Counting Time

Prologue

    I looked up at the clock, and the room's quietness made the ticking sound so loud to me. I closed my eyes, trying to focus on the ticking sound to ease my anxiety, but it didn't work. The ticking reminded me of the clock, which in turn made me think of time. And that made me think of myself, and how it was my fault that I was in this white room at the end of a long wooden table with a group of men in suits carrying briefcases. The only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock. My sister Dove was sitting next to me, playing with the rings on her hand, trying not to cry. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. Her hands were so warm compared to mine. Although we were twins, we were complete opposites. She's so sweet and bubbly, quick to help anyone and loves everybody. It's so weird seeing a frown on her face instead of a smile, watching her gray eyes light up making them so beautiful. Her hair was in a loose braid down her back, her hair was pure white which faded to pitch black, she was beautiful. I was different I liked to keep to myself and only smiled when she was with me, I didn't have friends because she was all I needed. My eyes were also gray but darker, I always an angry expression that tended to ward people off, my hair was in a tight braid down my back also but started pitch black and faded into pure white.

    Finally the ticking off the clock wasn't the only noise when the doors in the front of the room opened. There was a young man in a black suit with a red tie holding a black briefcase woth gold lining, he was wearing sunglasses indoors and had curly black hair, I know he believed he owned the room especially by his entrance but to me he just looked like an idiot. He sat down next to an older man and lifted his sunglasses to sit atop his head and winked at the old man. My chest tightened as they opened their briefcases. We were here because of the death of our father...his suicide. "I'm sorry you girls must be going through this, must be a very stressful moment. We will try and make this as easy as we can...but you probably won't enjoy the outcome." the older man said as the younger one next to him opened his briefcase and pulled out some papers to hand him, he spoke in such an arrogant way like he could care less that two thirteen year old girls are having their lives changed in the worse way. "We finally got the papers from your mother, took her long enough to get it in order." I felt Dove squeeze my hand gaining the courage to speak, "Is our mother coming to get us to live with her?" she was so quiet, I knew if she spoke any louder they'd here her voice break as she tried not to cry, it broke my heart. The older man read the papers and I could see in his expression it wasn't good, he had a look of grimace and couldn't even look us in the face as he spoke. "I'm afraid with the current investigation behind your fathers death and the stability of her life she's only able to take on of you in. The other will be placed in foster care." My chest tightened, I couldn't breathe until everything started spinning and I had to force a breath, "What do you mean only one?! we can't be split up like that...who does she want?" I couldn't imagine sending Dove away to live with another famuily, I know she would adapt easier than me but she doesn't deserve to be punished. The younger man grabbed the papers from the older one with a sick smile, "She said she's going to leave it up to us, and we chose to let you two choose who goes with her and who will be placed in a new home. You have five minutes."