The rose on my dresser drawer finally died. Its petals shriveled up and it breathed in and out one last time. It inhaled the pizza leftovers in the Papa John’s cardboard box and my sister’s  cotton candy body fragrance. In utter silence, it puffed one more time and collapsed on the drawer, leaving behind a pile of ashy, red petals.

Sweet Child O’ Mine plays in the background

My clorox wipe stops midway as I reach across the room to pick up the phone. A deep, disgruntled voice says, Hello?

Soap suds slither down my right hand and I’m tempted to switch hands, but I have a slight fear that in that second, you’ll hang up the phone.

Hello. May I ask who you are? The line goes silent on the other end.

***
It’s been two years since that phone call.

Although people have hung up on me before, that phone call replayed in my mind every now and then. That voice… It sounded so familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. I can’t quite place my finger on it though.

“Paying with cash or credit?” The cashier man continues to wiggle his fingers as though he were counting the seconds passing by.

Uh oh. I promised myself I would stop pondering over that phone call.

“Um cash is fine,” I chirp.

Shoving two worn out twenties into his gnarly hands, I grab the two, plastic grocery bags and am swallowed by the swarm of people.

“Aubrey! Aubrey! Aubrey!” The distant name calling rings in my ear.

I’m standing in the hellish parking lot. People scatter around and cars blast with music. Just when I feel as though I can’t take it anymore, a hand pulls on my shoulder and I nearly fall backwards.

I lift up my head ever so slightly to meet the gaze of a guy. He seems about my age but he’s tall. A lot taller than me and his eyes… They’re a deep, crystal blue and I just can’t stop staring.

“Sorry, didn’t mean for you to take such a fall,” he abruptly says.

“Yeah, whatever.” I pretend not to take interest, but he’s exactly my type. Well built, tall, dark haired…

“Aubrey, I’ve been looking for you since you disappeared twelve years ago.” His brows furrow and his face is overshadowed with concern.

“Um, you’ve got the wrong person. My name’s not Aubrey and if you could move, I’ll be on my way.” It was pathetic that I actually thought that this guy was interested in me.

Gripping my groceries in one hand, I ambled towards my truck, a cheap, worn out chevron. I could make out the silhouette of a person behind me and I knew the guy was right behind me.

“Just show me something to prove you’re not Aubrey. I swear you look exactly like her.”

Without glancing back, I place my hand in my bag and shuffle around for my Driver’s Ed card.

“Here. My name’s clearly printed as Avery, not Aubrey.” I point at the printed name and the guy’s face falls.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been calling you and trying to contact you because I thought you were someone who disappeared a long time ago.” He runs his hand through his hair and clears his throat.

Glancing downwards, he reaches into the back pocket of his Levi’s and produces a folded piece of paper. The ends are frayed and it smells of cigarettes. Reluctantly, I unfold the piece of paper.

“Hey, take a deep breath. I know that’s what I thought at first too.” He wraps his arm around my shoulder as I am at a loss for words.

The page was printed from a local missing kids website. Across the top was the name “Aubrey Smith” with the face of a young, blonde haired child in pigtails holding a lollipop. At the bottom was an age enhanced photo of the girl.

There was no mistaking it.

That girl was me. The mole on the upper lip was the same and the dimple was in the same exact position… She was a clone of me.

To further confirm my fears, the girl in pigtails looked so familiar because it was the same photo hanging in my living room.

My whole life had been a lie.

From the day I turned six, I had grown up with a fake name, a fake mom, a fake house… Everything I knew as my life was a total lie.