The Bedroom

Approximately 411 square ft room equipped with a private bathroom. A pristine color of white painted on the wall with several tone-down interiors to create a warm and bright template.

There were crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, a velvet light pink curtain covering the floor-to-ceiling windows, and a king-size bed against the wall with hanging translucent screen.

A walking closet connected to the room, filled with branded clothes ranging from dresses to everyday wear, along with limited-edition bags and shoes as well as jewelries.

A flat screen was plastered on the wall right beside the closet door, coffee table by the white leather couch, and the soft touch of ash grey carpet grazing the sole of her feet every time she sat there watching the scenery of the outside with eyes akin to a lover's gaze.

It was a beautiful view of rose garden in spring and red osmanthus by autumn, fluttering softly in the air in early winter. And when the snow hit the ground, she would draw on the glass from the dew left by the coldness of winter.

The trees and its dry branches were her backdrop and she would picture people strolling around. It was always people, because that was what she dreamt of in her sleep, standing in the middle of the crowd, listening to all the chattering and the laughter.

Not a lonely tree standing in the pile of snow or the whistling of the wind that spoke of silent cry.

If she were to be asked, she would tell the whole story and say it would be spring when the leaves turned green and the flowers blossomed or the sun-kissed of summer when it became warmer bit by bit.

However, as the sun set and reality settled in, her stories became just a dream, her words a lie, and her hope a deathly poison.

Then time passed and the only thing left that she could still find joy in was a cup of Assam tea in the morning to wake her into reality, Darjeeling by afternoon to help her breathe for the rest of the day, and Ceylon tea at night to let her love the serenity more by its bitter-sweet taste as she quenched her thirst to shed her tears all over again.

The sunlight fell onto the bed, showering the young lady sleeping under the blanket with its warm touch. Her eyebrows slowly scrunched up by the brightness of morning. Feeling uncomfortable, she rolled to the other side of the bed, avoiding the light.

As soon as she eased into her position, an earthly scent with a hint of mandarine, strong but slightly fresh with nice deep tones invaded her nose. At first, the fragrance was faint but it slowly built up, pervading the air around her.

The young lady furrowed her eyebrows. Her eyelashes fluttered softly as her eyelids opened up bit by bit, revealing a pair of deep blue eyes from beneath them.

She blinked once, twice, as her consciousness began to gather and her vision clearing. What greeted her was a white flowery tray carrying a porcelain tea set and a plate filled with scones, croissants, and two piece of toasts along with butter and strawberry jam on the side.

A piece of note sat at the edge of the bedside table. It wrote, "Good morning, sweetheart" and a smiley face beneath the sentence.

She stared blankly at the arrangement on the table. For a good five minutes, it was a complete silence with only the sound of wind blowing into the room through the open window and the fluttering of curtains.

However, a second later, her heart slammed against her chest. It was beating fast like a galloping horse. She bolted right up and scanned the whole room.

As her eyes lied on every single details of the room, her heartbeats grew louder and louder. Her clenched fist tightened while beads of perspiration trickled down her forehead.

In her heart, there stirred a quiet pain from a rotten scar that gradually began to tear up once again. It was bleeding, dripping slowly, as the fear crept in.

Ivy got down from the bed with trembling feet. She walked in baby-steps towards the window. Her whole body was shaking as she gazed at the scenery outside.

The roses were blooming madly in red. Their bold color glaring at her as if they were taunting her.

Ivy's breathing became erratic. She was in the verge of breaking down when suddenly, her eyes caught a faint of blue shadow from the window glass.

Her eyebrows knitted together. She held her breath as she turned around. Surprised wasn't even enough to describe how Ivy felt right now. She was in deep shock as she faced this gorgeous young lady in front of her with the same pair of sapphire eyes as her.

Same dark hair, same complexion, and same features.

Ivy whipped her head around the room in confusion. The lady smiled at her.

"You're dreaming again," the lady said.

"W-What?" Ivy stuttered.

The lady tilted her head as her eyes stared deeply at Ivy as if she was digging into her soul.

"Who are you?"

The lady raised an eyebrow. "Who else?"

"Huh?"

"I'm you."

Ivy became speechless. "Is this a joke?"

The lady snorted. She shook her head. "No."

"Okay, I'm dreaming. Thank you for the confirmation," Ivy said. All her fear had now long gone.

The lady giggled. "I told you so," she said, "Ivy."

Ivy raised an eyebrow. She stared at this girl in front of her who looked exactly like her with complicated feelings. What in the world was she dreaming about?

"You think this is weird," her twin said.

"No," Ivy replied, "Instead, I think I have gone completely insane."

Ivy scanned her twin from her head to toe hoping to find some differences between them which she failed to. "I'm dreaming of me talking to myself. If this is not me going mad, I don't know what this is."

Her twin shrugged. "Narcissist?"

"Oh...thank you for pointing that up."

She giggled. "Relax. I'm you but not completely you."

Ivy blinked her eyes in confusion. The twin pointed at Ivy. "You are Elizabeth." She raised her eyebrows. "....or Ivy. But me..."

She smiled. "I'm Alyssa Young."

Ivy didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She really needed to wake up now. Seriously, what in the world is going on with her head?

"Alyssa from the past."

In that instant, Ivy was stumped for words. She stared blankly at Alyssa. The mention of "past" drove Ivy into deep silence once again. There was unknown horror in her eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

The edge of Alyssa's lips curled into a smirk. "The Alyssa who belonged to 'him'."

Ivy eyes widened. She was about to say something when Alyssa disappeared. "What?" Ivy looked around the room as she searched for her presence.

"Do you remember?"

Ivy turned her head towards the couch. There Alyssa was, reclining on the couch in her black lingerie. Her lipstick was bright red and her smoky eye make-up set the tone of an alluring woman.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ivy said. Her voice cracking up. "Of course I do." A drop of tears rolled down her cheek. "I always remember."

Alyssa stared at Ivy with profound gaze. "No, you don't."

She stood up from the couch. The lingerie accentuated her slender figure and sensual curve. She stopped in front of Ivy. "Not completely."

"You remember this bedroom," said Alyssa as her eyes roamed around the room.

Ivy followed her gaze. Yes, she did remember.

When Alyssa eyes returned to Ivy again, Ivy could see the vivid pain in her eyes but also, a hint of boiling madness. "But you don't recall everything about this room."

She stressed the word 'everything'.

"There are some missing pieces. Well, only few of them. Not that it was any important. But still, that means you've forgotten," she stopped. Alyssa pointed at Ivy's chest. "On the other hand, the fear, you remember it clearly. At least your body do."

Her word was like a bell that struck Ivy's brain and zapped her heart like an electrifying wave. Her heart drummed furiously as it squeezed her chest. A buzzing sound resounded in her head.

Alyssa walked around Ivy and whispered from her back, "The heartbeats, they're not just fear but..."

"What?" Ivy asked in her trembling voice as she tried to withstand the acute pain throbbing in her head.

"Anger."

Ivy held her breath.

"And hatred. A deep grudge," Alyssa said through her gritted teeth, "To the point of insanity."

"Feel it, Elizabeth. Let it in," she continued to whisper, "I know...you can't take the guilt. You can't handle the pain. And that is the reason why I exist."

Ivy slowly turned around. Her cheeks was wet with tears. Alyssa softly wiped away her tears.

"I'll take it away...everything..."

As soon as Alyssa finished her sentence, a sound of familiar footsteps were heard from outside the bedroom. The person was approaching the door. With every step he took, Ivy heart beat a second faster.

She couldn't understand why but she was terrified. She was extremely scared as if this moment right now was an impending doom looming before her.

When the sound of footsteps came to a halt, Ivy heart was in her throat as she stared at the door. Her whole body shaking. Cold sweat drenched her clothes as it stuck onto her skin. Her face was drained of colors.

With a click, the door was swing opened. At the same time, Ivy's brain shut down. She collapsed onto the floor. Her vision was engulfed into a complete darkness.