His Sweet Red

chapter 10

Linda's humming and the smell of bacon and coffee woke her up. Her feet were sore and when she threw the covers off her body she saw she went to bed in her work clothes.

Cassie got up and stretched a bit before walking to the kitchen.

"I had the weirdest dream, Linda. I dreamt I got fired, the Stoner guy kidn*pped me, I got a threatening letter, was almost mugged but was saved by my dead twin brother. It felt so real." Cassie spoke.

Linda had been facing the stove turned at her voice. She looked her friend over then her eyes darted behind Cassie.

"Uum Cass."

"Yeah."

Instead of talking further Linda just pointed at something behind her and Cassie turned to see what had her usually chattering friend quiet.

There stood the male version of her, same red hair, same blue-green eyes, same lips, and even the same nose.

"Hiya Cuss."

Cassie felt her eyes roll to the back of her head as darkness fell on her and she crumbled to the floor.

Before a shocked Linda or the man got to her cassie sat up with a deep gasp. She felt like she had been drowning and she had just broken to the surface.

"How long was I out?"

"The first time you fainted or just now?" Came an amused male voice.

Cassie looked up and spent a minute staring. She closed her eyes and shook her head while getting up from the floor.

"Nope! Not today. I'm too hungry and too mad to deal with this s**t. No ghosts today." she mumbled to herself.

Cassie walked over to the stove where Linda had indeed made scrambled eggs, bacon, and coffee. She dished for herself and sat at the island and dug in.

"Are you not going to say anything?" The voice asked again.

"No I do not talk to ghosts, especially on an empty stomach," Cassie said with a shake of her head.

"Did she hit her head when she fainted the first time?" Linda finally asked concerned.

"Don't worry about Cassie, Linda. As soon as she is full she will be back to normal. She is using eating as an excuse to think and process everything. She used to do that all the time she was vexed, I'm glad some things never change."

After she was done eating her food she turned to her twin brother and just stared at him. Cassie was struggling to wrap her mind around it all.

He had grown, obviously. They had last seen each other when they were probably ten years old. He looked like a muscular version of her, minus the mane. His was kept short and curly.

"I was told you all died in the car crash, that only I survived. Chad, how are you here?" She finally spoke. Her voice quiet.

"I was told you died also, dad said...." he replied slowly walking to her.

"They are alive?" Cassie looked up, hope blossoming.

"Only dad. Mom did die in the crash."

The pain came again as if it was fresh. It gripped her throat tight making her struggle to breathe.

"Where have you been all this time? You left me. You left-...." she felt her throat start closing up and she struggled to take in a breath. The tears broke free and soundlessly started falling.

" Drink your coffee it will help you calm down while I explain what I know. You know me better than that, I would never leave you, ever." Chad walked to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He closed his eyes and laid his head to hers. His tears fighting to come out too. He had gone for so long thinking she was dead. He had mourned and learned to live without her, although it was darn near impossible.

They had been very close. Where he went, she would follow and vice versa. They had been each other's best friends.

For some unknown reason, cassie complied. She took her coffee mug in both hands and took a small sip. Her brother was right it made her calm a little.

" I woke up a week after the accident, I had been in an induced coma for that time as they waited for the swelling on my head to go down. Because of the head injury, I had a bit of memory loss, it was only for a month. The time I remembered everything, remembered my twin, dad told me you and mom were gone. He showed me your graves and I believed him, I mean why would he lie?" He had walked around and sat opposite her. He took one of her hands and held it in both of his.

"Dad told you I died? Why?"

"I only found out a few days ago. My ehm girlfriend at the time-...."

"He means booty call." Linda interrupted. She had been standing watching teary-eyed as the siblings reunited. She could only imagine how close they had once been and how painful it was to lose the other.

Chad turned to her and gave her a glare that would scare the skin off a bear. "Why are you still here, can you not see this is a family issue.?"

"I honestly don't give a s**t, I'm here for my best friend. You could be a psycho killer." Linda sassed as she approached. She went and sat next to Cassie and wrapped an arm around her. Cassie leaned into her friend's silent comfort.

"I'm her twin brother." Chad pointed out.

"How would I know?" Linda snapped.

"Hello, same hair, eyes, nose, etc. She looks just like me. Well a girly version of me."

"You could have dyed your hair that color and worn eye contacts. I'm not taking risks. Although if you did color it like that please I beg you to tell me how I have been trying for years to get that red." Linda finished looking at his hair with longing.

"How am I supposed to know? Mine is natural." He snapped at her his patience really at the limit.

"Whatever. Now continue with the story."

"Un-f*****g-believable." Chad swore.

"She takes getting used to and when you do you cannot help but love her." Cassie finally said with a small smile enjoying the banter.

"I seriously doubt that. Anyway the girl-"

"f**k buddy."

"Would you quit...." Chad looked like he was about to pull his hair out. "My BOOTY CALL mentioned how my hair looks just like this celebrity's girlfriend. I said impossible, you know our hair is one of a kind. She quickly showed me the article in some s**t magazine and something snapped in me. At first, I didn't believe it was you so I google you up and had some friends look you up. Imagine my surprise when I found out your family had died the day my family had an accident. I confronted dad and he confessed some messed up shit."

"What do you mean?" Linda asked.

"Apparently dad went through a phase where he was addicted to gambling and got caught up in the wrong crowd. In one of those gambles he used..... well you." Chad explained.

"The fuck." Linda swore. "Who does that?"

"Our father apparently. I did not get the full details only that he lost you to this guy, Duncan, who had been obsessed with you. Obviously some p*****t because we were just ten years old. When the accident happened and mom died, dad came up with the plan to say you also died. In some messed up way I think he wanted to protect you."

"I don't know what you remember about the accident, but we were going somewhere safe when we were run over the road. Apparently this Duncan guy is not one to mess with."

"I decided I had to see you and took a flight as soon as I could. But I wanted to make sure I do not disrupt your life so I watched you for a day. I stepped out today because you were attacked. I think that p*****t has found you. Me being here probably put you in danger. Maybe dad's stupid idea was good, you were safe from his friends."

"Safe! Safe? Dear Cassie's brother, she was not safe. Unless if safe is being in hospital for weeks with a broken wrist, broken ankle, bruised, and broken ribs. And let's not forget almost being raped." Linda's overdramatic overprotective nature came out.

"What! That man found you already?" Chad asked Cassie.

"I thought all this was all in the past and I could finally move on from alI of this. I don't think it's dad's friend that came after me today. I got a letter first from someone I hoped I would never have to hear from." Cassie said looking back and forth between her best friend and brother. Her hands gripped her coffee mug tighter as she fought off the image on the letter.

"What letter?" Linda and Chad asked at the same time.