Life Through a Lens

7. Take a Breath

Another amazing cover by Zania at the side!

7. Take a Breath

     It turned out that Jasmine's house wasn't that far away from Carter's. Technically they were in the same (to a degree) subdivision; the only thing separating them was a small highway. He said it would probably be a thirty or so minute walk; meaning, lots of talking time for the two of them. Or as Carter liked to call it, "Getting to know each other time". 

Jasmine slung her bag over her shoulder, fiddling with the strap absentmindedly as they walked in silence down the sidewalk towards the outskirts of the subdivision. The sun seemed to be going down awful fast, sinking quickly behind the trees that trailed in front of them. Either that, or the trees in this subdivision were just incredibly tall. The road was basked in a warm yellowy orange glow, illuminating every little space that was covered in the tree's overshadowing cover.

"So you have a little sister too?" he asked.

"Yep, Peyton. My nearly, yet not at all identical little sister," Jasmine replied with a smile that turned into a very heavy smirk. He knew nothing about her anymore, or at least she assumed since he had dropped out of her life like one drops something hot as it burns their hand. Somehow all things kept coming back to that. But in a way, it was also all because of that. It was the reason they could be so easy-going with each other now, even if it was only subconsciously.

"How can she be identical, but not?" Carter inquired raising an eyebrow in skepticism. Carter thought if people were identical, they were identical. They couldn't be identical but not, at the same time; that just wasn't logical or possible.

"Well she is. It's by the way we both have long dark brown hair...and personality wise, she's miniature me. Almost. She's a bit sassier and more hyper than I was at her age. At least I would say so,"

"And how is she different?"

"Aging at seven years young, bright blue orbs, much like your sister's, and she's about yay high," Jasmine continued and put my hand where I thought the top of Peyton's head would be. "While I am seventeen years young, have these dull brown things and am this tall." she finished pointing to her eyes and gesturing at her height. He nodded in understanding, like he knew this all along. But of course he didn't, he liked to pretend like he knew so much more than Jasmine; of Jasmine, trying so hard to prove it. He liked to try and be better than her, even though in ways he was, but in ways she was as well.

"What about you?" Jasmine asked, "I mean your siblings."

"Well you met my little Camryn. She's everything." Carter replied.

"How so?" she asked, slighting confused by this statement.

"Well, when I was nine I had a little sister who was seven. We were really close." He started. Jasmine had a hunch where this was going; she just hoped she was very, very wrong. "But sadly she died that year. Then when Camryn was born when I was twelve and I promised myself that I would do anything and everything to protect her and make sure that she didn't meet that same awful fate. I lost two sisters, and I'm not going to lose another." He finished, looking at the ground and kicking a rock.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

"Not many people do," he replied, giving her the saddest smile Jasmine had ever seen before.

Carter looked absolutely broken, alone and venerable, he had even said what she had been thinking, but still. It seemed to mean more now than it did before.

"Cassie was only seven; your sister's age. I couldn't do anything, no one was home. Me and my other sister, we were on our way home from sports that were after school. And the babysitter was supposed to be with her; my mom was at work. But when we got there...well it was too late." His voice trailed off for a minute, it was a hard enough story to tell when he was prepared, but to be kind of flung upon to share was excruciatingly hard. "She had drowned in the pool we used to have out back."