We Were Forgotten {ON HOLD}

Twins

Reese started freaking out and snatched the phone from me. “Markus! Answer us! Please!”

I turned back to the man who looked like he was seeing death. His eyes were blown wide with horror and he stepped back a little just to get away from two innocent girls crying for their big brother. “Sir, please. Th-that’s my brother. I need to know if he’s okay.”

“I am sorry there’s nothing I can do-”

I heard to sound of a phone hitting the floor and the sent of Pine-Sol on my face. I was on the ground and Reese was running over to the register. “You have some money!” she shouted. She started beating the buttons with her fists, trying to get it open. “Please! A dollar would be fine! Just anything!”

I scrambled up and ran to her. “Reese stop it.” I wrapped my arms around her waist and tried to pull back her fighting body. I had never seen her act like this. I didn’t know if it was still apart of the plan, our if she was going crazy from not having any money for three days.

“Okay!” the man shouted. “Okay I’ll help.” Reese let go and we fell back into the cigarettes lined on the back wall. I knocked off some cigarette boxes, and while he was typing stuff into the register, we stuffed two in each jacket pocket.

That precious angel sound of the cash register opening rang in my ears and I stifled a smile. “Okay. I give you five hundred for trip, yes?”

I felt like screaming. Yes! Joy filled my body as I stood up. “Really sir? Like really five hundred dollars?”

He turned around with a wad of cash in his hand and a proud smile on his face. “Family is more important than money. Hold out your hand.”

I held my hand out as he put the cash on my pale skin. Two fifties, fifteen twenties, and ten glorious ten dollar bills lay in my hand. Reese stood by me in disbelief. She didn’t think that story would work, and we should’ve stuck to our “Magic Trick” game. But haha sis.

“Oh my God,” Reese whispered a smile now on her face. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” She grabbed his face and kissed his forehead.

“We don’t have to do anything?” I asked.

“Find your brother. That’s all.”

We thanked him again and ran out of the store. I clenched the money tightly and grabbed my sister’s hand. I could still feel his eyes on us, and I led her down one of the back roads to where he couldn’t see us. Water splashing on us as our heavy feet crashed in puddles. Midday sun glaring at us, and our hearts couldn’t be happier.

She stopped, waking my arm with her. “What?” I gasped. We were out of breath and in an alley with tiny little rats.

She looked at me with a grin on her face. “We did it,” she sang. “We did it. We did it.”

I joined her and we were dancing around in the alley like fools. “Wait. You got some smokes, right?” She smiled and nodded, pulling two boxes out her pocket. “And a lighter?”

Her smile fell and a look of disappointment came on her face. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“What are you sorry for?” I asked. “We got five hundred dollars, and a million boxes of cigarettes! Do you know how much we can make off of that?”

“But I didn’t do it right.” I sighed and pulled her into a hug. My sister was a perfectionist.If a set of orders or rules were given, she had to follow them exactly or else she’d be fucked for the rest of the day. I just simply asked her to get a lighter when we walked in and she didn’t do it. But I wasn’t mad or disappointed, she was.

“Reese it’s oka-” she broke away and ran out of the alley.

“I have to get a lighter!” She shouted. “I have to-”

A neon bright light that stung my eyes whipped by as it blinded me. I cursed and covered them with my arms. I saw it fade behind my eyelids, but as I opened them I was still blind. I spat curses at whatever was around to hear and felt around for my sister. “Reese?” No answer. “Reese I know you didn’t leave.”

Shapes started forming in the darkness, and I could see the fire exits between the two buildings, the dumpster on the side of one, and a puddle of dirty water standing next to the other. But I couldn’t see my sister. I called out her name again, and once again there was no answer.

I felt my heart slowly sinking, my motions becoming more meaningless and my feet floating off the ground. I blinked and everything cleared. I walked from out of the alley, and looked around. My sister wasn’t a fast runner, so she couldn’t be far.

“She’s gone mate,” I heard. I looked down the street and saw a chubby blue haired girl standing there. “You’re one of the Redheaded Robbers, right?” I slowly nodded and looked around. She couldn’t be gone. She wouldn’t leave me. And she wouldn’t be far either. “Your twin is gone.” She said again. “I saw that thing make her disappear.”

Reese? Gone? That…that thing took her from me. That thing took her. A rush of anger filled my body. It took her. It took my sister. “SHIT!” I roared.

“Hey chill-”

It took her. Where was it? I had to find it. I had to find it. And kill it. Run. I stuffed the money in my pocket and ran into the heart of the city. A tornado of rage and anger and heartbreak all balled up into someone like me was just asking for trouble. Chicago here I come.