The Deadly Trials

15 | Cruel Illusions

// cruel illusions //

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I noticed was a blue sky. It was dotted in clouds, with a single sun stationed above. It smelled like cut grass, coffee grounds, and petrichor.

Gasping, I bolted upright. Was this real? Had I finally woken up from this strange dream?

Heart racing and feet light, I jumped up and glanced around. This was Portland, my neighborhood. I knew these sounds: the cars, the birds, the sprinklers. I knew these roof shingles, those clapboards, that trim, that mailbox.

I was home. It had been just a dream. Eternity had existed only in my mind.

A figure exiting my house was a familiar sight. My heart squeezed. Her golden hair fell in curls around her shoulders, her baby blues visible even from here. She had tanned, and her dimples surfaced. From the duffle bag strung over her shoulder, her jean shorts, and the bandana in her hair, I assumed she was on her way to dance.

Beaming, I rushed to her. "Anna!" I crashed into her, giving her a tight hug.

She squirmed in my hold, pushing me away. Her eyebrows furrowed as she asked, "Um, I'm sorry, but, do I know you?"

My mouth gaped as my stomach dropped to my feet. I stared into her eyes, several shades lighter than mine. An uneasy chuckle fell from my lips. "You're joking, right? This is just a prank."

The scowl didn't leave her face. "No, I'm serious. I have no idea who you are."

It was like being gutted by a dull knife. "Annalyse, it's me, your sister, Be—" I wanted to say my name, but it stuck in my throat. I coughed. "I'm your sister."

Anna took a step away from me, a mix of confusion and fear contorting her features. "What are you talking about? I'm an only child."

Tear sprung to my eyes. I reached out to her, longing to touch her and know that I was safe at home. Voice cracking, I said, "I don't understand. I'm your older sister. We're a year and five months apart. I – I was there when you lost your first tooth. When you got your period. Your first crush. I was there at your first dance rehearsal. Don't you remember the both of us practicing in the living room?" The tears slid down my cheeks now.

Anna clutched her things closer to her. "Okay, you're starting to freak me out. I swear to you, I have no idea who you are. Can't you – can you leave please? I'll call the police."

My mouth opened, but the look in her eyes and the way she held her phone made me reconsider. I brushed a tear away and backed up. "Sorry for disturbing you."

She kept an eye on me as she clambered into the car Mom and Dad had given me for my sixteenth birthday, the one in which I had driven Anna to school for the past two years. She drove down the street and disappeared around a corner.

My legs gave out beneath me, and I crumbled to the ground. I was too stunned to cry anymore.

Did Annalyse honestly not recognize me? A little dirt and some bruises shouldn't have turned me into a stranger. So why didn't my own sister know who I was? Why did she treat me like we had never met?

I wished that this was the dream, not Eternity.

My gaze landed on the house. Mom must've been home, cooking. I sat straighter. Mom — she had to recognize me. Mothers didn't just forget their daughters.

A surge of hope helped me to stand, and I marched up to the door. I rang the doorbell, rocking on my heels and wringing my hands.

Mom opened the door, almost as beautiful as Anna. Her blonde hair had been pulled into a French braid, and her brown eyes dazzled, outlined in black. She had tied an apron around her waist.