text: #Chaper I - Part I: Loretta Jones &nbsp; *** *** &nbsp; *Knock. Knock. Knock.* My coffee mug landed in a heap of shattered porcelain on the floor of the beach cottage. Anna would’ve killed me. “Sorry, honey,” I muttered, rolling my eyes at my own lunacy. The front lock jiggled. Through the curtain, I saw a small, weathered woman standing on the porch. Her clothing was dark, but not so dark that it hid the smudges of dirt in various places. “Please. Open the door!” She glanced behind her several times and removed her sunglasses. There was something incredibly familiar about her, and yet, I’d never met her. I opened the door, letting a draft of warm, salty air encompass me. “Jeff. I know you won’t believe this...” I squinted and shook my head. “Do I know you?” “Please, don’t freak out. It’s *me*.” Her gaze met mine and I almost collapsed right there. Those eyes. I knew those eyes. *** “I don’t understand.” I threw my arms in the air as I studied the stranger in my living room. “Honey...look, I know it sounds so crazy. And to be honest, you never were very open-minded.” Her eyebrows lifted and she pursed her lips together. She appeared to be amused by her comment. “Well if ‘open-minded’ means believing in,” my fingers drew circles in the air, “whatever this is, you’re right.” I placed my hands on my head as I paced back and forth “No. NO. My wife is *dead.* Has been for two weeks.” Anger stirred within me, my face like coal in the fire. Nausea hung at the back of my throat. “I was there, god dammit! We had a fucking funeral!” I ran the events over in my mind. The accident. The grief. Even this pathetic trip to our beach house, all alone. The woman sighed and studied me with those familiar blue eyes. “You’re right. I was dead. But then...” “No. I’m not gonna fall for whatever the hell...” I motioned to the strange woman, “this is. I don’t know how you knew my wife. And right now, I don’t really care.” The woman stared in silence, with her mouth parted just slightly. She exhaled, and looked at me the way one might look at a child. “I don’t have a lot of time--” “What kinda person would do this? What’s the goal here, lady? What do you want from me?” “Jeff, I don’t want anything. I just thought you ought to know. And I wanted to say goodbye. Properly.” “Stop acting like you know me! You don’t get to come in here and stomp all over my wife’s memory. You know what?” I stormed over to the front door, and opened it. “Get the hell outta my house.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she placed a hand over her mouth. She shook her head. “Don’t, please. I’m not trying to pull anything. It’s me.” The woman sighed and met me at the door. She pushed it closed. “How can I show you? What do you need me to do to prove to you I am Anna?” She glanced at her watch. “I...” Her words were so familiar. The inflections she used at the end of her sentences. The way she paused, waiting for me to take in their meaning. Anna had always done that. “Do you realize how bizarre this whole thing sounds?” “I do.” I walked down the hall and into the kitchen. I heard her footsteps behind me as she followed. As I reached the bar, I turned and saw her stopped, staring at the photos along the wall. She ran her fingers along their edges, hands trembling. She seemed nervous as she fixed her gaze on the last photo. “Do you remember the day this photo was taken?” she said, a hint of a grin on her face. “Of course I do.” “That place...was so beautiful. My favorite part of the whole day was under the waterfall. You whispered that you’d love me longer than the sun would be yellow, and then you took me right there.” She shook her as she scurried into the kitchen and stopped in front of the window. Only Anna would have known that. But this was all so much. I didn’t know what to make of any of it. “So, assuming I believe all of this, who are you... *now*?” “Well, that’s a little tricky. I’m not even sure I fully understand, myself. I just wanted the chance to say goodbye... sugar bear.” She grinned, extending an arm. “I know everything happened so fast.” A shiver trickled down my spine. Those words didn’t feel right. None of this felt right. I shook my head. “This is a lot to take in...” “I gotta admit, this body is quite the upgrade.” A hint of a smirk bloomed. But as if an alarm had sounded, her attention quickly fell to the watch on her wrist. She bit her bottom lip, scraping it with her teeth. Anna had also done that, for as long as I could remember. “I can’t...I don’t... Is that supposed to be a joke?” I blinked a couple times and breathed deeply. “Please, don’t look at me like that. I’m still Anna, in here." She placed a hand on her chest and inched closer. “I’m as much me as I ever was.” I met her gaze. She looked like a stranger, from the chestnut brown hair to the pudge around her waist all the way to the beat-up boots on her feet. But she didn’t feel like one. It was something about those eyes, the way she walked, and the softness in her words. “I prayed, you know, for God to take me instead.” I leaned against the counter, feeling my knees buckle. “But this... this is something different.” She nodded and shuffled to the window, peeking in between the slats. There was something uncomfortable about her impatience. Our silence was broken by sirens wailing in the distance, steadily getting louder and closer. I raised my eyebrows. This wasn’t the kind of place that was home to the sound of sirens. Especially not a group of them. “What the hell is going on? What are you looking for?” She peeked out the window again, cursing under her breath. Anna turned to me. “I spent too much time here. You remember that gun your father gave you? I’m gonna need it.” My eyes widened. “Gun? Why would you need a--” The sound of the sirens was overwhelming. Red and blue lights flashed through the windows. I looked back and forth between her and the window. My lips parted, but no words came out. “Forget it, there’s no time.” She rushed to the back door, one hand on the knob. “Sugar bear, I wish I could stay and explain more. I love you.” “Where are you going?! Why are all these police outside, Anna?” “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come back here. I shoulda stayed dead.” “No. I’m...I’m glad. I mean...I’m happy to see you. But what’s with the police?” “They think I’m Loretta Jones. And people around here see everything.” She tapped her foot impatiently. “*The* Loretta Jones?*” A realization washed over me. She bore a striking resemblance to the fugitive. Anna was halfway out the door. I was stunned; how could any of this be real? But there was no time left to ponder. I fetched a large metal box from the side closet. My hands were trembling as panic and adrenaline surged through my body. I knew exactly what I had to do. “Anna, wait!” &nbsp; *** *** &nbsp; - Chapter I - Part II coming soon! And yes, I am mostly pantsing this entire thing. (I'm sure I'll grow to regret all my decisions.) - This story originally began on . - Feedback and critiques welcome.