She shook her head firmly, stubborn in a way that reminded me so much of Michael.
“No, Mom. I met her today. Her name is Lizzy.”
I forced myself to stay calm. “Lizzy? Is she a new student?”
“Yes! She sits right next to me,” Junie said excitedly, digging through her bag. “And she looks exactly like me. The only difference is her hair is parted the other way.”
A cold feeling crept down my spine.
“What does she like to eat?” I asked carefully.
“Peanut butter and jelly,” Junie replied. “But she said she’s never had it at school before. And she liked that you put extra jelly.”
I tried to keep my voice steady. “Is that so?”
Junie suddenly brightened. “Oh! I took a picture of us! Ms. Kelsey helped.”
I had given her a small disposable camera for her first day, thinking it would be a fun way to capture memories.
She handed it to me proudly.
I scrolled through the images.
There they were—two little girls standing side by side. Identical eyes. The same curls. Even matching freckles beneath their left eyes.
My hands nearly dropped the camera.
“Junie… did you know her before today?”
She shook her head. “No, but she said we should be friends because we look the same. Can she come over sometime? Maybe you can meet her mom?”
“Maybe,” I said quietly.
That night, I sat on the couch staring at the photograph, my heart racing—caught between hope and fear.
Deep down, I already sensed this was only the beginning.
The next morning, I gripped the steering wheel so tightly my fingers hurt. Junie chatted endlessly about her teacher and Lizzy’s favorite color, completely unaware of the storm building inside me.
The school parking lot was crowded and noisy. As we walked toward the entrance, Junie suddenly squeezed my hand.
