Other Half

Yellow

Numb. There is no other word. The world is not crashing down on me. My hands are not trembling and there are no tears streaming down my face. I'm barely registering that my feet are moving,I'm running I should be feeling pain in my feet as they slap to the floor, but I don't feel.
I'm in the garden, usually a peaceful and happy place where me and Elena relax, laugh and enjoy all four seasons of English weather. I stop at the rose bush leaning against the canopy, and resist picking one.

"INES" ... "Ines get your arse down here NOW" ...
My mom is so nice, note the sarcasm. The clock next to me is saying it's eight o'clock, however the lack of sunlight out side is telling me that it's still sleepy time, I can just close my eyes for a litt....... ARRRRRR bright light bright light "MOM"
"What the hell". My moms chipper voice is way to happy for this early in the morning, "up and dressed sweetie or I'll get the spay bottle". My eyes open a crack to witness my thirty-six year old mother skipping, yes skipping out of my room.
God I hate mornings, unlike my mom , always up and smiling cheerfully at the world ready to start the day. I on the other hand hate mornings and will get up as late as I can possibly get away with, first day of high school or not.
No time for a shower, no time to straighten my hair. I stomp down the stairs with my thrown on new school uniform, hair in a messy bun and some makeup in my bag to put on when I get chance. and I'm downstairs and ready to go with in 5 minuets . I grab an apple as I greet Elena with a lazy smirk. dark brown eyes with a fleck of green, the spitting image of mine, narrows at the sight of me. My sister and I have identical physical features, however the difference between us is visually obvious. Elena keeps her long waist length hair perfectly curly and would never be seen without perfectly applied makeup. This morning she was elegantly wearing her uniform, ironed straight with correct edges and her skirt reaching just above her knees.
I love my twin sister, we are alike in so many ways and so different in others. We would both quite happily sit in the garden, whatever the weather, dipping Oreos into peanut butter. We both eat cereals for dinner and love thunderstorms.
"Ines must you wear your uniform like that" the only time my mom frowns in the morning is when she sees what I'm wearing or how I'm wearing it. I glance down at my tie which  is double knotted so it's shorter and away from my neck, my shirt has a button undone and my skirt was sneakily took up last night so it barely touched mid thigh. No I'm not a slut and it doesn't look slutty, I just don't appreciate looking like a nun.
"Ines let's go to school I don't want to be late on the first day", Elena tugged on my hand and I swung my back pack on one shoulder. and kissed mom on my way out. "Ines we need to go shopping ...."
I cut her off sharp " no thanks mom, love you bye" and we were home free, well I was. I glanced at Elena, she was pretty much skipping with excitement for the first day of high school. I smiled at her, I may not be excited for school but I love that she was. Her smile lit up her whole face and I picked a rose from the canopy wall to give to her "ooooh thanks nessy" Her favourite flower in her favourite colour, yellow, I popped it in the button hole of her blazer and took her hand.
At eleven years old we were both a little short for our age and we were used to people towering over us, but this was ridicules. The older years were like sky scrapers and even kids in our year still were about an inch taller. We tried our hardest to find the hall, first years were meant to go there to be assigned tutor groups and timetables. I was petrified that me and Elena would be in different classes, she is smarter than me. My finger nails were bitten right down to the skin and I had red marks on my arms from where I was nervously scratching. I have never had to worry about finding friends to talk to seeing how we went to a small primary school that only had one class for each year and we naturally sat together. Elena was smiling and skipping, she was genuinely excited . We walked (bounced) into the crowded hall to start our long five years of high school

"Let's talk to her"
"Please can you talk to her"
"Nessy please"
"Nessy they look nice"
"What about her Nessy ?"
"Nessy please can you"
After tutor and three boring lessons of meeting teachers, new note books and learning the rules of each classroom, it's finally lunch and Elena is dying to make new friends. I put on a don't want to, don't care attitude but the true is I don't have the courage to talk to anyone. It's easy for Elena she is sweet and smart and loves by everyone. Me not so much 
"Nessy, that table has spare seats pleasssssss..."
"Ok" I said interrupting her beg, I'm laughing a little as I look at her.
I put my tray of pasta on the table next to one of the spare seats "hi, it's cool if we sit here?".
The table had six seats, four of them occupied by three boys and one girl. The girl looked up, she was wearing her uniform similar to Elena but a little shorter and was only the tinniest bit taller than us. she had messy blond hair with baby wide blue eyes. "Sure you can" she smiles at us and points to the other boys in turn.
"That's Nestor, Danny and my brother Cameron, I'm Emily by the way". The two boys she pointed at first smile at us, they look a little older than us and a lot taller. Then the last boy stood up and smiled at his sister "we gotta go to class now Em you ok with these girls?"
Emily grinned back " sure thanks for sitting with me Cam".
He acknowledges us by giving us a short nod and walks away his friends in tow.
"So what are your names" Emily brought my attention back to her
"I'm Ines and this is Elena" I say sitting down. Elena and Emily are talking and I sit back happily, only one more lesson and we get to go home. I glance at my timetable, me and Elena have a lot of the same lessons, and we have history next I have no doubt that it will be another ... Text book, rules and introduce yourself lesson.
I tune back into the conversation just as Emily announces it's about time we leave for class "because I would just hate to be late to a class on my first day, what do you have?" Elena agrees " of cause yes it would be terrible, we both have history" a small frown appears on Emily's face as she glances at our timetable " oh that's too bad I have art, I so wanted you to be in my class, oh look we have English and maths together and PE". Emily handed back Elena's timetable.
"Ok bye Emily we have to go now, I sure we will see you tomorrow"
I gently pull Elena by the arm as I smile at Emily, poor girl looks so alone now.
"Nessy that was mean, we could of at least walked her to class" she looked at me with a firm expression so like our moms that I had to laugh at her
"Yes we could have El but then we would be late, imagine having to walk in late to a lesson in front of the whole class on your first day ".
Elena bit her lip and she looked back at Emily torn between being friendly and being late, I'm guessing that being late won because she linked her hand into mine and we walked to history.
So far today every teacher has been understanding with the need for me and Elena to sit next to each other in class, we have never been really been apart.
In primary school we sat together in every class, I did art after school with Elena because we both love it, she came with me to basket ball to watch, and I started to play the flute when she did just so we could be in the orchestra togeather. Some may say that this is an unhealthy relationship to have, but together we push each other to do new things and to be better at what we do.
So the point is that we have never been forced apart before, and this new history teacher was about to make the biggest mistake.
She had us lined up at the back of the class sitting us boy, girl, boy , girl across the rows in her class room. The hand around mine is tightening to a painful extent and I can see the fear in her face as the realisation hits her that this teacher might not care that we are twins. I think anybody could see it. Don't get me wrong I'm scared, but I don't like to show it, as long as my sister can see it nobody else has to.
"Elena Toledo sit by Jack on that row there"
Mrs Bough looked at the class searching for Elena when nobody moved "Elena ?" Nothing "is Elena Toledo not here?"
Elena was still next to me and said nothing, I put my hand up out of respect " miss my sister is here, we are really not comfortable with separation, it would be better to sit us togeather"
The a group of kids laughed unkindly and I wiped my head round to give them a look.
My palms are sweaty and my hands unstable but my voice and face remains calm as Mrs bough looks at Elena sharply with beady ways and a pursed mouth "My classroom, my rules, Elena go sit next to jack, Inis ? Is it ?"
"InEs"
"Ines then, I want you to sit next to Connor at the other end"
"But Miss"
"Sit"
"But it's..."
"One more word and I'll give u a detention, do u want that on your first day?"
Elena looks at jack, he's a small mouse of a boy only a little taller that herself"
Please leave it I'll be fine Nessy" she pleaded with her eyes
I wasn't convinced I would be fine, but I let her hand go and walked with head head held high towards Connor. Looking at him made me feel small, he was tall with long curly hair and tan skin "hi" he seemed friendly enough " hi" I replied.
The hour was to painful, every now and then I glanced at Elena, she was sharing a book with jack and talking about possible answers to the activity questions.
Ten minuets
Seven minuets
Six minuets
Five and a half minuets
Every time I looked at the clock a smaller amount of time had passed
Mrs bough is a hard teacher with so many rules to go though we haven't had time to talk to and meet out other class mates
Five minutes
Two minutes
Yay that time was longer
One minute
"BUZZZZZZZZ"
"BUZZZZZZZZ"
"Ok class I'll see you next week for our first real class please bring your note books with you and a two page write up on the Romans"
Everybody groaned, I mean really home work on the first day???
Elena held my hand all the way home chatting away about her conversation with jack.
I glance down at her button hole to see the yellow rose I gave her this morning.

I look at the flower in my hand,
It resembles my sister so much beautiful, soft and happy.
But life is so fleeting
bright, untroubled and carefree one minute and the next minute it's gone