Posy and I brimmed with excitement as we prepared for our family trip to the beach. It was an annual tradition we eagerly looked forward to.
The morning sun bathed our seaside cottage in a warm embrace, casting a shimmering glow over the sandy shores. The waves splashed gently on the beach, creating a calming background noise as we laughed and talked while getting our beach stuff ready.
Posy and I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting our identical swimsuits. Our mom liked to dress us the same way, well... because we were twins. While we looked at ourselves in the mirror, Posy had a playful grin on her face.
"Race you to the water, Piper!" she said, and before I could react, she dashed out of the room and down the wooden steps that led to the beach. I followed, my heart racing, trying to keep up, but I came to a halt when I watched her bump into someone and fall to the ground.
"Posy!" I ran worriedly up to her and knelt by her side to help her get up. "Are you okay?" I said in a mutter.
"Ouch," she groaned, rubbing her forehead before shifting her gaze behind me. Curious about what she was looking at, I followed her gaze, and my eyes fell on a boy with dark hair who looked to be our age.
"Watch where you are going?" Posy glared at him as she got up in her defensive pose.
"I am sorry, I didn't see you," the boy responded, dusting the sand off his swim shorts. Posy's mouth fell wide open for a moment as her blue eyes met his.
"It's fine," she said, her voice softening, which I found extremely weird.
Just then, another kid with blonde hair came running toward our direction, wrapping his hands around the one with dark hair in a choking pose. "I told you to wait up," he complained, giggling in between.
While this was happening, Posy stared at both of them in disbelief. "There are two of you," she said, pointing simultaneously at one, then the other.
The one with bold hair paused upon hearing her statement. He released his brother from his chokehold and turned to stare at both of us. "And there are two of you."
"We are twins," Posy said in a matter-of-fact tone, her hand wrapped around her chest as she was back in her defensive mode.
But the blonde one didn't seem threatened by her little act. He stepped forward, closing the gap between them, and stared her directly in the eye. "And so are we," he said.
"Why does your sister look like she wants to hit him?" the dark-haired boy leaned closer to me and whispered.
I stared at the boy and then looked over at Posy, whose lips now curled up in a smile. I sighed in relief before whispering back. "I don't think so."
Posy and I exchanged glances before she introduced us. "I'm Posy, and this is my twin sister Piper," she said.
As the blonde-haired one was about to respond to Posy's introduction, a distant voice called out from behind him, echoing on the beach. "Boys, come put on some sunscreen."
Startled, he suddenly pulled his hands away. "Oops, gotta go! Bye now!" he waved at Posy and me before running towards his family cottage.
"Nugget, let's go!" he added.
The other twin, with blonde hair, nodded and waved too, following his brother from behind.
"Nugget," Posy said to herself, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape as she muttered. "That's a strange name."
I wiggled my nose as I stared at my feet, feeling the sand between my toes, my mind wandering elsewhere.
"Anyways, where were we!" Posy continued. "Ahh! Race you to the waters." She exclaimed, running past me.
A tired groan escaped my lips when I looked up and saw her far ahead. "Wait for me!" I said, running to catch up with her, but she was so fast. So fast that she was already in the waters while I stood by the shore, trying to catch my breath.
She splashed into the water, giggling as she felt the cool embrace of the waves. "Come on, Piper, you can do it!" Posy encouraged, her voice playfully taunting.
"Okay, here goes nothing." I summoned my courage and charged into the water. The sand beneath my feet felt soft and warm, crunching and squishing with each step. The waves gently lapped at my toes, and the sun was high in the sky, filling my lungs with salty air as I sprinted toward the sea.
"You did it! Good job!" Posy praised me, even though we were the same age. She sounded like a proud big sister, which gave me more courage than I needed.
As we swam in the shallow part of the water, Posy thought it would be a fun idea to swim to the other side.
My heart started to race as I watched Posy swim further out into the ocean. My stomach was in knots, and I had a bad feeling about this. I knew that we weren't supposed to swim this far out; Mom had warned us many times. But Posy was so confident, and I didn't want to be a spoilsport. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, though. Posy was getting further and further away from me, and I started to panic.
"Posy," I called, my voice barely above a whisper, but what I saw next made my eyes widen. "Posy!" I yelled, desperation laced in my voice.
I saw the dark shape of a huge wave forming above Posy. It was so big, and it was heading right for her. I yelled again, and this time she finally heard me. Words were caught in my throat, so all I did was point in that direction.
I could see clearly the shock in her expression when she spotted the waves. Panicking, she started to swim in my direction. But she was slow. Too slow.
Looking around, there was no one around who was close enough to notice we were struggling in the water, and I couldn't leave my sister to call for help.
Not knowing what to do, I did the only thing that came to my head. I tried to swim towards her.
"Posy! Grab my hands!" I screamed, my voice hoarse with panic as I noticed the waves getting closer.
As I reached for Posy's hand, the wave hit us with a force that knocked the breath out of me. The water was swirling around us, and I felt myself being pulled away from her. I reached for her again, but it was too late. Our hands slipped from each other, and I was swept away by the current. I could feel myself being pulled under the water, the pressure of it crushing my chest. I fought to stay afloat, but it was getting harder and harder to breathe, my lungs were burning, and I was starting to feel lightheaded. I looked around for Posy, but I couldn't see her anywhere.
I had let her go. I had let Posy go.