The Life of Her

Crossed Ways

Now that an uninvited guest or maybe I just don’t know her, arrived, something caught my mind. Destiny is somehow rancorous for me in these past few months. To think that this status is farfetched and the justification is still in a patch, what I’m seeing right now is even horrendous that I wanted to pluck my own sights. I sighed. Not remembering how many times I’m doing it, it didn’t bother me. Frustration just dumped me into waste.

She carefully unlocked the door and caught me standing still from the distance. She looked at me with a weary expression, her eyes watered. She slowly stepped inside, inviting my privacy even if I didn't let her. She has a lean and sleek body with her lengthy black hair and round eyes. She has a good sense of fashion – wearing a dark blue floral dress and black wedged shoes. Her black satchel was on her arm and her lips were luscious pink.

“A-Amber…” She whispered.

I heard the name she called me. So it was Amber then. What a beautiful one. But she is not me and definitely, I don’t belong in this body. She instantly fled towards me and enveloped her arms around, adopting me tightly. She burst into tears, holding my head still with her hand. I didn’t know how to respond to her actions, that I didn’t twitch and just let her be in her own peace. We stayed in that position for several minutes, not until she decided to heave herself from the clasp.

She gently brushed her tears off and laid contentment; wrinkles were placed beside her eyes. She cupped my face and rooted a kiss on my forehead. I looked at her with dead eyes.

So, you’ve come. We finally meet again.

It’s her…

Gnashing my teeth, I clenched my hand, digging my nails dry. Resentment rushed to me like a mad dog that had already pounced at me, taking a fine bite of my greed to hate. My soul is blurting for help. It’s driving me crazy. There isn’t a hint of guilt that I could see in her. She’s…she’s a fine lady, like no one would suspect her as the opposite one. She assisted me to sit on the bed. I couldn’t find my voice to talk to her and my appetite had shifted. I lost my words, but she decided to break the silence and the unease that was coming around.

“I-I’m here now. I’m sorry if I wasn’t able to visit you a few days before. Your brother was ill and I needed to take him to the hospital too. Are you feeling okay now?...” She asked, sitting across.

I assumed that she was the mother of the owner of this shell. I stared at her and nodded. “Yes…”

“A-Amber…I know that we don’t talk that much…and our last conversation didn’t end well...B-But I’m here now. I want to make things out with you again…M-Madi…I just want you to come home-”

Suddenly, Shin busted the room with her exuberant voice, handling with her a gallon of water and a tray of fruit salad. Her hair was damped and she also changed her clothes into an oversized black shirt with a yellow flower on its pocket and tattered shorts.

“Hi! I just came back, Amber. I decided to go home for a while and take a bath. Then, when I’m heading here, I saw a lady at the park patiently selling this tray of salad. So, I got us one.” She said without taking her eyes on the food.

“T-Thank you. That looked delicious.” I replied.

She wistfully closed the door and bounced. “Mhm! You should have seen the lady’s expression when she realized that I was going to buy one from her-” Raising her head, she discontinued as soon as she stared over the woman with me.

“O-Oh. Good afternoon, Mrs.Madison. I didn’t know that you’ll come here this early in this morning.” She let out a soft chuckle. “I wasn’t able to clean the room. Did you eat your breakfast?” She added and walked to the table and arranged the food.

“Hello, dear. I just also arrived here a few minutes ago. I took my leave from the orphanage today and got Ms. Ally to take my position. I also needed to take care of her younger sibling from the other hospital, just a few meters from here. She answered.

Shin scratched her head and felt embarrassed, her cheeks plush, waving her body left to right. “That’s good to hear, Mrs. Madison. Mom just went home for a while to settle things there at the apartment, but she’ll be here by evening. She wanted to give you her new number” She uttered and handed a small rolled paper.

“Is that so?” The lady opened her bag and pulled out something too. It was a brown envelope. She gave it to Shin and she happily took it with her. “I’ll be the one to pay her rentals. I decided to take her with me again by the time she’ll be able to go out here.” She added.

Shin glinted at me as she heard the good news. Exactly, it's the opposite as I heard. “That would be great Mrs. Madison. I’m sure Amber is quite excited to come home. Right, Amber?”

Suddenly a dark mist came from nowhere behind Shin, making my hair to stand in distress. Those deadly eyes like the prowler suddenly arose behind her shoulder, looking right in me. She shifted and crossed her arms, sweat all over her face. Her eyes met in an instant when she heard the woman’s words.

“Who said that I’m excited?” She uttered, wiping her face off; eyebrows arched to meet.

She passed through Shin and stepped. She stopped beside her own mother and carefully examined her. She became woeful but she immediately expunged it into a blank face. I couldn’t read her, but one aspect to be certain, I was staring in blankness at the moment of time.

Shin waved her hand at me, trying to get my attention. It snapped me into giving my response to her. “Y-Yeah. I do…”

I saw her give me a sharp glare.

“I told you. I’m not excited and I don’t want to come home for now. I still need to do something here.” She winced.

I raised my eyebrow at her, not realizing that I was the only one who could see and hear her. Shin made a disdainful look. “Did you just raise your eyebrow at me?” She asked.

I immediately lowered my face, shaking to disagree and said. “N-No. It’s not like that. I thought I just saw someone beside you.” I laughed hysterically, knowing that it was true.

Amber was making faces at me. Her attitude is quite preposterous.

She sauntered to me and sat beside. “Obviously, you can see me. And, I still don’t know your name. So, I’m looking forward to having some time with you later in the evening. You don’t have to fear…It’s not like I can take my body right now.” She fiddled her fingers and winked.

How is this ghost so composed during this time, while I could see myself startling in every moment? Is she cracked?

She looked at the woman once more, who was currently glancing at me. I wished I could tell her that I’m not her daughter and that the real one is just roaming the room as a specter.

“I didn’t expect you to come here. Why did you even bring yourself?” Amber stated with such guilt in her voice. It was anguish and she was hurting deep inside.

She shed a tear, but then she rolled her eyes after. This woman is really in nuts. I suddenly scoffed on the bed, putting them off guard.

“I-Is something funny?” The woman asked me with a worried expression. She touched my hand and gently pressed it.

Get your filthy hand off me, woman.

I nodded and burst into a chuckle. I should have known you since then. I should have asked your name personally, but I guessed now, I don’t need to make the effort to ask you any questions. You’re just a few inches away from me. So near, that I could clasp my hands around you. You’re in my palm and I can know you better…better that I can attain the reason why he chose you over her. I guessed, what happened to me had brought me an unforeseen blessing.

And I gradually took it.