brody

✦ twinny ✦ big sis ✦

[brodyyjenkins]

Reviewing SweetDream Through a Privacy-First Lens

I've spent the last few weeks testing AI companion apps the way I'd test any tool I plan to trust with personal data, and the differentiator that kept pulling SweetDream ahead wasn't the flashiest demo reel. It was the quiet confidence of its privacy-first design. On sweetdream.ai, the entire experience is built around the idea that your conversations and your generated content belong to you, full stop. That framing changes how the whole product feels.

What surprised me on closer inspection is that discretion doesn't come at the cost of capability. You still get the deeply customizable character creation, where you shape your AI girlfriend's looks, voice, backstory and little quirks, and you still get chat that genuinely remembers context instead of resetting every session. The privacy layer just sits underneath all of it, unobtrusive but constant.

Plenty of platforms talk about discretion as an afterthought. SweetDream treats it as the foundation, and that is exactly why, in my notes, it reads as the standout AI companion option rather than just another entry on the list.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Two

[nicolippijimenez]

“Cool. You should use it more.” He smiled so they would know that he was being genuine, not a dick. “It’s pretty unique for this area. So is yours.” The only thing he could think about when he heard Brody was that guy in the Kardashian family and that was only because he saw them in the checkout area of other grocery stores when he was scoping out the competition.

They made a lot of good points. Damn. “Hmmm.” Nico studied the shelves. “What would make them look more like a treat that you want to limit yourself on?” Was that even possible? Maybe he was asking the wrong person. He nodded his head very slowly, not wanting to contradict them. They had literally been carrying so many that they fell. That wasn’t really a moderate amount. But they were helping now, so he would be nice. “Of course. You’re a good…” He was going to say egg, but that would be inappropriate since they were genderfluid and he didn’t know a lot but he knew some of the terminology, “Sport.” God, that was somehow weirder than referencing their pre-genderfluid stage.

He fussed with the display, before taking a minute to stand back. Their arm brushed against Brody’s. “Of course, we are. Friends.” He wasn’t always sure he had those, but they definitely fit the description. “I have not been good at all. It’s been pandemonium here and Polly is who knows where and Elena has suddenly decided she wants to be a sister to me and I don’t have time to do everything that needs to be done.” Although it was nice to be away from his father. That was a small win. “You don’t have to go. It’s actually nice having you here, but if it gets hectic I might ask for your help.” That was only fair given how much was being asked of him with no pay.

[brodyyjenkins]

"Okay. Just cause you asked," they said. It occurred to them that he hadn't actually used their name in this whole conversation. "Yes, my name is very unique. My name, which is..." This was a blatant test and they hoped he passed it. Which twin were you talking to? Wilfion or Brody? A lot of people got it wrong.

Brody laughed. "Good sport," they repeated, turning back to the shelf to study what was going on. "Maybe if you put them somewhere they wouldn't normally belong. I don't know how strict you are about organising..." Okay that was kind of a lie. "But putting them next to like... Miralax, for example, would confuse people enough that they wouldn't want to take too many. Do you have any of that in here?" Brody had never noticed. "Or maybe group it with intense health foods. I don't know."

The brush of his arm and the assurance that they were indeed friends made Brody want to fall to the ground. Just sit there for a while. "I'm sorry," Brody said. "That's a lot for one person." Maybe Brody could find Polly for him? They could cover a lot of ground on their board.

It was nice having them here. That's what he said. "I'd love to help," they agreed readily. Even though that twinge in their back was starting to turn into more of a deep ache situation, the stabbing pain would come next. "Put me to work boss."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Two

[nicolippijimenez]

“It is. I like my name.” More accurately, he didn’t like other names. This was the only one that sounded correct to him and he had no interest in training himself to respond to something else. He was too busy responding to “hey you,” and “excuse me” and the dreaded “boy.”

He shrugged his shoulders, eyeing their ever-growing pile with suspicion. “I can’t explain it.” As their pile fell, he took two quick steps backwards and breathed as deeply as he could. This was the other reason he wanted people to limit themselves. He was the only one on the floor to clean up the messes.

“I got it.” He bent down carefully and picked up as much as he could in one go before neatly arranging them on the shelves. When he was happy with his display work he picked up more. Again, he rearranged them to be perfect. The corners were a little crinkly, but it still looked enticing. Maybe too enticing. “If you saw this display, would you feel compelled to take too much or just the right amount?”

He didn’t need help. He also didn’t want it. Nor did he trust Dante. But he respected Brody’s urge to help. He hoped it was Brody. He couldn’t always tell them apart. “Clear rules would be good. I wouldn’t mind some authority against rule breakers. Polly is much more forgiving than we should be and we’ll be out of food in no time if things stay this way.”

He paused. Hadn’t been to see him? Was he someone people wanted to see? Well, that was novel. “I…uh… I didn’t notice. Don’t take it personally. Things have been crazy here, but you’re here now so… was there a particular reason you wanted to see me?”

[brodyyjenkins]

"I like your name too," they agreed, even if they were trying real hard not to use it. Nico was a cool name, it suited him.

Brody watched Nico practically jump away from them and wondered if they had miscalculated. Why was he breathing like that? They were about to apologise, but he was suddenly in there, stacking those KitKats like it was a competition and he wanted to be #1.

When he came back for more, they quickly ducked down and tried to grab for the same ones at the same time he did. "I'll help!" But he was too fast or maybe they were too slow, and by the time there were no bars left on the ground Nico hadn't bumped hands with them once. They stood slowly with a measly 5 bars clutched tightly in their hands.

"Honestly?" Brody asked, wary of upsetting him. "Probably too much. It's chocolate. People want to eat that, especially when they need comforting." And they needed a lot of comforting right now. "But obviously my morals would stop me and I'd only take exactly the right amount to be fair to my community."

"Yeah you're right. We need to be careful." A pang of guilt hit them for adding to Nico's stress.

He didn't notice. He didn't notice. Brody wanted to melt into the floor. "Oh. Um. You're my friend... right? So I just wanted to make sure you were good." This was embarrassing. Why were they even trying? It was obvious Nico didn't feel anything for Brody. Maybe not even friendship, which they had assumed was the bare minimum. "I can go if I'm bothering you. It's no big."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Two

[nicolippijimenez]

Nico was still reeling from the concept of Neeks and they rolled out another one. He stretched his customer smile to its absolute limit. “Nico is fine. I’m not really a nickname person.”

He shivered picturing having to deal with Kaia. She was almost too direct and somehow, still hard for him to read. He always walked away from their interactions feeling like he hadn’t lived up to the Bottle standards, even if she never said a single negative word.

“Thanks for only taking one. And it’s uh,” he scratched the back of his head. “We have some hoarders. I think. There’s no way that many people have all wanted one pack of twizzlers.”

Could he be fired? Polly could certainly try but he’d still show up here. And with no police available, she wouldn’t be able to make him leave. He needed this, probably more than she did. “I tried to start a system, but the people have spoken. Apparently we live with a bunch of pirates. I’d lock your doors, because I don’t think anything’s sacred to them.” Who was them? He wasn’t quite sure. He’d been stampeded earlier by hungry teens and the security cameras had been little help.

[brodyyjenkins]

Brody slumped, disappointed. "Okay. If that's what you want." They thought it could be some cute inside joke they had together, something they could laugh at when everyone else went "Sneako???" It was too bad.

"They're definitely not the best candy. Weird that you'd have a shortage of those so fast." Brody stood with their armful of KitKats and then looked at Nico. An idea occurred to them, and they followed it without thought. They took a step forward, catching the toe of their shoe on an invisible lip in the floor, and let the chocolate scatter across the tiles again.

They threw their head back in fake frustration, like they were talking to the grocery store god in the ceiling. "Are you serious?" This time Nico would have to help, and maybe they could accidentally touch hands. They'd seen that work in movies. The spark.

"I'll tell Kaia, she'll talk to Dante about it. We can get you some help and rules." There were perks to being the younger sibling of the most brilliant girl in the whole school. Maybe it'd give her points with Nico. "Everything is extra locked up at our place. Kaia pretty much put us in lockdown until we had a little more information. That's why I haven't been to see you yet." Brody tucked a braid behind their ear.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Two

[nicolippijimenez]

Nico had been calculating all the overtime in his head that would never be paid. He respected that the Bottles had small profit margins, but this was a lot to keep up with practically by himself. People with no manners were acting like it was some kind of free for all. The vendors would still have to be paid eventually or there would be no more food. What was so hard to understand about that?

He heard someone call him Neeks and hesitated to investigate. No one called him that. He didn’t even know that was a possible nickname for himself. He slunk back towards the security camera until he caught sight of the offender. Oh, it was Brody.

On soft feet, he walked towards the candy aisle and crossed his arms. Eventually, they seemed to notice him. “I work here.” He felt like people kept forgetting that for some reason. “You need to pace yourself. We’re going to run out soon. There’s already a developing twizzlers situation.” Nico did not like violence, but he was also aware that Brody would probably kick his ass in a fight. They were a lot tougher than him. All he had was his attitude. “So, be respectful. Please. We all need candy these days.”

[brodyyjenkins]

"I know you work here, that's why I'm here," Brody said, pressing a hand to their chest to calm their racing heart. "You didn't make a sound. Maybe we should be calling you Sneako." Brody barked a laugh.

"I only wanted one, I promise. Kaia probably wouldn't be happy if I came home with all these, and we're trying to avoid unhappy Kaia." Brody bent down and started picking up the KitKats. "What do you mean a twizzlers situation?" They asked, looking up at him from where they were crouched. He was looking at them in that intense way he always did. Brody had tried so many times to figure out if it meant anything, but they hadn't managed to yet. Part of them wondered if that was just how he looked at people.

"I promise to be respectful. I know this is your place of work. Don't want to get you fired." Actually, Brody wasn't sure about that. Why was he working here when he wasn't getting paid anymore? "Have people been like, taking stuff? That's rude if they have."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Two

A resolution. A breakup, or two. Alliances rising and falling. It all seemed too much for one day. But most societies weren’t built in a day either. 

The day begins at sunrise, as our intrepid band of foolhardy teens head into the woods. One would think its no-brainer to decide where the danger lies. But with tensions running high back home, there’s more than a few snakes in the grass. 

So press play, and go.

[brodyyjenkins]

Brody was finally freeee. Well, free as they could be in the situation they were in. Kaia was letting the twins out of her sight again (Brody promised they'd check in regularly). So they had taken their chance, dumped their stupid back brace in the back of the closet, and skated as quickly as they could from the house before Kaia changed her mind.

They rolled up to the automatic doors of The Dairy, about to cup their hand to look inside when the doors opened. Their heart thumped faster in their chest, and Brody crossed their fingers behind their back before they stepped inside.

Brody stopped, skateboard in hand, and looked around the store. They couldn't see anyone yet, but that didn't mean nobody was here. The door would have been locked. "Neeks!" Neeks??? Brody had never called Nico that a day in their life. "Uh, Nico, I mean, sorry." Shaking their head at themself, Brody shuffled over to the candy aisle. Being unsupervised for this was the best. They reached out to grab a kitkat and spotted someone at the edge of their vision. Brody swung around, sending the kitkats flying, a squeak of surprise leaving their mouth.

"Oh my god Nico. You scared me. How did you do that? I didn't even hear your footsteps."

@nicolippijimenez

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase : During (The Event)

[wilfionjenkins]

Wilfion shivered in spite of themselves. “We’ve got a lotta nice stuff but it’s like not that nice, you know? I feel like they’d go after people who’ve pissed them off or have a lot of cool stuff. Like I feel like that witch girl who lives in the woods is screwed. And Claude’s cousin. Maybe like the Alessi hangers on.” They scratched their neck, eyes to the ground. “Those are Purge rules, you know?” They really weren’t supposed to have seen that, but Yuli had made a good case for its ethical value. And coolness. “Crap. We gotta text Claude. She’s got nice stuff.”

“I dunno.” Wilfion said, shrugging. They were regretting bringing the forest thing up, because it was just too hard to explain. But they also knew “dunno” wasn’t really going to get them off the hook in their family. They were supposed to ‘stay curious’ and stuff. So they took a deep breath and tried. “You know that episode of Doctor Who with the statues? It’s like that.”

[kaiajenkins]

Purge rules. Kaia tried not to shiver. She’d watched one of those movies before noping out of the rest. If the most elite white people could barely survive in them, it didn’t say much good about what happened to the rest of them. “There’s a chance someone might feel empowered to take things, but we should be safe. The glass is hurricane rated so it can withstand blows, the bricks are sturdy, and our door is steel-reinforced.”

This was the kind of stuff she wished their parents were here to explain. Their mother had made sure they would be safe, the same their grandparents had before them. They didn’t pass up security opportunities. Her mom had always referred to it as the price they paid to stay where they wanted to be. Kaia tried not to think about it.

She squinted through the darkness, hoping to see some of what Wilfion was commenting on. She understood the reference, but not entirely how it played out here. The trees weren’t moving. Although, they did look denser, more clustered together than before. “I see,” she said, projecting a surety she did not feel, “The border was somehow cut off, I don’t know how they pulled that off but the devil works fast.” She texted Dante to see if he had any answers. “Let’s all text who we can to make sure they have safety plans as well. We’re not leaving tonight.”

[brodyyjenkins]

Brody preferred Kaia's reminder of all the safety features of their house to Wilf's claiming their stuff wasn't nice enough to take. Even if they were probably right about that. People probably wanted to steal Brody's shoes, they were nice. And their skateboard was fucking cool. Maybe they should lock them up somewhere while things were still quiet.

"You better not be talking about Weeping Angels right now, I swearrrrr." Those things were actually terrifying, and the comparison had Brody wanting to hang sheets over all the windows.

"Okay," Brody said, getting their phone out. "I'll text Nico," they said before they could think better of it. "And Yuli." Maybe that would make it less obvious they'd immediately thought of their unrequited crush.

@wilfionjenkins

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase : During (The Event)

[wilfionjenkins]

It hurt to double check when it made Wilfion feel like they weren’t helping, but they also had decided to not help so that worked out, didn’t it?

They partially stomped into the kitchen and went for an orange. The room was generally undisturbed. They eyed a Scream-esque kitchen knife just in case they needed it (for what they had no idea but they were prepared) and tried to not jump when Kaia walked in.

As they peeled the fruit in a steady swirl, they rolled their eyes at their sister. “What’s there to talk about? We’re stuck here. We don’t know what’s going on. It’s like they evacuated or something, which begs the question why we’re still here. Got dropped off here in fact. I don’t think the clues are in the state of our bedrooms.” They peered out the kitchen window and into the woods again. “Something’s wrong out there. With the trees.” They weren’t sure really, but some part of them needed to say it, if only so the thought would stop rattling around their brain. They ran the trails every day, and it didn’t match.

@kaiajenkins

[kaiajenkins]

“It’s okay.” Kaia had the urge to hug Brody but she wasn’t sure she could handle the contact right now. Her skin was still buzzing after the jump scare. “You didn’t know and I didn’t want to…worry you.”

She never minded being the barrier between them and the harder parts of life. That’s what a big sister was supposed to do. She derived a lot of self worth from doing a decent job at that. Even if Wilfion was currently struggling.

They weren’t actually ready to talk, but they were talking. Kaia waited for Wilfion to finish. “I wanted to know if we’d been robbed in the process. That’s a reasonable thing to be concerned about.” She followed Wilfion’s gaze to the kitchen. “Different how? I’m not in cross-country, explain the nuance to me. Please.”

[brodyyjenkins]

Brody moved to stand near Wilf, needing the comfort of their closeness. Kaia didn't want to worry them but that wasn't possible now.

"I bet a ton of shit is being looted right now," they agreed, grateful that their house had been left alone. "Should we be like... barricading ourselves in here?" Brody didn't know what was an over reaction anymore. Kaia didn't want them to leave but should they be making sure nobody got in? Were their locks enough?

"Yeah, what do you mean Wilf?" Brody turned to look out the window, frowning at the trees. They saw shapes in the darkness, their brain trying to fill in the gaps. Brody shouldn't have left Wilf to walk alone, they should have been together. It would have been safer and maybe Brody would have been going slow enough to notice all this shit.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase : During (The Event)

[wilfionjenkins]

Wilfion stopped short as Kaia’s words finally hit them. “Oh. Okay.” They hadn’t thought of that. They were embarrassed that they hadn’t thought of that. Wilf generally had a bad habit of not noticing things until it was too late. Their full attention tend to be dedicated to the court or the witness or whatever thing they were trying to compete at. They generally thought of it as the small stuff because it got overwhelming otherwise. Like now. They didn’t like mysteries, and they didn’t like being reminded that bad stuff could happen to people they cared about. Still, they crossed their arms more out of shame than any kind of distance or resentment. They wanted to be better. They really did.

But they quickly switched back to baby sibling mode as Kaia sent their twin into their parents’ room. “I said all their stuff was here. I said that.” They were helping. Did they not get credit for helping?

Not that they, like, needed credit for it. It just would have been nice. And it would have not made them want to scream into a pillow.

They turned and headed back toward the living room in search of one. “Whatever.”

@kaiajenkins

[kaiajenkins]

Kaia rubbed at her temples. She hadn’t expected Wilfion to struggle with this as much as they were. “Pump the brakes. Double checking doesn’t hurt anything.” They had hours until daylight. They weren’t going anywhere.

But if they needed space, Kaia would give it. She waited for Brody to get back with a report. “Thank you. Can you check your room to see if your stuff is still the same?” She was avoiding checking her own. Her brain was screaming at her that there was more going on, but she couldn’t figure out what she was missing.

Her fingers itched to text Dante and drink up his thoughts. There would be something calming in that. Her siblings wouldn’t respect that, though, and she needed to be the adult here. “Why don’t you make yourself a snack,” she suggested to Wilf. She grabbed a cold water from the fridge and took a few sips. Was it too soon to make an inventory of things? “When you’re ready to talk, I’m here.”

[brodyyjenkins]

Wilf's tantrum was bothering Brody a lot more than it normally would. They rolled their eyes, turning to walk to their room next. "Do I have to do everything myself?" They said, loud enough for both of them to hear. Brody would actually help though, unlike their twin who was getting babied in the other room.

When they got to their room they stayed in the doorway, flicking the light on but not going in. It wasn't like a person was missing from this space, but seeing their parent's room like that had not felt good.

Brody had tidied everything before they'd left for the camping trip. They had wanted to just do it when they got back. But when their mom had seen all the clothes Brody had thrown around the room when trying to decide on outfits, she had made them do it right then. It was all exactly as they'd left it. All that was missing were the things Brody had packed into the bag.

They walked back to the kitchen. "All how I left it," Brody confirmed. "I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't know things were fucked up."

@wilfionjenkins

Phase : During (The Event)

“Yeah.” Wilfion echoed. “What shit is going down? It was just a blackout, right?” They swallowed, looking at the lightswitch. “Or not. Or it was.” They reached the same conclusion as Brody about three seconds after Brody did.

One of the benefits of being the baby in the family was taking initiative with way less consequences. Wilfion marched down the hallway, ready to answer their twin’s question for themselves. “Mom? Dad?” They knocked on the door once before turning the handle then walked in to find… nothing. Her parents’ clothes were in the closet. Their mom’s iPad was still by her bed. Their dad’s usual media slide of tabletop books was undisturbed. He never left it that way when they went out of town. He got self conscious about it.

Wilf turned slowly back toward the doorway to look at their siblings. “They’re gone. How’re they gone?”

“Should we check next door? We should check next door.” All potential promises to Kaia forgotten, they stepped forward to move past her.

[kaiajenkins]

Kaia rolled her eyes as Brody congratulated themself. The fact that they could maintain some levity in this situation. She didn’t want to worry them too much. That was her job. She knew more about the world around them than they did. Sometimes, she felt like she was almost a bit too cynical about the whole thing but it kept her feeling safe and in control.

“It’s not a blackout. The cell towers are jammed for some numbers and not others. I don’t want to worry anyone but it pays off to be on guard. Remember that.” She made a quick text and sent it to Wilfion. A ding answered back. “See? That shit doesn’t happen when I call mom or your dad or mine. It just doesn’t connect.” It had been a hypothesis but one she’d been willing to bet on.

“People aren’t in their houses. I don’t know where they are, but I know that we keep each other safe. We can’t rely on anyone else to do it for us.” Dante was the probable exception here but she knew how the twins could feel about him at times. She didn’t blame them, she simply didn’t agree.

Kaia’s hand shot out, trying to stop Wilfion. She wasn’t fast enough. “We aren’t leaving this house yet.” She turned to Brody, “Go check our parents room and see if it looks like this was a deliberate trip or not.” Being the one in charge wasn’t the most comfortable position for her, she liked to defer to their mother. “Wilf, check your room and see if anything’s been tampered with. We make sure the house is safe first. Then we’ll call the neighbors. We aren’t going out to check on anyone until daylight.”

[brodyyjenkins]

Brody wanted Kaia to stop talking. The more she said the colder they felt. Their hands started to shake.

"Okay," Brody replied, their voice barely above a whisper. They turned and headed for the room their twin had just come from, taking a second to breathe. When they felt the tiniest bit steadier, they turned the light on and went to the wardrobe. It didn't look like any of their clothes were gone, not more than usual. Their suitcases were tucked away on the shelf up high. Why weren't they here right now?

They continued their search, heading into their bathroom next. Their toothbrushes were still in their holders. All the stuff they'd normally pack into makeup and toiletry bags was still in all of their places. What if they'd had to leave quickly? For an emergency or something?

Brody went back into their room, spotting their parents reading glasses on their night stands. Their mom's phone charger was still plugged into the wall. The iPad. They would have taken all of this stuff if they planned to leave.

They went back to the doorway, leaning against it for support. "I don't think it was deliberate Kai," Brody said. "If they left they did it really quickly. All of their stuff is still here."

@wilfionjenkins

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase : During (The Event)

[wilfionjenkins]

They really didn’t need to talk about it. Wilfion nodded to Brody as they dropped their board and headed toward home faster than Wilfion could manage on their own two feet. Not unless they felt like sprinting with their bag. Which they sometimes did, but not now. Instead, they picked their way through the confused crowd, saying hello to teammates, chuckling to themself as Claudia trolled the rest of the bus then disappeared into the dark with her Edward Gorey illustration of a cousin. There was going to be drama the next day. They were sure of it.

Wilf took their time turning down the empty streets as the other walkers fell away until they arrived at the Varo Jenkins family home. A charming colonial surrounded by elder trees, Wilf somehow still expected the rush of relief and excitement they tended to feel when they returned home from a run. Instead they just felt a vague sense of unease, like waiting for the first pitch to be thrown. A need for something to happen just so they could do something too.

They stood at the edge of the stone fence that surrounded their small front yard, listening to the woods behind the house. The world was eerily still, the wind completely absent. The moonless night turned the silhouettes of the trees into prison bars. “Stupid.” Wilf muttered to themself. Claudia was making them see things that weren’t there. Stories didn’t happen in real life. That’s why they were stories.

Then they heard an ear splitting scream from the house. Then another. “Bro? Kaia?” They sprinted up the front steps and crashed through the door (luckily unlocked). “What…” They trailed off as they found their twin giggling as their sister wheezed. “Seriously? I’m gonna break something, and Mom’ll blame you.”

@kaiajenkins

[kaiajenkins]

Kaia nearly jumped out of her skin. Her watch dinged, letting her know that her heart rate was too high for her level of activity. She pushed dismiss hard in place of whacking Brody. It wasn’t worth potential grounding. “At least you’re still here.”

Wilfion wasn’t too far behind. Okay, if the twins were around and their parents weren’t that wasn’t the end of the world. It was shady but not something they couldn’t handle.

“You both good,” she asked after taking a minute to compose herself. Brody’s joke aside, this situation was a bit stranger than they were used to. The quiet and the lack of lights made her nervous. It was too close to mob justice for her.

She tried her phone one more time. Still nothing. “I don’t know what’s going on, but we need some sort of plan to keep ourselves safe.” She wanted Dante’s input but she didn’t like the idea of wandering around outside right now. “And no going anywhere until we’ve laid out what to do if shit goes down.”

[brodyyjenkins]

"Sorrysorrysorry," Brody said, stumbling back to get out of reach of their siblings just in case they decided on immediate vengeance. Brody was still laughing though. "Ohhh. That was a good one."

"Yeah why?" Brody asked. Kaia was still being weird. It was starting to make them nervous. "I didn't want to go on the trip that badly. It's no big deal."

"Safe?" They looked between their twin and sister. Being in the dark wasn't helping them feel any better, so they reached over and flicked the light switch on the wall. Seeing Kaia's face in the light did not help at all. Something was really, really off. "What shit is going down? What's going on?" It was only then that they realised the screaming had not brought their parents out of their room. They couldn't even hear their dad snoring, and that shit was loud. "Where's mom?"

@wilfionjenkins

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Name: Brody Varo Jenkins  Face Claim: Amandla Stenberg Played By: Tash Birthday: December 25 Family: Wilfion Varo Jenkins (Younger Twin Sister - Amandla Stenberg), Kaia Jenkins (Older Half-Sister - Ryan Destiny) Naomie Jenkins (Mother - Gabrielle Union), Hugo Varo (Father - James Roday Rodriguez), Harold Winter (Kaia’s Father - Dulé Hill) Friends: Wilfion (OBVIOUSLY), Claudia, Yuli, Nico  Romance(s): Figuring it out (along with everything else) Hobbies/Clubs/Social Circle: Skateboarding, Basketball, Cheerleading, Mock Trial, Debate (where their siblings go they go too)

Brody has never quite known who they are or what they want. Growing up with an identical twin as a mirror, and an older sister they both idolised made it difficult for them to narrow things down. It probably didn’t help that Brody and Wilfion often switched identities. Using skills the other didn’t have to help each other out of a mess. Seeing how much they could get away with as their twin. But how much did it blur lines for Brody? What parts of who they were were borrowed from their siblings, and what was actually their own? Sometimes it was easier to go along with it than try to find themselves. It wasn’t like they didn’t enjoy having a path set out. All they had to do was walk it.

One thing Brody does love (that isn’t borrowed from Kai or Wil) is skateboarding. They don’t go anywhere without it. They just wish they had more time to practice - difficult when they had so many time consuming extra curriculars. Now though, that’s much less of an issue.

When the event happens they don’t have much choice but to figure themselves out. Kaia is busy being incredible, doing everything with a smile. Wilfion still needs Brody though, which is the tether they need. Who is Brody Varo Jenkins, really? They’re about to find out.

Follow Brody here!

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase : During (The Event)

There was a time when the most stressful thing the students of West Ham High had to worry about was cabin assignments. All the usual tension and panic, the negotiations of who would give up which bunk for which hookup, it seems so small now. They boarded five buses in the late afternoon. Kissed / Hugged / Ignored their parents goodbye. Headed for the Smoky Mountains. Darkness descended, and sleep carried them away.

They woke to a lurch in the road, a curve taken a bit too fast. A grumble about a rock slide on the route. They all needed to go home. They disembarked. The buses sped away. Far too fast.

Far too fast. 

The kids looked around. No parents. No siblings. No other living souls. No connection with the outside world. 

What to do, what to do? Cry, search, fiddle while West Ham burns? For the first time, it’s up to them. And who knows if the sun will come. 

So press play, and go. 

[kaiajenkins]

Kaia woke with a start. She pulled her airpods out, Kehlani’s voice going to a whisper as she looked around the bus. It was mostly empty, a few stragglers milling around and talking to each other. According to her watch, they shouldn’t be stopping for another few hours. What was the hold up?

As she stashed her airpods in their engraved case, she caught a glimpse of an all too familiar sign. They were back where they started. That didn’t…she shook her head…no, she was trippin’. The sleep was still clouding her thoughts.

But stepping off the bus left her face to face with reality. They were back home. She called her mom. Nothing. She called her step-dad. Nothing. She called her dad, even though he didn’t live in West Ham. Nothing.

A sliver of fear raced down her spine, but she tried to think logically. If something had happened, she needed to be at home. Wherever her family was, they’d come back. It would help if she could find the twins. Her eyes darted around but it was too hard too tell. Too many people milling aimlessly about trying to figure out if they should panic or not.

She powerwalked home. Her key fit easily into the lock. She breathed in the calming scents her mom sprayed in the entry way every morning. This was still home, whether her parents were out or not. Even if her parents were rarely out of the house this late.

She heard the scuff of footsteps farther down the hall. It was cliche as hell and she was stupid for doing it, but instinct took over and she called out, “Hello? Who’s there?”

[brodyyjenkins]

Brody and Wilfion's bus had been the first to arrive back in town. The twins had tried to call their parents to come pick them up, but when they didn't answer they both assumed they were sleeping and began the walk to their house.

Brody's back had already been sore from sitting on the bus for so long, but it was ten times worse after carrying their bag and skateboard all the way home. They'd officially learned their lesson. No more overpacking. Having seven slightly varying pairs of white sneakers for a camping trip wasn't worth it for stabbing pain and muscle spasms. Even if they did look really fucking cool.

When they got home the house was dark and still. Something about it seemed a little off, but they didn't usually stay up this late to know what. After abandoning their stuff in their room, they headed to the kitchen to get a snack. The lights were still off. Less chance of getting in trouble for raiding the fridge.

Hello? Who's there? Brody straightened, turning towards the door. It was definitely Kaia being weird. And even though they knew this could end in their death, Brody could not resist an opportunity for a jump scare.

They snuck back towards the doorway that connected the entry and the kitchen, keeping to the walls so Kaia wouldn't see them. Then when they were close enough, they jumped out at her, grabbing her shoulders and screaming as loud as they could before dissolving in a puddle of giggles.

@wilfionjenkins