She stares at her reflection in the mirror, searching for an answer. Looking up at the clock, she sighs. She is definitely going to be late if she doesn’t leave in the next 30 mins. In the shower she can’t help but feel that gnawing sensation, like a heavy weight on her shoulders. It’s been eating at her for the past 2 weeks and making her feel as though she’s going insane. Slipping into her white evening gown she thinks about her speech once more. Having rewrote and practiced it so many times, she could practically recite it in her sleep. That’s if she’d actually been able to get any. The past few nights consisted of cold sweats and staring at the ceiling for hours on end. She chalked it up to nerves but deep down she knew it had to be something more. Taking a deep breath, she puts the finishing touches on her hair thinking aloud to herself, “Stay positive, this is your night.” Grabbing her keys and wristlet, she is about to head out the door when something stops her.
That gnawing feeling returns and she yells “Please, just leave me alone!” Her voice resonates through the walls of the empty house. Taking a step towards the front door, she notices something flicker from the corner of her eye. She gasps as the very thing she’d been hoping to avoid all night appears before her.
“You won’t get rid of me that easily, but you knew that already.” A sinister smile forms on the pale shimmering figure of a woman bearing a striking resemblance. Ava takes a step back as tears begin to roll down her cheeks. She shuts her eyes and she reopens them to find the ghostly figure has vanished.
In the limo she uses all willpower to try and focus on her speech, and is relieved when the limo finally pulls up to the venue. Ava forces a smile as she stops for photos and people congratulate her. Sneaking a glance at her phone, she breathes a sigh of relief. 15 minutes to spare before she must go on stage in front of thousands of people. That also meant she had 15 minutes to get her bearings and look as though she had not just seen a ghost.
Making her way to the bathroom, she bumps into her manager. “Ava you’ve got to be on stage soon, where are you going?” So much for trying to be discreet, she thinks. “I just need to make a quick phone call.” Before Ashley could try and talk her out of it, she makes a beeline for the door marked ‘Ladies Room’, grateful that’s it vacant. She gazes in the mirror and stifles a scream. The ghostly woman stands behind her.
Ava’s fear slowly turns to anger, enough was enough. “What do you want from me?” Meant to sound bitter and harsh, it comes out as barely a whisper. “I’m here to show you what you’ve been missing”, the woman responds. Everything goes dark and Ava is being transported through a different space and time. Trying to catch her breath, she looks around to see she is now in a hospital room staring at a woman holding two twin newborn girls. The woman is telling the doctor the names she’d like to have put on the birth certificate- Ava and Nevaeh.
The ground shifts and she is once again transported. Familiarity surrounds her as Ava is now in the house she grew up in. She can hear her parents voices solemnly speaking in the living room. She catches bits and pieces as she gets closer until she can hear the words clear as day, “Why did she have to die? Why couldn’t I be playing with both my baby girls right now?” She sobs into her husbands shoulder.
Ava is transported once more and she finds herself in a field filled with daisies. Confusion, sadness and millions of thoughts fill her. “My whole life, I’ve always felt like something was missing and I could never figure out what or why.” She turns to her twin. “Why now? I mean why present yourself at this point in my life when everything is going so well?” Nevaeh stares straight ahead but her expression remains passive. “It’s time for me to move on, I’ve been stuck in this in-between place for 25 years. There was this overwhelming desire to stay connected to you, see you grow up and accomplish your dreams. Now I can go in peace knowing you’ll be ok, but I couldn’t go without letting you know who I am. I’m so proud of you. And don’t be angry at mom and dad, they just wanted to protect you. You’ll continue to do great, I know you will. I love you sis.” Ava turns to speak but Nevaeh is no longer there.
She looks around to see that she is back in the restroom. She takes a deep breath and it’s as though the heavy weight on her shoulders has been lifted. She smiles as she takes one last look in the mirror. She no longer needs the speech she’s spent months trying to prepare, trying to find the right words to describe the puzzle that has become her life, she now has all the inspiration she needs to speak from the heart.
She has found the missing piece.

Copyright 2015 Christiana Parisien