DNA RESULTS.

TWO MONTHS EARLIERAVA'S POV.I groaned and stuffed my pillow over my face when Milkshake exploded in the peaceful silence.My eyes closed, I lazily searched the bed for my alarm. I shouldn't have taken Leslie's advice to switch out my symphony.My arms sluggishly dragged up and down when a thought trickled in.It was today.The day I had been waiting for for weeks.It was today!I jumped out of my pink four-poster bed, enthusiastically fought through my cloudy duvet for the metallic strawberry, and slammed a hand down on the stop button.Today was my day!I couldn't believe I forgot!Mama and daddy were finally going to allow me to go on a trip alone, with no guards, cameras, or drop-ins!Many people thought thirteen years was too young an age to complain about travel, but after countless trips with a guard practically shoving away any stranger that came as close as five feet to me, going out alone wasn't just a blessing.It was a freaking celebration of a lifetime.I wasn't allowed to go out freely.Not even to the mall without heavy shadows on my tail. Most of the time, someone was always waiting on hand and foot for a command, so I needed this.It was a school trip for a day, but I was still taking my chances.By nine-thirty sharp, I was in front of my school, Madison Middle.It was the most prestigious all-girls school here, and it showed from the immaculately mowed lawn to the glorious school sitting on two acres of land. It was nothing short of perfection and made the thought of high school exciting."Over here, Ava!" A lean figure waved from the metal benches next to the cafeteria.My best friend's bodyguard, Terry, marched after her, dragging the sparkly pink suitcase as they made their way over.Andia was my unrelated sister, my other half, and if the fact that we did just about anything together and were quite identical in looks did not indicate, I don't know what else could.My eyes and hair were a couple of shades darker than hers, but while she was already slim and willowy with lily-white skin, I was still stuck with baby fat in my dimpled cheeks and hips with a slight tan that never wanted to go away.But that was where our physical differences ended. People sometimes mistook us for each other, but we weren't sisters.We had the DNA results to prove it.I know.Even so, she was not as rich as I was because her mom's job didn't pay too well, but Andia was brilliant and my best friend, so my parents ensured she got into Madison Middle.Mama added a little bonus and employed her mom, Aunt Hanna, to work with them.If we'd been close before, then since that day, we'd been inseparable. Andia couldn't find words to express her gratitude, but I felt everything she meant.A giggle of excitement bubbled to my lips, my locks slapping my back as I lugged my little suitcase.A full-day trip!On any other day, I would have said, 'Not possible,' but this was happening!Huffing and puffing, I slowed to a stop, my grip on the handle weakening.As Andia approached, her brows dipped at the absence of Kyle, my bodyguard, but she shrugged it off and slipped her fingers around my elbow, directing me towards the bus.I didn't explain Kyle's absence. This time, I was going to wait for her to ask."This is so like ah-mazies!" she hugged my arm."I know, right!" I squealed back as I handed my suitcase to be stuffed into the compartment.Terry marched ahead and handed a couple of items to the valet.I beamed at the fifty-year-old, cocoa-skinned man I acknowledged as a good friend. "Good morning, Terry."He smiled, almost blinding me with his pearly whites. "Morning to you too, Miss Ava."I'd always made a fuss that no one would believe he was above forty if he stopped shaving his beard and started dying his greying hair.Before I could ask him how his wife was doing, Andia waved him away and finally asked about Kyle."Daddy promised to let me go alone this time," I beamed.The possibility of hugging myself in joy was bordering on extreme. I still couldn't believe this was happening.She pouted, her brows puckering, "I wish mom let me do that.""I'm sure she'll change her mind one day, don't worry."After countless security safety preps and measures, we intertwined arms again and dawdled to the bus."I hate when they do that," Andia grumbled as she climbed up, her grip loose on her neon orange safety bag.My head was still buzzing with glee, and my heart wouldn't stop racing. Good God, I was seconds away from vomiting rainbows.Just as we reached the final step in, a gasp caught in my throat as I took in the scene.Several seats were bedazzled with glitter, conversations were squealed from one seat to another, pink feathers decorated almost everything, and edible junk was everywhere.My mates looked as ecstatic as I was feeling.There was a loud tap on the window next to us, and we turned to see Terry point to the blue van with a frown on his face. The blue van... that most guards rode behind us on our trips.It was literally....empty?Realization dawned on me.Guess I wasn't the only one who got tired of having a second shadow hovering around.