Short Story Collection

Good or Evil

I'm laying on top of my grey, white, and lavender quilt staring at the wall, I'm trying to keep the tears at bay, but I am failing horribly. Tears are rolling down my face staining my face and hair.

The other people my age are spending the night with their twin knowing that this will be the last time they see them in at least a decade. But I. I am alone. My twin died just a few hours after he was born.

In the early hours of the morning, I finally lapse into a fitful sleep. They were unable to tell which twin I was, the good twin or the bad one. The nightmares have been rather active this past month, they twist between me going to Willow Preparatory and turning out to be the bad twin. Or going to Silver Oak Preparatory and turning out to be the good twin.

I wake up in a cold sweat once again, my heart racing. I look over at the clock and see that it's half past 7. My appointment with the School Boards is at 10, I sigh and sit up, I can feel my hair sticking up every which way. Proof of the fitful night I had.

Groggily I make my way to my desk chair grabbing the clothes I had laid out the night before and continue on to the bathroom across the hall.

I lock the door behind me and turn on the shower, I watch as the mirror fogs up clouding my reflection. I grab the hairbrush and yank it through my brown hair taming the tangled mess.

After a quick shower, I hop out and wrap myself in a towel. I look over at the clothes hanging on the back of the door.

There is a navy blue, pencil skirt that falls to below my knees, a white blouse, and a grey knit sweater that hits my legs just below the skirt. I grimace at my reflection, this is a far cry from what I normally wear, but the School Board all but demands you wear something formal. I pull my brown hair up into a ballet bun and leave the bathroom.

"Iris! Are you awake down there!" My dad yells from the top of the stairs.

"Yeah," I yell back, rubbing my eyes.

I make a final pit stop in my room and glare at the death traps sitting next to my messenger bag. I slip on the black heels that go with the outfit I stole from my mother's closet. I run up the stairs as fast as the skirt and heels let me. I emerge and see my parents and my younger twin brothers sitting in the living room.

"Oh Iris you look amazing," my mother croons.

I smile, knowing that this will be the last time I see them in a decade or more so I might as well leave them with this right. I side-eye the massive black suitcase by the front door, I drop my bag next to it.

"There are muffins in the oven," my mom tells me as I turn to head into the kitchen.

"Oh, alright, thanks," I respond.

I turn and go kneel on the ground. My brothers look up from their phones and their blue eyes are worried.

"Calm down you two, you've been counting down the days till I leave," I tease them.

"Yeah, but you're actually leaving today," Conner says.

"And when you two turn 18 next year I'll see one of you,"

"True," Tanner nods.

The oven timer rings and my mom stands up and heads into the kitchen, I follow behind her silently until we hit the tiled floor of the kitchen where the heels click. She pulls the blueberry muffins out of the oven filling the kitchen with the scent of freshly baked goods.

She turns around dropping the hot pads onto the table, my parents met at Willow Prep, most couples meet in their school. She rakes her hand through her hair, I look just like my mother. Down to the shade of our brown hair, and the same flecks of gold in our blue eyes.