Anna could not believe it. After three years of blindness, she could see. The shock froze her in her tracks.
Standing in the middle of the pedestrian avenue, Jenna realized her twin was no longer by her side and turned to look at her.
— What's wrong? she asked, locking her hazel eyes with her sister's.
Strange: her usually vacant eyes were now fixed on the sky... An intuition struck Jenna as she noticed her sister's eyelashes glistening and her lips trembling.
Jenna barely heard the whispered question:
— D-d-do you... see them? she stammered.
— Anna! You see! Jenna exclaimed.
Her own eyes welled with tears. The teenager stepped toward her sister with trembling hands, ready to cradle her face as if it were made of porcelain.
Three years!
Three years of idiopathic amaurosis, during which Anna had given up her passion for Parkour. No more freerunning, no more stunts, no more Chase Tag...
But she had not given up entirely. She had started para-climbing and blind archery. She would practice alone or sometimes assisted by her father. The very father who used to complain she never visited home would now give anything to bring her career back.
And what a career! Jenna printed and collected everything Anna did in a scrapbook. The articles mostly came from niche websites covering these unconventional disciplines. For photos, she took them herself. She even bought a DSLR just for that purpose. When she was absent, she would settle for YouTube screenshots or prints from sponsored competitions.
The general public did not really follow the alternative sports scene, which is why Jenna made sure to keep everyone around informed of her sister's achievements.
When Anna started doing stunt work for movies, first in small series, then in bigger productions, Jenna was ecstatic! She could watch the same franchise over and over and still proudly declare:
"Look! That's my sister! The stunt double, that's my sis!"
Her disability had made her quit.
But Jenna had never forgotten. The tall silhouette, the athletic posture, the short hazel hair held back with a headband, the calloused hands, the determined gaze. Jenna would never forget.
Her sister's visual impairment had brought them even closer. As twins, they had always shared a unique bond. But since her disability, Anna kept only her family close. Her friends had slowly drifted away.
Anna always told Jenna she understood. That it was not on purpose. That they simply did not know how to deal with her anymore. Despite their clumsy efforts, Anna herself had eventually withdrawn.
"Sometimes I feel like a burden," she explained one day. "Everything has to revolve around me... I can feel it. I can't see them, but that doesn't mean I can't sense it. They're tired of this...
"And the next day, it's the opposite. It's like I am invisible. They keep talking about stuff I'm not a part of… showing things on their phones... And it's like I'm not there. They forget about me. I don't exist anymore. I know they don't mean it. But we're drifting apart."
Jenna harbored a deep resentment toward them. How could she not? She had watched her sister grieve her own life. Imagine losing her career, and eventually, her friends too.
Anna was naturally rational. She knew the reason behind this divide in her social life was ultimatly rooted in how shallow those friendships had been.
The people in her circle were either into Parkour or were stunt performers. It was not until she lost her sight that Anna realized she had never built anything deeper with them beyond their training-based connection.
Unlike her eldest, Anna was introverted. Though she was easy to talk to, she rarely made the first move. It had to come from others.
After she had to quit Parkour, the young woman had withdrawn even more. She simply did not have the energy for it anymore.
But now, she could see!
'I have to tell Dad!' thought Jenna, pulling out her phone.
— Jenna... Anna called softly. Do you see them too?
— See what? Jenna asked, following her gaze.
The sky was starless, washed out by light pollution. It was a clear night.
— What do you see, Nana? she asked, using her sister's nickname.
Anna did not know how to respond. Around her, the world still looked like a flat, chemical grey, except...
— ... Comets. Jenna, comets!
Strands of light streaked across the sky. The tails of a dozen, then a hundred celestial bodies cut through the night, painting it electric blue.
She had never seen anything like it. She was so stunned she forgot she could see, as though touched by the divine.
Accompanying the procession of falling lights, she thought she heard a whisper, so faint she wondered if she imagined it.
Beside her, her twin squinted, searching for the so-called comets. But there was nothing. Aside from the insects buzzing around a nearby streetlamp, the sky was empty. There were no comets.
— I do not see anything, she replied, just before being distracted by the sound of something hitting the ground.
When she turned around, her sister was gone.
— Anna? she called.
No answer. Only the echo of footsteps on the pavement.
— Anna!
Jenna stood alone amidst the wandering crowd. A chill ran down her spine. A white cane lay on the ground. Her sister had vanished.
'Where?'
thought Anna.
In the darkness, her heart pounded more intensely. The urban cacophony was gone. She was no longer in the city, that much was clear.
Her bare feet rested on a floor smooth as glass. She realised she wore nothing, yet was not cold. Even smells had vanished. Around her, the whisper she had heard earlier rose again from the silence.
She reached out but touched nothing.
Anna did not panic. She was thinking. Being pulled from the city to this place could only be called extraordinary.
The awe she had felt watching the comets had not faded. She had been transported somewhere. Should she wait? Or explore? She took a few steps, but no matter which direction she moved in, the echoes revealed nothing about her surroundings.
It seemed emptiness surrounded her. Should she…?
— Who is there? she asked.
— Can you feel me, mortal? came a smooth, feminine voice.
It resonated, neither too loud nor too soft. The warm, rounded tone carried a timeless accent. Anna did not think she was speaking to a human being. The voice radiated serenity and magic.
She could not see the speaker, but she was certain it was someone of great importance. After a moment of thought, she replied:
— I did not know anyone would answer. It would've been weird to be left here all alone for no reason, so I figured I'd take a chance.
A crystalline laugh echoed through the vast space.