Charly was already up and dressed with her uniform by the time I woke up, humming a song as she made her bed. She smiled approvingly at me, as of late I didn't have to be woken up by her loud singing in my ear or jumping on top of my bed.
Sunflowers face Charly as she wears her usual white dress with tiny red flowers. It's like she's ageless, reborn like the sun and living her every day like it's her last. That's how I've always pictured her.
Despite being siblings with a few years difference, our personalities are two sides of the same coin. Our room says otherwise though, both our sides are bare, hers actually more then mine. No boy band posters or plushies on her bed like most other girls her age.
"Are you going to pick me up from school?" Charly asks, a book in hand.
"Aren't you old enough to go by yourself?" I groan, coming out of the bathroom after changing. My black hair is a mess and my eyes still sleepy.
"I don't want to be alone" she says as she points with her free hand. No need for words to know she's telling me to go wash my face.
When I arrived at the entrance of the school, Charly was dancing in the middle of a circle of younger kids playing 'Ring around the rosie.' She told me once she wanted to be a mother, children with the same energy as she.
They laughed as they threw themselfs on the hard floor, too busy having fun to think about if they hurt themselfs. Charly stayed up, giggling and asking if they were okay.
"Nice to see you again Dallan" a teacher at the entrance glared at me. She always wears darker shades of colours, today being green, a bun in her also dark hair and glasses. I found her creepy since the first time I saw her. I don't renember when.
I smiled and nodded, then called out for Charly, only to see she was already beside me. I must have been staring blankly at the building for a while.
Charly put on her white dress with tiny red flowers for the party Javon, my best friend, invited me to the other day. He has two younger siblings, so I said yes when Charly was about to begg me to let her come. She could hang out with them instead of being at home in her empty and shady side of our room.
When we arrived, John and Harry, two other friends, were already at Javon's house. The three of them sitting on one of those sofas that stuck to you if exposed to skin.
Javon's siblings were playing with pink and yellowed coloured ballons, Charly joined them with no hesitation. She was never the shy type.
I sat beside my friends, who offered me energy drinks, I thanked them and declined. "We were just talking about the day we were at the park and got splashed by fish." Javon tells me and we grin. It was years ago when we were having a picnic in a park with a huge lake. Our parents were chatting as they sat on a blanket while we watched the strong orange coloured fish. They had suddenly gotten excited when a man next to us started feeding them and splashed us. We laughed non stop and I had to prevent Charly from jumping into the water to swim.
"Charly had a point that day, we were already wet so we might as well have taken a swim." I say to the three of them. Harry laughs nervously, while John and Javon, who I sat next to, give a concerned smile.
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