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Chapter 64 - Two There Are, More or Less

Lea laughed so much she was afraid she would have another restroom close call. Once we settled down and broke out the air freshener, Lea pressed against me and said, “Thank you. Thank you so much. From the warmth of your salvation in my darkness. To a glow sitting beside me. To walking with me through the anxiety of a new life. To every chaotic question I answer then re-question then forget and remember and ponder again. To every time I feel like I don’t know what to do and feel reminded that…somehow…despite everything…I’ll find my way to being alright. For all that and so much more, thank you…”

I held her and sighed contentedly. “My joy.”

We were both fading fast and nine was on its way. While calls later would be out of the question, Lea proposed, “How about we make a deal that…at a given time we will absolutely be in bed. That way…we can think of the other and still kinda be sharing the same experience, though miles apart?”

I was fine with that, even if it sounded a little weird.

After a call to my dad, we took out a small pack of Uno cards and played a quick game, which had barely begun by the time the doorbell rang.

I left Lea with the words, “See you soon” before heading off.

Dad asked the usual on the way back. He made sure I’d eaten. He made sure I did my work. And he asked about Lea’s parents. The first two were easy to automatically answer but, for the last, I mentioned their faith and feeling that God was watching over us. Dad affirmed this, but cautioned me to make good decisions even then. I quietly agreed.

Before we pulled into the driveway, he warned me that mom had gone to bed early due to a headache, but he’d told her I was away working on a project. He was able to leave out key details because she was not in any of her moods. However, I was on my own if she roared back to full strength. Comforting.

Despite all the time I’d spent around Lea’s bed, I was still eager for the embrace of my own, with its familiar lumps and leans and sags. I scrunched my eyes for a moment, took a deep yawn, and heard a faint shuffling across the carpet to my doorway.

Casually, I looked over, expecting my dad to offer one of his many addendums to a long-completed conversation. Instead, I saw my reflection standing on her own without the support of glass.

“Hello, Kenzie.”

I should’ve been shocked, bolting out of bed, and yelling for answers while dragging my other self over to my dad. But I lay there with what felt like a dumb expression as I squinted at the doorway.

“Hello?” I wasn’t completely sure if she’d said those words or I had.

“Lucid. Excellent. That’s something.” She entered and sat on the other side of the bed. I felt it shift.

She was me. But her hair was different. Shorter. Off her shoulders and looking a little like Wade Welles/Sabrina Lloyd from Sliders. Except for the crisp, green streaks. It took me a long moment to catch the color difference.

Nice hair. I wasn’t certain I’d said that aloud either. Still, she responded as if I had.

“Thank you. Still not sure about it, even after all these years.”

Years. Years…it occurred to me she looked…mature. Still young but not a teenager. No skin blemishes or freckles.

Why?

“Well, it’s not easy being green. But that’s not what you meant.”

She settled onto the mattress a little more. Shifted again. She sighed wearily.

“Just wanted to tell you it’s going to be alright, despite everything. You’re not alone, I promise. But that’s also the problem. Sorry. I wish I could offer more…”

As I lay there, I felt her hands massage my back.

It didn’t seem out of sorts to be receiving a back massage from my doppelganger. I didn’t raise any questions. I just enjoyed it as she got into the deep tissue.

A quiet moment passed. My attention waned. When I looked over to the right, there was no one there. But I still felt a phantom hand vigorously but carefully rubbing the tired spots in my shoulder.

I should’ve bolted up with fear and confusion, but it was a free backrub. So, I let it go on till the feeling started to wane. As soon as I sat up, the sensation immediately went away. My back did feel better though.

Looking around, I noticed the door was open the same way it had been when I looked over to see my other self. But the encounter was starting to fade from my memory. What had she said at the beginning? Some joke?

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

I tried to track back her first words to anything I might’ve said. Green. She had shorter, green-streaked hair and she’d made a joke about it. Looked maybe a little older. Oh, but what else had she said?

Comforting words. And then she gave me that backrub. The words may have forever slipped away but the sensation of her hand on my back, tracing the tired and tight places, was vividly etched into me.

So, how can I recite her words now?...

It doesn’t matter. Not yet. What matters was, as I sat there, I began to question if any of the last few minutes had even happened.

I picked apart incongruities. I felt like she’d been able to easily sit on the other side of the bed even though there was too much junk for her to do so. Also, it seemed improbable that she could massage my back with a single hand like that. And the clock.

Actually, I hadn’t checked the clock. So, that didn’t help at all. But, above all else, I knew….I knew….as clearly and confidently as I was sitting there in my own bedroom that I’d felt something rubbing my back.

Could it have been the world’s strangest muscle spasm that just happened to feel like someone was rubbing it? Theoretically.

Did a ghost happen by and take pity on me? That possibility sounded even less comforting.

Something had happened though. But it just joined the pile of shape-shifting murals, gender-shifting powers, strange words, and menacing shadows.

No need to stress about it. I’ll take a shower, let the stream flow over me for far too long, and rest. Let this long, crazy week slide off. And, while it wasn’t a long weekend, I had two full days of relaxation to indulge in.

…

It was Monday morning with the sun screaming light through the window. Not streaming light. Screaming light.

Where’d the weekend go? I dunno. It existed but for just a moment of life. I remembered going to sleep like Lea and I planned. I remembered hoping Lea might randomly stop by or call. Nope.

My parents and I did go out to eat at some Mexican restaurant where they had baked trout. Not as good as what Mrs. Betancourt made. Fewer peppers though.

Mom eventually roused early Saturday and quizzed me on my Friday. Yes, I was careful. Yes, I didn’t try to make friends with anyone or anything that might return my love. Yes, I did all my work and I was going to do even more. Yes, there hadn’t been any problems. Yes, I thanked the people I stayed with. Yes, I would never ever think of going to another house ever again. Yes, yes, yes…

“Get here NOW!”

Oh…that’s what had woken me. I must’ve heard the faint, serenely-shrieking scream of my father wafting amongst the morning birds, which would soon all fuck off, leaving behind the annual winter infestation of lost seagulls.

“NOW! KENZIE! RIGHT NOW!”

Here, girl! You bad girl! You made a mess on the carpet! Down dog, down! I was in the sassiest stage of waking up. I could potentially pretend/hope I was still dreaming until one of them got to banging on my door like they wanted to bring the walls down.

But, with calm and care, I got up. I opened my door and asked, “What is it?”

“Are you alive?! I don’t think you’re even here!?...” Dad rambled on as I checked the clock. Twenty minutes before my wake-up time for breakfast. Annoyingly early.

I reiterated the obvious question, but mom sternly answered, “You’re on the news…”

Stepping into the edge of the living room, I looked over at the TV and sighed. It was blurry because I had my glasses off, but I could hear it well enough.

At the moment, there was a bit from Jay Leno laughing over and over at his own jokes about the Impeachment and then they shifted to the traffic news. I saw nothing worth waking me up about.

I went to go get my glasses but still nothing worthwhile appeared on the screen. Something something, Microsoft being bad.

I was about to turn away when I heard…

“There have been conflicting reports into the newsroom about a dangerous incident involving one or more students which took place at Brookville High School last week. School administrators and staff have denied all reports and say that the campus is safe, not in lockdown, and students should observe a normal Monday schedule. That’s all we have right now, but we’ll be checking into this story further…Meanwhile, how prepared is your area for an attack by nuclear weapons? The answer may be more terrifying than you think…”

Mom and dad both glared at me.

Well, there’s that jolt to the status quo...

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Art by Alexis Rillera/Anirhapsodist