Here's Chapter two! Hope you like it, and please review.
Chapter 2
"Aww, mom. Why do you call me that?!" It surprised me when Bella said that. I wasn't expecting her to talk back at all. That was one thing Bella and I did have in common: We both hated our real names with a passion.
Our mother was equally surprised at the outburst. "Uh. It's your name…" I guess she forgot how angry she was from the shock.
"I know, but can't you call me Bella? That's at least suitable." I was still in shock, and apparently so was our mother. It was true though; "Cynthia" and "Mary Alice" were horrible names, in our opinions.
Many times Bella and I would joke and say that we were left out of some sick, twisted joke when our mother named us.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Cynthia is perfectly suitable." Mom added. Bella and I scoffed at the same time.
"Are you kidding?" At first I thought I had said it, because that was exactly what I'd been thinking. I then realized that Bella had said it. I was in awe. Bella had never talked back to anyone before. Huh. I thought. I guess the teenager in her had to come out someday.
I laughed at the thought, which made Bella and my mother both look at me. I put on an innocent face, and my mother looked away.
"Ok, never mind that. Explain to me why your school called saying you didn't show up for class?" She had that look today; like she was ready to scold. I was prepared to defend Bella, but found that it wasn't needed.
"Blake cheated on me." And that was all she had to say. Bella's lip protruded just a little and she gave those sad puppy dog eyes. For a minute, I fell for it.
Before I knew what was happening, my mother's face twisted to a guilty expression. "Oh… well. I'm so sorry, sweetie."
"It's ok, mom. Ali already took me to get ice cream." My mother wasn't ignorant of our ritual. I just doubted that she'd ever see the day where we went for Bella instead of me.
"Oh. Well, Alice, you shouldn't have left school either. You both should be getting back now…" Bella and I both groaned in protest.
"Come on mom! Can't we stay just for the day?" Bella pleaded.
"It's the first day!" She argued.
"Yes it is. And that's all the more reason to stay home. Nothing ever happens on the first day." I said as Bella gave her that irresistible puppy dog look. Our mother sighed in defeat and walked away.
Bella and I gave each other high-fives behind her back. I pulled her upstairs and into my room. We both changed into sweats and I held up my designer jeans, analyzing the damage. There were a few minor grass stains on the butt, but they looked easy enough to wash. I overlooked that part, though, and took the opportunity.
"Bells, this weekend we're going shopping." It was an order, not a suggestion. Bella groaned. She absolutely detested shopping. Sometimes, I really doubted she was my actual sister. There was no way anyone who was related to me-or even knew me-could hate shopping.
"Do we absolutely have to?" She said, already knowing my answer.
"Yes. You're aloud to look all mopey and sad this week, but by next Monday you need to look not only like you're over him, but also like you're already with someone else." Bella shrugged indifferently like she didn't care, which she probably didn't.
"Sometimes I wish you hadn't made us so rich." She said in a matter-of-fact tone. I looked at her as if she had just committed a murder. I hit her with a fluffy pillow from my bed. This was another one of our little secrets from our parents.
One of my very first visions was in sixth grade, when our family was still middle classed citizens. Our parents had been into the stock market and I happened to see a raise. I had changed their stocks without telling them, and, before they knew it, I'd turned them into millionaires. Of course, I never told them that I was the reason they were living the high life.
The shopping sprees and Turby made up for my modesty though.
"Hey!" She said in response to the pillow. "I'm not Alice Brandon." She reminded me of that. I knew that, of course, but what she was trying to say was that she wasn't like me.
"No, you're Cynthia Brandon." She winced at the name.
"Please don't call me that." She said, looking like she had sucked on a lemon lately.
"Make me." I challenged. She stared at me for a minute deciding whether or not to do it. I guess she decided against it, because she put her face down on the bed.
"I don't make trash, I burn it." She said against the covers. I laughed. This was our inside joke.
"Ooh. Help me. I need some ice for that burn." I said sarcastically as she laughed. Then she sprung from the bed at me, tackling me down. We were tickling each other and laughing uncontrollably.
We ended up next to each other on the floor, holding our sides as we laughed.
We sat on my king-sized bed and watched a chick-flick marathon for the rest of the day.
Eventually we had fallen asleep next to each other, after crying together through the end of Titanic for the millionth time.
I woke to the sound of my phone ringing beside me on my night stand. Looking down at the screen, I realized it was my boyfriend, Chris. I sighed, waking up Bella as I moved around.
I pushed the screen up and pressed it to my ear.
"Hello?" I said while yawning.
"Just wake up?" He asked in his deep voice.
"Yeah… I was taking a nap."
"M'kay. So where were you today? I didn't see you at school."
"Yeah, I had to go pick my sister up early."
"Oh. Ok. So do you have plans this weekend?"
"Um, yeah. I'm going shopping in Houston with my sis."
"Against my will." Bella added sleepily into the phone.
Chris laughed on the other end. But I didn't notice. As soon as Bella spoke I felt another vision coming. I dropped the phone and Bella looked up at me, worried. She knew what was happening but she was curious as to what I was seeing.
Bella and I walked down the street, shopping bags in hand. Bella looked beat from the long day we had. I chattered to her and she nodded in response. We turned down an alley. It was a shortcut we often took while we were in Houston.
We both stopped in our tracks as we saw a woman in the alley. It was night, but I could clearly see her pale skin in the darkness. I couldn't help but notice how incredibly gorgeous this woman was. Now that I realized it, she was barely a woman. She looked about my age. She smiled towards me and I couldn't help but smile back.
Before I knew what was happening, she sprung from where she was standing, landing on my sister quicker than I thought possible. I didn't know what was happening. I couldn't see past the girl's body, to see what was happening to Bella.
"NO!"
"NO!" I screamed, now back to reality.
"What did you see?" Bella asked with fear in her voice.
"Um…" I had to think quickly. I couldn't scare Bella with what I saw. "A girl was… trying to beat me to a designer pair of jeans." I tried to sound convincing. As Bella's face turned to a mocking glare, I was thankful for Bella's trust in everyone, especially me.
"Wow. All of that just for a pair of jeans." She muttered.
I decided to play along, "These weren't just jeans, Bells. They were awesome! I had to have them. I wish I'd seen what store it was…" She smiled up at me. I remembered then what my vision had actually been about and added. "You know, you don't have to go shopping with me. I could get a killer outfit for you and surprise you with it."
I was worried about my own safety as well, but there was a burning curiosity that made me want to go to Houston still, but without Bella. I couldn't stand it if she got hurt. There was some part of me, however, that felt like I had to go to Houston.
"Are you sure?" She was clearly shocked. I'd never let her off the hook before like this. I'd always dragged her shopping with me.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll get Sophie to go, or I'll go by myself."
"Ok, then. By the way, I hung up the phone for you after you blanked… you'll have to explain that to Chris."
"I don't think I will. I have to break up with him sooner or later. He's getting too needy for me." Bella rolled her eyes at my nonchalance about it.
As we fell back asleep, I was haunted in my dreams. I couldn't stand the thought of Bella getting hurt, yet the vision kept replaying in my head.
