The encounter [Die Begegnung eng]

The encounter

(The link to the original picture is in the description, it doesn't belong to me)

Tw: mentions of car accidents, death, suicide, smoking and cancer


She walked through the streets of New York. She was walking faster. The streets we're empty. Nobody was there, but still she had the feeling of being followed. 

It was a monday morning and the alarm on her phone started ringing. She already tried turning it off three times but it kept ringing again. Eventually she gave up and sat up. Half an hour left. 
She got up and started getting dressed. 
She put up her long brown hair in a bun and went down to get breakfast. Her mom left it for her on the table like usual. "Enjoy your meal sweety", was written on a little piece of paper next to a glas of orange juice and the plate. 

It's been two years since her sister had passed and her father left. Niki sighed. Actually she took on not thinking about it anymore. But it really wasn't easy to let it all go. Sometimes she still hears her sister Lillie in her dreams, laughing, how the two played tag when they were younger and how they used to do all kind of nonsense together. 
They were inseparable, after all they were twins. 

Niki sighed again and sat down on the kitchen table, still lost in thoughts. 

Her alarm rang, she always set one ten minutes before the bus arrived. 

She finished eating, went to the wardrobe and put on her coat and scarf. 

She also put on her boots and opened the door. It was the end of January and it was snowing a bit. In front of her door was still some snow that her mom didn't shovel away and the snow seemed to have frozen overnight. 

The street was sparkling a bit from the frozen snow and the duck paddle in the park was also frozen. 

The bus was stopping right then and she got in. The snow in her shoes cracked and she was glad that she was sitting in the warm bus. 

She could hear kids yelling from behind and next to her was a young woman that was listening to music. Niki also got her headphones out and plugged them into her phone. She looked out of the window. Snowy trees and bushes were racing past the bus. She could see her reflection on the bus window. Next to her, a second reflection showed up. Lillie was waving at her. 
Niki turned around slowly in shock. There was really Lillie, standing there and waving at her. 

No, not today. Definitely not today, she was not gonna deal with stuff like this. Lillie was dead and it was finally time to accept that. She turned around and started looking out of the window again, trying to ignore the second reflection. 

She could even smell Lillies smell. In the window she could see how Lillie sat down next to her and also started looking out of the window. Her questioning look wasn't able to be overlooked. Niki looked outside and turned up the volume of the music. 

She tried her best to ignore it but Lillie followed her through the whole school day. She didn't talk to Niki but that was probably only because no one else did that. Lillie somehow managed it to sit next to Niki even in the bus. 

They also walked together on the way home. But once they we're standing in the kitchen, all doors and windows closed, home alone, Lillie asked in the same way she used to do: "Why are you ignoring me? Don't you see me?". 
Niki was speechless. Her jaw dropped down. Lillie started laughing and repeated the question but Niki was too shocked to answer. 

Finally she brought out a stuttering: "What... I thought... Lillie are you real? Is all of this real?". "Of course I'm real, what did you think?", she laughed and made up a funny, annoyed face. 
"Back then in the hospital, I asked the doctors to place me in separate room, the other doctors didn't know and I got falsely declared dead.". 

Niki couldn't believe her ears. She pinched her arm. The pain was real. This was definitely not a dream. She had so many questions, but first she brought Lillie to her room and gave her new clothes. She only came here today and didn't expect any snow. 

"Okay..", began Niki as the two sat on Niki's double bed with their hot cups of tea and a plate of cookies. "I'll now ask you all my questions and it would be nice if you'd answer all of them because there are A LOT.".