At first, Mum thought Nora had left the hospital and come home without telling anyone.
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She called upstairs, then checked the living room and the downstairs bathroom. I followed her around with my tea still in my hands.
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Then she called Nora's phone. “Are you still there?” Mum asked.
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She listened for a moment, glanced at me and turned on the speaker.
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“Lilith?”
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Nora sounded worn out. She wasn't shouting anymore.
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“Please tell me you're home.”
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Mum pulled out a chair and told me to sit down.
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During the break, Nora had slipped on the wet steps behind the hall. A teacher found her sitting against the wall, holding her wrist.
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Another parent drove her to the hospital. Her phone had been in her coat pocket.
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I remembered the phone the other Nora had taken out of the bag. The screen hadn't lit up once. Whose phone had that been?
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Mum's phone had been on silent. She only saw Nora's messages after the show, when she went outside.
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“I tried calling you from the hospital,” Nora said. “Then Dad told me you thought I was with you. After that, you stopped answering.”
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I looked at the mug across the table. “Your bag was under the seat.”
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“I know.”
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“She picked it up.”
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Nobody spoke.
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Mum quietly told her what had happened.
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Then Nora asked, “Did you see her come in?”
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I tried to picture the break in the show: people carrying drinks, the teacher moving the tree, the seat folding down beside me.
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I hadn't seen her enter the row. I had only heard her sit down.
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Mum took the mug from my hands. “What did she look like?”
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I didn't know how to answer. There was nothing I could point to that made her look wrong. She looked like my sister.
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She knew about the pool. She had the same scar. She even squeezed my hand when we were trying not to laugh at Jamie.
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Both voices had asked me to trust them. I chose the one I could touch.
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Dad brought Nora home just after midnight. Her left wrist was in a brace, and her clothes were still damp.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpUkYz6LA4
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She stopped in the doorway and looked back at the drive.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNC6MAwHc2k
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“That's my car,” she said.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngh1ZWICl4
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Her bag was still hanging on the back of a kitchen chair, where the other Nora had left it.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVD87DxnJem
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I stood in the hall while she took off her shoes.
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“It's me,” she said. Then she stopped. We both knew saying it didn't prove anything.
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I let her hug me. As she held me, I watched her uninjured hand. It rested against my back, exactly as I expected it to.
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────── ✠ ──────
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We still live in the same house. It has been six weeks.
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Since that night, I haven't found another Nora in the kitchen or seen someone watching us through a window. No stranger has knocked on the door.
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Sometimes I wish they would. At least then I'd know what to be afraid of. Instead, I watch my sister make breakfast and wonder whether remembering how I like my tea means anything at all.
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Sometimes she gets annoyed with me for staring. Later, she feels bad and tries to be kind. That's when I find it hardest to look at her.
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I never told her about the hands.
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I nearly told her that first night, but she was already scared.
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Later, I kept telling myself I'd only caught a glimpse.
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Maybe I'd been wrong.
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Tonight, we were watching a talent show in the living room.
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Mum had fallen asleep in the armchair. Nora sat beside me, sharing a bag of crisps.
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A little boy finished singing. On the television, the judges stood up. Nora set the bag down.
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I looked at her hands before she brought them together. Her palms were facing out.
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She clapped once, softly, with the backs of her hands.
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Her rings didn't click.
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I didn't move.
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She looked down at them, then at me. She gave me a small smile and rubbed her left wrist.
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“Sorry,” she said. “It still hurts the other way.”
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That made sense. The doctor had said her wrist might hurt for months.
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She turned her hands around and clapped the usual way. This time, her rings clicked together.
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I clapped too.
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On the television, the applause continued.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyB29beTsW
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────── ✠ ──────58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVFc8QZAqV
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The End of Story 358Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSYfqKDTzd
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and then Add to home screen.