Reality Check

Fires

Brutal (by Olivia Rodrigo)

"They say these are the golden years, but I wish I could disappear . . ."

___

i. thantophobia; the fear of losing someone you love

Bethany heard laughter.

It wasn't the kind that you'd hear in horror movies, where a creepy doll giggled for an unreasonable amount of time. It was the kind of laughter that could be heard from children — all joyful, high-pitched giggles. The sound washed over her like a melody, comforting and sweet.

"Say 'cheese'!"

Her eyes snapped open, and the first thing she saw was a group of little kids standing around a kitchen table, hovering next to a red-haired girl in a blue dress. On the table in front of them was a cake with four candles on top of it. There was a sudden flash of light, so bright that it penetrated Bethany's irises. She turned to see that there were two adults next to her; one of them had just taken a picture.

In her dreamlike daze, she turned around, scanning the area. For some reason, this place was incredibly familiar. The colors of the walls, the furniture, and even right down to the cracks in the floor she recognized. It was as if she'd been here before, but in that moment, it was hard to think of much of anything.

Still laughing, the kids and even the two adults broke into song, their eyes on the little girl seated at the table. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Bethany, happy birthday to you!"

Bethany? Bethany blinked. Wait, wasn't that her name? This was confusing. Were they referring to her, or was the girl called Bethany, too? Something didn't feel right. Not that she could identify what it was, because her brain barely seemed to work and nothing in the party seemed to be a threat.

In fact, the happy environment made her feel more at ease. The partygoers looked peaceful and happy, which sucked the doubts right out of Bethany's mind. The atmosphere was rejuvenating and joyful, and there were delighted smiles on everyone's faces. A faint smile slowly came to Bethany's own face as she watched them with interest.

However, that contentment still left out the fact that Bethany had questions that needed answering. She walked over to the man. He had the same bronze hair color as she did, accompanied with a beaming smile on his face. She recognized him instantly, but she couldn't wrap her head around who he was, or how she knew him.

"Hi, I'm Bethany," she said. "I think I might be lost. Can you help me?"

Either the man was extremely rude, or he just didn't see her, because he continued looking right through her as if she wasn't there. She couldn't help but shudder. Everything felt unreal and foggy, like she was in a dream. But that couldn't be true, because the scene seemed very normal compared to the wild dreams she'd had before.

"Time to cut the cake!" the woman said in a cheerful tone, setting her phone down after another spree of picture-taking.

"Daddy, watch!" the little girl shouted, and she suddenly pitched face-first into the cake. Frosting, candles, and chunks of cake flew everywhere. Kids and adults alike flinched away, including Bethany, although she wasn't sure if she had to worry about getting hit with cake, given how no one was noticing her.

The man laughed, long and loudly in a way that made Bethany's heart squeeze. She found herself smiling at the sound. The little girl pulled her face out of the cake and laughed too, wiping frosting off of her face with her hands. She gleefully shoved her hands into her mouth, licking all of the frosting off of her hands.