Becoming One

Emma Carter was late for the first time this week.

She slipped through the revolving doors of Hawthorne Marketing, balancing a paper coffee cup and a folder in one hand, her purse and a stack of papers in the other. Her dark hair had frizzed in the humid morning air despite being pulled into a neat bun. She wore a gray pencil skirt and a crisp white button-down shirt, a choice she immediately regretted when a drop of hot coffee sloshed over the rim of the cup and splashed onto her sleeve.

She groaned, rubbing her tired eyes with the back of her hand.

The lobby buzzed with the familiar chaos of Monday morning. The smell of fresh coffee drifted through the air as employees hurried past in pressed suits, balancing laptops and half-eaten breakfasts. Shoes clicked against polished tile, elevator doors chimed every few seconds, and somewhere near reception someone laughed just a little too loudly. In fact, everything felt like a perfectly normal Monday morning. The only thing out of place was Emma herself. Even her brilliant blue eyes looked dull from lack of sleep.

"Morning, Emma! Forget something?" The receptionist smiled while Emma glanced at her with a confused smile.

"Morning, Diane. Um... No, I was just coming into work...." The elevator doors opened stopping her from questioning Diane any further as Emma hurried to squeeze inside with three coworkers she'd seen a hundred times before. She wondered why Diane thought she forgot something but soon forgot about it when she looked around her. They exchanged sleepy smiles but little conversation which kind of put Emma to ease at the normalcy. By the time she reached the fourth floor, she'd already finished half her coffee. Her desk overlooked the city, one of the few perks of working there. She dropped her purse onto her chair and powered on her computer as she gazed out at the city with a sigh before a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"About time."

Emma looked up to find her coworker, Dave, leaned against the divider between their cubicles with a grin.

"I've been waiting to show you those edits."

She frowned.

"For what?"

He blinked.

"The Henderson campaign."

"I haven't even looked at it yet."

Dave chuckled. "Very funny."

"I'm being serious, Dave."

His smile faltered.

"You... emailed me your revisions last night, Emma. I told the boss."

Emma laughed.

"I definitely didn't. I was asleep by ten."

Dave stared for a second before scratching his head.

"Huh. There's no way i messed that up...just get it done soon please so we don't both look like idiots. I got my half done." You could tell he was annoyed as he walked away shaking his head mumbling under his breath. Emma was confused but thought nothing more of it as she began her work.

Until lunch.

The café across the street was as busy as ever. The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingled with the scent of toasted bread as customers shuffled through the line, chatting over the low hum of espresso machines and clinking dishes.

Emma absentmindedly scrolled through the news while she waited, barely paying attention until she reached the register.The cashier looked up, her usual bright smile already in place.

"Hey, Em," she said with a small laugh. "Did you forget something?"

Emma frowned. She came here almost every day. Normally, the cashier would simply ask if she wanted the usual.

"Um..." Emma said slowly, "I seem to bgetting asked that a lot today."

"Oh... I seem to be getting asked that often today. I actually just wanted to order a turkey sandwich, I'm starved."

The cashier laughed. "You changed your mind already?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You literally ordered the grilled chicken wrap ten minutes ago."

Emma smiled politely, but something made her feel uneasy.

"I think you've got the wrong person."

The cashier's expression shifted.

"No..." She glanced toward the dining area. "You were just..."

She stopped.

"I'm sorry. My mistake. It's been a long day maybe I mixed things up," she laughed, visibly confused, but put down Emma's order before handing her the sandwich. Emma accepted her sandwich and left, but the conversation lingered in the back of her mind. Today's been a weird day. She didn't understand why everyone was mistaking her for things she didn't do.

Well....people looked alike, its fine. She pushed the thought away as she ate her food at her regular bench. Once done she threw away her trash catching sight of familiar wrapper from the grilled chicken wrap she always ordered. She laughed to herself, definitely a lot of coincidences happening today.

By five o'clock, she was exhausted. As she left the building, a light drizzle began to fall sending her running to her vehicle. A light rain had settled over the city, leaving the streets slick and reflecting the glow of traffic lights like ribbons of color. Tiny droplets raced across her windshield as the wipers swept them away in a steady rhythm while she drove home to her apartment building. She climbed the stairs, unlocking her front door.

Warm amber light washed across the hardwood floor, stopping Emma in her tracks. The small lamp on the end table beside the couch glowed softly, casting long shadows that stretched across the room and giving the apartment an almost eerie sense of welcome. Her stomach tightened. She always turned that lamp off before leaving.

"Maybe I'd forgotten..."

Trying to convince herself, Emma stepped inside, quietly easing the door shut behind her. Without taking her eyes off the living room, she reached into the worn wicker basket beside the door and wrapped her fingers around the handle of the aluminum bat she kept there "just in case."

The couch cushions sat exactly where she'd left them that morning. The television was off. Her bedroom door stood half open, just as she remembered.. Checking every closet and under every bed until she felt satisfied that she must have just forgotten to turn the light off. She let out a slow breath as she mumbled, "You're getting paranoid."

She walked back to the door placing the bat back in the worn basket before locking the door behind her.

An hour later, after dinner had been eaten and put away, she curled onto the couch with a blanket and opened her phone. A notification appeared from her mom.

MOM: Sweety don't forget to bring those white heels I let you borrow. I need them for date night with your Father.🤭

MOM: Also, I'm so glad you decided to visit us tomorrow while your brother's here. I know that was a hard choice to make. Love you, see you tomorrow.🩵

She chokes on nothing as she read the message. Her? Visiting her brother? When did she say she was going to do that? She started reading past messages, but nothing indicated she would have agreed to that. There was bad blood between her brother and her that she'd rather not deal with at the moment. She sighed tossing her phone on the couch. Guess I'll call mom tomorrow and clear things up she stared at the ceiling before getting up to slip into bed, leaving her phone on the counter as the sound of rain against the window filled the room lulling her to sleep. The last noise being a ding as her phone lit with new notification.

You should smile more, Em... It's almost time.