A Short Story Collection (From a Prompt Book)

Story #1

Genre: Life Experience

Prompt: A sibling you think you'll never understand.

Use these words in your story: upbringing, share, same, household, blood, genetic, estrange, grow, twin, mutation, complex, divergent, intuition, instinct, family

Marlene sat on a park bench on top of a hill, thinking about her family, as she often did. She stared at distant, puffy clouds, painted in soft pink and orange, announcing the departure of the sun and the approaching arrival of the moon. How poetic, she thought. A reflection of her and her family's current situation.

Marlene's bags and boxes were packed against the wall in their living room. She had talked to her soon-to-be roommate, Lila, both on the phone and in person. Marlene would be moving in first, eager to have the extra day to prepare for her first semester at her state college. In two weeks, she'd be an English major. In ten years, a professional author. That was her end goal, at least; she would figure out the in-betweens when it was necessary. For now, she was content to bask in the warm glow of summer's impending end, letting her worries pass like clouds over the horizon.

Her family home would be a bit dimmer in two weeks, too. Marlene's gentle, sunny disposition was beloved by her parents, who expressed their love for her at every opportunity.

"Oh, Marlene," her mother would sigh over dinner, a slight smile juxtaposed with the tears in her eyes. "I know you'll be off changing the world and all, but come back to visit, please? We'll miss you if you're gone too long."

Marlene would smile back, nodding in agreement. "I will, mama," she'd add, leaning across the table to take her mother's hand in her own, squeezing it for reassurance. Her father would pat her shoulder, fighting back his tears. They'd stay that way, her parents holding hands, her mother's fingers interlaced with her own, her younger sister drawing a penis on Marlene's arm in permanent marker...

Oh. Her sister. Juliet had a tendency to ruin the mood, the 14-year-old's brash impulsivity making heart-to-hearts difficult and short-lived. How could someone with the same upbringing turn out so... different? It was a question Marlene often pondered, same as she did now, sitting on the park bench on the hill while the sun lowered itself toward the horizon.

Their similarities seemed to be nothing more than physical. Brown eyes and blonde hair were shared by both girls, tethered by genetics. Besides their relatively similar physical appearances, they really didn't have anything in common. Marlene was kind and compassionate, her warm, friendly demeanor attracting potential friends and acquaintances in any room she entered; meanwhile, whether intentionally or not, Juliet's deadpan stare and snarky attitude drove her peers far, far away. They shopped on opposite ends of stores, Marlene gravitating toward the newest styles and trends, Juliet preferring simple, dark colors. Marlene was quiet and sweet, her voice chirpy, though it was often drowned out by Juliet shouting about a frog she found outside or some equally random occurrence.

They seemed to be destined to become estranged siblings, Marlene concluded. The household was often filled with noise from shouting matches, their causes forgotten by the end because the arguments would quickly devolve into insult-hurling competitions. All would be well the end of the day, neither of them apologizing but both of them silently acknowledging that they were once again on equal footing. They were rarely ever in the same room, preferring to avoid the other to prevent a fight. She couldn't imagine family reunions being any different in the future.

How did they get so hateful, anyway? They were best friends as children, though they would go to great lengths to keep it a secret. They shared the same blood, born to the same people, from the same emotion. How could two people, both born from love, be so filled with hate? The question puzzled Marlene. She sat, chewing her lip, trying to find a reason. Was it an odd mutation, something that changed in their brains when they got to a certain age? Or was it an instinct, a primal urge to compete with a sibling for better opportunities?

A part of Marlene, hidden in a wooden box locked with a key and buried in some acres-large private property in the bottom of her heart, missed being close with her sister. She missed exploring the woods behind her house with Juliet, grabbing sticks and pretending they were swords or magic wands and acting out improvised stories of love, loss, and tragedy, interrupted by their father calling them inside for dinner. She fondly remembered the nights they'd stay up past their bedtime watching videos on their iPad, giggling and shushing each other to avoid getting caught. In that moment, the sky a blazing orange and the temperature dropping, she didn't want to go to college. She wanted to be a kid again, laughing and smiling and bruised up from epic adventures only little kids are allowed to go on. She wanted to be young and free, and she wanted to be young and free with her little sister.

Marlene wiped away tears that she didn't remember crying, her skin glowing gold as she watched the sun sink lower and lower, the clouds floating along in no hurry. Branches in the trees around her swayed softly with the breeze, waving goodbye to the day and preparing for the stillness and quiet of nighttime. She knew she had to grow up eventually. Why did it have to be now, when everything was still so bright and new and beautiful?

Call it intuition, but she glanced to her left, seeing her sister approaching from their house at the bottom of the hill. Juliet carried two popsicles, one orange and one purple. Marlene turned back to the sunset, sadness and nostalgia bubbling and popping in her stomach. Juliet sat down on the bench next to her, handing Marlene the orange popsicle. Her favorite flavor. She nibbled on it, the silence between them tangible.

Marlene knew her face was still wet with tears, but she didn't bother wiping them any further. The sun was halfway below the tree line when Juliet finally broke the silence.

"I'm gonna miss you, Lenny," she whispered, her voice carrying an uncharacteristic shakiness to it.

Hearing her old nickname after years, Marlene felt her tears fall this time, choking on the lump in her throat. She laced her fingers with Juliet's, their hands sticky from their popsicles. Marlene swallowed hard and spoke, her voice hoarse and soft.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Jules."

The girls sat still, their breaths and heartbeats syncing up, watching the sun slip below where they could see. The air grew cooler, cricket songs filling the air, the girls watching fireflies blink and linger in the grass around trees. Their world was growing, their paths diverging, this moment marking the end of their childhood together. The world was more than their backyard now. They sat there, eating popsicles, holding sticky hands and feeling the smallest they've ever felt.

Author's Note: Hello! Thanks for reading this, it's the first story I've written in a pretty long time. I based some of this off of my own experiences, so writing this was pretty emotional for me, but I really enjoyed it. Updates will be once a week or so, probably every Friday, if you'd like to read any more of what I write.

Feel free to drop tips/feedback/constructive criticism in the comments!