From Dusk to Dawn

“I still can’t believe you did this to me.” Kelly said. The sun was starting to set and the red-pink sky was peaking through the window. Her time was almost up. 

“I know, Chéri,” Kelly’s blonde cousin, Gaby, said in her extremely fake French accent. Further worsened by the bad reception Kelly’s phone had. “It isn’t fair! Why must ve be sep-ou-ra-teed.” Kelly rolled her eyes. Gaby was still trying to perfect her French and it was…not going well.

“That was terrible, Gabs,” Carlos said, sticking his shaggy blonde head into the camera. Kelly’s other cousin. Him and Gaby were twins.

“No, no! I am Gabrielle now. Very French.” This time Kelly and Carlos rolled their eyes in unison. Kelly heard a muffled commotion coming from her cousin's side of the phone. She felt her heart plummet. 

“Kells,” Carlos said, morosely. “We have to go.” His bangs fell into his eyes when he was sad.

“Why does adding an ‘s’ to everything you say make it a nickname,” Gaby-or-Gabrielle said. It was a pretty desperate attempt to cheer up the conversation.

“I guess it's just his thing, Gabrielle. Anyways, Bonne journée.”

“Oh-la-la! Look at you practicing your French! I am so proud of you, mademoiselle,” Gabrielle said, enthusiastically. Carlos snickered.

“Yeah, next stop, Harvard, I expect. And we really have to go, Gaby.” He ducked out of the screen, momentarily. Presumably to grab his backpack. 

“Why must everything you say have ze negativity! You nerd! Who cares if we are late for école, Monsieur-Look-At-This-Wind-Turbine-I-Made-For-Fun-Guys!”

“Well, excuuuuuuse me if I actually enjoy learning,” Carlos said.

“No! I will not excuse that horrible behavior! Zat ees an abomination! Isn’t he such a nerd, cousine,” Gaby said, turning back to Kelly. Kelly had to admit that she found it incredibly amusing when the twins bickered.

“Oh, it is true…but…that sounds like a cool wind turbine. You are so showing that to me later.” Carlos smiled, showing the gap between his two front teeth, and raised his hand like he would have if they had been in the same room. Kelly raised hers and they made separate smack sounds. Carlos’s sounded like more of a whistle, but it still worked. 

Gaby grumbled something like, “You Ma Crevette.” Which technically meant “shrimp” but was sort of like a French endearment. Well, that was what Carlos had told her and he could just be lying.

The two waved goodbye and hung up. Kelly forced a smile onto her face. So what if her two best friends had moved to France? It didn’t matter that their dad had gotten a job in France. She would make new friends…eventually. And who cared if the time differences were so large they could only talk for a few minutes after school and before bed. That was fine. Everything was fine.

The sun had now fully set and the stars were starting to poke through. She opened the window and leaned out. She lived in an apartment complex with her mom and dad. The twins had lived in the building across from her. On a clear night like this she and the twins would be calling out all the constellations they saw. 

They used to have a little bucket system. They’re windows were right across from each other and they had a little zip-line with a bucket attached to send letters to each other. Kelly still had all their letters. They’d had to take down the bucket. Kelly always read a letter before bed. She grabbed one and hopped into her bed.

The lovely lady Kelly,

Wassup. 

Did that evil cat attack you on the way home from school again? Want me to beat him up for you? 

I don’t really know what to say. Normally Gaby writes the letters and I just draw on them or something (you know, in case you hadn’t noticed). 

I got an ‘A’ on my test yesterday, shocking, I know. Just kidding, Kells. You know what a genius I am. Maybe I can create a cat catapult for you. Ha, a CAT-apult. That was a pretty good one.

So. Yep. Good night!

-The Good Knight Carlos

P.s Hehe, see what I did there? Good Knight? Good night? It was great. you liked it. Byeeeeee.

Good night Carlos, Kelly thought before she drifted off to dreamless sleep.

“Kelly! Now we switch. You go to school and we are going to sleep. Oh! Et ees like time travel. We already did your day of school! Now we can tell you how et vill go!” Kelly rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She had been awoken by a call from Gaby.

“Yeah, Kells, you're gonna bomb that math test,” Carlos interjected.

“You bombed a math test,” Kelly asked surprised. Carlos looked at her pityingly.

“Oh you, poor, poor, fool. I wasn’t talking about me…”

“Ugh,” Gabrielle scoffed. “Ignore heem, he was like this all day. When the teacher told him he was the only américain to ever make her proud. I don’t think she knew I was in the room when she said that.”

“Oh, she did. She did,” Carlos said. That was when Gaby tackled him. The phone dropped to the floor and all Kelly could hear was: “Ow, ow, Leggo! Hey! Quit it! Get off!” Kelly laughed. It was just like the old days. Finally Gaby picked the phone up again and Kelly saw Aunt Louise march in. 

“You kids! Stop messing around! It’s time for bed. Good glory. Oh, hi, love! How’s America, Kelly?”

“Uh, Good, Aunt Louise.” Aunt Louise smiled.

“It’s Tante Louise now, dear.” She turned back to her children. “Now, why don't you follow Kelly’s behavior? When we go s-”

“MOM,” the twins shouted in unison.

“What? Oh, right. Well…go to bed.” She marched off.

“What was that,” asked Kelly.

“Absolutely nothing you need to ‘orry about, Cheri,” Gaby said, a little quicker than normal. Suspicious. Why were they hiding something from her? Since when did they have secrets?

“Uh, I got…homework, Kells. See you tomorrow,” Carlos said, equally quickly.

“…‘Kay…bye.” They hung up. That had been weird. Kelly raced downstairs and grabbed her backpack. She snatched up some toast and ran to catch the bus. Her mind whirled as she sat down in the back. What were the twins up to?

“Miss Rash! Please join us in the realm of the living and not the realm of daydreams.” Yeah, her teacher always spoke like that. It had been sort of funny at first but now…it was just annoying. Kelly mumbled a “sorry” and answered the question. That was when her phone buzzed. Kelly checked it under the desk.

Carlos: I’m bored. Entertain me.

Kelly smiled. It was most likely around midnight for Carlos. But he often had trouble sleeping. Probably because of his big genius brain.

Kelly: It’s called sleeping.

Carlos: Gosh, if only I’d thought about that. Allow me to leave so that I might close my eyes, slow my heart rate and breathing, whilst hallucinating occasionally.

Kelly: You know, Gaby is kinda right. You really are a nerd. I mean ‘whilst’? Really?

Carlos: hey now, I didn’t invent a whole zip-line-bucket-thingy with pure brain power.

Kelly: toché. That’s French right?

Carlos: I dunno. maybe.

Gaby: UGHHH! I’m trying to sleep here!!! 

Carlos: Nobody’s making you answer your phone. Wait, don’t you charge your phone in the kitchen?

Gaby: Look, I was hungry.

Kelly: I thought you were trying to sleep.

Gaby: Maybe I’m sleepwalking.

Carlos: yeah, that seems practical.

The teacher called on Kelly again and she had to actually look up to answer. When she got back she could see their Twins had been bickering again.

Gaby: Kell! tell him he is being a moron!

Kelly: I gotta read your argument first.

Gaby: no, no. Just tell him

Carlos: she knows she lost.

Kelly smiled and ignored the ranting that Gaby carried on for ten minutes. Her mind was still trying to come up with a reason for why the twins had acted so strangely yesterday. They couldn’t really be lying to her…right.

Kelly: r u guys gonna tell me about what ur hiding?

Carlos responded quickly.

Carlos: what do u mean

Kelly: What was your mom gonna say?

Gaby: I don’t know her, who is this person you speak of?

Carlos: what she means is, no idea. Probably something about school 

Gaby: It was something embarrassing 

Carlos: I didn’t do my chores

Gaby: I got in fight

Kelly: ya, that makes sooooo much sense. Why r u lying??

Carlos: We’re not!

Gaby: oop, mom just called we gotta go.

Kelly: its midnight.

Carlos: Bye!!

The twins signed off and Kelly went back to math. More determined than ever to find out what they were hiding.

Kelly got home to the lovely smell of roasted chicken. And something spicy. Her mom was a wonderful cook and whatever she made was bound to be good.

“Mom! I’m home!” Mom came to greet her at the door.

“Hey, honey. How was school?” Kelly shrugged. It had been intriguing at least.

“Oh, FYI I won't be home when you get home from school tomorrow.”

“Okay, what are you doing?”

“Hmm,” Mom asked as she walked back to the kitchen, “Oh, just a little errand.” Great. Now she was acting weird too.

“Yeah, but what is it?” Mom pretended not to hear her and went back to cutting the peppers.

Kelly went upstairs and collapsed on her bed. She was supposed to have made friends by now. Or at least friendly-acquaintances. But no. All she wanted to do was hang out with the twins. Kelly’s phone buzzed. She picked up at the first ring.

“Hey,” Kelly said.

“Bonjour mon ami,” sang Gabrielle’s excited voice.

“I don’t know that one. What does it mean?”

“‘Hello, my friend’,” Carlos told her. Huh, she hadn’t learned that one yet. She knew a little French but it seemed the twins were starting to surpass her. Living in France probably did that.

“I am so, so sorry, Cheri. But we cannot call ‘ou tomorrow. It is a great tragedy.”

“Really? How come?”

“Oh, you know…”

“I don't.”

“Just,” Carlos said, “things.”

They chatted for a little longer. But soon Kelly had to go to sleep. The prospect of no texts or calls for a whole 24 hours scared her more than it should have.

The next day passed in more of a haze than anything. Breakfast, chores. Put away dishes, get her backpack. Race for the bus, barely make it. Turn in homework, do a test. Kelly was incredibly bored. By the time she finally got home it felt like someone had hit in the head with an ax. A big one.

Kelly finished her homework and grabbed an afterschool snack. She watched the clouds move outside for a while. Mostly because the window was more interesting than algebra.

Mom finally pulled into the road by the apartment. And because it gave Kelly an excuse to get away from math she went out to meet her. But she couldn’t really believe her eyes. Because there was no way, just no way. 

But, as if to contradict her, two blonde heads hopped out of the car. And Kelly was running before she knew what was happening. Running towards forts at the park and days on the beach. Running towards years of secret handshakes and a failed attempt at a new language. Towards, pushing each other on the swing and making birthday cakes. Cards and notes. Bike rides and games.

When they crashed together it felt just right. Their arms around her and her arms around them. Gaby was giggling in her strangely high-pitched way and Carlos was chuckling in his nerdy fashion. Their heads bonked against each other and Kelly felt dizzy.

“Surprise, mademoiselle! See? We are not liars!”

“Technically we were still lying,” Carlos said.

“Tomato, tomato,” Gaby said. Kelly snorted.

“You just said tomato twice,” Kelly told her. Gaby waved her hands in a “whatever” sort of way. They walked towards the apartment and plotted out everything they would do while the twins visited. From baking contests to skateboard races. She didn’t have until school started or until bed. She had all the time in the world now.

From dusk to dawn.

The end.