"Blyth! Your friends are at the door already, don't wanna be late for the festival. Oh, and I also made you two lunch boxes, one for you and one for..."
I cut her off before my friends hear and she embarrasses me further.
"STOP IT MOM! We won't be needing those since there'll be lots of food at the stalls there." She looks dejected, seeing as how much effort she put into the two lunch boxes. The supposed "extra" lunch box even has heart shaped food inside it.
"OKAY, OKAY, MOM! I'll bring one of them, and I'll eat the other one for breakfast tomorrow, so don't look sad anymore, okay?"
"Oh, so you want to share this one lunch box with her don't yo⎯" before she finishes I swipe a lunch box from her hands then darted to the front door.
"Good luck honey! Hope all goes well!"
This was so embarrassing, but I love how supportive my mom can get when it comes to these things.
"Bye Mom! I'll probably get home late, so don't wait up."
This is it, you can only do it today Blyth so don't mess it up!
With that thought I opened the door to see three silhouettes and before I knew it…
*gasp*
I woke up in a hospital bed.
"Oh... yeah... I was in a car accident."
A sudden silence around the room with the ticking of the clock being the only thing making noise and the beeping of the heart monitor. I saw a half filled IV bag supplying me with water and my suspended legs under layers and layers of casting.
My eyes finally adjusted to the lighting and I could make out the entire layout of the room. The first thing I noticed were the people running around the hallway outside through a window. The room itself though was spacious enough to fit a waiting room for visitors. My nightstand had a vase with fresh violet flowers, Lilacs. There were also notes.
From Kiara maybe?
"What was that dream? Mom, and… those people by the door… who were they?"
"They were your closest friends, Blyth."
That voice seemed to have come from nowhere. I looked around the room, but no one else was there.
"Dammit, I was already seeing things but I guess that accident made it worse. I'm starting to hear voices in my head."
"Well technically I'm right beside you but I guess you're not completely wrong."
There it is again, that voice. It sounds so familiar. This has to be real, but… where is it coming from?
"Look beside you stupid."
The voice came from my right. I quickly turned and saw… a mirror?
"Since when did they put a mirror here? It seems inconvenient how close up it is."
I observed the mirror closely and saw myself. Something was off though, the reflection didn't have the same posture as me and the clothes I wore were different. I was in hospital clothes, but my reflection showed me wearing my old jet black winter uniform.
"Oh I ain't a mirror, Blyth."
I jumped from my bed and I immediately felt a sharp pain across my body. The accident seemed to have affected my lower half more because moving my legs feels as though I was rubbing them through shards of glass.
Did my reflection just speak?
"Hurts doesn't it? That's what getting hit by a truck gets you. And on top of that you got launched quite a long distance so…"
While he continued to talk I reflected on the situation in my head. This was unreal, I see… me… but I'm right here. I wasn't talking at all, but the me in front of me was. This was too much, I might finally be going over the edge here.
"I assure you dear Blyth, that I am very much real, well to you I am 100% real."
He gave me an assured smirk as if I was supposed to just accept that there were two versions of myself.
"No, no, NO! I'm not crazy! And you, what even are you!"
Just before he could answer, two nurses walked into my room.
"He's awake! Quick, go call the doctor!"
One of them darted out of the room while the other rushed to my side and checked on me. After a while the doctor walked in and began a much deeper line of questioning.
"We found no signs of internal bleeding or permanent damage to internal organs. Your lack of rest and improper diet seemed to contribute to how long you were asleep. Your lower body also seems to have sustained most of the damage, but with proper rest you'll be good as new in no time."
I was surprised that no one noticed the person who looks exactly like me sitting there right beside my bed.
"Has there been anyone else in my room?"
One of the nurses answered, "Ah yes, the girl you were with when you were first brought here has visited from time to time. Brings flowers and talks to you for hours too."
"So there wasn't any other person in my room?"
"Well looking at your visitor logs, no one has been here aside from your girlfriend."
I began to sweat and felt shivers run down through my spine. My voice grew fainter with every answer they gave me. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It's impossible that this person right beside me was invisible to everyone in this room, aside from me. I was about to point it out when I heard a whisper.
"I know what you're about to do, but that's a one way trip to the mental house. If you wanna know what's going on just stay calm for now and I'll explain everything later." A familiar voice, my voice. Yet, it was filled with such animosity that I almost didn't recognize it as mine.
"Did you see anyone else enter your room Mr. Alaric?"
They could tell something was troubling me, my face said it all. It took all of my power to calm myself. I hid my shaky hands under the blankets and composed myself.
"Uhm, no… it's just. I thought my mom would come visit me since she was in town and all."
This seemed to defuse their suspicions. After several more questions about my condition and bill settlement, they said I could be out by the day after tomorrow as long as I had someone to take me home. After which, they all left the room.
I sighed with relief but then remembered who this other person was in my room. I look to my side and… he's gone.
"Phew, I knew I was only seeing things. Maybe, rest is all I need."
I just noticed the flowers and notes that Kiara had brought for me by the nightstand. She's probably mad at me for everything that's happened.
"I should treat her when I get out, it's the least I can do for worrying her so much. Before all that, I need to rest. Enough of all this crazy talk, Blyth. It'll all go away after a good sleep or two."
"If only it were that simple."
When I heard his voice again I started breathing heavily. The mystery person here with me, there he is across the room, an intense pressure emanating from him. He sits on a sofa in a relaxed posture. This person had my face, my likeness, yet I would never have thought that I could make such a threatening expression.
"You heading to sleep, Blyth? I was about to introduce myself. You're really hurting my feelings here." He then lets out an amused chuckle, "Your life from now, will never be the same. Before all that though, where are my manners"
He stands and begins to walk towards me, each step he makes echoes into my ears. All I could do was stare in disbelief as he made his way to me. He looks at me with eyes wide and a smile so sinister.
"Nice to finally meet you, Blyth."