Chapter #16Twin SIsters, Polar Opposites by: Nostrum   You see a glint of curiosity in Mrs. Wilson’s eyes. “How? You’re not telling me that--?”
“It sorta involves wearing your sister, but I’m not speaking about Jimmy or me. I was talking about you.”
Her look wavers into indecision. “This is wrong. She’s my sister – she's Jimmy’s aunt! Bradley and Vanessa have already made their life, and so did I.”
“It’s still unfair, Mom. Aunt Nessie cheated you out of the life you deserve!”
“Jimmy, I allowed myself to be cheated.”
“You mean the punch?” You feel Mrs. Wilson’s red-hot stare snap towards you. “The one you thought was spiked?”
“According to Aunt Nessie, she suspected it must have had something, but she can’t tell. That was Dennis’s plan.”
You feel how Mrs. Wilson trembles at hearing that name. “So you know.”
“About Dennis?” Jimmy says with chilling certainty. “Yeah. Don’t worry, Mom. I’m gonna beat the crap out of that asshole when I see him.”
“Jimmy, don’t say that! I don’t care what he did, he’s still your father.”
“But you’re scared Jimmy’s too similar to him, right?” That traumatizes her even more. “Well, unlike your ex, he cares for you.”
“Still, you shouldn’t. I never gave him the opportunity to meet each other.”
“Because of the restraining order,” you tell her, and she shirks. “Ma’am, it was only a matter of time until Jimmy found out. The difference is that you never told him about it; we stumbled upon it by accident.”
“By playing with our bodies,” she tells you, her voice coarse and rabid.
“Yes, Ma’am. Let me make this clear. We toyed with your bodies. But if we did, it’s because I had to make it up to Jimmy.”
“That doesn’t justify it, David. I’ll have a discussion with Marie about it--”
“Ma’am?” you try to stop her. “I know what we did was immature, and that we should know better. But was it immature to tell Jimmy a painful truth and make it up for him?”
You see Mrs. Wilson struggling with her tears, settling to swallow them with a deep sigh. “It’s still wrong. But I appreciate you care for him.”
“Yet you can’t appreciate that I care for you?” It’s eerie to see just how similar Jimmy and his mom are when hurt. The same trembling cheek, the same look of shock – if their resemblance wasn’t obvious, this should leave no doubt to their connection.
“I do! It’s just... I felt you weren’t ready for it. I mean, you keep secrets from me, do you?”
“Uh...” Jimmy rubs his shoulder, shirking. “I...”
“That doesn’t matter. If you have them, and you don’t want to tell me... How would it feel that I used that same pen to put you on and discover them?”
You see him flinch, like a scared puppy. “I guess I’d feel bad?”
“That’s why I find this so disgusting. I still feel you’re not ready to discover what happened between Dennis and me, but that’s moot right now. Just look at you! You’re willing to hurt your own aunt just to make me feel good?”
“I’m not saying ‘hurt’ her. Just...”
“You know how this feels, Jimmy. Do you think it’s fair for her?”
“I guess I should ask if it’s fair for you.” Mrs. Wilson turns towards you as you face her. “You don’t recall anything that happened, right?”
“No. Just waking up, confused.”
“So you don’t recall talking to me.” She shakes her head in confusion. “That’s how I know most of the stuff that happened between you and your sister. I know you feel you can’t go against her, but...”
Should I go this far? you think to yourself. You know how she felt. You know her anguish and despair at being betrayed by her own family. Just like then, you let yourself be guided by those emotions.
“...I know you know she did. You’re bottling up all those feelings of anger and disappointment because you feel it’s the right thing. That’s not healthy.”
“David, what you’re asking me is tantamount to murder.”
“What I’m asking you is to give it a try. Call your sister, we turn her into skin, you put her on, then you ask her every single question you want. And based on what she tells you, you decide what to do next. But I know what I felt. And I know that, if you had the chance to be with the man you love, you’d do it.”
Mrs. Wilson nods. She closes her eyes, drops a lone tear, then swallows the rest. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”
“Hell yeah!”
“James Edward Wilson!” (That’s the strangest sense of deja vu you’ve felt.) “That I agreed to do this doesn’t mean you should be happy for it! As for you...”
--
Today’s the day. You have it all set out. Mrs. Wilson agreed to the plan.
Of course, it comes with a caveat. She’s still not eager to live as her sister, and most likely will not. She’s also planning to have a talk with your mother about your “strange interests”. And depending on that, you’d probably have to give up the pens.
Jimmy, however, pressed her into a compromise. If Vanessa indeed screwed her up, she would give it a try. (He hopes that doing so will convince her to remain as her.)
You’re playing with Jimmy upstairs when you hear Mrs. Wilson greeting someone. “Nessa! Come in!”
“That’s our cue,” he tells you. “Gotta do it before Heather arrives.”
You lead him downstairs, urging him not to run. It’s strange to see Vanessa again, and you look at your boy clothes and appearance to remind yourself that you’re not wearing her sister – that she’s the one greeting her instead.
You also feel guilty when you see how Vanessa greets your friend. “Jimmy! How’s my favorite nephew?”
“I think I told you on Sunday, Auntie.”
“It’s been three days! A lot of things can happen in three days.”
A lot of things can happen in three minutes, you think to yourself.
“Did you find a girlfriend already?”
Jimmy rolls his eyes, grunting. “No, Auntie. Like I said – too early.”
“You won’t find it with that attitude.” It’s only then that Vanessa notices you. “Oh, hello. I’m Vanessa, James’s aunt. And you are?”
“David,” you say as you shake her hand.
“He’s been one of Jimmy’s best friends since elementary. They’re almost like brothers!”
You’ve heard Mrs. Wilson say that about you, but after the most recent events, it became more poignant. It’s not like you don’t have siblings – you yourself have a brother, Nick, but he’s older and spends most of his time with friends. Even to him, you wouldn’t share some secrets. You only felt comfortable telling Jimmy about the pens, even if he wouldn’t be the best choice.
It’s shocking how telling that is. You care for Jimmy more than you’d care for Tina or Claire – and that’s not saying you don’t care for them. It’s telling because you’ve got issues with them, but you’d never treat them the way Vanessa treats her sister. You, an acquaintance, care more about them than their own flesh and blood.
You rub the black pen hidden in your pocket with grim certainty. You’re looking for a good moment to strike.
--
“...planning to study Journalism once I graduate.”
You’ve entertained Vanessa for a while by telling her about your family and your relation with Jimmy. You can notice from her face that she’s intrigued, as she probably expected someone like Drew. Someone she could feel disappointed about.
Not like she can’t feel disappointed about Jimmy, though. “That’s amazing! You should help my nephew a lot more. Though, being so close, I wonder why nothing about you has rubbed on him...”
“Ness...” You exchange a knowing glance with Mrs. Wilson, and she returns a disappointed one.
“I mean it in a good way, Jules! David here seems like a good kid. But see – that's why a father figure is so important! Had you stayed with Dennis like I told you, they’d be in a much better place.”
It’s incredible how she can speak so ill of her family even in front of a stranger. It says a lot about her bluntness that she’s not afraid to speak about her grievances yet refuses to admit her part in the plot to split Bradley and Mrs. Wilson.
“Nessa?” Jimmy’s mother straightens up in disgust. “I don’t regret my choices.”
“Have you considered if your children may have?” Vanessa looks at Jimmy with a worried expression. “Have you told them the reason why their father can’t visit them?”
“No,” Mrs. Wilson responds. “And I have no reasons to.”
“And you, Jimmy? Aren’t you interested in seeing your father?”
“No.” You know that tone. Jimmy’s pissed. “And I don’t need to know why Mom doesn’t let me see him. I trust her.”
That baffles Vanessa. You suspect, from what little you know her, that she didn’t expect that response. “Well... That I didn’t expect. He still misses you, though. You and your sister.”
“You can tell him I don’t.” Jimmy looks at you, trying to contain his snarl. “David, can we go upstairs? I don’t feel well.”
“You should check that out,” Vanessa replies. “Have you visited a doctor recently? I could take you to the pediatrician that attended Clara and Daniel.”
“It’s alright.” He takes you aside, whispering. “As soon as she’s distracted, zap her.”
You move towards the stairs, nodding. Mrs. Wilson immediately gets the cue and makes her move. “Nessie, don’t worry. I believe he’s fine. I’m more worried about you – I don’t want you to suffer the same fainting fits as last time.”
“Jules? What do you mean--?”
Without warning, you click the black pen unto Vanessa. Her sister shrieks as she sees her deflating, then leans closer, driven by curiosity.
Jimmy, on the other hand, is driven by righteous indignation. “See, Mom? Not even in front of David!”
“Yes, I...” She grabs her sister’s skin, its mouth a gaping, toothless maw. “She shouldn’t have. Now what?”
“Now,” you tell her. “Put her on. I’ll tell you what happens next.” You have the following choice: 1. Continue |
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