The Swan in the Water

Chapter Eight

Liana woke up the next morning expecting to run down to meet her parents but was surprised to find her back in her bed in Aunt Darcy's estate. Was it all a dream? It was way too lifelike for Liana to have imagine it all. Every detail was too real. The tastes, the smells...that couldn't have been a dream. Liana shook her head in disbelief, tears streaming down her face. Did Liana fall victim to an illusion again? Why is her mind so weak? Why does she fall so easily to the traps created by her imagination?

"They're dead..." Liana whispered to herself, trying to reinforce the fact that they are. Then a thought strikes her mind. The only way she find out if this truly happened in the first place is if she asks the person who made it happen: Anaille. Liana wiped her tears and tried to get up from bed. Her legs were a little weak from not using them in the past few days so they gave out under her. Liana sighed in defeat then got back in bed. After a few minutes of silence, there was a knock on the bedroom door. "Come in."

"Good morning, Liana," Aunt Darcy greeted as she entered the room with a tray of food. Liana didn't say a word. Aunt Darcy sighed then sat down.

"You were a lot more talkative yesterday...You at least said, 'good morning'..." Liana immediately looked up at her aunt. Yesterday? Had a day passed? She doesn't remember saying good morning or much of anything to Aunt Darcy yesterday.

"What else did I say?" Liana asked. Aunt Darcy chuckled for the first time since Liana's been here.

"Did falling in a frozen lake cause you to lose your memory?" Liana frowned at Aunt Darcy's tasteless joke.

"No," Liana said an extremely bitter tone, "I been dipping in and out consciousness so days are blurring together." Aunt Darcy must have bought that then felt guilty because she then released an almost pitiful sigh.

"I don't remember much myself," Aunt Darcy hummed in thought, "but I'm getting old. I do remember colors being the topic..."

"Colors?"

"Yes," Aunt Darcy confirmed as she poured some tea. "You had told me your favorite color was lilac."

"Did I?" It was true. Liana's favorite color was lilac but how come she didn't remember telling Aunt Darcy that?

"You did." Aunt Darcy handed Liana a cup. "I say it was very peculiar behavior coming from you." Liana sipped her tea.

"Do you suppose the lake is still frozen?" Liana asked idly.

"I don't know," Aunt Darcy answered, "why?"

"I think I what to try my hand at it again..." If Liana could see Aunt Darcy's face, it would have been contorted into an expression that would have suggested Liana grew another head.

"Have you gone mad, child?" Aunt Darcy took her black glove by middle finger's tip and placed the back of her hand on Liana's forehead. "You do have a fever..." Aunt Darcy mumbled before standing up.

"I'm fine, Aunt Darcy."

"No, you're not," Aunt Darcy said before leaving the room. Liana rolled her eyes then got out of bed. After a few minutes of struggling, Liana got herself dressed and walked outside to the lake. The lake was still somewhat frozen, although it was only a paper thin layer over the surface.

"Anaille?" Liana called, expecting something to happen. When nothing did, tears starting streaming down her face. It was all her imagination. It was all a dream, a lucid dream. How could this happen? How could she be so stupid? Liana's tears fell into the lake, cracking the ice and rippling her reflection.

"If you are going to cry about disappointment you come across in life," a familiar voice began, "I'm going to hate the floods you'll create." Liana looked down to where the voice was coming and, lo and behold, where Liana's reflection should be was Anaille with a peeved expression and crossed arms.

"Anaille!" Liana said in an excited voice. "I was beginning to think that you weren't real."

"I'm as real as you want me to be," Anaille answered vaguely.

"I wanted to thank you," Liana said, bypassing Anaille's statement, "for allowing me to see my parents again."

"Oh?" Anaille said, raising her eyebrows, "Did you say goodbye?"

"I..."Liana frowned. Wasn't that the point of seeing her parents again in the first place? "No, I didn't." Anaille shrugged.

"I guess greeting and bidding farewell isn't your forte..."

"How do you figure?" Liana asked.

"You are incredibly cruel to your aunt," Anaille explained. "You can't give her the silent treatment forever."

"Actually yes, I can," Liana countered, "and speaking of which, I don't remember talking to Aunt Darcy yesterday about colors, of all things, but she does. Can you explain that?" Anaille gave a small laugh.

"I gave you a chance to see your parents again in another timeline," She explained, "however, this timeline still exist so you don't remember it because it wasn't you."

"Excuse me?" Liana said, "So that was you?"

"Naturally."

"Naturally?" Liana said, raising her voice a bit. "You can't just do that!"

"Excuse me?" Anaille said, getting more annoyed. "Who just allowed you to see and say goodbye to your dead parents which you messed up anyway? Besides, what harm does it do to actually say something to the lonely woman?"

"Don't make me try to pity her," Liana said. 

"What do you have against your aunt?"

"She hates my mother..."

"And you hate her?"

"No," Liana said quietly, "I can't hate her. She's still family. I just don't like her." Anaille nodded in understanding.

"Well, if knew the whole story," Anaille offered, "you would understand that your aunt's hatred is well justified." Liana furrowed her brows.

"Justified?" Liana repeated in contempt, "What could possibly justify hating your own flesh and blood?" Anaille shrugged.

"Why don't you ask?" Anaille suggested.

"Who? Aunt Darcy?" Liana asked, "I doubt she'll ever tell me."

"Ask your mother."

"What?" Liana said confused. "How could I do that? She's..." Anaille smiled.

"The price is still the same, Liana," Anaille said. "And perhaps you can actually say goodbye."

"That's twenty years..."Liana said aloud.

"I'm glad you can count," Anaille said as she clapped in mock praise. "Perhaps you can finally learn the story."

"Twenty years is entirely too much," Liana stated, "and you seem to know the story. Why can't you tell me?"

"It's something you learn on your own. Go find out or ask."

"But twenty years!" Liana exclaimed. Anaille shrugged.

"Suit yourself," she said before her image in the lake rippled then vanished, appearing at Liana's reflection. "Come get me when you're ready to make a deal..." Liana then sighed in defeat then kick her foot in the water.