“Sure,” Olivia said. “Where to?”
Ivy looked around wildly as they stepped into the hallway. “The bathroom.”
Ivy thought she would die if there was anybody else in the girls’ bathroom. She checked to make sure it was completely empty.
“Are you going to tell me a secret?” Olivia asked as she watched curiously. Ivy came over and turned Olivia to face the mirror.
Olivia’s eyes met Ivy’s in the reflection, and all at once, Olivia’s smile disappeared. “Ivy, what is it?”
Ivy lifted Olivia’s wrist so they could both see her hand in the mirror. “Where did you get this ring?” Ivy asked, her voice trembling.
Olivia looked stunned for a moment. Then she took a deep breath. “It’s the only thing in the world,” she said slowly, “that my real parents gave me.”
Ivy reached carefully into her dress, pulled out her chain, and held up her ring next to Olivia’s.
The rings were identical. They had the same ornate etchings on the same heavy platinum bands, the same oddly cut green emeralds. They even seemed to shine brighter now that they were next to each other.
Ivy and Olivia’s eyes reconnected in the mirror.
When Ivy spoke again, her voice was almost a whisper. “When’s your birthday?”
Olivia’s voice shook. “May . . .” she began.
“Thirteenth,” Ivy finished.
Olivia put her hand to her mouth. “You look just like me!”
“ Yo u look just like me,” Ivy said, raising her eyebrows.
Olivia spun around to face her.
“Who were . . .” they both started.
“How did . . .” Neither of them finished. Ivy took a deep breath.
“When were . . .” they said as one.
“Okay,” Ivy cried. “You go first.”
“Are you adopted?” Olivia blurted. “I am.”
“Me, too,” Ivy answered. “How old were you?”
“One,” Olivia replied. “You?”
“Same.”
“Where were you born?” Olivia asked. “Owl Creek, Tennessee,” Ivy told her.
“Me, too!” Olivia shook her head. “This is so out of control.”
“Have you ever been there?” asked Ivy.
Olivia’s eyes lit up. “Once, a few years ago. My parents drove through on the way to Nashville. There’s not much there except these unbelievably huge trees.”
“You have no idea how jealous I am.” Ivy sighed. She’d always wanted to go to Owl Creek.
“What about your ring?” Olivia asked.