Girl Miracle
By Lianna, age 12

As far back as she could remember, Kaylee Winter had always lived with her aunt, in the cold, empty manor house that her aunt had inherited when her uncle died. Kaylee was a pretty girl, rather small for fifteen, with brown thin hair and equally brown eyes. Kaylee was tutored at home, by her aunt. Her aunt had white-blonde hair and eyes as cold and icy as the house. An extremely religious person, she carried a rosery about wherever she went. Kaylee had never found out what happened to her parents, whenever she asked, her aunt would rapidly change the subject. Kaylee had never been too highly suspicious of her aunt until one day, over a pot of herbal tea, Kaylee asked her aunt,
"Does this house have an attic?"
Her aunt nearly choked on her tea, "whatever makes you say that?"
Kaylee shrugged. "I don't know. I've just never been up onto the third floor. Curiosity, I guess." "Mmm. And may it stay like that," her aunt suddenly looked paler than ever. There was, you could say, almost a greenish tinge to her. "I don't want you ever going there, okay, Kaylee?"
Kaylee stared. "Why not?"
Her aunt suddenly stiffened. "You haven't been up there, have you?"
"No, but..." Kaylee trailed off, "why can't I go?"
"Because...because you just can't!" her aunt hissed, "now I don't want to hear another word on the subject, mmm?"
"Yes," Kaylee muttered.
However, as she waved her aunt off the next day, (as she was going to the market) Kaylee couldn't resist the urge to find out what, in the attic, was so private she wasn't allowed to see it. Kaylee took a torch and ascended the creaky stairs. The dust floated into her eyes and mouth and made her cough.
Inside, the attic was just your normal, average attic. A few dusty boxes lay in corners, as if they were photosensitive, shrinking away from the light. This struck Kaylee as funny. For some bizarre reason, she had been expecting... well, she wasn't sure what. A sarcophagus, maybe. Kaylee crept over to a box and pushed it open. Inside was a pile of photos. Kaylee picked them up and blew the dust away. On the first photo was a photo of a woman with brown hair standing sideways, her stomach a large bump. She was pregnant. There were a few of these, and then there was one of two babies lying side by side. Both had curly wisps of brown hair, and both, as babies do, looked identical. Over them was a red blanket. There were a few photos of these babies, and then there was a photo of a man. He was crying in this one, and in his arms lay a sleeping baby. Kaylee couldn't figure any of it out. Who was this woman?
"Kaylee!"
Kaylee jumped and looked up. Her aunt stared back, her eyes urgent.
"You...you saw the photos?" she asked, gulping. Kaylee nodded.
"Oh, Kaylee...I'm so sorry...I-I didn't mean for you to find it out like this...I was going to tell you on your sixteenth birthday...but..." her aunt stammered, tears welling in her eyes.
"I...I don't understand..." Kaylee muttered weakly.
"Follow me, and bring the photos," her aunt instructed. Kaylee did, and her aunt sat them both down on the sofa.
"This," she held up the photo of the pregnant lady, "was your mum. She got pregnant with you. When she gave birth to you, she had a twin as well. Your twin was older. You are five minutes younger." She took the photo of the two babies.
"I can't remember which one is you," she admitted.
"Wh...where is my twin?" Kaylee asked, "what is her name?"
"Her name was Rachael," her aunt replied, "see, Kaylee, there was this thing...when you were born...you were born with one heart between you. It worked okay in your mother...but once you were out, a few days later...well, your twin began to suddenly go very red, and you went blue...the heart was pumping more blood and oxygen to her by the minute, and less to you. This photo, " she held up the one of the babies together, "this was taken before the operation. This blanket," she pointed to the red blanket, "was covering the big gash where you were joined together by the heart. This blanket was white. You bled a lot. You went into surgery and something went wrong, you suddenly gained colour and your twin..." overcome by tears, her aunt pointed to the last photo. The one of a man clutching the dead baby.

Alone at night, Kaylee had a very guilty conscience. She should have died, not the other way round. It was like sparrows squabbling over the biggest piece of bread...except if they don't get the biggest piece of bread, they don't die.
Kaylee awoke many hours later. She jumped out of bed...and screamed.
There on her bedroom mirror, in red, were written the words,
You lived. I died. I get revenge. You die.
Kaylee sat down on her bed, scared she might faint, and it was only then that she noticed the massive bleeding gash in her arm. It was her blood that had been used to write the message! The room swerved, and dimmed. Then all went black.
"Kaylee! You're alive!"
Kaylee rolled over to see her aunt watching her. She was in a hospital room, in a bed. Her arm was plastered, and she was on a ventilating machine.
"Darling! You lost a lot of blood, you know."
"Aunt...my mirror...the blood!" Kaylee gasped.
Her aunt looked vague. "Your mirror?"
"The message," Kaylee fought to remember it, "'You lived. I died. I get revenge. You die.'"
"Kaylee, you're not going to die."
"No! My mirror, didn't you see?" Kaylee exclaimed, "you must have seen it, you couldn't miss...oh!" The room swerved violently again, as Kaylee noticed another message on the wall in red.
Scared? This is just the beginning, Kaylee.
The walls were beginning to dim again, and Kaylee could hear her heart pounding, the one that should have been Rachael's... and her aunt...oh, her aunt.
"Kaylee! You don't look good. Kaylee! Speak to me! Kaylee! Kayl...Kay......."