The Secrets.

Lawrie Miller

I stepped out onto the brightly lit stage and smiled. I was by far the best in this performance and I knew it. When I was younger I loved dressing up in her pretty dresses, and then when I was old enough my step-dad starting taking me to acting classes. I loved the attention and admiration that I got from the audience, some people might say that it was selfish, but I don’t listen to them.

I had two sisters and we were triplets. We were completely different in every way except for looks.

I smiled into the crowed and began to recite the words I’d spent weeks learning by heart. The audience smiled beatifically at me, it helped that I was young, and cute.

Soon, too soon the performance had ended and I was scooped up hastily by my step-dad.

“Daddy, I have to say goodbye to Mrs. McIntrye!” I whispered. “It’s rude to leave without saying goodbye.”

“No sweetie. We must go home quickly.” There was a shake in his voice that hadn’t been there earlier on.

“Da-ad! What is it?” I cried. I got upset easily.

“Listen sweetheart, you’re going to have to be strong.” He whispered as he fastened my seat belt in the car.

A tear fell down my cheeks. There was something bad going on. I just didn’t know what it was yet.

“It’s Sian. She’s been murdered.” He whispered, his voice breaking as he struggled to remain calm.

I don’t really know what that means, I think it’s something like her being kidnapped.

“Umm. It’s OK Daddy, we’ll find her.” I whispered a few more tears falling onto my costume.

“No baby. Sian is dead. She’s not coming home again.” He said, his voice almost incoherent through the cascade of tears.

“No...” I muttered.

That was the last day I went to acting class. It was the end of my own life. Sian was the glue keeping us together, and I was always the outcast. Sian and Morgan were clever. I wasn’t.

Morgan Miller

Mud covered my small, dirty hands as I placed another pansy into the dark earth. Picking up my pink watering can, I drenched the tiny purple plant with water and smiled. Another plant was growing. One day, I would have my own perfect garden. Thousands of flowers growing everywhere, a giant weeping willow that wept into a brilliant blue pond and a never ending green lawn that was always perfectly trimmed. That was my dream. No fancy castles, no infinite amount of money, I just wanted to live in a small house with a beautiful garden. I won't need a husband or children, I could be happy with nature by my side.

I slumped onto my heels and looked sadly at my current garden. Well, my parents' garden. It's not very well cared for, mainly because my step-dad doesn't like to mow the lawn and I'm not allowed to do it in case I get hurt. So I do the best I can with my safety scissors.

Mum sat in the deck chair, watching over me and making sure I don't get hurt. I don't understand why she is always watching me, I can't exactly injure myself from using safety scissors. They're called safety scissors for a reason.

Inside the house, the phone began to ring. It's sharp chime made my mum rise from her seat and place her lemonade on the grass next to the deck chair, before heading inside quickly to answer the phone.

Turning back towards my flower patch, I picked up my scissors and began to chop away at the grass that threatened to destroy my beautiful garden. Even if I don't have that huge garden at the moment, doesn't mean I can't make a just as beautiful one on my tiny two meter by two meter square that my step-dad let me have.

Sharp, high pitched screaming began flooding through the air and I jumped, my safety scissors slicing through the end of my finger. Blood dripped onto my new planted pansy and my eyes welled up. Keeping my finger away from my shirt I ran into the house, the tears already pouring from my eyes.

"Mummy!" I called the fresh cut on my finger painful. "I need a plaster, my finger is bleeding!"

Mum stumbled into the utility where I stood, her brown eyes bloodshot and black streaks all down her cheeks, like spiders being washed down the drain. She glared down at me, her face turning red and angry. I quickly checked my clothes to see if there was any blood on them because I knew how difficult it was to get blood out of clothes. When I couldn't find anything wrong I asked mum what was wrong.

She swallowed and took deep breaths before answering. "It's Sian," Mum whispered, "Sian's dead."

Suddenly my bleeding finger didn't seem all that important now. I walked towards mum, wanting to give her a hug and make everything better.

"When will she be home?" I asked, not sure what dead meant. Somebody had said that their grandad was dead recently so Sian must have heard and wanted to join the new club too. Maybe it was something to do with doctors, Sian wants to be a doctor when she grows up.

"She's never coming home, you stupid girl!" Mum hissed, shoving me away. "Some sick fucking bastard shot my darling and cut her into bits!" Tears erupted from mum again and she ran outside towards the car. I went to go after her, but the sudden screech as the car left the drive in a flurry of burning rubber told me she did not want me.

I looked over at my flowers and remembered what my grandma had said to me when I was younger and asked why the flowers withered and eventually disappeared. "Everything dies eventually, Morgan. Sometimes sooner, sometime later. When a flower dies, another one takes it place but the original is gone. You'll still have something with the same appearance, but it will never be the first."

Sian is not a flower, but even I know it's the same idea. If Sian has died, then I need to be the one who takes her place. I am not the same as Sian but I will try my hardest to fill her shoes. My eyes teared over slightly as I glanced towards the blooming flowers. No longer would I have a beautiful garden, I will become a doctor. Sian wanted to be a doctor, so instead I will do it for her. If Sian can't live through herself then she can live through me.

After all, mum and dad loved her more.