The Words

Midnight Swim

I gave the boy my cup of tea and microwaved myself another one.

"Why are you in your dead twin's town Amarathine." Rhett asked sipping the tea right after the question with his pinky pointed out and I glared at it.

"Well I don't want to give you much more tea than you already have but mommy issues." I replied lamely, offending myself in the process.

He raised his eyebrows. "Aren't you going to question my bluntness?" He asked with a sincere confused expression.

"Nah, it makes her death seem smaller, therefore making me not feel as bad." I say without filtering my words. I winced at my own words as I dipped the teabag in the steaming mug.

"Jeez, you're worser than me in that department but I can't really disagree." He replied with a understanding tone that relaxed my beating heart to a healthy state. He slurped his tea .

I thought he would judge my words.

I turned towards the messy head of hair and stalked his way, his eyes never left mine. He kept on with the staring as I sat down.

"Hey, something on my face?" I asked hearing the self-conscious tinge in my voice as I started to wipe my face with my sleeves.

"Nope, I just wanted to find a trace of Ana in you, but I honestly can't other than your looks, she's this big ball of athletic energy and bubbly but you're like this steady observing cat that's on the edge of trust issues." He pointed out.

"My sister just died smartass, should I be all giddy about that?" I hissed. I hissed, I fucking hissed, I guess the cat thing is pretty on point.

"Wanna play twenty questions?" He asked steering the conversation a whole other lane.

"Fine whatever."

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After the long game Of 20 questions I learned that:

Rhett was one of Mariana's best friends, he liked the color green and brown, he sneaked into my house to find Mariana's ghost, he is a sarcastic shithead, he cried all his tears for the death of my sister, he's now a void of emotion, and that he couldn't play a proper game of twenty questions.

He then left out the front door with a simple goodbye.

I sighed and sighed and thrashed around the couch with the thin blanket shielding me from the absence of heat. I was too tired to go up the stairs. But I finally felt the kisses of sleep softly caressing me. My eyes closed.

"I hate myself." A thirteen year old Mariana cried as she laid her head on my shoulders staining my favorite shirt. Her curls were tangled in a sloppy bun and her mascara ran down her face as her grasp on my arms grew tighter. Her boyfriend of 2 years broke up with her.

I was biting back laughter, she dated that douche in middle school and I couldn't take it seriously but I patted her back reassuringly.

"You'll find someone else, much better, prettier, who knows you might even be bisexual." I stated with optimistic tone.

"AMARA PLEASE STOP JOKING AROUND, this is my life we're talking about!" Her voice cried.

"I'm sorry Ana, but I'm serious, this moment, this page, will be lost in the story that is your rich, long, and beautiful life." I told her with such confidence.

"Ya think?" She asked.

"I'm sure if it."

I felt water at the tips of my toes. I looked down and saw water pooling at my feet.

The water was rising quickly. I grabbed for Mariana but only felt air. I turned my head and saw the night sky.

I started to thrash around and felt water up to my neck. I looked at my surroundings and saw that I was in a lake. I then started to shiver as the shock wore off. The unknown forest swarmed my eyes.

My thoughts were in a jumble but I tried to paddle towards the shore.

I can't swim, I never learned how. But I thrashed around splashing the water everywhere. I was on the tips of my toes trying to keep the water from going over my head. I looked around but I was in a mode of panic.

Sleep walking.

I moved my feet forward and paddled my hands. I whimpered when anything underneath the water touched me. I was getting tired and barely making any progress.

This is how I'm gonna die.

I could feel my nerves numbing, succumbing to the cold. I took another glance and saw a dark human figure lying against a tree. It seemed to be sleeping.

I then made the most noise as I could muster up.

"HELP MEE! HELP ME!!" I yelled, my throat already going sore. I thrashed around which wasn't hard since it was the thing holding me up.

I saw the figure twitch.

I'm to tired. The cold was eating up my energy. I paddled a little more and screamed.

The figure's head snapped up. But my eyes were already closing. I'll stay with Mariana.

I felt ripples of water as I knew what I was going to breathe in, would be my last breath. I breathed. I felt strong hands grab my arms and I felt my self being pulled through the water.

"Stay with me, stay with me." A deep voice repeated. My eyes were failing to oblige to my will.

I felt my body hit the ground. Grass poked my wet clothes. I was shivering.

I felt a sweater embrace my cold body. The person pulled me and I felt my back hit the bark of a tree.

I hesitantly opened my eyes. A pair of dull gray eyes stared right back at me. But I noticed, the pupil surrounded by the bland gray was growing bigger, eating up the iris, leaving only a thin line gray.

"Mari-" but I cut off the shocked voice with my weak croak. "I'm her twin sister."

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