decisions (n.)
a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration.
CHECKMATE #4
"world-changing decisions are hard to make, but learning you have to sacrifice is even harder."
Life has gone back to normal in the Adelaide Woods five years after t...
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track #06 in tristan william hale
twice // perfect world
THE HOUSE is almost silent around an hour after Gwyneth and Zoey finally leave after a bit of rummaging around for their skates, and I sit in front of my computer with a blank stare, refreshing the screen every twenty seconds, hoping that the email from the coroner's will pop up, so I can finally start leaving the memory of my dead twin sister behind – after finding out the truth about her death.
Ava seems more like something resembling a lost memory – I didn't know how to treasure her before I lost her, this time for good. Like the pen that seemed to be normal, but was actually the best pen I'd ever used. After nine-year-old me dropped it down the drain, I'd never used anything remotely as good as it ever again; as much as I don't want to compare my sister to a lost pen, the metaphor still stands.
Then comes two short rings from my phone, and I panic to pick up – the ringtone no longer makes me feel nostalgia at the memories we shared together, but instead causes even more pain evoked from inside my heart. Ava and I had matching ringtones, matching Instagram usernames, and a lot of more matching things. Now it's all gone, with the girl, with my twin sister as I watched the life drain from her eyes. I quickly press the 'accept' button, making a note to get rid of everything that reminds me of Ava once the call is over.
You see, I'm not like Aiden. I'm not trying to drown in my pain – instead, I'm actively making an effort to get out of it. If you could say Ava was the female version of me – and she kind of was; well, now, I have to try to live as me, and only me. As if Ava had never walked the face of the earth. Or I'd have to live on for her too.
"Mr Hale? Hello-" the receptionist tries again, almost yelling, and I finally come back to my senses.
"Yeah, it's me," I chuckle a bit at her loud sigh of relief – is this the moment of truth I've been waiting for? Will my twin sister's life end in nothing but a tragic car crash, no mysteries about her death whatsoever? Will Rochbok's attempt to murder my supposedly pregnant sister be written off as a simple accident?
"Please refresh your email, so you'll see the detailed coroner report, and we can go over it together. Feel free to ask me anything you don't understand, or any other questions. My heart goes out to you in these hard times."
I open the email that has been sent one minute ago. "Let's check Ava's information first, please make sure the date of birth, place of birth et cetera are correct..."
Scanning the top few rows, I can't help but choke back a sob at how real everything is. Ava Maeve Hale. Birthday – 5th of June, eighteen years ago. Time of birth, 12:05 a.m. Place of birth, the Adelaide Woods local hospital.
