but you’re not schizophrenic.”
Olivia’s heart jumped, landing somewhere up around the middle of her throat. She threw the covers back and hurriedly tiptoed to the door, pulling it open and craning her neck to see up and down the hall. It was empty and silent. She shivered and hugged her elbows, closing herself back inside.
Nobody.
Her nose twitched and tickled. What was that smell?
A thin stream of cigarette smoke swirled from behind her. Olivia looked down and followed the curling, smoky trail past her bed, past the window, all the way to the small, crooked door at the back of her room. The door was open just a crack and spilling a shaft of cool blue light onto the floor.
Olivia put her hand to the knob and took a deep, steadying breath before pulling the door open and peering inside. There, lounging on the windowsill, smoking a cigarette and backlit by the eerie glow of a full moon, was her sister.
“Violet?” Olivia whispered into the darkness, stepping through the door and slowly making her way across the room. She felt as if she were gliding, her feet floating inches above the crooked floorboards. It was as if the rest of the world disappeared and all she could see was her sister, her milky-skinned, freckle-faced, beautiful sister, waiting for her across the room.
“You forgot my name already?” Violet laughed, hopping down from the sill and opening her arms wide on either side, an invitation.
Olivia stood frozen in the middle of the room, arms heavy as cement by her sides.
Violet took another step forward and waved one hand in front of her sister’s blank face.
“Hello?” Violet prompted, her pale blue eyes sparkling as she shook her sister gently by the elbows. “Can a girl get a hug, please?”
Olivia swallowed the lump that was throbbing in her throat. “What…but…” she stammered. “I…I don’t understand.”
Violet huffed an impatient sigh and shook Olivia’s elbows, pulling her sister in to her chest. “It’s a simple concept, O,” she joked, squeezing her sister tight. “I hug you. You hug me. See?”
Olivia’s eyes burned and she felt herself slowly melting into her sister’s arms, burying her face in the waves of Violet’s perfect, loose curls.
Sea salt and strawberry-kiwi shampoo.
“It’s you,” Olivia whispered into the side of Violet’s neck. “It’s really you?”
“Last time I checked, there were only two of us,” Violet laughed, pushing Olivia away and separating entangled strands of their matching cinnamon red locks.
“But, what…” Olivia started, shaking her head. “I mean, you’re…”
Violet took a long, exaggerated drag from her cigarette before ashing it outside.
“You don’t smoke,” Olivia announced. “I mean, you never used to—”
“One of the perks.” Violet smiled, waving the flickering butt in front of her face. “Cigarettes can’t kill you if you’re already dead.”
Olivia slowly walked toward the window. “So, you are…” she stuttered. “I mean, you’re still—”
“As a doornail, I’m afraid.” Violet nodded and took another exaggerated drag.
Olivia looked back through the open door toward the shadow of her bed, the rumpled pile of blankets leaning in a heap to one side. She stared long and hard at her sister before shaking her head and marching back across the room.
Collapsing with a sigh onto the edge of her bed and falling back against the pillows, Olivia pulled the blankets up and over her face. She took a few shallow, labored breaths, her eyes pressed shut.
It had to be a dream.
Olivia took one more breath before squeezing handfuls of soft fabric up by her ears, and flinging the comforter back down to her lap.
“Ta-da!” Violet exclaimed, standing over her on top of the bed. “Still here.”
Olivia curled her legs up underneath her body and scooted back against the headboard. “Okay,” she spoke, her voice calm and reasonable. “Okay. So, you’re—”
“Dead,” Violet said flatly,
Olivia’s heart jumped, landing somewhere up around the middle of her throat. She threw the covers back and hurriedly tiptoed to the door, pulling it open and craning her neck to see up and down the hall. It was empty and silent. She shivered and hugged her elbows, closing herself back inside.
Nobody.
Her nose twitched and tickled. What was that smell?
A thin stream of cigarette smoke swirled from behind her. Olivia looked down and followed the curling, smoky trail past her bed, past the window, all the way to the small, crooked door at the back of her room. The door was open just a crack and spilling a shaft of cool blue light onto the floor.
Olivia put her hand to the knob and took a deep, steadying breath before pulling the door open and peering inside. There, lounging on the windowsill, smoking a cigarette and backlit by the eerie glow of a full moon, was her sister.
“Violet?” Olivia whispered into the darkness, stepping through the door and slowly making her way across the room. She felt as if she were gliding, her feet floating inches above the crooked floorboards. It was as if the rest of the world disappeared and all she could see was her sister, her milky-skinned, freckle-faced, beautiful sister, waiting for her across the room.
“You forgot my name already?” Violet laughed, hopping down from the sill and opening her arms wide on either side, an invitation.
Olivia stood frozen in the middle of the room, arms heavy as cement by her sides.
Violet took another step forward and waved one hand in front of her sister’s blank face.
“Hello?” Violet prompted, her pale blue eyes sparkling as she shook her sister gently by the elbows. “Can a girl get a hug, please?”
Olivia swallowed the lump that was throbbing in her throat. “What…but…” she stammered. “I…I don’t understand.”
Violet huffed an impatient sigh and shook Olivia’s elbows, pulling her sister in to her chest. “It’s a simple concept, O,” she joked, squeezing her sister tight. “I hug you. You hug me. See?”
Olivia’s eyes burned and she felt herself slowly melting into her sister’s arms, burying her face in the waves of Violet’s perfect, loose curls.
Sea salt and strawberry-kiwi shampoo.
“It’s you,” Olivia whispered into the side of Violet’s neck. “It’s really you?”
“Last time I checked, there were only two of us,” Violet laughed, pushing Olivia away and separating entangled strands of their matching cinnamon red locks.
“But, what…” Olivia started, shaking her head. “I mean, you’re…”
Violet took a long, exaggerated drag from her cigarette before ashing it outside.
“You don’t smoke,” Olivia announced. “I mean, you never used to—”
“One of the perks.” Violet smiled, waving the flickering butt in front of her face. “Cigarettes can’t kill you if you’re already dead.”
Olivia slowly walked toward the window. “So, you are…” she stuttered. “I mean, you’re still—”
“As a doornail, I’m afraid.” Violet nodded and took another exaggerated drag.
Olivia looked back through the open door toward the shadow of her bed, the rumpled pile of blankets leaning in a heap to one side. She stared long and hard at her sister before shaking her head and marching back across the room.
Collapsing with a sigh onto the edge of her bed and falling back against the pillows, Olivia pulled the blankets up and over her face. She took a few shallow, labored breaths, her eyes pressed shut.
It had to be a dream.
Olivia took one more breath before squeezing handfuls of soft fabric up by her ears, and flinging the comforter back down to her lap.
“Ta-da!” Violet exclaimed, standing over her on top of the bed. “Still here.”
Olivia curled her legs up underneath her body and scooted back against the headboard. “Okay,” she spoke, her voice calm and reasonable. “Okay. So, you’re—”
“Dead,” Violet said flatly,
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