[Taliah Dawson]

"I'm so sorry for your loss"

The phrase had been repeated nearly a dozen times and yet the words still held no meaning for Taliah. Her teachers were sorry, her classmates were sorry,  even family members  that they hadn't heard from in several years were sorry, Liah was virtually drowning in apologies and yet she still felt unbearably hollow  as she cradled Tanya's  head in the crook of her arm. It was then that the young girl realized that the well wishers weren't sorry for what happened, they were sorry that there was nothing they could do to make it better. The apology did far more for them then it would ever do for her. As the young girl reflected on the uselessness of the sentiment, a prickly 'pins and needles sensation had begun in her fingertips and was rapidly sweeping up the length of Taliah's  arm indicating that the appendage was 'falling asleep but she dare not move out of fear of disturbing the slumbering child. In a way it was somewhat reflective of her current state of mind. A fascinating, yet perplexing blend of numbness and pain. With Tanya resting comfortably in her arms, Taliah then shifted her gaze to Tanice whom instinctively turned to face her at precisely the exact same  moment. As twins, the pair had always shared a deep bond that often allowed them to communicate with one another with a simple glance or unassuming gesture. 

Which proved invaluable these days as her sister had all but ceased speaking since being informed that their father had gone to heaven. Their mother had grown frustrated on several occasions with Tanice's vow of silence, but Taliah knew that her sister  would speak again when she was ready and that her healing couldn't be rushed. Taliah gestured  towards Tanya with her head then returned her gaze to Tanice who nodded in understanding and opened her arms allowing Liah to deposit their sister into them. Liah slid off the loveseat that the three of them had been huddled together on and timidly shuffled into the living room where their guests for lack of a better word had been gathered. Having run out of cliche and wholly meaningless  expressions of encouragement, comfort, and support, the mourners had moved on to leave the family of four to stew in their grief. As much as the incessant chatter had annoyed Taliah, as she scurried from room to room seeking out her mother, the young girl decided that the awkward silence that had settled upon the home was infinitely worse.

Having scoured the entire lower level of the home, Taliah ascended the staircase tentatively calling out "Mama?" Receiving no response, Liah made her way towards her parents' bedroom. Finding the door partially ajar, Liah pushed it the rest of the way open and slipped inside the room. A soft gasp escaped the young girl's throat as she took in the appearance of what she'd always known to be an immaculate living space. Large piles of clothing littered the carpet leaving only slivers of the flooring visible. Empty bottles of various sizes of alcohol cluttered the nightstand and dressers. Discarded pizza boxes that were likely several days old had been tossed in a corner of the room and laying atop of an unmade bed surrounded by soiled laundry was her sleeping mother. With her stomach audibly voicing its need for nutrition, Taliah started across the room, side stepping a few piles of clothes. Upon reaching the four poster bed, Liah gently shook her mother's arm saying "Mama, are you going to make dinner?"

An incoherent grumble sounded from the woman's slumbering form as her mother rolled over onto her side. After noting no further movement on her mother's part, Taliah sighed and trudged out of the room. Descending the staircase, Liah returned to the den to find her sisters still curled up in the chair. Gesturing for them to follow her, Taliah ambled into the kitchen. Pushing a foot stool in front of the fridge, Taliah climbed atop it and pulled down a box of cereal. Placing it on the counter, Liah grabbed three bowls from the cabinet before stepping off the foot stool and returning it to the corner where it belonged. Taliah turned just as Tanice pulled a jug of milk from the fridge and as she poured cereal into each bowl, Tanice filled each with milk. Grabbing a bowl for herself and Tanya whom had awakened just in time for dinner, Taliah presented it to her baby sister and the three ate in silence.

Dropping the empty bowls in the sink, the trio ascended the staircase and headed for Tanya's room. While Tanice carried Tanya into the bathroom to wash up, Taliah pulled a pair of pajamas from the drawer and lay them across the small twin bed. Assured that Tanice would see to it that Tanya was tucked in properly and likely stay with her until she drifted back off to sleep, Taliah withdrew from the room and meandered down the hallway to the bedroom that she shared with Tanice. Alone for the first time that night, Liah plucked a small picture frame from the nightstand. The young girl stared at the smiling faces in the photo for several minutes before summoning up the strength to put it back down. Flopping down on the bed, Liah wrapped her arms about herself and let the tears flow until finally drifting off into a restless sleep.

[Taliah Dawson]

Taliah stood in front of the bathroom mirror, a deep scowl marring the child's otherwise angelic visage as she evaluated her reflection. If there was anything that the tomboy truly despised it was wearing dresses. Or more to the point, it was the rather unrealistic expectation of cleanliness and femininity that irked Liah. Alas, the frock was the only clean article of clothing that the young girl owned at the moment. As an act of open rebellion, Taliah had blatantly refused to adorn the corresponding sandals opting instead for her favorite pair of sneakers to complete the ensemble. Not that her mother was likely to remain conscious long enough to debate the matter with her. Posessing something of an aversion to wearing her hair down, the eight year old drew her hair atop her head in a neat bun. Darting out of the restroom, Taliah grabbed her backpack from her bed and looped her arms through as shet descended the staircase. With her stomach rumbling, the little girl made a beeline for the kitchen. Raising herself up on her tiptoes, Taliah pulled an overhead cabinet open and withdrew a box of pop tarts. Digging out the shiny, silver package, Liah shuffled over to the toaster.

All the while keeping her ears perked for the padding of footsteps on the stairs, Taliah unwrapped the package and slid two pastries into the toaster.While waiting for the toaster to complete its cycle, Liah ambled over to the fridge. Tugging open the refrigerator door open, the little girl grabbed a jug of orange juice from the shelf. Placing the container on the counter, Taliah's dark orbs scanned the kitchen seeking the plastic cups that had been in the dish drain the previous night. As her gaze fell upon the clock on the stove, the little girl's eyes widened. Scurrying out of the kitchen, Taliah dashed over to bottom of the stairwell. Raising her small voice a few octaves, the child called out " Niecey! Hurry up! We're going to miss the bus!" Scrambling back into the kitchen, Taliah quickly realized that there would be no time for juice. Placing the jug back in the fridge, Liah carefully plucked the warm pastries from the toaster. She had just finished wrapping them individually in power towels when Tanice trudged into the kitchen. Handing her sister one of the pastries, Liah ushered Tanice towards the front door.

Closing the door firmly behind them, Taliah and Tanice nibble on their breakfast as they make their way to the bus stop. Running late as they were, the duo arrived at their destination to find a group of kids already gathered there. Standing off to the side as they often did, Taliah had just parted her lips to ask Tanice a question when she collided with something solid or rather it collided with her. Liah turned just in time to see Enrique "Ricky" Garcia , a boy that she had come to view as the bane of her existence chuckling as he joined a group of his friends. "Watch where you're going jerk," the little girl yelled. While Tanice hadn't made a sound, the glint in her sister's eyes gave away her merriment, prompting Taliah to respond with "Shut up Niecey." After they had both polished off their pastries, Taliah collected the paper towels and carried them to a nearby waste bin to be discarded. As she dropped the paper products in the trash, the eight year old was suddenly quite aware of a pair of hands pressing at the small of her back. However, before she had a chance to  react, her sense of balance was disrupted launching her forward so that her ribcage collided with the wired can. Ok, that's it, Taliah thought to herself as whirled around and drew back her fist. 

Without warning, Liah swung her fist with as much strength as she could muster directly into Ricky's mid section. As the slightly older and much taller boy doubled over in pain, Taliah was hardly finished with him. The little girl launched herself at him with her fist drawn back fully prepared to rain down more blows on the winded boy when she felt a sharp tug on the strap of her backpack. As she turned to face the interloper, Taliah found herself staring into a dark, deep set pair of orbs that mirrored her own. While Tanice spoke no words, something about her twins presence calmed the little girl. Taliah pulled away from Ricky just as the bus arrived. Brushing off her dress and straightening her bun, Liah filed onto the bus with the other students.

~Later that afternoon~

As a result of that morning's scuffle, Taliah had spent most of the morning in a time out and hadn't been allowed to go outside with the others for recess. Yet the third grader felt no remorse. The second half of her school day went by without incident as most of her classmates avoided her after hearing about the altercation at the bus stop. Which was just fine by Liah as she'd ceased trying to make friends a while ago. Particularly with other girls whom she had very little in common with as a result of her lack of girliness. As the bus pulled up to the stop, Taliah hopped off with Tanice in tow. Surprisingly, the front door to their home was unlocked as they arrived. Upon entering, the pair were immediately greeted with an eery silence. "Anya," Liah called out shakily. As a response, a soft whimpering could be heard as the sisters ventured further into the living room. The eight year old extended her arms towards Tanya as the three year old waddled towards her. Concern etched its way into the young girl's features as she asked 'What's wrong Anya?" The moment that she hoisted the toddler into her arms, Taliah immediately knew what the problem was.

Liah's face contorted in disgust as she exclaimed "Oh, that's just gross!" Holding Tanya away from her body, Taliah brushed past Tanice whom was in the process of ascending the staircase as she cried out "Stinky baby, Stinky baby." Rushing into the nursery, Liah placed Tanya down on the changing table as Tanice wandered off in search of their mother. Taliah had just removed her sister's diaper and was searching for the baby wipes when Tanice entered the room. Glancing over her shoulder Liah inquired "Mom?" A casual shrug of her shoulders was the only response Tanice had to offer. Assuming that her sister had also not been fed, Tanice headed downstairs to find food for her sister. 

[Taliah Dawson]

~Two weeks later~

Taliah hopped off the bus and waited patiently for Tanice to descend as well before making their way from the bus stop back to their house. As usual, the conversation was more than a bit one sided with Liah chatting about her day while Tanice simply listened responding with the occasional head nod or hand gesture. It was a short walk but the time spent therein was precious to the pair as in that short spans of time the two little girls were normal kids discussing childish things that didn't have to bother with adult issues such as utilities being shut off, bills going unpaid, and the care of their little sister. More often than not, Taliah found herself reluctant to enter the home at all. Nevertheless, the young girl pushed open the door and slipped inside the domicile only to find her nostrils beset by a rather tantalising aroma wafting out from the kitchen. Taliah turned to find a bewildered expression on Tanice's face that mirrored her own.

Before Taliah could ask any questions Anya glided into the room and swept both girls into her arms. " I am so glad that you are home, my darlings. I have missed you both so much today," Anya exclaimed. Seemingly unaware of the manner in which both girls were gawking at her Anya continued " I made Lasagna, your favorite. So why don't you two head upstairs, change out of your school clothes and get washed up for dinner?"

Releasing them to do her bidding, Anya shuffled back into the kitchen as her perplexed daughters ambled up the stairs to the room that they shared. Obediently, the siblings changed out of their school clothing into pajamas and washed their hands before heading back downstairs.

" I am almost done with the salad, so Tanice sweetie, will you go ahead and set the table for mommy, and Taliah get a loaf of bread out of the fridge, " Anya directed. With cautious optimism the twins set about the tasks they'd been given as Anya cut a few slices of lasagna into bite sized pieces for Tanya to eat. Within ten minutes the family of four sat down for dinner for the first time in a month since their father died. As the meal was winding down, Anya leaned in with a conspiratorial gleam in her eyes as she informed her daughter's that she had a surprise for them after dinner. As Taliah and Tanice cleared the table, Anya carried Tanya upstairs to put her to bed. Taliah and Tanice climbed into the couch and were in the midst of deciding what to watch on TV when Anya returned with an armful of gifts.

Lowering herself into the empty space between the girls, Anya presented each girl with three boxes. Over time, the twins had come to treat such an outpouring of generosity on their mother's part with measured optimism. Still, the inner child within the girls always managed to win out prompting them to tear into the boxes eagerly. The gifts within each box showed an appreciation for the individuality of her daughter's as she'd selected  a beautiful porcelain doll and several lovely dresses for Tanice, but had purchased several video games, a couple of pairs of shorts and a pair of jeans for Taliah. As if that weren't enough Anya had rented several movies for them to watch that night while Tanya slept. As Anya sent Tanice off to microwave some popcorn, Taliah briefly considered reminding her mother that it was a school night, but as she noted the sparkle in her twins eyes couldn't bring herself to bring a premature end to her sister's fun.

As they watched Finding Nemo, Anya instructed Taliah to sit in the floor in front of her so that she could braid her hair for school tomorrow while Tanice polished her nails. As Finding Nemo ended and Stitch, the movie began, the girls switched places so that Anya could braid Tanice's hair. Being the tomboy that she was Taliah had opted for a simple French braid and wouldn't allow Tanice to do more to her nails than a simple clear coat. Tanice, on the other hand has insisted on a braid crown and the brightest shade of pink that Taliah could find. Somewhere between Freaky Friday and Cheaper by the dozen, both the girls and Anya  drifted off to sleep causing all three to oversleep their alarms the following morning.