He always said Eleanor hated cameras.
That she preferred privacy.
That she traveled frequently to visit relatives overseas.
Now I understood why I’d never met her.
She wasn’t avoiding the company.
She was being kept away from me.
Until someone decided they needed my face more than my friendship.
When I reached home, my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered cautiously.
“Hello?”
A woman’s voice spoke.
“Gloria?”
I stopped breathing.
The voice sounded exactly like mine.
Not similar.
Exactly.
“Who is this?”
A pause.
Then she whispered:
“My name is Eleanor.”
My hands shook.
I couldn’t speak.
She continued.
“I know what Malcolm and Daniel have been doing.”
I stared at the wall.
“Then why help them?”
Her voice broke.
“Because they told me you were dying.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
She began crying.
“Malcolm said you were losing your memory. He said you wanted someone to protect Cedarline after you were gone.”
