Elizabeth looked into Patrick’s eyes full of rage.
Yes, what am I actually doing here?
She felt her head spinning. She turned to Alice, trying to focus on her eyes. Please, Alice, help me!
Alice turned to her husband without granting even a slightest look Elizabeth. Instead, she slowly made herself comfortable by setting one of her forearms on the table and another on the back of her chair.
Patrick pushed and pulled the door toward and away from him as if not sure whether to stay or leave the kitchen and all the people inside it.
Alice finally said, “Don’t you think it’s time you talked to your sister?”
The door in Patrick’s hand stopped. The world spinning in front of Elizabeth a second ago froze as well. Sister?
Ingrid put her both elbows on the table, leaning deeply to look at Patrick and Elizabeth. “Sister?” she said Elizabeth’s thought out loud.
Patrick glanced at Alice, his face filling with colour. “So you guessed.” Patrick’s voice was not more than an audible whisper. He lowered his gaze to a spot somewhere under Alice’s chair.
All Elizabeth could do was watch this scene unfold. She dearly hoped that it would somehow resolve without her needing to say anything.
“But of course!” Ingrid exclaimed seeming to be oblivious to Elizabeth’s and Patrick’s confusion. “You two are like twins. How didn’t I see it before!? Only the hair colour is different.” She looked to Elizabeth, then at Patrick and then at Elizabeth again. “Liza, do you dye your hair?”
Elizabeth pushed her eyelids apart. “Um. No. Yes. I mean, I do only highlights.”
“Looks good.” Ingrid turned her head to Patrick without moving her shoulders. “Patrick, you could use some too.” She chuckled and winked at Steve, who sniggered inaudibly.
“Mum.” Alice stood up. “Let’s get Steve and Lily for a walk outside. The fresh air would do them good.”
Ingrid nodded. “Yes, a good idea. And an empty kitchen without witnesses would do Patrick and Liza good.” She winked at both.
Picture: A house on the outskirts of Aalborg.
P.S. Chapter 9 will be written and posted latest in two weeks time.
P.P.S. You can find the complete story written so far at the page “Free Online Books”.
P.P.P.S. If you think you have friends who could like this story, feel free to forward it to them.
Everything except one paragraph (1st paragraph in Chapter 1) of “Nothing is As it Seems” is under copyright © 2015-2016 by Victoria Ichizli-Bartels