Author: Editor

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There are moments you never recover from. Moments that cut so deep, you feel them in everything you do. For me, it happened six years ago, in a hospital room filled with the sound of beeping, shouted orders, and my own heartbeat in my ears. I went into labor with twins, Junie and Eliza. Except… only one made it out alive. They told me my baby didn’t make it. Complications, they said, as if that explained the empty space in my arms. I never even got to see her. There are moments you never recover from. We named her Eliza in whispers, a name carried like a secret between my husband, Michael, and me. But as the years dragged on, the grief changed us. Michael left, unable to live with my sadness, or maybe his own. So it became just the two of us: me and Junie, and the invisible shadow of the daughter I’d never known. The first day of first grade felt like a fresh start. Junie marched up the sidewalk, pigtails swinging, and I waved, praying she’d make friends. I spent the day cleaning, trying to scrub off my nerves. The grief changed us. “Relax, Phoebe,” I said out loud. “June-bug’s going to be just fine.” That afternoon, I barely had time to set down the sponge before the front door slammed. Junie burst in, backpack half open, cheeks flushed. “Mom! Tomorrow you have to pack one more lunchbox!” I blinked, rinsing soap from my hands. “One more? Why, sweetheart? Did Mommy not pack enough?” She tossed her backpack onto the floor and rolled her eyes, like I should already know. “For my sister.” A jolt of confusion ran through me. “Your… sister? Honey, you know you’re my only girl.” “Tomorrow you have to pack one more lunchbox!” Junie shook her head stubbornly. For a moment, she looked just like Michael. “No, Mom. I’m not. I met my sister today. Her name’s Lizzy.” I fought to stay calm. “Lizzy, huh? Is she new at school?” “Yes! She sits right next to me!” Junie was already fishing in her backpack. “And she looks like me. Like… the same. Except her hair is parted on the other side.” A strange chill ran down my back. “What does she like for lunch, baby?” “She said peanut butter and jelly,” Junie said. “But she said she’s never had it at school before. She liked that you put more jelly than her mom.” “I met my sister today. Her name’s Lizzy.” “Is that so?” I asked. Then Junie’s face brightened. “Oh! Want to see a picture? I used the camera like you said!” I’d bought her one of those little pink disposable film cameras for her first day. I thought it’d be fun, and help her make memories. And that I could make a scrapbook for her later. She handed me the camera, so proud of herself. “Ms. Kelsey helped take a photo of us. Lizzy was shy! Ms. Kelsey asked if we were sisters.” I scrolled through the photos. There they were, two little girls by the cubbies, matching eyes, same curly hair, and even similar freckles just under their left eyes. Junie’s face brightened. I nearly dropped the camera. “Honey, did you know Lizzy before today?” She shook her head. “Nope. But she said we should be friends, since we look the same. Mom, can she come over for a playdate? She said her mom walks her to school, but maybe next time you could meet her?” I tried to keep my tone steady. “Maybe, baby. We’ll see.” *** That night, I sat on the couch staring at the photo, heart thudding, hope and dread battling in my chest. But deep down, I already knew, somehow, this was only the beginning. “But she said we should be friends, since we look the same.” The next morning, I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles ached. Junie babbled about her teacher and “Lizzy’s favorite color” the whole way, completely oblivious. The school parking lot was chaos, cars, kids, and parents waving. Junie squeezed my hand as we walked toward the entrance. “There she is!” she whispered, eyes wide. “Where?” Junie pointed. “By the big tree, Mom! See? That’s her mom, and that lady’s with them again!” “There she is!” I followed my daughter’s gaze and my breath caught. A little girl, Junie’s mirror image, stood by a woman in a navy coat. The woman’s face was tight, watching us. My stomach knotted. And then, just behind them was a woman I thought I’d never see again. Marla, the nurse. She was older, but there was no way I’d forget those eyes. She lingered like a shadow. I tugged gently on Junie’s hand. “Come on, you need to run along, baby.” She skipped off, calling, “Bye, Mom!” Lizzie ran toward her, instantly whispering secrets. I followed my daughter’s gaze. I forced myself across the grass, my pulse thudding in my ears. “Marla?” My voice shook. “What are you doing here?” Marla jumped, her eyes darting away. “Phoebe… I —” Before she could finish, the woman in the navy coat stepped forward. “You must be Junie’s mother,” she said quietly. “I’m Suzanne. We… we need to talk.” I stared at her, my fury and fear fighting for space. “How long have you known, Suzanne?” “What are you doing here?” Her face crumpled. “Two years. Lizzy needed blood after an accident, and my husband and I weren’t matches. I started digging. I found the altered record.” “Two years,” I repeated. “You had two years to knock on my door.” “I know.” “No. You had two years to stop being afraid, and you chose yourself every single day.” Suzanne flinched. “I confronted Marla. She begged me not to tell. And I let her. I told myself I was protecting Lizzy, but I was protecting myself. Marla comes around sometimes.” My throat burned. “While I buried my daughter in my head every night.” “I found the altered record.” Suzanne’s eyes filled. “Yes. And my fear cost you your daughter.” I turned to Marla, my voice thick with anger. “You took my daughter from me.” Her lower lip shook. “It was chaos, Phoebe. I made a mistake. And instead of fixing it, I lied. I’m sorry. I am so, so sorry.” We stood in the morning sun, the truth between us at last, with witnesses all around and nothing left to hide. My vision blurred. “You let me mourn my child for six years. And you let me do it while she was alive.” Suzanne stepped closer, her face twisting in pain. “I love her. I’m not her mother, not really, but I couldn’t let go. I’m sorry, Phoebe. I’m so, so sorry.” “You took my daughter from me.” I didn’t know what to do with her grief. But it did nothing to excuse what she’d done. For a long moment, no one spoke. The sounds of the schoolyard faded, and all I could see was the last six years:

Junie’s second birthday, me, in the kitchen late at night, icing one cake and then freezing, hand trembling as I…