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The inhabitants of the town stared at the new girl with a passionate scrutiny. She skipped along the sidewalk, talking animatedly to the air.
"What is she doing?" Thomas stuck his nose out at her.
James shrugged. "She seems... nice."
Thomas snorted. "She seems schizophrenic."
***
It was the first day back to school. Mr. Washington's class was abuzz with talking. The first period bell rang.
"We'll start off this brand new year with role call-"
Before he had finished speaking, Eliza's hand shot into the air. Mr. W sighed before calling on her.
"Do-do you have any seats for Peggy and Angelica? They're getting exhausted, standing on their feet," Eliza said.
The class tittered. Mr. W peeked around the room. "Where are they?"
"They're right here!" Eliza exclaimed and pointed to the empty space beside her.
"Oh. Um, I'll see if I can get some extra chairs in here by tomorrow," Mr. W said. "And your name is?"
"Elizabeth Schuyler. My sisters are Peggy and Angelica."
"Ah, of course."
***
By the end of the day, word had spread of the girl who had two imaginary sisters. The whole school laughed at Eliza behind her back.
Mr. Seabury had gone to the guidance office at the end of the day and recommended they schedule an appointment with her. "She's off. Mad, that one. Thinks she has two imaginary sisters. Insists on me recognizing their presence. The girl got mad when I didn't call on Peggy!"
***
Eliza skipped on over to the guidance counselor's office the next morning. She had been called down during homeroom.
"Ah, you must be Eliza," the guidance counselor said.
"Yes, I am!" Eliza exclaimed. "Why was I called down?"
"I've been hearing from some fellow peers that you have two sisters? Peggy and Angelica?"
Eliza's face brightened. "Yes! They're still in class right now."
The guidance counselor shifted in their seat. "Ah, I see. Now, Eliza, you do know the difference between imagination and real life, right?"
Eliza frowned. "You're going to tell me they're not real, aren't you? I-I have proof. They are real, I swear it!" Eliza dug through her pockets and procured a picture and a piece of paper.
The guidance counselor examined the photo. There were three toddlers sitting on a swing set, laughing and drinking juice boxes. The piece of paper was a diary entry from none other than the girls' mother, Catherine Schuyler.
Dear Diary,
Angie, Eliza, and Peggy were such darlings today. They sat on their swing set and played childish games like tag all day. They enjoyed the crackers I'd bought. Note to self: Buy more of those. When you have this many children, food tends to run out quick.
Signed,
Catherine Schuyler
The guidance counselor looked at the note more closely. They recalled seeing Eliza's handwriting on a form; this definitely wasn't her forging her mother's signature. This was real. And so, it seemed, were Angelica and Peggy.
"Then- then- why-"
Eliza cocked her head. "Can I go back to class now?"
"Um, sure," the guidance counselor said. Eliza hummed to herself and skipped out of the room.
***
The thoughts haunted the guidance counselor all day. It tortured them until they had no choice but to call Philip and Catherine Schuyler.
The phone picked up after a couple of rings. "Hello?" came the gruff voice of Philip.
"Hi, this is the guidance counselor at Revolutionary High," the guidance counselor started.
On the other end, Philip sighed. "Is this about Eliza?"
The guidance counselor blanched. "Um, yes sir. You see, she believes she has two sisters..."
"She does," Philip says. "Or should I say, she did. It's tragic; Peggy and Angelica died in a car accident. Eliza took it so hard, she's suppressed it and still thinks they're alive."
The guidance counselor wasn't sure what to say. "Oh..."
"She's still stable. She completes all her schoolwork sufficiently," Philip assured him.
"Well, thank you for clearing that up. Goodbye."
***
The people at school still whispered about her in the hallway. She had no clue how vicious they were behind her back.
If only she knew what they said.
If only they knew her story.