Chapter 24

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HAYDON

I am walking through the garden behind our school but I have no idea how I ended up here. Am I being possessed like Ginny was in Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets? Blank spaces in your memory, check. Ending up in placing you don't remember voluntarily coming to, check.

And then suddenly I hear a very familiar voice behind me.

"Haydiee Lee", someone's calling me.

Only one person could call me that. So I turn and call out,

" Nina!"

I run to hug her and as I am holding her tight, I realise how much I had missed her. I hold her at an arm's length and examine her. She looks radiant, her face is happy and glowing and she looks beautiful.

" You look good, Nina. What have you been doing recently?", I ask with a wink.

She smiles at me before replying.

"I was just around doing things, you know", she says.

"I've missed you so much".

"I've missed you too. Just know that everything is going to be okay"

'Never said it wasn't", I say.

She laughs and shakes her head.

And then something strikes me.

"Wait,what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"Ouch",she laughs.

"Well technically, I'm supposed to be dead. But that's okay".

"Not really, it's not. A lot of people are hurting".

"Are you hurting?".

"Ummmmm.. I don't know. I don't think so. Is that insensitive"?,  I ask.

" It's like you said. I'm dead so you don't have to pretend anything".

"Yeah".

"But are you true to yourself? Are you what you want to be? What you pretend to be?"

"I don't know what you are talking about"

"Ask yourself if this is who you are",she gives me a pointed look.

We walk in silence for a while.

"I'm sorry",she tells me.

"You don't have to be-",I begin.

"You have to tell her that I'm sorry"she says, interrupting me.

"What"?

"My sister. You've to tell her"

" What are you sorry for?"

"For leaving her . For hurting her. For everything", she says.

"Yeah", I say.

"Promise me that you'll tell her"

"Promise"

"And Haydiee Lee, you'll look out for my sister right. Think of her like she's your sister"

Guilt crushes my heart. Demi wasn't like a sister to me, she never was.

"Haydiee Lee. Why do you call me that"?, I ask her.

"Because it suits you. And because I feel like calling you that. It's like you calling me 'Nina'",she says.

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