Everlasting Photo Book

"Hey, Abby," I heard. "Make sure you put those pictures in the photo book today."

"Yeah, doing it" I answered.

Abigail McKnight, or Abby, here I sit on my bed, gently taping some pictures on this big book. It's filled with pictures of two of us, this wonderful ongoing photo book. Our parents kept it until we went into middle school, and they gave it to us, to keep it and to continue putting all of our memories. I was putting in some of the pictures from Japan that we went this summer. One included our twin selfie in front of the Tokyo Tower.

"Abby?" I hear again. "Which one do you think it's good for tomorrow?"

"Both looks okay," I said, not even looking.

I was born with my sister, on September 15th, 2003, at the same place, same date, and the same moment. And that was her voice telling me to put the pictures and asking me about her outfit. Sophia McKnight and I, we are twins.

Although people don't realize that. We just look different, act different, and have a different personalities. We don't read each other's minds. Sophia likes to dress up, wear make up and socialize with her friends, and the things girls love to do. But I spend my day reading, studying, taking care of my pet turtle Travis, and eating. We were both starting 7th grade tomorrow, and we thought it would be a year of another normal middle school life, but that didn't happen.

It was the first day of school. Nothing special for me, but a big deal for Sophia, having like a dozen of new best friends. We both came back from school, and I just slipped inside the house, while Sophia was humming some Ariana Grande's song or something. But then I froze, Sophia stopped singing, we both stopped. Unthinkable, having no words to describe what we are seeing.

Usually mom is cooking or baking something in the kitchen, my dad working in his room, and Katy, our little sister, playing on the couch by herself. Katy is still 2 years old, starting to talk and move more, wearing her cute pink clothes and in pigtails everyday.

Except, nothing like that today. It was like we came into somebody else's house by a mistake. But surely there was our pictures on the wall, had our table, and the stairs next to the wall. No mom. We only saw poor Katy alone, playing with her princess dolls by herself. When we went further in the house, we saw the couch pillows everywhere, the table were pushed, curtains were ripped, and the lamps were broken.

Sophia and I looked at each other.

"Mom~?" Sophia yelled.

I stayed silent.

Mom then came out from her bedroom, looking sorrow, and stressed. We have never seen her like that before. Her hair was down, not in a bun like usual. This living room is surely not done by Katy who is too small, or Luis, our 8 years old little brother, who is still riding the school bus back home. Silence covers the whole house.

Then dad came out from his work room, looking serious. Mom and dad usually talks a lot, either between them, or to us, keeping our house lively. He went to sit next to Katy, turning on the TV, and Mom sitting on the dining table, peeling some bananas. They both saw us and said nothing. Silence is not like our family with my cheerful mom, funny dad, noisy Katy, loud Luis, and bright Sophia. What just happened in this house?

I decided to just walk up to my room, I picked up some pillows on the way. I can't just stand there staring out in space with Sophia. I hear Sophia walking behind me. And when we went upstairs, we just went to our own room without talking. Next thing I did was to start out on my homework.

After I finished reading for our assignment tonight, I looked up to see what time it was. The clock showed 8 o'clock. It was now 4 hours after being up here. I've only heard Luis come back, mom telling him to do homework, and a door getting closed. So I sat there having no idea what was going on downstairs and between my parents. Sooner or later, it should be dinner. I was hungry.