The Lost Twin '' I Own The Pregnancy ''

It was a chilly Saturday morning, and Debbie woke up with a big yawn, stretching her arms above her head.

For a split second, she forgot where she was, still feeling groggy from sleep.

Then, it hit her, she wasn't in her parents' house. "Where am I?" She thought, quickly looking around.

She wasn't in her small room with the beautiful pink curtains that had decorated her room. No, she was at Ma'am Margarita's place.

"OMG! She exclaimed. holding her hand over her mouth.

Fear shot through her like a cold wind. She jolted upright, as her heart began to beat.

"Oh no, I overslept," she whispered to herself, the panic rising in her chest.

She threw the thin blanket off and glanced at the clock on the wall and started thinking,making her throat suddenly dry.

"If Ma'am Margarita caught her in bed at this time, she'd be in serious trouble."

Ma'am Margarita is their guardian and wife to the fisherman who had helped Debbie and Daniel when they had almost drowned in the ocean.

Ever since Mr Fred brought them to the house, Ma'am Margarita hasn't made life easy for Debbie and Daniel.

She didn't take kindly to laziness, especially from someone like Debbie and Daniel, who she thought were already lucky to live under her roof.

Without thinking twice, Debbie shook Daniel, who was still fast asleep beside her as they shared the same room.

"Daniel, wake up! Get up, now!" She said, in a voice barely above a whisper, not wanting Ma'am Margarita to hear her.

"Leave me alone, Deb. I want to sleep,"

He groaned in his sleep, while burying his face in the pillow. Debbie shook him harder.

"Daniel, seriously, you have to get up!" her voice was urgent now, fear making her hands tremble.

Daniel mumbled something, turning over, but he didn't seem fully awake.

"Daniel!" She whispered again, this time pulling the blanket off him completely.

He stood up this time and looked at her, with his eyes still half closed. "What...what time is it?" he asked, rubbing his eyes and sitting up slowly.

"Later than it should be," she said, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. "If Ma'am Margarita catches us still in bed, we're done for." she reminded him.

At that time, Daniel's eyes widened, and he suddenly moved, jumping out of bed so fast you'd think it was on fire.

He stumbled a bit, pulling on his pants, he knew the consequences. "I didn't mean to sleep this late," he muttered, rushing to grab his shirt off the floor.

His movements were hurried and clumsy, like Debbie. Fear had a way of making them move faster than they wanted to. They both knew the rules in the house. There was no room for mistakes.

Debbie had to get up and start her house chores the moment the sun came up. That's how things worked around here.

And Daniel...well, he wasn't even supposed to be here this late into the morning.

She glanced at him, biting her lip, hoping they could make it out of the room before Ma'am Margarita noticed. She quickly grabbed her nighties jacket from the corner of the room, tossed them on and tied her hair back in a rush.

The house was quiet, too quiet, which only made the ticking clock on the wall seem louder and more threatening.

Debbie tiptoed toward the door, motioning for Daniel to follow. They couldn't make any noise, not if they wanted to avoid trouble.

Daniel followed closely behind her, his steps were as light as her's.

She opened the door slowly and peeked. The hallway was empty. Relief washed over her for a second.

Maybe they were safe. Maybe Ma'am Margarita was still in her room. She thought. So she stepped out fully motioning for Daniel to do the same.

They both crept down the hallway and made it to the small kitchen. The dishes from last night's dinner were still piled up in the sink, and she was more scared at the thought of having to clean them before Ma'am Margarita noticed.

She grabbed a rag and started wiping down the counters, trying to look busy.

Daniel, still a bit disorganized from being woken up so suddenly, began helping too, picking up some of the dishes to dry.

Just as they started, they heard footsteps approaching. Her heart leaped into her throat.

She exchanged a panicked look with Daniel. They both knew who it was. Ma'am Margarita.

Her footsteps were loud and deliberate due to her fat body, the kind that made them feel like they were being watched even when they weren't.

"Debbie? Daniel?" her voice called from the hallway, They could hear her coming closer.

"Why are you still here?" she asked, in an angry tone. Debbie forced a smile and wiped her hands on the rag, pretending she hadn't been caught off guard.

"Good morning, Ma'am. We were just finishing up in the kitchen," she said quickly, hoping her voice sounded calm and casual.

Daniel nodded beside her, avoiding her gaze. Ma'am Margarita stood in the doorway, narrowing her eyes at the both of them.

"Finishing up?" she repeated, in a cold tone. She looked around the kitchen, noticing the dishes still in the sink.

Her expression didn't change, but she knew what was coming. "You're late, both of you." She was about to spark.

Debbie swallowed hard, knowing there was no point in arguing. "Yes, Ma'am," she said quietly, lowering her head. Daniel did the same.

"Late is the same as being lazy in my book," she continued, stepping into the kitchen. Her presence felt like a heavy weight, making it hard to breathe.

"I expected this kitchen to be spotless by the time I get back. Understood?" She warned.

"Yes, Ma'am," they both mumbled in unison, their voices barely above whispers.

She stared at them for a long moment, then turned and walked out, leaving them confused and curious.

As soon as she was out of sight, they both let out the breath they'd been holding. Daniel looked at Debbie, with a pale face.

"We need to hurry," he whispered. Debbie nodded, and they both set to work, scrubbing, cleaning, and wiping everything down as fast as they could.

Every time they heard footsteps, they would jump, worried Ma'am Margarita would come back and find something out of place.

The morning continued with fear, each minute felt longer than the last, then suddenly, someone came in as this time it wasn't Ma'am Margarita but trouble 'herself'.

"If not the devil herself." Debbie mumbled.

Julie, Ma'am Margarita's daughter, walked in looking as bored and smug as ever.

Debbie rolled her eyes before she could stop herself, Of course Julie was trouble wrapped in pretty clothes.

She already knew what was coming next. She never missed a chance to make their life harder.

Julie stood in the doorway for a moment, looking around the house with her nose turned up like she was disgusted by everything.

Then, just as Debbie expected, she called out, loud enough for her mother to hear,

"Mom! Debbie and Daniel haven't even mopped the floor! How am I supposed to

walk in here with the floor this dirty?" Julie lied, complaining to her mother aloud.

Debbie clenched her fists at her sides, clearly angry. If eyes could kill, Julie would be dead already. Debbie's glare was too much.

She wanted to say something...anything...but she knew better. It didn't matter how hard she worked or how much she tried to keep things clean.

Julie would always find something to complain about. And worse, her mother always took her side.

"What the heck," Debbie cursed Julie in her heart, imagining all the things she would say if she could. But instead, she just stood there, biting her tongue and trying not to let her frustration show on my face.

"Debbie, Daniel!" Ma'am Margarita's voice echoed down the hall, it was loud and cold as always.

"Why isn't the floor mopped yet? Are you daring me?" she shouted in her authoritative voice.

Daniel and Debbie exchanged a quick look, both of them knowing what was coming.

Debbie stepped forward, trying to explain, "No Ma...we had just finished cleaning the kitchen and were about to...."

"Shut up that hole you call mouth," she quickly cut her off before she could finish.

"I don't want excuses. I expected this house to be clean by now." Her eyes narrowed at Debbie and then to Daniel, and they could feel the anger radiating off her.

"For not mopping the floor early, there will be no food for either of you today."

It was common in the house but Debbie felt very bad. "Not today." She mumbled. She was very hungry, one of the reasons she wanted to finish up her task.

Debbie felt the sting of her words like a slap across the face.

"No food?" she asked with shock written all over her face. She wanted to scream, to tell her how unfair it was, but she couldn't. There was no point in arguing.

She always had the last word. And she knew better than to question her. If she dares it, it will definitely land her in a bigger trouble that she wasn't ready for.

''My stomach already felt empty, and now she was going to punish us for something so small," Debbie thought to herself.

Julie, who had been standing and enjoying the show grinned, she looked so pleased with herself, like this was all some game to her.

"It serves you right," she said, still grinning from ear to ear.

Debbie hated that expression, that smug, that little smile she wore whenever she got her way. As if to rub salt in the wound, Julie walked over to the bucket of water Debbie had set out for mopping.

With one swift kick, she knocked the bucket over, spilling water everywhere. "Oops!" She exclaimed.

The soapy water splashed across the floor they had just cleaned, and Debbie stood there, staring at the mess, as her chest popped up and down in anger.

Julie didn't even bother to look at her. "Clean the floor very well. I don't want to come back and see this mess." She winked and started cat walking out of there to the couch and flopped down like she had done nothing wrong.

"Julie? Julie! Why did you spill the water? Why are you doing this?"

She didn't answer instead, she picked up a magazine from the coffee table, flipped through the pages as if the mess she had just made didn't exist.

Debbie's hands trembled with anger, and she bit her lip so hard she thought it might bleed.

What hurt Debbie even more was that Ma'am Margarita didn't say a word. She saw everything, how Julie kicked over the bucket, giving them more work but she just walked away as if her daughter hadn't done a thing.

It was like she was completely blind to Julie's behavior. Or maybe she just didn't care.

Debbie looked at Daniel, who was standing beside her, clenched his fists and looked very upset. She patted him on the shoulder trying to help him ease off.

"Let it go, she's not worth it. Calm down, Danny."

They stood there for a moment, frozen in place, staring at the puddle of water on the floor. It felt like all the hard work they had done that morning was for nothing.

Daniel could feel the frustration bubbling up inside of Debbie, he also noticed how her chest was tightening with each passing second.

Finally, Daniel sighed and spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's fine Debbie. We should just clean it up immediately to avoid more trouble. I know we're going to be fine soon."

Debbie nodded, "Yeah, we should," but she couldn't continue without saying what was on her mind.

"You know, I might strangle this girl one day."

Daniel glanced at her and chuckled. "I support you but we have to get rich before doing that."

Debbie stares at Daniel with a sober expression. Daniel understood everything her eyes held. He immediately grabbed her and gave her a reassuring hug. " Everything will be fine, very soon."

Debbie nodded, even though she didn't know when and how.

Every part of her wanted to walk out of that house and never come back, but she knew that wasn't an option. She wasn't ready yet.

They both didn't have anywhere else to go, and Ma'am Margarita and her daughter Julie knew that. She had all the power, and she used it to keep them in line.

All of a sudden, Julie began to scream, bringing them out of their thoughts.

As Debbie and Daniel heard her scream from the couch side they became surprised as to what the problem must be this time.

Ma'am Margarita who was inside immediately rushes out as she passed Debbie and Daniel by and headed to where her daughter is as she saw Julie on the ground as she started to scratch her body when she saw her mother.

While Debbie and Daniel were now surprised by the sudden act Julie was displaying as they needed no one to tell the both of them that more trouble was coming as the both of them waited for Julie to tell her mother what the problem was.

" Julie, what is the matter?'' as expected Julie immediately opened her mouth to talk

" Mom, Debbie and Daniel didn't dust this couch and now it's itching me.'' Without wasting no time Ma'am Margarita gave Debbie and Daniel two resounding slap each, as the children held their cheeks and Debbie eyes started becoming crystal as tears threatened to fall.

" Get back to work immediately and make sure you dust that couch before my precious daughter sits on it."

And immediately they got to work cleaning up the mess Julie had made, both of them working in silence.

Debbie hands moved automatically, scrubbing the floor, but her mind was somewhere else.

She couldn't stop thinking about how unfair everything was.

How Julie got to live a life very easy, never lifting a finger, while Daniel and her worked themselves to the bone just to survive.

"Why does she hate us so much?" Daniel muttered under his breath as he mopped up the water.

His voice was filled with bitterness, and she could tell he was struggling to keep his anger in check.

Debbie shook her head, not knowing how to answer him. "I don't know," she said quietly.

"But we just have to get through today without getting into more trouble. One day at a time." Debbie responded calmly.

It was the only thing she could think to say, even though it didn't make the situation any better.

They finished cleaning the floor in silence, and when they were done, Debbie and Daniel stood back, looking at the spotless room.

Debbie's arms were already aching, and her stomach growled loudly, reminding her of the punishment Ma'am Margarita had given them.

No food for the rest of the day. She didn't know how she was going to make it

through the afternoon, let alone the evening, but there was nothing she could do.

She just had to keep going, like she always did.

Julie stayed on the couch the entire time, flipping through her magazine.

She was completely uninterested in the fact that they were working their fingers to the bone.

She didn't even glance up when they finished.

Debbie turned to Daniel, giving him a tired smile. "We did it," she said, trying to sound positive, even though she didn't feel that way.

"Let's just try to stay out of trouble for the rest of the day." She gave him some advice.

He nodded, but she could see the frustration still written all over his face.

He didn't say anything,he just gave her a small nod in return.

As they headed toward the next room, Debbie glanced back at Julie one last time.

She hadn't moved from her spot on the couch, and Debbie knew she wouldn't.

No matter what they did, she would always find a way to make things harder for them.

And no matter how unfair it was, they had to keep going.

Because that was the only way to survive in Ma'am Margarita's house.

By the time Debbie and Daniel had finished cleaning every part of the house, they were already tired and exhausted.

The house sparkled, every surface wiped down, every floor spotless, but the satisfaction of a job well done didn't ease the pains in their bodies or make their bellies not to hunger.

They dragged themselves to the small room they shared at the back of the house.

It wasn't much, just two worn out beds pushed against opposite walls and a tiny window that barely let in any light but it was the only place they could rest.

After a quick bath to wash off the sweat and dust, they lay on their beds, but their empty stomachs growled louder than ever.

The sound echoed in the room, making it impossible to ignore how hungry they were.

Daniel's stomach rumbled again, making Debbie chuckle despite the situation.

"Your stomach is having a conversation all by itself," she teased, though her own stomach was just as loud.

"Yours isn't any better than mine, who knows if the worms in your belly haven't started to sing and dance" Daniel shot back with a grin.

He turned over, facing her on the other bed.

"Do you think Ma'am Margarita really meant no food all day? Not even a little bread?" he asked as if she hasn't faced some punishment worse than that.

Debbie sighed, her smile fading.

"You heard her. No food for the rest of the day because we didn't mop the floor on time." She shook her head, trying to think about it.

"I guess we just have to sleep through it." Daniel suggested.

But as they lay there, on their beds, trying to rest, sleep refused to come.

Every time Debbie closed her eyes, the ache in her stomach brought her back to reality, awake.

She turned to Daniel, who was staring up at the ceiling, his arms crossed behind his head.

"I'm too hungry to sleep," Daniel finally admitted, his voice low but filled with frustration.

"How are we supposed to rest when all I can think about is food?" He kept questioning Debbie as if she was Ma'am Margarita.

Debbie rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling alongside him. "I don't know," she said softly.

"It's like my stomach won't let me forget how empty it is." Daniel went further to explain.

There was a long pause. The house was very quiet, the usual sounds of Ma'am Margarita and Julie in the other rooms now silent.

The two of them lay there, side by side in their separate beds, both trying to ignore the rumbling in their bellies.

Then, out of nowhere, Daniel started laughing. It wasn't a small chuckle, but a full, hearty laugh that echoed through the room.

Debbie turned her head to look at him, surprised. "What's so funny?" she asked, even though she found herself smiling at his laughter.

Daniel wiped a tear from his eye, trying to catch his breath.

"It's just... we're lying here, starving, and there's nothing we can do about it! It's kind of funny if you think about it." He turned to face her, still laughing.

"I mean, how did we end up here? No food, no sleep, just staring at the ceiling like it's going to solve our problems." Daniel couldn't stop wondering.

Debbie couldn't help but laugh along with him.

"You're right. It's surprising." She shook her head, the laughter coming from her belly, easing some of the tension in her chest.

"We're too tired to move, too hungry to sleep, and all we can do is laugh." she had reixed what Daniel said was true.

For a moment, the hunger didn't seem so bad.

The sound of their laughter filled the room, and for a little while, they forgot about their empty stomachs and after some seconds, there was a serious look on Daniel's face and Debbie could tell that something was wrong somewhere.

" Daniel, what is the matter?" and he didn't say any word but just kept staring at Debbie which made her even more concerned and the look even frightened her more.