“I don’t know,” he says, pacing around the office.
“Well, let’s try and calm down a little. At least we know she’s alive.”
“For now,” he replies.
It’s such a horrible thought that I start crying.
“I feel so guilty,” I say, between breathless sobs.
“Well, yeah.” Nathan frowns. “None of this would have happened if you hadn’t come into the picture.”
He’s right. I’m to blame. If anything happens to Faye, I will never forgive myself. I sit down in her desk chair, head in my hands, letting the tears cascade. Time seems to stand still as I sink into my agony. All the wasted time, all the missed opportunities to be with my sister, and now she might never come home.
I feel a hand on my shoulder. “Sorry, Claire.” Nathan is standing over me. “That was unnecessary. I’m just stressed out.” He looks down on me with a tight-lipped smile.
I take his hand and give it a squeeze.
The sound of his phone ringing breaks our silence.
He picks up and listens to the person on the other end. “Oh my God. When?” I search his face for clues. “Yes, of course, we’ll be right there.”
He’s already striding from the room as he hangs up.
“They’ve found her in the middle of a road. She’s being taken to the hospital.”
I am up and out of the chair like a shot.
“Let’s go,” he calls over his shoulder.
CHAPTER 58
FAYE
An insistent beeping stirs me. It’s quick, like the thumping of my heart. I can feel fingers on the back of my head, yanking me back. No. There’s nothing there. The surface beneath me is soft.
I sit up and open my eyes.
Then I notice my surroundings. I look around, attempting to piece it all together. The room is white. Sterile. It smells like bleach. There is somebody here with me.
I strain my eyes and then I see her.
My dark half.
“Are you me?” I ask, starting to cry because I don’t understand.
I feel like I’m looking in a mirror.
“Faye?” She moves towards me. “I’m Claire. I’m your sister.”
She’s not my reflection. She’s my sister. My twin.
I watch as tears fall down her face.
“I can’t believe it,” I say. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“I’ve been looking for you too.” She wipes tears from her cheeks and sniffs. “I should get a doctor?—”
I grab her hand. “Not yet. I want you all to myself.”
