Stop and See the Roses

I don't know how my mother and her friend Amaya planned it, but they both found out they were going to have a child within a week. Looking through photos, I see they were excited; picking out matching baby outfits and nurseries, planning a baby shower together and all that. Father said that they had been inseparable since childhood and that they wanted us to be the same. We were born on the same day, December 13, in the same hospital. Dad says something went wrong though, with Amaya's labor process, since her baby died during birth. But I don't believe him. She's with me every day.

Her name is Rose, and since I was young shes always been with me. I guess Mother, Amaya, and Father just can't see her, or they just ignore her which is quite rude. She sleeps over at our house, and I speak with her often. I guess mom and dad were worried about how much I was talking to her, so they sent me to this doctor's office. Of course, Rose came as well. I think I was about 4 years old, and she asked me lots of questions about Rose, one of them being "Is rose a ghost to you?" I found that quite silly; ghosts are for Halloween, Rose is a real person. When I told her that she turned white as a sheet. Maybe she doesn't like Halloween.

It was quite strange how everybody ignored her; when I asked Amaya once while she babysat me for a snack for me and Rose, she started crying. She probably doesn't let Rose have snacks before dinner. I stopped going over there around that time because I started school. Since school started, I have seen a lot of doctors and taken a lot of different capsules I swallowed with water, so I decided to speak to Rose a bit less, just in case I would give her my cold. On the first day of school, while the teacher took role-call, I realized she hadn't called Rose's name. "Excuse Me Mrs. Cleary," I said after raising my had, "You forgot to call Rose's name." She looked confused. "Who is Rose?" she asked the class, and only Rose raised her hand. The teacher still looked around wildly. "Stop with your jokes, Mrs. Clearwater. Unless you want to head down to the office." "I said, you forgot Rose's name. She's right here." I pointed to Rose, and everybody turned to see her, but they all looked confused.

The class laughed, and I didn't understand why. Rose was right there! "I've had enough of your Jokes, Alison Clearwater. Have your parents call me after school!" Then the bell rang for recess, and still confused, I bolted out of the classroom to the playground with Rose. "Cmon Rose, we have to get to the slide!" We both got swings, but then this horrid boy named Henry had the audacity to sit on Rose's lap! Rose shrieked, and I hopped off the swing and slapped Henry across the face. "That's not how you treat a lady Henry! Rose was sitting there!" Tears filled Henry's eyes as he ran, and by this time a crowd had grown.  I vaguely remember heading to the office and having my mom come in. Mascara ran down her face and her hair was a mess, as she scooped me into her arms and carried me to the car. She then proceeded to pound her head on the steering wheel and drove down to this large place which looked like a hospital. As she carried me in, I observed things; Locked doors, locks everywhere, nothing out in the open, and people in white-colored jackets and uniforms. Maybe this was a boarding school.

As Mother approached the lady at the front desk, she checked something on a piece of paper on a clipboard and we walked in. She set me down and whispered to me “Here, they can help you here. I'll visit, alright Pumpkin?” She kissed me on the forehead as tears ran down her face as she walked out. “I love you!” I called out to her waving, and she cried harder. “What's up with her?” I said to Rose just as a doctor came by. “Allison, cmon. Let's head down to your room.” We walked, and as I was about to answer a question, a syringe was plunged into my arm.