Double Life: Celebrations

A/N: This one´s longer than expected -to compesate the long time without it, maybe? I think that I should´ve made it in two parts... well, it´s kinda weird...


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“Spacing out again?” Josh asked her from behind. She couldn´t help a tiny smile.
“Not as much as you. I bet you didn´t hear the teacher´s question. The answer´s mitosis” She kept looking out the window.
“What?”
“Mr. Arlington?” the teacher prompted but quickly pointed to another student to find the answer.
“See, mr. Arlington, you should pay more attention to your classes” Nichole whispered to him.

“You should know by now that when you think I´m spacing out it is you that is spacing out” Nichole told Josh at their lunch period.
“I´m telling you, it´s like the teachers know that I´m talking to you and they decide to ask me for the one thing that I´ve missed. I don´t get why they never ask you”
“That is ´cause they know I know, plus I´d totally give them the answer”
“geez, is there anything that you´re not perfect at?” he said rolling his eyes
“Nope, I´m perfect in every sense” she decided to answer the rhetorical question. They both laughed.
“Hey,  in two weeks I´m having my birthday and mom and dad seem to be starting to forgive us since they´re making a party for us”
“That’s great” commented Nichole without really knowing what to say.
“yeah... I was wondering...” Josh trailed off  “if you´d like to go”
“Sorry. I won´t go” she said quickly
“Hey you could´ve at least pretended that you thought a little about it” he pouted.
“Hey do not get offended, in two weeks I get to spend a day with Mii, you know I don´t spend much time with her and after that it´ll be a while since I can see her again”
“I see... you can take her”
“Thank you -she smiled- but  I doubt that a little girl fits in a teenager´s party”
“Yeah...I guess. It´s ok” he sounded somewhat sad
“But I´ll send you a present” she winked “also by not going I´ll avoid getting death glares by Michelle, because I assume she´s going isn´t she?”
“I guess Aaron will invite her”
“What about me?” said Josh´s twin sitting on the empty chair between Nichole and Josh. He grabbed his twin´s apple and bit it.
“You will invite Michelle, right?” asked Josh not minding that his twin had taken his food, it seemed as if he was used to that.
“mh but I can un-invite her if it worries you” he said looking at Nichole who smirked.
“I think uninviting her should only worry you since she´ll flip if you do so” Nic said nonchalantly
“I know Josh will be taking you but you should seriously go with me instead, I´m the fun one” Aaron smiled charmingly
“Who says anyone is taking me anywhere? I go where I please and I´m not going anywhere with you” her voice was calm
“ouch” said Josh chuckling
“So, indeed, Josh is taking you” Aaron said unaffected.
“I´m not going” Nic replied and took a sip of her drink
“What? why not? don´t tell me you´re still holding a grudge against me? I apologized already and this one -he pointed at his twin- is your friend right?” he tried to coax her in to going.
“You´re not that important as to hold anything against you and yeah... he´s my friend but that doesn´t bound me to go anywhere or do anything” she said nonchalantly
“ouch, she sure is cold, Josh.”
“Later twins” Nichole said getting up and walking towards the trees close to where they were.
“Hey, wait” Aaron said raising his voice but she just waved still looking ahead.

“Let her be, she´s got things to do” Josh advised
“No, no, that girl´s going with me”
“Are you crazy?” Josh asked “what´s the sudden interest in her?”
“Does it makes you mad that I want to take her? and I´ve recently found out that she´s rejected every body that has wanted to date her”
“So?”
“So? just that she´s the only one no one can have and that sounds like challenge to me”
“What´s wrong with you, is she a game to you?”
“You seem to like her just fine so she can´t be that bad therefore it´s not just that I´m getting a date but also I´ll be the one”
“Come on, man, don´t you have enough with the other girls?”
“agh, don´t worry it´ll be good for her self-esteem as well... unless you´re going after her in which case you´re going the right path since apparently she´s never called anybody her friend and she just called you that”
“I´m not going after her, I´m just trying to keep you away from a good beating”
“Don´t worry about that, it won’t happen” and with that Aaron ran on the same direction she had taken.

He walked a little and found her sitting down, her back against a tree. She didn´t give any signs of acknowledging his presence. She had headphones on and though her eyes were opened she was really still as if she was sleeping.
“I thought I wasn´t going to find you” Aaron said sitting in front of her. She didn´t talk. “You should go to our party, I´d love you to be my date. We could go one of this days to get your dress and my tux” he smiled a charming smile. She chuckled “what´s funny?” he asked. She was starting to undermine his confidence with that lack of response and now the chuckle.
“I thought you thought I was a freak” she said and looked straight to his eyes, for a moment he felt she was looking right through him but he kept his cool
“You had hit me” he lowered his head “and managed to brake my nose” he felt a little embarrassed but he thought that with her type being a little submissive helped. She chuckled again, he took that as a good sign, since he had never seen her smile even less chuckle, and now he´d seen her do it twice.
“And I can do that again” she smirked “but seriously, what´s with you guys? you´re so insistent and stubborn, why all of the sudden you want to take me out on a date? what´s in it for you?”
“Nothing” he said too quickly. She looked into his eyes again, her gaze was almost piercing once again.
“Such a liar”
“You know you are pretty, that´s what´s in it for me, everybody likes you, it´s just that they are afraid of you and those death glares you give”
“Ah, so you´re one of those” she sounded disappointed.
“What do you mean one of those”
“Seems like rumors fly, I´m the one girl that do not date therefore you want to prove you´re the best by taking me as your date that way you´d have anyone and to be honest that´s a good plan but since there´s nothing in it for me, I´m not interested at all” she talked in that nonchalantly tone of hers and got up.
“Hey! are you going to leave me talking again?” he said walking at her pace. She said nothing. “What´s with you that leave people talking like that? that´s rude for a girl”
“Leave me alone, I could care less of what you think of me or your reputation. Life is more than parties and reputations, you know, just grow up” now, she sounded irritated.
“Nickie, wait, don´t get mad” he replied walking after her even though he knew she was being serious when she had said she could brake his nose again. She stopped when he called her that pet-name and turned around, her expression blank, she walked closer to him.
“If you ever call me Nickie again I will break your legs” she leaned forward while saying it. Aaron wondered if she could actually do it. But he lifted his arms in a surrender motion.
“Come on! what do I have to do for you to say yes?”
“Nothing, just leave me alone” She said angry while holding herself from acting like she had been taught. She knew she could easily put him to sleep but she knew that might mean to hurt him and though he was being a nuisance, he didn´t deserve that. So, she decided to run.

“Thank you for not braking Aaron´s nose again” Josh whispered to Nic in the class after lunch. She nodded. “Are you mad?” he asked hesitant.
“I am”
“I´m sorry”
“Why do you always apologize for his behaviour?” She still sounded angry. While the teacher left, the class was over, she turned to see Josh
“Because he didn´t and I know he must have bothered you but he doesn´t mean any harm”
“Right, no harm only to treat me as an object”
“I think he likes you” Josh said and she laughed humorlessly.
“I don´t”

Nichole felt that week to be the slowest one and the most annoying one, Aaron kept inviting her to his birthday party, and Josh kept apologizing. School was being hard, it was hard to be focused when she kept having nightmares of the woman that had taught her how to run fast, how to climb walls, how to tie her hair, of the woman that called her “Nickie”, she was even angrier at Aaron for calling her that thus triggering the nightmares of the woman that called her “angel” of the woman that called her “baby”. She needed her one day of happiness with Mii someone that loved her without wanting anything from her.

Friday had finally arrived, that day she didn´t even mind Aaron´s last attempts at taking her to his party, she simply pretended she didn´t listen. He seemed to be angry. “You´re good for my self-steem” she had said and he had hit his twin. She had chuckled that lunch at that. Right after the last class she hurried to her bedroom and finished packing her bag. She grabbed the two little gift bags on her bed and jumped out of her window to the forest.

At the back of a building she stared up and climbed up wishing the owner of the room wasn´t there. Luckily he wasn´t. She let the bag on the bed and jumped back smiling a bit, it was one of the few times in which she had used her skills for something good, it made her somewhat happy. When she got back in her  room she noticed she had lost the pass to go out of the school. It was so ironic that she needed a pass to go out when she practically went out of there every other night. She went through her stuff and found it in the pocket of her uniform skirt. She cursed under her breath, she could go out at any time to do bad things and for this one good thing she needed permission, she ran downstairs and to the main gates of the school, there she found the familiar car waiting, not the one that carried her at night to dark alleys but the one that once a month picked her. She got in with a smile on her face.

“Hello, miss Nichole” the gray-haired man said
“Hello, mr. Young” she greeted.
“Do you have your pass to go out?” he asked and she handed it to him so that he could give it to the man at the gates. She was happy. She knew that Camille was not going to get to the house until Saturday morning but she was happy to go there now. The night was peaceful, the anticipation of the meeting with her sister had made it peaceful, so much that she was free of the nightmares for that one night.

At six thirty she heard noises and then a knock on her door. She got up and put carefully the bandage over her hand. She opened and a little girl hugged her tight.
“Mii, what are you doing here this early?”
“She woke up around five in the morning, woke us all and insisted in being brought here right that moment” Celia answered while hugging both girls.
“Mii, you were being a bother” Nichole said smiling and lifting the girl
“I don´t care, I wanted to see you”
“But aren´t you sleepy?”
“Nope”
“ok, what do you want to do?”
“Let´s have some pancakes!” Both girls looked at Celia
“All right, all right, I´ll make you girl pancakes, if you just stop giving me those puppy eyes” she said and headed downstairs to the kitchen while the girls giggled.

They ate in the t.v room while watching cartoons, Camille leaned over Nichole´s side. An hour later she was asleep and when Nichole noticed it she shifted her little sister into a more comfortable position that ended up being a comfortable position for her as well which caused her to fall asleep too.

Around nine in the morning the sound of a truck woke Nichole up, she wasn´t surprised to see Celia sat reading a book in the seat right in front of her, that was her job, to look at all times what the girls were doing, specially what Nic was doing. She smiled to the older woman, she didn´t mind having her there, watching her every move because she knew she was one of the two person that cared for her. The woman smiled back.

“What´s going on? why are trucks coming in?” Nichole asked to Celia still with sleepy voice. It was really strange to listen to the sound of engines there since the house was surrounded by many trees, it was far from the main road.
“I have no idea, but you father called and said people were going to come and bring some stuff apparently there will be some thing in here tonight”

“What? -Nichole said getting up slowly to avoid waking up the little girl sleeping next to her- but why? today´s my time with Mii and he´s sending people here -she grunted- he´s doing it on purpose. Is he mad a me Celia? I mean what have I done now for him to hate me more as to interrupt my time with Mi?”

“Honey, I don´t think he want´s to bother you, but he´s been granting all sorts of things for this new business partner his getting, maybe this one´s for him too”

“What? I don´t buy that. This is Crystals home, he doesn´t bring strangers here”
“Well, remember that last time, the celebration of Hillary´s birthday was here and many strangers came”
“You´re right, I guess he´s getting over my mother and Hillary´s getting the house now... I wonder if it´ll be named Hillary´s home later”
“I don´t think he´ll ever get over your mom besides, this house is her dream I don´t think he´ll be naming it after Hillary now” Celia commented with confidence and Nichole sighed, caressing the head of Camille, the only good thing that had come out of Hillary was that little girl.
“So, what are your plans for today?” Celia asked smiling.
“Anything Mi wants to do is just fine by me”

A loud noise caused Camille to wake up.
“Nic, what was that?” the little girl asked
“I don´t know, father has sent people and they are noisy” Nichole explained and Camille laughed “What?”
“You were making faces” the little girl giggled
“Do I make you laugh, you mean girl?” Nichole made funny faces as she said it.
“Yes! you look ugly” the little girl giggled again
“Ah! you´ve hurt me. Now I´m leaving!” Nichole faked being hurt and got up.
“No, no, Niic don´t go!” the little girl´s voice sounded sad. Nichole lifted and hugged her
“I´m not leaving but -she niffed the little girl- we need a shower”
“Ok, let´s go.” they walked up the stairs. Celia was behind them all the time.

“What we´ll be doing today Mii?”
“Can we go to the big tree today?”
“Really? do you want to go there?”
“Yes, don´t you want to visit your mommy?”
“mh, I do. I just didn´t know you´d like that” Nic thought it was really strange how Camille seemed to like her mother when she knew Mii´s mom didn´t say anything good about it. It was, mabe, because of thier father.
“I like her flowers”
“ok, then, we´ll go to the big tree”

Twenty minutes later, Celia, Nichole and Camille were on their way towards the “big tree” which was the place where Nichole´s mother was buried. His father had gotten special permission to remove her from where she used to be. The house and the design had always been Nichole´s mom´s dreams but she never got to see them come true, however; once his father bought the property and build the house exactly as she had wanted, he moved her there and had a garden made for her, it was filled with flowers under trees and in the middle of it, there was a big tree, an Amate tree under which Nichole´s mother was buried. Karl, Nichole´s father had only gone there a few times but Nichole took every opportunity she had  to visit the place. Camille had found it by casualty and she had liked it since, when the sisters got together after the little girls discovery, Camille had insisted in going there. Nichole had tried to persuade her not to go thus explaining her what that garden was but it seemed to had have the opposite effect since the little girl thought, Nichole´s mom would feel lonely and abandon if no one visited her when they were right there in the main house. Specially after learning the house was name after Nichole´s family name.

“Hello, mrs Cristales” the little girl said sitting in front of the white tree. Nichole smiled
“I think she wouldn´t mind you calling her Miriam, right Celia?”
“Sure, Mii, you see, your names are even similar, Mii and Miriam” Camille smiled and just put the flowers on the ground next to the cross at the base of the tree.
“Camille, would you help me to pick up some flowers?” Celia said calling Mii.
“Don´t leave me alone -Nichole said taking her little sister´s hand- this is my day with you, I´ll visit mom later” Nichole smiled at Camille who looked at Celia for approval. She nodded.

Nichole let go of the girl´s little hand and climbed the tree. Celia helped Camille to climb it too. the two sister spent the rest of the morning on the tree just talking. Camille talked about her friends at school, the day in which her dad had been mad at her two other sisters -they looked weird that day, she had explained, like when you eat lots of candies- Nichole had only laughed. The little girl told her about their trip to visit their grandmother the next few weeks. She also asked for Josh.

The day passed quickly, the people bringing in things kept working until around six in the afternoon. At seven the two girls got up to Camille´s room where they had dinner and watched a movie or started to watch a movie for the sound of the music was loud.
“I want to go see the party” the little girl said
“ah, no Mii, I don´t want to see the people there”
“But I want to dance, Nic” the little girl pouted
“Well let´s dance!” the older sister turned on the stereo and started dancing

“Nic, what if they have cake?”
“What about it, Mi?” Nichole asked though she knew her little sister loved cake as much as she did but neither of them got to eat it much.
“Camille, you know you can´t have cake specially almost at your bed time” Celia warned.
“Celia, please. Call daddy I´ll tell him”
“No, girl, your mother will kill me if I let your father give you permission to eat cake”
“Celia, please, please. Just let me use your phone. Nichole wants cake too” the little girl pleaded, Nichole only smiled at the cleverness of her little sister. Celia was convinced by that, she knew Nichole didn´t get to taste cake. It was such a simple thing but after Miriam´s death the girl never got a birthday cake and they didn´t serve cake at Burgeoys, her boarding school. Celia put her cellphone over the nightstand. “I´m going to the restroom” the woman said, leaving the phone, Camille smiled and grabbed the phone. She dialed.

“Hi, daddy” the girl said and listened for a moment “Of course I´m good daddy, I´m having so much fun with Nic” another pause “ah, she´s at the bathroom, I took her phone to talk to you” one more pause “yes, daddy, I miss you too... Daddy, I want cake” the girl listened pouting a bit “aw, daddy please, there´s a party down there and they might have cake” The girl started to smile “no, daddy, I´ll let Nic go for it, yes daddy, I´ll stay here, I promise” the girl smiled at Nichole saying a silent “yes” “mh, I love you too daddy”

“Will you go, Nic?” the girl asked to her older sister
“On my way” she smiled a smile that didn´t reach her eyes.
“Are you sad, Nic?” the little girl despite her young age was aware of her older siter´s expressions.
“Yes, baby, I´m ok” she said but she was not ok. Listening to Camille´s conversation with her father made the difference between them to shine brighter. She didn´t even remember one single time where her father had talked to her the way he talked to Camille. He loved Camille as much as he disliked her, she was aware that she deserved it for having taking his wife away from him, but she hadn´t meant to do it and he knew that but he had vanished her and he kept punishing her by making her take lives, each life that she took killed a little more of her soul. Only Camille kept it alive. “Camille, she thought, I rather have his hate for you to have all his love” at that moment, Camille was hugging her.
“Stay here, I´ll get us some cake” Nichole winked at her little sister and went downstairs.