Hearing a loud bang, I ran down stairs, almost tripping on the bottom step. No. I take that back almost tripping on a red plastic cup. I lifted my eyes slowly, dread shining across my features. What had she done. My older sister was sitting on a chair in the family room completely intoxicated. “Oh. Hey… did I ever tell you how pre-,” she trailed off, looking else where. She had done it again. Mom and dad were constantly taking trips leaving her in charge, saying that we were, “ old enough to handle the house by ourselves responsibly.” At least they were half right, one of us was. My sister started giggling, honestly after a few seconds of it, she started to freak me out. “Hehe…. The party was sooooooooo….,” my sister closed her eyes almost becoming unconscious but pulling herself back, “fricking awesome.” I took a deep breath but regretted it as soon as I did, taking in a big whiff of beer and weed. Coughing, I examined the room more. Red cups were everywhere accompanied by liquid that only the Lord knew the origin of. As soon as I started to pick of the cups and trash around the house, I heard a car engine. I looked out the window and saw our parents car. It was official. We were screwed.
I can see them. All of the lost souls that wander this earth. A blessing and a curse. Ever since I was born I’ve had the ability to see them. Along with this freed vision i know exactly how and when I’m going to die, on my 21st birthday, bar shooting. So Since the day I found out what I was actually seeing, I’ve decided to live my life to the fullest. Doing and trying whatever I can in the time that I’ve been given. Cause while I’m going to die young, I know not everyone gets to have this opportunity. So I don’t live my life the way I do just for me but for those who either can’t or don’t live like me… At least that’s how I would look at life if I could even have that much freedom. I live in an orphanage. Freedom isn’t something a lot of us kids get. Especially when everyone who isn’t adopted is sent to “higher education”, if you can even call it that, until your 21. Isn’t that ironic. So my dream… my goal in life… to be free… is impossible.
“I wish…I wish…” “Don’t you dare say it!” Tyler yelled interrupting my concentration. “This is what I’m meant to do! Let me save him!” I start the spell again, “I wish that my body and soul be replaced by hi-.” Tyler rams into my side causing me to stumble and brake the spell. “ What the heck do you think you’re doing?! Your gonna kill your self to save him!” Tyler stood in between me and him. I couldn’t perform the spell safely and correctly if I didn’t have physical contact with him. My eyes glared up at his, if I waited any longer there wouldn’t be a way to save him. “Let me save him!” I yelled up at him as tears pricked the sides of my eyes. “No, I can’t let you.” He muttered wiping away the tear that had fallen. “Then you have left me no choice. I’m sorry but I need to do this.” Before he could notice what was happening I performed a spell and froze him. Realization sprang throughout his face. “Don’t do this! I can’t lose you too!” Tears ran down his face like a flood. Taring my eyes away from him tears already starting to form. I perform the spell this time without any interruptions. “Don’t do this! You promised! Don’t leave me! I-I love you! I don’t want to lose you!” A tingling sensation scattered throughout my body. Weariness seeping through my soul and into my heart. This was it. The end. As the light diminished, I looked over at Tyler. “I love you too.” Then the darkness enveloped me.
Person A:”That’s non of your concern.” Person B:”I thought I was supposed to meet a man not some kid.” Person A:”I wonder what gave you that impression. Look are you gonna take it or not cause I could always give it to someone else for a higher price. Honestly I’m doing you a favor.” Person B: “Fine. Here take your reward. Now what’s a kid like you gonna do with pure mercury.” Person A:”Again like I said before that’s not your concern. Now to continue matters, I believe you now ow me a favor. Keep that in mind next time I come to you.” Person B:”What are you talking about?! I don’t ow you anything, we’re even.” Person A:”Nu-uh-uh. I could have gone to anyone else, for a bigger price might I add. People would have paid billions to get there hands on that very special one of a kind diamond ring. Person B:”Fine!”
B got up and swiftly walked out the door. A laughed quietly and took the diamond ring out of his pocket. Person A:”Wonder how long it’ll take for him to figure out that the ring is fake.”
I sit on the swing and kick at the dirt below me. He loved swings. Playgrounds. Gosh, if I had just been there to help him…. He could still be here. Tears stream down my face like a tiny flood. I should have been there. I should’ve known. How could I be so stupid! I get up from the swing and stand by the slide. It’s like I can still see him, hear him laughing. In the beginning it was all about the money, babysitting was the thing to do for a quick buck. But when his mom said she could no longer afford to pay me, it didn’t matter I continued to help cause truth be told I loved that family and maybe part of it was that they reminded me so much of me and my mom….. Maybe that’s why this hurts so much.
I’m not normal. I’m not perfect. I’m the nobody who sits in the back of class, away from the public’s eyes. And hey I didn’t chose to be different, disliked. I chose to not let anyone get hurt. Cause they don’t know who I am, what I am. Everyone sees what they want to see. They see a girl, quiet, nothing in particular that’s wrong with me but oh how wrong they are. When I look in the mirror I don’t recognize the person in front of me. A creature. A monster. But only in the mirror do I look like this. Only in the mirror can I see what truly lies behind this human vail. What I despise and hate. The monster inside me.
“Wait up! Quinn! Wait!” Ethan ran after me. A ferocious blush broke across my face. I kissed him… I kissed him!! I can’t believe I did that! What’s wrong with me! Your best friend since birth! He was not to far behind me, I couldn’t talk to him not now. I continued running, past my house, past the gate to the forest and the beware sign, until I got to my spot or rather our spot. The one place where no one else knew where we were. Our safe place, or so it usually was. I sat down on a log and put my head in my hands. What had I done?
A few minutes later, I heard foot steps off in the distance that quickly become louder and closer. I knew it was him, but I chose not to look up or rather I couldn’t, my fear and shame held me in place. He sat down next me and put his hand on my back, “Quinn, please talk to me.” I shook my head no and as I did tears rolled down my face. I could feel him staring at me, which made me even more uncomfortable. Then he took his hand that was on my back and put my hair behind my ear. “Quinn,” he said. I looked at him and he had a calm smile on his face. “We need to talk about this and I know you don’t want to, but we have to.” The thunder roared of in the distance as grey clouds shown through the trees. Great, just great, if we didn’t get out of the forest soon we’d be stuck. “Why’d you kiss me?” I got up quickly, “your right I don’t want to talk about this!” I started walking back out of the woods. Ethan followed me and grabbed my hand. Then the rain came pouring down on us. I turn to him but didn’t make eye contact with him.
“Quinn, talk to me. Why did you kiss me?” He asked me. When I didn’t answer he took a step closer to me. And then another, and another, he was so close I could feel his breath on me. He took his hand and moved my chin to where our heads were level. I still kept my eyes elsewhere. “Look at me,” he whispered. When I looked him I’m the eyes he said,” I like you,” which sent butterflies through me stomach. I smiled at him. Ethan leaned in. Then we kissed, not caring about the rain or the thunder.
Ding dong!!! “Can u get that sweetie,”my mom yelled from the kitchen. My dog ran to the door with her tail wagging, jumping up trying to see who it was. It’s probably just a delivery person with the pizza I ordered, my moms not a very good cook. I unlocked the door and opened it. “Hi thank you so….” I looked up and immediately stopped talking. My mouth fell open and my eyes widened.
My father stood at the steps smiling at me nervously, ringing his hands out. But they fact that my father, who left my mom and hasn’t bothered to reach out to me in 16 years, wasn’t what had caused me to stop. A girl about 16 years old with the same hair color, same eyes, same…. Everything, looked at me with timid eyes. “Can we come in?” My father asked looking back between me and her. The feelings of shock and not wanting to believe that this was real took over my body and I shut the door in their faces. “What was it?” My mom yelled from the kitchen. My hands started to shake, what was I going to say, oh nothing just my dad who I’ve only seen in pictures and a clone of me, nothing to weird about it, what’s for dinner? “There was nothing there,someone must’ve just ding-dong-ditched us,” I yelled back. The door bell rang again. And again, and again. Each time I pretended to answer it then told her no one was there. Finally on the fourth time my mom got angry, “Those kids! I’m going to teach them a lesson.” My mom reached for the door knob and started to turn it. I ran toward the door and pulled her hand away from the knob. “Honey what are you doing, I’m going to take care of these kids and then we can have dinner.” The door bell ringed again. My mom reached for the door knob again and again I pulled it away. My mom was not going to give up, she kept trying to open the door, and finally I just desired to lean against it so she couldn’t open it. “I don’t understand why your doing this?! Just let me open up the door!” My mom yanked on the door and I stumbled forward. The door opened, and when I looked at my mom her expression was not what I was expecting. She was smiling. Smiling!!! My father, if you could even call him that, gave my mom a hug. My mom let go and look at me with the same expression that my dad had been wearing this entire time. “I know this may be a lot to handle and I know I have a lot to explain to you but before I do, let’s just get this out into the open. Quinn this is your twin, Leah,” my mom told me looking back at Leah and then at me again trying to read my expression. I don’t know whether I looked horrified or shocked or irritated, all I know is that an overwhelming feeling that I needed to puke came on me.
