I want to dedicate this chapter to SuperGuardian because of her support. Thank you =)

And I've put up some of the cast. Those are Norah and Daniel on the side. I'll add the rest of the cast later. Tell me what you think of the cast and the chapter.

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Daniel's face was as blank as the white painted wall behind him. 

Then with suspicion he eyed me. "So you're telling me that you're grounded and yet somehow you're here."

"Yup!"

"Are you sure that your parents know what keeping grounded means?"

I shrugged. "I just skipped Sebastian's basketball practice and beside it's not a big deal. I just have to gain like 200 more points and then I'll be ungrounded."

"Points?" Daniel gave me a funny look. "What kind of parents do you have?"

I was about to say something but Daniel cut me off. "Never mind. I don't wanna know. So anyway tell me again how Sebastian is okay with this?"

"He's not. I mean he just doesn't know. And I hardly think that he'll be mad about this. We have already spent a night together and he was-" I took a pause pondering over my own words. "Okay that sounded bad. But the main point is that it's not a big deal. He'll get it."

"So you suddenly decided to miss his practice and drop off my homework when Liam would've done that anyway? Just randomly?" he asked in a accusing tone.

"Why are you repeating everything I just told you like 5 minutes ago?" I asked innocently.

My actions were hardly considered random. I actually had to work a lot to make Liam talk to me and even more to make him give me Daniel's homework and class work that he was missing. I am sure at one point Liam was about to call for help as I was pretty much latched to his arm to make him do what I was saying.

After several minutes of bad acting and shameless requesting, he had finally promised to return to being normal with me and had handed me the thin accumulation of notes and books that I was currently holding.

"What's in the box?" Daniel inquired referring to the cute white cardboard box on top of the pile.

"Oh yeah right," I said and then placed the stack on the metallic table aligned beside the bed and just picked up the box. "I got it for you."

I held the box towards him. "What's in it?" he asked raising just one eyebrow.

"Fried human brain," I replied rolling my eyes and got the same reaction from Daniel as well.

"They're just cupcakes. To make up for the last time," I said subduing my sarcasm.

"You didn't need to do that," he said.

"Eh, I wanted to." I shrugged and placed the box on the table again.

I could see that he was just waiting for me to bring events of two nights back but I wasn't going to. I wasn't going to push him anymore for answers.

"So when will you be going home then?" I asked, continuing the casual talk.

"Tomorrow morning," he simply replied.

"Great!" I said enthusiastically and settled on the couch.

"Yeah"

And then I looked around the plain and blandly decorated room, not knowing what else to say. I went there to let him that neither was I going leave his side nor would I ask him anything about his mother. But that being done, I didn't know what else to talk to him about.

"I got to tell you something," Daniel's voice pulled my roaming eyes back to him.

Thank god for taking the awkward silence back.

"Shoot"

"Uh what I told you," he paused hesitantly inspecting my reaction closely while I listened with rapt attention, "the other night that my-"

Three continues raps on the door stopped him from talking any further and filled me up with disappointment.

"Daniel, can I come in?" a lady's soft voice flowed from the other side.

Daniel looked at me and then after thinking about something for a moment he answered the voice, "Yeah"

The door cracked opened slowly to reveal Liam's mom entering the room. Her eyes immediately warmed up along with a smile. "Hi Norah! Wasn’t expecting to find you here."

I smiled back hesitantly dreading what she must be thinking of me. And even if she thought I was responsible for the accident, then I didn't blame her.

"Hello Mrs. Cohen," I replied meekly. "I was just about to leave."

"Oh, no, don't leave on my account," she said gently putting the small bag she had in her hands to the side and walked up to where I was standing.

"No it's okay. I've sort of a time limit today," I said offering her a small smile and then looked at Daniel to find him in a pensive state and judging by the distant look on his face, I knew that he hadn't listened to a single word in the past few seconds.

"Daniel?"

His eyes immediately snapped in my direction. "Huh?"

"I said I was leaving. I'll see you later then."

"But I-" he took a breath shaking his head lightly. "Yeah, I'll see you."

After bidding Daniel and Mrs. Cohen adieu, I darted out of the hospital and getting in my car, I made a beeline for my house hoping that Dad wouldn't be home.

The rest of the day went by uneventfully and so did the next two ones. Daniel still hadn't returned to school and I often found myself thinking of visiting him at his house but that also meant facing his parents again which I was not so eager to do. So I instead I had just called him, this time at a much normal hour of the day, to ask how he was doing. He had sounded a bit off but if spending all this time with that boy had taught me something him was that his mood changed faster than the weather of Chicago so I didn't know what to think of his new behavioral change. 

School life was back to normal with Shay constant complains about her relationship with Liam, and Liam and I being friends again.

After having just another regular school day, I was driving back to home. As soon as my car entered the spiral driveway of my house, I immediately noticed my Dad's Cayenne and an unfamiliar red mini Cooper parked in my spot.

I didn't know that we were expecting company. Well more like we never did. My dad was a very private person and never brought anyone from work.

I got out of my car, my brain still whirling with the possible name of our visitor.

The front door was ajar and entering the living room, I found to be dipped in silence. I frowned. Leaving my bag and car keys on the couch, 

Walking up the stairs two step at a time, I heard murmurs coming from my room so I redirected my journey to a new destination.

The murmurs were getting louder and it wasn't just because of my increasing proximity to the source. I could hear my dad's voice getting louder and angrier.

I pushed open the door at the exact moment when the other person in the room decided to speak, "Roy, you know I would never do that."

My breath got caught up in my throat as my mind instantly placed who the voice belonged to.

The sudden movement the door caught the attention of both of the people in the room. My dad was standing with his arms folded with an unhappy expression on his face. But it wasn't my dad who I was interested in seeing.

My gaze floated over to the woman sitting on my bed with a photo frame in her hands. Her first reaction of surprise instantly morphed into a huge smile and then when she took in my complete appearance, a look of shock and sadness washed over every feature of her face.

Wiping the expression off her face, she rose up from the bed placing the frame back on its position and walked towards me while I kept standing there like a still doll; with no movement, no emotion.

"Norah," she breathed out while tearing up at the same time and hugged me. I stayed stiff as a cardboard but the moment her body made contact with mine, I heard a sobbing whisper inside me.

Mom.

I could feel her tears already soaking through the fabric of my shirt. I felt like breaking as her tears kept seeping through my skin, stinging like acid, but I didn't. 

For god knows how long she kept sobbing while holding me, maybe hoping that I would hug her back, but realizing that I wasn't going to, she peeled herself away from me but kept her hands on my arms.

Her recent crying fest had ruined her makeup. The black eyeliner that was rimming her eyes perfectly few minutes ago was now smudged and her light brown eyes was brimming with more tears to spill. Running her hand over her face, she tried to wipe off the tear stains but ended up making the situation even worse.

Collecting her composure back, she pushed back her hair which now had no trace of her natural dark blonde colour which I had inherited from her too but now hers was concealed in a platinum blonde color and mine in a light brown shade.

Neither of us carried the same appearance that we used to three years back. She was flaunting a dress that I could have never imagined her in and her skin looked more lively and healthy. 

Guess walking out on your family in times of crisis does wonders to you, huh?

Averting my gaze I noticed that Dad had a heart-broken expression on his face and when he noticed that I was staring at him, he excused himself out of the room hurriedly.

It was as if my mother was holding back due to the presence of my father because as soon as he left, she immediately cupped my cheeks with her hands and looked at me gently with a sad smile.

What I wanted to do was to lean in her hands and bawl my eyes out but what I did was to offer her with nothing. Even the flower vase kept next to my bed was giving out more emotion and expression than I was but that was exactly I was rooting her.

"I've missed you so much baby." Mom stoked my face and then my hair.

Yeah, right. Why don't I believe you? I thought dryly.

"God, you look exactly like Emma," she remarked and her eyes seemed to be remembering something, probably a memory of my sister.

It angered me that she had finally decided to see me after three long years and her mind still went on to think just about Emma as if I was just an photo of my twin sister with which she could reminisce her past. But the thing that stopped me from lashing out was the realization that it was exactly what I had made myself; to her and to everyone else.

"We were twins, so," I replied in a dull and detatched manner.

Mom shook her head.

"No, that's not what I meant but anyway forget it." Her smile returned. "I'm just so happy to see you."

I didn't reply.

"Come here." Mom led me to my bed and sat beside me, her eyes never leaving my face and mine never leaving the wall opposite to me.

"So how's everything going?" she asked cheerfully, compensating for my lack of enthusiasm in having this conversation.

"Fine"

"Really? That's great." I could feel she was getting discouraged with my dryness. "So your dad told me that you are dating someone. Sebastian, right?"

"Yeah"

I had resorted to giving out just one-word answers.

"Great, really great. How's school?" she asked expectantly as if that would make me open up to her.

"Fine"

I heard her take a sharp breath and her shoulders sag in discouragement.

"Talk to me, Norah," I heard her say and could tell that she was about to break into tears again. "It's been so long. Haven't you missed me at all? I tried meeting you so many times but you refused every time and you seem so distant on the phone. I'm your mother, baby. Do you ever think of me?"

Everyday

I ignored the need to respond to her questions. "Are you coming back?"

Please say yes. I prayed to myself.

"You know it's not that easy," she replied knowing that it was not the answer that I wanted.

"Maybe" Back to one-word answers.

The coldness that I was treating my mother was even sending down shivers down my spine.

I felt her take my right hand in hers and run small circles on my palm. "Do you want me to come back, baby?"

"I don't know." My voice had no sort of modulation and sounded extremely mechanical.

"Norah, please talk to me. I've been dying to hear your voice all these years. If you want to scream at me, then yell all you want but please don't put up this wall in front of you."

My eyes snapped to her and for a second I was sure that I was about to fulfil her request but I bit back my words and gulped them down.

Mom shifted on the bed and in between my attempts of giving her a cold shoulder, it was the first time I noticed that she was getting uncomfortable because of the room. Her eyes roamed around every corner of the room and sadness filled them again.

Again, for a second I felt bad for her but that moment passed soon.

"You can leave the room if it's making you uneasy," I suggested.

"Why do you stay in this room? It's Emma's and-"

"I stay here because I want to," I stated cutting her off.

Having no other option, she simply nodded her head but clearly didn't approve of my choice of residence.

"And what about your nightmares? Are you still having them?" she asked in a low voice, knowing well that she was walking on thin ice.

"No" I replied sharply, not interested in telling her that the nightmares had been resurfacing again and that this time they were on an upward slope of getting worse everyday.

"That's good," she said and I think that it was genuine happiness that I heard in her voice.

"You know I've missed you so much," mom repeated her earlier statement.

"I heard you the first time," I replied casually, not caring how hurtful it seemed to her.

"Norah, it took a lot of me to come here today," her voice quivered.

"Great, remind me to mail you a 'Very Brave of you' card when you go back," I snapped in a monotonous voice.

"Norah," she breathed out again and by now she was completely in tears.

Like it did in moments like these, my brain immediately went to think what Emma would've done in a situation like this.

"I'm sorry," I apologized but it felt hollow.

"No, it's okay. You've the right to be mad." She held my hand in between both of hers and it felt so warm and nice that I could've stayed like that for eternity. "I wish I could take back my words. They were said in a weak moment and didn't mean anything."

Unfortunately, they meant everything to me. No matter how much I tried to forget them, they always stayed back like a reminder carved into a metal.

"That's the thing about words, mom. You can't just use them without thinking of their repercussions," I said looking directly in her eyes. "You didn't and look where it has brought us to."

I freed my hand form hers and darted out of the room and down the stairs. I saw my dad slouched on the couch, lost in thoughts. My swift footsteps caught his attention and he looked over to me with worry.

Before he could say anything, I asked, "Till when is she planning to stay?"

"I don't know. Not for long, I assume," dad answered, confused where I was going with this.

"Good, then I'll be back at night," I stated. Not giving him any time to respond, I scooped my car keys from the couch and left the house.

I drove out of the driveway but not before giving a glance to the window of my room- well more like Emma's room- where I knew my mother was still crying. Crying over me, over Emma, over what we had become. But I knew that if I stayed, I would end up telling her everything and it was better if instead of truth, she kept living the lie, that Emma had created for evreyone and of which now I was the sole keeper of.

My eyes were in tears and mind was in frenzy as I kept spinning the steering wheel in random directions, not aware at all where I was going.

But as the distance from my house increased, the dull pain in my chest kept getting sharper.

I hoped that it wouldn't take another three years for me to see my mother but with the words I had left her with, I doubted that things were going to turn out any other way.  

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I'm sorry if it's filled with typos and errors. The chapter needs editing and I'll do it soon.

And a very Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there especially my own. Mom, you're the best. I love you! =*