Every time I asked my uncle what he thought I should do, he said I should go with what I loved the most. He refused to pressure me into following in his footsteps so he talked up my hobby like it was the greatest thing ever. My soon-to-be-aunt talked about her academy days all the time, trying to convince me of its awesomeness. And Anthony…well, we only saw him for Friday night dinners now. We got him for two hours before he had to rush back home to Georgina and the kids. He was working full time at a local clinic. His time was precious.
“I’m sure you’d find happiness no matter what you chose, Charles,” he said when I’d asked him.
Which was no help at all.
I needed my sister’s input. I knew she’d be the tie-breaker, the one with the greatest insight and, therefore, the best opinion.
At least I only had two options. Esmer had too many to count and her list was still growing. This week alone she’d added domestic violence lawyer, drug rehabilitation specialist, and social worker. All of which were great, but with her grades, she’d have to work harder than me to get into a good school. But she wasn’t discouraged. She was on a mission to make something of herself, using all of her shitty experience to help other people going through similar shitty experiences. Her words, not mine. It still blew my mind.
I knew Jasmine would’ve been proud…if she would just talk to me for a second.
I was wheeling my computer out of my latest patient’s room when I felt it. Jasmine’s presence, just down the hall. I docked my computer at the nurses’ station as calmly as I could. Then I booked it to the room where an elderly man was crashing. There was already a doctor with a team of nurses in there, working their asses off to try and save this guy. And there was Jasmine, a silent shadow in the corner of the room, watching with a mixture of awe and sympathy. She was almost transparent. If the curtains hadn’t been drawn, I wouldn’t have seen her reflection in the window.
It didn’t make any sense; she was invisible to everyone else. I wasn’t cursed anymore. By all rights, I shouldn’t have been able to see her either. But I could. I’d come to believe it was because we were twins and we’d always have an intangible connection, even if one of us wasn’t entirely human anymore.
I wanted to wave and get her attention but that would look really weird to whoever was passing by. The nurses working at the speed of light probably wouldn’t appreciate seeing the medical scribe waving at them from the other side of the observation window. So I stayed where I was and waited for my sister to acknowledge me. I shook my hands out at my sides. I was staring so hard at her profile; I was sweating a little. Then, finally, her attention shifted to me. I exhaled, smiling in relief.
Can we talk? I mouthed.
She gave me a stern look and a slow shake of her head.
Shoving my hurt aside, I held up two fingers. Two minutes? I begged. Please.
A tiny upward curl of her mouth turned her stern look into one of nostalgia. When she shook her head this time, it was like she was saying, “Oh, Charlie. When will you learn?”
The old man flat-lined, drawing Jasmine’s attention.
“I need your help,” I whispered in desperation. “I don’t know what to do.”
She glanced at me one more time. “Yes, you do.”
It was like a whisper on the air, as soft as a leaf falling in autumn. It made chills creep down my spine. Because yeah, I did know. Deep down. I was always going to try and become a detective. Solving murders and catching bad guys brought me the most satisfaction and fulfillment. Why would I do anything else?
Jasmine nodded, like she’d read my mind. Then she blew a kiss my way and vanished.
The doctor pronounced the poor old man dead.
I wiped the moisture from my eyes and walked away before anyone could wonder why I looked so sad to witness the death of a stranger.
◆◆◆
I went home for lunch.
The basement apartment underneath the North Precinct had been too big without Jasmine in it. I lived with my uncle now, in his apartment. It was a little awkward, what with Vanessa coming and going all the time. There wasn’t any room for my workbench so we’d put it and all of my crafting materials in storage. I drove forty minutes one way several times a week to create stuff now. It wasn’t ideal, but it was temporary. Once I’d saved up enough money, I’d get a place of my own, do a year or two of the bachelor life before I asked Esmer to move in with me.
Hell, if we were still together by then, I’d ask her to marry me.
I pushed the front door open and tugged the key out of the lock, expecting to be greeted by a dark, quiet interior. I was surprised to see the light was on. Uncle Vic sat at the small table in the kitchenette, having coffee with my parents.
I froze in the doorway.
My dad looked just like my uncle, only he had some gray in his hair and crow’s feet. He, unlike Victor, was clean shaven, wearing a suit and a tie. He was also sitting in a wheelchair.
My mom looked over her shoulder and jumped right out of her chair. Her dark hair was long and curled at the ends. She didn’t wear any makeup, but she had
