I'm not 100% sure this is the right section to post in, since this isn't related to anime/manga... Anyway.
Hi!
So here's the thing. My friend and I got the urge to write some short stories and send it to eachother to see which one is more interesting. He's the type to never admit if anything I do/create is good, but he will definitely say it's not as good as his. I'm posting this here because I want some critisicm, the good and the bad about my story/work. Anyway, here's my story. I've also posted it on OPB, but decided to post it here also, since there are more members here and could get more cnc. Thanks ^_^
Chapter 1:
Chapter 2:
Chapter 3:
Chapter 4:
Chapter 5:
Hi!
So here's the thing. My friend and I got the urge to write some short stories and send it to eachother to see which one is more interesting. He's the type to never admit if anything I do/create is good, but he will definitely say it's not as good as his. I'm posting this here because I want some critisicm, the good and the bad about my story/work. Anyway, here's my story. I've also posted it on OPB, but decided to post it here also, since there are more members here and could get more cnc. Thanks ^_^
Chapter 1:
Sunday. 7:21am.
A phone call wakes me up. It's Jessica.
- Hello? - I answered after a long yawn.
- Alex, is that you? - She asked anxiously.
- Yeah, who's this?
- It's me, Jess. Thank god you're okay. I got a call from an unidentified number, saying you got into a car accident a few hours ago and were taken to a hospital. I tried calling you but you didn't answer. I was so nervous, I didn't know what to do.
- Hold on, what do you mean I got into an accident? Who called you?
- I told you it was from a blocked number, all I know is that it was a woman.
- Must've been a prank call, but still, that's too much for a simple joke, isn't it?
- Honestly, I don't even know... I was really confused and... and scared. What if you had died? What would I have done? H-how could I explain it to your parents? - said Jess while crying furiously.
- Jess! - I shouted - Jess, calm down, I'm okay, everything is fine. Stop crying.
- O-okay, fine, I'm okay. - saying all that while sobbing loud enough for me to hear through the phone.
- Stop crying already, it's getting on my nerves. Go drink some tea or something, just calm down. I'm okay, can't you see? You'll see me at work later today.
- Yeah, you're right, I'll do that, drink the tea, I mean. - after a brief pause she continued - I'll see you later, okay?
- Sure.
She hung up without saying anything.
- Well... that was weird. - I thought to myself.
Completely woken up, I tried to take a cold shower, but water wasn't running. I hate going to work without taking a shower in the morning first. All grumpy, like some old man, I made my breakfast, ate it and then went and put on some clothes.
Before going out, I put on my trench coat and a police badge, which I'm rather proud of. As I walked out of the elevator, there was a woman standing in the lobby. She looked awful a lot like Jess. That couldn't have been her. She glared at me rather furiously, which made me a little nervous. I got out of the building, got into my car and drove off.
The moment I went inside the police department, the Police Chief, Tom McArthur, a rather renowned policeman known for his brutality and ambition, called me to his office. I took my coat and hanged it on the hanger near my office. Once the chief saw me enter his office, Mr. McArthur told me that they got a rather strange case on their hands and they needed me.
- Officer James, that's the case right there. - The chief pointed at a binder on the table.
I took the binder, opened it and I was immediately shocked by the content inside it. It was a case of a car accident, that was more-or-less normal, but the strange thing was the victim. It was me. Or rather a person that looked a lot like me, a doppelganger of sorts. I started turning the pages, reading through the case. Rooted in place, I couldn't move, it was like I was being possessed by some evil spirit.
- Alex! Alex! - I heard a voice calling my name, but I didn't know who it belonged to. - Alex! Wake up for god's sake. Someo... ll the... lance... - The voices began to fade into the void.
After waking up in a hospital, I was told by the nurse, that I lost consciousness in the chief's office.
- Ah! Shit! - I started shouting and cursing, out of nowhere.
I began to lose control of myself as I began shaking my whole body in a raging frenzy. Yet again I lost consciousness. Finally I regained it. And there I was standing in the middle of the road, fully clothed.
- Where am I? What happened? - I began asking those questions rather loudly, enough for someone to hear across the road.
I heard a screech, like a car was making a sudden turn. I turned around and saw a car moving really fast towards me. I knew I couldn't avoid getting hit by it, because I couldn't move my legs or anything at all. Before the unavoidable accident, or was it an accident? The car didn't seem to steer away to avoid hitting me. Before everything went dark, before losing consciousness yet again I saw the face of the driver. In the brief moment I saw her, it was unmistakably her... It was Jess. I felt the car hit me very hard, but it didn't hurt.
A phone call wakes me up. It's Jessica.
- Hello? - I answered after a long yawn.
- Alex, is that you? - She asked anxiously.
- Yeah, who's this?
- It's me, Jess. Thank god you're okay. I got a call from an unidentified number, saying you got into a car accident a few hours ago and were taken to a hospital. I tried calling you but you didn't answer. I was so nervous, I didn't know what to do.
- Hold on, what do you mean I got into an accident? Who called you?
- I told you it was from a blocked number, all I know is that it was a woman.
- Must've been a prank call, but still, that's too much for a simple joke, isn't it?
- Honestly, I don't even know... I was really confused and... and scared. What if you had died? What would I have done? H-how could I explain it to your parents? - said Jess while crying furiously.
- Jess! - I shouted - Jess, calm down, I'm okay, everything is fine. Stop crying.
- O-okay, fine, I'm okay. - saying all that while sobbing loud enough for me to hear through the phone.
- Stop crying already, it's getting on my nerves. Go drink some tea or something, just calm down. I'm okay, can't you see? You'll see me at work later today.
- Yeah, you're right, I'll do that, drink the tea, I mean. - after a brief pause she continued - I'll see you later, okay?
- Sure.
She hung up without saying anything.
- Well... that was weird. - I thought to myself.
Completely woken up, I tried to take a cold shower, but water wasn't running. I hate going to work without taking a shower in the morning first. All grumpy, like some old man, I made my breakfast, ate it and then went and put on some clothes.
Before going out, I put on my trench coat and a police badge, which I'm rather proud of. As I walked out of the elevator, there was a woman standing in the lobby. She looked awful a lot like Jess. That couldn't have been her. She glared at me rather furiously, which made me a little nervous. I got out of the building, got into my car and drove off.
The moment I went inside the police department, the Police Chief, Tom McArthur, a rather renowned policeman known for his brutality and ambition, called me to his office. I took my coat and hanged it on the hanger near my office. Once the chief saw me enter his office, Mr. McArthur told me that they got a rather strange case on their hands and they needed me.
- Officer James, that's the case right there. - The chief pointed at a binder on the table.
I took the binder, opened it and I was immediately shocked by the content inside it. It was a case of a car accident, that was more-or-less normal, but the strange thing was the victim. It was me. Or rather a person that looked a lot like me, a doppelganger of sorts. I started turning the pages, reading through the case. Rooted in place, I couldn't move, it was like I was being possessed by some evil spirit.
- Alex! Alex! - I heard a voice calling my name, but I didn't know who it belonged to. - Alex! Wake up for god's sake. Someo... ll the... lance... - The voices began to fade into the void.
After waking up in a hospital, I was told by the nurse, that I lost consciousness in the chief's office.
- Ah! Shit! - I started shouting and cursing, out of nowhere.
I began to lose control of myself as I began shaking my whole body in a raging frenzy. Yet again I lost consciousness. Finally I regained it. And there I was standing in the middle of the road, fully clothed.
- Where am I? What happened? - I began asking those questions rather loudly, enough for someone to hear across the road.
I heard a screech, like a car was making a sudden turn. I turned around and saw a car moving really fast towards me. I knew I couldn't avoid getting hit by it, because I couldn't move my legs or anything at all. Before the unavoidable accident, or was it an accident? The car didn't seem to steer away to avoid hitting me. Before everything went dark, before losing consciousness yet again I saw the face of the driver. In the brief moment I saw her, it was unmistakably her... It was Jess. I felt the car hit me very hard, but it didn't hurt.
Chapter 2:
Again I woke up, feeling pain everywhere on my body. I looked at the clock, it was 7:21am. Suddenly the phone began to call. I answered it rather nervously, getting goosebumps all over my body, feeling shivers going down my spine...
- Hello? - I asked quietly.
- You shouldn't be alive! I killed you!!!
I immediately hung up and threw the phone. I felt something at that very moment, something that I rarely feel... It was fear... I don't know where it came from, but unmistakably it was fear. Fear of something unknown, supernatural, something that can't be explained.
- It can't be... No! No! No!!! - I started shouting really loudly, probably waking up every single person in the building. The terror I felt... - No, it's impossible, it couldn't have been Jess. No! No! No!!! Why would she want to kill me? Why? Just... Why? I don't understand...
After a brief moment I felt sudden relief, but unbeknownst why. Suddenly I realized I was home, and this thing, the time the phone rang was the same as yesterday, or whenever it was, it felt like days or even weeks maybe, it was really confusing. Getting my thoughts together and finally calming down, I felt a strange sensation, as if something was different, not how it was meant to be. I got my act together and put some clothes on, a simple t-shirt and some jeans, after which I got into bathroom and washed my face, hoping some things would clear up. Finished with wiping my face, I looked into the mirror. The horror I felt, as I watched the reflection that was supposed to look like me, was unexplainable. It's something you can't understand without experiencing it yourself. It looked really similar to me, it had the same dark brown hair, 5 o'clock shadow, the scar on the chin, but there was a difference you couldn't miss, the eyes. There were none. The eye sockets were empty and bleeding excessively, as though someone gouged them out. Trying to understand what it was, I rubbed my eyes, not believing in what I saw. The twisted version of myself was gone from the mirror.
Forcing myself to get up following the falling after seeing the reflection, I went back to my bedroom to get my trusty 1911 9mm pistol, which I always keep under my pillow, but it wasn't there. Getting myself together I look around and realize the room was a mess, as if someone had ransacked it. Trying to understand what happened, I started looking for my trusty pistol, but it was nowhere to be found. But there was something else I found, my old .32 revolver. How do I know it was my old weapon? Easy, it had my initials on it, A. J., and some scratches that turned up out of the blue every time I used it through the early years of my duty as a LA policeman.
- Ah, old friend, we meet again. - I said as I looked at the revolver lying on the floor, covered in blood.
I clearly remember the last time I used it. It happened two years ago. It was the last night of December of 2013, around 7-8pm. My wife, Julia, was kidnapped by some thugs who robbed a bank in the city center. They took hostages, including Julia and her sister, Barbara. It was really painful to remember that night of two years ago, so I stopped. I took the pistol from the floor and put it in my holster. I started cleaning up the apartment. It was really tough to clean it all up. As I cleaned the rooms, I began to realize, the apartment felt different. It looked the same, but it had a different vibe to it. Like it belonged to someone else, someone that similar tastes to me, if not the same. For instance, there were tons of pictures of my dead wife all over the place, which I clearly remember throwing them out to forget the pain and the loss I suffered that faithful night. Other than the pictures there were no major differences from my apartment and the one I currently was in.
Being done with the cleaning, I went out of the apartment and into the hallway on the 8th floor. That's where I began to notice some changes, both in me and in my surroundings. The hallway was dark red, rather than plain old green. The doors were wooden instead of metallic. And every apartment, other than mine, had blood coming out of them. It all looked like a scene from a horror movie.
Moments later, before I went into the elevator, probably the strangest and most terrifying thing happened after the phone call. When the elevator doors opened, inside I saw two things, both hard to explain. One was a see through silhouette of man, you could say a ghost. The other one was a tall human-like thing but it definitely wasn't a human, it had fur growing from its body where clothes weren't covering the skin. It looked like a werewolf. Can you imagine seeing a ghost and a werewolf together in an elevator, in a bloody hallway? No? Me neither. But what I saw, was definitely not a dream. I closed my eyes, pinched myself. Believing that it was a dream and I had to wake up. But it wasn't. Nothing worked.
- There you are Mr. James.
Out of nowhere I heard a spooky voice, coming from nowhere, when I realized that it belonged to the ghost, it was already too late. The werewolf started grinning, took out his claws and came straight for me. Being a police officer for as long as I was, makes you react faster to thing, it improves your reflexes. When my reflexes kicked in, I began running towards the end of the hallway. There was nothing, only a dead end. I knew I'd be a dead man if I stopped, so without thinking I did the unthinkable. I went straight for the window, my eyes closed.
When I opened my eyes, I was already on the ground, standing firm. I jumped through the window, jumped from 8th floor and somehow landed on my two feet, suffering no damage whatsoever. There was no explanation to what had happened at that moment, how did I, a regular human being, could survive a fall from 8th floor, falling on concrete and suffering no damage. Once I looked up I saw the werewolf stuck in the window, drooling profusely, like a wolf hunting its prey, ready to catch and devour it. I could feel the bloodlust coming from him.
- Come back Bigby. - Said the same spooky voice.
As the werewolf went inside and I no longer could feel his presence, I ran as all hell, trying to get away from that supernatural nonsense that just happened. Once again I got my act together, calmed myself down and walked onto the main road from the alley I landed in. I looked around the street, everything felt different, everything was different. You could feel the eerie feeling coming from everything and everywhere, there was nothing that could sooth your anxiousness. The eerie feeling would instead make you more nervous, more afraid of something, without a valid reason. Everything had a grim presence to it. There was no color to the city, everything was either black n white or had a dark color, like something out of an old TV show, a noir one at that. Not only the colors but the commuters, everyone beside the normal human people, all like the ghost and werewolf from the apartment building. That must've been the reason that everything felt the same and different at the same time. A sudden realization struck me, a rather dreary one. I felt as if I had traveled to another world, that was a similar one to the one I originally came from. Suddenly a voice came from behind.
- You're a sharp one.
I started looking around but saw no one behind me.
- Don't try to look for me, you won't see me unless I want you to. - said the voice.
I fell back, stood against a wall and something bumped me. It was my gun. I was ready to reach for it and use it.
- It's useless, your sidearm won't have any effect on me. Anyway, you're not safe here, get to cafe on the other side of the road.
I froze and didn't move.
- Well? What're you waiting for? Go! Before Indigo comes with Bigby.
- W-who? - I asked nervously.
- The ghost and the werewolf who came to get rid of you.
- But why did they come after me?
- Get to the cafe and you're questions will be answered. Once you sit down, order a frappuccino.
- But w...
Suddenly a crazy maniacal laugh started somewhere near, slowly getting closer and closer, louder and louder.
- Damn it! He's here already. Get the hell out of here, go to the place I told you and do what I told you or else you won't be safe. Ask your questions there.
Without any hesitation I ran, once I got into the crowd I slowed down. I started looking for the cafe the voice mentioned. There it was, standing out from other venues on the street. "The Star" it was called. Not a bad place. Higher price than average, but a nice place nonetheless. I went in, sat down at the far end, in the corner. The server came. Victoria. A young and beautiful representative of the female gender. Slim body, long black flowy hair, hazel eyes.
- May I take your order, sir? - She asked smiling, while taking out a notebook to take the order.
- A frappuccino will be fine, thank you. - I smiled nervously, not knowing what to expect.
- Please follow me. - Her smile faded away. Now with a serious expression on her face, she hurried back behind the counter, expecting me to follow her.
As told, I followed her. No one seemed to notice a customer going behind the counter following a server. We went into the kitchen. In the north-east corner of the room, was hidden a trapdoor. She opened it, hinting with her eyes to go in quickly. I went in without any questions. It was dark in there but still manageable to walk through the hall, or whatever it was. Walking for a while, I saw a figure in the darkness. I cautiously moved towards the shadowy figure. Once near enough to see what it was. He pointed me towards the door he was standing next to. Again, I went in without asking any questions. There were no lights, it was really dark. Once inside the figure told me to sleep. It seems it was past 10pm already. The door closed and lights turned on. It was a regular room, a small one but still a normal looking room. There was a single bed, a desk and a chair. Not exhausted enough, I still went to bed. I fell asleep instantly.
Next morning after waking up, I looked at my watch. It was 9:30am. The first thing I noticed when I looked up at the ceiling, was the camera in the corner of the room. After I stood up, the door opened. I went outside, not sure what to expect. I looked around the hallway. Nothing. Nobody. There were only rooms like mine, continuing endlessly. Not knowing where to go, I just continued to walk down the hallway. I came to a fork. Before I could move a step...
- Go left.
- Who's there? - I jumped.
It was the voice from yesterday, the one that told me about this place. Without asking any more questions, I went left, as the voice suggested. There was only one room at the end of the hallway.
- Wait.
There was the voice again. I waited.
- Before going in, knock.
As told, I knocked, opened the door and went in. It was an office. Bookshelves and file cabinets on each side, large carpet in the middle, no windows and one desk in the back of the room, opposite the door. Behind the desk there was an armchair, a comfy looking one. I started walking towards the desk. There was no presence, the room seemed empty. Then the chair started to turn around slowly. Sitting in the chair was a man in a black suit, gray shirt and black tie. A man with no face. If you had looked at my face at that moment, you'd see a face full of terror. There was nothing on the head, no eyes, eye sockets, no nose or mouth. It only had a shape of a head but no face.
- Don't look so startled. - It was that voice again. - We finally meet, Mr. Alex James. I'm Copperhead. Nice to meet you. - He invited me for a handshake.
As I shook his hand, I felt a surge of energy through my body. I was full of energy. I immediately pulled back. He tilted his head sideways, as though confused. I still felt slight fear when looking at his so-called face.
- You easily get afraid. You should learn to be more courageous. Show some backbone. You did nothing but get scared of everything since you came to this world. Let me see... Hmm...
I felt his non-existent gaze pierce right through me, as if he looked right into my soul, trying to know more about me, learning my secrets...
- I see... You, my dear friend are afraid of two things, which are the reason you get frightened so easily. You're afraid of the event that occurred on the 31st December, 2013, two years ago. You're afraid something similar may happen again. For the second reason... Eh... So simple. Your reason for fear is so basic. You're just afraid of something you don't understand, so common. Everyone is terrified of something they can't explain.
I stood there frozen, not knowing what to say or what to do. Sweat coming down my forehead like a waterfall.
- It's simple my friend. Don't try to understand what you can't explain. Embrace it as it is. I see you've met Indigo and Bigby. They were hired to dispose of you. I don't know by whom or for what reason. That someone really wants you dead if they hired mercenaries such as those two. What in the world did you do to deserve this?
I still felt his gaze inside me. Searching every nook and cranny of my soul, trying to find something.
- Oh my... Oh no... You must've done something really awful to deserve this. That someone didn't hire just those two. No sir, not at all. She hired her of all people. The craziest there is. The one with the crowbar, the crazy one. The Woman in Purple.
- Who? - I finally was able to ask something.
- The Woman in Purple. The worst enemy you can have.
- Who's that?
- Someone you should avoid at all costs.
- But... I don't remember seeing anyone in purple. - I replied while trying my best to remember everyone I came across in the last few days.
- You're right, you didn't meet him. But you heard him. Don't you remember? That crazy maniacal laugh... surely you couldn't have forgotten that. It's not something you forget.
- I remember it... but... it's not the first time I heard it.
- What? - Copperhead asked, feeling shocked.
- I heard it once before...
- When?
- ...
- You don't mean...
- Yes...
- You mean the one who killed your wife was...
- The Woman in Purple...
- Impossible...
- ...
- ...
A moment of silence fell in the room. Neither me, nor Copperhead uttered a word for a while. He broke the silence.
- You actually met her and survived? That's unheard of...
- Why? Who is she? Who is this Woman in Purple?
- She... She is the most ruthless person you can ever meet. She'll kill you with her crowbar in cold blood. Believe me, you don't want to meet her, but I see you already have.
- I don't understand.
- You don't want to. Don't even try. She's the craziest, the most unpredictable person on this planet, or even yours.
Silence filled the room. Copperhead used the phone and called for someone.
- Call her. - He said.
Moments later the door behind me opened, and she walked in, Victoria.
- Ah! Victoria! Finally. - Said Copperhead, while I stare at both of them confused. - She's the only one, besides you, who survived an encounter with the Woman in Purple. She'll teach you everything she can to make sure you can fight the crazy woman. - Victoria nodded. - You see... she no longer can fight back... she suffered an injury in her last confrontation with the Woman in Purple.
- Before we continue... - I interrupted - Why is she called the Woman in Purple? Doesn't she have a real name?
- It's simple. She wears a purple business suit with a green shirt. Hence the name. Nobody knows for sure what is her real name, but some call her Jessica, those who've hired her before and survived to tell the story. You see, Jessica or the Woman in Purple, actually kills most of her employers. For no reason of course.
- Of course... - I replied.
- Now then, off you go you two. Go on Victoria, teach our friend here some survival skills.
The two of us left the room. We went outside. She got into a car. Without saying anything I got in as well. We drove for a while. Her face stern, while I'm wondering where we're headed.
- Hello? - I asked quietly.
- You shouldn't be alive! I killed you!!!
I immediately hung up and threw the phone. I felt something at that very moment, something that I rarely feel... It was fear... I don't know where it came from, but unmistakably it was fear. Fear of something unknown, supernatural, something that can't be explained.
- It can't be... No! No! No!!! - I started shouting really loudly, probably waking up every single person in the building. The terror I felt... - No, it's impossible, it couldn't have been Jess. No! No! No!!! Why would she want to kill me? Why? Just... Why? I don't understand...
After a brief moment I felt sudden relief, but unbeknownst why. Suddenly I realized I was home, and this thing, the time the phone rang was the same as yesterday, or whenever it was, it felt like days or even weeks maybe, it was really confusing. Getting my thoughts together and finally calming down, I felt a strange sensation, as if something was different, not how it was meant to be. I got my act together and put some clothes on, a simple t-shirt and some jeans, after which I got into bathroom and washed my face, hoping some things would clear up. Finished with wiping my face, I looked into the mirror. The horror I felt, as I watched the reflection that was supposed to look like me, was unexplainable. It's something you can't understand without experiencing it yourself. It looked really similar to me, it had the same dark brown hair, 5 o'clock shadow, the scar on the chin, but there was a difference you couldn't miss, the eyes. There were none. The eye sockets were empty and bleeding excessively, as though someone gouged them out. Trying to understand what it was, I rubbed my eyes, not believing in what I saw. The twisted version of myself was gone from the mirror.
Forcing myself to get up following the falling after seeing the reflection, I went back to my bedroom to get my trusty 1911 9mm pistol, which I always keep under my pillow, but it wasn't there. Getting myself together I look around and realize the room was a mess, as if someone had ransacked it. Trying to understand what happened, I started looking for my trusty pistol, but it was nowhere to be found. But there was something else I found, my old .32 revolver. How do I know it was my old weapon? Easy, it had my initials on it, A. J., and some scratches that turned up out of the blue every time I used it through the early years of my duty as a LA policeman.
- Ah, old friend, we meet again. - I said as I looked at the revolver lying on the floor, covered in blood.
I clearly remember the last time I used it. It happened two years ago. It was the last night of December of 2013, around 7-8pm. My wife, Julia, was kidnapped by some thugs who robbed a bank in the city center. They took hostages, including Julia and her sister, Barbara. It was really painful to remember that night of two years ago, so I stopped. I took the pistol from the floor and put it in my holster. I started cleaning up the apartment. It was really tough to clean it all up. As I cleaned the rooms, I began to realize, the apartment felt different. It looked the same, but it had a different vibe to it. Like it belonged to someone else, someone that similar tastes to me, if not the same. For instance, there were tons of pictures of my dead wife all over the place, which I clearly remember throwing them out to forget the pain and the loss I suffered that faithful night. Other than the pictures there were no major differences from my apartment and the one I currently was in.
Being done with the cleaning, I went out of the apartment and into the hallway on the 8th floor. That's where I began to notice some changes, both in me and in my surroundings. The hallway was dark red, rather than plain old green. The doors were wooden instead of metallic. And every apartment, other than mine, had blood coming out of them. It all looked like a scene from a horror movie.
Moments later, before I went into the elevator, probably the strangest and most terrifying thing happened after the phone call. When the elevator doors opened, inside I saw two things, both hard to explain. One was a see through silhouette of man, you could say a ghost. The other one was a tall human-like thing but it definitely wasn't a human, it had fur growing from its body where clothes weren't covering the skin. It looked like a werewolf. Can you imagine seeing a ghost and a werewolf together in an elevator, in a bloody hallway? No? Me neither. But what I saw, was definitely not a dream. I closed my eyes, pinched myself. Believing that it was a dream and I had to wake up. But it wasn't. Nothing worked.
- There you are Mr. James.
Out of nowhere I heard a spooky voice, coming from nowhere, when I realized that it belonged to the ghost, it was already too late. The werewolf started grinning, took out his claws and came straight for me. Being a police officer for as long as I was, makes you react faster to thing, it improves your reflexes. When my reflexes kicked in, I began running towards the end of the hallway. There was nothing, only a dead end. I knew I'd be a dead man if I stopped, so without thinking I did the unthinkable. I went straight for the window, my eyes closed.
When I opened my eyes, I was already on the ground, standing firm. I jumped through the window, jumped from 8th floor and somehow landed on my two feet, suffering no damage whatsoever. There was no explanation to what had happened at that moment, how did I, a regular human being, could survive a fall from 8th floor, falling on concrete and suffering no damage. Once I looked up I saw the werewolf stuck in the window, drooling profusely, like a wolf hunting its prey, ready to catch and devour it. I could feel the bloodlust coming from him.
- Come back Bigby. - Said the same spooky voice.
As the werewolf went inside and I no longer could feel his presence, I ran as all hell, trying to get away from that supernatural nonsense that just happened. Once again I got my act together, calmed myself down and walked onto the main road from the alley I landed in. I looked around the street, everything felt different, everything was different. You could feel the eerie feeling coming from everything and everywhere, there was nothing that could sooth your anxiousness. The eerie feeling would instead make you more nervous, more afraid of something, without a valid reason. Everything had a grim presence to it. There was no color to the city, everything was either black n white or had a dark color, like something out of an old TV show, a noir one at that. Not only the colors but the commuters, everyone beside the normal human people, all like the ghost and werewolf from the apartment building. That must've been the reason that everything felt the same and different at the same time. A sudden realization struck me, a rather dreary one. I felt as if I had traveled to another world, that was a similar one to the one I originally came from. Suddenly a voice came from behind.
- You're a sharp one.
I started looking around but saw no one behind me.
- Don't try to look for me, you won't see me unless I want you to. - said the voice.
I fell back, stood against a wall and something bumped me. It was my gun. I was ready to reach for it and use it.
- It's useless, your sidearm won't have any effect on me. Anyway, you're not safe here, get to cafe on the other side of the road.
I froze and didn't move.
- Well? What're you waiting for? Go! Before Indigo comes with Bigby.
- W-who? - I asked nervously.
- The ghost and the werewolf who came to get rid of you.
- But why did they come after me?
- Get to the cafe and you're questions will be answered. Once you sit down, order a frappuccino.
- But w...
Suddenly a crazy maniacal laugh started somewhere near, slowly getting closer and closer, louder and louder.
- Damn it! He's here already. Get the hell out of here, go to the place I told you and do what I told you or else you won't be safe. Ask your questions there.
Without any hesitation I ran, once I got into the crowd I slowed down. I started looking for the cafe the voice mentioned. There it was, standing out from other venues on the street. "The Star" it was called. Not a bad place. Higher price than average, but a nice place nonetheless. I went in, sat down at the far end, in the corner. The server came. Victoria. A young and beautiful representative of the female gender. Slim body, long black flowy hair, hazel eyes.
- May I take your order, sir? - She asked smiling, while taking out a notebook to take the order.
- A frappuccino will be fine, thank you. - I smiled nervously, not knowing what to expect.
- Please follow me. - Her smile faded away. Now with a serious expression on her face, she hurried back behind the counter, expecting me to follow her.
As told, I followed her. No one seemed to notice a customer going behind the counter following a server. We went into the kitchen. In the north-east corner of the room, was hidden a trapdoor. She opened it, hinting with her eyes to go in quickly. I went in without any questions. It was dark in there but still manageable to walk through the hall, or whatever it was. Walking for a while, I saw a figure in the darkness. I cautiously moved towards the shadowy figure. Once near enough to see what it was. He pointed me towards the door he was standing next to. Again, I went in without asking any questions. There were no lights, it was really dark. Once inside the figure told me to sleep. It seems it was past 10pm already. The door closed and lights turned on. It was a regular room, a small one but still a normal looking room. There was a single bed, a desk and a chair. Not exhausted enough, I still went to bed. I fell asleep instantly.
Next morning after waking up, I looked at my watch. It was 9:30am. The first thing I noticed when I looked up at the ceiling, was the camera in the corner of the room. After I stood up, the door opened. I went outside, not sure what to expect. I looked around the hallway. Nothing. Nobody. There were only rooms like mine, continuing endlessly. Not knowing where to go, I just continued to walk down the hallway. I came to a fork. Before I could move a step...
- Go left.
- Who's there? - I jumped.
It was the voice from yesterday, the one that told me about this place. Without asking any more questions, I went left, as the voice suggested. There was only one room at the end of the hallway.
- Wait.
There was the voice again. I waited.
- Before going in, knock.
As told, I knocked, opened the door and went in. It was an office. Bookshelves and file cabinets on each side, large carpet in the middle, no windows and one desk in the back of the room, opposite the door. Behind the desk there was an armchair, a comfy looking one. I started walking towards the desk. There was no presence, the room seemed empty. Then the chair started to turn around slowly. Sitting in the chair was a man in a black suit, gray shirt and black tie. A man with no face. If you had looked at my face at that moment, you'd see a face full of terror. There was nothing on the head, no eyes, eye sockets, no nose or mouth. It only had a shape of a head but no face.
- Don't look so startled. - It was that voice again. - We finally meet, Mr. Alex James. I'm Copperhead. Nice to meet you. - He invited me for a handshake.
As I shook his hand, I felt a surge of energy through my body. I was full of energy. I immediately pulled back. He tilted his head sideways, as though confused. I still felt slight fear when looking at his so-called face.
- You easily get afraid. You should learn to be more courageous. Show some backbone. You did nothing but get scared of everything since you came to this world. Let me see... Hmm...
I felt his non-existent gaze pierce right through me, as if he looked right into my soul, trying to know more about me, learning my secrets...
- I see... You, my dear friend are afraid of two things, which are the reason you get frightened so easily. You're afraid of the event that occurred on the 31st December, 2013, two years ago. You're afraid something similar may happen again. For the second reason... Eh... So simple. Your reason for fear is so basic. You're just afraid of something you don't understand, so common. Everyone is terrified of something they can't explain.
I stood there frozen, not knowing what to say or what to do. Sweat coming down my forehead like a waterfall.
- It's simple my friend. Don't try to understand what you can't explain. Embrace it as it is. I see you've met Indigo and Bigby. They were hired to dispose of you. I don't know by whom or for what reason. That someone really wants you dead if they hired mercenaries such as those two. What in the world did you do to deserve this?
I still felt his gaze inside me. Searching every nook and cranny of my soul, trying to find something.
- Oh my... Oh no... You must've done something really awful to deserve this. That someone didn't hire just those two. No sir, not at all. She hired her of all people. The craziest there is. The one with the crowbar, the crazy one. The Woman in Purple.
- Who? - I finally was able to ask something.
- The Woman in Purple. The worst enemy you can have.
- Who's that?
- Someone you should avoid at all costs.
- But... I don't remember seeing anyone in purple. - I replied while trying my best to remember everyone I came across in the last few days.
- You're right, you didn't meet him. But you heard him. Don't you remember? That crazy maniacal laugh... surely you couldn't have forgotten that. It's not something you forget.
- I remember it... but... it's not the first time I heard it.
- What? - Copperhead asked, feeling shocked.
- I heard it once before...
- When?
- ...
- You don't mean...
- Yes...
- You mean the one who killed your wife was...
- The Woman in Purple...
- Impossible...
- ...
- ...
A moment of silence fell in the room. Neither me, nor Copperhead uttered a word for a while. He broke the silence.
- You actually met her and survived? That's unheard of...
- Why? Who is she? Who is this Woman in Purple?
- She... She is the most ruthless person you can ever meet. She'll kill you with her crowbar in cold blood. Believe me, you don't want to meet her, but I see you already have.
- I don't understand.
- You don't want to. Don't even try. She's the craziest, the most unpredictable person on this planet, or even yours.
Silence filled the room. Copperhead used the phone and called for someone.
- Call her. - He said.
Moments later the door behind me opened, and she walked in, Victoria.
- Ah! Victoria! Finally. - Said Copperhead, while I stare at both of them confused. - She's the only one, besides you, who survived an encounter with the Woman in Purple. She'll teach you everything she can to make sure you can fight the crazy woman. - Victoria nodded. - You see... she no longer can fight back... she suffered an injury in her last confrontation with the Woman in Purple.
- Before we continue... - I interrupted - Why is she called the Woman in Purple? Doesn't she have a real name?
- It's simple. She wears a purple business suit with a green shirt. Hence the name. Nobody knows for sure what is her real name, but some call her Jessica, those who've hired her before and survived to tell the story. You see, Jessica or the Woman in Purple, actually kills most of her employers. For no reason of course.
- Of course... - I replied.
- Now then, off you go you two. Go on Victoria, teach our friend here some survival skills.
The two of us left the room. We went outside. She got into a car. Without saying anything I got in as well. We drove for a while. Her face stern, while I'm wondering where we're headed.
Chapter 3:
- ...ex! Alex! Wake up!
- Huh? Wha-? What's going on? - Asked puzzled Alex.
- We've got an emergency. There's a robbery going on. It's a big one. - It was the police chief, McArthur.
- O-okay, I'll get my gun and badge.
Young, but experienced detective stood up, took his badge and his revolver, putting it in his holster, then put on his brown trench coat. He got out of the police department and got into a car with the police chief.
- So... what do we know about the robbery?
- There're 6 or 7 robbers, all heavily armed, thick bulletproof vests and clown masks.
- Great... I just love clowns. - The detective sighed heavily.
- Yeah... I know... - after a brief pause... - Anyway, they've got hostages, not only those who were in the bank but random people from outside as well.
- How many?
- Around a dozen of them.
- Whoa, that's a lot.
- Here we are. Get your gun.
The police chief, together with Alex, got out of the car and got ready to storm the place.
- What's the situation? - asked James, pointing his gun at the bank entrance.
- They've asked for a ransom, I think it was... What, around 5-6 millions of dollars. Plus a getaway van. They're saying if we don't get them what they want, they'll start killing hostages, starting with women and children.
- Bastards! - Shouted out of nowhere furious Alex.
- Calm down! We'll get them before they do something funny.
- ... Yeah... Right... Okay... - Said the young detective, while taking off his tie to get a breather.
Before the detective, alongside the chief and S.W.A.T. could get ready to get in and clear out the bank, a woman with a bag on her head came out the building. Behind her came out one of the robbers. It was a woman, in a purple dyed vest with a crazy clown mask. Armed with a crowbar in one hand and a magnum in the other, aimed the gun at the hostages head.
- Where's the money? Want me to kill this *****? She's pregnant you know.
- We'll get your money, just wait an hour before it gets here. - Said the police chief through the megaphone.
- I'm done waiting. Just so you know, I personally rigged your cars beforehand and now I'm going to blow them up, killing every single one of you coppers and probably this ***** here. - Said the robber in a calm voice, putting away her crowbar and pulling off the bag off of the pregnant hostage.
Before the bag fully came of the hostages head, sudden pain hit the heart of the detective. Vision starting to blur, his mind going blank. Trying to pull himself together he started to whisper:
- No... Please no... Don't touch her... Please... Not her... Not Julia...
While he still could see clearly, Alex looked right into the eyes of the robber. Right then he felt the terror, shivers running down his spine, feeling an empty void inside of himself. He could see the bloodlust coming out of the clown-masked woman's seemingly calm, but crazy eyes. Looking into each other's eyes the female robber said something to Alex and immediately pulled the trigger. She had killed the pregnant Julia in cold blood, with no remorse.
- Huh? Wha-? What's going on? - Asked puzzled Alex.
- We've got an emergency. There's a robbery going on. It's a big one. - It was the police chief, McArthur.
- O-okay, I'll get my gun and badge.
Young, but experienced detective stood up, took his badge and his revolver, putting it in his holster, then put on his brown trench coat. He got out of the police department and got into a car with the police chief.
- So... what do we know about the robbery?
- There're 6 or 7 robbers, all heavily armed, thick bulletproof vests and clown masks.
- Great... I just love clowns. - The detective sighed heavily.
- Yeah... I know... - after a brief pause... - Anyway, they've got hostages, not only those who were in the bank but random people from outside as well.
- How many?
- Around a dozen of them.
- Whoa, that's a lot.
- Here we are. Get your gun.
The police chief, together with Alex, got out of the car and got ready to storm the place.
- What's the situation? - asked James, pointing his gun at the bank entrance.
- They've asked for a ransom, I think it was... What, around 5-6 millions of dollars. Plus a getaway van. They're saying if we don't get them what they want, they'll start killing hostages, starting with women and children.
- Bastards! - Shouted out of nowhere furious Alex.
- Calm down! We'll get them before they do something funny.
- ... Yeah... Right... Okay... - Said the young detective, while taking off his tie to get a breather.
Before the detective, alongside the chief and S.W.A.T. could get ready to get in and clear out the bank, a woman with a bag on her head came out the building. Behind her came out one of the robbers. It was a woman, in a purple dyed vest with a crazy clown mask. Armed with a crowbar in one hand and a magnum in the other, aimed the gun at the hostages head.
- Where's the money? Want me to kill this *****? She's pregnant you know.
- We'll get your money, just wait an hour before it gets here. - Said the police chief through the megaphone.
- I'm done waiting. Just so you know, I personally rigged your cars beforehand and now I'm going to blow them up, killing every single one of you coppers and probably this ***** here. - Said the robber in a calm voice, putting away her crowbar and pulling off the bag off of the pregnant hostage.
Before the bag fully came of the hostages head, sudden pain hit the heart of the detective. Vision starting to blur, his mind going blank. Trying to pull himself together he started to whisper:
- No... Please no... Don't touch her... Please... Not her... Not Julia...
While he still could see clearly, Alex looked right into the eyes of the robber. Right then he felt the terror, shivers running down his spine, feeling an empty void inside of himself. He could see the bloodlust coming out of the clown-masked woman's seemingly calm, but crazy eyes. Looking into each other's eyes the female robber said something to Alex and immediately pulled the trigger. She had killed the pregnant Julia in cold blood, with no remorse.
Chapter 4:
The car suddenly stopped and Alex hit his head. After coming to his senses he looked around. He was in a car with Victoria. The detective was puzzled.
- You finally woke up. Sorry you hit your head. You dozed off. It looked like you were having a nightmare, you were sweating like crazy. What did you dream of.
- I-it was nothing, just something that happened ages ago.
- It didn't look like nothing.
- ... It's nothing. - Said Alex with a stern face.
- Anyway... you've been awfully quiet. Don't you have any questions?
- Regarding what?
- All of this.
- I do.
- So why not ask? I may answer something.
- I learned not to ask too much.
- Don't worry you can ask anything you want.
- You sure?
- Yeah. - Answered Victoria with a smiling face.
- What a beautiful smile... - He thought to himself. - Fine, first where am I.
- You're in our world, Cydil. It's like a twisted version of your own world. I believe you've seen how different this world is from yours.
- Yeah, I've seen it. - He replied, trying to comprehend his situation. After a while he continued. - How did I get here?
- Something must've happened to you from this version. He probably came to your world and you switched places, that's probably why you're here.
After a brief pause he replied:
- Yeah, I... I mean he, the me from this world is dead. I saw his corpse in a car.
- Sounds crazy right? Seeing yourself dead. I experienced the same thing.
- How?
- You see, I'm originally from your world. I was little back then. I was being constantly abused by my dead beat father. Then one day, she appeared out of nowhere, this worlds version of me. One day when my father got drunk and got his friends come to our house, he lost a poker game and...
- And? What happened?
- He placed a bet, if he had lost the game, he and his friends would rape me.
- Oh my god. That is so ****ed up.
- Tell me. Don't worry nothing happened. Before they laid their hands on me I ran into my room and hid in a closet. I couldn't hear or see anything. The closet doors opened and there she was, other Victoria, standing there, same age as me, covered in blood and with a knife in one hand. I came out of the closet and saw the dead bodies of my father and his friends. All butchered like pigs. I didn't feel anything, if anything I was happy, glad that he was dead. He deserved it.
- But still, he was your father... wasn't he?
- Yeah, but he didn't do anything for me. - She said all that with a satisfied look on her face. - Any more questions?
- Can I get back to my world?
- Don't know...
- What do you mean?
- The other you came to your world for some reason, but he died, because he died, you came to this world, Cydil. They say you can't go back if your counterpart is dead.
- They? Who?
- The ones in charge, the big shots of Cydil. They call themselves Peacekeepers.
- Who are they?
- As I said they're in charge, they decide if someone from this world can go to Cybil.
- Cybil?
- Your world.
- Cybil and Cydil?
- Yeah. Back to the Peacekeepers, nobody knows how many of them are there or where are they. But you can't hide anything from them, they have eyes everywhere, you can't go anywhere without their notice. Your doppelganger got their approval and came to your world. If you want to know why, your best bet would be to ask Peacekeepers, but that's no easy feat.
- Why?
- They're nowhere to be found, lately they've been approving less and less traveling to Cybil, we don't know why. Cydil's Alex must've had a special reason to be able to come to your world at this time.
- So... What shou-... - He got interrupted by the sudden stop.
- Ah! Here we are. This is my place, you'll be staying here.
Alex looked out the window and saw a tall apartment building. It looked like they were in downtown LA. Once out of the car, Alex looked around, but the place was deserted, there was no one on the street, not only was there no one, but there were nothing but apartment buildings, no cafes, shops or anything. The place looked really dull, no color no anything just a street full of apartments. Victoria got a pink suitcase out of the trunk of the car. Passed by Alex, smiled at him and said to follow her. He, of course followed. They got into the building, but took stairs instead of the elevator. It had "Out of order" written all over it. They walked for a few minutes and finally Victoria stopped at the apartment 606. She put down the suitcase got a key out of her back pocket, opened the door and invited Alex in. He went inside and looked around. He immediately started to like the place, as it was tidy compared to his. His place used to be tidy, until the incident.
- Go take a shower, you need it. It's the second room on the left, down the hallway. - Victoria pointed at the door while unpacking the suitcase, which was filled with weapons and ammunition.
- Thanks. - Said Alex and went straight for the shower.
- You finally woke up. Sorry you hit your head. You dozed off. It looked like you were having a nightmare, you were sweating like crazy. What did you dream of.
- I-it was nothing, just something that happened ages ago.
- It didn't look like nothing.
- ... It's nothing. - Said Alex with a stern face.
- Anyway... you've been awfully quiet. Don't you have any questions?
- Regarding what?
- All of this.
- I do.
- So why not ask? I may answer something.
- I learned not to ask too much.
- Don't worry you can ask anything you want.
- You sure?
- Yeah. - Answered Victoria with a smiling face.
- What a beautiful smile... - He thought to himself. - Fine, first where am I.
- You're in our world, Cydil. It's like a twisted version of your own world. I believe you've seen how different this world is from yours.
- Yeah, I've seen it. - He replied, trying to comprehend his situation. After a while he continued. - How did I get here?
- Something must've happened to you from this version. He probably came to your world and you switched places, that's probably why you're here.
After a brief pause he replied:
- Yeah, I... I mean he, the me from this world is dead. I saw his corpse in a car.
- Sounds crazy right? Seeing yourself dead. I experienced the same thing.
- How?
- You see, I'm originally from your world. I was little back then. I was being constantly abused by my dead beat father. Then one day, she appeared out of nowhere, this worlds version of me. One day when my father got drunk and got his friends come to our house, he lost a poker game and...
- And? What happened?
- He placed a bet, if he had lost the game, he and his friends would rape me.
- Oh my god. That is so ****ed up.
- Tell me. Don't worry nothing happened. Before they laid their hands on me I ran into my room and hid in a closet. I couldn't hear or see anything. The closet doors opened and there she was, other Victoria, standing there, same age as me, covered in blood and with a knife in one hand. I came out of the closet and saw the dead bodies of my father and his friends. All butchered like pigs. I didn't feel anything, if anything I was happy, glad that he was dead. He deserved it.
- But still, he was your father... wasn't he?
- Yeah, but he didn't do anything for me. - She said all that with a satisfied look on her face. - Any more questions?
- Can I get back to my world?
- Don't know...
- What do you mean?
- The other you came to your world for some reason, but he died, because he died, you came to this world, Cydil. They say you can't go back if your counterpart is dead.
- They? Who?
- The ones in charge, the big shots of Cydil. They call themselves Peacekeepers.
- Who are they?
- As I said they're in charge, they decide if someone from this world can go to Cybil.
- Cybil?
- Your world.
- Cybil and Cydil?
- Yeah. Back to the Peacekeepers, nobody knows how many of them are there or where are they. But you can't hide anything from them, they have eyes everywhere, you can't go anywhere without their notice. Your doppelganger got their approval and came to your world. If you want to know why, your best bet would be to ask Peacekeepers, but that's no easy feat.
- Why?
- They're nowhere to be found, lately they've been approving less and less traveling to Cybil, we don't know why. Cydil's Alex must've had a special reason to be able to come to your world at this time.
- So... What shou-... - He got interrupted by the sudden stop.
- Ah! Here we are. This is my place, you'll be staying here.
Alex looked out the window and saw a tall apartment building. It looked like they were in downtown LA. Once out of the car, Alex looked around, but the place was deserted, there was no one on the street, not only was there no one, but there were nothing but apartment buildings, no cafes, shops or anything. The place looked really dull, no color no anything just a street full of apartments. Victoria got a pink suitcase out of the trunk of the car. Passed by Alex, smiled at him and said to follow her. He, of course followed. They got into the building, but took stairs instead of the elevator. It had "Out of order" written all over it. They walked for a few minutes and finally Victoria stopped at the apartment 606. She put down the suitcase got a key out of her back pocket, opened the door and invited Alex in. He went inside and looked around. He immediately started to like the place, as it was tidy compared to his. His place used to be tidy, until the incident.
- Go take a shower, you need it. It's the second room on the left, down the hallway. - Victoria pointed at the door while unpacking the suitcase, which was filled with weapons and ammunition.
- Thanks. - Said Alex and went straight for the shower.
Chapter 5:
Getting ready to get into the shower, he was disturbed by a knock on the door. It was Victoria, she wanted to ask if he needed anything. Alex told her that he got everything. After taking off his clothes, which got rather dirty in the past few days.
It took him an hour to finally get out of the shower. After he got out he found fresh clothes waiting for him. It was a grey hooded jacket, jeans and some running shoes, which would prove to be useful later. James put on the clothes prepared for him by Victoria.
Getting out of the bathroom, there it was waiting for him, a rather beautiful sight before him. Victoria was cleaning the house in just a sports bra and underwear, bending over all over the place, picking up stuff laying around the room. Alex found himself staring at her, stumbling upon a table. Victoria looked behind with a deadly stare, almost as if she was ready for whatever would come for her. After realizing it was just Alex, she sighed very heavily.
- Oh, it's just you.
That was her reply. She said that with the cutest and most beautiful smile Alex had ever seen in his life. It was even cuter than his late wife, Julia, had.
- Why are you staring? Is there something on my face? - She asked with a confused look.
- It's nothing. - He replied swiftly.
Victoria gestured with her hand for him to sit down on the sofa. He sat down.
- Wait here. I'll go change real quick.
He waited for a few minutes and soon after she came out of her bedroom with a blouse and a skirt on.
- You hungry?
- A little.
- I'll make something for you.
- Thanks.
There was a slight air of awkwardness in the room.
- So... Got any more questions?
- A few. Should I ask them now?
- Yep.
- First of all, how did I, from Cydil, get permission to come to Cybil.
- It must've been something major or else the Peacekeepers wouldn't send him to your world.
- Something major? As in...?
- As in something that may decide the fate of the two worlds or disrupt the balance that the Cybil and Cydil have kept for more than thirty centuries.
- Wait this isn't going to into the history lesson of the two worlds, will it?
- Not if you don't want to.
- Good, because I only want to know about everything that concerns me, the other me and only that.
- As I already told you, unless you ask the Peacekeepers themselves why he came to your world, it will be nearly impossible to find out by any other means. And finding the Peacekeepers is impossible, you're not authorized to meet them.
- And how do I get authorization? - He asked while leaning forward.
- You're going have to prove yourself useful to them. You... either do something for them or tell them something concerning your world that they might be interested in.
- The latter one will be difficult, there's nothing special that I know about.
- We don't know. So you're going to do a favor for them?
- Yeah. Why?
- Then get ready. It's not going to be an easy job to get to the Peacekeepers. They'll give you the worst, the dirties job you can ever imagine.
- I'll... - He was interrupted by a sudden ring that came from the kitchen.
- Oh! The foods ready! - Said Victoria with a smile on her face.
She put on an apron and went to get the food ready to be put on the table. She put on an oven glove and got the fish fillet out of the cooker. She quickly prepared a salad and put everything on the table.
- Please enjoy! I'm not the best cook but it's edible. - She sat down and waited for Alex to sit as well.
- Thank you for the meal. I needed this after all I went through.
- It's been crazy for you these past days for you, haven't they?
- You can't even imagine.
He couldn't finish the sentence properly, he already had stuffed his face with anything he could grab. The dining went by really fast for both of the diners.
- That was too much, but it was great nonetheless. Thanks.
Suddenly he burped and Victoria burst into laughter. Alex' face went bright red.
- It's my pleasure, glad you enjoyed it. - There it was again, the cute smile on her face again. - Listen, it's late, you should go get a good night's sleep. You'll need a lot of energy for wherever we're going tomorrow. - Her face changed from cute to serious.
She burst into laughter again when she saw Alex planning to sleep on the sofa.
- Don't be silly Alex, there's a spare bed you can sleep on. It's currently uninhabited.
- Does it belong to someone else?
- To the other Victoria.
- You two were living together? Doesn't that complicate things for the worlds? Same people from different worlds meeting and actually living together and stuff...
- It doesn't work that way. Nothing will happen if you interact with yourself from the other world.
- Well okay. Good night then.
- Night. Oh and by the way don't let the bed bugs bite is an actual warning in this world.
- Wait what? Something's going to bite me while I sleep?
- Just joking. - She said that while laughing.
It took him an hour to finally get out of the shower. After he got out he found fresh clothes waiting for him. It was a grey hooded jacket, jeans and some running shoes, which would prove to be useful later. James put on the clothes prepared for him by Victoria.
Getting out of the bathroom, there it was waiting for him, a rather beautiful sight before him. Victoria was cleaning the house in just a sports bra and underwear, bending over all over the place, picking up stuff laying around the room. Alex found himself staring at her, stumbling upon a table. Victoria looked behind with a deadly stare, almost as if she was ready for whatever would come for her. After realizing it was just Alex, she sighed very heavily.
- Oh, it's just you.
That was her reply. She said that with the cutest and most beautiful smile Alex had ever seen in his life. It was even cuter than his late wife, Julia, had.
- Why are you staring? Is there something on my face? - She asked with a confused look.
- It's nothing. - He replied swiftly.
Victoria gestured with her hand for him to sit down on the sofa. He sat down.
- Wait here. I'll go change real quick.
He waited for a few minutes and soon after she came out of her bedroom with a blouse and a skirt on.
- You hungry?
- A little.
- I'll make something for you.
- Thanks.
There was a slight air of awkwardness in the room.
- So... Got any more questions?
- A few. Should I ask them now?
- Yep.
- First of all, how did I, from Cydil, get permission to come to Cybil.
- It must've been something major or else the Peacekeepers wouldn't send him to your world.
- Something major? As in...?
- As in something that may decide the fate of the two worlds or disrupt the balance that the Cybil and Cydil have kept for more than thirty centuries.
- Wait this isn't going to into the history lesson of the two worlds, will it?
- Not if you don't want to.
- Good, because I only want to know about everything that concerns me, the other me and only that.
- As I already told you, unless you ask the Peacekeepers themselves why he came to your world, it will be nearly impossible to find out by any other means. And finding the Peacekeepers is impossible, you're not authorized to meet them.
- And how do I get authorization? - He asked while leaning forward.
- You're going have to prove yourself useful to them. You... either do something for them or tell them something concerning your world that they might be interested in.
- The latter one will be difficult, there's nothing special that I know about.
- We don't know. So you're going to do a favor for them?
- Yeah. Why?
- Then get ready. It's not going to be an easy job to get to the Peacekeepers. They'll give you the worst, the dirties job you can ever imagine.
- I'll... - He was interrupted by a sudden ring that came from the kitchen.
- Oh! The foods ready! - Said Victoria with a smile on her face.
She put on an apron and went to get the food ready to be put on the table. She put on an oven glove and got the fish fillet out of the cooker. She quickly prepared a salad and put everything on the table.
- Please enjoy! I'm not the best cook but it's edible. - She sat down and waited for Alex to sit as well.
- Thank you for the meal. I needed this after all I went through.
- It's been crazy for you these past days for you, haven't they?
- You can't even imagine.
He couldn't finish the sentence properly, he already had stuffed his face with anything he could grab. The dining went by really fast for both of the diners.
- That was too much, but it was great nonetheless. Thanks.
Suddenly he burped and Victoria burst into laughter. Alex' face went bright red.
- It's my pleasure, glad you enjoyed it. - There it was again, the cute smile on her face again. - Listen, it's late, you should go get a good night's sleep. You'll need a lot of energy for wherever we're going tomorrow. - Her face changed from cute to serious.
She burst into laughter again when she saw Alex planning to sleep on the sofa.
- Don't be silly Alex, there's a spare bed you can sleep on. It's currently uninhabited.
- Does it belong to someone else?
- To the other Victoria.
- You two were living together? Doesn't that complicate things for the worlds? Same people from different worlds meeting and actually living together and stuff...
- It doesn't work that way. Nothing will happen if you interact with yourself from the other world.
- Well okay. Good night then.
- Night. Oh and by the way don't let the bed bugs bite is an actual warning in this world.
- Wait what? Something's going to bite me while I sleep?
- Just joking. - She said that while laughing.
