[sub]Collab with: [@lovely complex] & [@Viciousmarrow][/sub]
[center][h3][color=dodgerblue]S O P H I A[/color],  [color=seagreen]R I L E Y[/color],  &  [color=salmon]K Y L I E[/color][/h3][/center][hr][hr][h1] Sunday, June 19th. 8:00am[/h1]

Sophia stared at herself in her bedroom mirror, light blue eyes scanning the reflection as she smoothed down her hair. In the past Sophia would have sprung out of bed by 6am, gone for an hour long jog around the park, ate a healthy breakfast and began preparing for another fabulous celebration of her life, making sure that everyone knew it was her birthday long before the day came. She loved birthdays and making people feel their best on that special day, including herself, but this year was different and the past was dead. 

She had planned a house party for the night, though it was nothing especially extravagant. She hadn't been in the mood for party planning much anymore, but drinking with friends looked a lot better than drinking alone. Especially on your own birthday. Excitement slowly built up at the chance to get blackout drunk without needing to lie or sneak around, but last week had put a damper on the mood. Tranquil Summit Psychiatric Institution called and told her that Kylie was ready to be released on June 19th, at 9am. Of course on all possible dates, it had to be on her birthday. But.. this was a good thing... right? Kylie was coming home after three months of isolation and working on her.... [i]"issues"[/i]. 

"[i]One for the road?[/i]" Sophia reached for a small travel sized bottle of vodka hidden away in her purse. "[i]I can't...[/i]" Her fingers stopped short of the bottle, lingering for a moment before she sighed. She was supposed to be driving the hour long journey to the mental institution with Riley. Closing her purse, she swung it over her shoulder and left the room to sneak over to Riley's room. Despite being rather traumatized over Kylie's obsession with him, he had agreed to go with her to pick up Kylie. They decided to keep Kylie’s homecoming a secret, hoping that surprising the rest of the family would cheer everyone up. 

"[color=dodgerblue]Riley?[/color]" She whispered, lightly knocking on his door. "[color=dodgerblue]Are you ready?[/color]" 

Has three months truly passed? Exhausted blue orbs stared at the mac screen, with little to no life to his facial expression, Riley Reese had become a pale version of what people were used to seeing. Ever since that day, sleep wasn’t something that came to him easily anymore. That was the day he discovered something… far from believable. To this day, he still cannot believe what he laid his eyes on. Along with that discovery, when he does get some shut eye, that memory from when he was a child… repeats, like a recurring dream trying to haunt him to remember a time that was faint and unreachable. C.L. never did send another letter. Perhaps there was more to his insomnia than the whole Kylie wanted to fuck him his entire life? Don’t get him wrong, it’s disturbing that his twin fell in love with him and stalked him, but it’s the memory that got to him more. When the fiery haired male went in for a checkup (2 months ago), his doctor prescribed him pills to help him, which isn’t something he’s shared with anyone besides Sophia. Not wanting any of his other siblings to worry, Riley knew if at least his older sister knew he had sleepless nights, it would reassure her a little that he didn’t hide things from her. He hasn’t used much of the pills due to the state they put him in. Once he sleeps, he literally has to rip himself out of his dreams or he’d stay in his mind for... who knows how long. At least being sleep deprived he can be there for his family and his girlfriend. Beautiful, innocent Claire.

Riley never did tell Claire about his personal dilemma or even the incident with Kylie, playing it off like he was okay. Even with all his doubt on whether or not he can give her happiness, he was unable to let her go. What a selfish man he was. His relationship with Claire was the one thing keeping him afloat and it just made sense to him, you know? Although, he was a complete asshole and she was a pure sweetheart.

His screen displayed the great porn site he visited far more than he would like to admit. Silently, he uploaded his new videos on his AcemanDude profile. Recently, he caught a couple having sex in the Cherry Blossom Park. Don’t worry, their faces aren’t terribly visible. This will surely get him more followers. Ha, his priorities. Within the past three months, Riley dropped out of his online classes and decided to solely focus his life at the Diner and around town with his camera. The man worked so much that he and his girlfriend only went on a few dates in the course of three months. The Diner kept him busy, drowning him to the point where he didn’t need to think about reality. His camera being his security blanket. 

What was wrong with him? Why did that one day bother him so much? The memory wasn’t even that terrible. Wasn’t C.L. his first love? Waiting for another letter from her was terribly agonizing. Why did she send an inkling of hope his direction? Maybe he should try to trace her whereabouts? Would that satisfy his appetite? Riley felt like he was slipping more and more away from himself. The questions flooding his mind were non-stop. Yet, he was unable to tell anyone.

His ears perked with the sound of his older sister’s voice. Sophia has been quite considerate to her brother’s wellbeing, since she is the only one who knows about his insomnia. Some days Riley is unable to get out of bed. Those days she would make sure he had food by his bedside. He’s glad he told one person… though being a burden is never a pleasant feeling.

Closing his incognito window on his computer, the stoic man grabbed his camera and sluggishly walked to the door. Before he left his room, he put on his sunglasses to hide his dark circles. His outfit was [url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/b3/df/d7/b3dfd789c5bfae61ccbea4f035fc0ef8.jpg]dark jeans, black sneakers, and a light long sleeved shirt[/url]. Nothing too extravagant, but enough to give off the vibe that he was doing better this month, than the previous. It was summer and he needed to put color back on his skin. There needed to be a major change in his life. It was time to get his shit together. Dad wouldn’t have liked seeing this side of his son.

Opening the door,  Riley gave his sister an oh-so-familiar cheesy grin, that is sparse now with his twin’s absence, “[color=seagreen]Let’s get that troublemaker.[/color]” His shades hid his emotions, which is exactly what he wanted. Pulling the camera up from hanging around his neck, he quickly snapped a picture of his sister, “[color=seagreen]Happy birthday gurlfran![/color]” After the picture was taken, he leaned in to kiss her cheek, chirping, “[color=seagreen]Love you, sis! But you’re getting old as fuck.[/color]”

“[color=dodgerblue]Hey, only flattering photos allowed.[/color]” She playfully pouted, memories of Kylie’s flash drive filled with photos suddenly resurfaced in her mind. “[color=dodgerblue]Gee, thanks, you’re a doll.[/color]” Her pout melted into a half hearted smile as she turned and began heading downstairs, frantically trying to think of something else. Riley seemed like he was doing well, but she also knew all too well that it could be an elaborate disguise to hide the truth. Nonetheless, he appeared a lot better than she had expected to see him this morning. 

“[color=dodgerblue]Let’s get this show on the road.[/color]” She whispered, opening the front door as quietly as she possibly could and sliding out onto the front porch. Crisp cool air overwhelmed her senses, reminding her of how long it had been since she had gone on one of her regular morning jogs. “Regular” was becoming more of a loose term with each passing day as her own self motivation had reached an all time low. Thinking about it made her yearn for that tiny vodka bottle at her side again. 

Getting into her grey Toyota Corolla and putting on her seat belt, Sophia looked over at Riley as he took the passenger seat. She examined him for a moment before starting up the engine, her playful demeanor no longer in sight. “[color=dodgerblue]Are you sure you’re ready for this?[/color]” She asked once he closed the door, “[color=dodgerblue]You don’t have to do this… I’d understand, you know.[/color]” She knew how much Kylie’s obsession had affected her brother over these last few months and didn’t want him to feel obligated to go with her. “[color=dodgerblue]Just give me the word and you’re free to go.[/color]” A genuine caring smile replaced her serious facial expression, eyes locked onto his. “[color=dodgerblue]I’ll just tell Kylie that I kept the surprise from you as well.[/color]” She knew Kylie would be hurt if Riley wasn’t there, but it would be a decent excuse for the time being. Sophia had only spoken to Kylie three times for a few minutes each time during the past 3 months and Kylie still had no idea that the rest of the family had no clue that she would be coming home. Much less about how much she had screwed with her twins mental stability. 

Buckling himself and bringing his window down, Riley turned to his sister and shook his head in disagreement, “[color=seagreen]Stop worrying, birthday girl. I’m okay, trust me.[/color]” Shrugging to himself and leaning back in his seat, he yawned, “[color=seagreen]To be honest, now that I think about it, ‘that’ wasn’t the worst thing Kylie’s done to me. I think I can handle whatever my twin throws at me.[/color]” Cracking his knuckles, the man chuckled to himself, as he stared out the front window, “[color=seagreen]Plus, we both know that me being there would make the transition easier. I want you to enjoy your damn birthday, so focus on one task at a time.[/color]” He briefly paused to let his words settle in and then concluded, “[color=seagreen]Let’s get our sister. We’re family that sticks together, no matter the shit.[/color]” Not eloquently spoken, but his words did hold a lot of truth in them. Being one of the main men in the Reese family, Riley had to stay strong for his sisters. Sophia was carrying the weight of their family. He could at least lessen the load by facing his twin. It was inevitable. He was going to see her no matter what. Sure, there was a deep, nervous feeling in his gut but at the same time… he loved Kylie with all his heart. The past was the past and it was time to look ahead and pave a better road. The family needed to be together. When one fell, they all followed close behind. Rather than letting the building blocks tumble, he wanted to be his family’s foundation once more. He was ready. This summer was the summer for change. 

[h1]9:00am[/h1]

“[color=dodgerblue]Hi, we’re here to pick up Kylie Reese.[/color]” Sophia leaned against the sterile white desk at the front lobby, looking down at the brunette staff member dressed in teal scrubs. 

“[color=teal]Wonderful! We will call her out. Please have a seat, she will be out momentarily.[/color]” 

Sophia nodded, “[color=dodgerblue]Thank you.[/color]” Turning back to Riley, Sophia wandered over to their seating area and plopped herself down. Her eyes wandered around the room, wondering if Kylie would truly be changed after her confinement here. Did she hate the family now? How many times had she roamed these halls, wishing to leave? Was she treated well? Did the doctors and nurses actually want to help or was it all about a paycheck? 

With a sigh, Sophia took out her phone and began scrolling through different social media applications. Anything to take her mind off of the fact that Kylie had practically been banished from the “real world” for three whole months. Was this what her parents would have done in this situation? Or was this another mistake? Either way, Sophia was to blame. 

Kylie’s eyes followed the lines of an archaic string of text, glued to every word. A rather large paperback book was plopped in her lap, and it was the only thing she’d read the past three months. The institution was so strapped for cash that they had a very limited selection of books, and this one was the only always available. Outside of reading, therapy, and sleep, there wasn’t much else to do. [i]Everything[/i] was a suicide risk for her, apparently. Pencils, shoe strings… You name it. It wasn’t allowed in. They were even iffy with tampons! The sheer boredom the redhead had experienced had nearly driven her to suffocate herself when she first got her. It was a big mistake telling the staff here about her suicidal feelings though. That event had gotten her a week of suicide watch: a whole week of being isolated in a padded cell practically naked.

She was glad she picked up this book though. It… really changed her life. It’s like every message within resonated with her, and she felt compelled to be a better person. Perhaps it was the medication they had her on too, but suddenly Kylie was accomplishing more in this institution than she was outside. Within the second month of her stay here, they had a special program that let high school drop outs like her attempt to get their GEDs. After quite a bit of studying, she actually did really well on her tests. There weren’t very many moments before where Kylie had felt so proud of herself.

Again, maybe it was the large amount of pills she was on, but she felt great now. No despair, no self-esteem issues, no nothing! Kylie didn’t think it was the therapy that had made her feel better though. No, she felt it more had to do with taking in the message of God.

“Kylie Reese. Follow me. Your ride is here.”

A nurse hovered over her, beckoning the twin to follow her so she could rejoin society. [color=salmon]”Oh! Okay! Thank you so much!”[/color] Kylie piped up and quickly closed her hefty tome. Scrawled in big Times New Roman letters on the cover was “The Bible”. Smiling brightly, the petite woman grabbed the meager bags at her feet and scampered towards freedom.

Kylie emerged into the waiting room looking quite unlike how her family saw her last. Her hair was no longer blonde, back to its normal shade of red, and her clothes were quite conservative. She wore a long sleeve, olive green shirt with faded blue jeans, some of the only clothes they could find for her. Moreover, a bright and cheery smile adorned her face, no longer etched with anxiety. At the sight of her Sophi, she rushed over and gave her older sister an enormous hug.

[color=salmon]”Sophi! Happy birthday!”[/color] she called out with absolute glee. This was probably one of the few times Kylie had actually remembered any of her siblings’ birthdays. Ecstatically, the redhead pulled away from her sister and reached into her sad plastic bag. From within, she pulled out what appeared to be two popsicle sticks glued together to form a cross. [color=salmon]”I made this for you. It’s not a lot, but they don’t let us have scissors or anything so I couldn’t trim it up.”[/color]

Her cerulean eyes peered over to Riley, but a sudden sense of nausea sweeping over as soon as she recognized his visage. The doctors here had used aversion therapy techniques to help her get over her obsession with her brother, and right now it was definitely kicking her in the ass. Her orbs peeled back onto Sophi’s face, not daring to give her brother another look before she vomited all over the floor. [color=salmon]”You… uh... brought Riley! Great!”[/color]

The sight of his twin was nothing that he expected, actually… it was far worse. With shades hiding his gaze, he silently watched Kylie basically ignore his existence. Sure, it was Sophi’s birthday but… that was fucked up. They hadn’t seen each other in three months and now she doesn’t even want to look at him? If this was their way of curing her, to completely prevent his own fucking twin the ability to lay eyes on him, what was the point? Twins had more than just a normal sibling connection and now his sister will spend the rest of her life avoiding him. The man wasn’t dumb... he knew Kylie better than anyone else and just looking at her, he could tell she was uncomfortable with him being anywhere near her. 

He was a monster to her. To his own twin. 

He needed to keep it together and not make things awkward… for Sophia. If only he had listened to her earlier and just stood in bed. Today was going to be hard to put a front on. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Riley let his sisters share their moment, “[color=seagreen]I’ll wait in the car. Kye, you can sit in the front.[/color]” He dismissed himself, knowing very well she didn’t want to touch him and left the building with conflicted feelings on the matter. As he walked, he contemplated her attire, the popsicle sticks, and her… new demeanor. What the fuck did they do to his twin? 

“[color=dodgerblue]Oh… I…[/color]” Gingerly, Sophia took the popsicle sticks from Kylie. “[color=dodgerblue]Wow…[/color]” She forced a smile, “[color=dodgerblue]Thanks for that, it’s… uhm… it’s great.[/color]” She glanced from Kylie back to the popsicle sticks a few times. “[i]What the fuck am I supposed to do with this?[/i]”

As Riley left the institution, Sophia’s eyes followed him out. She frowned, “[color=dodgerblue]Be there in a sec…[/color]” She smiled and gently placed the crude cross into her purse and wrapped an arm around Kylie’s shoulders. “[color=dodgerblue]I’m glad you’re back.[/color]” One of her fingers twirled around a strand of her sisters red hair. “[color=dodgerblue]I’m glad you’re a redhead again, too. Blondes are just no good.[/color]” She nudged her sister playfully, very aware of her awkward interaction with Riley but hoping to lighten the mood up a bit. “[color=dodgerblue]Let’s get you out of here. Everyone is going to be so happy you’re back! I didn’t tell them yet, it’s a surprise.[/color]” 

[h1]10:00am[/h1]

The ride back home had been excruciatingly awkward. Riley barely spoke as he laid down staring at the car ceiling, but even when he did Kylie hardly acknowledged his existence in the back of the car. Thank god for the radio. It was too bad Sophia still had a conscious and didn’t have that vodka after all. At least she would have plenty of that available later on tonight. It was obvious that [i]something[/i] in Kylie had changed within those three months, but it wasn’t clear whether it was a good thing or not. Instead of an obsession with her brother, she was apparently afraid of him. And what was with that popsicle cross? The old Kylie didn’t seem to be there at all…. Did the institution completely erase her previous personality? “[i]Mom… Dad… What have I done?[/i]” 

“[color=dodgerblue]Home sweet home![/color]” Sophia cooed as she pulled into the driveway, placing the car in park and taking off her seat belt. “[color=dodgerblue]Everyone is probably awake by now.[/color]” She hopped out of the car and rushed around the other side to open up Kylie’s door for her. “[color=dodgerblue]We didn't mess with your room while you were gone, don’t worry.[/color]” She jokingly said; In the past Kylie would have nearly killed them if they even thought about entering her room to alter anything, especially her precious computers. Sophia supposed they knew why now… it wasn’t just her gaming equipment she was worried about. 

[color=salmon]”Oh, don’t worry. It’s no problem! I will probably be getting rid of a lot in my room anyway.”[/color] Kylie replied to her sister. Sophi was already up on the porch though, leaving Kylie with her brother. Clearing her throat, she tried not to stare at him as started towards the house. Had his hair gotten longer? Looking at the back of his head, it sure seemed like it. [color=salmon]”Riley needs to…”[/color] she paused for a second and then addressed him personally finally. [color=salmon]”You need a haircut!”[/color] It was much easier to talk to him when he didn’t face her.

Peeking her head around the front door, Sophia checked to see if the coast was clear. The living room was empty, but it sounded like there were people in the kitchen. “[color=dodgerblue]We’re back![/color]” She called out, stepping inside and leaving the door open for Kylie and Riley.

Holding the door open, Riley gave his twin a faux smile, trying his best to hide any sadness, “[color=seagreen]I was going to get it done today before the party.[/color]” He decided to look toward the direction of the kitchen, to ease his sister as she entered, knowing that his face was the problem.

Once they were all in, he muttered,  “[color=seagreen]I still haven’t showered…[/color]"  and then added, “[color=seagreen]Welcome back, Kylie, and happy birthday again, Sophi.[/color]” The red haired man walked upstairs to make it seem like he wasn’t rushing away from this unbearable situation. Getting to his room, he closed the door behind him, locked it, and slowly slid down to the floor. Taking off his shades, his blue orbs were surrounded by red. 

Placing his face in his palms, he kept to himself and let light tears stream down his face. 

[sub][@Saint Girralo][@Emma][@BlueAjah][/sub]