Two lives
801 Words
The friendship between Eliana and Elie grew quietly.
For the next few weeks, they found different excuses to see each other.
Sometimes Elie came to the village alone. Other times, Eliana would meet her somewhere far from The Red Lantern so Madam Vera wouldn’t notice.
They talked about everything.
Their dreams.
Their fears.
The lives they wished they had.
One evening, the two girls sat beneath the same tree where they had first spoken.
Elie was unusually quiet.
Eliana noticed immediately.
“What’s wrong?”
Elie sighed.
“My parents.”
“What happened?”
“They want me to go back to the city.”
Eliana looked at her.
“Isn’t that where you live?”
“Yes, but it’s not that simple.”
Elie picked up a small stone and rolled it between her fingers.
“My parents have already decided what my future should look like. They decide where I go, who I meet, what events I attend…”
She shook her head.
“Sometimes I feel like I don’t even own my own life.”
Eliana listened carefully.
“At least they love you.”
“They do,” Elie admitted. “But sometimes love can still feel like a cage.”
Eliana understood more than she wanted to.
“My life is a cage too.”
Elie looked at her.
“Madam Vera?”
Eliana nodded.
“She reminds me every day that I owe her everything because she took me in after my parents died.”
Elie frowned.
“That’s not a reason to treat you badly.”
“I know.”
“You should leave.”
Eliana laughed bitterly.
“And go where?”
Elie didn’t have an answer.
The two girls sat quietly.
Then Elie suddenly smiled.
“Do you know what I wish?”
“What?”
“That I could disappear for a while.”
Eliana looked at her.
“Disappear?”
“Yes. Leave everything behind. No parents. No expectations. No one telling me what to do.”
Eliana smiled.
“I think I’d like that too.”
Elie turned toward her.
“Then where would you go?”
“Anywhere far away.”
They both laughed.
But the laughter didn’t last long.
A car horn sounded from the road.
Elie glanced behind her.
Her driver had arrived.
“I have to go.”
She stood up.
Eliana stood with her.
“See you tomorrow?”
Elie smiled.
“Definitely.”
Before getting into the car, Elie suddenly turned around.
“Eliana.”
“Yes?”
“If something ever happens and I need your help…”
She paused.
“Would you help me?”
Eliana didn’t hesitate.
“Yes.”
Elie smiled.
“I knew I could trust you.”
The car drove away.
Eliana watched until it disappeared.
She didn’t know why Elie’s question felt so important.
She also didn’t know that one day, Elie would actually come to her asking for the biggest favor of her life.
⸻
The Next Day
Eliana was cleaning tables inside The Red Lantern when Madam Vera called her.
“Eliana!”
She immediately stopped.
“Yes, Madam?”
“Where were you yesterday?”
Eliana’s heart skipped.
“I was at the market.”
Madam Vera narrowed her eyes.
“For how long?”
“Not very long.”
Madam Vera stared at her suspiciously before walking away.
Eliana released a quiet breath.
She knew she had to be careful.
If Madam Vera discovered Elie, everything would change.
That evening, Elie arrived again.
But this time, she wasn’t smiling.
Eliana immediately knew something was wrong.
“Elie?”
Elie grabbed her hand.
“We need to talk.”
“What happened?”
“My parents are planning something.”
“What?”
“They want me to meet someone.”
Eliana frowned.
“Someone?”
“A man.”
Elie looked uncomfortable.
“They haven’t told me everything yet, but I know they’re serious.”
Eliana squeezed her hand.
“Do you know his name?”
Elie shook her head.
“Not yet.”
They sat down together.
For a long time, neither spoke.
Then Elie whispered,
“I don’t want my life decided for me.”
Eliana looked at her friend.
“You don’t have to accept everything they choose.”
Elie looked at her.
“What if I don’t have a choice?”
Eliana didn’t answer.
Because deep down, she knew exactly how it felt to believe you had no choice.
And that night, for the first time, the two girls began to wonder whether their strange resemblance could someday become more than just a coincidence.
Neither of them said the dangerous idea aloud.
Not yet.
But the thought had begun to form.
What if they could trade places?
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