Twisted Fate

Waking up today wasn’t my intention. I had a long day ahead of me and of course, I’m always the one who has to work hard. I wasn’t an adopted child, I wasn’t a stepdaughter, but I had an annoying twin sister. Veronica Summers, my identical twin was the opposite of me. She was pampered more by my mum and dad and always caused trouble - of course, I’m always the one to be blamed.

“Olivia!!! Get down here we have work to do” I heard my mother scream. Her voice echoed heavily in my room. I knew I had to get up quickly before she called again. I yawned heavily, blinking multiple times to take away the remaining sleep I had in my eyes. Walking down the hallway, I peeped through Veronica’s room sighing deeply- nobody woke her up. I watched her as she slept peacefully and made my way downstairs to meet my mother. It was a busy day for my family and everybody had to do something - except Veronica.

“ Don’t just stand there, get your hands on something!! Why haven’t you dressed up? Has Veronica woken up? Are your dresses ready? We don’t have much time anymore”

“Ah! Olivia, get dressed and wake Veronica!”

I stood confused, listening to my mum and dad talk to me while trying to get things in order. I went back upstairs, to Veronica’s room to wake her up as my mum asked earlier.

“Veronica, wake up and get ready” I whispered into her ears and watched as she reluctantly tried to open her eyes while muttering some words. “Get up!” I said again, this time in a loud tone.

“Okay, okay! I’m awake. Please leave, I need to get dressed”. Veronica hissed, “ What are you wearing? Hope it’s not the same as mine? I need to look different today,” She said and smiled. I was used to this, Veronica had always wanted to be different from me, and she hated the fact that we shared similar faces. Of course, I wasn’t exempted. I also hated that because I always had to take the blame for everything she did. I looked at her and forcefully answered “No, I’m wearing pink, you can wear something else”

“No! I want to wear pink, it’s my favorite color!” Veronica sulked.

“Well pink is also my favorite color and so you’d have to deal with it!”, I said and stormed out of the room. I was already tired of living to please Veronica and was happy I had to stand up to her whenever I had the chance.

I walked into my room and made my way to the wardrobe. The silence in my room hunged heavily as I searched through my wardrobe with my eyes on what to wear.

“I should be different today” I muttered. The words echoed off the pearl-white satin hanging limply before me. My fingers ran over the clothes as I pictured the forced smile I knew Veronica would wear downstairs. Not me. Not tonight. I took out the dress and began to prepare myself for the party while thinking of how Veronica would react when she saw me.

“Girls! Get downstairs now” Mum’s voice laced with impatience.

I fastened my preparations to meet up with the beginning of the party. Peeping through the stairs, I saw Veronica with my father and his business associates. Ugh! Guests! I disliked a public gathering but I had no choice as my parents always hosted frequently. As I made my way downstairs, all eyes turned to me. The silence stretched, thick with surprise and curiosity. And then, a ripple of murmurs among the crowds. I met their gaze, chin held high and a slow smile curved my lips- Veronica wouldn’t like this, I thought to myself. I was getting the attention she always wanted and somehow, I loved it. The night was about to get interesting.

My father's voice boomed across the room, shattering the tension and drawing all eyes on us. “Ah! Gentlemen”, he announced, gesturing towards me with a flourish. “May I introduce the other half of my dynamic duo, Olivia”

A ripple of murmurs swept through the room with curiosity in their eyes. I met their gaze- this wasn’t the introduction I pictured in my head. I forced a smile and my eyes caught Veronica’s. She wasn’t happy I stole the crowd which made me smile- now she’d know how it feels to be hidden. I watched her leave without looking back and turned to face my dad and his business associates.

“Olivia, come here, there’s work to do”

Work to do? I repeated in my head, unsure of what I heard my mother say. I sighed heavily and proceeded to the room where she was. As I walked past Veronica, the silence between us crackled with unspoken words. I couldn’t bring myself to meet her gaze.

“Olivia….” Veronica started. I could sense the jealousy and anger that lingered in her voice. “I said don’t wear pink and you wore something to steal the crowd from me. Don’t think this is over”

Splash !!

Veronica spilled her wine on her dress, screaming loudly to get the attention of everyone in the room. Draped in crocodile tears, she pointed her fingers at me. “It was her! Always jealous, trying to steal my life”. Her voice was laced with feigned hurt. Pain surged through me. My gaze darted towards Veronica, whose innocent wide-eye seemed a little too perfect.

“Oh Olivia”, she choked out, her voice dropped with feigning concern. “How could you do this? I know you were upset about not wearing pink. But to cause such damage….”

I looked around the room, seeing everyone’s disappointed faces and side talks about how much of a wicked twin I am. My fathers face flushed with embarrassment and stammered apologies. As the side talks continued , I felt tears stinging in my eyes. I tried to speak to defend myself but Veronica’s soft sobs cut me off.

“What kind of a sister are you?” I heard someone say in the crowd. Veronica was getting what she wanted - being the center of attraction and making everyone concerned about her. I stood there , unable to say a word, I hoped someone watched us while the incident happened. I was left alone , to defend myself. I watched my dad plead with his colleagues not to leave. But they were disappointed by the event that played out. In tears, I ran upstairs to my room, wondering what my father would do after everyone leaves. Just then , I heard, “Olivia!!!!”

“Oh! My father is really upset” I said out loud,clenching my teeth and letting out the tears I’ve been holding.

That night, I locked myself in. I wasn’t sure if my father was still upset. My mother on the other hand,never said a word to me which made me more concerned.

Weeks passed, I was still isolated. I heard my father plead with people a few times and he always ended up being disappointed after the calls. Things began to go bad for us - my father had no collaborations and had spent his whole money on buying gifts to apologize to people about what happened at the party.

One morning,the sun painted the sky in hues of pink and orange, casting a warm glow across the awakening world. The air was crisp, carrying the sweet scent of dew-kissed grass, as nature's symphony of birdsong filled the tranquil atmosphere. Sleep clung to me like cobwebs, but beneath it thrummed a disquieting tremor- my father’s call, an unexpected call had shattered the tranquility of the morning.

As I went down the stairs, thoughts ran through my mind. This was the first time in weeks I heard my father call me. Each step I took echoed the heavy news-me? Marrying Eric Wilson?. Reaching the room where my father was, I caught his gaze. “ You will marry Eric Wilson” he announced, the words sharp and final.

Why me? The question burned my throat,laced with the unspoken sting of Veronica’s absence. I managed to utter a word but my fathers voice boomed again. “It’s because of you Olivia. You ruined everything!” His words echoed hollow in the space between me, a bridge collapsing under the weight of his misplaced anger. “But father…”I managed to speak, to protest but it was met with a thunderous “Leave”whipping through the room like a winter gale.

Tears pricked my eyes, threatening to spill. I turned,seeking solace, and found Veronica waiting, her smile widening ever so slightly. “Don’t think this is over”, she purred.