"Isn't it sad, Gabe? She really thinks I'm you," I whispered to my brother in heaven.
His birthday was a few weeks away, and it was also the anniversary of his death. The day I couldn't save him. Since that fateful day, my mother's mental health began to decline. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and I was warned that due to the trauma of my brother's death and our similarities in looks, my mom might possibly confuse me with him.
It hadn’t been bad during my high school days, but due to my athletic side and preference for sweatpants and T-shirts rather than pink dresses and makeup, it seemed to reinforce her delusion that I was indeed Gabriel.
Even with how I dressed, everyone else thought I looked like a girl.
I guessed my brother's death was too much for my mom, especially after losing Father the year before, so I couldn’t really blame her for constantly mistaking me for my brother.
I ran my hands through my long brown hair. I realized I should get ready, didn’t want to make Logan wait.
I made my way down the hall toward my bedroom, unlocking the pink door with a quick dose of magic.
I closed it behind me, locking it once more before I turned to face the woman sprawled out on my bed with a manga book in her hands.
"Before you say anything, I suggest you at least start styling your hair. Logan loves when it has that hint of curl in it," she said.
I rolled my eyes but smiled at the purple-eyed female who sat up and crossed her legs. She was tall, standing at 6’0”, her height mostly due to her long legs. She had long silver hair with bangs, and it was highlighted with lavender. Her eyes were darker, more of an eggplant color,, and her lips were always the perfect shade of red, making you wonder if she always wore lipstick, but I knew she didn't.
"Alice, what did I say about reading my manga?" I demanded.
"Well, I had nothing else to keep me busy while you cooked for Mom. Can't leave your poor, immaculate familiar alone with nothing to do. Before you even bring it up, I already read all three of those spell books Mother bought from the store yesterday," she said soothingly.
Her voice always conveyed someone of extreme intelligence, but her looks gave off the impression she was the next top model for a Korean magazine.
"I wasn't going to ask, but sure. I'll read them when I come home tonight." I strode over to my closet to find something to wear.
"You're coming home? Hmph. Haven't you and Logan had sex yet?"
I choked on my saliva and turned to glare at her. "Excuse me, Miss Familiar. Why are you encouraging me to have sex? Last time I checked, you're younger than me. You shouldn’t be saying such things!" I stressed.
She shrugged, looking unfazed as she got up and walked my way.
"Firstly, I could be older than you and you would never know. I did exist before you were born. Second, just admit you and Logan Cross are a thing and date already. It's agonizingly painful to watch." She huffed dramatically, and I groaned.
"Coming from my familiar, I don't know whether to be hurt or concerned by that. I need to find you a lover. Yes, I should create you one," I proposed, and she laughed.
"And make it so I’m stuck in my owl form all day? No thanks. I’m happy being a single lady, and I love being in this form. I make all the girls jealous when I go to the mall," she boasted, flicking her long hair for extra emphasis.
"Thank goodness you’re not a really girly-girl or I'd disown you," I commented, giving her a slow up and down look. We both laughed and she reached into the closet to pick one of my favorite red dresses.
"Wear this one. It really compliments your tanned skin. You should have taken more of your mother's looks," she pointed out.
"I have to admit, I would have loved to have her flawless skin. I thought the mother’s genetics were supposed to be stronger than the father’s," I mumbled.
My mother was of Korean descent, while my Father was Caucasian. There weren't many interracial couples in our area, but because of both my parents’ strength and reputation, we hadn't had any problems with people judging us.
I sadly didn't take many of her Korean features, and unless asked, no one would know I was half Korean.
Alice, however, was the perfect representation, from her flawless skin to her perfect complexion and slim figure.
The number of times she'd been asked to model while we shopped at the mall was mind-boggling.
"Oh please. After puberty hit you in the face, you got super hot in a flash. Remember the final year of school? Every guy was hitting on you like you were the last female on the planet. Didn't one guy ask you to have his babies?" Alice reminded, and I groaned.
"Oh ya, and then you attempted to pluck his eyes out. Ah, good memories." I chuckled, shaking my head.
She handed me the dress, and I checked the standing mirror in the corner of my room to see if it would be appropriate for our meetup.