Moon River

C H A P T E R: 6

"Jace? Cla—?" Will asked.
"Jezzie!" Sophia exclaimed and began running to her best friend.
"Wait— Sophia!" Will ran after her, trying to catch her.
She kept running and running, the path seemed to stretch out forever.
He finally was within arms reach of her, he tried to grab her arm and his hand went right through it.
"Sophia?" He stared at his hand then at her figure, running the endless pathway.

"Jezzie! Clary! Jaze!" Sophia shouted, reaching for her friends.
They seemed to move further and further.
"Quelle baise?" She said and turned around, "Will, are you zeeing zi— Will?"
The boy was gone and so were the others.
"OÙ ES-TU?!" She shouted, "GUYZ?! ...Will?"
"Oh, Sophia." A voice said, sending a chill down her spine, "Vous avez tellement grandi."
You've grown so much.
"...S-Soleil?"

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Jessie shouted and hugged the nearest thing, which happened to be Jace.
He looked down at her quizzically, "What's wrong with you?"
She got off Jace and pointed at something in pure horror.
Jace looked and saw nothing.
He put his hands on the girl's shoulders and shook her, "Jessie, are you alright? There's nothing there."
"B-but..."
"Jessie," He said in the soothing tone, "Calm down."
Unexpectedly, Jessie burst into tears and hid her face in her hands.
She rushed over to where she pointed and wept by it, mumbling inaudible words.
"Jessie..." Jace reached for her when the room was thrown in darkness.

Clary walked into the room, expecting either her friends or the White Goddess.
Instead, she saw Jace, blood all over, reaching towards her.
"S-sis..." He stumbled towards her.
She gasped and held him, keeping him from falling.
He was too heavy, so she set him down on the floor, his head on her lap.
"Jace...what's happened to you?" She asked, her lips trembling.
"T-this is all your fault..."

Will stopped running eventually.
He knew now that that Sophia was an illusion.
He was in a plain square room, cracked stone walls on all sides.
"Um, hello?" He called out to no one in particular.
"William..." A voice breathed.
He turned around to see a tall woman who resembled him.
Her straight brown hair fell around her shoulders and her chocolate eyes held the same warmth as they did all those years ago.
His jaw dropped, "M-mom?"

Soleil moved in front of Sophia, her golden brown curls bouncing as she did so.
"Ça fait longtemps que ma soeur." Soleil said.
It's been a long time, sister.
"Soleil ... Je suis désolé ..." Sophia moved towards her sister, reaching out.
I'm sorry.
Soleil stepped back, her blue eyes ,that were so much like Sophia's, darkened with disgust,
"Ne me touchez pas vous, meurtrier!"
Do not touch me you murderer!
Sophia stepped back with a gasp, her hand recoiling from Soleil.
"You know I zid not mean it, Soleil!"
"Iz zat zo?" Her sister spat, "Drowning your own twin iz an akzident?!"
"Non, je ne l'ai pas fait! Je n'ai pas! Ce n'est pas de ma faute!" Sophia slowly shrunk into a corner, her hands covering her face.
No, I didn't do it! I didn't! It's not my fault!
"Vat zoo you zink your 'friends' will zink of you when zey find out? 'uh?" Soleil taunted, "You are a murderer!"
"Arrêtez! S'il vous plaît!" Sophia pleaded.
Stop! Please!
Soleil laughed humorlessly, "I zee you are not only a murderer, you are alzo a coward! You 'ide from za trutzh. You alreazy know you do not belong wiz your friends. You zoo not fit in with zee otherz. Didn't mom and dad zay your obzezzion wiz bookz made you different? You—"
"STOP IT!" Sophia screamed, gripping the sides of her head, practically ripping out her hair, "ZTOP!"
Soleil's hand gripped her face so harshly and forced her to look up, "Remember vat you did zat day! RAPPELLES TOI!"

It was a bright sunny day, like the time's in movies when disasters were bound to happen.
The twins were playing in the sand by the sea, waiting for their parents.
"Il fait chaud ici. Allons nager maintenant." Sophia said.
It's hot here. Let's swim now.
"Mais maman et papa nous ont dit d'attendre!" Soleil reasoned.
But mom and dad told us to wait!
Sophia teased her sister for being to perfect and rushed off to the sea.
Soleil, with nothing to do, sighed and followed her sister.
They soon found themselves in the deep.
"Sophia, let's go back!" Soleil said, struggling to keep afloat.
Sophia stuck her tongue out and continued to swim deeper.
Soleil began pulling Sophia's leg, "I-I can't b-breath."
She was pulling her down to pull herself up.
Sophia kicked at her, "Let go of me!"
Soleil ignored her and continued for air, leaving Sophia submerged in the salty water.
She ignored Sophia's protests until Sophia couldn't bear it.
Sophia pulled her sister down harshly and practically stood on her, gasping for air.
Soleil struggled but Sophia held her down firmly.
"STOP IT YOU'RE SO ANNOYING!" She shouted at Soleil.
Soon her sister had stopped struggling and Sophia wondered why.
She pulled her up and was suddenly horrified.
Her sister had stopped breathing a gone limp all over.
"SOLEIL?!"
She shook her sister, struggling to keep them both afloat.
"SOLEIL WAKE UP! THIS IS NOT FUNNY!"
She said in French.
Sophia lost energy and stopped keeping them both afloat.
Both slowly sinking into the ocean floor.
I'm sorry... let me make it up to you, Sophia thought back then.
A hand grabbed her out of the water and hauled her onto a hard surface.
It was her dad, who hovered over her.
"Are you okay? Where's your sister?"
He panicked and look at the black water when Sophia said nothing.
"Sophia!" He shook her shoulders, "Where is Soleil?"
Sophia burst into tears, "I'm sorry, papa. Soleil... I... she's d-dead."
Her father looked grim but said nothing as he drove the speed boat to the shore.
They got Sophia a therapist to ease her mind, but that never really fixed the guilt deep inside.
They were only twelve then. Twelve... Five years ago.