first love, her only love. Virginia took her time memorizing the impressive planes of his handsome face caught by the stray light forcing its way through the window. She closed her eyes with a kind of sadness knowing her roommate would be quick and precise. The nightmare would be over soon.
Seconds passed, then minutes.
“Open your eyes. Look at me,” Riley ordered. His grip tightened on her wrist. “Damn it…. Lizzie is not real. You’ve made her up.”
Her eyes flew open. “You are insane! I feel sorry for you…you’ve lost your mind!”
“If she’s really here…tell her to stab me with the blade.” When she done no more than gape at him, he added, “go on…tell her to do it. I’m not afraid, because Lizzie can’t be behind me. She is only in your head.”
She jerked her gaze to over his shoulder, and he was right, no one was there.
Virginia blinked, in a state of confusion. “You’re wrong. We share an apartment, we’re roommates.”
“No. You’ve been staying in the old apartment over the garage behind your parents’ house .”
“Not possible…the apartment is where you stay Riley.”
“Virginia…I’m in the same room I’ve always been in, next to your old bedroom.”
Realizing she was too stunned to fight, Riley released her. He stepped back, shoved a hand through his hair on a long sigh.
“You’re lying. This is a sick joke.” She took three steps, and stumbled disoriented by what he was implying. None of it made sense.
“I wish I was lying …but I’m not. Virginia you’re the one that’s sick, not me.”
“You’re wrong….Lizzie and I went grocery shopping today. Here I’ll show you!” She led him to the kitchen, flipped on the overhead light, and started empting out her cabinets in an act of desperation. He was wrong! He had to be wrong!! “We bought soup, see.” Heavy cans clunked down on the Formica top. “And we bought steak for the grill tomorrow!” She jerked open the refrigerator jabbing a finger at the raw meat still in its pack.
Riley leaned in the doorway, his expression one of pure torture. “You may have gone to the store, but not with Lizzie.”
“Do you need to go sit down?”
“No! I don’t want to sit! I want to talk to Bandon!”
The door banged open. Her eager steps sounded on the wooden stairs as she ran towards fresh air. As soon as her bare feet were buried in ankle-high, dew covered grass, she froze, gaping at the back of her parents’ home shrouded by a black, starlit sky. All the windows were darkened in the home. Crickets chirped over by the swing set her father had built for Brandon and her. She turned in place, staring up at the apartment over the garage.
No, it couldn’t be.
“Please, calm down. Let’s go back inside and talk.” Riley shifted awkwardly, doubting his decision to tell her everything.
Her hand came up. “Don’t…”
She took off towards the house. Tears blurred her vision as she ran.
“Brandon!” she called busting through the back door. She flipped lights on as she went through the house, searching, searching for answers. Riley stayed a few feet back. Her mind was erratic, so was her movement making it hard to predict which way she was headed next. She made her way to her brother’s bedroom, slung open the door, a groped for the light switch. She inhaled, the breath whizzing through her front teeth at what the light revealed. It revealed a bare room, a made bed, and an empty closet.
“I don’t understand.” Dresser drawers banged open and closed as Virginia rummaged through…through nothing, nothing was in them.
Seconds passed, then minutes.
“Open your eyes. Look at me,” Riley ordered. His grip tightened on her wrist. “Damn it…. Lizzie is not real. You’ve made her up.”
Her eyes flew open. “You are insane! I feel sorry for you…you’ve lost your mind!”
“If she’s really here…tell her to stab me with the blade.” When she done no more than gape at him, he added, “go on…tell her to do it. I’m not afraid, because Lizzie can’t be behind me. She is only in your head.”
She jerked her gaze to over his shoulder, and he was right, no one was there.
Virginia blinked, in a state of confusion. “You’re wrong. We share an apartment, we’re roommates.”
“No. You’ve been staying in the old apartment over the garage behind your parents’ house .”
“Not possible…the apartment is where you stay Riley.”
“Virginia…I’m in the same room I’ve always been in, next to your old bedroom.”
Realizing she was too stunned to fight, Riley released her. He stepped back, shoved a hand through his hair on a long sigh.
“You’re lying. This is a sick joke.” She took three steps, and stumbled disoriented by what he was implying. None of it made sense.
“I wish I was lying …but I’m not. Virginia you’re the one that’s sick, not me.”
“You’re wrong….Lizzie and I went grocery shopping today. Here I’ll show you!” She led him to the kitchen, flipped on the overhead light, and started empting out her cabinets in an act of desperation. He was wrong! He had to be wrong!! “We bought soup, see.” Heavy cans clunked down on the Formica top. “And we bought steak for the grill tomorrow!” She jerked open the refrigerator jabbing a finger at the raw meat still in its pack.
Riley leaned in the doorway, his expression one of pure torture. “You may have gone to the store, but not with Lizzie.”
“Do you need to go sit down?”
“No! I don’t want to sit! I want to talk to Bandon!”
The door banged open. Her eager steps sounded on the wooden stairs as she ran towards fresh air. As soon as her bare feet were buried in ankle-high, dew covered grass, she froze, gaping at the back of her parents’ home shrouded by a black, starlit sky. All the windows were darkened in the home. Crickets chirped over by the swing set her father had built for Brandon and her. She turned in place, staring up at the apartment over the garage.
No, it couldn’t be.
“Please, calm down. Let’s go back inside and talk.” Riley shifted awkwardly, doubting his decision to tell her everything.
Her hand came up. “Don’t…”
She took off towards the house. Tears blurred her vision as she ran.
“Brandon!” she called busting through the back door. She flipped lights on as she went through the house, searching, searching for answers. Riley stayed a few feet back. Her mind was erratic, so was her movement making it hard to predict which way she was headed next. She made her way to her brother’s bedroom, slung open the door, a groped for the light switch. She inhaled, the breath whizzing through her front teeth at what the light revealed. It revealed a bare room, a made bed, and an empty closet.
“I don’t understand.” Dresser drawers banged open and closed as Virginia rummaged through…through nothing, nothing was in them.
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