'Where am I?' the thought came about as Anna opened her eyes. She remembered everything she had done today, like recruiting Ruby to become her personal maid and making Dominic her lackey by binding him to the puppet spell.
The rest that followed was her usual routine, such as having dinner with the family and falling asleep on her bed without closing the door that connected the room to the balcony. She loved falling asleep with the moon's company.
However, everything that she saw right now was unfamiliar. She looked up and stared for a while at an empty spot. Her eyes widened as the spot she looked at transformed into an afterglow of sunset which lingered on the horizon.
Slowly, the canvas was completed with a view of endless land. Green grasses covered the ground, swaying in a slow-motion following the rhythm of the wind.
Where was she? the puzzling thought enveloped her mind as she tried to find the piece that brought her to this place.
Nothing unusual, so she ended up admiring a flock of birds flying in the sky. Her eyes followed their maneuver toward a steel fence that elongated at the periphery of the vast greenland. Some of the birds perched on the railing while some dived somewhere and vanished from her sight.
The fence looked like a border that separated the land and the sky. This gave Anna the idea that she was probably seeing the top of a hill or a mountain. She wanted to check what was in front, but something pulled her away from her current position.
Her view was no longer the sky or the vast grassland but on a single track trail. Her eyes voluntarily followed the movement of two women. Two familiar women…
Was this a dream? she thought as soon as she recognized the two women.
Why am I seeing Avery and myself? Another thought popped up as her gaze followed their steps towards the place she was seeing earlier.
The scene progressed in silence mode. Not a single sound could be heard.
Anna watched Avery and 'Anna' walking on the narrow pathway while chattering. The absence of sound made her attentive to their facial expressions and gestures.
However, their faces were blurred when she zoomed in.
They passed by a large signboard, and Anna glanced at it. 'Heaven is a little closer' was written in a cursive font. There was another print below written in a small font read as 'Sunset Resort.'
It was unknown why, but anxiety washed over Anna the moment she read the prints on the signboard.
She recalled everything that she had seen so far and conjectured that this was the last place visited by the previous Anna. The cliff where she fell, and the day she took over her body.
Perhaps, she was looking at a memory. A memory that was sealed inside the soul of the previous Anna.
It made sense… but why?
Anna swallowed the nonexistent saliva and searched for Avery and 'Anna.' She followed their steps while trying to find a clue that made this scene important. If this was the sealed memory, there must be a reason why it was presented to her at this moment.
With every step they took closer to the spectating area, Anna's anxiety increased. Based on Avery's recollection, this place should be crowded, but right now, there were only two of them.
Finally, they reached the spectating area. Anna looked around and realized that benches had been added to the scene.
She looked at Avery and then at 'Anna' only to be startled by the sight she was seeing. Currently, 'Anna' wore a cold expression on her face as Avery sobbed silently beside her.
Their voices started to play inside her head.
"Anna, are you telling the truth?" Avery's voice was shaky. She stepped back with an expression that showed her disbelief. Anna must've said something to make her act so surprised.
Anna watched the previous Anna stare at Avery with a raised eyebrow. Her lips arched to a mocking curve. "How many times must I repeat it for you to understand?" her voice came out cold with a hint of anger.
"You must've noticed it yourself. They keep you with a purpose. Like Hansel and Gretel, you're pampered until you've grown enough for a sacrifice to raise their reputation. But, they took it too far. They took Dominic away from me and gave him to you."
An eerie feeling enveloped Anna's consciousness when she heard the hatred in 'her' voice. She tried to connect the events that she knew so far.
After discovering the previous Anna's journal, fear of her walking the wrong road rooted inside her.
But, at this moment, this memory told her that the thing she feared the most had happened. The good girl had gone bad.
Avery stared at Anna as if staring at a stranger. She tried to touch her hand but was shrugged off.
"Anna, that information must be wrong. You shouldn't believe the words of a stranger. Please…" she held Anna's hand without letting go despite her attempt to shake her off.
"Let go of me!" Anna stepped back as she pulled her arm from Avery's grasp.
Avery stared at her hand while biting her lower lips. Once again, a flood of tears broke the barrier in her eyes.
Anna sneered at Avery. "What do you know? I have seen the evidence myself," she spoke.
Hearing this, a look of incredulity crossed Avery's features. Her mouth was wide-opened.
"Anna, if it is as you said, I'm willing to step back. I will leave, so please spare them. As for Dominic, I was always unwilling, but I can't just say no after the announcement." Avery looked like she was persuading Anna. Her eyes were scanning her as if searching for the trace of the woman she used to call her best friend.
Anna scoffed. "So you're playing with his feelings?" she raised a question with clenched fists. Anger could be seen from every gesture she showed. Her aggressiveness forced Avery to step back in response. Her big eyes were stunned at the hostility coming from Anna.
"Anna, I can say the same about him. Listen, if you proceed with your plan, you'll only put yourself in danger. No matter how strong your hatred towards mom and dad, they have the power to back them up. But you're alone," she continued to persuade her, but menacing laughter burst out from Anna's lips.
"Don't worry. I have planned everything. But, there is no need for me to tell you what that plan is. Neither you need to know about it," Anna replied and continued to laugh. Unsteadily, she walked towards the fence with her hair in disarray.
Watching 'her' back, Anna suddenly felt pity towards 'herself.' Her back looked lonely and heavy as if the world's burden was on her shoulder...
"You know…" Anna said as she leaned against the fence, facing Avery, who was standing in the middle of the area like a statue. Only her face showed sadness and disappointment.
"After the death of Camellia, I always thought of them as my parents. Who would've known that they were indeed my parents? And Camelia… poor her. Just because of a letter, she was killed by them. As for you- " drops of tears fell on her cheek as she stared at Avery.
"You're a kind person, and I'm always grateful to be your friend. But in the end, you're just an outsider who took the status of an heiress away from me. Tell me, how does it feel to live the grandeur life as a Gunnar? How does it feel to have the whole world's attention on you?"
"Anna," Avery shook her head. She looked up, trying to contain the tears so she could speak.
"Please-" she continued, but Anna interrupted with a sigh. Her eyes wandered on nothing in particular.
"Come out and finish this as soon as possible. I'm tired!" she shouted. Anna, who was looking at the scene, knew 'she' was speaking to someone else.
"Who are you talking to?" Avery frowned while removing the remnant of tears on her cheek with the back of her hands.
She looked around, but no one was there apart from Anna and herself. She looked at Anna for an explanation but was distracted when a figure suddenly appeared beside her. It was a man wearing a black cap.
The unannounced man's appearance made her stumble to the ground. She looked up and saw the man tilt his head from left to right, scrutinizing her in every way possible. She could feel her heart stop beating the moment their eyes met.
Then, as if being hypnotized, she let the man cut a small wound on her neck. When she came to, the man's face was staring interestedly at her.
Avery closed her eyes as she felt a cold tongue licking her neck. She shivered. Her knees weakened.
"Hmm, this is unexpected. You carried the same inheritance. Good, you're a better choice than her," the man spoke in amusement. Avery blinked and realized that she could move. The man's influence was no longer affecting her. Looking around, she saw the man standing in front of Anna. Then, without warning, he pushed her.
Avery couldn't believe her eyes. She couldn't move for a while before running frantically towards Anna, trying to save her.
"Anna!" she screamed. She would have fallen if it weren't for the man who was restraining her.
"No! Let me go! Anna!" Avery tried to free herself, but the restrain was getting stronger. She looked at him with anger in her eyes. If anger could kill, the man would've died many times now.
"Oh my, you cared for her? If I didn't notice the resemblance in you two, you're the one who's going to fall." A cruel smile emerged on that man's face.
Avery struggled, but the man who was holding her tightened his hold on her. "Soon, I'll come and retrieve your body for my master. From the taste of your blood, the day of your awakening is similar. What a twist. We're almost fooled." The man chuckled. Avery felt her eyelid getting heavier before losing her consciousness.
Anna, who was spectating the scene, felt tremendous anger, contempt, and fear once she heard the man's sinister voice. She looked at him to see his face, but the cap he wore failed her attempt.
'Who is he?' Anna thought to herself. She looked at the spot where the man was standing earlier only to see no one there. Avery was lying on the bench with her eyes closed, looking like a sleeping princess.
She wondered why Avery lied about the actual cause of the accident. She even went to a great length of lying to the Gunnars and the authority. It was scary, not knowing what she was thinking.
A crowd started to gather at the place. At the same time, Anna's vision started to blur. Gradually her consciousness drifted away, going straight into a dreamless sleep.