oblivion(#wattys2015)

chapter 6: twins.

Everything froze, time froze, there was practically not a single difference between me and her. For all I knew I was looking into a mirror, apart from the fact that she wore different clothes, had waist length hair, which I did too before I cut mine, and carried different luggage.

My head was spinning, going into super confused mode. I was unable to take it, to get my head around the fact that I was standing in front of a girl who was an exact duplicate of me down to her voice. I gulped. Was she Skylar Ricson? Was she the one this Alex guy was supposed to pick up? Why had she come here same time I did? Who was she? One thing was certain though, we had to be related, hell, we could be twins. We could be duplicates. If she was Skylar Ricson, who was I?

I took in a deep breath, trying to fathom the idea that a second person who had my name, body, voice, my everything, was on this planet.

"And you are?" Alex asked for me. His voice sounded unnerved. He was on edge.

"Uhh....." she seemed just as dazed as I was, "Skylar Ricson?" She made it sound like a question. My eyes popped wide at that and my head spiralled faster if that was even possible. I was losing it.

"Oh...but," I started, but my voice hitched and got stuck in my throat. I tried again, "That's - that's me..." I said, withholding my breath. I couldn't believe my own words. I was doubting I even was who I was. My whole body felt numb. I felt numb. This piece of information sounded weird to me, new, and unbelievable even.

"Uhh... I am a bit lost here..." Alex said from behind. His voice sounded so on edge, I thought he was losing it.

I pulled out my passport from my bag in as little time as I could possibly manage. It was proving to be extremely difficult, since my hand was pretty much shaking on its own, I tried to keep a straight head as I pulled out my documents and actually studied them.

Tears streamed down my face as I focused on my passport details. I literally felt broke and disheveled to the point that I fell to the ground when I noticed my date of birth was marked nine months ahead of the original date. The grief of my past roared into my chest and sobs rumbled and broke through. I just felt unreal in that moment. I felt small and lonely. I felt undeniably broke. I felt like I didn't even exist. I felt like a hole could appear right there in the ground, swallow me whole,  and I wouldn't mind one bit.

"How did you know me?" Alex asked the other me. My mind was not even there enough to know what he meant by these words. They were like kites aimlessly soaring in the skies without a reason. I could hear them but I couldn't make sense.

"I was sent your photo by Jackson...." the other me replied. A sob broke through my throat and I closed my eyes and cried.

"Can I... see your.... what's your... date of.... birth?" I asked her with great difficulty and between unstoppable sobs. I was confused. My passport was marked with a wrong date of birth. My head literally shook. I repeated this new date of birth in my head. April 24. April 24. It rang a bell. I couldn't put my finger on it. It rang a bell though. I fished out my other documents and curled up on the ground when I noticed it was alway April 24 on all of them, none of them was July 24. None of them was my real date.

"April 24," she took a long time to reply. A very long time. I had closed my eyes. But hearing it, I opened them in a snap. She was looking through her documents, her eyes just as tear soaked, her mouth curved into a line that passed as an "I am broke and am crying" expression. Her gaze met mine and I was sure she had her wrong birthday written too. She continued after she took the heaviest breath, "what's. ... what's.... yours?" She asked me. Her expression told me she already knew it.

"July 24.." I trailed off. She closed her eyes as more tears streaked down her face. After a long minute she moved across to me and held out her documents to me. July 24. Yes. That's what was written. She almost fell down beside me and broke along with me when she read the date on my passport.