Alyson was shaken from her thoughts by a knocking at the door and quickly wiped at her tears with the pillowcase before straightening up, "W... who is it?" She called out, trying hard to keep her voice calm. "Nicole." A small voice returned, "C... can I come in?" Alyson rubbed at her face with her free hand and ran it through her short curly hair, then let out a shuttered breath. When she was certain she had steadied herself she grabbed her crutch from its spot next to her bed and stumbled across the room to the door and opened it to smile down at the small child before her, "Hey there." Alyson greeted the girl, forcing herself to smile, "How have you been?" Nicole returned the smile and quickly frowned at the sight of the girl's bandaged arm and crutch. "What happen?" Nicole blinked at the girl's bandages in disbelief, "Are you okay?" She inquired worriedly. Alyson rubbed her bandaged arm in shame, "It is nothing really. Just a scratch really." Nicole tilted her head and blinked up at the girl, "Did that girl do this to you?" She inquired coldly. Alyson blinked at the child, "What girl?" "That demon." She stated with an edge to her voice that cut the air, "That redhead." She continued, unawares as her hand moved to clench the pendent around her neck, her sister's pendent, the very gift that Alyson had given Natalie over a year ago, the sight of which caused Alyson to close her eyes and look away. Alyson let out a tired sigh as she lowered herself to the closest bed, "She is not all that bad." She remarked, trying to keep her mind off of Natalie. "She's evil." Nicole reiterated as she entered the room, "You saw what she did to my sis. If she hurt you I... I'll... I'll hurt her back." Alyson shook her head in disapproval and brushed her bangs out of her eyes, "She didn't hurt me and you may not have to worry about her much anymore." She said sadly. Now it was Nicole's turn to start in confusion, "Anymore? Is she gone? Did you finally figure out how to get rid of her?" Alyson shook her head again, "Not really..." She nervously ran her hand through her hair again, she found herself doing this more and more recently and tried to stop herself and placed her hand upon her lap, "Her other half is gone," She explained, "and it seems to have changed her in some way. It worries me actually." "Her other half?" Nicole puzzled, "Her twin? What happened to her?" Alyson let out a deep sigh and rubbed her wounded leg, "She is gone." She stated simply, "It is hard to explain really." She glanced up to see the girl fiddling with the pendent around her neck, "You still have that?" She inquired lightly, finding it impossible to keep her eyes off the necklace. Nicole stared down at the necklace in dismay. She was not even aware that she was holding it until Alyson mentioned the thing. Quickly she let go of the necklace and let it drop to her check, "I... It makes me feel safe." She remarked shyly. Alyson smiled warmly at the girl, "That is good to know. It was meant to protect those who wear it." She explained and frowned slightly at the thought of Natalie giving away her gift so easily. Nicole's eyes dropped to the necklace and she began to remove it, "Here." She took off the necklace and held it out to the girl, "Give it back to sis." She offered the necklace out to the girl. Alyson stared at the pendent as it slowly swayed before her eyes, sunlight glinting off the red gem that hung from the chain and turned away from the object, "No, you keep it. Natalie gave it to you after all." She said with a sigh. Guilt filled Nicole as she drew the necklace close to her chest, "I'm sorry I've acted like a child before." She said miserably, "I don't know what I was thinking. I just..." Tears filled her eyes and she frantically wiped at them with the corners of her sleeve, "I'm sorry... I just want you and Natalie to be together." She said through a small sob, "I don't know why I kept the necklace. I didn't want you two to break up." She sucked in a stifled breath and everything inside began to fall apart and tears come tumbling forward as she stood there in the middle of the dorm room, tears splashing off her shoes and the carpet. "I... I don't know what is wrong with me." She said as she struggled to keep the tears at bay, wiping at them in a vain attempt to keep them hidden, "I keep trying to tell myself not to cry, but I can't control it. I'm not going to end up like sis. I can fight this. I just... just..." She let out a tired wail. Alyson reached out towards the girl and pulled her into her arms, "Shhhh... It is alright... You don't have to worry about us." She cooed. "But..." Nicole sniffled as she allowed herself to be drawn into the girl's arms, "You two have been arguing so much and I want you to be my sister toooooo." She last words turning into a long, pained, wail as she fell into the girl's arms. ***** To be Continued . . .
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