The Other Half

3

During the plane ride from Michigan to California, an old, quiet man was seated to my right and a woman engrossed in a thick novel was seated to my left. I decided to catch up on a little sleep before landing, so throwing on my eye mask, I took a deep breath and laid back peacefully. 

Next thing I know, our plane is ready to leave the plane. Gathering my luggage, I followed everyone and departed to call a taxi. Finally, I was on my way to see my sister for the first time in years. 

"Here we are. That'll be 20 bucks."

The taxi man turns around, looking at me with expectancy written all over his face. He had barely spoken during the ride that I had forgotten he was even there. I quickly gave him a 20 dollar bill and opened the door.

All I could do was stand. I was paralyzed by anxiety - what if she doesn't want to see me? What will she look like? Will she recognize me?

Walking up to the house, I noticed it looked somewhat underkept. The bushes were overwhelming, the siding of the house was visibly dirty, and the grass looked like it hadn't been cut in weeks. I tried to keep an open mind, though, for the sake of seeing my sister. Reaching the dirty, red door, I knocked awkwardly, not knowing how to handle the situation. I heard a large dog barking, then a muffled voice. Finally, the door opened.

In front of me stood Grace, who had become even more beautiful with time. Her amber eyes glistened with life and her face fairer than ever. I could only stand there and admire her natural beauty before she broke my thoughts and spoke.

"Renee?"

She did remember me, although I doubted she would forget me. The tone of her voice led me to believe she was happily surprised to see me. I smiled slightly as my eyes began tearing up, becoming overwhelmed with emotions.

"Hey Grace"

I didn't know how to respond, even though it was the simplest of questions.

"It's been too long," I said. Every word I spoke inflated my emotions. All I wanted to do was hug her and apologize for being a horrible guardian and sister.

She gestured me to come inside. Sitting on the couch, I was greeted by a lovely German shepherd dog. I smiled as I scratched this good boy's belly.

"So... what are you doing here?" She asked. It was obvious she wasn't expecting visitors, as she was dressed in a grey oversized t-shirt and plaid pajama pants. I told her my dream from beginning to end and that I was so worried about her I wanted to see her. I felt guilty just showing up unannounced after five years of no communication to tell her a nightmare, but the nightmare felt so real.

The look on her face told me she didn't believe me.

She spoke with furrowed eyebrows, "How do I know you aren't just making this up to be in my life again? How can I trust you?"

"After you left, I was at the lowest point in my life. You were gone and I was a complete failure in being your guardian and being a good person. I got the help I needed and I'm better now. You can trust me because I would never want to hurt you like that ever again, and I'm so, so sorry I did."

She hesitated for a moment, ultimately nodding her head in agreement.

"Okay then. But I don't understand what you want me to do about it. It was just a dream, Renee."

I agreed and I hadn't thought about an action plan yet. I didn't think I would get this far.

"What if I just stayed with you for a few days, would that be okay?", I asked.

She stopped to think for a minute.   

  "Okay. But only for a few days."  

She didn't look very happy, but I was ecstatic. Even under circumstances like these, I was glad to know she still cared about me. All I could do was smile, and she did the same.

Two days had passed without anything happening. I was napping in the guest room bed while she was out grocery shopping. I started having a weird dream. It reminded me of my nightmare since this dream felt so real, too. The dream happened in spurts like a flashback. I would catch quick glances that would look like Grace's house. I saw her beige colored couch, her German shepherd barking through the glass door, and I even saw the guest room. I wasn't in the bed, though. When I was walking through the hallway in my dream, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked like a completely different person. I still had the body and face of myself, but there was just something completely different about this person I was looking at in the mirror. It felt like a switch had been flipped and I was stuck in my head wondering who this outside persona was. And through my wonder, I noticed me ominously grin in the mirror, seeming to be directed at me. Fear grew deep in my heart.
Next thing I know, I'm waking up back in bed hearing a terrible scream infiltrate the quietness. I throw the covers off and run as quickly as I can to see what's happened.

Grace started screaming at me:

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED, RENEE?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"What are you talking about? I've been sleeping the whole time!"

Looking around the house, I noticed that the television was destroyed. There was glass everywhere. The curtains were in shatters. It looked like someone had broken in but not taken anything. How could I sleep through a break in? She spoke again, interrupting my thoughts.

"Where's Zeus?"

Zeus, her German shepherd, was nowhere in sight. I remembered seeing Zeus in my dream barking from outside. Wondering if my dream was somewhat accurate, I opened the glass door leading to the backyard. Again, nowhere in sight. I began turning around, but then I saw something unusual in my peripherals. In the grass, a few feet from the door, there was a deep red spot. Grace, who followed me to the backyard, began crying. I felt horrible, but I was also confused as to my dream. I didn't want to talk to Grace about it and make matters worse, which left only one person: our mother.

The institution she lives at is in California and was only about a two-hour drive from Grace's house. I left the house without telling her where I was going and walked to the nearest bus stop, where I began my journey to see my mom for the first time in several years.