- 2.
I ripped my clothes out of her grasp and
plastered on this heartbroken act.
“Okay, Brittany, I’ll never forget your sacrifice.
When you’re gone, I’ll make sure Mom and
Dad buy you the most expensive plot in the
cemetery!”
Then, before the stairs collapsed, I took a
flying leap.
The sound of splintering wood and Brittany’s
く
screeching faded behind me as I bolted for
the exit.
The front door wasn’t locked, thank God. I
made it to the lawn, pulled out my phone, and
punched in three numbers.
To make sure I was six feet under, Brittany
had conveniently sent Mom and Dad and the
staff away.
If no one else was calling 911, I’d have to
“save” her one more time.
After all, burning up in the house would only
hurt for a minute. But dragging yourself
through life with all those scars? That’s
suffering that lasts.
Flames lit up the sky like a scene from a
movie, and the scorching air was clawing at
my throat.
I watched the show for a bit before squeezing
out a weak, scared voice and dialing 911.
“Hello, is this the fire department? My house.
is on fire! The address is 123 Cherry Lane.
Please hurry, my sister’s still inside…”
Then, I tossed the phone, found a safe spot
on the grass, and flopped down.
As the sirens started wailing, I closed my
eyes, feeling good, and drifted off.
In a daze, someone scooped me up.
I caught a whiff of smoke on them, something
familiar yet strange.
く
Everything went black.
When I woke up again, I was staring at the
sterile white ceiling of a hospital room.
An IV bag was hanging from a metal stand, dripping stuff into my veins.
The scene felt too familiar. I jerked the covers
back and felt around for my right leg.
Below the knee, still there. Sweet.
No amputation, no disfigurement. The nightmare from last time hadn’t come back.
I barely had time to catch my breath when I
realized I was being way too obvious.
<
Sure enough, some guy was sitting in a chair
reading a book. When he heard me, he
snapped it shut and looked up.
He had the same features as me, but his vibe
was way colder.
Before I could say anything, Mom and Dad
were all over me, pulling me into a hug.
They didn’t even notice I was acting weird.
Mom was crying, hugging me tight.
“Honey, we’re so glad you’re okay. What
would we do without you?”
Dad was more reserved, but he squeezed
Mom and my hands together. “Just glad
you’re safe.”
Simple words, but they warmed my heart.
Last time, Mom and Dad had blamed
themselves for not protecting me. They cried
their eyes out and went gray overnight.
I knew they loved me, deep down.
Last time, I’d let them down. This time, I
wouldn’t.
“Mom and Dad, is this my older sister?”
The guy finally spoke up, but his dark eyes
only flicked over me for a second before
looking away.
For some reason, I felt like he was hiding
something, too.
Г
Mom wiped her eyes and pressed his and my
hands together. “You two are twins. You’re
the closest people in the world. Ethan, you
better not mess with your sister, got it?”
He just mumbled, “Yeah, sure.”
That’s when I remembered I had a twin
brother, Ethan.
I couldn’t really be blamed for forgetting, I
guess. Last time I came home, he was
studying abroad and couldn’t get back in
time.
By the time he heard about the fire and
rushed home, I was already toast.
In those ten days between coming home and
<
dying, I hadn’t even seen my so–called
brother.
But this time, something was different. He
was back early.
Seeing me spacing out, Ethan held out his
hand.
“Ashley, nice to meet you.”
I hesitated before taking his hand.
“Nice to meet you too…brother.”
Ethan gave me a little smile, carefully
avoiding the bandages on my hand as we
shook.
I was about to thank him for being so
く
thoughtful when he leaned in close and
whispered in my ear.
“Almost forgot to ask, where’s Brittany?”
I gasped so loud, Mom and Dad jumped.
“Honey, what’s wrong?”
“Mom, Dad, how’s Brittany?”
I replayed all the tragedies from both my
lives, squeezing out a few tears. “With a fire
that big, did she make it?”
When I mentioned Brittany, Mom and Dad
exchanged a look, their faces all twisted with
sadness.
“Brittany…she’s not doing so well.”
く
That calmed me down real quick.
If she was suffering, then I was happy.
