Chapter Three

The days flew by, and it was now the night before the wedding. As requested by her twin sister, Deianne and Daniella will spend the night together at the hotel where the reception will take place. It will be their last bond before Daniella goes on with her new chapter in life.

They just finished taking a bath together and doing some rituals to help them have a glowing skin for the event tomorrow, especially for her sister. They are laying on the bed, side by side, and they are looking at each other with smiles painted on their faces.

"How are you feeling?" Deianne asked her twin.

"I don't know." Daniella shrugged before she added, "I am actually having mixed feelings."

"Maybe it's the wedding jitters. They said that most of the couples about to get married are feeling it."

"Hmm... maybe. But can I ask you a question?" Daniella asked her.

"Go ahead,"

"What if you are torn between what you want to do and what you need to do? What will you choose?"

Deianne's brow creases with her sister's cryptic question, but she answers it nonetheless.

"I will choose what I want to do. Life is too short not to let yourself do all the things you want. And always remember, when choosing, always choose what will make you happy. Because in the end, no matter what happens, you are the one who will face it."

Daniella kept quiet and just stared at her as if the woman was processing what she had just said.

"How about this one: given a chance, would you choose to be born as me?" Daniella asked again.

"What's with you and these weird questions? Who are you and what did you do to my twin?" Deianne looked at her sister thoroughly.

Daniella snorted. "Just answer my question!"

"Okay. I will. I think I would still choose to be born as Deianne, as me. Though I will admit that it intrigues me how it is to be like you sometimes." She answered in all honesty.

"So you wanted to be me?" Daniella asked, with her eyes wide open.

"I didn't say that I do. I am just wondering how it is to be you, to be so confident and brave." 

"And what if one day you woke up in my body? What will you do?" Daniella asked again.

"Hey! Stop asking questions like that. It is giving me goosebumps!" Deianne said as she lay on the other side, back facing her twin. "Sleep, Daniella. It's your big day tomorrow. You have to be the prettiest on your wedding day. Good night!" she added before she drifted to sleep without a slight worry and without knowing what her sister was about to do.

*****

Deianne woke up earlier than the alarm time that she had set. It's really just her nature to wake up earlier if the event is something important to her or to her family. She turned around on her left side to greet her sister, but all she saw was the pillow and the neat side of the bed.

"She's awake already?" she asked to herself. It is rare for her twin sister to wake up early, so it is also unusual for her. "Maybe she's just excited about her wedding later today." She added, because it is the most accurate reason why her sister got up earlier than she usually does.

She takes a look at the clock on her phone to check the time and it says it's ten minutes before seven in the morning. It's still that early. Where the heck is her sister now? She gasps as another thought pops into her mind.

"What if she's with Marcus now??" she said it aloud before letting out another gasp. "But it is impossible. Marcus will be coming from their house as it is near the church. And I'm sure, with his parents being strict and all, they will not let Daniella and Marcus spend some time alone together."

So where is her twin sister now?

"Maybe she's just downstairs, either having an early breakfast or just needing some alone time for herself. That's right! She is here." Deianne said a little bit louder, and she didn't know if she did it to convince herself or to brush off the bad feeling she was having, or maybe a combination of both.

"No! Erase! Erase! Maybe I should get my speech ready for tonight. Right, I better have a copy of what I am going to say to avoid embarrassment." She still hates giving speeches in enormous crowds, but it is for her twin sister's marriage. She has to do it.

With that in mind, she immediately opened the notes on her phone and started typing what she wanted to say to her sister.

It took Deianne almost an hour before she finished her speech. After reading it once again to make sure that everything she wrote was right, she immediately saved it and put her phone down on the bedside table.

Still not in the mood to get up, she goes under the duvet and wraps herself in it. She then snuggled close to her pillow and sighed in contentment. How she wishes she could be like this all day. Alone and away from the crowd,

She closes her eyes and lets herself sink deeper into the bed. And as time goes by, she once again surrenders to sleep.

Deianne woke up to a succeeding knock coming from the door outside. Still in her sleepy phase, she slowly gets up from the bed and opens the door. It was her mom.

"Good morning!" her mom greeted her as they both stepped inside.

"Good morning, mom," she greeted back as she yawned.

"Where's your sister? Is she awake already?" her mom asked as she walks further.

"Yeah, I think she got up early. I woke up without her by my side. I guess she is still having some wedding jitters." 

"And where is your sister now?" her mother pressed once more.

"I don't know." she answered in a brief that made her mom sigh in annoyance.

"I told you to always answer in a complete sentence." Her mother nags before she continues with, "Anyway, what do you mean you don't know where your sister is?"

"I don't know where she is right now. I told you, I woke up with her side being made up neatly. Maybe she's downstairs eating or reflecting. She will be back before we know it." Deianne claims, but her mother does not appear convinced.

"But..."

"Mom, Daniella is about to get married later. Maybe she just needs some time alone for herself. Let's give it to her, okay? If after an hour or two, and she is still nowhere to be found, then we will find her. For now, let's just calm down and wait for her." She added that she was also getting worried at the back of her head. She always expects the worst. But this time, she wants to hope for the best.

Fortunately, after that, her mother seemed to calm down a bit. They stayed in their room and anxiously wait for a couple of hours, with a silent prayer that Daniella will show up in front of them any moment now.

But maybe you really attract what you fear, because after two hours, there was no Daniella appearing in front of them. Her anxious eyes met her mother's equally scared eyes. They still don't know where her twin sister is.

"Why don't you try to call her?" her mom suggested, which she hastily obeyed.

"Please, pick up..." she uttered before she dialed her sister's number.

And her heart started beating fast when they heard the phone ringing the moment she dialed Daniella's number. She followed where the sound was coming from. It is from under the bed. Deianne tried her best to reach it, and indeed, it was her sister's phone. 

She looks at her mother. One thing is surely on their mind. Something is up with Daniella, and it is something to be worried about.

Her mom immediately called her dad and asked the patriarch to find Daniella.

And as her mom sat back down, with worry and fear written all over her face, Deianne decided to find some clues inside their hotel room. And there she found it. It was hidden in the wedding veil.

"M-mom..." she called out in a shaky voice.

"What is it?"

"Daniella left. She ran away. And this is her letter." She answered as she handed the letter with her shaking hand.

Her mother hastily took it from her and read it.

To Dad, Mom, and Deianne,

Tonight, I sat quietly outside the hotel room. The cold wind blows softly. Actually, I'm not used to writing diaries or about the activities and events that happen in my life, but now, for some reason, I want to write this. The truth is, I've been acting weird lately, even though in my heart I always say, "I want to get married and I want to make you all proud and happy." I also wanted to go away. I want to run away, maybe to a beautiful place outside of the country. I always had that idea at the back of my mind, and Deianne, what you said to me a while ago helped me to be firm in choosing it. I am deeply sorry, dad and mom, but I suddenly don't want to get married. Maybe I am not yet ready for that responsibility. Maybe I still want to enjoy myself. I know I would disappoint you with my choice, but I decided to be firm with it. I want to be free. 

Deianne, my twin sister. Remember what I asked you? You said you were wondering what it was like to be like me, right? Now I am giving you a chance to be like me. Yes, you can be me for as long as you can. And maybe just say that I am gone once you get tired of being me. You want to know what it is to be brave, right? Now I am asking you to be brave and take this chance to be me. 

P.s., please... just please don't find me. Just let me be. I promise I will be back once I find whatever I am looking for. Let me be alone for now.

Daniella Allyson Montes.

Deianne's heart dropped right after they finished reading the letter.

It can't be happening! How insensitive did she get that she didn't notice the strange behavior of her twin sister?

And most importantly, what will happen to her wedding to Marcus?

*****