A/N: Wow. I haven’t updated this story in the longest time. I have been sitting at my computer all this time, thinking of how I’m going to pull of this transition. And I couldn’t come up with a decent way to do it. So, I’m just skipping a few weeks forward (nothing too important happens, don’t worry) and getting to the big twist that will lay down the plot for the rest of the book. I’m sorry that I haven’t put up another chapter until now, but once you find out what the twist is, you’ll understand why this story is so hard to execute. So, this part in the story is a little more abrupt than I want it to be, just because I want to get it down and post it. Thank you, all my faithful reviewers, for writing excellent, incredibly helpful reviews! I try to respond to all of them, but some I don’t get around to doing so. I appreciate every review and I consider every suggestion and criticism.

For those of you who need a refresher before reading this next chapter, here’s a brief summary of what’s happened so far:

The main characters are Anna and Rebecca, two girls in their 20s, living in Chicago. Rebecca’s friend, Lucia, died two years ago from cancer, and she is still traumatized by it. In chapter 4 (?), Rebecca was hit by a taxi while taking a picture of a tree and was sent to the hospital with an internal head injury, a ruptured appendix (I think. I can’t even remember if I put that in), and excessive bleeding. Jason (a random stranger) saw the accident happen and followed Rebecca to the hospital with Anna riding in the passenger’s seat. When they got there, Anna finds out that Jason was so intent on following her because he thought Rebecca was “an angel.” Anna got pretty freaked out about that. Rebecca was still in surgery when Anna fell asleep in the hospital room, waiting for Rebecca to return. Basically after that, Rebecca got back from surgery and was very pale and weak. That’s all that’s happened so far  Haha, I think I needed that refresher too.

Please review this chapter! Even if you haven’t reviewed any of the other chapters! It’s very important to me that I know your reaction to the twist. Did you see it coming? How do you feel about it? Did you have any other thoughts about this issue before it was exposed? Please please review this chapter! The rest of the book depends on it!

:D Thank you for reading my ridiculously long author’s note, and now I present the long-awaited chapter 8 of “Anna”.

Two weeks have passed since Rebecca was in the accident. She was doing just fine now. The cut across her torso was healing great and she didn’t have any brain damage or memory loss from hitting her head on the concrete.

Rebecca was in the doctor’s office for her post-op and Anna was waiting in the sitting room outside it. Anna mindlessly flipped through some magazines as she waited for Rebecca to come out. They were supposed to go shopping later and Anna wasn’t going to let her skip out again.

The door to the sitting room opened, and Rebecca peeped her head through the crack. “Anna? Could you come in here for a minute?”

Anna dropped the magazine, collected her purse and jean jacket and followed Rebecca into the doctor’s office. Rebecca showed her inside; the doctor was sitting in the corner of the room, watching them with interest.

Anna sat in a cushy chair by the door and Rebecca hopped up onto the exam table. The doctor turned toward Rebecca.

“You seem to be doing great,” the doctor said, warmly. Anna squinted to read his name stitched on his lab coat. Dr. Robert T. Fader. “Are you feeling okay? How’s your head?”

“I feel excellent,” Rebecca responded with a wide smile. “The constant headache went away.”

“That’s good, that’s good.” Dr. Fader flipped through his clipboard.

“So can I go now?” Rebecca grabbed her coat.

“No, not just yet. There’s one more issue we have to discuss.” Rebecca sat back down, laying her coat beside her. Dr. Fader waited for her to get settled before he spoke again. “The hospital attendants said that you were calling for someone in your sleep. Two people actually. Anna and Lucia. Who are they?” He drew a pen from his large pocket and uncapped it with one hand.

Rebecca looked at her hands folded in her lap. “Lucia was my best friend. She died of cancer two years ago. I’ve known Anna for about four or five years. She’s sitting right there,” Rebecca said, pointing at Anna.
Dr. Fader squinted at Anna, then continued writing. “Could you say exactly when you and Anna became friends?”

“I don’t see why this is important.”

“Oh, it is very important. Please,” he gestured.

Rebecca squinted, trying to remember back so many years ago. Giving up, she turned to Anna. “How long do you think it was?”

“Well, I think it was five years ago because Lucia had just been diagnosed.”

“Oh yes! I remember. A couple months after Lucia was diagnosed with lung cancer, I met Anna. She really helped me through it. She still is helping me, too.” Rebecca smiled at her.

Dr. Fader made a few more notes on the clipboard. Then he stood and tucked the clipboard under his arm. “Excuse me for a moment, ladies. I need to go discuss this with another doctor.”

Anna looked at Rebecca and shrugged. This appointment should not be taking this long.

Fifteen minutes later, Dr. Fader returned with a female doctor at his side. She gave Rebecca a soft smile. After a sufficiently long pause, Dr. Fader cleared his throat. “Well, Rebecca, we both agree that you have done simply fantastic after the accident. We’re very happy that you’ve been doing so well and recovering so quickly.”

Rebecca was silent, waiting for them to finish.

“Looking at your medical history and your current state, however, we have come to a conclusion that may be a little shocking for you.”

Rebecca closed her eyes and braced herself. Dr. Fader stepped forward and took her hand in his. Startled, Rebecca opened her eyes and stared deeply into his. He looked gravely serious.

“Rebecca,” he said. “There’s no easy way to say this, but Dr. Rozen and I have discussed this issue and we have come to the conclusion that,” he took a deep breath, “that—“ he faltered.

Dr. Rozen stepped forward and laid her hand on Rebecca’s shoulder. “Honey,” she said with her sweet, soft voice. “You have schizophrenia. Anna doesn’t exist.”