The Inseparable Twins

Yves: Wake Up!

The comforter was pulled up to my nose and the scent of the vanilla lavender detergent always relaxes me. I shifted to my right side, facing the rest of the bedroom and all I could see was the soft glow from our blue digital clock. It was still really early, had about four more hours before we had to get up and get ready for school. I could hear Ian tossing and groaning in his sleep from the other side of the room. He sounds a little restless actually.

I sat up quickly, brushing the comforter aside, realizing that I really had to use the bathroom. I shouldn't have had all that tea before going to bed! I hopped out of bed and nearly tripped over an article of clothing that felt like a pair of jeans. "We should really learn to put our clothes in the hamper..." I muttered to myself as I proceeded to bump into my dresser. I cringed as the corner of it poked the point of my hip. I held out my hands as a precaution to bump into anything else as I made it to the door.

Very slowly I turned to doorknob and slipped out the door without making a sound. I walked quietly down the hall to the bathroom when I noticed a light on downstairs; probably from the kitchen since it was comparably dim to the living room light. Entering the bathroom, I closed the door before turning on the light, that thing is ridiculously bright that I didn't want anyone else sleeping to notice it. I glanced out the window to spot a beautiful full moon and glittering stars. I smiled happily to myself and scratched my bare stomach before turning on the light.

Reflexively I squinted my eyes right as I flipped the switch. The whole room was instantly illuminated and the familiar baby blue walls, white lace window curtains, a double sink vanity with a chocolate brown granite top and a large bathtub shower combination greeted me. I peeked at the large mirror on the wall above the sinks and looked myself over, staring at all the details and lines and feeling like this isn't me. I looked down at a light pink scar that ran vertical on the left side of my collarbone.

I remember getting it one of the times Ian and I were beat up in elementary school. Our parents freaked out when they had to remove us from school early that day. Mom and Dad demanded justice, but there wasn't anything administration could do, even though they spewed all that nonsense in the beginning of the year that bullying wasn't tolerated. It gets thrown out there at every single assembly at the beginning of every year. They're all talk but when it comes down to it, they won't lift a finger to fix the situation. All the administration and faculty did was just put the blame on the victims of the bullying.

I gently touched the scar; it was a little bit raised from the rest of the skin. I bit my lip and lowered my head and turned for the toilet.

After finishing what I needed to do, washed my hands and turned off the light, I decided to head downstairs real quick. I could smell the aroma of freshly brewed coffee –smelled like Dad's favorite- and warmed muffins. I didn't see him in the kitchen, so he must have went out already for his early morning walk with the dog. I grabbed a muffin, a small ziploc bag, and tore the muffin in two. I placed the other half of the muffin in the bag and left it on the counter next to Ian's coffee cup; that way he can take it with him on to the bus.

There was a faint sound of crying that broke the silence in the house. It was just loud enough for me to hear at and I dashed back up the stairs, almost losing my footing in the top step. The crying got louder and I pushed our bedroom door open. I rushed over to his bed, kneeling on the floor and gently brushing the hair away from his face. Ian was sleeping on his right side with his back tome; he looked smaller like that with all the blankets up over his shoulder. He kept whimpering and crying in his sleep; he even reached out a few times trying to grab something or push something away. Ian's sobbing got louder and louder and I felt there was nothing I could do. I tugged on his shirt a few times with no luck. "Wake up! ...Ian! ....Ian! .....Ian!" I yelled loud enough for him to hear me. He stirred and rolled onto his back, eyes flickering open, and body covered in sweat. I could feel him trembling under my hands. I let out a sigh of relief. In the the sun has only just begun to rise, so there's a little bit of light coming through the windows.

Ian sits up slowly and takes a moment to settle down. I jump up onto the bed, pushing aside some if the blankets and hug my brother tight. I can feel him trembling all over, that makes me hold him even tighter and he clings to me naturally. After a few moments of sitting like that, I felt Ian's body relax, his sobbing quieted and his face was buried in my shoulder.

This is really the only thing I feel like I can do to help my brother when he gets like this.