Sweet Hearts

Kimberly Brown's POV

"Mum!!!"

I heard a voice call, it sounded so feint, I turned on my side still feeling drowsy.

"Mum!" the voice called again, this time it sounded very close to my ears.

The kids are at it again, I can't even get a good sleep on a Sunday morning, I mumbled to myself, as I slowly lifted my head, trying to shake the drowsiness away.

"Mum, Alex is with my toy, tell him to give it back." Sandra said, putting her little palms on my face as she tried to wake me up.

"Oh baby, what time is it?" I asked drowsily, wondering why they are arguing about toys, this early.

"Its 10am mum." Sandra said, pulling my arm this time, her tiny voice echoing in my ears.

"10am?" I asked, and sat up immediately on my bed, unable to believe my ears, I looked at the clock sitting at a small table beside my bed to see that she is really telling the truth, I didn't know it's already so late in the morning and yet I still feel very sleepy.

I sleep so late almost every day but I can't remember the last time I woke up so late in the morning.

"Mum, tell Alex to give my toy back to me." Sandra said again, still pulling my arm.

Sandra the youngest of my twin can be so persistent when she wants something or when she wants you to do something for her.

I slowly stood up from my bed and followed her to their room, she and Alex, My older twin share the same room.

"OMG!" my eyes widened as I looked from one corner of the room to the other, their room is all messed up this early in the morning.

"Alex-Sandra!" I exclaimed, looking from one kid to the other, unable to believe my eyes.

"What is this?" I asked, looking again from one corner of the room to the other.

Their toys are all over the room, sheets of paper with different color paintings littered on every side, with the color paints spattered on the floor.

I can even see their foot and finger prints with different colors on the floor, on their bed sheet, the wall, some of their clothes are on the floor as well, most of which are also stained with color paints.

"Mum, tell Alex to give back my toy." Sandra said, moving towards Alex.

"It's not your toy, it's my toy." I heard Alex say when Sandra went at him.

"No it's my toy, this isn't yours." Sandra shouted.

"No it's mine, yours is damaged remember?" Alex shouted back at Sandra.

"Stop it both of you" I shouted at them, unable to stand their argument.

The kids stopped for a brief moment to look at me, and then started crying all of a sudden.

I looked at them without knowing what to do, I bit my lower lip, and then walked over to where they are standing, as I am unable to behold their tears.

"Hush, hush now babies." I said patting their backs.

I bent over and hugged the both of them, trying so hard to keep the tears that have built up in my eyes from falling, because the job of raising them both alone has not been easy for me.

They are my world now, the only family I've got, it gets tiring sometimes, but they are still the reason for me to go on.

"Excuse me one moment, mummy needs to find a way to clean up, look your room is beautifully messed up." I said to them, when they have stopped crying.

"Beautifully messed up?" Alex asked, and they both looked up at me with those cute beautiful faces that got me to fall in love with them the moment they were born.

I still couldn't believe that I had nursed the idea of killing them both when they were in my Tommy.

"Yes sweetie, you guys messed the house up so nicely, can't you see how colorful it is?" I asked, and they turned to look around the room.

"No mum, now that I looked at it, I think it's too messy." Sandra said, looking from the room back to me.

"Yeah mum, it's too messy. Alex said in agreement to what Sandra said.

"We're sorry mum." They both said the word at once which made my heart flutter.

"Ohh, its okay guys." I said hugging them again, they always apologize whenever they see that they have done something wrong, but the thing that baffles me is that they would find some mess to create again, sometimes immediately after the first.

I left the kids in their room and walked into my room, "I need to call Vicky." I thought, as I didn't think I could clean what I just saw in that room all by myself, besides I don't feel so good this morning.

I picked up my phone and called Vicky right away.

"Hello, Morning Kim." Vicky said when she answered the phone.

"Good morning Vicky, I'm so sorry to call you up like this." I said to Vicky over the phone.

"What's up Kim?" She asked immediately.

"I would really need your help, the kids have done their wonders again this morning and I don't think I can handle it all by myself." I said to Vicky over the phone.

"Any time girlfriend, I'll be right on my way." Vicky said, and with that she hung up.

I lay on my bed, and closed my eyes for a brief moment.

Vicky is my best and only friend, she's more like a sister to me and she had helped me a lot through the years, whenever I call her, she comes running, I feel blessed because I have a friend like her.

Few minutes later, I heard the door bell, and I knew at once that Vicky has arrived, where she lives is not very far from mine.

When I went out to get the door, she was standing right there.

"Vicky!!!" the kids shouted from behind me to greet their godmother.

"Hello little pumpkins." Vicky said as she bent over and hugged the kids, who jumped on her, returning the hug.

"Now tell me pumpkins, what have you done this time ehh?" she asked the kids, holding up their chins in both of her palms.

"Mum said, our room is beautifully messed up." Sandra said.

"Beautifully what?" Vicky asked as she looked from Sandra to me, and I rolled my eyes to her, acknowledging what Sandra just said.

Vicky chuckled with laughter knowing what that means.

"Go ahead and laugh, you can laugh at me all you want, but I tell you it's not funny at all." I said and walked back into the room.

Vicky shut the door and followed me in, the kids tagged along as well.

"Oh my world!" Vicky exclaimed, when we stopped by the kid's room.

"Mmmm." I said, in response to her exclamation, folding my arms under my breast.

Vicky looked around the room, I guess she is unable to believe her eyes as well.

"How did this happen? I mean when?" she asked looking from me to the kids, who looked at each other.

"It's Sandra, she started it." Alex said pointing at Sandra.

"No, it's Alex, he started it." Sandra said in return pointing at Alex too, they both started arguing again.

"Stop it both of you." I shouted, raising my hand up to hush them, They both looked down immediately, and Sandra fondled with her little fingers, Alex too looked down at his foot, I can see the sadness in their faces again.

"Oh no pumpkins, your room is beautifully messed up." Vicky said as she pulled the kids to herself, patting their backs, she looked up at me in disagreement and I just rolled my eyes at her and walked back to my room.

I heard a tap on my room door that was wide open, when I looked up it was Vicky.

"Hey." I said sitting up. "Sorry I dosed off." I said, robbing my palms on my eyes.

"You don't have to apologize to me Kimberly Brown." She said walking into the room.

Yeah, Kimberly Brown that's me, I can still remember the last time I was addressed by that name, it feels like it was only yesterday.

"Okay, if you say so Vicky." I replied.

"Are you okay? Cause you don't look too good to me." Vicky asked as she sat on my bed, peering at me with those inquisitive eyes, she reminds me of my mum, God bless her soul, I thought.

"Yeah, I don't feel good." I said, lying back on the bed. "What about Alex-Sandra?" I asked, ignoring her facial expression.

"They are working on something in their room, you don't worry about them, worry about yourself, girlfriend." She said, still looking at me with those concerned peering eyes.

"What!" I asked, knowing what the look in her eyes meant.

"How long do you plan on living like this?" she asked almost immediately.

"I don't know what you want from me, we've been through this before Vicky, I'm fine this way, I have two lovely kids and a business of my own, even if it's small, what more can I ask for." I said sitting up again on my bed.

"Kim, don't tell me you are okay like this, I mean look at yourself, you can't spend your life like this, you are too young to live like this." Vicky said, still giving me that concerned look.

"This is not what I wanted remember, I wanted to be a chef, not just a chef but a famous chef, I also wanted a beautiful family of my own but life choose to give me this, what do you want me to do? It's not like I wanted to live like this." I snapped.

"You where there when it all happened, I even tried to get my life together after what happened to me, but no, I had to get pregnant from that one ugly incident, I even tried to get rid of the pregnancy, 'Oh no, you can't do that because it might kill you' the doctor had said, and as if that wasn't enough, my mum had to die, I guess her heart must have broken from seeing her only daughter that way." I said again, my heart swelling from the pain it had felt before.

"I know all you've been through, I was there with you, and I know it's never been easy but I want you to give life another chance, give yourself a chance to live a proper and happier life, at least that's what your mum would've wanted."Vicky said, as she reached out to hold my hand.

"How am I supposed to do that Vicky, how?" I asked looking at her, my heart tearing up, cause it's easier said than done.

"Go on dates, get a partner you know, catch some fun, get laid girlfriend, don't worry about the kids I will watch them for you." She said.

"I mean, you have never given yourself the chance to have a proper fun with a man, a real man." She added, frowning her face at me.

"I would have loved to do that, but I can't and besides I don't think I would feel that way for any man, you see, I won't even have time for that, and you, what time do you have to look after my kids, you should pay more attention to Jimmy, that reminds me how is he?" I said, trying to change the topic.

"Jimmy is fine, and we spend enough time with each other already." Vicky said, her face lightning up.

"hmm, look at you, you are glowing girl." I said, feeling excited for her.

"Yeah right, now back to you, when do you plan on contacting the father of your kids?" Vicky asked, changing the topic again, her face getting serious again.

"Seriously? After what he had done to me." I snapped, getting angry that she would bring that up, when she witnessed how he ruined my life.

"Leave him out of this, I don't plan on contacting him, my kids are mine alone." I said, as I furrowed by brows at her, angry that she would even suggest such a thing.

"How can I leave him out of this, you are bearing the consequence of his action, why the man is out there having the time of his life." Vicky snapped back at me, I can hear the pain in her voice.

"You can't leave him out, what will you do when your kids start asking you questions about their dad, they would someday." Vicky said glaring at me.

"I don't want to waste my time thinking of that yet." I replied rolling my eyes at her, even though I know that she is right.

"I think you should contact him Kim, do it for your kids, at least they would be better taken care of, and it's going to help you concentrate more on your life." She said.

"I and my kids are better off on our own." I snapped again.

"I'm not complaining, am I?" I asked, seeing the look on her face.

"I'm not saying that you are complaining, the guy is loaded and all am saying is that, your kids would live a better life than what you are giving them, no offence, it's not your fault, but your kids, they deserve better, he should also share in the responsibility of raising them." Vicky said.

She is right though, their dad is really loaded, but I cannot bring myself to face him again, not after he ruined my life, I bet he would be having the best times of his life.

"We don't need him, we are fine by ourselves, don't worry about my kids, and they don't need to know their dad exits." I said, leaning back on my bed.

"He may have a life of his own don't you think? How many years has gone by now, do you think he is still going to remain single?" I asked folding my arms under by breasts.

"He is probably married and has a family of his own now, he also doesn't know Alex-Sandra exits, so please lets drop this and don't let the kids hear you okay, they don't need to know of their dad, cause he doesn't exist." I said as a matter of fact to Vicky.

"Stop being stubborn." Vicky said pleadingly, stretching forth her hand to touch my folded arms.

"Can we drop this please?" I asked pleadingly, because I'm getting tired of it already.

"Okay." She said rolling her eyes at me, as she lifted her both hands up in defeat, she knew that talking me into something like this is going to be difficult, and I also know that she would never give up until she had her way, but this matter has been decided by me long ago when I went ahead with having my babies.

"Anyways, can I go home with your kids so that you can relax a little, cause you don't look good girl, you need a break." Vicky said standing up from my bed.

"Oh please, that is a brilliant idea." I said, heaving a sigh of relief.

"Oh yeah." Vicky said nodding her head. "You really need to think about what I just told you, because you'll need it." She said again.

"Shut up, let me have some proper sleep, and please close the door behind you." I said to her covering my face with a pillow.

"I love you too." Vicky said, and I heard her blowing a kiss to me before leaving my room.

I threw the pillow off my face and let out a sigh of relief immediately I heard the door close.

Few minutes later, I heard the kids jiggling on their way out, and I knew Vicky must have promised to take them to one of their favorite places.

One thing I am thankful for in my life is to be blessed with a friend like Vicky, sometimes I wonder what I would have done without her, she is like a guardian angel sent to watch over me.

I still cannot forget how I got here, the misfortune of my life had started that day on the stage four years ago, and sometimes I imagined whether my life would have been different if I hadn't been in that contest.

"Let's give it up for Miss Kimberly Brown." The presenter on the fifth beauty contest in Cambridge High school said to the crowd facing the stage.

It's a bright day in the month of March, the hall is well decorated and filled with so many beautiful and gorgeous individuals, most of them are students from my school and some others, parents, guardians, well wishers, and dignitaries .

"Wow, go Kim." I heard Vicky shout from the crowd cheering me on, amid the cheering crowd as well.

I was taken by surprise, I never expected that I would win this beauty contest because there are more worthy contestants who I never imagined I will beat at this contest.

I reluctantly entered the contest because of my best friend Vicky who literally pestered me into joining the contest.

"You are a very beautiful girl Kim, stop wasting this beauty for God's sake." Vicky had told me on the last day of picking the form, when she dragged me to the stand where they pick the contest form.

She had been on my neck since the beginning of the sales of the form, but I have always turned her down.

"I don't want to contest Vicky, besides I don't see any relationship between being a model and being a chef." I had told Vicky.

I had always dreamed of being a chef, and Vicky is aware of that because she is my best friend, if it were to be a cooking contest I would have gladly joined the show, but a beauty pageant? I'm not sure I can do that.

"You should do the contest girl, it doesn't matter, besides I'm not asking you to be a model or take modeling as a career, I'm just asking you to do a simple school contest." Vicky had said to me in that persuasive tone of hers.

"I don't want to join the contest Vicky, I don't know how to model and I am not that popular anyways, no one would choose me." I had replied her.

"No you have to, I can't let you miss this, do it for me please..." Vicky pleaded with me, folding both palms and looking at me in a way I am not able to resist anymore.

"I would have joined the contest myself if I possess the kind of beauty you possess Kim, do it for me please..." Vicky continued pleadingly, blinking those beautiful eyes of hers.

"Okay fine, I'll do it for your sake but I won't promise you I'll take it seriously." I said, unable to resist her plea anymore.

Vicky jumped and jiggled for joy, as if she had just won a lottery.

"I am doing this for fun, no pressure, it's just for the fun." I said raising my finger to Vicky, surprised at how happy she is.

"Let's do this Kim, let's go kick some ass." Vicky had told me that day, flipping her hair backwards like someone who's prepared to fight before picking the form.

"Excuse me? Kick some ass?" I asked, getting confused at her statement as I turned to face her.

"Don't worry it's none of your business." She replied, as she took my hand leading the way for us to get the form.

I knew it, this must be personal for her, I thought and when I inquired further from her, I was surprised at her reply.

"This is personal, because I don't want Suzy Jones to win the contest, she is a very arrogant and spoilt brat who messed with me and some other students, so girlfriend, I would like you to take this throne from her." Vicky said rolling her eyes at me.

"Is that all? Seriously girlfriend?" I asked unable to believe her, yeah sure, Suzy Jones has messed with me too, but I didn't take it to heart like Vicky.

"Look girl, I am confident that you my friend, Kimberly Brown will win this contest because you are way more beautiful and more intelligent than Suzy." Vicky told me, and she took it upon herself to help me prepare all the way.

I walked to the stage, feeling very surprised and happy at the same time, seeing how the crowd cheered for me.

I had never imagined that winning can be this awesome, I mean it's such a wonderful feeling, standing up here and watching the crowd cheer for me, to think that they are tones of people I do not know.

I feel very happy that I had entered the context and as I looked at the crowd, I became thankful to Vicky for leading me here.

The presenter finished making a speech and just as the presenter put the crown on my head...

Boom! The atmosphere changed.

Bang! Bang! Bang! I heard the sound of gunshots in the air and almost immediately the crowd panicked, and everyone began to run healthier scatter.

Standing on the stage I could see everything or most part of what's going on, some guys who were wearing masks invaded the show and the crowd has gone bizarre.

As shocked as I am, I could not think quickly of the next action to take, I could not even move because my legs seemed not to move.

I just stood there watching as some people ran about the place trying to take cover, some others just bent down on their faces to the ground, afraid of the gun shots that being fired into the air.

The next thing I felt was a hand that lifted me off the stage in one swift second, onto his shoulder, it was a huge man from the build of his body.

Frightened, I started hitting his back vehemently trying to set myself free, but it yielded no result, as he practically ran with me on his shoulders out of the place and brought me to a van, I was thrown into the van and zoom, the van drove off immediately.

"Where are you taking me? Please let me go." I pleaded to the man in the van with me, he said nothing but looked ahead to the driver in front who is driving the van.

They we're three men in the van with me, the driver and one other man who is sitting at the passenger's seat and the man who took me from the stage, who is with me at the back of the van, they are all still putting on their masks so I cannot recognize or describe them.

They were more than this number, so I guess others are in other vehicle but that doesn't matter to me now, all that matters is that they let me go.

I continued pleading but my pleading fell on deaf ears, and it looked like the man got tired of my pleading and boom!

I felt a knock on my head and everything went still.