The Twin

by Natasha Preston

Her nostrils flare. “Don’t push me, Ivy.”

  “Me push you? I’m pretty sure you’re the one who’s been doing all the pushing. You know, I have no idea how the police haven’t connected the dots yet. Mom falls. Kat falls. Now, what or who is the link between those two? Oh, that’s right…” I stare into her cold, heartless eyes. “It’s you.”

  “If that could be proven, you would have gone to the police by now.”

  Her words punch the air right out of my lungs. She isn’t denying it. Our mom and her old best friend. If she’s willing to hurt—kill—them, she’s willing to do anything.

  What’s her goal? “You want my life. Iris, you have it. So what’s next?”

  “What?” she asks, as if she’s never thought about anything past stealing the world from me.

  “You have my life. Now you have to maintain it. You get to spend the next two years swimming four times a week, meeting up with the girls at the diner, pretending to care about Leo’s interests, and busting your butt to maintain my grades. For someone who doesn’t want to put the effort in, it seems like an awful lot of work.”

  Her face pales but she holds eye contact.

  Nope, she hasn’t thought this through. It’s one thing to take everything I have, but it’s another to keep it.

  “Enjoy your weekly milkshake and listening to Leo give you a play-by-play of every game. It’s exactly what you deserve.”

  “My God, you’re a bitch. I should have killed you when I had the chance.”

  My spine straightens. When did she have the chance? I mean, she can’t exactly suffocate me in my sleep. That would be far too obvious.

  She could be messing with me, of course.

  “Like you did with Mom and Kat?” I ask. My voice is unbelievably calm considering my heart is racing so fast I feel dizzy.

  “You have no idea what Mom was really like, Ivy.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “The boyfriend, Carl, became much more important than me. She was so blinded.” Iris rolls her eyes. “She couldn’t see what was going on.”

  My blood runs cold. Carl. That’s the man Mom was seeing. The man in the photos. “What was going on? Iris, did he hurt you?”

  She recoils, her head whipping back like I’d hit her. “Of course not! Carl and I were going to be together, but she always got in the way of us.”

  I shake my head. “Be together?” That sure sounds like he was being inappropriate. Grooming her.

  “I know he wanted me too. I could tell.”

  Wait, what?

  “How do you know that? He was with Mom. What did he do to you?”

  She rolls her eyes. “He did nothing to me, but he wanted to. I could tell every time he looked at me that he wanted to kiss me. Carl took me on dates.”

  “Dates?” I think I’m getting whiplash with all this conflicting information.

  “If my car was in the garage, he would pick me up and take me for coffee, or order in when Mom was away, and we’d eat in front of a movie.”

  “Iris, that sounds like normal things you do for your girlfriend’s kid.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You weren’t there! He was only with her to spend time with me. There were looks. He tried to deny it, but you can’t deny chemistry like that. We fell in love.”

  That doesn’t sound like love to me. “So he never touched you or told you that he wanted you?”

  “God, Ivy, did you hear what I just said? He didn’t need to tell me. It was clear from everything he’d done for me that he wanted me. I wanted him too, but Mom was in the way.”

  So Iris was obsessed. He wasn’t interested in a schoolgirl, but she wouldn’t accept that. My god, she’s delusional, mistaking kindness for love.

  “Can you hear yourself? He never touched you or gave you any indication that he was interested, yet you still believed he wanted you? He wanted a sixteen-year-old psycho over our kind, driven, sane mother.”

  Her pale eyes seem to darken with evil. “She was sending him away!”

  “What?”

  “She was cheating on him and he was going to leave!” she screams.

  “You’re lying!”

  She laughs. “Our mother was a slut.”

  I grind my teeth, my fists clenching.

  “He was the best man I have ever met, and she was sending him away because she was sleeping with her personal trainer!”

  “What?”

  “He wanted to be with me, but we would never have a chance if she made him leave. Coming to the apartment to see her was his cover to see me.”

  Slowly, I shake my head. “Can you hear yourself right now? You sound so naïve.”

  “Shut up, you don’t know anything,” she spits. “She ruined everything for me. She deserved to die!”

  Anger swallows me whole. Fire burns in my veins and I launch myself forward, slamming into Iris and curling my nails into her skin.

  She screams, but her shock only lasts seconds before she grabs my hair and pulls.

  Pain slices through my scalp, and I push myself forward with such force, Iris tumbles over.

  I land on top of her and claw at the skin covering her shoulders.

  “Ivy!” Dad bellows. I hear his voice, but Iris has her hand fisted in my hair, and I can’t move. “Ivy, get off her.”

  Oh God. My heart sinks.

  “Let go!” I scream, whipping my body from side to side to get her away.

  I might be the one on top, but Iris is making sure I can’t get off.

  “Ivy, no!” Dad’s arm wraps around my waist and at that very second, Iris’s grip loosens. He lifts me off her like he’s just rescued her.

  Iris burst into tears, her chest caving as she sobs.

  Oh, so we can control the water works, can we? Crazy witch.

  Dad grips my upper arm, forcing me to look at him. “What the hell were you doing?”

  “Defending myself! She ran at me after she admitted she pushed Mom off that bridge and Kat into a river!”

  Iris’s mouth drops wide open.

  “Ivy!” Dad glares at me like I’m some stranger.

  Granted, I should have had that conversation with him in a different manner, but he has to know what she’s done.

  “No, Dad. I’m so over being the bad one when I have done nothing wrong. All I have done since she first arrived is try to make things easier for her. Everything that has happened has been her! You know me and you know this isn’t who I am.”

  He shakes his head. “Ivy, you have been caught doing some of those things.”

  “No, there has been convenient evidence. That’s completely different. No one has seen me do anything because I haven’t done anything.”

  Iris holds her cheek and pushes herself to her feet.

  I roll my eyes. I guess I’m supposed to have injured her cheek. There is no mark but I’m going to take a shot in the dark here and say that doesn’t matter.

  It’s like she has some sort of spell on everyone.

  “Okay,” Dad says slowly, letting go of my arm. “No one is to move until I say so. You both need to calm down, and I need to get to the bottom of this.”

  “Dad, she has accused me of killing my mom,” Iris says, her voice rough like she’s recovering from a throat infection. I stop myself rolling my eyes this time. “How can she say something like that?”

  “I also accused you of killing your ex–best friend. You know, the one you cut out of your crew and tried to push down the stairs. There seems to be a bit of a theme, don’t you think?”

  “Ivy, enough,” Dad snaps.

  Really?

  Crossing my arms over my chest, I take a breath. I’m not sure Meera’s breathing techniques will work right now. They’re good, but they’re not showdown-with-your-mur
derous-twin good.

  Dad’s eyes glaze over as he stares at me.

  My face falls and my scalp prickles. “Dad,” I whisper.

  He believes her and not me.

  “Dad, come on.”

  “Ivy, I walked in here and saw you on top of your sister. What am I supposed to think?”

  “Dad, you have to believe me,” I say, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I don’t look at Iris—all my energy is on Dad. “Iris killed Mom. Iris killed Kat.” I take a deep, shuddering breath. “When I confronted her about everything, vandalizing the pool, Kat, Mom, she admitted to it all. All the crap that’s gone wrong, the test papers, messing with my friends, planting pictures of Mom and her boyfriend in my room, making you think me and Ty were having sex, telling Ty that Logan tried to kiss me at a party. All of it was her.” Everything is pouring out of me.

  My dad is quiet for a moment. He isn’t looking at my sister. “Ivy, why would she do that?”

  Iris is suddenly very quiet. Now she gets to sit back and watch the show she’s directing. Well, I’m taking over from here.

  “Jealousy. She did the same to Kat, making people think she’d done all of this crap and then cutting her out.”

  He rubs his forehead roughly. “Why is she jealous, Ivy?”

  “Because I had my spot on the team, excellent grades, awesome friends, and a great boyfriend. In her eyes I had it all and she had nothing. She was obsessed with the guy Mom was dating. He turned her down, so I think that’s when she knew she had to get Mom out of the way.” I address my sister. “Only it didn’t go to plan, did it, Iris? He rejected you and moved away.” Turning back to Dad, I add, “That’s why Iris was out so much those first few days.”

  Dad looks at Iris.

  Yes, come on, Dad. See through her lies.

  “Iris?”

  I put my hands on my hips. Time to answer, bitch.

  Slowly, she shakes her head. “Carl? You think I wanted Mom’s boyfriend? Ivy, he was, like, old and stuff. I mean, he was cool and all, but ew. Look, Ivy, I get why you’re so upset, but I haven’t done any of those things. You’re not thinking straight. Ever since Mom died, you’ve been so different, and we know you barely sleep anymore. You need help, Ivy. More help than Meera can give you.”

  Of course. Here comes the denial.

  “I would applaud if this wasn’t so freakin’ tragic, Iris. Can you even hear yourself? Take a step back and think about your life choices, because this is all going to bite you on the ass.”

  “Stop,” Dad says, raising a palm at each of us. “Ivy, love, I do think we need to seek out some more…professional help for you. No one is here to blame you, but this has to stop. You’re accusing your sister of murder. Do you understand that?”

  Fire burns in my chest. “I understand that perfectly! I’m not the one who needs locking up. Iris is!”

  “No one is talking about locking anyone up,” he says, his voice soft yet firm. He’s doing that thing where he treats me like a child again.

  I meet his eyes, pleading with him to believe me. “Dad, I’m telling the truth. She admitted it.”

  His forehead creases, but he doesn’t react beyond that. “Ivy, think about this. We’ve never heard of this Carl, and Iris has never mentioned him.”

  “I’ve done nothing but think about this!”

  Oh my God, what is going to happen to me now? He’s going to side with her. I gasp for breath, my lungs feeling like they’ve collapsed under the weight of Iris’s lies. The room seems smaller, shrinking by the second as the air in one massive rush sends me plummeting to my knees.

  “Ivy!” Dad shouts, crouching down. “Iris, call 911.”

  I shake my head, my eyes so wide they hurt. “Dad, I—”

  They’re talking about more help. What help? Will I be sent somewhere? They can’t just get rid of me like I’m a nuisance pet. Dad wouldn’t do that to me; he couldn’t.

  Iris might have everyone fooled, but she can’t stop him from loving me.

  “Ivy, breathe in and out,” Dad orders, his face pale with worry.

  He’s scared. But his fear is nothing compared to the chilling terror I feel as I finally realize Iris has won.

  I try to suck in a breath, but nothing is happening. My eyes widen and I slam my hand into my lungs. Oh God, work!

  Dad’s face blurs; then I’m falling into the abyss.

  48

  When I wake up, my head is throbbing. I press on my temple and groan. The last thing I remember is fighting with Iris. Then Dad split us up.

  My mouth parts in a gasp. He sided with her. Even though I told him everything, all of the crap that she’s done to me, the fact that she killed Mom and Kat…he didn’t believe me.

  I flick my eyes open. What the…

  I’m not in my room. The walls here are a pale sage green. The sheets over me are white and stiff. Hospital.

  “Dad?” I croak, sitting up. I hold my head as the world slides to the side. It hurts so bad. I run my fingers over my hair, feeling my head, looking for a cause of the pain.

  “Hello?” I call, looking around.

  I’m not hooked up to anything, so I can’t be injured that badly.

  “Ivy, hi,” a lady in blue scrubs says as she walks into my room with a wide smile. She looks like she’s glad to see me.

  “Where am I?”

  “You’re at Rose Haven Institute. Don’t worry, you’re going to be okay. You collapsed at home and hit your head. How do you feel?”

  Rose Haven Institute? That’s not a regular hospital. “My head hurts. Why am I here?”

  She smiles gently. “You’re here for a forty-eight-hour observation.”

  “What? Why are you doing that? What are you observing?”

  “Your dad tells us that you’ve had a difficult time recently.”

  Heat rushes to my face. I grip the sheets underneath me. No. “She’s gone and done it.”

  “What’s that, Ivy?”

  “Iris…This is what she planned all along.”

  The nurse smiles again. “Let’s get you out of the first aid suite and to your room. You’ll be able to see your dad then. The doctor will be by in an hour to speak with you and explain in detail what’s going to happen.”

  I barely hear her because of the shrill ringing in my ears. This can’t be happening.

  The nurse leads me to a room. My legs move on autopilot. I can’t believe I’m staying here for two days. There is nothing wrong with me.

  Dad is standing in the room with his hands behind his back.

  When he hears us walk in, he turns. “Ivy, how are you—”

  “Why did you bring me here?” I snap.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t want to do this, but I have to get you the help you need.”

  I shake my head, my eyes filling with tears. “Dad, this is a mistake. I shouldn’t be here. You can’t leave me here!”

  My eyes fly around the room. The walls are plain, not white like I expected, but it’s not many shades off. There is a single bed and a desk. A couple of books sit on the desk, but I have no desire to sit here and read.

  I have no desire to be here at all.

  “Right now, this is where you need to be, Ivy. I promise everything will be all right once you’re better.”

  I stare at my dad, wondering how he could have let this happen. When did he stop being able to see the truth in my eyes? “I’m not sick, Dad.”

  “This is only a small chapter in your life. When you’re out, the three of us can start afresh.”

  I’m in an institution.

  They’ve locked me up because I didn’t pass whatever observations they’ve been doing. No one believes me. They believe Iris.

  For him to believe that a few days of therapy will make all this better is laughable. Why would I w
ant to share a house with my twin after this?

  This is what she wanted all along. I take a raspy breath and steady myself against the wall with my palm. She wasn’t satisfied to take over my life, to steal my friends, to make me look bad; she wanted me out of the way.

  Iris doesn’t want a twin, and now she doesn’t have one.

  “Dad, please take me home,” I plead. “You all have this so wrong. I haven’t done anything.”

  “I can’t, Ivy. As much as I want to, I can’t.”

  “Sure, you can. Just go and discharge me.”

  “That’s not how it works, sweetheart. This isn’t forever. You have all the help and support you need in here. When you’re ready, we’ll be waiting.”

  We. Him and Iris.

  She’s not going to want me home. My sister is the reason I’m here. Everything she has done was designed to make me look crazy.

  I can never go home.

  I turn away from my dad. I don’t recognize him at all anymore. The man who would fight for me, take my word above all else, is gone. If he can be manipulated by his other daughter into something this big, then I don’t need him.

  “Ivy, love, don’t be angry. Your doctor thinks it would be a good idea if you allow Iris to visit. She’s desperate to see you.”

  “She’s desperate to gloat.”

  “Ivy, Iris does not—”

  “Save it, Dad,” I say, cutting him off. “One day you’ll see you that you locked the wrong daughter up, and it’ll be too late for us.” It’s already too late. Iris has taken everything from me. but she won’t have my sanity, and I won’t give her the satisfaction of seeing me in here.

  I’ll play along. I’ll get better. I’ll get out. Then I’ll get revenge.

  49

  Today’s my sixth day here. I’m trapped in my room until we’re allowed out for breakfast. They think I’m too dangerous to be on the outside, but no one seems to question whether we’re all too dangerous to be around each other in here.

  When I finish breakfast, I return to my room.

  “Ivy,” Dr. Finney says. She leans against the door frame and offers me a kind smile. Her graying hair is pulled into a bun. “You have a visitor this morning,”