Days had passed since the news about Piper had been released. Those days turned into weeks, which turned into moths. Patricia found that no matter how badly she and Piper had fought, she couldn't live without her. She knew it wouldn't be long until Christmas break let out and they would reunite once again, but she didn't even get a goodbye.
For weeks Patricia had moped throughout the halls of school and her grades dropped more than usual. Her days fell into an organized routine and nothing more. Get up, go to school, come home, eat dinner, and go to bed. It was hard looking at her twin's empty side of the room every morning. She wouldn't admit it, but she missed seeing Piper's colorful, girly side of the large bedroom.
Her friends had tried everything to get the stubborn auburn haired girl out of her depression. They took her to the movies, the mall (Much to Amber's dismay, it didn't work), and a concert. Eddie won tickets over a radio contest to cheer her up, but even going to a Sick Puppies concert didn't do the trick. Patricia was stuck in depression over losing her sister.
Two weeks until Christmas and you could surely tell Patricia Williamson's mood had changed. She wasn't dragging her feet from class to class anymore and she showed up with more and more completed homework each day. She was starting to care again. It wasn't like she hadn't cared before, no, her friends meant everything to her; especially Eddie. But Piper was coming home and no one could fill the empty hole in Patricia's heart except for her twin.
Patricia got off of the bus, willingly following her unplanned routine; once again. She walked up to the white wooden front deck and roughly climbed the stairs. She pulled her black worn key out of her jean pocket and stuffed it into the rusted lock. She turned it, wishing to unlock to ancient door, but it hadn't clicked like usual. She turned to look beside her with a confused look. No, both of their cars are gone. Patricia felt the anxiousness build in her chest.
She quickly pulled the key out of the lock and shoved it back in her pocket. She grabbed her phone from her book bag and dialed the number she knew by heart. "Eddie?" She breathed quietly.
"Yacker, did you get home okay?" Eddie asked equally quiet on the other end.
"Eddie, come to my house. Now." She urged almost inaudible. "What, Yacker-" Patricia massed the end button on her phone as soon as she heard an ear-shattering crash come from inside.
She turned the knob of the door as slowly as possible and stepped through the door that was ajar. She looked straight up the stairs and saw a picture frame lying crushed on the carpeted stairs. Patricia looked to her left and found her mother's most precious vase—crushed to pieces. She took a hesitant step forward and heard a loud shattering.
Patricia looked down and noticed a large pile of broken glass underneath her foot. She followed the trail of loose glass and found one of the panes next to the doorknob was broken. She jumped once she heard a shatter from upstairs. Eddie, where are you?
She nervously climbed the stairs and noticed a familiar bag lying in the middle of the never-ending hallway. Piper… That was the first thing that her mind had registered. Was it really her? She wasn't supposed to arrive until Christmas Eve.
"Piper?" Patricia called throughout the house; finding bravery. What if it wasn't Piper? What if someone was in her house? Well, what's the worst that could happen?
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Eddie sped down the street, in his bare feet. Once Patricia had frantically called him, he ran out of the house as soon as her voice became stressed. He ran breathlessly up a massive hill and her house came into view. The house he had seen many times.
You wouldn't believe how bad he didn't want an intruder in there. If anything happened to his Yacker, all hell would break loose. His lungs were burning and screaming for oxygen, but he didn't dare stop. He couldn't; his legs wouldn't let him. His feet felt as if they were melting, but that didn't stop him from running as fast as he could toward that house.
He finally stopped in front of the white porch and began to panic even more than he already was. What he saw was un-seeable to him. Patricia's aluminum key was thrown about the wooden planks, the door was cracked the slightest bit, and glass was in a pool just inside the door. His panic building inside of him, he stepped through the door. As soon as his foot hit the crunching glass, he heard a terrifying shriek and bolted up the stairs.