Diana
My sneakers rhythmically patted on the pavement. The chilly air reddened my cheeks and nose. I was wearing thick pants and a winter jacket, causing sweat to pool on my skin, but I preferred it over the freezing cold.
It was a beautiful evening. The golden, setting sun shone on the recently-fallen snow, the flakes glittering as I passed them. It wasn’t too hot, but it wasn’t cold enough to maintain the snow. No doubt it’d melt if the sun continued beating down like this.
“We were like… 14, I think. And we went to the beach,” Monica was saying on the phone. I had wireless earbuds in so I could talk to her while I jogged. “You know how people bury themselves in the sand, like, when you lie down, and someone else…?”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, panting in between.
“Okay. We did that. Me and Ivy were in the sand, Amy was burying us. Then I felt something on me… it felt like something crawling. I thought ‘it’s probably just an itch’. Then Ivy…” She started laughing. “She starts screaming ‘A CRAB’S ON MY BUTT, A CRAB’S ON MY BUTT!’ And then…” She laughed harder. “Amy’s trying to dig us out— we didn’t have any shovels or anything. So she was using her bare hands to get all the sand off, and she had really small hands. And then I start screaming, because I felt a little bite. Not on my butt, it was on my elbow. And Amy’s just… trying to dig us out.”
I stopped jogging as I reached the nearby outlet mall, taking a break to laugh along with her. Monica really was fun to talk to. She’d texted me a few times, to wish me a Merry Christmas, and talk about Amy. Unlike everyone else I’d met here, Monica was really open to talking about Amy. She loved remembering her and telling me stories. It was a refreshing change.
I hoped I got to visit her again. I’d hardly known her for a week, and she was the sweetest out of everyone I’d met— those that knew Amy, anyway. She was definitely the kind of friend I wanted to have.
“You still jogging?” Monica asked.
“Yeah.” I resumed, entering the mall.
“Girl, don’t you get tired?”
“I take breaks.” I slowed, going to a nearby water fountain to refill my bottle. It wasn’t the most sanitary option, but I didn’t feel like buying and carrying another bottle with me.
“You’re meeting the other side of the family this Sunday, right?”
“Yeah… I’m not that nervous anymore,” I said, finishing refilling my bottle. “Susan’s side was so sweet. I’m sure Davis’s side is the same.”
“Yeah…” She sounded doubtful.
“Why?” I asked.
“Why what?”
“You sounded… I dunno, like you didn’t agree.”
“Well… most of Mr. Field’s side is really nice. It’s just the cousins that are… a bit standoffish, I’d say.”
“Really? How many cousins do they have? Geez.”
“On the Field side, not too many. Just 3. I could just be resentful. They were pretty distraught when Amy died. People change. I just wanted to warn you in advance.”
“They’re not little kids, are they?” I asked, a bit fearfully.
“No, no way. One’s… he’s in his late 20’s. The other two are girls, and they’re in high school. The oldest guy’s nice enough. It’s the girls that are… meh.”
I stopped jogging again. Ahead of me were four familiar faces I wasn’t up to seeing.
“Diana? You good?” Monica asked.
“Um… yeah. Yeah.” I turned to leave.
“Oh, look, it’s Diana!” I heard one of their screeching voices ring out. I sighed, turning back.
“Di?”
“Sorry, I just… got distracted.” I turned around and walked, ignoring the girls as they approached me. I should’ve just circled back home.
“Diana, it’s been a while.” The four approached with nauseatingly fake smiles. “What’s up?” Lisa asked. “How’s introvert school? You have fun on Christmas with your new family?”
“I’m on the phone,” I said.
“Ooh, sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Who’s there?” Monica asked.
“Who are you talking to?” Ivy asked me.
“Nunya business,” I told her.
“Oh, come on, don’t be so mean.” Lisa pouted her lips. “I know we didn’t get along at school, but that’s all water under the bridge, isn’t it? It’s Christmas! It’s a time for forgiveness.”
“I’m on the phone,” I repeated, power-walking forward. “Sorry, Money-” I winced, but it was too late to retract the nickname.
“Money?” The other girl giggled— I forgot her name. “Isn’t that Monica Sullivan? You’re talking to Monica?”
Ivy’s brown eyes hardened and her mocking smile faded. The other girls watched her reaction carefully, clearly entertained. I tried my best to ignore them, resuming my jog, but Ivy rushed up to me and pulled my phone out of my pocket.
“Hey!” I reached for it.
“Monica, is this you?” she said.
“I have earbuds on, ‘dumb-butt’. Give me my phone!” My hand swiped in the air.
Ivy ducked away, turning off the Bluetooth. “Monica?”
“Ivy, give me my phone! You don’t have the right to-”
“What are you doing?” Ivy continued. She pushed me away. “I told you about her! I can’t believe you’re… no, that’s not the point! She’s not a good person!”
“Oh, what a crock!” I finally got to my phone, snatching it away. “I’m not a good person? What did I ever do to you?”
“It’s not fair that you know about Amy, you know… everything. And you still have the gall to sleep in her room and live with her family. You don’t know anything about her!”
“I know enough. Look, I didn’t choose to come here in the first place, okay? I don’t know what you want me to do-”
“I want you to get out of here,” she cut me off.
“No,” I scoffed. “I’m sorry about Amy, but you don’t get to treat me like this!”
She stepped closer, invading my personal space. I braced myself, expecting her to slap me, but she didn’t. “Listen, Watson. They only took you in because they’re crazy. If you didn’t look like their daughter, they wouldn’t care a bit about you. You’re nothing but a replacement, and you know it.”
The words cut deep, but I didn’t dare shed a tear. Instead, tears pooled in her eyes. “And then when you leave, they’re gonna get hurt again. You already hurt them enough! You… trying to kill yourself like a mental patient-”
“Excuse me?!”
She stepped back, grunting. It took me a few seconds to realize I shoved her. My hands were shaking and my legs were turning into jelly. “You don’t know anything!” I shoved her again, this time conscious of the action. “You don’t know what it’s like-”
“Oh, I am sick of your crying and whining and complaining, Diana!” Ivy talked over me. “Reality check: everyone’s got problems! Just because you suffered doesn’t give you the right to try and bring everyone else down with you!”
“How am I doing that?!” I yelled. “I’m trying to be better. I’m trying to be a better person even though I screwed up so much. That’s better than you! You’re the one hanging out with these hacks.” I pointed at the other three girls, who watched silently, smiles never wavering.
“You don’t know me.”
“You don’t know me!” I retorted. “And trust me, Ivy, I know you. You were Amy’s ‘best friend’. Monica’s ‘best friend’. And as soon as Amy dies, you turn around and make friends with the enemy!”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Lisa scoffed. “The enemy?”
“They all told me what you guys did to Amy,” I said to the three witches. “They told me what you said to her, and did to her… they told me how horrible you guys were. Logically, you shouldn’t be near them!” I turned back to Ivy. “But when Amy was on her friggin’ deathbed, you were talking to them behind her back!”
“That’s not true-” Ivy started.
“You were just waiting for her to die, weren’t you?” The words spilled out without permission. I wasn’t sure of what I was saying anymore. I regretted not bringing Lonnie; I wanted to give him a day off today. “You couldn’t wait for her to be out of your life so you could get popular. Poor Ivy, she lost her ‘best friend’. And I bet that as soon as Monica dies, you’re gonna forget all about her.”
“Diana, just shut up!”
“She told me herself that she was angry. She told me she was hurt that you were with them.” I pointed at the other three.
“I’m serious-”
“That’s why you hate me so much.” I smiled, pointing at her. “You want everyone to believe you cared so much about Amy when you never did.”
Silence. For a while, we stared each other down. In the corner of my eye, I saw Lisa recording us. Ivy finally stepped back, shaking her head. “You’re not worth it,” she whispered.
“She’s not worth anything,” one of the two other girls added.
“Oh, Miranda, don’t be so mean,” Lisa said.
“Why? She’s right,” another said.
“Michelle, remember. She’s got some… issues. We should be more sensitive.”
I turned and walked away. I didn’t want to jog; it would look like I was running away from them. After I’d left the outlet mall and started down a random street, I finally resumed my jog. On my phone, Monica was still on the call.
“Oh, my God.” I reconnected my Bluetooth. “Money, you there?”
“Hey, Di… I am so sorry,” she said.
“Sorry?”
“I could hear everything— sorta muffled, but I got the gist of it. I can’t believe Ivy’s gotten so mean.”
“You don’t have to apologize for her, though.”
“I just… I don’t know what’s going on with her.” She sniffled. “She loved Amy. I know she did. Since she died, she’s been so different. I just wish… I don’t know what to do.”
“Monica…”
“Please forgive her, Di. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She’s all… she’s not herself anymore. I’m angry with her. But I know that’s not her. I know it.”
Pity filled me. She really wanted to believe Ivy was a true friend. Who could blame her? They were friends for so long. How could Ivy even dare to visit Monica when she was blatantly betraying her like this? I was usually one to give someone the benefit of the doubt, but this was too far.
“I need to go to sleep. Is it okay if I hang up?” Monica said, still sniffling.
“Yeah, sure. Don’t worry about it.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later, Diana.”
I slowed my jog to a walk, suddenly exhausted from the recent confrontation. I should’ve just left. Why did I stay? Why did I even talk to them?
A clatter made me jump. My guard went up as I scanned the street. Nothing. It was empty. I hesitantly resumed my walk, then stopped again a few steps later. There was a shadow moving in the distance.
I gulped. I should’ve been paying attention to where I was going. I was just so desperate to get away from Ivy and her clique that I just kept walking. I didn’t even notice what street I was on. What was the way back home? Shakily, I looked up the address on my phone’s GPS.
There were weird noises coming from one of the houses. Paranoid, I rushed under the shade of a tree, leaning against the trunk. My phone showed me the way home from this street— Levar Road.
That sounded familiar… had I been here before?
Behind me, something was dragging. My curiosity won over my fear, forcing me to peek slightly past the tree. A figure was dragging a large bag, hauling it onto a pickup truck. It was weirdly shaped, sort of like a…
The color drained out of my face. What the heck was I witnessing? What was I looking at? Was this just me thinking morbidly? Was it a hallucination? A dream? My body started trembling.
The man covered the bag with a tarp and went to the driver’s seat. He turned on the truck and pulled out of his driveway. I quickly ducked into some nearby bushes, making sure I was completely out of sight. I waited until I heard him drive away.
For the first few moments, I couldn’t move. My heart was pounding and I could hardly breathe normally. The cold air suddenly seemed colder, as if I were in the middle of a blizzard. I shivered uncontrollably.
I finally got the bravery to move again, slowly standing from my hiding place. There wasn’t a soul in sight. It was very dark.
My phone rang, making me scream, and I covered my mouth. I quickly answered.
“Diana?”
“Yeah, Susan. I’m sorry.”
“You had me worried sick! You’ve been out for too long, it’s getting late!”
“I’m sorry,” I repeated, getting out of the bushes. My sleeves and shoes were stuck in the branches, making it difficult to stand. “I’m on my way over. I just… I got sidetracked.” I started running, desperate to get off the street. I really hoped I was just having an episode.
What did I just see?
~~~
Kyle
My phone’s clock read 7:15 in the evening. It was getting pretty late. Diana had been out jogging for maybe an hour already.
hectorvector: idk it just dosnt look good w the room
imthekingandiknowit: how?? my room literally has everything
hectorvector: it clashes with jacks $@&%
imthekingandiknowit: who cares
hectorvector: it dosnt look good
imthekingandiknowit: bro u dont help me…
hectorvector: u askd me i told u bruh
I briefly closed Hector’s chat to text Diana. It was getting way too dark for her to be out alone, and on top of that, she hadn’t even brought Lonnie with her. I knew it was a bad idea.
Me: diana where r u? its past seven
I returned to my chat with Hector, who was still typing. I sighed, staring forlornly at the picture of a beanbag chair I’d sent him. I liked the green color of it, but if it really clashed that much…
hectorvector: and btw
change ur username
imthekingandiknowit: wdym
hectorvector: its cringe
imthekingandiknowit: wdym cringe??
hectorvector: Ur not the king lol
I rolled my eyes, sending the same emoji. In my house I am
Im better than all my brothers
hectorvector: nah
change it XD
imthekingandiknowit: to what?
hectorvector: idk
something that defins u
like imtheloserandiknowit
imthekingandiknowit: hahahaha (unamused emoji)
Feeling a bit hungry, I got off my bed and started down the hallway. Maybe I could wait for Diana in the living room. I could appear dramatically and give her that stare-down. It always scared my siblings and Amy, but never her.
I’d scare her one day. With some perseverance, I would.
I passed my parents’ room. “… it’ll work? I feel like it’s a waste of time.”
I stopped. I thought they were downstairs. Curious, I listened in.
“Susan, it’s almost 2024. It should work. It’s not like we did Roots.com or something.”
“You think she’ll be upset?”
“Why?”
“We’re very lucky she forgave us for being insensitive and creepy. She’ll think we’re creepy again.”
“Honey, it’s better than getting her hopes up. Imagine we tell her, and it’s a no. It’s not fair.”
What were they talking about? I leaned against the wall.
“We could’ve just asked her, though,” Mom said.
“It’s just a spoon. It’ll be fine. It makes sense. If we were in the same hospital, it’s a pretty high chance.”
A pause. “What if… it’s a yes?”
“Then… we have a daughter.”
My heart leapt in my chest when I realized what they meant. The shock mixed in with suspicions I had for months. I pressed my hands to my mouth, trying to decipher my feelings. Everything fit in like a crazy, weird puzzle. The same face, the same birthday… and the same hospital? Diana’s parents were in the same hospital we were in?
I heard Mom crying. Tears also filled my eyes at the thought. I stared at Diana’s room, where Lonnie was sleeping on her bed. I chuckled. He always did that when she wasn’t around.
“I don’t want to mess it up again,” Mom croaked.
“We won’t. We just… we need to be closer to God. We need to listen to him. That’s why we messed up so badly before, because we weren’t listening. We did what we wanted to do,” Dad said gently. “It’s gonna be okay, my love.”
My phone buzzed, startling me. I quickly rushed downstairs before they could see me.
hectorvector: or imajerklolol
or &^@#2000
or &^%$
or %*&@$^#
imthekingandiknowit: shut up idiot
hectorvector: (multiple laughing emojis)
I sat in the living room, taking a breath. I soon heard panting noises and looked down, finding Lonnie approaching me. I scratched his head, finding comfort in the softness of his fur.
If we were right… I still had a sister. Diana could be Amy’s sister.
It was so crazy. Too crazy. It had to be a fluke.
The doorknob rattled and Diana came into the foyer. I stood, watching as she took off her jackets and dusted the snow off her sneakers. She stopped short as she passed the living room and saw me. Lonnie went up to her, saying hello.
I wanted to say something, but all words had left me. I just gaped at her like a fish. She cocked a brow. “What’s wrong?”
I blinked. Remembering my earlier scheme, I sighed. I couldn’t do that now. My stupid face ruined the whole effect. Instead, I focused on her disheveled appearance. Her hair was a mess, falling out of its low ponytail, and her clothes were covered in dirt and snow.
“What happened to you?” I approached her, dusting her off. I glanced at her wrist, expecting to see her sunflower bracelet, but it was gone. “Where’s your bracelet?”
“My-” She lifted her wrist and groaned. “Dang it. It must’ve…”
“What happened?”
“I fell down.” She wiped her face, stressed. “I need a nap.”
“Did something happen?” She seemed unusually tense. Considering how late it was, I worried.
“No, nothing. Well-” She hesitated. “I saw Ivy today. At the mall.”
“At the mall?”
“The outlet.”
“Oh. Did she… say anything?”
“We got into a thing because I was talking to Monica. She was on the phone,” she explained. “That’s why I got here so late. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine… it wasn’t too bad, right? I can talk to her,” I offered, though it probably wouldn’t do anything. Ivy wasn’t exactly buddy-buddy with us.
“No, don’t do anything. It’s not like I’m going to her school anymore.” Diana headed to the foyer, Lonnie following her. It had only been two weeks, and this guy was attached to her hip. It didn’t take long for him to become part of our family.
Family… that word was so hard for me to define now.
“Diana?”
She turned. “Yeah?”
I studied her face. The same eyes, same proportions… her cheeks were a little thinner. Amy’s face was fuller. Their major difference was their hair; Diana’s hair was a wavy pale white, like Mom’s. Amy got Dad’s hair, a straight golden blond.
Could this girl really be my sister? By blood? I wasn’t fully used to calling her my sister. It had slipped out a couple times, maybe registering subconsciously. It still didn’t feel right, especially with how recent Amy’s passing was.
But if she was my sister… Amy’s sister…
“What is it, Kyle?” she asked.
“Just… don’t stay out so late again, okay? It’s dangerous. Thank God you didn’t get mugged,” I told her.
“I know. I’m sorry.” Her hands wrung together. “I’ll be upstairs napping, okay?” She headed up, her hand tracing the garland decorating the railing.
I returned to the living room, staring at the Christmas tree. On its branches were various mementos of our lives. Ornaments Amy made for us, pictures of each of us, ‘Baby’s First Christmas’, among others. There was an ornament commemorating Julia.
How much did we miss? How much more was supposed to be among the colorful lights and plastic pine leaves? Why did she have to leave us in the first place? The questions filled my head to the point of insanity.
All that was left was for the DNA test to come back.