Ch.2

Nobody saw Terri on her way back, at least she didn't think so. Someone would have remarked on her merrily lugging a corpse around. In spite of a weight far too great for her to carry under normal circumstances, Terri managed to drag her sister all the way home. She didn't even complain for a change. She was in a good mood, after all.

Setting Sherri down at the foot of their McMansion of a home, she got the door unlocked to her relief. Obviously her dad never noticed her leave the house. If he had, he might have stuck his keys in the door so she couldn't get back in, like the one time she and Sherri had come home too late. It was just good parenting, making they wouldn't grow up like those other girls who would do drugs and get pregnant at fifteen.

Naturally, he was still the biggest obstacle to Terri's plans. The dummy-heads at school would buy that it was some kind of third sibling or a prank for the internet. She couldn't pull the wool over her dad's eyes like that. And as a man who made it a point to be a good Christian (especially when it excused his strictness) he wouldn't be thrilled about his youngest dabbling in the dark arts, even if it meant getting the other daughter back.

For the time being, there was one room he never bothered with, the basement. There wasn't an awful lot in there, anything important was on the ground floor. It was set aside as a guest room, or where the sisters would be banished to if they displeased him. In a sense, it was a perfect place to hide Sherri for a little while.

Once she had gently carried Sherri down the stairs, Terri set her on the bed.

"Just stay there for a while, okay Sherri?" Terri whispered, "I'll see you tomorrow. I love you!"

Sherri was clammy, moldy and a little unsettling right now, so she chose to forego her usual hug in favour of making a heart sign with her hands.

Terri rolled out of bed with a groan. On impulse, she slapped her Happy Little Elves alarm clock even though it wasn't even on. Everything looked so normal, at least the post-Sherri normal. She wouldn't forget what happened that night yet it felt like a dream. She stumbled her way back to the basement door.

Her dad was parked in front of the TV. It wasn't something he used a lot, some old person nonsense about rotting your brain. He was fixated on the screen, waiting for something to come on. Yet when she reached for the handle...

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I-I um, I wanted to check out the basement!" she lied. His brow furrowed, that silent demand for an explanation. Defeated, Terri had to admit the truth, "I was hoping to move rooms. Down there. Please?"

"Terri," he muttered with a frustrated sigh, "you can't just take other peoples' rooms like that, we've reserved it for guests, you can't have everything."

"I know," Terri started to fidget as she gazed down at the floor. "I can't stay in my room either. How can I move on when everything there makes me think of her..?"

Miraculously, it took her dad's attitude down a peg. A man like him would never concede a point but this time there wasn't any arguing against her nor was he in any state to anymore.

"Alright. If you think it will help, you can stay in the guest room for a while…"

"Thanks dad…"

…

"So go on," he said, "take a look, see what you want moved down there."

"Can I leave my old room the way it is? Just until I'm ready."

"I suppose, if you think that will help."

Both of them froze when they heard the news broadcast.

"... And in other news, local playboy and mayor's son, Freddy Quimby, has been acquitted of vehicular manslaughter…"

Terri had seen her dad get angry before, sometimes at her or Sherri—but it was never anything like this. "Are you kidding me!?" He screamed as loud enough to make her ears ring. The sheer strength at which his fists were clenched looked like it hurt, they were trembling.

Freddy? FR? No…

"... was declared not guilty when the defense managed to prove the victim had intentionally jumped in the way of his vehicle"

"Well you know, chicks are crazy," Freddy asserted confidently, "everyone wants a piece of us Quimbys. Ain't the first time they tried to get us sued like this!"

With that, her dad stomped over and gripped the top of the TV with a hateful growl. For a moment, it looked like he was about to yank it out of the socket and smash it on the ground. However, his senses returned and with a defeated sag, he turned it off instead.

"Take it from me," he muttered to Terri, "there's no justice in the world, least of all for us."

Terri had so desperately wanted to tell him what she had done, what she had planned, maybe in the vain hope it would cheer him up. It was hard to watch him slump back in his chair, eyes covered. He was trying not to cry but it was a losing battle.

The basement door creaked open in a most typical manner. She was going to have to get used to that. This was her room now, and as she made her slow descent into the abyss, everything was how she left it the previous night, except for Sherri, she had moved.

Terri found her huddled, timidly peeking out in the direction of the sounds. It looked like she was sitting at first, her limbs tucked in, legs folded. Yet she was actually doing some kind of squat. Terri knew she and Sherri had some odd mannerisms and quirks but that squat was entirely new to her. Almost as if she was ready to pounce at any moment.

"Hey Sherri," Terri whispered. Sherri fixed her gaze upon her still living sister. She didn't say anything or do anything aside from stare that vacant stare.

"Helloooo!" Still nothing.

"This isn't funny, Earth to Sherri!" Terri almost raised her voice. Without any other options she started to prod Sherri instead. Sherri only made a whiny grunt and batted Terri's hand away.

How odd. Did she have amnesia? It sounded trite but Sherri had died. Perhaps this was a side-effect? It would have annoyed Terri greatly but the fact was, an amnesiac Sherri was better than no Sherri at all. It just meant putting a bit of work into truly having her twin back. At least five of her dad's spiels about hard work played back in her head.

She tried to give her sister a reassuring pat. She had to stop though, it started to shake some of her hairs loose. They fell to the ground in little clumps as if she had just had her hair cut. Sherri didn't freak out, however. If anything, she made what almost sounded like a coo, perhaps she appreciated the gesture? But she wouldn't be happy to be bald.

For the next few hours Terri hung out with Sherri. Not chatting like they used to, instead Sherri stayed in her little squatting corner. Occasionally she would show interest if Terri moved something around or got up.

Sometimes she would make a peculiar cry. It sounded like some sort of croaking squeal and Terri had no idea what that meant.