Chapter 2: Phil's Thoughts

"Maybe he'd be just like Tommy!" I exclaimed to my twin sister, who had so kindly granted me entrance to her room while we were kind of grounded tonight. After getting over the embarrassment of being heard asking you-know-what on the theatre screen about a certain orange-haired Pickle, I began thinking seriously about my question. I tried to imagine Dil not walking backwards, not dressed in that crazy, mismatched outfit he wears everyday. (I support individuality, being a twin of course, but you should see the way he dresses! I mean, even I wouldn't wear some of the things he does, and I've been dubbed "the weird, gross one" before by Lil.) Anyway, I also tried imagining him following all of the rules of soccer and not obsessing over aliens. No weird conversations, no alien hunting, no unique inventions, no dressing differently, no sniffing smelly things, including my armpits. I just couldn't fathom all those qualities making up Dil.

"Yeah, maybe he'd bravely lead us all to safety alongside Tommy," Lil sighed in admiration and smiled, starry-eyed at the thought. A picture formed in her mind of Dil as a toddler, age 2, and the rest of them 3, 3 ½, and 4 and imagined him standing bravely next to Tommy, a look of courage and pride on his face, as they stood atop the slide platform at their old daycare/pre-school.

"Hey Lil, what do you think 'normal Dil' would dress like, and smell like, and look like, and oh! What would he act like?" Boy, I was pumped! It was almost as if talking about it would somehow magically bring this 'normal Dil' to life.

"Phillip!" Lil shouted, standing up from where she was sitting on her bed.

I realized I was getting kinda loud and overly-excited about my question. I panted and flopped down at the end of her bed and stared up at her glow-in-the-dark stars, as I muttered a "sorry."

Lil sat down again and placed her hand over mine, in a sisterly way. I smiled as memories of our baby-hood came back to me. "Geez, Phil. Well to answer your first question, I," she paused for a second before going over to her desk and retrieving a girlish-looking photo album that smelled of fruity body spray and had butterflies, flowers, and smiley faces on the cover. It read, "A GIRL'S BEST FRIENDS." Lil flipped open the first page, revealing yours truly's school photo. I actually wasn't making a funny face in that one, or doing something immature and gross, like picking my nose. Oh yeah, that's because that was the 10th time I had my school picture re-taken that year, and the limit for both the school and Mom and Dad. Mom said if I didn't take a decent picture that time, that she would make me pay for all the previous photos I had wasted her money on. Now I knew why Lil put that one in her album.

Anyway, getting back on topic, she continued flipping through pages until she came upon a picture of just Tommy and Dil. Tommy was grinning his trademark 'I'm-gonna-be-a-famous-director-someday-grin. It was fall and he had on a green and purple sweater, as a hand was on Dil's shoulder—genuine older brothers pose (not that I would know). Dil on the other hand, had on several tee-shirts, all different colors over a long-sleeved plaid button down, his curly orange hair untamed as usual, and he was snickering while giving an unsuspecting Tommy "bunny ears."

I remember her taking that photo this past fall, as she had asked them if she could take seasonal pictures of all her friends to fill her new photo album she had gotten for her birthday. Tommy, or rather, "T," as most of us called him, had happily agreed to, as he wanted someone to capture his youth on film, and in this case, a Kodak disposable camera would do just fine.

"An artist throughout his ages," he had said.

"Here, this might help us imagine a more normal Dil," she said, gently removing the picture from its protective covering.

"Hmm," we both said at the same time, as our imaginations took flight, creating pictures in our minds of what a normal Dil Pickles would be like, thinking back on all our adventures from our early childhood up until now.

A/N: How'd you like chapter 2, Should I continue or not? Thank you to all who reviewed and please review this chapter as well, even if you don't like it, comments and criticism are welcome!