“So… why are you here?” Rebecca asked. “Since the door didn’t open, I didn’t notice someone had walked in.”
“I see…”
“Are you here for shopping?” Rebecca chuckled softly. “Or to haunt the store?”
“Umm…”
“Hey…” Rebecca asked in a whisper, “Can anyone else see you, or are you invisible to others?”
“I am only visible to you.”
“I see. So I better talk to you in a way it seems that I am talking to myself. Oh! I just got an idea!”
Rebecca took out her wired earphones and plugged them into the 3.5mm jack.
“Now it will seem as though I am talking to someone on the phone.”
“Yes… Umm… so… Rudy is currently at the—”
“Wait, wait. I don’t want to know what he is doing. He is an adult, and he has all the freedom he needs in the world. Also, you didn’t answer my question, why are you here?” she asked with a curious look on her face.
“I was watching movies on Rudy’s phone and…” Angelica showed Rebecca the photo of Rudy with Rebecca, Jessica, and Lilim.
“…!” Rebecca’s face immediately turned pale, and she thought Angelica had come to her for answers. She would gladly tell her everything, but she couldn’t do that without Rudy’s permission.
“You shouldn’t sniff around someone’s phone, you know?” Rebecca remarked, acting normally.
Angelica pointed her finger at the kid Rebecca and asked, “This is you, right?”
Rebecca’s eyes widened after hearing that.
“H-How could that be me? You can see Rudy as he is now, so I should also be—”
“This picture is from the past when he time traveled to 1989.” Angelica interrupted Rebecca and continued, “I know he went to the past.”
“Of course…”
“So this is you, right?”
“Yes,” Rebecca nodded.
Angelica then moved her finger to kid Lilim and asked, “And this is Lilim?”
“…yes…”
Ultimately, she moved her finger to Jessica and asked, “And this is—”
“I think you should ask that to Rudy yourself. I don’t want to get involved in something I have no knowledge of.”
“I was just going to ask who this girl is.”
“That is… my sister.”
“I thought so. Where is she now?”
“She… she died.”
“I see. Do you miss her?”
“Every day,” Rebecca replied instantly.
“What would you do if you found that she is somehow alive?”
“I don’t know.”
“What if she appears in front of you, but she has lost her memories and forgotten everything?”
Angelica’s questions weren’t vague anymore, as if she wasn’t even trying to hide anything.
“I would… talk with her.”
“Would you…” Angelica paused for a second and hesitantly asked, “Would you still… consider her your sister even when she has changed completely and become a different person?”
“Of course. Even if she doesn’t remember me or recognize me, she will still be my sister, no matter what happens. Even if she steals the man I love from me or if she hates me.”
“I don’t hate you!” Angelica retorted immediately.
“You are not going to deny stealing my man, eh?” Rebecca grinned slightly.
“At that time, I didn’t know he was your man.”
“So, had you known, you wouldn’t have laid your hands on him?” she asked with a judging look on her face.
“Maybe in a different way.”
Rebecca smiled slightly and calmly asked, “Did you get your memories back after looking at the pictures of our past?”
“No… it’s a long story.”
“What matters is that you remember everything now.”
“Well… yes. I wonder how Rudy will react.”
“I wonder too, but I know for sure that he would feel apologetic for not telling you about your past.”
“Why? I mean, what was he supposed to tell me? And to be honest… I don’t think I would have believed him if he had told me that you were my sister and all. It would have come with a shock.”
“He was trying to make you remember rather than telling you. He must have felt nervous when he introduced you to me. Wondering whether it would trigger your memories or not.”
“I…” Angelica lowered her gaze and muttered, “I am sorry for yelling at you and saying all those mean things to you earlier in the evening.”
“It’s fine. I never took them seriously. I guess… I simply wanted an excuse to talk with you more…” she muttered. “But I was serious about what I said, though.”
“Yea…h…” she smiled nervously. “Do you… hate me?”
“Why?”
“Because you know… Rudy and I…”
“If it’s about your relationship with him, then I don’t care. Rudy didn’t remember or even know of your existence, while you didn’t know anything, either. Also, I am sure you had seen me many times after you started living in his body, and if that didn’t trigger your memories, interacting with me wouldn’t have done anything either.
Moreover, you lived in the same house, so if anything was supposed to happen, it would have happened a long time ago.”
“It just feels… weird, you know? I am Angelica, and Jessica too. We both had different thoughts about the process. I am a… well, a pervert, while Jessica wasn’t that much of a pervert.”
“I don’t think it’s about personalities. I don’t know Angelica that well yet, but I am damn sure there is no difference between the two of you. You both are the same. What you are referring to is your memories.
You are confused. You don’t know who to act like; Jessica or Angelica. You have to choose whom you want to continue living as. But I am sure the memories will settle sooner or later, and you won’t have trouble thinking about that.”
“Maybe you are right. I think of myself as Angelica, who was once Jessica. My feelings are a bit messy because of the memories, though.
Like, I was the one who encouraged Rudy to make moves on you, but thinking about it as Jessica… I feel conflicted. I feel… embarrassed for suggesting something like that.”
While Angelica and Rebecca were talking, a couple of cars stopped in front of the store, and armed men came out of the vehicles.
