PAPER RINGS | jj maybank

031. she's gone

"She went missing. She didn't leave." Athena corrected. "It was completely different to this."

"Okay, what about the time you set Billy's stuff on fire on his lawn after your breakup?" Sarah asked.

"What do you mean our breakup, Sarah he cheated on me. I was completely right to do that." Athena stared her incredulously, wondering what had gotten into her sister that day. But the way Sarah was looking at her, like she was crazy and Sarah was all high and mighty, superior to everyone had lighted a certain fury in Athena, an anger she hadn't felt in a while. The blonde tilted her head to the side, putting a small smirk on her face as she e started at her sister. "But then I guess you would approve of his actions considering you've cheated on every boyfriend you've ever had. I'm not the problem Sarah, you are."

If there was one thing to know about Sarah Cameron it was the fact that she couldn't really deal with the truth. And so the sudden reality check from her sister, the person who was supposed to take her side no matter what, made her snap.

"Get out." She told Athena. The girl, however, didn't move. "I said get out. I don't want to speak to you."

"Classic Sarah freaking Cameron, can dish it out but can't take it." Athena scoffed before she held her hands up. "Fine, I'll leave, but I'm over your shit Sarah."

"Fine!" Sarah exclaimed as Athena stepped out the door. "I don't need you anyway."

"Fine!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

And with that both of their bedroom doors slammed shut. The rest of the family were extremely confused as to what had happened between the door. The usual attached by the hip twins couldn't even be in the same room as each other for more than five minutes and even then it was full of glares, side eyes and scoffs at whatever the other was saying or doing.

It wasn't until two weeks later that they made up. Sarah had gone to a party with Topper and he had gone home and left her there alone after they argued about something. Sarah had decided to drink her feelings away and ended up throwing up in the bathroom before sitting in the bath tub and crying at their friend's house. The friend phoned Athena, telling her that Sarah had been begging for someone to get her for the last forty minutes.

The blonde had left what she was doing and walked to the house that was luckily only a few minutes away. She sat in the bath tub with Sarah, who cried on her shoulder before apologising for everything she had said and told Athena she was right. The twins had then walked home, very carefully to avoid Sarah falling over, cuddling in Athena's bed.

The rest of their family was even more confused the next morning when they came down to breakfast as if nothing had happened. Athena was happy to finally have her sister back, feeling a sense of emptiness that two weeks without her.

It was that same sense of emptiness that made her feel numb as she walked back into the tent that held Pope, Kie and JJ without her sister by her side.

"What happened?" Kie asked, noticing Athena's tears. Athena just stared at them, her entire body frozen, not being able to even think about forming the words and telling them they lost contact with John B and Sarah. Luckily she didn't have to when Shoupe and two other officers walked into the tent behind Athena. The three pogues quickly got up, gathering next to Athena for any news.

"Did you find them?" Pope asked.

"No." Shoupe answered plainly.

"So, they got away?" Kie questioned though she didn't seem very hopeful.

"We, uh... we lost them. I'm sorry." Shoupe admitted. Athena shook her head, knowing where this was going.

"You lost them? What do you mean you lost them? Like they're gone? What are you talking about?" Pope asked, stepping forward slightly.

"They took an open boat into a tropical depression, Pope." Shoupe tried to explain.

"So, they're dead?" Kie asked.

"We don't know." Shoupe told them.

"You drove them straight through a storm man!" JJ exclaimed. "Are you kidding me, come here!"

JJ launched forward, trying to attack Shoupe but another officer grabbed him and pulled him away. JJ struggled against the officers, still trying to get to Shoupe. "I'm going to kill you, you bastard!"

"JJ, stop!" Kie yelled, sobbing. She continued to cry for both Pope, who was now shouting at Shoupe, and JJ to stop.

Athena stood still, the news finally sinking in as she watched everyone's reactions. She stumbled back, tears trickling down her face. She places her hand over her mouth and screwed her eyes shut, trying to silence her sobs.

"Thena!" A voice called out. Athena opened her eyes, turning around to see Wheezie rushing into the tent, having obviously heart the news. Tears were running down her cheeks.

"Wheeze." Athena wrapped her arms around her baby sister, who hugged her waist. Athena's shirt was stained with tears. "It's going to be okay."

She rested her hand on the back of Wheezie's head, placing her chin on top of it as Athena closed her eyes, trying to comfort her little sister. By this point, the other pogues were hugging their own parents, Heyward hugging JJ as well. Opening her eyes, Athena noticed Rose in the corner. She smiled weakly at the woman before letting Wheezie go, gently pushing her in Rose's direction.

Athena turned around, looking at the family's hugging as she stood alone. JJ was the first to notice her there. He let got of the Heyward family, walking over to the Cameron girl slowly.

"Attie—?" He spoke softly. Athena immediately broke down, falling into JJ. The boy quickly wrapped his arms around his girl, holding her up as she held onto his shirt like a lifeline.

"She's gone. They're both gone." She sobbed. Pope and Kie quickly joined in the hug, the four of them all trying to comfort each other.

"It'll be okay, Cinderella. We'll be okay, I promise." And for the first time since they met, Athena didn't believe JJ's promise. So she stayed there, wrapped in her best friends' arms as they all tried to bask in the comfort of each other while they still could. Athena felt a piece of her world die that day, it suddenly not feeling so full, like half of her had died.

You know in Inside Out, yes the pixar movie, when Riley's personality islands turn grey and she looses a piece of herself. That's how Athena felt right them. Her sister, her twin sister, her best friend since birth, her other half was gone. Just like that.

It was funny how life worked, one minute they were promising each other for all eternity and the next she was gone. Dead. See you in a minute would have to be slightly longer but she wasn't they only person who lost someone.

They'd all lost John B and Sarah and that's why, as they all hugged, they were together, all of them feeling completely and utterly broken.