Two Against Two

Chapter 5

December 22, 1990-9:34 A.M. CST.

(Kevin's POV:)

Before I realize it, I hit against something soft and fall on my behind. It doesn't hurt or anything, so I just shake it off. I'm interested about what I bumped into, because I don't recall a wall being in front of the den entrance.

So, I look up, and notice that there's a strange red-headed woman that I've never seen before in my entire life, staring at me, with a concerned look on her face.

A sense of fear creeps into my mind, as I start wondering how she got into my house, and why she is in my house. It's also scary that she looks like a younger version of my mother.

The only thing I can do is scream and run away for help. I notice that she holds her ears, as I begin backing away, screaming, and preparing to make a break for the kitchen.

I don't get very far, as I unwillingly freeze from running in fear, after the strange woman yells at me to stop. She sounds a lot like Mom too, which makes me even more scared. She somehow knows my name, which scares me even more. She also mentions that she is not going to hurt me.

The only thing I can do is turn around and ask, "Who are you? What gives you the right to break into my house, you burglar?! How does a burglar, like you, know my name?!" I ask, accusingly.

She raises an eyebrow and smirks a little at how mouthy and tough I'm being. "What's so funny, when I'm about to call the cops on you, burglar?!" I ask, because I can't help but notice the smirk on the girl's face.

"Well, first of all, Kevin, how are you going to call the cops, when the phones are not working? Second, why would you call the cops on your big sister?" she responds.

"You're my what?" I respond, in shock.

"I'm your sister, Kevin,"

"No, you're not. My ass of a brother, Buzz, is my oldest sibling. You're just saying that to get out of trouble," I proudly say, thinking I've made the female burglar concerned.

"Well, you're correct about Buzz being an ass, but you're wrong about your assumptions. Secondly, why would I want to be a burglar, when crime doesn't pay? And why would I want rob my own parents' house,?" the girl replies, as if she was becoming annoyed with me.

"If you are not a burglar, then you're an insane mental case, trying to pretend to be my sister! Like I stated before, my parents' oldest child is a boy! The only girls they have are my twin sisters…"

"Linnie and Megan," she interrupts, catching me off guard.

"How do you know that?!" I fearfully ask. "Are you a stalker, as well?!"

"No, I'm not a stalker; I'm your big sister," the impostor replies, with a hint of hurt and pleading in her voice. "I can show you my ID and some pictures of our family, if you want some physical proof?"

"Let me see the proof, then," I reply, still with skepticism. She pulls out her wallet from the brown purse that's hanging on her shoulder and shows me her ID and the pictures. "OK, your name is Christine, and we share a common last name, but that doesn't mean anything." I reply after looking at her ID.

I then look through the pictures. My argument about her not being her sister starts to crack, as I look at the pictures of my parents, older siblings, when they were young, and the woman, who's standing in front of me, when she was also younger. The last picture I look at sends me into shock, causing me to run upstairs.

"Kevin, what's wrong?", Christine asks, worried, as I stomp my way upstairs.

The picture I had dropped was of Mom and Dad in the middle of the couch. Mom was holding a five month old me; a eight-year-old Buzz, and a seven-year-old Jeff were on the floor, near Dad; the five-year-old twins, Linnie and Megan, were sitting on the floor near Mom; and Christine, who was probably around sixteen or seventeen, at the time, was sitting next to Mom on the couch. The entire family was smiling.

Soon enough, I come back downstairs, and Christine notices that I have a picture frame in my hands. I walk over and show it to her. She notices it's the same picture she just looked at, but larger. She also notices that she's not in the picture. She and I think the same thing: that they must've cut her out.

"Where did you get this, Kevin?" she asks about the larger picture.

"Mom and Dad's bedroom. I'm sorry about the things I said before, about you being a thief and a stalker, but if you're my sister, like you claim to be, then why aren't there any pictures of you? And why hasn't my family ever told me about you?" I ask, curious for the answers.

"Why the sudden change of attitude, Kevin?" Christine asks.

"This is the family picture of when I was a baby," I reply. "I saw the writing on the back of your copy, and it matches Mom's. I know Mom dates all the pictures. I bet if we take apart this picture, the writings will match, since, most-likely, Mom dated this picture."

Christine and I take apart the picture frame and remove the photo. The first thing we see after doing so, is the younger Christine, and her part of the picture is bent. That explains why she's not in the picture. Christine doesn't seem to feel as hurt, anymore, but I believe some of the hurt still remains.

I'm speechless, as living proof that I have a big sister smacks me in the face. I feel guilty about the things I said to my newly-discovered big sister, even though I've already apologized. The matching writings on the pictures cements the fact that Christine is my big sister.

"Christine, I want you to know again that I'm sorry about everything I said, and it's nice to discover that I have a big sister to protect me from Buzz," Christine seems to brush off my apology.

We both seem to become emotional at the discovery of the family member I never knew; so much so, I feel I need to hug her. "Christine, can you tell me why my family never mentioned I had a big sister?" I ask, in a more sincere tone.

"How about I tell you the whole story, while we clean up the kitchen, and have a nice wholesome breakfast, OK?" Christine smiles, as she ruffles my blond hair.

"OK," I smile, as the two of us head towards the kitchen...

END