Twin Souls

⚘10⚘

❗TRIGGER WARNING ❗
(this chapter mildly mentions binge eating and negative self talk)

Sanaa ☯️

"You're pathetic, Sanaa," my conscience whispered as the car approached the airport. For once, I completely agreed with my it. I should have been used to my father leaving for work purposes but I've been attached to him since the beginning of my time.

"Do you really have to leave?" my siblings and I pouted as we stood with our father at the airport. His flight to Nigeria was intended for family business he had to complete.

"You know the answer to that," he sighed with a small smile on his face. "It's just three weeks after all."

"Three weeks are so far away," Ama whined.

"It's for business anyway," I told my siblings, rubbing their backs in a comforting manner.

"Have a save flight," we said, hugging him before he disappeared into the building.

"Let's go," Mom called out and we followed.

•

"Mom, are you okay?" I asked, entering her room.

"I don't think so," she said, positioning her back on the back of the bed. Her face was pale and her voice was slightly raspy.

I sat beside her and placed my hand on her forehead to feel her body's temperature.

"You're burning!" I exclaimed, jerking my hand away from her skin.

"I must've caught a fever," she stated while face-palming.

"What's wrong, Mom?" my siblings asked, joining us in her room.

"Fever."

I exchanged a sly smile with my siblings as we chuckled.

"What?" Mom asked, her eyes darting between us.

"You know you don't have a fever," Kai smiled.

"What do I have then?"

"You are lovesick!" we sang in unison.

She merely shook her head with a smile. Mom had the tendency to get ill whenever Dad left us for a couple of weeks. Teasing her was an activity my siblings and I loved to do.

"I'm going to make some tea for you," I said to her while heading towards the door. "Who else needs some?"

"Me!" my siblings exclaimed simultaneously.

"Preferably with a few scoops of honey," Kai added.

"Okay."

I returned with four hot cups of rooibos tea with biscuits on a tray. The rest of the day was filled with food and laughs.

The following the day was filled with agitation. I hated waking up early. With an eye roll, I proceeded with my morning routine and waited for Mr. Mudau to pick my siblings and me up. I sighed in frustration as I realised that Ada and Chichi ignored the messages I've sent a couple of days ago. The messages prior to that seemed odd, which confirmed my suspicion of their shifts in energy. My endless number of failed friendship fueled my desire of having a stable life but I knew it would never happen. Not in this lifetime anyway.

At school I mingled with my siblings' friends as an attempt to get to know them better. As the oldest, I found it necessary to know if they're good enough for my siblings personality wise. I made a lot of academic progress and came out of my shell as well. My friends and I cracked jokes throughout the breaks and Marla and I developed the habit of eating crackers whenever we had English classes which I found quite amusing. My overall health throughout the past weeks was good aside from my occasional binge eating habits I developed due to my insecurities. In an attempt to curb the actions, I contemplated on exercising more often. Perhaps it might work.