It's A Twin Thing | j. clarke [1]

twenty-three

-:- House of Bribes / House of Venom -:-

I woke up the next morning with a raw throat and puffy eyes. The little sleep I'd gotten was plagued with flashes of Anna, images of how my subconscious imagined her mutilated body tangled on the steps of Anubis house. I'd almost gotten up in the middle of the night to throw up, but was too groggy to feel confident in my abilities to make it to the bathroom.

Today was the day of the funeral services, and Nina and I were missing classes because of it. Yesterday, we'd tried to carry on as normal by voting for the School Representative but I didn't pay attention to most of it. I don't even remember who I voted for—the chances that I turned in an empty ballot or worse, voted for Amelia Pinches, was high.

Regardless, Mara ended up winning. And I only knew that because Amber went to sleep crying last night, and woke up this morning almost as defeated as Nina and me. Our shared bedroom was beginning to emit an aura of sadness that I didn't want to be in, and I was grateful we were able to leave school behind for a day, even in these circumstances.

The metal was cool on my skin as I zipped up my dress. I smoothed out the wrinkles in the dark fabric at the bottom that fell at my knees and reached for my jacket that was waiting on my bed. Next to my jacket was the box of Sarah's things—Nina and I had gone through it again this morning. The necklace was still there, atop Anna's picture, glinting in the light of our room. Without thinking, I snatched the necklace and slipped it into the pocket of my dress. Anna would've wanted to be here, I thought to myself.

Fabian walked just as I was stuffing the necklace in my pocket, and gave me a sad smile as a greeting. I nodded at him, knowing he came to comfort Nina, rather than me. Nina was standing at our mirror, adjusting her dress and hair. They exchanged a sentimental glance, and Fabian fidgeted as if to walk toward her, but settled on her bed instead.

I sighed, hoping that eventually one of them would fess up their feelings for each other. I knew Nina wasn't particularly approving of the idea of love, but she deserved to be happy. She just needed a push, or a person worth fighting for.

"Okay, so I got beat by a mathlete in the election," Amber said, breaking the somber silence. "I can't hide away here forever, I mean it's not like my life's over or anything."

I raised my eyebrows at Amber's words, while Fabian stared at her, waiting for her to acknowledge her word choice. Nina walked away, putting on her jacket but not bothering to mull over Amber's statement.

"I'm so sorry you guys." Amber turned around in her chair, her mouth agape with realization.

"It's okay," Nina and I said together.

"You've always got us, remember," Fabian stood as he spoke.

"Why don't you buy some flowers," Amber said, holding out a few bills.