Autumn. Falling leaves. A suburban backyard, complete with a massive oak tree.

The colors all around too vivid, saturated like an old photograph that had been artificially enhanced, like a painting made up from thick brushstrokes.

Katherine's painting. It was like I was inside her work.

I stared up.

A teenage girl with platinum blonde hair and silver-blue eyes was perched in a treehouse made entirely of stolen traffic signs. The massive "Saint Mary Exit 7b" sign that formed the roof caught the sunlight in a way that made my head hurt. A Lazarus bracelet clung to her wrist just like mine.

"Sup Mittens," she grinned.

"What?" I sputtered. "Who are you? Where am I? What... what did you just call me?"

"Mittens," she repeated. "You're my minion. Mittens."

"I don't understand..." I started, but something tugged at the edges of my memory. The girl seemed familiar somehow, like a half-forgotten dream. I've seen her.

The girl from Katherine's drawings.

She pulled her silver-blue hair back with a grin and there it was. The fractal crack on her forehead pulsed with impossible colors, like an oil slick catching sunlight. Each pulse sent waves of vertigo through me.

"You're..." I managed. "You're... you're from Katherine's art."

"Am I?" The girl's grin widened, blue eyes twinkling down at me. "Or is Katherine drawing what she sees in the spaces between spaces? The cracks in reality where secret forgotten things hide?"

Her large, silver-blue eyes dug into me.

I knew them. I knew her, but from where... from when?!

"That doesn't tell me anything!" I yelled. "Who are you? Where is this?!"

"This is... us," the girl leaped from the tree, bouncing up and down as she landed. I stared at her reinforced shoes covered in springs. "You and me. Inside out. Upside down. Good job on breaking the Incarnator. Sixty nine thousand thumbs up and a high five."

She held up her hand.

I stared at her, feeling mentally derailed.

Derailing people was my job, damn it! Wait... that was my joke! I used it on Cinder...

"I'm Alexa," she said, lowering her hand before I could even raise mine.

I felt my brain momentarily short-circuit at her words as she pace-bounced around me.

"You're... what, my sister from another dimension?" I demanded.

"Mmmmm.... no," Alexa shook her head. "I'm a supervillain."

"From?"

"From Earth, from the previous narrative. When they rolled over everything, a part of me remained in your noggin due to the brain spiders."

"What?! They?"

"System Wizards," Alexa said.

"System Wizards?" I asked, trying to make sense of her words. "What system? What wizards?"

"The ones who rolled everything over, duh," Alexa continued, circling me like a shark. "Rewrote the narrative. The ones who made you forget. But they missed a tincy-wincy spot!" She tapped the fractal crack on her forehead. "Right here."

"Stop being cryptic and just tell me what the hell-" I growled in frustration.

"Sorry!" Alexa suddenly leaned forward and gave me a tight hug, nuzzling into my side. "Time to go, M. If you stay in the Genesis soup too long I'll decay away too much and you'll become like everyone else, overwritten, incapable of breaking the narrative. Don't dive in again while you are alive. It won't give you any more powers. Just remember this - you're never alone. I love you. I'm here for you. I'm with you, forever and always. Inside and outside. Find all four of us and make us remember what we lost. Keep going M, no matter what. Break the tracks of the false narrative! Don't let anyone stop you!"

"What tracks?" I demanded. "What false narrative?!"

"The tracks reality was set on after I set the world on fire," Alexa whispered rapidly into my ear. "Memetics. Cryptids. One game overwritten with another, albeit one with far less copyright thanks to me. Inspiration of inspiration of inspiration. You'll figure it out. After all, you're me and I'm you. Buh-byeeeee now!"

Gravity inverted and the view of another place and time came apart into silver streaks.

A felt a strong, clawed hand that grabbed me, hauling me up from the depths of the Genesis Pool.

I broke the surface gasping and choking, dredging silver fluid from my lungs, my mind reeling.

"YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT!" Cinder's voice pierced through my disorientation as she dragged me onto the stone ledge. Her wings were flared wide with agitation, droplets of silver fluid flying everywhere as she shook me. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

I coughed up more of the metallic-tasting liquid, my brain sliding sideways ever so slightly.

"I was thinking... of having a nice refreshing... bath," I spat with a small smile.

"I didn't think that you'd actually freaking jump in there! Nazareth, why are you like this?" Cinder growled with an exasperated expression.

"Like what?" I managed between coughs, "That was... actually... somewhat enlightening! You should try it. Maybe you'll... remember things too, get a new perspective on life."

"Remember what?" Cinder demanded, wings bristling. "What are you talking about? Did you hit your head again in there?"

"I'm fine," I assured her, though my voice sounded strange, off even to my own ears. "Just had a weird... moment under. Like a dream, but... not?"

"The Abyss are you on about?" She asked. "Did you permanently damage what little brain you had left?!"

I sprang to my feet, surprised to find my balance perfectly steady, bouncing up and down. The concussion symptoms were completely gone. My thoughts were crystal clear once again. Clearer than they had ever been before, sharp like the blade of a two-dimensional knife.

I smiled.

"You didn't die in there... right?" She stared at me. "No. You're way too smug looking for someone who'd seen the Wheel a second time."

"No Wheels," I said. "Only me. I saw myself... I think. My... real self. Or maybe my reflection. My... sideways shadow? The darkness that's been at my side from the beginning..."

I blinked. Never alone. Always, there had been something, someone with me, watching me, pushing me onward. Sitting beside me in the van while I drove south. My ghost had a name to it now, a face.

Cinder stared at me, her wings shifting through a kaleidoscope of confused colors - murky grays, uncertain blues, a hint of worried purple. "You're not making any sense. What do you mean, 'saw yourself'?"

"Exactly what I said," I shrugged. "Met a version of me. Or maybe not me. Hard to tell."

I looked at the shimmering pool.

"As above, so below," I murmured.

I lifted the hexagonal bracelet on my left hand to my face. "Hello old friend. You don't belong to this dimension at all, do you?"

Cinder stared at me with growing concern. "Okay, you're clearly having some kind of breakdown."

"Just making an educated guess about the bracelet, chill," I shrugged.

The hexagonal bracelet seemed to pulse slightly in response to my scrutiny, its dark metal surface catching the light in strange ways. Had it always looked so... alive?

"Stats," I whispered.

My menu came up. Every stat was still at zero... Except for one little change:

[Anima: 89/89 + [89]]

I squinted at the extra, inexplicable addition of 89 soul. Was I some kind of a twin-soul human now? Twice as human? Strange. Very, very strange. I had no idea what having more soul did. Would probably have to ask an Animancy teacher about this development on Monday.

"Alex... are you really okay?" Cinder let out.

Progress! She really was worried about me.

"Yep, check this out!" I pulled on the power of the hexasuit and did a cartwheel across the cavern, last bits of silver leaving my body.

"See? Perfectly balanced!" I straightened out. "As all things should be."

"Again with dumb movie quotes?" Cinder bit her lower lip. "The Pool isn't some magical healing spring! It's for resurrection only!"

"Maybe that's just what they want you to think," I grinned, tapping my temple where I knew an invisible shear across reality sat beneath skin and bone. "Maybe we should question everything we think we know about everything."

Cinder twitched. "You sound like Em with her stupid Predator Theory nonsense."

"If you think it's so stupid then why burden yourself with a Kaleid name, Cinder?" I asked.

Cinder deflated, looking like a girl who had been beaten far too long and too many times by life.

"You smell like death, go shower off," she turned around, refusing to meet my eyes.

I sighed, studying my reflection in the Genesis Pool's surface. For a moment, I thought I saw a flash of silver-blue eyes and a fractal crack, but it was gone before I could be sure.

"Argh. I should... get going," Cinder muttered, checking her phone with a frown. "I've already wasted enough time babysitting your crazy ass. Have to get ready for the show tonight."

"Aww, you're not going to make sure I don't drown in the shower?" I teased.

"You're clearly fine," she growled. "Try not to get yourself killed without supervision. I've got show prep. I’ve wasted enough time with your bullshit today.”

"No promises!" I called after her retreating form. "Break a leg at practice! Or someone else's leg! Whatever makes ya smile!"

Cinder's only response was a dismissive wave of her wing as she disappeared up the stairwell in a rush of a rapidly cooling rainbow.

----------------------------------------

I sat back into the chair and rolled myself into the elevator. I was no longer concussed but maintaining the appearance of weakness could be useful.

I left the wheelchair in my van and took Suber to Thundertown and was back in time to attend another class before lunch.

Cinder's seat remained empty.

I found myself sketching her from memory during the teacher's generic compsci lecture - her wings mid-flight, combat boots poised to kick, fingers dancing across piano keys. Each drawing captured a different facet of her: the talented musician, the angry goth, the vulnerable, broken person beneath it all.

My sketchbook rapidly filled as I barely paid attention to the class. Without Cinder to tease and her wings to gawk at, class seemed extra-dull.

----------------------------------------

At lunch, I wheeled myself into the cafeteria, the noise level resembling a stampeding herd of giants. The lunch line was a mass of pushing, shoving, and tail-whacking as hungry, spiked, rowdy Omnitheans fought for position.

Ah, now I remember why I sent June the Kelpie to fetch food for me.

Time for some crowd control.

I pulled out a small firecracker from my bag, lit it with my lighter, and put on large construction earmuffs, dropping the firecracker on the floor directly in front of me.

BANG!

The cafeteria went dead silent, all heads turning to me.

"EVERYBODY BE COOL! THIS IS A WHEELCHAIR ROBBERY!" I announced into the stunned silence, rolling forward dramatically. "I HAVE A DOCTOR'S NOTE AND I'M NOT AFRAID TO USE IT!"

The crowd of dazed, colorful Omnids parted before me like the Red Sea as I wheeled through.

"Beep beep! Decrepit half-human coming through! No shoving in line or I'll file for emotional damage! My lawyer is very enthusiastic about disability discrimination cases!" I called out cheerfully as I wheeled through the parted crowd. "She's a tiny Domovoy with a HUGE legal portfolio!"

The line of students maintained a respectful distance as I reached the counter and ordered my massive sushi platter.

I wheeled away from the counter with my sushi boat balanced precariously on my lap when a familiar Death skill Mothman stepped into my path.

"That was quite the entrance,” Iogann smiled. "Want to join us for lunch?”

"Sure," I nodded, hoping to see my angel.

I followed Iogann's bouncing hat, carefully balancing my mountain of sushi. As we approached a table by the windows, I spotted a familiar camo coat form instead of rainbow wings.

"Kat, this is Alex, the new half-human student I was telling you about," Iogann gestured as we approached. "Alex, this is Katherine Kells, my half-sister.”

I grinned at Katherine, who was already at the table near the window. "Is this seat taken?" I gestured to the empty space next to her wheelchair.

The girl in the goggles simply grunted in response.

Strong and silent type, huh? Two could play at this game.