Avaelyn had regretted lighting a fire on that fateful day. It was just one of their usual childhood plays which changed their lives forever, snatching their beloved parents at a very young age.
At the orphanage, Ava and Avaelyn led two different lives. While Avaelyn was the gentle, intelligent, smart, loved, and cherished one; Ava on the other hand grew more aggressive, selfish, disrespectful, and spiteful. She hated everyone around her. She became more obnoxious and cantankerous as days passed by. The twin sisters became two different characters after the fire hazard.
Ava would intentionally hurt her sister, Avaelyn who already felt entangled and tied down by guilt. Avaelyn was always seen apologizing unendlessly to her sister because she felt guilty, she wished that she was the one with a bruised and burnt face.
Ava grew worse by the day. Since the other kids hated and avoided her, she took to bullying and dishonesty. She would snatch snacks from the other kids leaving them to cry and when questioned by the authorities, she would deny. Ava wasn't ready to forgive, she felt her sister was the cause of their predicament and Avaelyn wasn't left out from her maltreatment. Infact Avaelyn suffered the worse. She hardly ate because she left her food and drinks to Ava; She looked pale and sick but all she wanted to do was to please her twin sister.
Occasionally, some couples would come to adopt a child or two from the orphanage and would end up picking Avaelyn because of her smartness, beauty and intelligence but Avaelyn always refused. She would cry and wail saying that she didn't want to leave her twin sister.
"I can't leave Ava alone here, it's enough already that I gave her a scar and killed our parents. It would be worse if I leave my only family now" Avaelyn would say, crying.
She felt guilt trapped. Sometimes she would hide whenever some couples came around for adoption.
One day, Avaelyn sat down at a corner, away from the other kids. She was sipping from a carton of fruit juice and looking out the window. At 10, she was already wise enough to read the situations around and tried to avoid trouble at all cost. She knew she was no longer in their splendid cottage where they got everything they ever wanted; she knew she was somewhere now, somewhere very far from home. Mrs Emily had told her and her twin to behave themselves and avoid trouble at the orphanage; she also told them they would be able to get new, sweet parents to take care of them if they maintained a good behaviour, and this was what Avaelyn sticked to. She was well behaved and calm, different in a positve way from the other kids.
Avaelyn! Ava shouted breaking into her sister's thought. What are you doing here, sipping away on this drink? Ava asked angrily as she collected the fruit drink and threw it from the window.
Ava! Avaelyn said as she swallowed hard. She was speechless and didn't know how to react. All she wanted was peace and serenity. Ava why would you do that? Avaelyn asked calmly.
By now,the other kids had gathered around staring curiously at the two sisters. From their looks, one could detect that they wanted a fight to break out; they wanted someone to spark up a beating on Ava so that they could all join in teaching her a bitter lesson. Avaelyn didn't give in. She was angry, obviously but the words of Mrs Emily and the guilt she felt held her down. She stood up to leave but Ava dragged her back.
You have no right to eat or drink, you monster! Ava barked. Everyone here knows what you have done so don't feign innocence, because you are not! Ava added harshly.
Avaelyn head banged within her. She wished she could turn back the hands of time and right her wrongs. What was happening? How did Ava turn to such displeasing personality within the twinkle of an eye? Was she wrong and perhaps Ava right? Was she guilty? These questions rallied in her head as there was no ready and accurate answers to them.
Avaelyn! Ava! It was Mrs Loly's thick voice. Mrs Loly was the head of the orphanage, she was a huge, dark woman who wore a strong fragrance. Sometimes the children would be able to detect her presence even without seeing her or hearing her voice but in this case, no one had noticed when she joined the crowd. She had been watching all the while. Mrs Loly had received complaints concerning Ava's displeasing attitude and bullying severally but she had never imagined that Ava behaved rudely to her sister as well.
What is going on here? Mrs Loly asked displeased at the sight.
Everywhere remained silent; the kids were afraid. Mrs Loly had asked them to report whenever there was a problem but no one dared to because they all wanted to achieve the same goal: dealing with Ava.
Ava and Avaelyn, Mrs Loly continued, come with me to my office. She commanded as she dispersed the other kids.
Avaelyn and Ava followed Mrs Loly behind amidst murmurings from the other kids.
What happened earlier? Mrs Loly asked when they got to her office. It was a large office containing a table and two chairs in front; it had a long bench at one corner of the room, a television set,and pictures framed and hung around the room. It was a spacious room.
Avaelyn stared into space while Ava stared hard at Mrs Loly. She never liked the woman and this wasn't a surprise because she never liked anyone either.
I said what happened earlier? Mrs Loly asked again, this time, harder.
We are sorry Mrs Loly, Avaelyn apologized,tear eyed. She didn't want to report her sister. It won't repeat itself again; it was just a little misunderstanding. Avaelyn added unaware that Mrs Loly had watched the whole thing from the beginning.
Avaelyn, Mrs Loly said gently. I know you love your sister so much and don't want any harm to come to her and I am not against that but you need to know that you are her elder. Yes! Avaelyn knew she was older than Ava, she was birthed thirty minutes before Ava, but she loved Ava and felt she owed a debt that she could never pay. Her mistake had ruined her sister's life and she couldn't forgive herself.
Ava, Mrs Loly called out gently. Avaelyn is your sister, she is not the cause of your predicament, she didn't kill your parents, she didn't lit the fire intentionally, she is not guilty of anything,it could have been you. Mrs Loly said but Ava wasn't listening. Instead she was muttering some words under her breath. She didn't want to hear all that. She was already so stone hearted that nothing could convince her otherwise that Avaelyn was innocent.
Mrs Loly kept talking but Ava wasn't listening. She was there, hearing but not ready to forgive. She had sworn that Avaelyn would pay for everything. As long as she was concerned, Avaelyn had disfigured her and killed their hope of livelihood.
Mrs Loly dismissed the girls and as they left her office, Avaelyn kept sobbing. She didn't know what to believe. Mrs Loly had said that she was innocent but within her,deep within her, she felt guilty after all, she was the one that lit the fire up.
"I am sorry" Avaelyn apologized again after they had left Mrs Loly's office. Ava didn't respond.
"Ava!, I said I am sorry" Avaelyn said again, this time audibly. I am sorry for everything, please find a place in your heart to forgive me. I didn't...
She was still talking when Ava interrupted.
Forgive you? Ava asked scoffing.That is impossible! She said tilting her head closer to Avaelyn's ear. You still have a lot to pay for what you did, she whispered and smiled devilishly.
Avaelyn didn't know what to say. She watched her sister walk away from her. Tears trickled down her cheeks, was this the same Ava that she spent her first five years with? Was it the same sister of hers she had played with before the tragic incident that claimed the lives of their parents. She couldn't believe her eyes. What shocked her most was the monster Ava had turned to. They were just ten but Ava was this heartless; she didn't care; everyone drank from her cup of fury and hatred; no one dared to face Ava. Avaelyn would say she was a young devil if Ava was not her sister but then she saw herself as the bigger demon since she believed she was responsible for her parents death. She kept walking as tears flowed ceaselessly, her jaws dropped as she walked like a skeleton; she was sick but didn't care. She wanted to die and at the same time, live. The other kids watched her as they murmured; they watched, not because they pitied her, but because they were disappointed that she didn't stand up to her sister. They wanted to show Ava what a living hell was like but Avaelyn didn't give them the opportunity. She loved Ava as herself.