That night, I dreamt about Anastasia for the first time. I opened my eyes and for a second thought I had woken up but something felt off. I was not on my bed. I was laying down on an unfamiliar couch in a room with no doors or windows. The walls were painted a horrible shade of pink and there was no other furniture aside from the couch which I now realized had an equally horrible pink cover.

I also realized I was not alone. There was someone with me.  

A red haired someone that I had grown accustomed to seeing. I reached for my own hair absentmindedly.My hair was black. My hair color, not Anastasia’s.

I watched Anastasia's creepy pale eyes looking at one of the walls for some reason. She was wearing the same pink sleeping gown I first woke up in. Her hair however was longer. It almost reached her hips. Was that her hair length before the mishap with fire magic? 

Maybe it was the dim light but her eyes seemed almost lifeless. 

Seconds passed before she took her eyes off the wall and faced me.

"So, it's you." I finally said, deciding that the wall was easier to stare at than her creepy eyes.

"You are not me," was all that came from Anastasia. 

Her smile didn't falter and I was unnerved.

"I am a better you," I said after an awkward pause.

Anastasia's smile faltered. I bet she did not like that.

"I mean, your story is boring. Being obsessed over some prince sounds pathetic. I, at the very least plan to do something interesting "

The smile faded completely and was replaced by a weary look.

"I hope so." She said at last.

I stared.

"Aonghus promised that no one would get in the way of our marriage. We met at the Golden Cauldron Magic Institute. We were friends for a few years before the marriage was arranged. We weren't exactly in love but it didn't matter, I would have preferred him than some stranger. We spent so much time together until he ran into her…" Her face went from contemplative to downright hostile.

I however was confused, did she mean the protagonist?

"She was a maid, so I don’t know how they even met but they got along so well and before I knew it he was visiting only to see her. My only friend, forgetting about me so easily. I was angry. At first I took out my anger on her, punishing her for every mistake she made. He did not like that when he found out. We were drifting apart faster and faster. Next thing I know, I hear he's teaching her magic, she is a natural at it! He convinced my father to hire a magic tutor for her. They called her the most powerful Sorceress in a century. My father was so impressed, he started spending more time with her. I could barely even talk to him and he was almost dismissive of me every time I tried. She must have been the daughter he always dreamed of. I no longer had anyone. I took every opportunity to unleash my anger on her. She became weary and tried to avoid me. Once I locked her in a cell for over a month. She was starving, you should have seen her pathetic face as she pleaded. When they found her, they were all so angry. How could I be so heartless?" She scoffed.

It’s like she could not hear how bad all that sounded.

"Then they realized she could use healing magic… so good, so powerful, such a perfect little lady. So unlike Anastasia, the vermin we hired for staff used to say. I punished them too. Hit them until my hands bled, and after that I was not allowed to leave my room. I heard rumors though, because of her great talent in magic, Larissa and her family were being reinstated. They were suddenly nobles again. I was suddenly seeing her disgusting face at every event I was allowed to attend, not that many at that point and her popularity just kept growing. I could not bear to see her and Aonghus being so happy so I did something desperate. I made a deal with a witch. A crime, some would call it. I bound Aonghus to me. He finally loved only me. No one could figure it out until Larissa was visited by the same witch. The witch betrayed me. I lost everything. Dealing with a witch can apparently get you executed. I was sitting in my cell wondering how everything had gone so wrong when I heard a voice in my head.

'Do you want to see a different ending?' I was so desperate that I said yes. The next time I opened my eyes, I was here. This wall." 

She pointed to the wall she had been staring at. 

"I can watch you as you go about your day, all day, I can see a different ending… I just didn't think this is what the voice meant. This must be why they say, 'Never make a deal with Faramund’.'"

"I can hear your thoughts, " she added.

"Noted" I said with a cold smile. Yeah, it won’t do to show weakness in front of the villain. And of course, Anastasia smiled because she heard my thoughts. 

I looked around trying to change the subject. That is when I  was struck by a sudden realization.

“Faramund” I said slowly.

“What about her?” Anastasia asked. Her eyes narrowed. 

“I just find it odd being from different worlds and all that we have the same god. Faramund and Ozul, right?” I said with a small smile.

Confused Anastasia nodded slowly. 

“You missed one God,” she said.

“The missing one, right? Dara something, no one counts them anymore. Do you?” I said almost dismissively. 

There is an old legend that originally there were three Gods. One for creation, one for destruction and one for balance. The legends however say that the balance God just went missing. No one knows when or how and at this point, it is much easier to say there are two Gods. 

“It’s Ainsley, not dara-whatever,” Anastasia said. She almost seemed angry but I was not sure why. 

Just because the last two months of the year were dedicated to them, hardly meant they were all that important. I was tempted to scoff. Ainsley was not missing, they were-

My next thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain in the middle of my skull. I closed my eyes and waited for the pain to pass. Even with my eyes closed, I am sure I heard Anastasia laughing. Even with my eyes closed, I began to see something.

It was me, the real me. Standing in a cave with 5 people I didn't know. Standing in front of a statue… of Anastasia? Why were they all looking at me? 

The image faded. I opened my eyes. Anastasia was silent. Had she been laughing or had I imagined it.

“We talk every day, you know,” she stated.

That was not right and I began to tell her that when an equally painful spasm went through my head. What is going on? Whatever the next thought I was having must be one of those bad thoughts. The ones about my family or past that I was having a hard time holding onto. My vision was starting to change again. This time I saw Anastasia and a girl with orange hair walking on some train tracks. They were walking towards the sunset and talking. I tried to close my eyes but the image remained.

Nothing to do but wait for the pain to stop; I thought while gritting my teeth. I waited, becoming aware of something that looked like sunlight. I opened my eyes.

I was in Anastasia’s horrible pink room. It was morning. I was awake. I was Anastasia. The real Anastasia’s words still ring in my head. 

“We talk every day.”

How is that possible?

Is the same thing that stops me from thinking about my past stopping me from remembering Anastasia? Why?

I tried to hold on to that thought for as long as possible but thoughts of the Magic Academy Test kept interrupting. 

Today is the day of the test. I am not sure whether or not to be nervous. All I knew is that today might be an interesting day.