Saving Persephone

Chapter 3

I walked around for a bit, not really knowing what to do or what to think. I hadn't spoke to my sister for over a year and I guess I just thought it'd always stay that way. She meant everything to me before she left. We were identical, we had the same snow-white skin and beach blonde hair. When she left, even looking in the mirror reminded me of her so I dyed my hair bright red and started tanning, that didn't change the fact our faces looked the same, but it made it easier.

She was always the better behaved twin, even when we were younger she'd keep me in check, telling me the right way to behave and trying to get me to do the right thing. If I was naughty, she'd scold me more than our parents! She wasn't as smart though, and would beg me to tutor her for exams, not understanding how I could never revise or practice for exams and still get A's every time. I always told her she'd be better off being the smart one because she was always going to make more of herself.

I thought back to the day it happened, I remembered it so clearly. My mum and dad had been arguing a lot but that was nothing new, they'd screamed at each other on a daily basis for as long as I could remember. There slanging matches were often almost entertaining, they once argued for 6 hours because someone had accidentally put butter in the freezer in a rush. I think my mum even threatened to ring the police if he did it again! That's just what they were like.

That time it was different though, my mum and dad walked in together and my mum was crying, there was no shouting, just silence or soft talking. They went up to their bedroom together and didn't come down until midnight. Cami and I were both there, waiting, concerned about why they weren't screaming at each other like normal. My mum spoke first, telling us she loved us both no matter what happened. My dad then went on to explain that sometimes things change, and that there's nothing wrong with change, it's just life. From that second I knew they were going to get divorced, I just didn't know why. My mum told my dad she needed to tell us the truth. He looked at us both, sweating and nearly in tears, never like I'd seen him before. He explained that he'd met someone else and that they would be moving in together. I couldn't hold it in at that point, launching myself at him and punching him, while my twin unsuccessfully tried to pull me back.

He walked out the room, instructing my mother to calm me down. She hugged me tight, telling me she didn't care, telling me it had to happen. I sat down and tried to calm myself down, I convinced myself everything would be fine because we didn't need him anyway.

By the time my dad came back in, I assumed he'd be telling us when he was leaving and when he would come and visit us, but he didn't. It was worse. He had the cheek to tell us that mum worked a lot and that we should move in with him and his new girlfriend so that we could be cared for properly. I laughed out loud, was he stupid? My mum said it was our choice. Well that was it, we were staying. Why would we go with that bastard? That cheating bastard.

That's when she did it, that's when she got up and said she didn't want dad to be alone, that's when she said she'd go with him. I looked at her in disbelief. Not only had she said she was going to leave but she didn't even talk to me first, up until that point we had consulted each other about absolutely everything.

I stood up and told her that if she left she was dead to me and then I walked out of the house. I didn't come back until the next day and as I went into her bedroom to tell her how silly it all was it was empty. I quickly threw open her wardrobe, but all her clothes were gone. Everything was gone. She'd left without saying goodbye.

I felt a tear trickle down my face and shook my head, I refused to think about the past any longer. Just then, my phone rang, it was my friend Tyler, my only real friend.

"I take it you know," I said, answering the phone.

He was Cami's ex boyfriend and she too had left him and their relationship without saying goodbye, he understood me.

"Yup."

"Who told you?"

"She messaged me on Facebook from Lucy's asking if I wanted to meet up."

"What did you say?"

"I didn't reply."

"You're going to see her at school tomorrow anyway, it's all arranged, she's coming back."

I heard him sigh and I felt so bad for him. Cami and Tyler had been together since they were fourteen and he was absolutely smitten with her. No one saw him throughout the whole summer when she left. I imagined he'd just laid in bed and cried all night, that's what I did anyway.

Tyler was a nice guy, he had a grin like a Cheshire cat and a laugh that still haunts my nightmares. He had one of those personalities though, you know that ones that just capture everyone, which was the reason I'd kept him in my life and got rid of the rest of the gang, that and he understood my heart ache.

"Let's meet at the pub in ten minutes," I said, not waiting for a response before I hung up. We always went to this dingy little pub that was completely off the grid, and would probably serve a 5 year old, if she had the cash. The owner was a fat balding guy whose morals were twice as small as his belly.

I was only a minute away from the pub so I quickly headed over there and ordered a double vodka and sat in the darkest corner of the pub I could, hoping to avoid being spoken to be any of the locals, thinking they could take advantage of me being on my own and asking me for my number. It wouldn't have been the first time.

It didn't take long for Tyler to arrive, his curly hair hung over his eyes, which looked puffy, he was dressed in a simple hoody and jeans. He didn't need to wear fancy clothes, his personality was a winner, and he knew it.

"You look like crap," He smiled, sitting down.

I could tell he was just trying to broke the tension, I appreciated it too.

"Have you not looked in a mirror recently?" I laughed.

"How're you feeling?" He said at last. I downed my drink, sticking my hand up at the barman to show him I wanted another one. I saw Tyler cringe as I did, he knew what I was like and one was never one with me.

"I guess that says it all," He frowned. "Do you wanna stay at mine tonight?"

"We'll see, I don't know what I want at the moment."

I downed another vodka, and another, and another. The more alcohol the better, it made me feel better.