Envy

III

"Gurl, you are so overdramatic," Sadie hissed.

"Says the girl who got excused from our chem test."

Sadie sat right next to her on the couch and turned on the flat screen television.

"I have to go, Nature's calling, " Julia said to Sadie.

She raced upstairs and then walked into the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and glared at her reflection that was mirroring herself. She examined a pimple located directly on her chin and grimaced at the unappealing sight. She deeply resented her pale skin complexion, made her feel basic. She wanted to stand out but she didn't know how or where to even start. She wanted to cry and she wanted to just throw in the towel and give up. It wasn't like her family would actually care, her death would give them one less child to worry about as if they ever even acknowledged her existence to begin with.

She wanted to be envied, she wanted to be wanted but deep down inside she knew she wasn't good enough. A warm tear escaped from her eye socket and traveled down to her left cheek. Julia couldn't even bare to look at herself anymore so she looked down at the rose-colored rug in the bathroom.

Bang! Bang!

Startled, Julia lifted her head up leisurely and her eyes locked with a stranger. A person she's never once seen before. This stranger had an identical face and identical features as herself but the darkness in her eyes were prevalent. Her eyes had no pupils and her skin was a tint darker than hers.

Julia became so shaken with fear that her lips started to tremble. She covered her mouth with her hand and the girl duplicated Julia's actions. Julia stepped away from the mirror and the girl appeared to move even closer to her. This must be an illusion, Julia thought to herself. She bit her lip and she felt a burn, this wasn't make believe.

Julia was in so much shock she couldn't even process the words to say. Who is she and what does she want? Why is she here?

"I am you," she said in an emotionless voice almost as if she was artificial intelligence.

"No-no Y-you're n-not," Julia stuttered.

"You created me, how can you not see? My other name is Au Chie."

"What do you want from me? Why are you here?" Julia questioned

"You summoned me, Shijo," she said stoic-like.

Julia let out an anxious cry and then the girl said, "You want out, I want in."

"What are you talking about?"

"Let me in, and I'll put you out, promise?"

She refused to break eye contact which made Julia's anxiety rise even higher.

" I want to be you Shijo, and you want to be me."

"Why do you want to be me? I'm the most undesired person."

"Promise?"

"You know what? Fine. Go ahead and be me and you're going to see how horrible it is," Julia yelled.

The sound of a fist banging up against the bathroom door shook up the both of them. That was the first time Julia even spotted the slightest bit of emotion from her.

"Julia, are you ok? You've been in there for a long time. You know, you can always talk to me," shouted Sadie.

It was like all of the energy was sucked out of the room with the vacuum being Sadie's presence. Julia looked back in the mirror and her reflection felt normal. The banging continued. Reluctantly, Julia opened up the door to be greeted by Sadie's worried face and her curls bouncing up and down.