The Other Twin

Home Sweet Home

Airplanes suck.

I dragged myself out of the metal shell and into the tunnel which let to the waiting area at SFO - San Francisco Airport.

Thank fuck it had landed. Sitting still for great lengths of time was not something I could do. And sat still I had. For 11 freaking hours!

I followed the rest of the passengers towards the airport exit, before realizing that I'd better check myself in a mirror before going to greet my family. I redirected towards the toilets, my shiny, metallic purple suitcase trailing behind me.

I stopped in front of the sink, staring at the girl in the mirror. She had wavy blonde hair which practically glowed, streaked naturally with other, darker shades of blonde. She also had slightly tanned skin, thanks to what little sun England actually had. Her eyes were a deep, dark blue, like the ocean on a stormy day. They once held a harsh, haunted look in them, betraying the horror which she had lived through, but thanks to her shrink they'd lost it, becoming much more 'human' or that's what people said at least.

I looked like an incredibly stereotypical Californian teenage girl.

One of the few things that set me apart was my t-shirt, a gray You Me at 6 top (which I doubted any stereotypical Cali would be caught dead in since the majority of them had absolutely no taste in music whatsoever), I wore it with dark blue skinnies and black high heeled sandals, which had been a stupid idea considering the plane journey, remind me to thank my supposed BFF when I next spoke to her.

I started fixing my hair in the mirror, it having become slightly, completely messed up by the long flight and multiple naps; seriously, I looked deranged, as though I'd just done a Supernatural and come back from Hell.

Satisfied that my hair would pass in normal social circumstances, I headed towards the exit again.

I was actually quite nervous, I always was when I came home. I'd been studying in England for the past two years, only coming home for a few weeks at Christmas and during Summer. I knew my parents and siblings would be happy I was back, but I knew that they'd be silently judging me, comparing me to how I was before and questioning whether I actually was fine.

I grinned as I caught sight of them. My sister, my double, jumped up and down with joy before charging over to me, attacking me in a hug whilst squealing like the cheerleader she is.

"God I missed you!" She cried after I'd peeled her off me so that I could breathe.

"I missed you too," I smiled back. She stared at me with my own eyes, her hair, identical to mine, although straightened, bouncing around her head as she reached for my hand, dragging me towards the rest of the family.

Even though we were identical twins, Alice and I couldn't be more different, this was shown well enough in how she wore a bright yellow sundress which I wouldn't be caught in even if you'd paid me. She was a cheerleader, permanently preppy and happy, the kind of person who other people revolved around like a star, guiding them. I used to be like that.

We stopped in front of my parents, Sally and Michael Kain. My mom had the same blonde hair as me and Ali, and was just as tall, but with light green eyes as opposed to our blue. She looked tired, like the years had finally caught up with her, but she kept smiling, her happiness never dying out. My dad however had black, greying hair, his eyes matching mine perfectly and his face wrinkled from laugh lines. Both of them held a hint of sadness in their eyes.

They smiled at me warmly, wrapping their arms around me and hugging tight.

"Welcome home Daisy," my dad said into my ear, his voice croaking as he held back tears.