Paper Doll

Chapter Eighteen | Leigh

2 MONTHS AGO

I knocked on Grace's door. I practiced my lines in my head. I was sure we'd be okay after the talk. It took a while before the door open.

         "Leigh."

         "We need to talk," I told her.

          She was bewildered. "What's wrong?"

          I shrugged, feigning sadness. "Can we go on a drive? I feel so sad, Grace. Mom and dad's death... I just..."

          She pulled me in a hug. "We'll go on a drive. We'll let the night pass by. I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be with you."

          Somehow... somehow I felt her honesty.

          Twenty minutes driving and we're still around Boston. I wanted to be out of this place. There had to be some place that Grace knew where we could be the only two people. Before Percy came into our lives, we were fine by ourselves. I wanted to feel that again. I didn't want a guy to break the bond that we had. We were sisters... twins. No one could break us. Not even a guy who happened to like both of us.

           "Are you okay?" Grace asked, glancing at me.

          "I'm fine," I answered as I looked outside the window. The night was so quiet. "How are you, Grace?" I asked out of nowhere.

          "Me? I'm okay. I'm happy."

          Of course she was happy. She got to kiss Percy. She spent hours with him before they separated. She was fearless and she could get anything she wanted. Who wouldn't even be happy with that?

          "Leigh?"

           "What?" I turned to her.

          "I asked the same? How are you?"

          I tucked a few lose strands of my hair. "I'm quite okay. From time to time, mom and dad is popping in my head. Before, I used to just drown myself into some music and movies. But right now, I just wanted to get away, to be at some place where there is peace and quiet." I touched her hand. "Grace, let's go somewhere we can relax."

         "I know a place. We can stay there until tomorrow," she said.

          I nodded and let her guide to where this place she was telling me.

                                                                       ░ ▒ ░    

I stared at the old cabin in front of us. It was in the middle of nowhere. Why would even Grace bring me to someplace like this? This wasn't calming at all.

          Grace got out of the cabin with a smile on her face. "What do you think?" she asked me.

          "What is this place?" I asked cautiously.

          "This is where stayed the night after our parents' funeral. You don't remember anymore? We have things in there."

          "We stayed there?"

          "Come on, Leigh. Don't tell me you're scared of this place. We stayed here for, like, two weeks? Then after that, we went home and never returned here. I figured this is the place you might want to be in."

          She was acting different. I sensed it in the car. Something was up.

         "Grace—"

          "Come on, Leigh. What's wrong?" she asked sarcastically.

           "What's going on with you?" I blinked my tears. I was afraid of her. She's been the strongest among the two of us. She always outgrew me. I was always behind her shadows. She saw I was making my own shadow so she was outshining me again. She wanted me behind her back again.

          "Let's go inside and talk. I know there's something you want to say to me." She turned her back to me and started walking towards the cabin. Should I run? This was like being in a horror movie. Only, the one who's about to get me was my sister. But she wouldn't hurt me. We're twins. We're family.

          Inside, the creepiness that I saw outside was gone. The ambiance was calming and relaxing. There's two bean bags on the side, a coffee table and television set. I smelled coffee and saw Grace pouring two cups, one for each of us. My heart finally calmed down. It was just me and my head thinking something was going on with Grace.

         "Do you remember now?" she asked, handing me my coffee. "We love this place. It's our sanctuary... our solace."

          I took a sip of my coffee. "It is our solace," I told her after. Our eyes met. She was smiling but it didn't reach her ear. I had to open up. I had to tell her the things I'd been wanting to tell her since this morning. It hurt me to see her and then pretend like nothing was going on.

         But then I felt everything around me go on circle.

         Then there's nothing.