What’s Past is Past
By Andrea
Matt stared out the window, wondering what kind of trouble his sister Tara could be getting into right now. He had always been the quieter, shy one. She was always doing things to get herself into trouble. Her mother always wondered how twins could be so different. After their father had passed away, she could barely put up with Tara’s antics, which led her to take out the anger on her only daughter. But it only caused her to get into more and more trouble.
Matt knew he was in trouble when he saw a police car drive into their driveway. Luckily, their mother was out right now. The officer got out of the car, and then opened the door for the handcuffed girl. Tara was home. Matt was in a nervous sweat when the officer rung the doorbell. Slowly, he went to answer the door.
“This girl related to you?” the officer asked. He had a hard, uncaring tone.
“Y…yeah,” was all Matt could stammer out.
“Your parents home?”
“No.”
“Tell them to call me. I’ll check back tomorrow if they haven’t yet!” he growled, handing Matt his card. “I hope someone teaches this girl a lesson.” Tara walked in, and the officer left. She grabbed the card from Matt’s hand and ripped it to shreds.
“Tara! You’ll get in trouble for that! Mom’s gonna hit you so hard for that!” he almost cried. “I don’t want you to get hurt!”
“Why should you care, creep?” she said back, bluntly.
“I’M YOUR TWIN BROTHER!” he yelled.
“Don’t flatter yourself. I’ll be hit if she sees the card; I’ll be hit if she doesn’t! It doesn’t matter.”
“Don’t say that! One day someone’s gonna get even with you!” Just as he said that, their mom walked into the house.
“What are you two talking about!” she demanded.
“Tara was dropped off by a police officer,” Matt said sadly.
“YOU BITCH! LEARN YOUR LESSON!” she screamed, dropping her purse. Within seconds, Tara was on the floor, being beaten harshly. “YOU NEVER LISTEN!” By the time the beating was over, Tara was lying in a heap, unconscious. She had a nosebleed, and was bleeding from several other places.
“Mom! You hurt her!” Matt cried. He was cowering in the corner since the beating began.
“What else is new?” she sighed. She picked up Tara and carried her to her bed, where she slept for a week.
** ** ** **
Several weeks had passed since Tara was arrested. She had a large bruise on her arm and a scar on her cheek. But they would go away. They always did. She had been beaten a few times after that one, but they led to no scars or bruises. Matt had been trying to talk to Tara, to tell her to stop getting into trouble, but she never listened. She’d go out with her friends, start fights, vandalize property, it just got worse and worse. Matt tried to think back to when they were both young. To when they got along. She wasn’t too bad while their father was still around. She would only do small things, like talk out in class, or start tantrums in stores. But after he died, she couldn’t take it. She had been so good before, but she became depressed. She started hanging out with the wrong crowd. She joined a gang. Mom had been working so hard, spending days at a time working, and when she came home, she wanted to rest. But Tara was in too much trouble to rest. Her beatings were the only rest she got. Matt had always been a good boy though. He didn’t like attention. And he never got any. He had only gotten one call from school. He had gotten an F on a paper, because he spent so much time helping his sister. His mom only hurt him a bit, but his much more tender skin had been scarred, a long gash on his leg. Why couldn’t Tara listen to their mom?
That night, when he went to bed, he had a horrible nightmare. He was standing beside Tara, staring a tall stranger in the eyes. They were among a destroyed city. Had the stranger done this? Or was it he? He couldn’t tell. But he remembers one thing that the stranger had said. ‘You androids will pay!’
He woke up in a sweat to find Tara crouched by his bed. But she didn’t have her usual cool, careless expression. Instead, she had a look of pure terror.
“Mom has a knife,” she whispered, trembling. “I have to leave now!”
“I’ll come, Tara. Don’t worry,” he sighed, and they walked to his window. He left first, followed closely by Tara.
“This way!” She whispered. She knew where they were going. Further and further they went from their small house. Matt recognized the school as they passed, but they didn’t stop running. When Tara finally stopped to take a breath, Matt had no idea where they were. He had never been to this part of town. It seemed less populated than where they lived. Most of the buildings were boarded over and they were covered in graffiti. He suddenly knew where he was. This was were Tara’s gang met.
“Why the fuck are we here, Tara!” he growled angrily.
“Why do you care?” she said coldly. “You didn’t have to come.” Suddenly she burst into laughter, and many people walked out from the shadows. “We felt like having a little fun. Hope you don’t mind.”
“You bitch!” he yelled. But there were too many people around him to see her anymore. He closed his eyes and had the beating of his life.
** ** ** **
“You awake there, kid?” an old man asked. He had a long beard and a bushy mustache. “You look like you got hit by a truck. It wasn’t easy getting all of those kids off you.”
“Huh?” He asked. As he tried to move, he found he was strapped down. Looking down at his body, he saw that it was cut to pieces.
“Oh, that!” he laughed. “I’m just running a little experiment, and you’re one of my subjects. I guess you could say finders keepers.”
“But I’m a person!”
“Yes, but your body would be quite useless to you. I took a picture. Have a look.” Matt reluctantly looked at the photograph. The doctor was right. He saw a picture of his naked body lying on the ground. Most of his skin was ripped up, and he was lying in a pool of blood.
“That’s not me.”
“Oh, but it is! And you know it! I can see it in your eyes!” The man was right.
“Then why’d you cut me up even more!” he screamed.
“I’m gonna make you an android. I think you’ll like it.” Suddenly, Matt remembered his dream. He had been the one who destroyed the city. He felt he’d never forget. He began to cry. “There, there, boy. I’ll make you all better. Dr. Gero will make it all better.”
“Where’s my sister?” he cried.
“Oh her. The one who looks exactly like you! She’s sedated right now. I’m gonna work on her right after I’m done with you. Now don’t worry. This will only hurt like hell.” The next few hours were miserable. He felt like a fucking cannon had gone off in his body. Why did it hurt so much? He didn’t dare look at what the doctor was doing to him. Finally, he blacked out.
** ** ** **
As Matt woke up, he felt strange. He looked at his body and saw that it had healed. He would have thought that it was just a dream, but he was looking down on strange clothes he had never seen before. He jumped up, but he did so with so much power he hit the ceiling of his chamber.
“Having fun in there, #17?” Dr. Gero asked.
“What the fuck did you do to me, and why the fuck did you call me #17?” he growled.
“Oh, I made you an android. I still have a few bugs to work out, though. And you’re my seventeenth successful creation, thus the name #17. Your sister is #18.”
“Where is she?”
“She said she had some unfinished business with your mother.”
“Oh fuck! MOM! She’ll kill mom!” he sobbed.
“Don’t worry. She’ll be back soon.” As he said that, Tara walked into the room.
“What the hell did you do to our mother!” Matt yelled.
“Let me put it this way, bro. She’ll never think of hurting me again.”
“Why?”
“She has no head to think with.” Tara laughed, and he saw bloodlust in her eyes.
“I have a bit more work to do on you two now. Come out, #17.”
“I’ll never do what you ask of me, old man!”
“Oh come now. Do you think you have a choice?” Dr. Gero smiled, as Matt felt himself walk over to a bed where he lay down. “I’m going to erase you memories now, so you’d best say goodbye to your thoughts.”
“NO!” Matt screamed. But it was too late. The straps were on. He looked beside him to see his sister crying silently.
“Matt,” she cried. “I don’t want this!”
“It’s okay Tara. I know you didn’t mean all the bad things you did! I love you,” he himself cried.
“I love you too, Matt,” she said. It was the first and last time she’d say that to her brother.
“Who’s first?” Asked the doctor. Before Matt could speak up, Tara volunteered.
“I will,” she said calmly. The doctor put her to sleep and drilled into her brain. Matt thought he’d never forget this moment. When his sister stood up, she had a cruel expression on her face. Much more evil than the one she used to have.
“Remember who you are, Tara,” he whispered to her. He didn’t know if she heard him as he himself went to sleep. All of the things he thought he’d never forget, he’d now never remember.
THE END