Pirouette by Robyn Bavati Page B

an insatiable appetite not only for food but for life.
    What would her life have been like if she’d had Manfred for a dad? Or if she’d even had a dad? It wasn’t something Simone had ever really thought about, but since meeting Hannah her mind was all over the place, filled with questions she couldn’t even begin to answer.
    She tried to imagine herself and Hannah as tiny infants—two identical baby girls in a Brazilian orphanage.
    Was there even any proof that she and Hannah were identical twins? Or was it possible that their history and identical looks were just coincidence?
    It would be so much easier to tell their parents, when the time came, if they could prove it was true. Well, perhaps they could …
    She’d once seen a program on TV about DNA testing. It was mostly used to resolve paternity issues, or to determine whether a certain person had committed a crime. And it could identify people who’d died over a hundred years ago. Maybe it could also confirm whether she and Hannah were identical twins.
    The bus stop was still a little farther down the street, but Simone retraced her steps and headed to the public library instead.
    Once inside, she looked around. A sign on the information desk said Wi-Fi Internet Available . Soon, sitting at a designated computer, she opened a search engine and entered the words DNA Testing Identical Twins.
    Within fifteen minutes, Simone knew the following facts:
• Identical twins have identical DNA.
• Identical twins, formed when a fertilized egg splits, are the only people in the world with identical DNA.
• Although identical twins have the same genotype (DNA), they have different phenotypes.
• Phenotype determines traits such as fingerprints and certain aspects of physical appearance, and are a product of the way the individual’s genes interact with the environment both within the uterus and throughout the individual’s life.
• Dogs can’t distinguish between identical twins.
• DNA testing cannot distinguish between identical twins, but a simple fingerprint can.
    Simone returned to the search engine and typed in the words DNA Testing Canberra Australia.
    This time a list of businesses appeared and Simone clicked on the first link: fastcheckDNA.com.au . In large print at the top of the site were the words DNA Testing Australia Wide , and in a smaller font below, the heading Paternity Testing: For peace of mind, be sure who is the father of your child .
    Checking some other links, Simone found websites for DNA Australia, Gene Track, and DNA Identity. All seemed to offer similar services at comparable prices. All advertised paternity testing and none mentioned testing for identical twins.
    She returned to the Fast Check website and sent an email to the contact address:
    To Whom It May Concern,
    Could you tell me whether you test for identical twins?
    Thanks,
Simone
    The reply from Fast Check was almost immediate:
    Hello Simone,
    Yes, we can do testing that will determine if you are identical twins. The cost is $360 and the DNA is collected from a mouth swab. I have attached the application form and as soon as you have returned it to us, we will send you a mouth swab collection kit. Alternatively, you can phone the office and we will take your application over the phone.
    Payment is due with the return of the collection kit.
    Yours sincerely,
Julianne Barnes MSC (Hons)
Director Fast Check DNA
    With a surge of excitement, Simone rang the number provided at the bottom of the email and gave the office her name, birth date, and Candance address. Then she switched off the computer, left the library, and wandered down the street to a nearby café.
    As she sipped hot chocolate with a dash of cream—a treat her mother would never approve of—Simone remembered the disturbing dreams she’d had the night before.
    If I have proof that we’re identical twins , she thought, no one will ever be able to tell me