Kieran
Tia. I need your help.
Tia
What? Who is this? Where did you get this phone?
Kieran
I need you to help me.
Tia
Help you? I don’t even know who you are.
Tia
What the hell? I just blocked you! How are you still texting me?
Kieran
Tia. It’s me. Your brother. Your twin.
Tia
This is disgusting. Leave me alone!
Kieran
This is hard for me. It's all — confusing.
Kieran
But I'm finally getting through. It’s working.
Tia
I can't believe this. Whoever you are, this isn’t funny.
Tia
It's sick, and cruel, and if you have any conscience at all you'll STOP. NOW.
Kieran
It’s really me, Tia.
Tia
No. It's NOT. You're not my brother because my brother is DEAD.
Tia
What kind of monster are you?
Kieran
I don’t know, exactly. I’m trying to figure that out.
Kieran
Don’t be a hamster-brain, Tia.
Tia
Kieran must have told somebody about that nickname.
Tia
Or do you know us? Maybe you heard us saying it to each other.
Tia
God, that makes this even sicker!
Kieran
So ask me something. What would only Kieran know about?
Tia
Fine. What did we bury under the big cedar tree in the back yard?
Kieran
We buried the plastic airplane you melted.
Kieran
But we buried it under the birch, not the cedar.
Kieran
It’s me, Tia. I swear.
Tia
But…Kieran? I’m crying so hard I can’t see the screen!
Tia
Where are you? Why haven’t you contacted us before this?
Tia
The police told us…they said there was no way you could be alive!
Tia
They said there was too much blood.
Tia
God, Kieran, WHERE ARE YOU?
Tia
OMG, I need to tell Mom and Dad!
Tia
Why not? What’s going on?
Kieran
It’s just…the police weren’t wrong, T.
Tia
They weren’t wrong about what?
Kieran
About how much blood there was. About what that meant.
Kieran
And I need you to find my body.
Kieran
I know it's a lot to accept.
Tia
WHAT THE HELL? I TURNED MY PHONE OFF!
Kieran
I'm not sure how long this will work for, T.
Kieran
Something's pulling at me…
Kieran
I don't know how to explain it, but it's getting harder for me to…to remember.
Kieran
Remember who I am. No, that's not right.
Kieran
It's harder to…I don't know. To think clearly.
Kieran
I feel like I'm losing all my thoughts and just having emotions.
Tia
How are you doing this? WHY are you doing this?
Kieran
You can feel the truth, T, can't you?
Kieran
Do you want more twin proof from me?
Kieran
Okay. You're smart. At least as good at math and science as I am.
Kieran
But you always wanted to be one of the giggly girls so you covered it up.
Kieran
So that's proof two ways, T.
Kieran
One — it shows I know you.
Kieran
And two — you're smart enough to know
Kieran
That a cell phone doesn't work with the battery pulled out and sitting on the desk.
Kieran
Now you're looking around for hidden cameras.
Kieran
Now you're running.
Kieran
Shit, I hate seeing you scared like this.
Kieran
Where are you going?
Kieran
Okay, you're outside. Yeah, that's good.
Kieran
You're going to the old birch tree.
Kieran
Remember how we used to scare each other, trying to climb higher than we should?
Kieran
And we'd peel the bark off the branches and make forts for your —
Kieran
Okay, twin-talk is honest-talk — for OUR dolls?
Kieran
When I think about stuff like that, I'm okay.
Kieran
When I'm talking to you, and thinking about the good times, I'm still me.
Kieran
But, Tia, other times…I get so MAD. And I feel like I can't control it.
Kieran
Like there's darkness inside me,
Kieran
And it's stretching out and it's finding other darkness,
Kieran
I don't know from where.
Kieran
And I feel like if it goes too far I'll just melt into all the dark and be part of it.
Kieran
AND I DON'T WANT THAT.
Kieran
I think you can help me.
Tia staggers against the birch tree.
She leans into it as if trying to use its strength to hold herself up.
She takes three deep, shaky breaths, then lifts up her phone.
Kieran
Yeah. It's me. I promise.
Kieran
I'm kind of — the spirit part of me, at least — I'm with you. Just behind you.
Kieran
Like, the other night when you and Scotty Cade went upstairs at Tori's?
Kieran
Trust me, I moved FAST.
Kieran
There's stuff a brother does not need to see.
Tia
Oh my god. That is SO embarrassing.
Kieran
Would have been a lot more embarrassing if I'd stayed.
Tia
Where do you go? When you're not with me.
Kieran
I just float, sometimes.
Kieran
I can't really — I think I can only hang onto people I really loved.
Kieran
Well, not just people. You and Mom and Dad, and Webster, too.
Tia
You're haunting the cat?
Tia
Shit. Is haunting the right word?
Kieran
I don't know. This situation didn't come with a manual.
Tia
I'm still not sure if this is a joke. I'm going to—
Tia
I'm going to lose my shit.
Kieran
You're still crying.
Kieran
You laughed a bit when we were talking about Webster.
Kieran
But even when you were laughing, you were crying.
Kieran
You're pretty gross right now. Snotty, even.
Tia half-laughs and tries to clean up her face with the sleeves of her shirt.
Tia
Oh, god, Kieran, I've missed you so much. It's been so hard.
Kieran
I know. I've seen it.
Kieran
And I've hated it — seeing you all so upset and not being able to do anything about it.
Kieran
Knowing it's all my fault.
Tia
No! Whatever happened, it wasn't your fault.
Kieran
No, fair enough. It's someone else's fault.
Kieran
And I need you to help me make them pay.
