Writer's Recipe vol. 4 (2019)

TWINS APART

Written by : Nurul Fadhlina binti Azlan

Hayla had lost all hope to go on living. She was ready to throw in the towels. Her enemies: a gang of bullies at school who had mentally and physically abused her for the last two years. She pretended to be cheerful, hoping she could forget the awful memories, but it was becoming too much for her to bear. Her heart was on the brink of exploding. If only she had someone to whom she could share about the misery she was experiencing. If only she Hayley was there for her.

The moment when Hayley was taken away from the orphanage was still vivid in her mind. They were playing hide-and-seek like they used to. But that day, a wealthy, childless couple came and adopted Hayley into their family. The pain of separation was unbearable. How she missed her sister. Occasionally, Hayla would send letters to her sister, but she never received any reply. She wondered if Hayley ever received the letters at all.

At school, the leader of gang who had been bullying Hayla, Jane, had been caught smoking. Accusing Hayla had reported her to the teacher, they violently dragged Hayla into a dark and secluded alley. Without mercy, they slapped and kicked her repeatedly while insulting her.

"I knew you were trouble ever since you stepped foot into our school. You had taken everyone's attention from me!" Jane said furiously.

After the bullies were satisfied, they left a bloodied Hayla lying on the ground. All the torture she went through all this while was because of jealousy? But she never wanted it in the first place. She wished she could be invisible. Weakly, she picked herself up. She was walking back the orphanage when she found herself stopping on the bridge. She walked all the way to the edge and looked down. It was a long drop to the sea below. Part of her thought about ending her misery then and there, but she still had some strength to resist the urge. Suddenly, she felt lightheaded, probably because of how much blood she had lost from the beating.

"Someone fell off the bridge!" a passer-by shouted in panic when she saw Hayla falling off the edge.

Beep... beep... beep. She woke up to the sound of the machine.

"How do you feel, Honey?"

Hayla turned towards the voice and was greeted by an unfamiliar woman. She had a worried face, but her voice somehow radiated with hope.

One month earlier.

"Mom, I have to go now!" Hayley yelled while running down the stairs. It was going to be a red letter day for her. Mrs Suzana was already waiting with a plain yet cosy sweater for her daughter. She knew Hayley always forgot to take it along with her.

"Oh mom, what would I do without you?" Hayla hugged her mother. She couldn't help but to shed tears. She solemnly thanked her mother for everything she had done for her.

"Oh don't be silly Honey, you're only going on a short vacation," Mrs Suzana laughed and Hayley laughed along with her. She couldn't possibly tell her mother that she had lied about the vacation.

When Hayley never returned, Mrs Suzana panicked. Only after she contacted the school and Hayley's friends did she find out that there was never a school trip. Nobody knew where Hayley had gone, but her friends said that Hayley had been acting a bit weird before her sudden disappearance.

Mrs. Suzana was worried sick for her missing daughter. The police were informed and posters of Hayley were posted on the streets, but even after weeks passed, there was still no word of Hayley. She was about to give up until one day, she received a call from the hospital.

"Hayley, my daughter. I'm so glad I found you again," Mrs. Suzana put her hands around Hayla. Tear were streaming down her rosy cheeks. Hayla who was still confused with the situation remained as silent as a statue, but she could tell that the woman was related to her twin sister. So, she pretended to be Hayley in hopes of finding out what had happened to her sister.

Since returning home, Mrs. Suzana noticed something slightly peculiar about her daughter. She was no longer the brash and tomboyish girl that her daughter was before her disappearance. She was now a polite and demure young lady. However, she was happy to have her beloved daughter back all the same. As for Hayla, she felt guilty for pretending to be Mrs. Suzana's daughter, but she finally was able to enjoy the feeling of being loved.

She explored her new bedroom – Hayley's bedroom, hoping to shed some light on what had happened to her sister. After searching every nook and cranny of the room, she found a compartment in a drawer in which a book was hidden – a diary. Hayley then proceeded to read the pages one by one. She was surprised to find every single letter that she had sent was neatly folded inside the diary. Why didn't she write any replied if she received all of them, Hayla wondered.

Upon reading the diary, Hayla discovered how torn Hayley had always felt. Hayley missed her sister, but she didn't reply because she felt so guilty for leaving Hayla behind at that orphanage while she was enjoying her life with her new family. Hayla continued to read the diary until she got to the last entry which reads:

"I can't keep this feeling anymore. I'm going to see my sister. I'd do anything for her, even if I have to exchange my life with hers."'

The book fell from Hayla's hands. She finally remembered. It was Hayley who had saved her from drowning on that tragic day. Her twin sister had truly kept her words.