.

I didn't want to think about Taron though, so I kept myself occupied, watching Lunaris zoom by as the tram sped down its magnetic tracks. Lunaris had pretty much stayed the same throughout the years. When you have already reached a level of perfection, there really wasn't much left to do to improve. Like they say, don't fix something that isn't broken.

I watched the buildings whiz by and caught a glimpse of President Hopper on one of the advertising screens standing atop buildings. I chuckled, feeling like life was reminding me of how much had in fact changed. When Varek Hopper became president, I was only 14 and not really aware of the whole political scene at that point; my only concern was getting to my first internship class. It was only when I got older that I realized how much Varek Hopper's assumption to office had changed how my life would pan out.

You see, in my early teen years, I was having an internal battle with my sexuality. Actually, battle is a wrong term because that would have suggested that both sides had equal footing. No, that wasn't the case. I wanted nothing more than to go about life and hide the fact that I had interest in boys instead of girls. Everything changed however, after it became known on Lunaris that the President's son was gay himself, and the criminalization of homosexuality was abolished. I don't really remember how my parent's reacted to the news because I myself was reeling at the piece of information, too preoccupied by my own thoughts to take notice of anyone else's. I was happy that maybe I wasn't so alone, scared at what the people around me would think of the situation, but most of all shocked that all this was happening.