MAMA

The first thing she felt was sharp bitter cold.

Not the cold of concrete or cold blood, instead it was like sharp winter cold specifically for the North pole.

‘Is Hell cold?’

‘Wasn’t hell supposed to be hot?’ Zoe wondered.

Then she heard a sound she knew so well it lived in her chest.

 ‘Mama.’ 

Zoe’s eyes flew open.

Pale yellow walls hit her eyes causing her to shrink instinctively.

But this yellow was different. No, it wasn’t the peeling color in the room where she was being brutally molested a second ago, it felt weirdly familiar.

Zoe had not seen this color in a room in years.

This was the same color in her parents' estate house, the pale yellow walls she had complained about at seventeen and quietly loved every year after. The curtain was the old one, cream with small embroidered birds her grandmother had chosen. Morning light came through it, soft on her face.

What the ----

Zoe bolted upright, her head spinning as a massive headache slammed into her.

“Ow” she winced and then her eyes widened in surprise.

Her voice sounded ----- normal.

She took a deep breath in, closing her eyes.

Was her mind playing dirty tricks on her?

The goal was to die and ask for her parents’ and son’s forgiveness.

If she couldn’t protect them in this life, she shouldn’t have brought death to their doorstep.

Slowly, she raised her hand to the side of her head, not knowing what to expect.

A bloddied head from attempting to take her own life?

Or a wrapped head at a failed attempt to take her life?

Smooth silk.

Zoe’s eyes shot open in surprise as her hands met smooth silk.

What was that?

She yanked the material off her head to see a bonnet flung across the bedcovers.

She swallowed tightly. She’d recognise that bonnet anywhere. It was one of the few things her younger sister had given her few weeks before her wedding stating there was only one in the world to celebrate her being the only perfect Zoe in the world.

‘Why was it on her head now?’ Zoe’s thoughts were running faster than her blood pressure.

‘What kind of sick joke was Brooke playing at? Did that family choose to humiliate her further by creating a version of when she was free? The same colors of the bedroom in her father’s estate, one hundred percent soft cotton for bed covers and the hair bonnet that had her sister’s memories all over it.’

How could she fail in this one thing?

‘Die and make up with my family. Although seeing the way everyone made an effort, I should have probably united with my Dad in hell.’ Zoe wondered.

BANG!

The door was kicked open and Zoe shut her eyes instinctively refusing to let the Madam or the workers of the house feast on her failed suicide.

A long leg stretched itself bringing a face that mirrored Zoe’s.

She stood tall at six foot-one inch, long legs making up for the absence of every other curves in her life, but her face card was absolutely valid.

She raised her eyebrows at Zoe’s figure shaking quietly on the bed, eyes tightly shut.

“Are you praying? You haven’t been to church in weeks.” her lips curled upward.

Zoe’s eyes flew open sharply at the sound of that familiar voice.

The familiar face of her younger sister - Chloe - stared right back at her grinning sheepishly.

Normally, Zoe would have clocked Chloe’s sheepish smile in an instant, but nothing was normal about the situation.

Her sister - Chloe- was a model and a spokesperson for a very popular brand allowing her to earn outside their naturally large allowance, but her end hadn’t been pretty either.

Hazel eyes with an excited twinkle stared right back at her, her thin lips widening from one corner to the other.

‘Maybe, I’m hallucinating my preferred memories before death. Some people said you see your life rush like a movie blur, maybe that’s what this is.’ She thought.

“Look Ada, I know you’re very particular about your clothes but really Nicholas is hosting a groundbreaking party for his new yacht and he invited me. Naturally, I can’t afford to look like something that stepped out of last season nor do I want to look like those new money that buy every trending design, so I’m giving you the opportunity to help me.” The sheepish smile remained on Chloe’s face as she tiptoed to the walk in closet opening it with a flourish.

‘Groundbreaking ceremony for a yacht on water. Where’s the ground?’ The words sat on the tip of Zoe’s tongue but she said nothing, shocked at how the hallucination felt so real.

Chloe was still rambling, “See, I want a dress that says luxury without effort, yes, effortless luxury. But it still has to turn heads.” She stopped short, walking out of the walk-in closet and walked to the bed.

“Why aren’t you saying something?” Her fingers brushed against the bonnet Zoe threw away minutes ago and threw it back on the bed.

Zoe’s eyes bulged into saucers.

‘What just happened?’

‘What kind of hallucination is so real?’ 

“I don’t know why you’re fidgeting. Is it --- what do they call it again? Umm-- Wedding jitters?”

“Your wedding isn’t until a couple of weeks. Can it begin this early?” She muttered and walked back into the closet.

Zoe reached for the bonnet feeling the smooth silk brush against her fingertips when her eyes fell on her hands.

No bruising across the knuckles where the workers of that place had stepped on them three nights ago.

A surprised gasp leaves her throat drowning Chloe’s voice still speaking from the closet.

She pressed her palm flat against her chest waiting. 

Her ribs did not hurt. 

Her head slowly turned to the small mirror she’d always hung by her bedside.

Chloe sashayed back into the room breaking Zoe’s eye focus and turning it back to herself.

A floor length flowing gown hung from her hand, the blush pink color looking like a siren’s favoured color under the golden light. 

“Let’s look at this logically, shall we? You got the dress from a designer and you are yet to wear it once. This means that you don’t care about the dress that much to wear it or you care about me so much that I won’t be embarrassed at Nicholas ground-breaking yacht party.

Secondly, the dress reaches the floor on you with heels, so, give or take, I’m assuming it’ll reach me around the ankles. I’ll skip the heels, and wear a padded bra to fill the bust area.” Chloe said, her eyes gauging the expression of her elder sister.

She shifted on her heels seeing the incredulous expression that Zoe had all over her face.

“Fine, I’ll tell the truth.” She huffed.

“The dress is from Muort. I would be saving face big time and Zen will be there. I have to get his attention!!” She whined.

Zoe stared at her younger sister, unwilling to believe but still hoping this strange phenomenon was true.

That she was back in time.

“Wha -- wha --” her voice cracked, tears welling in her throat.

“What do you think you’re doing?”