The man's number has been dormant in my phone for a few days. Harriet is busy helping a new family at the shelter. I also keep getting messages from someone I can only assume is Olivia's sister. She has been relentless in trying to figure out where Olivia is. I am grateful that she is the only one to have seemed to notice that Olivia wasn't around. I have been considering the implications of meeting up with her. I don't think she will stop messaging until I do. She keeps asking about Gigi's ring. I don't know what that is, but I don't think I have it. If I do meet up with her, she'd hopefully be satisfied and stop messaging me. Perhaps she is just curious to see if her sister is still alive. 

However, there is a part of me that is not ready to deal with Olivia's sister. What if she asks me something that Olivia should know, but I don't? Or what if she wants to keep seeing me? My own relationship with my sister is clouding how I view Olivia's sister. I don't think she has the best intentions in asking me to meet up. Every time I think about messaging her back, Raella floods my mind. Her betrayal cut me so deep that I don't think I have fully realized all the aspects of my life that have been changed by it. I try to remember how I felt about Raella before. I imagined what it would be like if I hadn't heard from her in months. It would have been unbearable. After I put that perspective in my mind, I finally surrendered and texted the number back. I let her know that I am safe, I have moved somewhere new, and that I could meet up with her in a few weeks when my work schedule is better. The texts from Olivia's sister stopped after the promise to meet up in a few weeks was made. 

Harriet came into my room after a long day at work. She flopped on my bed and sighed. She was tired, I could tell. Maybe this wasn't a good night to talk to her about it. I decided to tell Harriet everything. She might not believe me, but I couldn't think of a reasonable story that would explain why I needed to know where the Peacock was. I also realized that Harriet had my complete trust. I owed her the truth. She has done so much for me; I owe her honesty. I watch Harriet for another minute. I decided to do this today. If I don't, I might lose the nerve to tell her the truth in the future. I take a deep breath and steady myself.

"Harriet. I have something I wanted to talk about with you." Harriet sits up and looks at me. She responds, "Oh. This sounds important. Let me take off my shoes." She flips her shoes onto the floor in front of us. We both sit in silence for a few more moments. I have delayed for long enough. I look at Harriet and say, "I'm not..." I pause because I actually don't know how to finish this. Finally, I decide, "I'm not from here. I grew up in a place called Pergamum. With my family in a castle." Harriet is racking her brain. I watch her eyes squint as she tries to make sense of my words. She says cautiously, "I have never heard of that place. Is it in Europe somewhere?" I shake my head. Then Harriet sits up even more, and she looks into my eyes, "Wait, did you say a castle?! I didn't realize I was hanging out with royalty." After a minute, she starts to laugh, "You are messing with me, right?" 

I feel dejected. I spent countless hours preparing myself for this admission. I expected that I grew up in a castle to be more acceptable than the fact that I am not from this world. Or that I am not Olivia Smith. How do I even begin to explain the complexity of my situation?  After Harriet's laughter subsides, I begin anew. "I ....I'm not Olivia Smith. My name is Anaphalia Lynette. I was brought to a new...world, I guess...after my younger sister tried to kill me." 

Harriet sits there in silence. She thought I was joking before, but this was too absurd to be a prank. She takes a long time. She is weighing all of the parts of what Olivia just told her. Her first thought is that maybe Olivia has schizophrenia. She thinks this would make the most sense after hearing from Olivia. Harriet begins to tense up. She finally breaks the thick silence with, "I'm supposed to believe you are not the person whose ID clearly says you are?" I hang my head. I knew my story was extraordinary. Harriet gathers herself up and gets off my bed. She stands up and awkwardly looks at me and then to the floor. She finally gets out, "I'mma need a minute to think all of this through." She walks out of my room and leaves me behind in the silence.

I understand where she is coming from. Had it been the other way around, had Harriet been brought to Pergamum and tried to tell me she was from another world, I would have thought she had lost her mind. I know this rationally, but tears still begin to well up in my eyes. I can't help but feel frustrated that Harriet did not take this well. I trusted her to at least give me more time to explain myself, but she got up and left. I might have broken my link to the strongest relationship I have in this world. She has been so grounding for me, I don't know if I can maintain my sanity without her. I cried myself to sleep that night. Feeling slightly betrayed.