My Sister's Keeper

Ten.

"You're here...You're actually here!!"

The smile remained on both twins' features as they lay side by side on the older one's bed, holding hands as they looked at nothing but each other.

"Yes, Damie Bear, it's really me," Denise said with a laugh. "Can you say something else now? That's getting real tired real fast."

Damien snorted into a laugh, which caused Denise's smile to widen as she watched him.

"I missed that laugh," she softly said.

Damien's laughter died down as he said, "I missed you...I don't like being without you, Nise. I hate it."

"I hate it too, Damie Bear," Denise said. "I've missed you so much. I wish I could stay forever."

Damien furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Why can't you stay?! Where do you have to go?!"

The sadness came back to Denise's eyes as she said, "I have to crossover sometime, Damie Bear. I can't just stay this way for all eternity, that's not how it works."

"What do you mean that's not how it works? Shouldn't you be able to control it?! Cross over where?!"

"Damie Bear," Denise said with a frown. "Calm down. We still have some time before that happens. I promise."

"But you still have to go away forever, so how does that help?" Damien asked and clicked his tongue. "Why even show up if you just gonna leave me all over again? Shit's not fair, Nise."

"I'm sorry," Denise said. "If I could have it my way, I'd never ever leave because I don't want to. But that's just not how things work over here."

"Over here," Damien mumbled. "How you even get over here in the first damn place? You should still be here with me, Nise."

"I know."

The sudden seriousness in the girl's tone caused Damien to turn his head back to his sister and frown at the faraway look in her eyes.

"Nise?" he softly questioned and squeezed her hand.

The girl blinked at the feeling and looked back into her brother's eyes.

"What happened to you?" he asked. "I mean the truth. Not what those stupid cops said you did, 'cause I know you didn't do it."

Denise tilted her head, her eyes narrowing slightly as she asked, "Did you not get my message?"

Damien furrowed his brows as his throat suddenly felt dry and he asked, "That...That was real?"

Denise smirked. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Nise...Uncle Lou said he didn't see the message," Damien said. "And when I went to look at our messages, the only ones I could see were the ones I sent you the day you left. How did you-"

"Well, of course, you're the only one who could see it," Denise cut him off with a shrug. "You're the only one I wanted to see. It wasn't meant for anyone else but you."

"But why?" Damien asked with a frown. "I don't even know if you can still call them my friends. What do they have to do with anything?"

"They have everything to do with it, Damie Bear."

The sudden darkness in his sister's tone was enough to send a slight chill down Damien's spine as he frowned at the sudden emotion that took over her face.

"Nise," he said while squeezing her hand again.

Like before, the emotion was quick to vanish from the girl's eyes as she blinked and looked at her brother.