Apparition

Delia woke up feeling a little dizzy, not immediately aware of where she was. Outside, the day was just beginning to dawn, and a warm light was filtering through the curtains. She stretched, but noticed that Jo was not there. He usually woke up a little later, but this morning there was no breathing near her, no usual noise when he rose.

A feeling of emptiness ran through her body, and with each passing second it became more obvious. Jo had obviously left early. Delia sat up and looked around the room, but there was no sign of him. Some kind of anxiety appeared in her soul. She quickly dressed and went to the bathroom, trying to get rid of the strange feeling that had crept into her soul.

Standing in front of the mirror, she mechanically turned on the water, looking at her reflection. Her thoughts were confused. Suddenly she remembered the conversation with Emily yesterday. What if she told Jo everything that happened? Maybe she had already managed to tell him how she was accused, how she almost broke down, how she was perceived in the orchestra? After all, Jo and Emily communicated somehow strangely, and Emily herself never hid her anger towards Delia.

"Did he really believe her?" These words, like the tip of a knife, pierced her thoughts.

At that moment, Delia felt a chill run down her spine. She bit her lip, but she knew it was possible. Maybe he, hearing her story from the outside, was starting to think she was just a broken part of some strange game?

Delia closed her eyes, trying to concentrate and calm down. But her inner voice no longer allowed her to be sure of their relationship. Jo was there, but where was he now, and what had happened to him? Why had he left without leaving a note or words?

When she returned to the room to collect herself, she suddenly stopped at the threshold of the bedroom, when her gaze slid around the room and froze for a moment. On the bed, in the very place where just now there was no one, sat a person exactly like her. Just her copy - her double. The woman sat, motionless, like a stone statue, and silently looked at Delia. There were tears in her eyes, but her face remained emotionless, as if in a hypnotic trance.

Delia felt her heart clench and a cold sweat break out on her forehead. Fear washed over her. She froze, unable to move. A storm of thoughts raced through her mind: How? Why? It was impossible. She couldn't believe her eyes. The double was sitting there, not speaking, not moving. He was an exact copy of Delia - same clothes, same hair, same features, even expression.

Her chest began to pound. Delia couldn't get the words out. Every cell in her body screamed to run, but her feet were rooted to the floor. She couldn't look away from this mirror that was piercing her mind, reflecting her fear and unbearable anxiety.

The double continued to stare at her, not moving, not twitching. His eyes were full of tears, but there was no pain in them. It was something else, something sinister and alien. Delia took a step forward, and her double suddenly moved slightly and silently held out a hand, as if stopping her, not allowing her to come closer, and then quietly threw something in her direction. The paper rustled softly, landing right at her feet. Delia, despite her internal struggle, bent down and picked it up.

Her heart continued to beat faster as she unfolded the paper. The handwriting was familiar. Her mother's handwriting. The lines of familiar letters, the words that could not leave her indifferent.

"I love you, my daughter, but I can't live anymore..."

Delia felt as if her breath had been caught. The words seemed to come from the very depths of her past, from a time when everything was different, when her life had not yet been saturated with this painful reality. A mother's love... But there was something wrong with this message. These words sounded as if they were her last words, her dying words. And she couldn't understand why they were at her feet now.

Delia's eyes darted over the paper, and one thought rang shrilly in her head: What was this message? Why was it appearing now?

She looked back at her copy, the double sitting on the bed. It was still staring at her with empty eyes, the tears still flowing, but now there was a desperate edge to them that Delia couldn't ignore.

"Why are you showing me this?" she asked, barely audible, unable to hide the panic in her voice. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

Delia stood there, unable to move, as her double silently rose from the bed. Her insides clenched in terror, and she stepped back, unable to comprehend what was happening. The double passed her, ignoring her terrified gaze as if she were invisible. Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest, and despite her best efforts to remain calm, panic had already taken hold of her completely.

Delia staggered back, catching her breath. Every step the doppelganger took seemed like an echo that thundered in her ears, and she couldn't tear her eyes away from this invisible being beyond the reality that was walking straight toward the bathroom. At that moment, she felt a cold shiver run through her body. What was he going to do? Why did she have to see this?

When the doppelganger reached the bathroom door, he didn't look back, and without saying a word, he simply closed the door behind him. The dull sound of it slamming shut shook Delia's entire world. It was as if a final chord had sounded in her head, merging with the restless thoughts and feelings that were haunting her.

She stood in the hallway, still unable to take her eyes off the door through which her double had disappeared. Inside her mind, everything was torn apart. Why couldn't she understand what was happening? Why was her world falling further into chaos? This man, this double... it was as if he was part of her deepest fears, her doubts and unresolved experiences.

Delia took a step toward the bathroom, but then stopped abruptly. All her thoughts, all her desires to get out and face what was inside, were met with an insurmountable barrier of fear and uncertainty. She hadn't felt so vulnerable in a long time.