Zero

Zero

How did it happen? How did we end up here? When did we grow up? Why am I here?

Do you think the universe

Fights for our souls to be together?

Some things are too strange

And strong to be a coincidence.

"You don't have to talk about what happened." The soothing voice sounded through the silent room.

She could not remember the last time she had been outside her home. It had been months. The sun was shining outside, blinding her eyes, but she kept them trained on the outside anyway. It freaked her out less than the meticulously cleaned room and the pale woman sitting across from her.

Dr Nighy was highly recommended by her mother's friends and their daughters. She had her practice in a clean neighbourhood, with clean people and kept the establishment just as clean. It was the first thing Delilah had noticed. Shades of white and grey. Gleaming surfaces, not one bit of dust.

"Maybe just tell me what you did yesterday?" The Doctor tried to make her talk. Offer something on her thoughts, her status. Give just a piece of herself away, so that she could find out what was wrong with the dark-haired girl in front of her. But she just sat there, staring outside. She had taken a minute to look around in the room and since then never even looked back inside.

"I sat on my bed yesterday, just like the day before and the day before that and the day before that." Taking a deep breath to steady her shaking voice. "I believe that is why my mother sent me here. I am simply not as good at covering my problems up the way she is." A bitter scoff left her mouth.

Her mother had dragged her out of her room, into the car and this practice, saying her way was no way to deal with anything. That she was fine too, and Delilah should just get a grip.

"You sit on your bed? Do you do something on your bed or do you just sit there?" Pushing her glasses a bit further up her nose she almost wanted to sigh in relief. She had talked.

"I wait." Without waiting for the doctor's question in response, she continued. "I wait for them to come back through a door and everything to be the exact same again. But they won't and nothing will ever be normal again, so I sit on my bed and I wait."

Dr Nighy had heard of what happened. Everyone had heard of what happened. And it did not surprise her, that this girl was now sitting in front of her, looking like the ghost of someone.

"It's ridiculous really. Everyone else is going along just fine and I am here. It's like time stopped for me, but for no one else." Delilah still looked outwards, not meeting the therapist's eyes. "And no one gets it. None of them even know what happened. They never found out." She could see the doctor perk up in her seat.

There was probably not one person who had not yet heard of the 20-year-old who one day decided to bring a gun to his university and shoot a bunch of people. Those are the stories that stick.

Callum was her twin brother. Her twin soul. He had protected her as she had protected him. Yes, that boy had been her safe place. Right up until the point where she looked into his eyes as he pointed the gun right between her eyes.