Complication = One Face and Two People
Complication = One Face and Two People
The girl on the screen sat on the step and watched as her father walked out of her life and down the road. Aliesha sat in her lounge and wondered if it had been anything like this when her own father had left. A big farewell scence with sad music and a wide camera view of the road as he drove into the distance. Aliesha didn�t remember anything about her father or the day he left because she had only been about one year old. All she knew was from what her mother had told her about him and her sister. It was hard thinking that she, Aliesha Kelly, was born with an identical twin. It was harder knowing that when when they were six months old her sister died. From what her mother had said this had put a whole lot of strain on the relationship and he left. Two months later and he had committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.
It was hard for Aliesha to feel emotion for these people she had never known, and they weren�t talked about that much. Every now and then she had feelings that she was missing a part of herself and not having any photo�s of the past in the house just made it seem unreal and her feelings seem stupid.
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Melanie Kelly stood at the door of the lounge and watched as her husband and daughter had some quality time before tomorrow when Aliesha would be going off to University. She said a silent prayer to noone in particular thanking them for all that she had been given. Melanie had been given a second chance in love with Royce Kelly, architect and the unconditional love of her wonderful daughter Aliesha. She thought of all the things that had happened in the past and knew one day that she would have to tell everyone the truth. First she had to tell herself.
�Liesh, can you remind me what time you and Shannon are leaving tomorrow?� Melanie said from her current position before moving and sitting down on the arm of her daughter�s chair.
�Yeah, okay. I get the message Mum. I�m just spending some quality time with the old man here.� Motioning towards her dad, Aliesha laughed and got up and started to walk towards her room. �Night Mum, Dad. I�ll wake you up about five am. How does that sound?� She got the message and ran before the pillow Royce had thrown in her direction hit her.
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�Why do I have to go to New Zealand! Aren�t any Australian universities good enough or something?� Megan remembered asking her father.
�I think it will be a valuable experience for you, and it will give you a chance to make a new start away from everyone here.�
�You have some twisted logic, if you want me to have new experiences then send me to USA.�
Megan O�Sullivan sat in her airline seat headed for Hamilton, New Zealand; on a cheap flight from Brisbane, Australia on a sunny late February morning. The conversation she had undertaken with her father months before ran through her mind as she watched the clouds pass below. Megan had adjusted to the idea and was now looking forward to the move. It would give her a chance to maybe get in touch with her mother�s family that she hadn�t met before in her entire lifetime. Finally she would get some answers.
�Student Village, University of Waikato here I come!� Megan told herself as the plane touched down on the tarmac. The truth and a whole lot of fun was out there, she just had to find it.
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Aliesha turned off the motor of her VW Beetle convertible, paid for from hard work over a long period of time, and jumped out and stood looking at her friend Shannon.
�Come on, get your lazy ass out of the car!�
�Lee, take a chill pill! Breathe okay. How long do you think the olds are going to be?� Shannon asked as she also made her way out of the car and put her sunglasses on top of her head.
�They�ll be ages. Let�s go and sign in, then we�ll meet up with them later.� Aliesha started to put the top up on her car, grabbed the keys and the two friends found their way to the office. After introductions Shannon was sent off with her Residential Assistant, Angela and Aliesha followed another RA to Block Nine. They were in separate blocks but would meet up later.
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Megan climbed out of her new Toyota Corolla and surveyed the surroundings. �A bright sunny day for a new beginning� she thought as she locked up and found her way to the office.
The office staff seemed nice and she was also introduced to the Community Warden who was in charge of the whole operation. Megan was also introduced to Aiden, her Residential Advisor. He picked up a set of keys and proceeded to show her to her new home. Block Nine, Student Village, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.
They walked up to a two storeyed building that looked relatively new. Aiden showed Megan how to use the door and they walked up a flight of stairs. She would be living in a �flat� of six people that would share the same bathroom facilities and a small kitchenette area. Megan was shown into her room and it was pretty much what she had expected; small and green. She headed down stairs and made her way back to the car. Megan couldn�t bring her stereo, tv or video with her as well as a lot of her music so what was called for (and had been given money towards) was a shopping spree. First off she had to get the things she did have into her room.
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Aliesha struggled up the stairs with a box of stuff from her car. Shannon and her had decided that each of them would bring one box each in Aliesha�s car and their parents would bring the rest up. They were expected to arrive in about half an hour, which would give the girls enough time to meet their neighbours without the oldies getting in the way. Aliesha put the box on her desk and collapsed on her bed. She heard voices coming from the room on her right (she also had a neighbour on the left who hadn�t arrived) and went to investigate.
�Hey, I�m Aliesha. I�m one of your neighbours.� Aliesha said as she almost bound into the room.
�Hey, I�m Justin. This is my girlfriend Shannon.� The rather not bad looking guy said as he extended his hand to meet the new neighbour.
�I have a friend named Shannon who is living at Student Village as well. Oh no! I�ve totally forgotten about Shazza!� She ran to the window to look at the car park and found Shannon standing there waiting. Aliesha said a quick bye, ran to get her keys and went off to meet Shannon.
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Megan carried the last box of stuff up the stairs and found her way along the corridor and into her room. She hadn�t heard the voices and was surprised when a rather great looking guy knocked on the door.
�Hi, I�m Justin. I just want to say welcome to the Block and that I�m one of your five neighbours. I met your sister a few moments ago.� Justin stood in the door way and Shannon came up beside him. �This is my girlfriend Shannon.� They exchanged hellos and Megan spoke up.
�Hi, I�m Megan. You must be mistaken though, because I don�t have a sister.� Not unless you count my twin that died when I was about a year old, she thought to herself.
�Really, well you fooled me.� Justin laughed, �I guess you will find out when you meet the rest of the flat members. Well I better keep moving, I�ll catch up with you later.� They all said their goodbyes and went back to their unpacking.
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Aliesha was back in her room after helping Shannon into her room. Their fathers had won the lottery and had been given the opportunity to bring the friends� gear to sunny Hamilton and had both been busy that morning carrying and fetching boxes. Aliesha had met two other people from her flat. Kathryn was her left side neighbour and Kelly (a single guy!) Had moved in opposite Kathryn. She was still to meet the person who lived opposite her and the two people at the other end of the corridor next to Justin.
The room was starting to look comfortable. Aliesha had made her bed first (it was something she always had to do) and was in the process of sticking up her photo�s and posters. She heard swearing and then someone talking to Justin. She turned around and watched a girl struggle with a box as she opened the door to the opposite room.
Aliesha gasped as the girl turned around and looked at her.
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Megan had found her way into town and within minutes had decided which stereo she wanted. The shop also had a cool tv/video and an alarm clock that suited her down to the ground. Maybe moving to this country wouldn�t be too bad after all. Now what Megan needed was sheets, a duvet, towels and a few other miscellaneous items including food.
The car was loaded up with things when she arrived back at Student Village, parking beside a white VW beetle. Megan decided to take the heaviest thing first and started on her mission with the television in tow. After she finally managed to get up stairs without dropping it she swore as she remembered forgetting to buy a present for her father. Justin said hi to her and they had a brief conversation before continuing on to her door. It looked like the person living across from her was home because she could see movements from the side of her eye as she opened the door.
Megan put down the box and turned around to say hi to her neighbour who had come to her door. She exchanged a look of disbelief with the girl and gasped.
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�You have my face!� Megan and Aliesha said at the same time and pointing.
�See Megan, I told you she looked like your sister.� Justin said as he walked closer to the two girls.
�But...What the hell is happening? Is this like a stupid lame ass joke.� Megan said as a ringing sounded from her pocket. Megan snapped out of shock to answer her phone.
�Hello.�
�Hi Dad. Yeah the flight was okay.�
�I�ve met a couple of people. Look, I�m kind of in the middle of something, can I ring you back later on maybe.� The phone call finished and Megan put the phone back in her pocket.
�Who are you? This is all a bit freaky.� Was all Aliesha could manage as she went to sit on her slidy chair and came back to the corridor.
�I�m Megan O�Sullivan, who are you!� Aliesha looked like she would have fainted at what Megan had said, had it not being for the chair.
�You-Your name. This can�t be happening. Holy Fucking Jesus. I�m Aliesha Kelly.�
�Aliesha! But my twin-. Holy Bloody Hell. What the hell is happening.?�
�Your twin. My twin-named Megan. I used to be O�Sullivan, my mum remarried, now Kelly.�
Justin looked from one female to the other and couldn�t quite comprehend what was happening.
�Did I hear my name?� Asked Kelly as he came down the corridor with an arm full of clothes. �Hey, we�ve got twins. Cool.� He said as he saw Aliesha and Megan. This just caused them to scream at the same time and run/slide into their rooms and slam the doors. More screaming was heard until silence.
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Megan knocked on Aliesha�s door and waited for an answer before walking inside and sitting down on the bed. Aliesha was sitting on her chair, staring out the window.
�There has to be some logical reason for all this Aliesha.� Megan said as Aliesha swung around on the chair to face her.
�Yep, there is. We have been sucked into an episode of The X Files and all this is Mulder and Scully getting me back for hating that stupid lame ass programme.�
�Aliesha, we need to get serious for a minute. Look at this and tell me what you think.� Megan handed Aliesha a copy of her birth certificate. She stared at it for a few minutes and then started to cry.
�So what do you want me to do. Change the name Megan Jane to Aliesha Natalie and it would be mine. What the hell has happened? Why the hell has it happened?� Aliesha continued to cry. Megan knew she would have to be strong. Somehow in the last hour a whole lot of crap had been dumped on them and it looked like it would be up to her to fix. All Megan wanted to do was to cry about it, but why? Her father had deceived her and she was made to believe that her own mother and identical twin were dead, now they weren�t.
�Aliesha, we have this Block meeting in about five minutes. I�m not going to tell anyone, it�s not their business, but I�ll come back and walk with you.� There was a knock at the door just as Megan finished talking. She got up and answered it on her way out.
�Hey Liesh, I didn�t know you owned that shirt.� Shannon said before realising it wasn�t Aliesha.
�Hi, I�m Megan. I�ll catch up with you later. Bye Aliesha.� Megan walked out leaving a shocked looking Shannon and near tears Aliesha.
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Aliesha pulled open the door of the phone booth and let it shut as she sat down on the chair. She pulled the phone on to her lap and dialled home. As Aliesha listened to the ring she sighed and suddenly felt very tired.
�Hello, Melanie speaking.� Her mother chimed in happily.
�Hey Mum.� Aliesha perked up at hearing her mother�s voice. Forgetting for a moment about all of the lies.
�Hey Sweetie, how�s the first week going. I was starting to worry that you hadn�t called me. Have you met lots of nice people? Are you looking after Shannon?� Melanie was starting to worry; her baby was leaving the nest and growing up.
Aliesha didn�t tell her mother that she had enough to worry about without looking after Shannon. They carried on talking for half an hour about stuff. There was no need to bring up the whole discovering her twin thing yet. Neither of them had really figured out what to do. They were more concerned with starting university and experiencing O�Week. Aliesha finished her conversation with her mother and left the booth. Before the door had even shut the phone rang and she went to answer.
�Hello, Block Nine.� Aliesha greeted cheerfully.
�Megan, hi honey, I was surprised to get you on the phone.� The man with the distinctly Australian accent was mistaken on the other end of the phone. Wheels started turning in Aliesha�s head, she was confused as to how to feel.
�I�m sorry, this isn�t Megan. Can I tell her who�s calling?� Aliesha felt like her voice was starting to crack. Could it be?
�Sorry about that, you sounded like her, except not Australian. It�s her father speaking.� A strange feeling came about Aliesha as her suspicions were realised. This was the first time in her life that she knew she was hearing her biological father�s voice. She was taken away for a few moments. �Hello? Are you still there?� Aliesha realised where she was and what she was doing.
�Sorry, I�ll just go and get her.� She ran down the hallway to Megan�s room and made the announcement. Megan hugged her new sister and said everything would be okay; Aliesha hoped that she was right. When Megan returned she found Aliesha sitting in her room up against the wall by her bed flipping through a tattered and old book. As she came closer she noticed it was an exercise book that had been turned into a scrapbook. Megan shut the door and scooted over next to her sister and enquired after the book. Aliesha smiled and explained the story of this tatty looking book. It was her journal of sorts and she had been keeping it since she was really little. At various times she had glued more books together and it was like the story of her life. It had things from when she was little e.g. �I have a dog and his name is spot and he is nice� and right through to the normal journal musings of a teenager. Aliesha had been reading through this book with the eyes of someone who had been hurt and lied to for the entirety of her life. All those times when she had just cried as she sat at the �grave� of her father and twin sister and could only wonder what life would have been like with them in her life. All those times she had felt something was missing and she threw herself into her art to get through the sadness. All that time and she did have a sister and a father.
Aliesha thought back through her life. She had never gone without love of a mother or father. Royce was a wonderful man and had been the only father she had known for as long as it mattered. He had treated her no different to if she had come from his own genes. Melanie and Royce had been unable to have any other children until a few years ago, so for most of her life she had grown up an only child. This was very hard to deal with when you knew that you had a sister, another half to your broken heart. Now she had that half back but it was very hard to deal with. This whole thing was almost too much to believe.
The two talked for about an hour and learnt more about what they had been up to in their lives thus far. Megan went off to her room and shut it behind her before climbing onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. A little over one week ago she had been a normal teenager with normal issues. She was still complaining about the impending move to New Zealand and felt her father was just trying to get rid of her so he could continue his budding romance with a nice and young thirty-year-old woman. Now a can of worms had opened and for once in her life Megan had no control over where everything would end. Megan got up once again and readied herself for bed. She turned out the light and whispered the words that had become her mantra. Tomorrow is another day.
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to be continued
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