☾☾☾NOVA☽☽☽

Grande Household/ Saturday/ 3:05 pm/

Mom stood on her toes and pulled the string to open the attic. It was the weekend and instead of going out and having  fun, she decided it would be best for us to stay inside can clean the attic. Who cleans on a Saturday?

It fell open and dust fell down immediately after. Chloe covered her nose with her elbow letting out a sneeze, then another. "When was the last time you've been up there?" She asked swatting the dust away from her face.

"More like have you ever?" I add looking up into the dark black hole.

"Maybe a year ago...your father spent an awful lot of time up there..." She went up, me and Chloe behind her. "Where is the light..." We heard a click noise and the space lit up.

"Wow, dad did all of this?" Chloe said in awe.

"No wonder he spent so much time up here."

"Looks like he made a man cave to get away from us girls" Mom laughed walking around,
"Be careful, I don't really know what all is up here"

I nodded, "Yeah, send us into a death trap why don't you" Chloe nudged me and I stopped talking observing the room quietly.

"So what do you want us to do?" She asked and mommy reached into a box and pulled out two dust tails, "We're going to dust the attic! Yayy fun!!" Me face goes blank. Unimpressed. "There's so much stuff in here and you want us to spend the time dusting?

"I said we were cleaning the attic didn't I— goodness child bless you!" She said to Chloe who hadn't stop sneezing since we got up here. "Mommy-" She sneezed again. "I think this is going to be a problem."

"Yeah, yeah Chlo go back down and...bring us the broom. Could you do that?"

"Sure mommy" Chloe headed back down and I got to work. Dusting the attic. On a Saturday. "Come on Nova, you could look a little bit more excited?" "This," I held up my cleaning tool, "Is boring!"

She sighed walking over to the opening to leave the attic and came back to me. "Fine, the reason why we're really up here...after daddy died I moved all of his things up here. He didn't do this. I did."

"Why mommy?"

"Because it was hard to look at. I wanted to get back to work, I wanted to get back to being the great mom that I used to...she glanced behind me running to a stack of old photos, maybe from 2 years ago, "This. I wanna get back to this." She handed it to me, it was a photo that daddy had taken one night during our crazy night routine. "We haven't had a night like that in months" She says.

I gave it back to her. "You're not going to...completely forget about him are you? Like he never existed. Move on with some other random guy and force me and Chloe to like him."

A apologetic look came across her face, "No baby I would never, come here." She wrapped her arms around me, "I could never forget daddy. That's impossible. Besides," She held my face in her hands, "You girls wouldn't let me. You're apart of him. You're some of the last parts that I have him, and yes i know it would be hard for you two if I started seeing someone. That's why I'm still focused on healing first okay?"

I nodded with a smile, "Okay."

"And I promise to tell the truth to you guys. We're a family so we gotta support each other. Alright?" She was talking but something on the floor pushed all they way to the back of the room caught my eye. It had me and Chloe's names on it. And I had never seen it before in my life.

The moment was interrupted by a loud sneeze, "I got the broom!"

Mom ran over to Chloe to help her back in while I eyed the object in suspicion. "Mommy, what is that?" I pointed to it.

"It's nothing Nova don't worry about it. Finish dusting"

She placed her hands on my shoulders turning me around. "Focus on the dust!"

"What are you talking about Nova?" I ignored Chloe' question, "What's in it?"

"Nothing Nova just old toys and stuff..."

"Well can we see?" She slammed her hand down on a box. Making me jump. "NO NOVA!" She swallowed hard and a smile reappeared on her face. A forced one. "Let's focus on the dust right now okay?"

___
/1:45 am/

I hovered over my sister, "Chloe! Psstt Chloe!" Chloe whined a little rubbing her eyes "Ew Nova you're spitting on me!" She complained rolling over away from me. I went to the other side of her bed, "Wake up!"

"Why? Nova it's late"

"That's the whole point you dummy" I smacked her on the head, "Come on, put your shoes on. Be really quiet."

She quickly sat up, "What? Nova where are we going?"

I snapped my fingers, "Uh uh! Don't ask questions. Come on!"

Chloe did as told and I grabbed the flashlight out of my bedside table drawer. We sneaked down the hallway, "Novieee" I held my finger to my lips, "Shhh. Open that." I gestured to the attic.

"The attic? That's creepy."

"Fine whatever you baby, hold this" She took my flashlight off me and I pulled the string just like mommy did. I went up first. Then Chloe. "Why do you always drag me into stuff like this" Chloe whined again rubbing her arms as it was cold.

"I don't know. Ask yourself. You signed up for the job as my twin."

"I couldn't help it!"

"See this is why I was probably the original egg. Before it split. I'm clearly smarter."

Chloe rolled her eyes as I waved the flashlight around the attic. "Nova! Check out this picture" Chloe says holding up the photo mom showed me earlier. "I already saw that Chlo"

"Why didn't she show me?"

"1. Because I'm the favorite. 2. You and your sneezing fits Chlo!"

Suddenly Chloe let out a loud sneeze. "Right I forgot about that"

We heard some noise on the floor below. "Chloe you sneezed too loud" I whisper screamed.

"Chill it's Myron. Now why are we up here?"

"Yes! Here it is!" I bent down pulling a white box from the corner. It was covered in dust, "Chloe, you stay away from this" I warn blowing the dust away. I carefully took the top off to see several items inside. "Chloe look! It's daddy!" I say out of excitement showing her a photo of him holding either one of us at the hospital.

"Which one of us is it?"

I shrugged "I don't know" I continued looking at everything,

"Our birth certificates? Why wouldn't mom want us to see these?"

I was kinda disappointed, I was hoping something cool would be in there, but we're quite boring so what did I expect. I got up getting ready to leave the attic. "Come on Chloe let's go-"

"Nova...come here.."

I paused, "Huh?"

"Look..." She came over to me, "Their only our birth certificates."

"No seriously," I gave it a better look and my eyes widened,

"What? No, no that's impossible."