Fourteen
Anna ran until she felt her lungs would burst. Her heart seemed to pound a frantic chant:
It’s not possible … not possible … not possible….
She didn’t stop running until she reached the school. Inside the doors she stopped, gasping for breath. She was clammy with sweat, and she shivered as she leaned against a row of lockers, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
Emma and her imaginary childhood friend were one and the same. That much was clear. By any definition of
imaginary,
that meant Emma shouldn’t exist.
And yet she did exist.
Somehow, Emma had become real, someone with her own mind, capable of her own actions. Actions that had real consequences.
The rational part of Anna’s brain still didn’t want to believe it. But in her heart she knew it was true. The reason Emma had seemed so familiar to her right from the very first time they’d met was because Anna already knew her. She had always known her.
But something still didn’t make sense. If Emma truly existed, why could no one else see her?
The final lunch bell rang. The hallway started to fill with the noise of kids returning from the cafeteria. Anna watched them, feeling as if she was separated from them by an invisible pane of glass. They all seemed so happy, so normal, like they didn’t have a single care. Right then, Anna would have given anything to be like them.
Anna made her way through the crowded hall, so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the person in front of her until she bumped right into him.
“Hey, watch it,” said a not unfriendly voice. Anna looked up and saw she’d run into Benny’s friend Eamonn.
“Oh, hey.” Eamonn blinked at her and shook his head. “Wow. Déjà vu.”
“What?” Anna asked distractedly, barely hearing him. She was still thinking about Emma.
“I just had déjà vu,” Eamonn told her. “I swear I walked past you in the West Hall less than a minute ago.” He shrugged and laughed. “I must be seeing things.”
Anna stared at him. The round face, the dark braids — Emma looked just like her.
That’s how Emma manages to be invisible,
she realized.
Everyone thinks she’s me!
“Anna, are you okay?” Eamonn asked, frowning.
Anna didn’t answer. She brushed past him and hurried down the hall, a feeling of panic rising in her. What other things had Emma done, pretending to be her?
“Benny,” she whispered to herself. If what Anna suspected was true, maybe he had been telling the truth after all. Maybe he really
had
seen her the night of his accident. Or he thought he had.
And Dory, too,
Anna thought. She wasn’t lying when she’d blamed Anna for spray painting her lawn. She really thought she’d seen Anna outside her house that night. But why would Emma want to hurt her friends?
Almost as soon as Anna had formed the question, she knew the answer. “Because she wants me to herself,” she murmured.
A bell jangled overhead, making Anna jump. She realized she was standing alone in an empty hallway. Everyone had gone to class.
I have to talk to Dory,
Anna decided. First things first — she needed to win back her old friend.
Just then, Anna saw Ms. Turk coming toward her down the hall. Anna glanced left and right, looking for an escape. But it was too late. The dean had spotted her.
“Anna Dipalo!” Ms. Turk bore down on her, looking like a cat that had cornered a mouse. “Why aren’t you in class?”
“I was just, um, j-just going now,” Anna stuttered. Ms. Turk’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, and Anna realized how guilty she sounded.
“You do realize that you are on probation, young lady. Do you not?”
Anna nodded meekly.
The dean looked around the hallway, as if wondering which locker Anna had just been pillaging. “Should I find out that anything here has gone
amiss”
— Ms. Turk drew out the word with obvious relish — “I’ll have grounds for suspending you. Now get to class at once.”
Anna scurried down the hall with a
Anna ran until she felt her lungs would burst. Her heart seemed to pound a frantic chant:
It’s not possible … not possible … not possible….
She didn’t stop running until she reached the school. Inside the doors she stopped, gasping for breath. She was clammy with sweat, and she shivered as she leaned against a row of lockers, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
Emma and her imaginary childhood friend were one and the same. That much was clear. By any definition of
imaginary,
that meant Emma shouldn’t exist.
And yet she did exist.
Somehow, Emma had become real, someone with her own mind, capable of her own actions. Actions that had real consequences.
The rational part of Anna’s brain still didn’t want to believe it. But in her heart she knew it was true. The reason Emma had seemed so familiar to her right from the very first time they’d met was because Anna already knew her. She had always known her.
But something still didn’t make sense. If Emma truly existed, why could no one else see her?
The final lunch bell rang. The hallway started to fill with the noise of kids returning from the cafeteria. Anna watched them, feeling as if she was separated from them by an invisible pane of glass. They all seemed so happy, so normal, like they didn’t have a single care. Right then, Anna would have given anything to be like them.
Anna made her way through the crowded hall, so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the person in front of her until she bumped right into him.
“Hey, watch it,” said a not unfriendly voice. Anna looked up and saw she’d run into Benny’s friend Eamonn.
“Oh, hey.” Eamonn blinked at her and shook his head. “Wow. Déjà vu.”
“What?” Anna asked distractedly, barely hearing him. She was still thinking about Emma.
“I just had déjà vu,” Eamonn told her. “I swear I walked past you in the West Hall less than a minute ago.” He shrugged and laughed. “I must be seeing things.”
Anna stared at him. The round face, the dark braids — Emma looked just like her.
That’s how Emma manages to be invisible,
she realized.
Everyone thinks she’s me!
“Anna, are you okay?” Eamonn asked, frowning.
Anna didn’t answer. She brushed past him and hurried down the hall, a feeling of panic rising in her. What other things had Emma done, pretending to be her?
“Benny,” she whispered to herself. If what Anna suspected was true, maybe he had been telling the truth after all. Maybe he really
had
seen her the night of his accident. Or he thought he had.
And Dory, too,
Anna thought. She wasn’t lying when she’d blamed Anna for spray painting her lawn. She really thought she’d seen Anna outside her house that night. But why would Emma want to hurt her friends?
Almost as soon as Anna had formed the question, she knew the answer. “Because she wants me to herself,” she murmured.
A bell jangled overhead, making Anna jump. She realized she was standing alone in an empty hallway. Everyone had gone to class.
I have to talk to Dory,
Anna decided. First things first — she needed to win back her old friend.
Just then, Anna saw Ms. Turk coming toward her down the hall. Anna glanced left and right, looking for an escape. But it was too late. The dean had spotted her.
“Anna Dipalo!” Ms. Turk bore down on her, looking like a cat that had cornered a mouse. “Why aren’t you in class?”
“I was just, um, j-just going now,” Anna stuttered. Ms. Turk’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, and Anna realized how guilty she sounded.
“You do realize that you are on probation, young lady. Do you not?”
Anna nodded meekly.
The dean looked around the hallway, as if wondering which locker Anna had just been pillaging. “Should I find out that anything here has gone
amiss”
— Ms. Turk drew out the word with obvious relish — “I’ll have grounds for suspending you. Now get to class at once.”
Anna scurried down the hall with a
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