New? Here's Part 1!
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The sun had already set by the time I woke up. I was hungry and still exhausted. I wasn’t a teenager anymore, those all-nighters weren’t as easy as they used to be. I made myself some lazy pasta, devoured it, and slid right back into my bed. It was then that my mind finally woke up. Concerns about Solenne and Holly popped in and refused to let me sleep. I grabbed my phone. It was dead. I sighed and plugged it in.
I don’t know when I fell asleep among all those intrusive thoughts, but I did. I only realized when I woke up at the break of dawn, its first lights waking me up for the first time in years. I rubbed my eyes and rolled over. I grabbed my phone and booted it up. I waited a bit after to see if any texts would come in, and some did. A number came in from my parents who had heard about a sudden resolution to a case from 25 years ago involving a scientist and the death of his wife.
“Are you okay? What happened? Do you have any idea what happened with your biological father?” the questions were all like that, and got more and more concerned as time went on without a response. I let out a sigh and thought about calling. Then the time on my phone reminded me that would be dumb and sent them a text instead.
“Sorry, my phone must have died. I’m okay. Went out dancing last night with Solenne, only for her to get kidnapped to lure Holly and I out to where he was hiding. By some stroke of luck, we managed to get out of it unharmed. Just tired, is all. Love you guys.”
Once that was out of the way, I noticed that Mahli had also texted me a bunch. A lot of similar messages to what my parents sent, but just with more information about the situation. One of them made me laugh though, “Called the police to tell them. They said they had already gotten a call and responded to it on that very situation. Glad you’re okay, buddy. Sorry I couldn’t be much help.”
“Hey, how are you feeling?” I sent that to both Holly and Solenne. I wanted to hear from them and check in on them, but I imagined they were just as tired as I was.
Unable to sleep any longer, I slid my way out of bed and into the familiar burning heat of the shower. The last time I had taken a shower this hot, I was still crying over losing Solenne. It was just before everything started to happen, right before I saw Holly for the first time. I never thought I’d find myself thinking this, but the breakup seemed like such a small worry after what had happened. It was just someone choosing to move on with their lives, and maybe things would have been okay if our biological father had done the same.
“Coffee later?” I asked Mahli after I got out of the shower.
“Why are you awake?” he questioned. I looked at the time again.
“Why are you awake?” I replied.
“You know I’m an early bird.”
“Yeah, but this early? Jesus Christ, how do you not fall asleep by 4pm?”
“I don’t need to sleep 10 hours a night anymore,” he informed me. “The cafe only opens at 8 though, so we might have to wait a bit.”
“Guess we’ll go for opening.”
“Do you think Farah will be working?” I was surprised he was asking.
“I feel like she usually starts around noon. Why?”
“Just figured that she’d want to see you after what happened. You did tell her about it, right?”
“Well, not recently,” I answered.
“It’s all over the news,” he told me. “They aren’t giving out your names, but the whole thing about you two being long lost siblings and so on is really taking off.”
“I guess it’s not every day something like this happens… Alright, well I’ll see you at what, 8 at the cafe?”
“It’s a date.” The joking flirtiness of the text was reassuring. It made me feel like things could finally go back to normal, though a part of me questioned whether I really wanted that.
That question bounced around my mind as I bused to the cafe. It’s not that I hated the life I led before meeting Holly, but in hindsight, it felt so empty. All I had was someone who didn’t want me. Solenne was right when she dumped me. I had made her my answer for everything. I was half a person as a result.
I sat outside of the coffee shop, having arrived before whoever was inside managed to unlock the door for customers. The air felt like summer, like we had finally made our way through the cold dampness of spring, but I knew better than that. Every time we think that it’s over, it always finds its way back. Maybe there was something prophetic about the cold breeze that blew just as the door opened to the cafe.
“Arthur?” Farah’s familiar voice called out to me from behind. I turned around and saw her leaning out of the door with a look of confusion on her face. “It is you. What are you doing here so early? Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
“I’ve slept enough,” I answered with a smile. “Mahli said you probably heard about what happened.”
“Yeah, I thought that might have had something to do with you,” she said as casually as she could.
“Well, I’ve been asleep basically ever since. Got up this morning and I’m just not tired. Meeting Mahli here in a bit for early morning coffee.”
“When was the last time the two of you did something like that?”
“Probably in high school when we both had to be at school by 8.”
“Well, come on in, I’ll put some coffee on.”
I followed her into the cafe that I had spent so many hours of my life in. My mind drifted to memories and thoughts of the past, only to find myself realizing that I was oddly reflective. It was like I was planning on leaving my old life behind and had to say goodbye one last time.
I took my favorite seat by the front window with the best view of the street outside. There weren’t many people walking around, but it was downtown so there was always at least one person. A golden retriever took their owner for a walk around the block before sleeping until the afternoon. Joggers passed by too, all decked out in gear as if they were training for a marathon.
“It’ll be a little bit,” Farah told me as she sat down across from me. “I just want to get the brew right for the morning. Lots of people depend on it.”
“I don’t mind waiting. Mahli’s not here yet, which is weird.”
“It’s not quite 8 yet,” she informed me. “I just saw you through the window and thought I’d invite you in.”
“Oh, well, maybe that’s why.”
I was uneasy about the idea of Mahli being late. With everything that had happened lately, I couldn’t help but to think that something had happened to him, like Solenne when she went out to grab a breath of fresh air when she was supposed to be dancing.
“So… I don’t want to pester, but are you doing okay? From what I read in the news, it sounded like an insane situation to deal with.”
I absentmindedly nodded. “Yeah, I’m alright…” I mumbled before turning my attention to her instead of the world outside. “Just a little shaken up about it, I think. I don’t know what the news said, but he was trying to correct the experiment that he had done when I was being born. Holly and I are two sides of the same coin. We were never meant to coexist in this reality.”
“That’s… um… yeah, nothing quite that intense in the news…”
“He even tried to turn on his machine and use that to send one of us into oblivion or something like that, but it didn’t work. Seemed like the thing crashed mid-execution.”
She put a comforting hand on my hand. “I’m so sorry that you had to go through that. If there’s anything I can do to help you get through this, just let me know.” A ding from behind the counter caught her attention. She pulled her hands away. “Sorry, that’s the coffee. I’ll be right back.”
I watched as she rushed away behind the counter. From where I was sitting, I couldn’t see anything but her head bobbing around as she prepared everything for the morning rush. My eyes drifted back to the window, only to see Mahli sprinting towards the cafe, a look of panic on his face. The door opened and he burst through it, breathing heavier than I’ve ever seen.
“Are you okay?” I questioned him.
“Sorry, we’re not-” Farah had instinctively started saying before seeing who it was. “Oh Mahli, why are you breathing so heavily?”
He looked at me with a look of dread in his eyes. Oh god, what happened?
“I am so sorry about being late. There was a surprising amount of traffic and then I had a bit of trouble finding parking.”
I burst out laughing. “It’s okay, Mahli. It’s not even 8 yet. I was just chatting with Farah. Don’t worry about it.” My heart hadn’t come back out of the protective casing of my stomach yet, but I liked to think that he was only panicking over being late. My imagination got a little out of hand though.
“Oh thank god,” he breathed in relief before flopping himself into the chair across from me, his bag falling to the ground next to him. Good thing I stayed.
I let him catch his breath. He rested his head on the table, eyes facing the window.
“Is he okay?” Farah asked as she placed a coffee down in front of me, holding one for herself.
“He’ll be fine. Just panicked a bit about being late,” I said with a chuckle. “Thanks for the coffee.”
“No problem,” she said with a smile before taking a sip of her cup. “Fuck! Hot!”
“Every time,” I said before bursting into laughter. The front door opened, the bell on top of it ringing and reminding Farah that she was at work. “Guess you should go handle that.”
“Yeah,” she said before walking away with her tongue sticking out to cool down a bit in the cafe air.
I returned my attention to Mahli, who had somewhat recovered. “What do you want to drink?” I asked him. “Something cold maybe? Or a side of water?”
I returned my attention to Mahli, who had somewhat recovered. “What do you want to drink?” I asked him. “Something cold maybe? Or a side of water?”
“That’d be nice. And maybe a latte, if that’s okay,” he answered without lifting his head from the table.
“I’ve got a ten in my wallet I can grab for you.”
“No, it’s okay, this one’s on me.”
“That’s a first,” he said in a surprised tone, lifting his head from the table to get a good look at me. “Are you sure you’re the real Arthur?”
“Buying my best friend a coffee isn’t going to bankrupt me,” I told him with a chuckle. “Now rest while I go order you something.”
“Back already?” Farah said as she prepared the man’s coffee, glancing over her shoulder at me. She handed it to him with a smile.
“Yeah, Mahli’s gotta get something too,” I told her.
“It’s sweet of you to get it for him,” she said. “His usual of a latte?” I nodded.
“Plus a glass of water if that’s not too much trouble.”
“Of course!”
“Besides, I’ve gotta pay for my coffee anyways too,” I told her.
“Actually,” she said with a grin as she handed me the glass of water, “you don’t. It’s on me.”
“That’s not necessary,” I protested, never totally comfortable with handouts.
“Obviously not,” she answered, her grin growing in defiance, “but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to do it. You’ve gone through a lot. It’s the least I can do. I insist. Besides, you’re paying for Mahli’s drink so it balances out.”
“Alright, if you say so.”
“I’ll bring it over once it’s ready. It’ll take a bit longer than the water did.”
I laughed lightly. “Alright, see you in a bit.”
I headed back to the table, where Mahli had set up his books on his side already. “Glad to see you’ve managed to get your head off of the table,” I joked as I sat down across from him.
“I am too,” he answered with a smirk. “So have you heard from Solenne or Holly?”
I shook my head. “We went our separate ways once we got back to the city, and I haven’t heard from them since, but I’m not surprised.”
“Why not?”
“I spent god knows how long sleeping. Can’t imagine they’re any different. Plus, it was a lot.” I paused. “Not really something we’d want to revisit so soon.”
“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean-”
“It’s okay. I expected as much. To be honest, I don’t feel the same as I used to,” I confessed to him. “Like the way I look at the world is different somehow. More in context.”
“Is that a good thing? Sounds like a good thing,” he posited.
“Yeah, I think so. I finally understand what you meant when you said I should move on from Solenne, and why you were so opposed to me getting back together with her,” I explained to him.
“Is something wrong between you?” he asked. “I thought everything was going well.”
“It was, well enough anyways, but it’s not about the relationship. It’s about me… I’ve been in a rut for longer than I can remember, living an empty life of routine and Solenne was the one thing that made it feel like it had meaning… But that’s kind of ridiculous.”
“I wouldn’t say ridiculous,” he protested to try and make me feel better.
“You wouldn’t say it, but you’d probably write it,” I said with a knowing smirk. “I know I sound sad or whatever right now, but trust me, this is a good thing.”
“Well that’s a relief,” he said with a sigh.
After a bit of that, we let the conversation move onto topics that didn’t originate with me as the focus. I listened as he went on about Evette, and how the poetry she recommended shook up everything he knew about poetry. There was so much excitement in his tone that he sometimes thought to try to hide it, but I encouraged it. It was so pure, so good, and I was no longer so bitter and miserable to refuse it.
Life is rarely simple though. One problem solved often means another comes to light. As much as I loved to live in the dark, to push all thoughts out of my mind as much as possible, I couldn’t do the same to Holly. After a few days of quiet silence, she called me.
“Hey, Arthur?” she sounded unsure of herself, and distressed.
“Yeah, what’s up?” I questioned, anxiety building.
“Can you meet me at the cafe in a couple hours? I want to talk to you about something.”
I had my suspicions about what she wanted to talk about. I had felt it too, thought about it late at night when I was unable to stop the thoughts from coming. Our father created a machine that measured quantum flux changes or whatever, something that went off whenever we were close to each other. Since we had met, we were forced to face the reality that it posed.
“Sure thing.”
Farah wasn’t there when I arrived. Someone else was working. Holly showed up briefly after I did with a mostly empty bag on her back. She sat down across from me and said, “nice to see you again.” It was solemn.
“You too.” I faked joy, trying to drown out the anxiety of what could be coming next.
“I wanted to show you something,” she said as she opened her back and pulled out the quantum flux detector. “I took this from the house before we left to go to the police station. I know I should have given it to them, but I was curious…”
“I’m not sure either of us are able to figure out what it really does,” I reminded her. “And I knew you had it. I saw it in the car before you drove off. What about it though?”
“I found myself wondering if he was right in some capacity, that the two of us coexisting might have awful consequences…” she mumbled with her eyes locked on the odd machine on the table, its readings going through the roof.
“What are we going to do about that? Fight to the death to see who gets to live?” I questioned with a sharp tongue.
She shook her head. “Maybe it’s a sign we need to go our separate ways. I’m thinking of moving away.”
I nodded solemnly. “That would probably be for the best…” I muttered. I hated the idea of it. We had gone through so much together. We were family, siblings who never got to share a childhood. All we got was attacked by our father while hanging out in the few months we had before he died. I liked Holly. She was smart, funny, and driven. I didn’t like to admit it to myself, but she became someone I wished I was more like, ironically.
I took a sip of my coffee. As the hot bean juice burned its way down my throat, I realized I hadn’t ordered a coffee.
“Did you get this for me?” I asked Holly. She gave me a confused look and shook her head. I looked around for Farah, but she was nowhere to be seen.
“That was there when I got here,” she told me. “Maybe it’s someone else’s and you didn’t notice it when you sat down.”
“Weird, it’s still fresh,” I commented as I placed it back down on the table. “So how much do you know about how it works?”
“Not much… It seems like there’s always some reading going on. It just climbs the closer I am to you,” she informed me.
“Guess you’ll have to go pretty far to avoid any accidental bump-ins,” I said with a sigh. She looked me right in my sad pathetic eyes and nodded.
“I think this should be our last meeting,” she told me with a solemn sad tone.
“Yeah, I figured as much,” I said with a sigh. There was something about it that was sadder than when Solenne broke up with me here almost a year ago. No one expects to say this to a sibling.
We both got up from our seats. “I’m going to head out,” I told her. “So take care of yourself, okay? It was an honor to meet you, and I can see you’ve got a great future ahead of you.”
“Thanks, Arthur,” she said softly. “You take care of yourself too. Good luck with Solenne, and tell Mahli I say goodbye.”
“Will do.” I stepped around the table on my way out, but Holly stopped me.
“Hug for the road?” she asked with her arms outstretched.
“Sure,” I breathed. We wrapped our arms around each other for the first time. I hate goodbye hugs. They’re always so intimate, so filled with sadness because they’re a moment of closeness built right before a long farewell. It’s like an alcoholic’s last drink before getting sober. It might be for the best, but it doesn’t make it any easier.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a car flying at us from the street. There was barely anytime to react. I pulled back as fast as I could, still clutching to Holly. There was a loud crash. Broken glass flew everywhere. I shut my eyes and waited for impact. But when I opened my eyes again, there was no car. The wall was busted open, the table we had been sitting at mostly crushed with the quantum flux detector on the ground by our feet.
“What was what?” Holly cried out as she pulled away from me and stared at the sudden hole in the wall.
“A car came flying at us,” I told her with bated breath. I looked out of the hole in the wall at the little bit of grass leading up to the window. “There are even tire tracks…” I muttered as I stepped back and away from Holly.
Everyone in the area seemed to run and come see what had happened. The employee working ran over to us with coffee spilled all over his apron. “What happened?” He must have seen the confused looks on our faces because he stepped towards the hole in the wall and took a look at it. “How the hell?”
I glanced down at my feet to avoid any eye contact with him, feeling an odd sense of guilt resting in my stomach. Curious, I picked up the quantum flux detector and looked at the display. The glass was broken but the image still showed. There was a large spike on the far left hand side of the screen which slowly disappeared from sight.
I understood what happened. It was just like what happened in the house, only worse. Two versions of reality suddenly overlapped and affected each other. Two possibilities coexisted when only one should have. I glanced over at Holly. Our eyes met, and I backed out of the cafe. Once outside, I stared at the tire tracks on the grass, wondering why that car would have been driving in to begin with. I wondered what that other world was like.
Holly joined me after a little while. “The police are on their way,” she told me. “They’re going to try to figure out what happened. The worker thinks maybe the building was unstable, or a bomb maybe?”
“It was us hugging,” I told her in a grim tone. I looked over my shoulder at her. “I’m going to go, Holly. Take care, and goodbye.”
“It was us hugging,” I told her in a grim tone. I looked over my shoulder at her. “I’m going to go, Holly. Take care, and goodbye.”
I walked away, but I didn’t go home. I put some distance between us, took out my phone, and called Mahli. After a couple rings, he picked up.
“Since when do you call me?” he asked in a surprised tone.
“Can you come pick me up downtown? There’s something I need to do and it’s going to require a car.”
“Oh god, what is it?” There was worry and dread in his voice. He knew me so well.
“I need to go back to that house,” I informed him.
“The one you were lured into going? Why? Isn’t that a crime scene right now?”
“I can explain on the way, but it’s pretty urgent. Just trust me, okay?”
“Okay, I’ll be by in about 20 minutes. I was in the middle of writing a poem, but it can wait.”
“Thanks a ton, buddy, see you soon.”
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This long journey is almost over. There's only one more post until the whole story is completely wrapped up, likely forever. It will be coming before July, when another round of NaNo is set to begin, but this time I will not be sharing my project (not that I have an idea anyhow).
I hope you've been enjoying it so far, even though I'm sure the story has been less put together in recent parts. That's the fun of NaNoWriMo. Anyways, until next time,
-Zero
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