Fake

“Psychic” was the nickname given to a 13-year-old Russian girl, Anya. When she was that age, her family suffered a terrible car accident, in which only she and her brother, Alexander, survived. They had no one else, as they lived in a land where every man was for himself. Because of this, Anya’s grieving process, while painful, had to be brief; after all, she needed to be strong not only for herself but also for her brother, who was three years younger than she was. In that challenging Russian city where she lived, Anya learned to shoulder serious responsibilities and confront the harshest realities much earlier than most people are accustomed to.

Anya received her nickname from the neighborhood residents, who firmly believed that she had some kind of connection to the spirit world and therefore found her frightening. This only worsened the situation for Anya and Alexander, as they were just children without anyone to guide them in such a turbulent city. Anya tried to escape the rumors, but she couldn’t. So she made a decision: she would take advantage of them. In doing so, she began pretending to be a real psychic. That was the only thing she could think of to make ends meet for herself and her brother; if she didn’t find something soon, they would be evicted from their home. Her idea could generate the money they needed to survive, so she quickly started her scheme, meeting people in mourning and connecting them with their deceased loved ones. Anya was genuinely moved by her clients’ experiences and didn’t just trick them; she aimed to help ease the pain of loss, a feeling she knew well and wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Gradually, the neighborhood residents began to trust her independent work, making life a little less difficult for Anya and her brother. By the time she turned seventeen, they were no longer living in misery. Anya’s efforts even allowed them to resume their studies, as she could now afford academic books for them to learn at home, a significant improvement compared to the time when they didn’t even have a single pencil. However, one thing bothered her: the fact that she was a fraud. Her mind constantly reminded her of this, and guilt took hold of her. She never spoke about it with Alexander; she just felt ashamed of lying every day.

Her days were all the same, with hours passing as she felt shame, yet mustered the courage to do it all again. That was until she met Demian. He was searching for someone to help him cope with the grief of his parents’ death a few years prior when they crossed paths. Anya soon began medium sessions with him. She sensed something different about him, which made her increasingly anxious about having to lie about her psychic abilities. She desperately wished she had true powers; she didn’t want to disappoint him. Her connection with Demian’s feelings was fluid and immediate. He had also lost his parents in a traffic accident, which deepened her compassion for him. As time passed, their sessions became less formal; Anya found it hard to pretend to be someone she was not around him, so they would just exchange stories about their experiences for hours. Her feelings became increasingly tangled — guilt for deceiving that kind boy who understood her struggles mixed with a strange warmth blossoming within her whenever she saw him talking to her so calmly.

After months of seeing each other, Anya and Demian shared a bond that neither of them admitted to having, but they both knew it existed. They went out together countless times, and by that point, Demian had become friends with Anya’s brother. Anya’s complex feelings led her to consider confessing everything to Demian; she needed to tell him the truth about being a fake, even if it meant losing such a dear companion.

One day, she finally gathered the courage to tell Demian that her psychic abilities had never been real. She was terrified of the possibility that he might hate her afterward, but she revealed the truth to him. What she did not know was that he was a genuine medium, which meant he already knew the truth because he could recognize others like him. He told her that whether she had the ability or not, she had helped everyone she had sessions with, especially him. Demian understood that she was more sensitive; in fact, she just needed to believe in this power for it to be heightened. He told her that he did not want her to think she was a fraud, because what he felt for her was the most authentic feeling he had ever experienced, and only she had made him see a better perspective on life. Anya felt relieved to share her feelings, now understanding that she did not have to live a life filled with guilt.

Demian introduced her to a life where fulfillment was achievable. And now she had a choice: the choice to embrace her true self alongside those who were good for her.