on that day, her heart stopped

1 ~ The Twins

"We started talking about the military and you were calm. Then you think of bread and start crying?"

"We promised!" The boy started to leak tears down his round cheeks until his sister placed both hands on his shoulders comfortingly. As much as she wanted to stay and enjoy the sunrise, they never broken a promise to their Mother.

"Okay. We can stop by the bread stall on our way home, right? There's loads of time." The dark haired boy wiped his eyes with his sleeve and followed as his sister set a swift pace back down through the church.

The bread stall was only a five minute walk. During this time, the twins glanced around them at the other market stands. The sun had risen enough to shine light over the buildings, illuminating the streets. Many salesmen tried to haggle away fruits and drinks but one stand caught the girl's eye. She walked away from the merchant two minutes later with a beautiful bunch of daisies.

"Mom will love these!" She said, running to catch up to her brother.

After a quick stop at the bread stand, the twins started to head home. The girl kicked small stones along the floor as she walked, trying not to trip over her feet. They gathered that their Mother would already be awake and therefore didn't bother trying to be quiet. Together, they trampled up the stone stairs to their small home, with the bread and flowers almost falling from their arms.

"We're back!" The boy announced as they ran through the door. He dumped the bread on the table and ran into their Mother's outstretched arms. "Told you we'd remember!" The girl followed, a pink blush creeping onto her cheeks as she stepped forwards.

Their Mother, Sara, was a beautiful woman. She had long black hair, braided to the side of her head, and deep brown eyes. Those eyes would remind you of your favourite chocolate, if you looked into them for long enough. Her daughter resembled her in many ways. They had identical eye shapes and the same soft expression. Despite the twins being eleven years old, their Mother didn't look a day over twenty-five.

The girl tucked a stray hair behind her left ear before holding out the flowers.

Joy. That's the emotion that their Mother truly felt in that moment. That and pride. Her children were growing into the most beautiful beings that she had ever seen. Sara respected them more than some people in the town that were three times their age. The raven-haired woman accepted the bunch of daisies without a moment's hesitation and pulled both of her children into a tight hug.

"We love you." Her son said, "You're the best."

"I love you both, so much."

Both children were fighting the tears in their eyes until the boy finally lost it and started bawling into their Mother's shoulder. This set off his sister and soon all three members of the family were cocooned on the floor, crying. They family was sad and happy all at the same time. The anniversary of their Father's death would never be a pleasant day but one that the children tried to make easier for their Mother. They'd promise each other, every year, that they would be on their best behaviour, do all of their chores quickly and save up any money they could earn to buy their Mother a nice gift. The children were selfless, the boy slightly more so than his sister, and both had high morals and dedication when it came to family; even at such a young age. The twins missed their Father dearly but they valued their Mother above any other human being in the world. Apart from maybe each other.

Sara knew her children better than anyone could ever understand another person. She knew that they both wanted to skip the easy life and serve their country, following in their Father's footsteps. She also knew that she had no hope in stopping them. Perhaps, she thought, it was finally time for that conversation.