❝ E.L.I. ❞

I never had many friends.

Not many real ones, that is.

Which was the exact reason why Eli coming over was one of the most important things to me, causing me to run about the house, worrying about every little thing.

He's finally coming over.

My internet best friend.

No, BFF.

For almost 5 years. And for many more.

It was the first time I was meeting with him and oh boy was I nervous, and so goddamn excited.

The doorbell rang, it's shrill sound shocking me out of my state of zoned out excitement. He's here.

Quickly wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans, I opened the door, greeting the young gentleman who waited outside with a grin on his face, "Hey, Grace."

"Eli," I breathed out, the sudden urge to hug my bear friend overcoming me, as I ushered him inside, "Hi... omg."

"We finally get to meet, huh?"

"Yeah. Woah. I can't believe it. I mean, I've seen your face through the screen but damn this just feels so..."

"Surreal? Crazy? Yup. Lmao. I'm so glad right now, I can't even express it in words,"

I smiled, my eyes glancing towards the empty table in the hall. Oh shoot. I'd forgotten to put out the snacks I had made especially for him.

"Uhh, just a second, haha. I'll be back," I muttered, gesturing for him to make himself at home as I rushed to the kitchen.

Quick as a cheetah, I pulled open my refrigerator to get my freshly bakes cupcakes, which I had left in the fridge to cool faster and still had to ice. Grabbing the bowl of whipped cream I had made for the icing, I quickly got to work, my clumsy fingers still somehow messing up an easy icing design.

"Ugh," I grumbled, staring at my less than perfect cupcakes, all of which looked like that had had cream dumped on them rather than iced using a piping bad. I shrugged, trying to put it behind me, "Eh, let's hope the taste makes up for it."

Carrying the tray of vanilla cakes, I fumbled back into the living room, once again met with a smiling Eli.

"Hey, you took quite some time," He grinned, laughing at the tray I was trying hard to balance in my hands.

"Sorry," I chuckled sheepishly, biting down on my lower lip as he rushed forward to help.

"Oh, don't worry. I was talking to your brother while waiting. He seems really nice, and he even has the same name as m-... Grace?"

I dropped the tray, my precious cupcakes littering the carpeted floor.

Brother? I had no brother.

I lived alone.

I had no siblings.

None at all.

I felt dizzy. The world suddenly felt strangely suffocating. Nothing made sense.

And then a memory presented itself, causing my whole world to rock.

I was 9 or 10 back then... when I had gotten the phone call.

My first phone. My first phone call. I still remembered the caller id, 354 47 2 543.

A weird number, indeed. And I shouldn't have picked it up.

"No." A woman's voice, a familiar one, but I was only 10 back then, how was I to realise it was my own dear mum? "We cannot keep him. He disgusts me. Get rid of him, Jeff." My father's name. It must be a coincidence, I had thought.

"Kill him." I dropped the phone, my whole body rigid with shock.

But my dear mum's voice continued, booming through the phone speaker.

"We must kill him. He should die... My son? A cripple? Never. I won't allow it."

I had no brother. None.

"He is not my son. It is a lie."

"Grace?!" My head jerked up, coming face-to-face with Eli and his concerned expression, "Something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing..." I stopped. It wasn't nothing. It was a very big something.

Pulling at Eli's hand, I dragged him into my room, my heart pounding at my chest, "Stay here... Uh, where did you see my 'brother' again?"

Eli was the definition of confusion. With raised eyebrows, he replied, "Um, he was in the living room, walking around with crutches. Then, he said he was going to go check up on you... and well i.d.k. where he went after that."

Check up on me.

My throat went dry.

It couldn't be... right?

I rushed out of my room, running back into my living room. Everything looked normal.

But it wasn't.

I could feel it.

Something was wrong. The aura. It was different. Dark.

On the sofa lay Eli's wallet, his identification card sticking out, and as I went over to pick it up and give it back to him, my fingers froze, my heart beating faster than ever as realisation sunk.

Ryan Presley.

The name on the card... Eli's card.

No...

Why didn't it match?

"You didn't actually think that I was your dear internet friend now did you?" I heard a voice behind me sneer, his so far cheery tone now dark and intimidating.

I turned around, coming face to face with Eli/Ryan, the hairs on my arms standing upright as I tried to increase the distance between us.

"There's no where to run to, my little Gracie..." He morphed, changing, splitting, "5 years. I've been in this body for 5 whole years," I watched in horror as another being emerged from the body of the person on the identification card, "I befriended you. Learnt every single thing about you. I studied you..." The being walked with a limp, nearing me second by second, leaving the other body unconscious on the ground, "My beautiful elder sister."

No.

It couldn't be.

"Wondering how your dead younger brother is here, standing before you?" He smirked, letting out a maniacal laugh, "Don't exhaust your brain too much," He was just a mere centimetres away from me, "I'm going to put it to rest soon anyways... just like I did our parents."

That was when I saw the blood on his hands. The dried blood of my parents. And soon mine as well.

He whipped out a knife, "Eli is a lie. I am a lie... You like puzzles now don't you my sister? Well, I gave you a clue a long time ago, to entertain you... but alas that dear brain of yours wasn't even able to figure it out."

He stabbed me in the heart.

"354..." He stabbed me again, blood splattering, "47..." Everything hurt, "2..." Tears rushed down my bloody face, "543..." One last poke with that knife and my heart stopped.

"Eli is a lie... I am a lie."

• • •

my entry for GraphicSilly's Wraphics contest :)