❝ It's hard to dream when you can't sleep and reality is a nightmare. ❞
Kaylee Thompson lost the ability to sleep the moment her twin sister died in a car crash. As their mother spirals deeper into grief and Kaylee's own grip on reality begins to sh...
The thoughts that haunted my mind were relentless and it kept me awake.
My tank top clung uncomfortably to my damp skin and it felt stuffy inside the room. A throbbing headache was forming in my temples, my throat raw and scratchy. The swelling on my knees had dulled but my back was aching and it only made me toss and turn in bed until morning came.
Once the clock struck eight, I got up and padded to the bathroom. I shed my clothes and took my time in the shower, savoring the warm water on my skin as I let my mind run wild.
I thought of Rowan and how he gave me peace of mind whenever I was around him. He was my safe haven, where I could act like myself and be who I want. My cheeks burned as I looked back on how he cared for me, just a few hours ago.
Kaitlyn, my other half, who I loved even when she was everything I wasn't. She taught me so much while she was by my side, and even in her demise, she still managed to. I would do anything to hold her hand again.
Father, who I supposed loved mother a little too much that he was willing to sacrifice a piece of himself. A piece of me. From the moment I opened my eyes, I had seen the way he looked at her and it was extraordinary...
Like she was the only woman on Earth. The only woman worth looking at. Like he would do anything for her and that, I knew was true. For he was the night sky, and she was the stars that made him complete.
The next thought hit me almost instantly: Kaitlyn would be the moon, the light in the shadows. And here I was, the sun who rose alone since the beginning of time.
Only I was nothing near bright.
* * *
As I sat at the dining table for breakfast and watched my parents appear from the corridor, it became apparent how I wasn't the only one who didn't get any sleep last night.
A memory flashed in my mind.
The sound that followed was weak and hushed. It was barely there, and I knew I wouldn't have heard it if it wasn't for the dead silent corridor—my mother sobbing.
"How was your night, sweetie?" Her faint voice pulled me back to the present. She was wearing the same clothes as yesterday.
My eyes lingered on her weary face before I answered in a quiet voice. "I slept alright."
My mother nodded her head before she turned on her heel and left the room without a word. The clunking of pans that sounded from the kitchen seconds later told me how she was already making breakfast.
I slouched down in my seat, gazing absentmindedly at the dull patterns carved on the wooden table. Life was merely black and white without Kaitlyn.
"You were there last night." The voice before me was low and had no accusation behind it.
My head snapped upwards as I faced my father, heat rushing up my neck. It only took me a second to understand what he was implying. He must have heard me.
"I got thirsty so I went to the kitchen to get a drink. I'm sorry." The words already slipped past my lips before I could think better of it. I forced a smile, hoping he wouldn't see through my lie. Beneath the table, my nails dug into my palms.
He slid into the chair and looked at me. There was a wretched look on his face that made the corners of my mouth dip down, but there was also something else–confusion.
I bit my lip. "What happened?"
My father dragged his hand down his face, his gaze far away. "She just started crying. I-I don't know why but she sounded like she was in pain... Like everything suddenly took a toll on her. I couldn't t-take it and I did what I could, but I don't understand." His weak voice trailed off.
He didn't need to say anything else. I looked away and stared at my palms, a string of memories flashing in my mind. My chest felt heavier than ever.
His words stretched off to the early moment when things already started to go downhill.
He was there when Kaitlyn fought for her life. He placed my mother's needs before ours and constructed a plan of his own because he knew it would be too hard for her to handle. He did everything in his power to protect her, to the extent that he fabricated lies and weaved them into reality.
But we both knew our plan wasn't foolproof, and it was time we faced the consequences.
The smell of freshly cooked pancakes with maple syrup wafted to my nostrils, announcing her arrival. I didn't dare meet both their eyes as the silence stretched painfully, too tense for one not to notice.
"Here you go, your favorite," said my mother with a smile. She placed the plate of warm pancakes before me, and my mouth couldn't help but water with the rich scent up close.
And at that moment, things felt like they were back to normal.
I turned my head, and there was Kaitlyn digging into her food. She bit a mouthful of her grilled sandwich, a smile lining her lips when she saw me glancing at her. My face broke out in a grin at the spare cheese dangling from her mouth.
I held my fork and knife and sliced a small piece from my pancakes, placing a piece in my mouth. It melted on my tongue, accompanied by the sweet taste of syrup that tasted like Heaven itself.
We were complete, sitting close to each other and eating the first meal of the day together, as a family. There were no lies and illusions, everything was real and normal.
"Do you like it? I made it for you." The voice slapped me back into reality.
I gave her what I hoped was a thankful smile. "It's great, thanks."
The thought occurred to me a moment later. My eyes widened, a chunk of the food lodging in my throat as I felt myself choke for air. My parents jumped up from their seats, my mother even going as far as to bend down beside me with her face filled with fright.
Alarms were going off in my mind as I seized the glass she handed to me and chugged down the water until I felt my windpipe clear.
"It was Kaylee who loved pancakes." I gasped for breath, my chest heaving with each word.
In my peripheral vision, I saw my father's face drain of color. He turned to her with shock written all over his face, the realization finally dawning on him. He opened his mouth to speak, but her sudden cry beat him to it.
My mother turned to me, her wild black eyes staring deep into my soul. "Tell me I'm right. Tell me you're Kaylee."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
