Twisted Fates

The Ticking Clock: Balancing Hope and Responsibility

I don't have much time left. My twin sister's dying due to Huntington's Disease, a rare life-limiting genetic illness that has no cure. In no time, it will eat up her brain. No doctor could save her. No surgery can ever heal her. No medication can rewrite her symptoms. I'm her only chance.

But...Fuck! If I don't get SuperFormula Project to work, I might lose the only family I've got left. I won't be able to forgive myself if she dies. My life won't ever be the same without her. I will end up celebrating my birthdays alone, depressed, and lifeless. I'd rather die than visit her grave on her anniversary of death and weep there.

These were the words Roslyn keeps repeating to herself every morning she wakes up, every late-night party invitation she receives from her friends, every time she feels down and exhausted, every breath she takes, every decision she makes, every night before she goes to bed and all throughout the time.

Without realizing it, these thoughts of worry and restlessness have become her daily meditation. It may not sound so positive and healthy to others, but to Roslyn, at least at an emotional level, it was helpful as it provided her strength, motivation, and hope to keep going each heavy, painful, and challenging step of the way.

The downside of it all is that her routine each day is not exactly recommendable and, not to mention, it's just the same as yesterday and the days before. Roslyn gets up at 6:30 am, arrives at work after an hour-and-a-half-long bus ride, takes her brunch at noon, works overtime at the lab until mid-night, and sleeps for the remaining three hours of the day.

"Ro! Ro! Wake up!" She heard a guy's voice with a feminine tone directly right above her. "You look dreadful, sis."

That definitely does not sound anywhere near my alarm. Am I dreaming or am I really hearing Danny's voice?

Danny was not only just her colleague but he was also her best friend. The first time they met was six years ago during an internship program at the very same company they're working in now. Danny was thin and pimple-faced, but Ro still did develop a crush on him, mainly because of his sweet and caring personality.

She tried dropping hints but each time she did, it was either Danny would make fun of her like it was some joke or change the topic to shopping and cute boys.

When Danny came out as homosexual and was secretly dating Johnattan Gale, a scientific researcher from another department, it finally resonated in her mind that she stood no chance at becoming his girlfriend anymore.

Feeling defeated and rejected, she totally gave up on her quest to find her true love and has been single since she broke up with her ex, Ryan Koffer, from high school and that was during her teen years.

She grudgingly shifted in her chair and slowly opened her eyes. The white walls, the cold desk, piles of paper scattered throughout the room, and her stiff neck and sore feet hinted that she wasn't at home but rather in the office.

Her blood-shot eyes grew wide as she sat up with a jerk. "s**t! Did I doze off?"

Danny held his breath, bit his tongue, and looked the other way the moment she opened her mouth and spoke. "Gosh, sis! Did you fart through your mouth?" He whispered loud enough for the other researchers in the quiet office to hear.

With a scowl on his face, Danny rummaged through his bag. And Ro watches him curiously while she wipes a little of her dried saliva sticking from one corner of her mouth down to her jawline.

"Use this." Danny handed her a small bottle of mouth spray which was, by the way, almost empty.

"Gee. Thanks," Ro mutters sarcastically, but nevertheless, she took the bottle and sprayed it into her mouth. "Smells better?"

Danny sniffs the air and brings up his index finger. "Just one more."

"Alright." She sprayed one last time and shoved the bottle into the pocket of her lab coat.

"We have to do something about your hair." Danny grabbed his make-up kit and pulled out a comb.

Roslyn rolled her eyes and sighed. "It's fine." She stood up and walked past Danny.

"Sis, where are you going?"

Irritated by the fact that she delayed the progress of her project by sleeping during work hours, she replied back to him without turning back, "The lab, of course. I need to check on something."

"That can wait. We have to meet up with Emeric Thorne in the interview room in 15 minutes."

She had already pushed open the glass doors when Danny finished his sentence.

Emeric Thorne... Isn't he the job applicant who wanted to join our team and help experiment on SuperFormula? Interview? Now? Today?

She retreated to her seat. "I thought the interview was tomorrow?" She turned on her monitor to check her list of things-to-do.

"We agreed to re-schedule his interview for tomorrow yesterday. And tomorrow is today." He did air quotes when he said 'tomorrow'.

"That can't be. We agreed to—" She gasped when she read the date on her today's calendar.

I didn't sleep during work hours. I slept here in the office overnight! This is bad. This is really bad. I was supposed to buy Evelyn's medicine last night and stop by the hospital. f**k! I messed up. What should I do now?