Dear Twin Sister (On-Hold) - (For Editing)

VIII

"Are you dead yet?" I was taken aback for a second at the personal choice of words. Was this the reason Kylie had killed herself?

"Lily of the valley, are you alive?" No. It couldn't be a coincidence. The word choices added up to something. They meant something.

I hurriedly took hold of my phone and googled how to operate a walkie talkie. It wasn't complicated. I hoped the person on the other end was still there as I spoke into the device.

"Hello?"

"I knew you were there!"

"Who is this?"

"Question. Come downstairs. I'm waiting at our spot, we have talk o!"

"Who is this?"

There was no response. And there remained no response as I continued to speak into the walkie talkie thing.

Instantly recalling that this person was waiting downstairs, I quickly pulled on a pair of jeans to replace the shorts I had been sporting and tugged on a sweater as the weather had been chilly.

Deciding that this person could be dangerous, I visited the kitchen on my way out. Taking a small knife and slipping it into my sweater pockets.

Leaving was easier than I expected as my aunty had left for her room. She would assume that I was still locked up in my room and would let me be until morning. If I didn't die while meeting this stranger, she would never know what happened.

The reception of the apartment was empty, asides from the night shift receptionist. She was a slim dark-skinned woman with who I was unfamiliar. Her head was on the desk before her. Her once tied up braids, sprawled all over.

I subtly walked past her and to the front doors of the apartment complex.

The first word that came to mind, the second I stepped out of the building was 'cold'. Even with a sweater on, I was still freezing.

The night lamps prevented me from walking in pitch darkness as I surveyed the area. Checking for any suspicious-looking person or group of people, in case I needed to run.

After doing a round around the parking lot, I proceeded to wait a bit in front of the big entrance doors.

I took out my phone from my back pocket and checked the time. It read 10:00 and for the umpteenth time, my instincts told me to head back upstairs to the safety of my Aunty's house and start my mission tomorrow.

But curiosity got the best of me. I was clutching the walkie talkie to my chest like it was cradling a baby. Sliding my phone back into my back pocket, I tried speaking into the walkie talkie again.

After receiving no response, I made up my mind to go back inside.

"-to clean the swimming pool tomorrow sir."

The receptionist was awake and she was on a call. The desk telephone looked brand new and the awkward way the woman held it in her hand was proof she hadn't quite used it as much.

Then like a train at full speed, it hit me. The swimming pool outback. The mystery caller might have been referring to that outside.

Feeling quite triumphant with my sudden realization, I moved away from the door and headed towards the pool on the other side of the building.

The swimming pool was massive in size. It could accommodate at most fifty people comfortably. Along the two long sides were pool chairs and umbrellas, that were closed, and on the other shorter side was a bar.

The first thing I saw on passing through the gates of the area was the lanky frame of what I was sure would be a teenage boy. Bless their souls for installing night lamps everywhere.

He must have had a sixth sense because moments later, he spun around and caught sight of me.

The second our eyes locked, a chill ran down my spine and I found myself froze. Unable to speak or move, a great wave of fear fell on me.

What was I doing? I was risking my life out of curiosity. Kylie was important but dying at the hands of a stranger might also kill my parents in the aftermath.

But it was too late now. He had seen me. If I ran, he would catch me. From the looks of it, he was slim and had long legs. Long legs to catch people like me which short legs. To catch people like me who could never run for longer than a minute.

Clenching my fist, I started towards the boy. The closer I got, the more I realized he was sporting a smile on his face.

Did he know I was Kelly? Was he glad to as my sister had died and I had come in her place?

My emotions went from fear to anger as a million thoughts danced violently around in my head.

"Can you swim?"

He gave a light laugh and shook his head.

"I absolutely can not."

Smiling brightly, I rushed at him with my hands outstretched in front of me.

Then he moved.

Then I fell.

Seconds later, I lost consciousness as the freezing cold liquid wrapped itself around me and pulled me to the bottom of its territory.