"I don't hate you"
Those were the last words Karolina's twin brother-Philip said before taking his last breath. His lifeless body was peacefully laying on her thighs, as the blond girl's tears fell on Philip's once rosy cheeks. That was the first time Karolina cried in her short life. The feeling of guilt overwhelmed her young child's mind. She couldn't possibly imagine how she would live after what she had done to her best friend.
No one could know how Phil died except for Karolina herself. That was a secret she had to hide for the rest of her life. No one could find out what she did.
The funeral wasn't anything fancy. The disgustingly overwhelming smell of flowers overpowered the small room. There were about fifteen guests, four of which were Karolina and her three older brothers. Among the adults, she could only recognize her mother and aunt. Her father didn't bother to travel the county to say goodbye, not that Karolina cared. The rest of the mourners were Philip's friends and teachers. In that faceless crowd, the little girl did find one more familiar face. It belonged to a feminine-looking olive-skinned boy with a rare skin condition, that made him stand out more than he already did in a mostly white country. He was awkwardly standing in a corner, mumbling to himself while looking at the two white roses in his trembling arms. Seeing how bothered he appeared to look, she approached him.
"Antonio, what are you doing"-she stated with an emotionless stare. Though she was concerned for him, she wasn't someone who showed much emotion, so her question would seem passive-aggressive to most people. Antonio, however, was not most people. He had known Karolina and her brother for many years and would even consider himself their best friend. He appreciated his companion's concern, no other person has bothered to talk to him today.
"I... I wanted to give these roses to Filippo", he said quietly. "My mother said, that you gift even number of flowers to those who pass away.".
"Why haven't you gifted them to him yet then?", Karolina wasn't someone who thought about emotions and how they can control your decisions. She was rational from birth, unlike everyone else in her family. Her question made the taller child bite his lip. He tried to hide his watering eyes away with long black hair.
"I can't look at his face when he is laying there," he said, his voice stuttering.
When the little lady heard her friend's words, she glanced at the casket surrounded by various funeral bouquets and stuffed toys. At that point, she realized, that she also couldn't bring herself to approach the wooden box in which her older twin slept. Even the thought of it was too painful. She looked back at her friend, he was still trying to hold in tears. To him, crying was for girls. That is what his family taught him. Karolina felt pity for Antonio. She had never seen him this distraught before. No words came out of her mouth as she took the boy's hand and started walking in the direction of her brother's casket.
Philip's tiny body was dressed in an oversized suit that he wore to his third-grade graduation. His once unruly wavy hair was cut short and nicely combed. He didn't look like himself at all. The freckles that famously surrounded his chubby face were almost invisible under the light powder the mortician put on him to hide how ghostly it now looked. Karolina tried to pay no attention to the corpse that lay next to her. She guided Antonio's shaking hands so that he could put the two white roses on his dead friend's still chest. As he did, he quickly jerked back, making his short-haired companion step back with him.
For a long time, they stayed in the resting area, still holding each other's hands tightly. The girl was silent as the boy finally allowed himself to sob in agonizing pain.
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