Living a double life

chapter 6

After I left Carly and the gang once school was done I went home. While I was driving home I kept contemplating if I should visit my parents. "Are you even ready?" I ask myself aloud. I leave my question unanswered.

I pull into my driveway and get out of my car locking it and going into my house. I toss my bag and run up the stairs undressing myself along the way, which ends up with me tripping and hitting the floor, "Fuck!" I roll on the floor like a puppy wanting a treat but instead I just wanted the jolt of pain to go away.

Once the pain seized I got up and flipped the bird at the floor. Seeming proud I stalk off to my room to get dressed, I toss my clothes into my basket and head to my closet. I slip on a pair of black sweats and a tight fitted grey jersey. I let my hair loose and run my hand through it. I walk over to my mirror, "You need to see your parents Aria." I blink at myself, and shake my head, my stubbornness taking over.

I'm only one call away... I hear my phone ringing all the way downstairs and I never heard that caller ID ringtone for years.

I bolt out of my room, down the hallway and stairs, jumping down the last 6 steps and loosing my balance. I screech and brace myself for the slam dunk of the year. I shut my eyes only to open it a second later.

Where's the BAM? I look down to see that my feet is safely on the ground. What the fuck? "What was I doing now again? Oh shit!" I run for my bag and dive to the floor to grab my phone out of it. I swipe and answer it. Nailed it!

"Hello..." I mutter and close my eyes preparing myself to hear her voice again.

"Aria, I need to speak to you." I blink and pull the phone from my ear to look at the screen only to see her face.

"Grace." I say breathlessly, she smiles at me and I smile back. "What's the matter, I don't hear from you or see you for almost five years." I state sadly.

She nods her head and I wipe my screen on instinct when I see a tear fall down her cheek. "I heard you left and I didn't know how to tell you before." I hear the sound of a baby in the background and my mouth drops when I see a beautiful baby take over my phones screen.

"Hi there little one" I laugh gently. "You're so beautiful." I caress my phone.

I hear Grace's voice in the background. "She's your niece." I look at the screen confused.

"Grace I don't have a brother. It's just me remember." I laugh softly.

She shakes her head. "Speak soon." She ends the call and I'm left in a confused state.

"I have a brother? It can't be, can it?" I shake my head. "She's just teasing me, I saw nothing in that baby that looked like a Colburn." I brush it off, "Good one Gracey Bells. She's always the joking type. Way to crack a joke girl."

Not fucking funny.

I walk through the house looking around since I never really took my own tour of the place since I got here, I've never been here in forever and nothing much has changed. The amount of dust is minimal, it's as if this house was never empty for years.

I walked past a room purposely keeping my gaze low. My parents room.

I sat down outside the door tapping my foot on the floor. "Just one glace." I mumble.

I get up and open the door slowly. The way the door creaked open showed how long ago it was opened. The bed is still made up, waiting for them to come home one day. I flick the light on and the room comes to life. I smile at the remembrance of jumping on their bed while they were lying together.

"Maybe just a little for old sakes..." I find myself hopping up and down on the bed moments later. I close my eyes and I can hear the sweet giggle of my childhood self in my head as I hopped around, the sound of my parents cause me to falter and fall onto the bed, I sit up and plop myself down.

A photo frame catches my eyes. I walk towards it and take it in my hands looking down at it. "Mommy, Daddy." I longingly.

~~~~~~~

I decided to drive the following day to wjete where my parents are buried after I spent a few hours lying on their bed in their bedroom yesterday. Yes I skipped school.

The drive is way too short and I can't sit still in my seat. But nevertheless the graveyard is in my sight and I lower my gaze when I park my car. I take a second to regain myself and walk towards the graveyard gates after taking my specs off and locking my car.

I've never been here since I was 5 and a half, so it's been awhile. I walk for a few minutes till I come across the oak tree that grows beside their grave.

I smile at the tree, my parents met under one when they first met. They were releasing lanterns and my mother was under the tree when she released it. The tree caught on fire and it burnt down but there love just ignited.

I sat between them before lying down on the space between the graves. I start singing. "We made these memories for ourselves. Where our eyes are never closing. Hearts are never broken and time's forever frozen still." I wipe the tear away that I never knew I had released. Only to find another fall on my leg.

I find myself telling them everything they've missed out on. All the birthdays, the graduations. Basically it's like I'm telling them my entire life story. I tell them how okay I am now, how I'm no longer angry, completely forgetting about the phone call between Gracey and I.

I pull grass out every now and then and break them to pieces. I look over at my dad's stone, "Daddy..." I look over at my moms stone, "Mommy. Do you miss me as much as I miss you." I ask knowing I'll get no answer but I feel a breeze caress my cheek and it gives me goosebumps and I find myself smiling. "I'll take that as a yes."

Eventually I'm sitting in between their graves so that their head stones are on either side of me. I open my arms and caress both at the same time, I whisper softly, "If you could see how I am, how I grew up. You'd be so proud." I laugh quietly,

"Oh and daddy, don't worry. Uncle Jake kicked ass everytime a boy tried to get with me. And mommy I'm still your little baby, daddy I'm still your little princess." I smile and look up at the oak tree.

I wander around the graves, still not ready to leave. I sing some more, bits and pieces from different songs that makes me think of them till I find a sharp stone. I pick it up and move towards the oak tree. "This is for us." I start carving my parents names onto the tree.

Julia and Andrew Colburn
Always and forever

When I finished I blew and wiped away the excess bark to clear it and let the writing be visible. I smile and nod, proud of myself. I turn around and freeze, the stone falls to the ground, the silence so evident when the stone falls, a thud fills the air.

"Aria Colburn , is that you." I hear someone say.

I see a familiar pair of hazel brown eyes, it's way too familiar. That my heart falls into the pit of my stomach.

"It's true..."

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