The Face of Death

They say twins are closer than any other two people on earth. But Charlee didn’t hate anyone on earth as much as she hated her twin sister. Growing up, she detested the matching clothes, the rhyming names - Darlene and Charlene - and how the teacher called on them together as if they were just one person. She hated that someone was walking around wearing her face, someone like her in every way - except that Darlene was successful and Charlee was a failure. Darlene flaunted her wealth in this elegant penthouse while Charlee struggled to pay rent on a rat-infested room.

Mickey was the one thing she had that Darlene didn’t. Tall, handsome and loyal, Mickey was the best thing that had ever happened to Charlee. Darlene wanted him, every woman did. “But he loves me, not you,'' she whispered fiercely.

Charlee mentally inventoried the contents of the apartment. It would all be hers tomorrow when Darlene was found dead of the pill overdose that Mickey was arranging right now. It was weakness on her part, but Charlee couldn’t kill Darlene herself. There was a weirdness about it, maybe because it was her face she would look into. It would feel like killing herself.

The sudden sound of tinkling glass made Charlee jump. Did Mickey knock something over? Then soft music began to play as Darlene and Mickey appeared from the bedroom clinking champagne glasses.

Immobilized by bewilderment, Charlee could only stare as Mickey swiftly grabbed her and held a chloroformed cloth over her mouth.

“You’ve always been a burden and an embarrassment to me, Charlene”, Darlene explained. “How could you imagine Mickey would choose you over me when I have so much to offer him? No one will be surprised when you die as a drug addict on skid row.”


299 Words

Prompt: music, glass, jump