Seeing Double

2: The Renegade

Dashing out the front door, without looking back, Ben quickened his pace, sticking close to the sidewalks, trying so hard to keep out of sight. Invisibility would come in very handy right about now.

*****

Tara (Main Protagonist):

Pinpricks of light pierced through my hazy thoughts and I felt myself drifting back into consciousness. This couldn't be heaven. My back lay on something cold and hard, my arms in agony from bruises that had mysteriously appeared and my whole body quaking from the sudden cold. At least I was alone, I hoped. And then the thoughts of the night's happenings came rushing back and I felt my body spasm. You know those moments where you're hurting so bad that sobs just wrack your body and there's no way for you to control them? That happened to me now. There was just too much to imbibe in one night- parents, gone. Brother? Dead? My mind conjured an image of him struggling in his bed, screaming internally as hands shot out to grab him. That was enough to jolt me upright. And then I spotted the guy. Questions filled me to the point where opening my mouth would cause one to tumble out. I was quite certain the guy had been staring at me, slightly dazed.

I had clearly woken him up from his reverie. A quick glance around at the surroundings revealed the location I was at. It was the park closest to my home- a park that was frequented by few. The tall shrubs and towering trees that encircled the area around us seemed to be doing a fine job of keeping us obscured from view.

Feeling slightly unhinged that there was a guy in such close proximity to where I LAY, I cleared my throat and asked, "What happened to me?" As I did so, I hastily tried drying the tears on my face. Perfect first impression and gee, I couldn't help but wonder if anyone could even take my seriously when I was in such a sorry and disoriented state.

It was funny how that was the first question out of my mouth. I figured I'd have asked something wiser like 'What happened to the world overnight?" or something less narcissistic but it ended up being a question about me. I waited for his reply, feeling slightly uncomfortable but deciding to be patient. Besides, I could always play the part of the unassuming, ignorant girl who tagged along with the know-it-all boy if it meant staying alive. If he turned out to be a threat, I figured I could deal with him.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. It's called the 'Takeover'. You've already met your doppelganger from our dimension. Her name's Terra. What's yours?" the boy was also testing the waters but his tone was relaxed. He seemed to be by nature, a pretty composed person. Suddenly, I found it all the more uncomfortable that I was the only one feeling uneasy here. But hey, I could keep my cool too. It just... took a little more effort. A lot more effort because of the deluge of problems that had accumulated overnight like how I didn't have a home or parents or a brother anymore.

A wave of emotions wrestled for precedence, and I had to struggle to retain that cool, calm composure. It really wasn't working out.

"I'm Tara. I-you... you're not from here?" I asked, my head cocking to one side as I did so.

"I'm supposedly with them-" the boy said but I wasn't going to let him finish. I had turned invisible and was revved and ready to run. The adrenaline would carry me further than my legs ever could.

"-but I'm not. There's a group of rebels, a group I'm with, that doesn't support the cause," he continued.

"What cause?" I probed as tension seeped from my body.

"Cause for our salvation. The Earth in our dimension is dying. We're not from here, " the boy's face had clouded over; there was something beneath that calm façade.

"What's your name?" I figured changing the subject would do some good.

This time he grinned, "Oh right. I'm Ben." The benign grin that stretched across his face showed that there was something he was still proud to call his own.

"Nice, I know a Brendon who looks just like you. Okay, almost just like you," I pointed out and then continued, "So if you're not with them, that means both you and the Brendon I know are going to simply coexist in this dimension? That could work, eh?"

"I wish. We aren't meant to exist in this dimension though. My friend once compared it to a computer program. We're foreign code floating around. Eventually, we'll either be cleared out of the system or stored in the junk files," Ben said slowly, as if trying to recall the theory as well.

"There has to be a way," I said. A way to survive without having to destroy people from this Earth, I thought. I leaned back onto the park bench, letting the two of us sink back into silence. There was no one here at the moment, oddly enough, and we were safe from prying eyes. I didn't think I could head home anymore; my life had turned a complete 180 degrees . The wind rustled the leaves on the nearby trees, the only sound that could be heard. It was a complete contrast to the cacophony of thoughts screaming at me in my head. I stared out across the lake that was enclosed within this park; its tranquillity seeming to calm me and coax me into just letting my emotions barrel out. I loosened my reins on them slightly and felt as tears slid down my cheeks. Ben seemed unsure of what to do. I espied him leaving his seat and moving closer to where I sat.

"Give yourself some time. You'll be okay," he said, conveying his sympathy through those few words. He let his hand rest on mine briefly for the added assurance before pulling away, letting me mull over the sad thoughts on my own.

He had to be going through so much as well. This guy who had left his dimension, left his cause, if only to save this dimension and people like me. He seemed to be mulling over thoughts of his own and I thought, maybe I could trust this guy.

In the quiet of the park, it was so easy to dismiss the craziness was definitely unfolding beyond this sanctum. Suddenly, feeling braver, I leaned my head on Ben's shoulders, imagining Brendon in this situation, then brushing that thought aside because it was completely preposterous. Bad boy Brendon who was both egotistic and a jerk was no longer a friend of mine. But in the back of my mind, I still yearned- okay yearned was too strong a word, no, I knew that I would welcome the old Brendon, the soft- hearted, Ben- like Brendon back into my life. I felt Ben's shoulder tense up, never easing as I lay there, realising how awkward it had to be for him. Or maybe he just had someone else he cared about. Sighing inwardly and hating to put him in a spot, I lifted my head and let it rest on the bench instead.

Just then, a girl came stumbling from behind a tall row of bushes. Her unkempt long, blonde hair flying every which way, her eyes half- closed, her lips parched. I leapt from the bench, afraid that she might have been 'taken over' but then she proved to be harmless as she slurred, "Ryan, you there? You said you'd come back and get me..."

Who was Ryan? Perhaps he'd already been approached by his doppelganger or maybe he'd just been a jerk and had left her behind. In any case, it was clear to me that she was not a threat and just merely drunk, probably the result of having too many shots of alcohol by the lake.

Ben was already out of his seat, supporting her and leading her to the bench on which I had sat on. Not many people came to this part of the park but that didn't mean we could let our guard down. This girl had just proven that. There would be more people coming over here soon and that was not good news to us. Ben seemed to realise that too because something resembling a communication device was immediately whipped out. As he busied himself with that gadget, I went over to the girl and let her rest against me. Her doppelganger hadn't gotten to her yet and she'd need all the protection she could get. And explanations that only Ben could give.

She was coming with us.