The Entirely Fabricated Story of Lizzie Nickerson

Chapter 45

It had been an exhausting day, both physically and emotionally yet Sonya couldn't sleep. She wondered how her sister had grown up being so self-centered, determined to go against the grain at every turn, welcoming arguments and criticisms. She knew Indigo as a loving, kind free spirit who was open to seeing the good in everyone, but there was also an air of superiority about her as though she had all the answers and anyone who challenged her was misguided and stupid.

They both grew up in the same small yellow brick home with the same mom and dad. Sonya was two years older but she and Indigo went to the same schools, were taught by many of the same teachers, hung out with a lot of the same friends, went shopping at the same mall, and watched most of the same TV shows. How did they turn out so differently?

It was too much to think about while trying to settle her brain but Sonya kept mulling over those thoughts until her brain finally wore out and made a pact with her that it was willing to close up shop for the night if Sonya would stop digging around for more information.

After she'd finally succumbed and slipped into sleep mode, Sonya heard the floorboards creaking. Her bleary eyes went first to the doorway (where no one stood) and then to her phone on the nightstand.

1:22.

She attempted to line up some pieces of fuzzy logic in her semi-conscious brain when she heard it again. She rolled onto her side and looked over the edge of her mattress.

She saw Lizzie lying on the rug beside the bed, looking back at her.

"Come on. Get up here," Sonya said.

"I'm okay. It's just–"

"Get up here." She patted the mattress with her flat palm.

Lizzie sat up, supporting herself with one arm. A sliver of street light cut through the window and formed a stripe across her face illuminating the eyes of a person who hadn't been sleeping.

"Come on," Sonya said and watched with surprise as Lizzie scrambled up onto the bed beside her. Lizzie left an 18-inch gap between them, lying on her back, her eyes on the ceiling.

"Oh, geez. I don't want to go to Colorado."

She said it so softly Sonya wasn't sure that Lizzie meant to say it out loud, that maybe the thought had accidentally slipped out.

"I don't want you to go to Colorado."

Lizzie turned her head and Sonya hoped a miracle would happen, maybe Lizzie would nuzzle her neck. She settled for Lizzie's face now only a half foot away from her ear. Instigating physical contact would be a mistake, like trying to reach out to pet a wild rabbit.

"Colorado Springs is one thousand, one hundred and sixty-five miles away." Lizzie sighed. "Oh, geez, even if I walked for twenty hours a day, it would take more than twenty days to get back to Cincinnati. And Colorado has a lot of mountains, which would make it even harder. That's a lot of walking."

"Yes, it is," Sonya replied.

"What kind of shoes would you wear for a walk like that?"

"Comfortable shoes."

"I thought about riding the train. But it's a long train ride and I'd probably get dizzy. I get dizzy on the bus sometimes and the bus ride isn't even a whole hour. The train ride is almost two whole days! Oh, geez, I would definitely get dizzy."

"You probably would."

"And who wants to live in the mountains, anyway? That doesn't even make sense. All that dry air makes your skin and lips crack."

Sonya thought about Indigo's flawless complexion. Not a trace of dryness or cracking.

"And then there's epistaxis," said Lizzie.

"Epi what?"

"Nosebleeds. Who wants blood gushing out of their nose? Nobody."

"Nobody I know."

"What about altitude sickness? Altitude sickness is a real thing. It's not made up. Headaches, fatigue, nausea." 

"Yuk."

And everybody in Colorado loves to ski on their mountains. I fall down sometimes just walking. Oh, geez. If they made me slide down snowy mountains with slippery boards on my feet, I would definitely die. Even if you don't die, skiing doesn't seem like fun."

"Don't worry about all that, Lizzie. Come on. Get under the covers."

Lizzie pulled the covers over her feet and up her legs to her waist. "Cincinnati isn't great but it's better than Colorado. People say there's just as many good beers now in Cincinnati as there is in Colorado. Colorado people get mad about that. They say they always had the best beers. Who even cares about beer? Not me. If I never had any beer in my whole life I wouldn't care."

"Forget about trains and mountains and beer. Let's try to relax and get some sleep." In the quiet of the room, she could almost hear Lizzie thinking.

"I don't want to go to Colorado," Lizzie whispered. "I want to stay here."

"You belong here, Lizzie. With me."

Sonya jumped when she felt Lizzie's hand softly stroking her arm. Instinctually, she started to reach for the girl's hand but caught herself. Instead, she lay still, taking deep calming breaths while reveling in the intimacy she'd been craving, holding a tight grin as tears welled in her eyes.