8

Rachel's POV

Weeks went by in a blur and while the pain in my head was gradually subsiding, the fragments of my memories slowly came back in bits but were disjointed and confusing. Sometimes it felt like trying to piece together,  solving a puzzle with missing pieces. All I could see were faces, words, and feelings all jumbled up, they all drifted in and out, but nothing solid yet.

Sophia and Rayna had been very kind to me, keeping me safe indoors. Every time I asked why I wasn’t allowed outside, Sophia would shrug it off, saying it was “for my good.”

Rayna, on the other hand, was a darling, not making her bored for a single moment. She filled the long hours with chatter, stories, and games, always trying to keep me away from thinking too much. Her laughter was so contagious and her presence helped distract me from the endless questions running through my mind.

I sat by the window, one afternoon with Sophia, I absentmindedly felt the necklace hanging around my neck. It felt familiar somehow, though I had no idea why it felt that way or where I got it from.

She noticed and replied “ That necklace, it was the first thing that made me save you, I’ve seen it before,” she said softly.

I looked up at her, puzzled. “You have?”

She nodded, taking the seat opposite me. “A friend of mine from high school had one just like it. We had it as pairs, She gave it to me as a gift, but I lost it years ago.” Sophia’s eyes flashed as if she was reliving the memory. “She saved my life once, you know. We were so close… just like sisters.”

I wanted to ask more about this friend, but Sophia quickly changed the subject. “You’ve been inside for so long. How are you feeling now?”

I hesitated for a bit before replying to her truthfully. “I feel stuffed and restless,  I think I need to get out, at least for a little while.”

Sophia was uncomfortable with the idea. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Rachel…”

“Please, even if it's just to the store. I won’t take long at all, I can’t stay indoors forever,” I insisted, my voice was now a little more desperate than I intended. I had to get outside. I had to feel like a normal person, even for a moment.

Sophia hesitated, glancing at Rayna, who was watching us with wide eyes, hoping she agreed “Alright,” she finally agreed, though I could see the reluctance in her eyes. “But we stick together, understood?”

I nodded eagerly, grateful for the chance to escape, if only for a short while.

******

The trip to the store was not so eventful at first. I kept my head down, trying to blend in, amongst the crowd though I felt on edge the entire time, I do not know why I felt that way, but my instincts told me to hide. Sophia moved through the mart with Rayna, picking out what we needed. I followed behind, still trying to figure out the vague fragments of memory that lingered in and out of my mind.

But as we got close to the checkout, something seemed to change, the air grew tense, and I felt all eyes on me.

Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, a lot of people rushed toward us, cameras flashing, and microphones almost entering my eyes.

“That's her, I can't possibly be mistaken" one of the reporters screamed.

"Rachel! Rachel Houston!” another one shouted, running towards them.

I froze on the spot, feeling so scared, not knowing what to do, How did they know me?

“Did you run away due to the humiliation?” another voice demanded.

“Where have you been hiding all this time?”

“Is it true you slept with Noah out of jealousy for your sister?”

Their words pierced into me like a bullet with each question stranger than the last. I couldn’t breathe nor could I think. The noise, the lights, and the camera flashes were all too much for her to handle.

Sophia grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the exit. “Rayna, open the car door, run quickly” she shouted as they ran through the crowd.

Rayna ran ahead, her small figure disappearing through the crowd as she moved towards the parking lot. Sophia and  I struggled as we pushed our way through the crowd of reporters, their questions piercing through my ears.

We finally made it to the car, Rayna was already inside with the doors unlocked. I collapsed into the back seat, my heartbeat as fast as a racing cheetah. , my body was trembling.

Sophia drove out hurriedly, her face pale and stressed. I stared out the window, my mind in turmoil as the memories, the actual ones flooded back to me, my head throbbed, wincing in pain, remembering the betrayal, the lies, everything that had led me to that night.

Kimberley, Noah, my stepmother,  It all came back, vividly and as clear as day.

The humiliation was so evident, I was taken aback by the sudden changes in my stomach.

I clutched my stomach as a wave of nausea hit me. “Pull over, please, I mouthed,  barely able to speak.

Sophia quickly pulled to the side of the road, and I stumbled out of the car, vomiting all my guts out, nothing was left still  I kept rect

Sophia rushed to my side, her hand patting my back gently. “Rachel, what's wrong?” Her voice was laced with worry. “This is the second time in two days. Are you sick?”

I wiped my mouth, my body shaking uncontrollably. It wasn’t just the nausea, I felt weak. It was everything. The weight of remembering those memories that had long been buried. The reality of my past. It was too much.

“I can now remember,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Sophia bent beside me, her eyes wide. “You remember?”

I nodded, tears spilling down my cheeks. “yes Sophia, I remember everything.”

The betrayal. The deceit. The cruel, twisted web I had found myself entangled in. It was all so painfully clear now.

I swayed on my feet, my vision blurring, the world around me spinning suddenly, I couldn't feel my legs anymore.

“Rachel!” Sophia’s voice sounded distant as the dizzingness claimedme.

I collapsed into the darkness.