She is like me. Her eyes are green, her hair is long and unkempt, and her face rounded. She is my twin, and she is like me, but she is not. When I think myself safe, she comes, into my home, into my life. She likes to pretend to be me while I sit trapped where she left me. Mostly, my friends are fooled, but some suspect. When my family find out, they blame me.

I pay her in kind. Locking her away in the dark, allowing her light only as I peek in to gawk. How could anyone be as broken and evil as her? I feed her with poison so she stays weak, but she becomes immune. She lies waiting for me, for the next time I come to humiliate her, and she overtakes me, throwing me back into the darkness and escaping. I am her prisoner again.

She tempts me with the same poison that nourishes her. My body cannot tolerate it like hers. I wait. I find a weapon and put myself into place. When I hear her at the door, I lunge and strike her. I beat her while she sobs and cowers. I move to keep her down, and as my shadow shifts, the light from outside floods the room, and I see her. She is bloodied and wretched, terror in her eyes. I drop my weapon.

I’m tired, so tired of this game we play. I sink down to the floor beside her and cry with her. She is still fearful, so I take a chance. I reach my hand out, calloused from the many years of weapons wielded against her. This time it is open. She hesitates, then puts her hand in mine. For a long time, we sit here, silent, drenched in blood and tears. I break the hold to stand, then reach out again.

For a moment I know she doesn’t trust me again. I look in her eyes, green, like mine. She takes a chance and grabs my hand again. I help her up. We stay together, and we walk into the light. Nothing is solved. But this is something. A beginning.

By Emleigh Wolf (she/her)

Emleigh Wolf is a New York based comedic performer with a deep love for the horror genre and all things Queer. At 36, after a hiatus from creative endeavors, she's currently thrilled to be experimenting with new styles of writing while also pursuing a degree in psychology from Hunter College. In addition to creating more written work, Emleigh is looking forward to returning to the stage in the future when it is safe to do so.

Twitter: @emleighwolf