Iridescence

Chapter Eighteen (Emily)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

EMILY

I hadn't slept, so I hadn't dreamed. That didn't mean I hadn't found anything out.

The vision had been quick, and my mind shut it down almost immediately, but I'd seen myself... Only it wasn't me. The only thing that made any sense to me was that I was dying. As soon as I realized that, I'd snapped out of it.

Vanessa's mother, Jaya, didn't question my presence in her bedroom that morning. Instead, she'd lit up and said, "Emily, dear! It's so nice to see you. It's been a very long time."

Jaya had insisted I join them for breakfast. It had been pretty awkward, but I couldn't exactly refuse. I sat at the table and ate while Vanessa and her mom talked. It was strange seeing what a "normal" family did during breakfast. I usually skipped it all together and left without acknowledging my father.

Now I was standing in the hallway at school on the way to the bathroom.

Ana, a voice called in my mind.

Whoever you are, get lost, I replied. Can't a girl go to the bathroom in peace?

Anastasia... He called again.

That's not my name, I argued. The thing was, it suddenly felt like it was.

"Emily? Are you okay?" Vanessa asked softly as she walked past me.

Remember, Ana! You are the only one who can protect them! The voice shouted.

Protect who? I demanded.

Your siblings.

That was when I saw the rest of my vision.

I wasn't alone. As someone tried to kill me, a boy jumped in front of me and took the fatal attack. He died in my arms as my heart felt like it shattered. A younger girl who radiated with light was there, too.

She's Vanessa, I realized.

Another boy, who was standing with Vanessa, radiated with darkness but wasn't evil. After I died, they tried to protect each other, but they were soon killed, too.

You have to protect them, Ana. Nothing is what it seems, the voice insisted.

I realized Vanessa was hugging me tightly. I pulled away automatically.

"You're crying, Emily," she informed me. "What's wrong?"

Looking into her eyes, I saw the girl in my vision. "Thea..." I whispered as everything came flooding back to me. Just like that, I remembered the history of the person I'd been... Anastasia was the daughter of Morpheus. She was destroyed by her aunts and uncles... She was an older sister whose little brother had sacrificed himself to try to save her.

"Ly..." I sobbed. I couldn't stop it because it wasn't me crying... It was Anastasia.

"Who's Ly?" Vanessa asked softly.

As the realization of how deeply our past selves had been betrayed resurfaced, I shook my head. "Forget those names, Vanessa," I said firmly. I had to protect her from this. "It's nothing."

"Emily-"

"Just let it go!" I snapped. I wanted to run away from her and from all of this as fast as I could, but I couldn't bring myself to leave her.

She's my sister, I thought. We might not be related by blood now, but our souls were sisters, and just like back then, she was the innocent, naive one. I couldn't abandon her.