𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄- 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐃

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐖 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄. Evangeline appeared before her like a vision from the most sacred of texts. She was sunkissed from the summer heat, and her presence was bathed in a light that made her look like an ethereal being that didn't belong. That blonde hair cascaded around her like a halo, and those green eyes were crinkled as she let out a loud giggle. The sound was like honey, rich and sweet, and it filled her with the most bittersweet feeling. 

Because she knew that none of this was real. 

Evangeline's laughter echoed off the trees around them, carrying with a sense of innocence and purity that greatly contrasted the darkness that Alana had grown accustomed to. Alana almost perferred the night terrors as opposed to dreams like these. 

When Alana woke up after a nightmare, she would be met with the feeling of relief upon realizing that none of it was real. When she'd wake up from a dream like this and realize that none of it was real; that Evangeline was still dead, it felt worse than anything else. 

Alana cocked her head to the side and took a step closer to the two girls sprawled out on a picnic blanket. The second girl, Alana felt like she no longer recognized. Vivian tipped her head back laughing at something Evangeline had said. She leaned back on her elbows and tilted her head up toward the sun. Alana remembered the day clearly- it had been during a massive heatwave, and Evangeline had convinced the girls to skip school and go swimming at the lake. Vivian peeked one eye open as Evangeline slipped something on her head. 

"Your crown, milady," Evangeline giggled, setting the chain of daisies on top of her friends head. She'd been weaving flowers together since they got here, making three crowns for herself, Vivian, and Rhiannon, who was still nowhere to be found. Alana felt her heart (or whatever was left of it) crack in her chest. The scene before her was so vivid, so achingly beautiful, that it felt like a cruel twist of fate. Every detail—the warmth of the sun, the scent of wildflowers, the sound of their carefree laughter—was a painful reminder of what she had lost.

Evangeline's smile was radiant, her joy infectious as she admired her handiwork. Vivian grinned at the girl as she straightened the crown atop her head with a playful chuckle. It was a moment of pure, unfiltered happiness, one that should have been immortalized in memory, not twisted into a phantom image that haunted Alana's sleep.

When the brown headed girl turned her head slightly and locked eyes with Alana, it felt as though she was looking at an entirely different person. There was still life behind those eyes, and a face that was not yet littered with scars. Alana didn't know how to feel. On one hand, she wanted to scream from the rooftops, reminding that naive girl that the pure joy wouldn't last longer. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, telling her to get away while she could. On the other hand, Alana wanted to crouch down and hug the girl; she wanted to wrap her up and keep her out of harms way. Alana wanted to protect the girl from the person she would soon become. 

But she could not. Because none of this was real. 

Alana locked eyes with the girl, and when a grin broke out on Vivian's face, Alana felt nothing at all. She'd thought that the younger girl was smiling at her, until she noticed Rhiannon appear from somewhere behind her, running at full speed toward the picnic blanket in a bikini. Evangeline gasped when Rhiannon tackled her to the blanket with a loud shriek. 

"Oh my god," Evangeline shouted through a fit of giggles. "It's about time you finally graced us with your presence."

"Rhi needed to make herself extra pretty for us," Vivian teased. Rhiannon lowered herself onto the blanket and rolled her eyes.