The girl at my funeral

THE GIRL AT MY FUNERAL CHAPTER ONE THE COFFIN WITH MY NAME The first thing I saw when I walked into the church was my own photograph. It was enormous. Twenty feet high. My face smiled down at hundreds of people dressed in black. Underneath it were three words: LIANA VALE — BELOVED DAUGHTER I stopped breathing. For several seconds, I couldn't move. People were crying. Flowers covered the entrance. Soft piano music played somewhere near the altar. And at the very front of the church stood a white coffin. My coffin. I looked around, waiting for someone to scream. Someone to point at me. Someone to say this was some kind of terrible mistake. Nobody did. A woman walked past me while sobbing into a tissue. “Such a tragedy.” Another woman hugged her. “She was so young.” I stared at them. They were talking about me. I looked down at myself. Black trousers. A cream blouse. My favourite necklace. My hands were shaking. I touched my face. Warm. Alive. I could feel my heartbeat. I could breathe. I was standing in the middle of my own funeral. My phone vibrated. I pulled it from my bag. Unknown number. One message. DON'T GO TO THE FRONT. I stared at the screen. Another message arrived. THEY'LL KNOW YOU'RE ALIVE. My blood ran cold. I looked toward the coffin. Then toward the people gathered around it. My mother was there. She stood beside the coffin with her head lowered. She was wearing a black dress. Her face was swollen from crying. My father stood beside her. He looked completely broken. I hadn't seen him cry in years. My chest tightened. “Dad?” He didn't hear me. I took one step forward. A woman grabbed my arm. I nearly screamed. “Liana.” I turned. It was my best friend, Sienna. Her eyes were red. She stared at me. Not with surprise. With fear. “You came.” I frowned. “Of course I came.” Her fingers tightened around my arm. “You shouldn't be here.” I pulled away. “What is going on?” She looked toward my parents. Then back at me. “I don't know.” “That's a lie.” “I swear—” “Why is there a funeral for me?” Sienna's face went pale. She looked around to make sure nobody was listening. Then she whispered, “Because you're dead.” I stared at her. “What?” “You died three days ago.” I laughed. It came out nervous and broken. “Sienna, I'm standing right here.” She looked at me as if she didn't know what to say. Then she whispered, “That's why I'm scared.” Before I could respond, someone called her name. She stepped away. “I'll find you later.” “No.” I grabbed her hand. “Tell me what happened.” She looked at me. Her lips trembled. “Liana…” “What?” “Don't trust your mother.” Then she walked away. I stood there, frozen. My mother. I looked toward her. She suddenly raised her head. Our eyes met. For a second, neither of us moved. Then her face changed. Her eyes widened. The colour disappeared from her face. She whispered something to my father. He turned. He saw me. His expression became terrified. Not relieved. Not shocked. Terrified. My mother started walking toward me. “Liana?” I nodded. “Mom.” She stopped several feet away. Her hands covered her mouth. Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Liana…” “What's happening?” She looked at me like I was a ghost. Then she whispered: “You can't be here.” My stomach dropped. “Why?” She didn't answer. “Mom, why is there a coffin with my name on it?” She looked toward the coffin. Then back at me. “I don't know.” “You're lying.” She stepped toward me. I stepped backward. “Don't touch me.” Her face crumpled. “I thought you were dead.” “I was never dead.” She shook her head. “You were.” “No.” “You were.” Her voice became desperate. “I saw you.” I stared at her. “Saw me where?” She looked toward the coffin. “I saw your body.” The church seemed to disappear around me. I could hear nothing except my heartbeat. My mother grabbed my hands. “They told me it was you.” “Who?” She looked over her shoulder. Her eyes searched the room. Then she lowered her voice. “Don't say anything.” “Mom—” “Listen to me.” She squeezed my hands. “Leave.” “What?” “Leave this church immediately.” “Why?” “Because if the wrong person sees you…” She stopped. “Who?” My father suddenly appeared beside her. “Nomusa.” My mother looked at him. He shook his head. “It's too late.” I stared at both of them. “What is too late?” My father looked at me. His face was filled with fear. Then he whispered: “They already know.” The church doors slammed shut. Everyone turned. A man in a dark suit stood at the entrance. He wasn't crying. He wasn't praying. He was staring directly at me. Then he lifted his phone. A second later, mine vibrated. Unknown number. I TOLD YOU NOT TO COME. I looked at the man. He smiled. Then another message appeared. NOW THEY KNOW WHICH ONE IS ALIVE. My stomach twisted. Which one? I looked toward the coffin. Something suddenly felt wrong. I walked toward it. My mother grabbed my arm. “No.” “Let go.” “Liana, please.” “Let me go.” I pulled free. I walked toward the front. People watched me. Some whispered. Some cried. Others simply stared. I reached the coffin. It was closed. There was a small silver plaque attached to the front. LIANA VALE My name. My heart hammered. I reached for the lid. “Don't.” My father's voice stopped me. I looked at him. “What's inside?” He didn't answer. “Dad.” His eyes filled with tears. “Don't make me do this.” “Do what?” He looked at the coffin. Then at me. “Tell you.” I opened the lid. The church erupted in screams. I froze. Inside the coffin was a woman. She had my hair. My face. My necklace. My clothes. My exact face. My exact body. She looked like me. I stumbled backward. “No…” My mother began crying. My father closed his eyes. I couldn't breathe. The dead woman inside the coffin wasn't just someone who looked like me. She was wearing the exact clothes I had worn three nights ago. The clothes I remembered going missing from my bedroom. I looked at my mother. “What is this?” She couldn't answer. I looked at my father. “What happened three days ago?” He remained silent. Then Sienna screamed from somewhere behind me. “Liana!” I turned. She was pointing toward the back of the church. The man in the dark suit was gone. But someone else stood there. A young woman. She looked exactly like me. Except she was smiling. She slowly raised one finger to her lips. Then she mouthed two words. RUN NOW. My phone vibrated again. I looked down. One final message appeared. THE WOMAN IN THE COFFIN IS NOT YOUR TWIN. I stared at the screen. Another message appeared. SHE IS YOUR FUTURE. I looked back at the woman standing at the back of the church. She was gone. The doors opened. People began screaming. And my mother grabbed my hand. “Liana,” she whispered, “if you want to stay alive…” She looked toward the coffin. “…you need to find out who was supposed to be buried today.” I stared at the body wearing my face. Then I realized something. The woman in the coffin had my necklace. But I was wearing mine too. I touched the necklace around my neck. It was cold. My mother noticed. Her eyes widened. “That's impossible.” “What?” She pointed at my necklace. “That necklace was buried with her.” I looked at the coffin. Then at the necklace around my neck. And for the first time, I understood why everyone in the church had been afraid when they saw me. They weren't looking at a woman who had survived. They were looking at someone who wasn't supposed to exist.