Our Mother's secret

Eleven years later

ELEVEN YEARS LATER

"Hurry up or we'll be late." I shout at Amanda. She is putting on make up and is wasting a lot of time. "Come on, you've been sitting here for almost an hour." I scream at her as I am getting really impatient. 

"Am almost done." She say but I can barely hear her as she is putting on lip gloss. 

"That was what you said thirty minutes ago." I pick up my bags which is lying on the desk besides the curtains. I look at my watch for the hundredth time since this morning. "One of these days, am going to hide all that make up of yours." I know Amanda doesn't joke with her make up at all but that is all I can say to her. 

"Alright, alright." She stands up and quickly arranges the make up bottles on the table. She looks at herself for what seems to be like the one hundredth time. 

"Don't worry." She tells me as she sees the look in my face. "It's the last time." She picks up her bag which is lying carelessly on the floor.

"I hope so because I can't take it anymore." I say as I take a deep breath and nod. Our house is currently filled with mirrors of different sizes just because my twin sister always likes looking at her pretty face.

We go out of the door. 

"Am driving." Amanda says. 

"Too late, am driving today." I shoit after her. "Afterall am with the keys."

"But you drove yesterday. Come on." Amanda insists. 

"Ok, ok." I say and get into the passengers seat. "But you know I should be the one to drop you off."

"But I want to go to school with the car. It's been a while." Amanda complain.

I really don't feel like arguing. I quietly don't reply. 

"Are you ok?" She was concerned. 

"Yes, I am." I answer, even though I know that I need to check myself at the hospital. I decide to do that when I get there. 

***

It is currently 1:15, at the hospital and am sitting on a bench in the waiting room. I remember that I forgot to take the tests because I was busy the whole day. 

"Hey." 

I look to see who it is. 

"Hey, Doctor Noah." I said in a tired voice. 

"Seems you are tired." He said. He was tall and he was a patient and nice doctor, many patients really loved him and so did my female collegues. 

"Yeah, I feel really exhausted." I say, I don't know why am telling him this but I see Jane standing in the counter, taking glances at me. 

Jane was the wicked queen of this hospital, at least to me. She's always on my neck trying to make life miserable for me. I know she likes Noah but he doesn't even as much as look at her.

I know Noah likes me or at least I think so. So I try to draw the conversation with him as long as I could to make Jane jealous.

"Take some drugs, ok? I think it's because of stress." He says to me and hold my hands. I let him do so. His hands were cold and his expression showed that he was quite happy with it. 

I sure am happy to see the jealousy in Jane's dark eyes.

**

I pick up my sister from school. She goes to school while I don't. I go to the hospital where our mum worked. Even though I don't admit it, I know that I do this because I miss her so much. It's like a way of me remembering her when she had that horrible car accident that faithful night. 

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing." I say and try to concentrate on the road. 

"You are thinking about Mum right?" Amanda had that knowing look on her face. Sometimes I hate that she can read me like a book. But of course, I guess it's because we are twins. 

"No," I try to lie but we don't lie to each other so I guess she already knows. "Yes." I finally admit. It was actually cold in the car and I am thankful that the traffic isn't much. 

Amanda smiles and give me a semi-hug because I was driving. 

"I wonder where Dad would be." Amanda randomly asks. I don't know if she did so to get my attention or not but I didn't care but that doesn't mean that I won't let her worry, though. 

I say nothing. 

"Am just worried, that's all." I know she is trying to get me to talk. 

Our Dad got married to another woman after our mother's death. I was so angry at him and am definately still angry at him. He left with her and occasionally comes to see us with his horrible looking wife. Amanda welcomes him while I don't even want to see his face. 

We get home and I pack the car as I look at our house. We were doing all right. I was earning enough for both Amanda and I. She was also supporting by working at an ice cream shop near by. 

We go inside and sit tiredly on the chairs. 

"I feel so tired." Amanda yell. 

"Me too." I say also. "How was school?"

"Fine." She smiles and sits up. "There was a new boy at school today. 

I hiss and say "what is so cool about the new boy."

"Nothing really, just that he said he came from a royal home." She explains. 

"A royal home? So he is a prince." I doubt it. 

"I guess." She shrugs her shoulder. 

I get up and am about going upstairs to my room when I ask. 

"Wait."

She looks and at me and wait like I say. 

"You met this guy today so how come you guys are already talking. Don't tell me that you approached him to ask him.." 

She didn't let me finish. "Of course, no. Am not stupid. That's what Evelyn told me today at school."

"Then it must be a lie, I know you believed it."

"It might be true." Amanda said and followed me upstairs. 

**

It was 7:00 and I am feeling really sleepy. I have already brush my teeth and am set and ready for bed when I decide to check on Amanda. I know she can take care of herself but that girl can act crazy sometimes. 

I purposely don't knock before going into her room. The room is brightly lit and that is not what I expect. She is supposed to be sleeping because she was complaining all afternoon about how tires she was. I hear some sound then I turn and I see her searching an old box for something. She didn't look startled when she notices me. 

"What are you doing?" I ask her. She was in her pyjamas which was sea blue. 

"Oh, nothing. Just checking on Mum's old stuff. 

I look and see mum's old box inside her room. 

"Where did you get that from?" I sound a little mad. 

"From the basement." She says. She was still looking for God knows what. 

"Why?" I am mad at her. I am not sure why but I know am mad. 

"Why do you sound mad. I just wanted to remember mum." She paused and looked at me. "Do you remember the story she used to tell us? I really believed in those story."

"I did too but they are just stories."

"I still do believe in them, anyway. Sometimes I feel that Mum use to tell us that story for a reason especially the queen Delaphina."

"Just because that is her favorite story doesn't mean she tells it to us for a reason. This is reality, you should stop thinking and dreaming of the impossible." I say to my sister. I am really getting tired of all her fantasy. I don't know of any other way to convince her to make her believe that all the dragons and fairies are all make believe and they don't exist.  

She never believes me when I tell her that she can't marry a prince. 

"Come on, Allison let's read that story again. I think it might be connected to mum's death."

I look at my sister and give up. I look at her clock and it says 7:14. Since I don't feel sleepy anymore, I decide to join her.

We sat up on the bed and she reads the story out loud. That is the last thing I remember before I sleep off.