Someone Else's Life

“Well, hello again!” He smiles.

“Hi! Sorry—I tried to find you at the restaurant but

the waitress said you’d left and that you lived here and we

just knocked on the door and

thank you so much again

for the cake!” gush clumsily, my cheeks on fire.

“Oh, you’re welcome!” Jack grins. “Sorry

had to

rush off—had to rustle up

sudden surprise party! But

now you’re here you can have that birthday drink you

missed out on.” Jack winks, reaching for couple of beers.

“You’ve gotta have

drink on your eightee—Wait—” He

freezes. “What’s that?”

There’s the sound of car in the driveway.

“Quick! Everyone hide!” Jack cries, flicking the light

off, grabbing Ben and diving behind the sofa. Everyone

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ducks and hides, and Andy and

glance at each other,

bemused, before crouching awkwardly behind an

armchair.

“What are we doing?” Andy hisses in my ear.

“I have no idea!” shrug helplessly.

key turns in the lock, and Jack shushes everyone

again.

The front door opens and the light flicks on.

“SURPRISE!”

Everyone jumps to their feet, and Jack rushes to the

door, Ben hot on his heels.

“Surprise!” Andy grins at me as we straighten up,

none the wiser. crane my neck but there’re too many

people. Everyone’s crowding round the doorway, cheering

and whooping.

“Happy birthday!” people call out, to

chorus of

party poppers and camera flashes.

freeze, flooded with an eerie sense of déjà vu.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart!” Jack cries. “You

didn’t think we’d let your eighteenth go by without

party, did you? Even if it is day late!”

My stomach lurches.

“Thanks, Dad,”

girl’s voice laughs. “Josh, did you

know about this? Melissa?”

Feeling very hot, stand on tiptoe, craning this way

and that, but still can’t see.

“Wow, this is awesome!” she laughs again. “Do get

cake and everything?”

The sick feeling grows in my stomach.

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“Now, that’s fu

away—you said you were staying in New York, and—”

“You what?” she laughs.

back away quickly, edging past Andy toward the

kitchen.

“Rosie …” He catches my arm.

shake my head as push past, my chest tight.

need to get out of here. It’s

mistake. It’s all

mistake. I’ve got it wrong—I’ve got it wrong again He’s not my dad—he’s got

daughter—a real, live eighteen-

year-old daughter. Tears prickle at my eyes as

push

desperately, needing to get through, to escape

“Sweetheart! Over here! Here she is!” Jack’s voice

booms directly behind me and freeze. He taps me on the

shoulder and turn round numbly.

“Hi!” The girl grins at me, brushing

strand of

chestnut-colored hair behind her ear as my heart stops

dead.

“So you’re the one who ate my cake?” Her hazel

eyes sparkle as she holds out hand. “Nice to meet ya! I’m

Holly.”

“I—” The breath catches in my throat. She looks just

like

Suddenly it clicks.

Holly

Holly Woods

Jack’s daughter …

Jack’s daughter

No!

stare at her, the blood freezing in my veins.

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It can’t be It’s impossible … The chestnut

hair

the hazel eyes

my age

my birthday

Holly

Woods …

stare at her helplessly as the room spins dizzily

around us

It’s her

close my eyes, but her face is

burned deep into my mind, inescapable. She’s here

She

survived Somehow she survived

Somehow …

She’s me

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PART TWO

Someone Else’s Life

We know what we are,

but know not what we may be.

—William Shakespeare,

Hamlet

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Holly

The sunlight hits my eyelids and grin tugs at my

mouth, even before remember why. reach tentatively

under my pillow and

tingle shivers down my spine. It

wasn’t dream.

Glancing at the door,

pull out the ring and

carefully, so, so slowly, slide it onto my finger, the same

rush of giddiness, the same dizzying excitement thrilling

through my veins as when he first gave it to me.

It may not be

diamond—I press the plastic gem

and smile as it lights up—but if anything, that makes it

even more perfect. How many other guys would be

thoughtful enough to let their fiancée choose her own

ring?

“You’re the one who’s go

rest of your life, after all.” He’d beamed, his eyes sparkling

as brightly as the glowing neon gem. grin as the light

changes color, and kiss it impulsively.

The rest of my life …

“Holly?” Dad knocks, making me jump. “You

awake?”

“Mm-hmm—yep, come in!” call, plunging my hand

beneath the duvet as the door opens.

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“Morning, Holly-berry!” He grins, his black hair still

messed up from sleep. “I brought you some brekkie!” He

reveals

tray laden with greasy bacon and eggs. My

stomach swims.

“Da-ad!” laugh, trying to wriggle the ring off my

finger. “You know just grab some cereal—”

“Well, that may have been adequate for little girl.”

He smiles. “But not for

grown woman of eighteen!” He

brings the tray over.

yank desperately, but the ring won’t budge.

“Besides,” he continues. “I didn’t get to make your

birthday breakfast …”

“Not this again.” grin, finally tugging my finger free

and sitting up quickly to take the tray. “I told you, it was

once-in-a-lifetime trip—Josh won it—and when else

would get to go to New York?”

“And it just happened to be on your eighteenth

birthday?”

“And it just happened to be on my eighteenth

birthday, yes.”

smile, gingerly taking

bite of toast.

“Come on, Dad, I’m here now—and you’ve given away my

cake!”

He pulls

face. “Sorry. I’d forgotten I’d ordered it,

and then, you know, you were away …”

roll my eyes.

“And it was just sitting there, all sad and lonely, and

you weren’t due back till late tonight …”

bite my lip. My bad again.

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“And as it was specially made fresh- cream cake, didn’t think it would keep for two whole days …”

“All right, already! I’m sorry!” laugh. “I’m terrible

daughter and she deserved it more than me.” stick out

my tongue. “She up yet?”

“Rosie? No, she’s out for the count. Megan’s go

take her some breakfast in bit, see how she is.”

“That was weird, huh?” say, taking another bite.

“How she just fainted like that?”

“Yup. One look at your ugly mug and—bam!”

“Watch it.” grin. “Or I’ll go back to New York.”

“We weren’t expecting you back till today anyway,”

Dad says, his tone softening. “I thought it was meant to be

long weekend?”

raise my eyebrows. “You complaining?”

“Not at all. Just making sure my little girl’s okay.”

roll my eyes again. “I’m fine.”

“Sure?”

“Sure. Grown woman, remember?”

Dad grins. “You had good time?”

beam, thinking of the ring nestled under my