Half a Heart

chapter two

The next two weeks passed by rather quickly. Rehab was a lonely, empty place were they taught me how to operate the complex panels of my body, and caught me up with the school work that I had missed. It wasn't too bad, but I assure you, it was bad. I made a few friends, none of which I genuinely enjoyed being with. All of them were mentally ill or internally disease ridden. I also found the food distasteful, and the staff rude. But as soon as I was in, I was out, and my family was there to pick me up. And when they did, It went a little something like this:

"Natalie!" they hooted, tramping over the cold tile floors of the rehabilitation center. I smiled, holding out my arms as they ran into me, as my brother stood in the corner again, insisting upon our exit. I didn't blame him. 

"Come on, Natalie, we've got a lot to catch up on! You know, you were out for nearly four months." My mother finished the paperwork, and guided me through the large metal doors, and out onto the parking lot. I shrugged, adjusting the shoulder strap to my bag. "It just simply hasn't been the same around here with only Jeremy. We've missed you terribly." This time it was my father's voice. I nodded sheepishly, glancing back at my brother, who now had a name. He lagged behind us, kicking a pebble between his black vans as he walked. He smirked, locking eyes with me. I quickly looked away, not being able to bear looking into the eyes of my own kin. 

We finally reached the car, which was ironically parked in the back of the empty parking lot. It was a warm shade of brown, with worn seats and interior; very casual. I took a seat in the back right, squishing myself against the door. I looked at my parents, and they looked so pleased. I've never seen someone,...let alone two people so happy over me. I'm ashamed to say that it felt good.

After for about 30 silent and not to mention awkward minutes of driving, we reached what appeared to be our home. It was a lemony shade, with white trim and embellishments. It was a truly beautiful house, very welcoming; but the air around it felt vaguely cold. After entering, Dad asked me if I wanted a tour, and I obliged with a nod. 

As he introduced me to the many rooms of my not-so-new home, he asked me questions. 

"You've been very quiet, lately. I know how difficult it must be for you, not remembering any of us... but we would really appreciate it if you talked to us, Natalie. It breaks your mother and I's hearts to see you like this, let alone see you not talking to us."

I took a deep breath, genuinely considering his words. I really didn't know why I wasn't talking, I just wasn't. After a few seconds, I managed a sentence. "I remember what happened that night."

I wasn't positive if I had said it loud enough at first, until he stopped walking, and tilted his head to face to mirror to his right; eyeing me  in it. "Yes?" he asked rather curiously.

"I was on a roof, with a boy. He was tall, with brown hair and eyes. I was sad, and so was he. Then, I jumped." I replied in a whisper. 

"I heard about that. such a terrible thing." he looked away, and opened a door. He gestured for me to enter, and I did. "Well, that concludes today's tour, had a great time today, Natalie. Dinner is in thirty minutes. feel free to do whatever until then. Oh, and don't bother unpacking, your mother will cover all that." He smiled a warm smile, and kissed my forehead before closing the door. 

When I turned around, I saw a room that I immediately recognized as mine. It was plain, with pale walls and dark furniture. Books were staked neatly on their shelves. Everything had a certain sharpness to it, even the bedspread, which was decorated in a strange Gothic design. beside it, lay a small night stand, dark like all the other items place in the room. But on it, lay a picture of the boy that was with me that night... what was his name? Liam, that was it. I wondered where he was now. He was handsome, with long hair draped over his eyes. I picked it up, and looked at it closely. 

"You remember him?" A deep voice sounded from behind me. Startled, I whipped my head around, causing whiplash. Spots covered my vision, making it difficult to see who was in front of me. I narrowed my eyes, in hope to improve my sight. It did, and I was surprised to see that it was Jeremy standing at my door. I shifted awkwardly and nodded. 

"You can talk to me, you know. I'm not going to hurt you." He stepped further into my room. He looked so much like me, it was a bit strange. The same blue eyes, and dark, straight hair. 

" You're my twin?" I breathed. He nodded, smiling a little. I just looked at him, though. I never thought that I would ever have a twin. I shook the thought out of my head, and said "What do you know about him?" Holding up the picture. 

He walked up to me, and took the picture from my grasp. Reluctantly, I released it. " This was your best friend, and dare I say, your only friend. His name is Liam Payne. After that night, he was devastated, you know. He really thought that you were gone. Took him a little bit to get back on track, but he finally pulled himself back together, and auditioned for the X-Factor. He's really good, you know." 

I scowled. "What do you mean he had to 'pull himself together?'" Jeremy shrugged, and handed the picture back to me. "He went into this sort-of depression, where he sobbed himself to sleep every night, and didn't talk much." I nodded. He did that because of me?

"Oh, I forgot," He said, pulling out his hand held. He typed a little on it,and turned its screen towards me. "He's on tonight. We could watch,if you wanted. Just you and me. A little twin time." He smiled, cheeky. I nodded, "Yeah, that would be cool." Jeremy smiled in return, handing the picture back to me as he walked away. It really was nice being able to talk to someone like that. I wonder if the other Natalie realized that before she was gone.