  Everywhere I go, I keep hearing kids, mostly little girls, talk about how they want a sister. I never hear anybody ask for a brother (just another inkling of proof that girls could, ultimately, take over the universe). I guess I was born lucky. By the time I came along, I already had two sisters. Taryn was only a year and a half older than me, but Andrea was eight. I think this must have been the reason why we always got along so well… two girls, eight years apart, aren’t really going to find much to fight about.
Taryn and I could always find something —no matter how great or small— to argue over. One of us would find some tiny little thing wrong with the other and would run with it. Usually, in the end, it was Andi breaking it up. There’s always somebody that’s bound to take on the super-sib “I’m Older Than You” role. I have found that you do not always have to be older to play it, either, because I am quite good at it… I just say more mature. But, back to my story—I know nobody wants to hear about how responsible I am.
I always wanted to be just like Andrea. To me, as the much younger sibling, she was absolutely perfect. She was the prettiest, nicest, smartest person I knew… or at least that’s the way I saw her. She always seemed to be in the center of attention, she was liked by everyone, and her best friend was one of the coolest people I knew (I love you, Jess!). Sure, we argued, but we always got over it pretty quickly. I always figured that Andrea was aware of the fact that I tried to copy her every move, and didn’t want me to think badly of her… like I would have.
When she started being a counselor at the camp where basically all of my family had gone since they were eight or nine, I was always on Andrea’s team. She said she wanted to keep an eye on me. But basically, I have no life, so there was nothing she had to worry about. And I repeat… I was eight or nine. When we did the skits and all that on talent nights, she would let me pick which character I wanted to be… and then, of course, my cousin, Elizabeth, came next. Of course, there were times when I tried to get away with too much and she wanted to kill me, or just take Elizabeth as her sister and throw me out in the street, but most of the time this was not the case (and she never did that, by the way).
And another thing I hear girls talk about that they hate is living in their older sister’s shadow. I always loved that. People would come up to me and say, “Hey, you’re Andrea’s sister!” and it made me so… I don’t know… happy? Don’t get me wrong, they never said this because of the striking resemblance between the two of us. Such a likeness never existed… ever. Andrea was about 5’7, a brunette and never had a tan.
So pretty much reverse all of that, and you’ve got me. Well, no… I’m not a blonde, as that would lead you to imagine. I’ve got black hair. But it still is different. I guess, in our relatively small town, it was just common knowledge, but the fact that it was… was not to me. Andrea was always my best friend.
I guess you know that by now. One day when I was eleven, our parents and Taryn went out of town for something. I didn’t really want to go, so Andi and I stayed home. She was outside in the pool and so I was sitting out there talking to her. The phone rang, so I got the cordless and handed it to my sister (I knew it was for her because of the Caller ID). Then I went back inside.
I don’t know what happened after that. It looked like she had dropped the phone in the water and had swum down to get it. Her hair got caught in the filter. She had been underwater for a few minutes before I could get her out. After we got to the hospital, no one could reach my parents. I was alone, and my big sister—my best friend… was dying.
I remember sitting beside her bed, talking to her… crying uncontrollably-- scared to death of what I knew would happen. I had to give someone emergency numbers, but besides my parents, there weren't really that many. Her best friend, Jessica, made it there before anyone else, and finally reached my mom and dad while I stayed with Andi. She lived for two hours after she was taken out of our pool. My parents and sister did not make it back in time to say good-bye to her. It’s kind of odd, the way you look back at things.
Because the most horrible, terrifying two hours of my life… were spent with someone who so many people never told they loved her… or good-bye. You're in my heart forever, And I just thought you should know-- That I love you and I miss you... I don't want to let you go. Kelsey Leigh Bates 
