Short Story

Sisters

(published under my pen name, S.B. Rhodes)

     The bond between siblings is a strange thing. Some siblings are joined at the hip, while others are their own biggest rivals. For Abigail and Olivia Manchester, it was the latter. They had not always been so distant. In fact, their mother loved to remind them during each of their arguments that they were best friends from the very beginning, even holding hands in their ultrasound. 

     However, their friendship was put to the test more than a few times over the years, starting with minor issues and escalating to all-out war. Before long, they had stopped talking altogether, and it seemed that any hope of rekindling their friendship was lost forever. Then tragedy struck, and they were forced to pick up the pieces. 

**** 

     Olivia sat on the sofa, looking at the photo of her mother and father on their wedding day. “We’ll never see them again,” she said, tears streaming down her face. She thought back to the night that everything changed, Christmas Eve. 

     Family had come down for the holidays, and everyone was settling in. Mother was in the kitchen, cooking up a storm, and the house smelled of apples and cinnamon. A delicate glass bowl sat on the coffee table, filled to the brim with homemade candies. Grandfather and the uncles were in the parlor with father, and Grandmother was in the kitchen, trying her best to help but mostly complaining that Mother put far too many pecans on her pie. “I’m liable to chip a tooth!” she said. 

     Mother replied that she could just remove the excess pecans if she liked – or help herself to any of the other desserts that are being prepared for dinner. Aunt Sophia laughed at the two of them, reminiscing about her and Mother’s shared childhood and how they were always at odds with Grandmother. Mother and Grandmother were too busy bickering to pay Aunt Sophia any mind, so she joined the twins in the family room and attempted to make small talk. 

     Olivia sat in the corner, furiously wrapping gifts. “Olivia, those look lovely. You have quite the talent. Maybe I should have you wrap gifts for me next year.” 

     She smiled at her aunt. “Thanks. They’re for a local children’s shelter. Someone is coming by in a bit to pick them up, so I’m trying to get them done as quickly as possible.” 

     “I see. Then I will leave you to it.” 

     She turned to her other niece and looked her up and down. “Oh, honey, look at you! That dress is stunning!” 

     “Thank you. Wait until you see the one I bought for tomorrow. It took me three paychecks to afford it, but it was worth it.” 

     “I’ll bet. You must have to beat the boys off with a stick. Are you seeing anyone?” 

     Olivia overheard Abigail excitedly telling her about David and stormed upstairs. The sudden fury caught Aunt Sophia off-guard, and she looked back and forth between her and Abigail, who was now looking down at her feet in apparent shame. 

     “Olivia, are you all right?” called out her aunt from downstairs. 

     She was too furious and too close to tears to be able to choke out an answer. She grabbed her backpack and began stuffing as many of her belongings as possible into it. Despite the pre-determined sleeping arrangements, she could no longer handle bunking with her sister. So, she grabbed her things and moved into the basement until she could get her own room back. 

     Her mother called after her, but she did not want to hear it. She just wanted to be alone. Unfortunately, her wish was granted. Now, the only person she had left in the world was her sister. She wished she could see her mother again and talk to her about how she was feeling. She would give anything to see her walk through the door like she always did when they were having a hard time. She wasn’t sure if it was the fresh-baked cookies she made during troubling times or her way of always knowing exactly what to say, but somehow their mother could always coax them out of a bad mood. If only she had given her a chance this time, things might have turned out differently. 

     “Oh, mom,” she said sadly as she walked through the house. The ash-covered floors and singed walls gave an ominous feel that made her shudder. She entered the family room and looked around. The gifts she had been frantically trying to wrap were gone, and the supplies were all put up nicely. Someone had finished them for her. She turned toward the fireplace and reached out to touch it… ever so softly. That was where it started. 

     Their little cousin, Aaron, had awoken in the middle of the night to get a glass of water. On his way back, he tripped over an extension cord. In his half-asleep state, he failed to notice that the dancing Santa had toppled over into the fireplace. He crawled the few feet over to the air mattress he shared with his brother and fell back asleep. By the time firefighters arrived, the entire house was engulfed in flames. 

**** 

     Abigail sat in her room, holding the promise ring David had given her as a gift just before Christmas break. She held it to her chest as she thought back to the night of the Winter dance. She had attempted to be discreet when sneaking out of the auditorium to see him. 

     She did not mean to hurt her sister, but they had fallen for each other. She felt that she owed it to herself to pursue the relationship, and she rationalized it by telling herself that she would be saving her sister from being tied down to someone who did not love her anyway. She had intended to wait until things got serious to tell her sister, but the truth was revealed earlier than she hoped when Olivia caught the two of them kissing in the hallway. Abigail would never forget the look of betrayal and heartbreak on her sister’s face. How did things get so complicated? she thought to herself. 

     As she went to Olivia’s room, she found her on the floor, sobbing over an old photo album. In the album were photos of the two of them and all the things they had done together over the years… birthday parties, family vacations, paintball wars, dances, learning to ride their bikes, and so much more. They had been so close, and now it felt like they were strangers… yet they were all each other had. 

     “I’m so sorry, Liv!” said Abigail through tears. “I never meant to hurt you; I swear.” 

     “Why did you have to take him, Abby? He was the only boy I ever loved. It was always so easy for you, but he was the only one who even looked at me.” 

     Those words cut deep, and all she could bring herself to do was lower her head in shame as the tears began to fall once again. She sat next to her twin and wrapped her arms around her. They sat in silence before continuing to go through their belongings. Before long, they were reminiscing over the good times, which slowly began to drown out the bad memories. 

     “Why did you come back for me?” asked Oliva. 

     The question pierced Abigail’s heart, and she turned to face her sister. “Why wouldn’t I? You’re my sister, and I love you. I couldn’t leave you down there.” 

     As they embraced, they heard the sound of the moving truck approaching. They rose to their feet and stepped into the hallway just in time to see their parents walk through the front door. The looks of pain on their faces were unbearable, but all the twins could do was watch as they packed up box after box. 

**** 

     Packing up the house was almost unbearable. So many happy memories were made in that house, and now those were overshadowed by heartache and tragedy. The markings on the wall from measuring the kids’ growth over the years were difficult to see, but Mrs. Manchester could not help rubbing her fingers over them anyway. As she walked over to grab the final box, she found the matching set of lockets she had once given to her daughters, one last sign from them that they were watching over her and that they were together again.