"Chelsea? Chelsea, it's me, Sophia."

I could recognize my sister's voice anywhere. I mean, it sounded like mine, for starters. Plus, her name came up on the caller ID. If it weren't her on the phone, I wouldn't know whom else.

"Hey Soph. Is… everything okay?" she sounded a lot more desperate than usual. She didn't always call, and when she did, it was usually for money. Not too sure why when she has her own farm and she's supposed to make a profit every day. It never fazed me much, she didn't ask for money too often. Today was different though; there was a shrill tone to her voice that sent a chill down my spine. It made me really worry.

"I need you."

I sighed. "If it's more money, then—"

"It's not money. I need you, here. Just pack a bag with all your things…err, most your things. A lot of your things! Just please, come to Sunshine Islands."

"Right now?"

"Yes, right now!"

"Why is this so sudden?"

I heard her sigh loudly. It sounded partially forced, but I also knew she was getting aggravated with me. I rested the phone between my cheek and my shoulder, as I began to clear my dinner plate in the sink and wash the dishes. She continued, her loud voice directly in my ear.

"Because it's a sudden matter, Chelsea!" she sighed softer now. "Please. As a sister, I'm begging you. I'll never bother you for money again… but I really need you to do this for me. Please?"

I turned off the faucet, and stood still in place, looking down before me. She was extremely desperate. I've never seen—nor heard—Sophia so anxious for a favor. It must've been serious, then. I placed down the dishes, and I heard her deep breathing on the other end. I kicked up and sat on the counter, leaning on my legs.

"How long's the boat ride?"

"Oh, yay!" her voice perked up immediately. "It's only a few hours. The next ride is at eleven and it pulls in at three in the morning. That gives you plenty of time to pack and make it to the dock, right?"

Oh, boy. What have I gotten myself into? "Yeah, that should be enough time."

"Great! I'll see you soon, love ya!" and she immediately hung up.

I placed the phone back down on the receiver, and sighed loudly. I ran my fingers through my chestnut hair, and trudged up the steps. I peeked my head into my parents' room, and there was my mother, rummaging through her closet for her night outfit. She was meeting some of her friends downtown and she always had to make an entrance—and with her body, I didn't blame her. My sister and I got our sapphire eyes from her, and our hair from our dad. Sophia and I were identical twins, and while she was being a so-called farmer, I was still living at home at twenty-one. My mom saw my peeping head, and her face glowed and her lips stretched into a smile.

"Hey Chelse," she said, facing me. "What do you think, the black or the blue?"

She held up the two dresses in front of her, a beaming smile across her cheeks as she asked my advice.

"The black. You can never go wrong with black."

"You're right," she said, stuffing the blue dress back into her closet. She then turned back to me. "Close the door there, honey, I need to get dressed."

"Mom, uh," I tapped on the doorframe, and then fully swung myself into her bedroom. "I actually need to go."

"Go? Sweets, the bathroom is across the hall." She began to snicker. She always told corny jokes and she was the only one who would laugh. My mother was precious.

"Moooom," I whined, laughing. I then dropped the smile. "No, uh, Sophia called. Just now."

She perked up, her beautiful smile fading. "Sophia?"

"She asked me to meet her in Sunshine Islands tonight."

"Tonight?" she approached me. "As in right now?"

I nodded. My mother held my shoulders and sighed.

"For how long?"

I shrugged. Sophia never gave much information. We were complete opposites, and while our looks may not show it, all you had to do was talk to us. We had completely different friends growing up. I personally couldn't stand Sophia in high school; she treated me as if I were her inferior. It was revolting that I even called her my sister, and there was no way I could hide it either. We looked exactly the same. Any beauty marks that I had that she didn't, or vice versa, weren't seen. Our faces, our arms, our legs, our everything: identical. Without a serious change, you couldn't tell us apart.

"Okay, darling," my mom hugged me. "Please call! I have no idea what your sister could possibly be up to. It's never a good thing, though."

We both laughed.

"It couldn't be so bad," I smiled. "I know it's Sophia, but I mean, what would she possibly make me do?"

Three hours left.

This boat ride couldn't go any longer. I've already been on for an hour and I couldn't be any more bored. There was nowhere I could sleep but the lounge, and I didn't want to be like that. There were homeless people who were sleeping all over the couches and floors because that is all they can afford. I couldn't take that away just because I wanted to rest my eyes for a bit. I decided to wander the top deck a bit and try and disregard everything happening below me.

As I climbed the stairs to the top, I saw the clear sky. No one else was up here, due to the fact that it was creeping past midnight. But as I looked up into the stars, I found myself easily mesmerized.

Back home it was difficult to get lost in the stars. Living in the city, there was smoke everywhere from all of the awful pollution from factories and just the every day smokers. It was nearly impossible to enjoy such a simple night such as this one. The moon wasn't completely full; it was a beautiful crescent moon, smiling down at me. The stars blinked over me, and as I stared at each one individually, it was as if it were changing into different colors, a little light show just for me. I wished I could enjoy more nights like this. If the city weren't so muggy and polluted, I'd lay a blanket on top of my apartment building and just stare at the stars by myself for hours. No one would know, it'd just be me and the stars, and the smiling moon.

"Sophia?"

I heard the name but I didn't turn. I was too hypnotized by the sky.

"Sophia!"

The voice was deep and rough. Was it talking to me? I finally turned my head, and there was a face that I had never seen. He had hair as dark as the night around us, and a contrasting white coat. He was either a doctor or a scientist… but he was surely attractive. He smiled and came to stand next to me on the ledge. He smelt like cologne and cough medicine. Definitely doctor.

"Hey Sophia," he said in a husky voice, "what're you doing here?"

I then figured out that he must go to the islands, and, of course, he thought I was my sister. I laughed, and shook my head, as well as crossed my hands.

"No no," I kept a smile on my face. "I'm not Sophia. I'm her sister."

"Sister?" he stared at me, and then smiled. "You're not playing a trick on me, are you…?"

I laughed and shook my head again. "No, I swear. Sophia's at the islands, she just called me and asked me to meet her." I then stuck my hand out to the attractive doctor. "Chelsea."

He smiled genuinely for the first time, his teeth nearly as white as his coat. He shook my hand gently and said, "Dr. Trent."

"So, I'm just going to take a wild guess here… but I'm assuming you know my sister because you're the doctor on Sunshine Islands?"

"You guessed correctly!" he smiled. "I'm actually the doctor for quite a few places. I don't reside on any of them, though. I live elsewhere and come when they call."

"Isn't that difficult though?"

He shrugged. "It works."

I stared at him. Sophia didn't call the both of us because it was a medical emergency, was it? She wasn't expecting me to stay with her just in case? "Did Sophia call you to the islands? Is that why you're here?"

He shook his head. "No, miss. I'm going to a different place: Forget-Me-Not-Valley. You may have heard of it."

My eyes widened, and I shook my head slowly. "Doctor, I honestly have never even heard of Sunshine Islands until my sister took over that farm. I have no idea where the valley is."

He laughed louder at my bewildered expression. "Ahh, that's alright."

He then turned his head up at me, and stared at me. While I love being looked at by attractive doctors, I couldn't lie and say that I wasn't a little freaked out. He had a small grin on his face and I cocked my head at the stranger. I then couldn't help but cough up a smile.

"What?"

"You and your sister look identical." He said in a soft voice. "It'd be silly of me to not guess by now that you two are twins."

I nodded, looking back out at the sea. "That would be correct."

"It's just so strange," he said, just as soft. "You two are completely different. You're… so… and she isn't…"

"You can say it," I laughed. "I know my sister very well, if you insult her, you're not really insulting me."

He smiled. "You're so down to earth… and she's not."

I stared at him seriously, shrugging my shoulders. "How she became a farmer confuses me."

"Doesn't it confuse us all?" he laughed. "She's everything wrong about Sunshine Islands. It is such a wonderful place to live… everyone is so sweet and generous. Your sister just doesn't fit in."

I turned to him. I looked up at the stars and the moon again. They all just intertwined. The stars created imaginary patterns that have lead people to research and admire them for years. And the moon was the center of it all, as if the stars looked up to its bright center presence.

"What're the islands like?" I asked him. I then turned to face him again. "I've never actually been there."

He then stared out into the ocean. It was weird conversing with someone who I didn't know. But he seemed really genuine and I liked that. Was everyone on the islands like him?

"It's beautiful. There are a lot of little islands but there's about three that are the main parts of the islands, which are your sister's ranch, Verdure Island, and Ranch Island. Everyone is really sweet in a different way. You would just have to get to know everyone." He checked his watch. "It's getting late. You should get to sleep, as should I."

I took his wrist and checked the time. Well, I probably wasn't going to get much sleep once I got to the islands, anyways. It'd be best to crash somewhere.

"Do you have a room to sleep in?" he wondered.

I shook my head. "Nah, but that's okay! I'll make do with the lounge area."

"You sure?"

"I don't want to impose on a stranger. Really, it's okay."

He took that as an opportunity, and nodded me goodbye. I waved to him as he made his way down the wooden steps. He was nice and sincere. He gave a good impression for Sunshine Islands, even though he didn't actually live there. Plus, he was a doctor. There's never anything wrong with that.

I made my way back down the stairs and went into the lounge area. There were people all over the floors and couches in the lounge. I looked at them all, their innocent, sleeping faces. They looked so comfortable yet so unhappy. I squeezed in between two people, and made my way into an awkward sleep.

"Sunshine Islands docking in a few minutes. If you are departing to Sunshine Islands, please make your way to the disembarking ramp now."

I groggily rose from my spot, watching all of the people sleeping around me still in a deep slumber. The man to my left curled my arm to his cheek, and I slowly slipped it out. I found my way to my feet. Already? I felt like I had just passed out. And now the loud voice overhead was telling me I had to disembark. I was probably the only one scheduled the get off for Sunshine Islands too.

I stood at the ramp and waited for the door to let me out. There was a tired old man standing there guarding it, when a younger man came over and handed me my luggage. As I knew, I was the only one leaving.

"Final call for Sunshine Islands."

Just let me off the damn boat, I grumbled in my thoughts. If anyone knew me well, waking me up when I was still tired was never a good thing for me.

Finally, the door slowly opened, and before me I saw a wooden dock in the midst of the night. I made my way off, gripping my bags tightly in both palms, and, there she was, right in front of me, my twin sister. Sophia.

"Chelseaaaa!" she leapt into my arms, my bags nearly flying over the sides. "It's so amazing to see you again!"

"Hi, Sophia," I said, trying to find the ground again. She finally took her arms from around my neck, and she had the widest smile across her cheeks. "How are you so awake right now?"

She disregarded my question. "Okay, so this is why I asked you to come here."

I looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Okay, so you know my friend Tina, right?"

I snickered, grinning devilishly. I raised my eyebrows and mumbled, "I think everyone in the city knows Tina."

She slapped my arms. "Anyways! She asked me to go with her on her dad's boat across the world! Isn't that exciting?"

"What?" I wondered. "For how long?"

"The entire year!" she clasped her arms together. That was when I looked past her. All of her matched luggage was there: all packed and ready to leave.

I glared at her. "Sophia, what is going on?!"

"I need you to be me for the year. You know, do the farming stuff, and talk with the people here. Do whatever. But Taro said that if I ignored my farm again then he'd kick me off the island! So while I'm away, I need you to take care of it for me and pretend to be me."

My eyes widened. What has gotten to her? I clenched my fists so tight that my nails were piercing my palms. "What?! Sophia, you've got to be kidding me!"

She placed a hand on her hip, smiling a weak smile. "You see, I knew you'd say no. Just like that, actually. That's why… I didn't give you the opportunity to say no."

"I'm not doing this, Soph."

She sighed, looking down at her toes. She contemplated in her mind for a few seconds, before she said, "Look, I really want to live here. Like really bad. And I feel bad. But I really need you to do this for me. Please. A sister asking another sister, I just really really need you here this year. I'll make it up to you one day… some day! I promise! Just please."

I looked into her eyes. Her identical sapphire orbs blinked largely at me. She really wanted me here. She wasn't trying to play some dumb trick on me. Of course, she already did, tricking me to come here without actually knowing what was going on. Maybe I owed her a few favors from high school. And I mean, what was I going to do back home? I had no one I could really hang out with. I was going to spend the entire year home, probably looking for minimum wage jobs at the age of twenty-one since I couldn't move out of the house yet. At least here I'll be on my own.

I sighed loudly. "Fine," I groaned.

She smiled, leaping into me once again. I had to brace myself for a second time as I lost my stance. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you!" she cried into my ear. "I promise I'll repay you in some way. Name it and it's yours! Do you want something from a country that I'm going to? I'll figure it out! Thank you, Chelsea!"

As she rambled on and on about how thankful she was, she was picking up her matched luggage and was strolling past me. She made it onto the boat that hadn't departed yet. She stood on the ramp, and waved to me, and I waved back half-heartedly.

She smiled softly. "I love you, Chelsea."

I couldn't help but break open a smile as well. "I love you too, Sophia."

"I'll see you next summer, darling!" she waved, and disappeared into the boat.

The boat then slowly backed from the dock, and made its way into the infinite sea.

I stood on the dock at three in the morning, wondering what I had just agreed myself into. And more importantly… where even was my house?