Forgetting Ashley

It was a warm summer night, my friends and I were having a beach party to celebrate the end of the school year. We were all having fun and dancing around to the music when 'it' happened.

I blacked out for a moment, but when I awoke, there was a fire. I had been knocked back a few feet from where I had been last standing. It started to rain. The rain was slowly putting out the fire. I looked around to see if anyone was moving, and that's when I saw her, Ashley, my twin sister. She had always led a better life. I crawled over to her to see if she was alive or not. I shook her a few times and felt for a pulse. When she didn't move, I knew she was dead.

As I held my dead sister in my arms, my tears fell onto her lifeless face. This was the first death in my family. I knew I would have to go to a funeral, but… I could be her. We were identical in every way. I could be Ashley! But that would mean, I would have to act like her, spend time with her friends, know them, they would trust me like they trusted her, because they would think I am her.

“Which one are you? Are you Ashley or Talia? I’ve never been able to tell you two apart!” At first I didn’t hear the voice until he repeated his sentence and touched me on the shoulder. I looked back to see it was Nils. I hugged him, he looked surprised, “Ashley?”

I opened my mouth to speak but then I hesitated for a moment “Yah. Talia is dead.” I felt tears coming down my face. I got up with the help of Nils; I stumbled a bit then regained strength. I looked around “Did you call for help?”

“Yah, the police said they saw the smoke and started getting ready,” he took a deep breath as he looked at his car. It was totaled. It looked like someone had thrown a fire ball into it. “Are you strong enough to help me see if anyone else is alive?”

“Yah, I think I can.” I looked back at the real Ashley. Not even our parents could tell us apart, I will have no trouble being her. Wow, that sounds like a horrible thing to say. She is my sis- well, was my sister. We slept in the same room, shared each other’s clothing, borrowed each other’s makeup, and did the same things. For the most part she and I had the same friends too. I just had a few other friends that she didn’t really like. She would tell me everything. I’m happy that neither of us had boyfriends, because that would make things so much more difficult.

“Hey, Ashley, come help me!” I homed in on Nils’ voice and came rushing to him. I saw Damien groaning on the sand, I rushed to Nils’ side and propped Damien’s head on my lap. He was covered in blood and burns.

The last time I saw him, he was leaning on Nils’ car.

He turned to me “Talia?” He said that and I got butterflies in my stomach. I liked him and I didn’t know how to react or what to say.

“No, I’m Ashley. Talia is,” I hesitated “dead.” I started tearing up. Damien’s hand lifted up to touch my face to comfort me, but I just met my hand with his and he held my hand.

By the time the ambulances arrived, Nils had found on other, Jess. She had a chunk of glass deep in her left arm.

We –the survivors- stuck together and the ambulances took us to the hospital to be treated.

I rode in the same ambulance as Damien; I didn’t want to leave his side.

We got to the hospital and I let the doctors and nurses take Damien and Jess into the ‘ICU’. I was looking at Nils and he was having a battle wit himself, I could tell just from the way he sat and looked. His arms were propped on his knees and he was hunched over.

“Nils, it isn’t your fault.” I tried to reassure him.

“Talia, your sister, my best friend, is dead because of me. Not to mention the two others who are dead.”

“It wasn’t your fault, we don’t know what happened to you car. All we know is that something happened.” I didn’t want to cry again. I nudged over to his side and hugged him. “You and I are ok. And Talia is in a better place now.” No I wasn’t, Ashley was. She is safe from any harm the world can throw at her. Now I’m left to play her part. I looked down at Nils, I heard a person clear their throat, I shot my head up to see that it was, and it was the doctor that took Damien in. I stood up without hesitation “Are they okay? Please tell us.”

The doctor looked surprised and his eyes opened, then he blinked twice and a smile came upon his face “They are both doing fine. The boy is calling for Ashley. Are you she?”

I blinked a few times and shook my head “Yes I am.”

“Sir, if you want you can have a rest in one of the unoccupied rooms.” The doc said.

“Ah, yes, thanks. This may sound weird, but could you have someone watch me? I don’t feel safe by myself.” I looked at Nils with concern; he was my best friend after all.

“Yes sir. I thank you for letting me know.” The doctor got a nurse to walk me to Damien. I turned back to see the doctor talking with Nils. I turned to face straight again.

The nurse knocked on a door “Sir, I have Ashley here, do you want her to come in?” The nurse’s voice was soft and kind sounding.

“YES, please let her in!” I heard Damien say. The nurse smiled and opened the door to let me in.

“I will be back in an hour or so, okay?”

“Yes, thank you.” The nurse started walking away, “Oh, nurse,” I hesitated “could I be able to sleep in his room? He means a lot to me.” The nurse simply smiled and nodded, I smiled and entered Damien’s room.

He looked up with a smile, he looked relived I was here. “Are you ok? Did you get hurt?”

“Nah, just a few bumps and bruises, nothing serious.”

“I’m happy to hear that, Talia.”

I looked at him confused “I’m Ashley.”

“Ashley wouldn’t have asked to sleep in my room; she didn’t have feelings for me like you do.” He stopped and smirked “I am and will always be the only one who can tell you two apart.”    “I guess your job is made easy cause now theirs only one of us left.” I said sarcastically “You can’t tell anyone!” I hissed at him.

“I promise I won’t.”

“Pinkie promise.” I glared at him.

He sighed “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. Happy?” he asked smirking at me again. I want to kiss that smirk off his face…

“Oh yes, now I am. Now, tell me that you’re ok!” I said walking over to him and pulling up a chair.

I sat down and rested my head on his chest “I’m going to be just fine. I only got some burns and cuts; I was standing right beside the car, well, leaning on it talking with Jess and Kay.”

“I know, this might sound creepy but, I was watching you.”

“I know you were, I caught you looking at me.” He moved his hand to my head “Now get some sleep. We will talk again in the morning.” I closed my eyes and relaxed. His hand was brushing though my hair “Talia? I think that you are so pretty.” I smiled and looked up to his eyes, then fell asleep.

Authors notes:

To all readers, these characters are based on real people in my life.