《The Twin Dilemma》


 Book 1 Chapter 1: The end of the world.

    The faint crinkling of sheets and a whiff of cologne woke him from his sleep. The bright outline of a woman laying her head against the edge of his mattress greeted him.


    ¡®Hey, he woke you up this time.¡¯ The girl¡¯s voice was energetic as she nodded towards the other side of the room.


    In the darkness, something was moving in the sheets of the neighbouring bed. The man ignored the woman''s gesture and groaned softly. The bed was usually the resting spot of the room''s sole other occupant, Tink, and frankly, he didn¡¯t care what his roommate was doing.


    ¡®You should ask him what he¡¯s doing.¡¯


    ¡°No.¡± The man shook his head.


    ¡°Jack?¡±


    The ruffling of sheets stopped and a disheveled voice whispered across the room.


    ¡®Crap, you said that out loud.¡¯


    ¡°Crap, I said that out loud.¡± Jack lifted his head and the faint outline of a person half out of their bed greeted him. ¡°Sorry Tink, Jill wouldn¡¯t shut up.¡±


    ¡®Hey!¡¯ Indignation laced the girl''s voice. ¡®You don¡¯t have to throw me under the bus here.¡¯


    ¡°O-oh right.¡± Tink¡¯s hunched outline shook slightly and then finally lifted itself up and out of the bed. ¡°I¡¯m going to go out for a bit, Jack. Won¡¯t be back until later. You should go back to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Out again?¡± Jack propped his head onto the pillow and turned it to face Tink. ¡°That¡¯s the third time this week. Why are they even letting you go? Did you make The Reverend a new television?¡±


    ¡®Seventh time. Once every night. The other times he just doesn¡¯t wake you up.¡¯ Jill¡¯s observations went unnoticed as Jack stared at Tinks outline.


    Jack could tell the onslaught of questions had his roommate on the ropes. Tink seemed to hesitate and opened his mouth, only to shut it again and make his way to the door. It was a clear refusal.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t slam the damned thing when you come back in.¡± Jack buried his head in his pillow.


    ¡®Oh come on! You¡¯re not even the least bit curious about what he¡¯s doing out there? He has cologne on for god''s sake.¡¯ Jill hissed at him as he got comfortable.


    ¡°Probably taking a massive dump.¡± Jack¡¯s voice was already drifting off as his body began to fall back asleep. ¡°I just want to sleep.¡±


    ¡®A dump doesn¡¯t take seven hours! He always comes back in the dead of night shivering and looking like death.¡¯


    ¡°So you say,¡± the pillow muffled Jack¡¯s mouth but he knew Jill could understand him as clear as day. ¡°But I¡¯ve never seen it. I¡¯m always asleep, and I can tell you that¡¯s a damn good way to spend my time Jill. In fact, I¡¯m going to do it now.¡±


    Jack could hear his sister protesting in his mind, but he ignored it and with a final huff of anger, she let him sleep. She knew he didn¡¯t have the same ability to stay awake all night that she did. But she couldn¡¯t help but wonder where Tink was going so late at night. It wasn¡¯t like there was anywhere to spend your time in this dump.


    The next morning Jack woke up to a very pissed off Jill.


    ¡®Tink didn¡¯t come back last night.¡¯ Her golden-brown hair flowed perfectly straight and was parted enough that Jack could see her deadly serious eyes and pursed lips. ¡®You think he¡¯s dead?¡¯


    ¡°God no. He¡¯s probably in the dining hall or something.¡± Jack groaned and dragged himself to the bathroom, turning on the shower and dumping his clothes on the floor. ¡°It¡¯s not the first time someones gone off for the night, and it won¡¯t be the last.¡±


    ¡®Jack.¡¯


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jack grunted as he moved inside the shower and a curtain of cold water hit him. His body hadn¡¯t expected the sudden change in temperature. ¡°What the hell, they didn¡¯t even pay their gas bill this month? I¡¯m going to complain to the management.¡±


    ¡®Who¡¯s going to listen to you in this dump?¡¯


    ¡°Gah-¡± Jack turned around and saw Jill standing there with her arms crossed. ¡°Jill get out! I¡¯m showering here.¡±


    ¡®Oh shut up, it¡¯s not like I have a choice.¡¯ Jill¡¯s sharp tone bit into him and he shivered.


    She was more worried about Tink than he thought. Normally, she¡¯d at least stay away to help preserve his sense of dignity. After a few seconds of hoping for hot water and getting nothing in return, he gave up and brushed his teeth instead.


    ¡®Okay, I¡¯m not saying he¡¯s doing anything bad,¡¯ Jill continued to update him as he went about his daily routine. ¡®But I see him and he always comes back way more tired than the day before. It can¡¯t be healthy, who knows if he collapsed! He¡¯s an old man.¡¯


    Jack rolled his eyes, gargling with water and spitting it back out. ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you stay up at night Jill. You get tired. It¡¯s a normal human thing, you wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡®Ha.¡¯ Jack could see Jill¡¯s expression in the mirror turning stormier and stormier.


    ¡°Fine, maybe I¡¯m being too harsh. Sorry.¡± Jack got dressed and made his way to the door.


    Jill was right, nobody had touched Tink''s stuff since the man had left last night.


    ¡°But he¡¯s seriously got to be around somewhere. This damn cult wouldn¡¯t let him wander off too far. Keeping us in here is their job.¡±


    A new, deeper voice chuckled beside him. ¡°You have that right. Sup Jack.¡±


    ¡°Dilmar you old dog.¡± Jack turned around with a smile and came face to face with a large man dressed in a plain black shirt and sweatpants.


    Dilmar had his hands comfortably within his pockets and his trademark infectious grin plastered across his face. There was a reason they knew him as the big brother of the entire complex. His mere presence seemed to put everyone at ease, and his natural way of wrangling out your life story and making you feel important didn¡¯t lose him any points either.


    ¡°The same as every other morning, a hint of hope and an earful of shit at the sermon.¡± Dilmar rolled his eyes and they began their habitual walk to the dining room. ¡°Speaking of, I didn¡¯t see you there.¡±


    ¡°Jill!¡± Jack turned to his sister. ¡°You''re supposed to wake me up.¡±


    Jill shrugged. ¡®You told me you wanted to sleep. So I let you sleep.¡¯


    ¡°Jill¡¯s here?¡± Dilmar¡¯s eyes lit up and he poked his head around Jacks, towards where he was speaking. ¡°Hey there.¡±


    ¡®Hello to you too sexy.¡¯ Jill brought her hand up bashfully to cover her lips.


    ¡°God. Stop this right now,¡± Jack pushed his sister to the side and ignored Dilmar¡¯s chuckle. ¡°She says to stop talking to her.¡±


    ¡®Hey!¡¯


    Dilmar chuckled. ¡°Your reaction suggests otherwise. Always good to not see you Jill.¡±


    ¡®Always good to see you too.¡¯


    "She says it¡¯s good to see your soppy face too," Jack brought his eyes to the dining room they were entering and saw the usual gang gathered and already digging into the food. "Thompson. Gregorian. You lazy bums couldn¡¯t wait a single minute for us to catch up with you?"


    Jack and Dilmar took two of the five seats and eyed their friend''s guilty expressions. Two empty pudding cups and two more fresh ones spoke volumes about what had happened. The two had gotten in early and ate Jack and Dilmar¡¯s after-breakfast dessert. They''d probably tricked the nurses by saying the duo were in the bathroom.


    "We needed some light to read. The bulbs in our room wouldn''t turn on."


    ''Damn people didn''t pay their electricity bills either.'' Jill tutted.


    ¡°Hey Jack,¡± Thompson turned to the empty chair and nodded, ¡°Jill. Where¡¯s Tink?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not sitting down yet, you look like a dumbass.¡± Jack frowned, ¡°Tink? No idea.¡±


    Jill giggled as she sat in the remaining seat and crossed her legs. Thompson had just been a second too early in greeting her. She¡¯d gone with a deep crimson dress today to contrast against her drab surroundings and Jack could tell she was enjoying being the best-dressed person in the room. Not that anyone else noticed her change in wardrobe.


    ¡®Oh come on. We know where he is. He¡¯s six feet under the earth where The Reverend probably put him after some crazy late-night gambling operation.¡¯ She mused as she contemplated how quickly Jack would have to move to be able to steal Thompson¡¯s pudding cup from him.


    ¡°Jill thinks he¡¯s dead,¡± Jack confessed.


    ¡°Hell, I don¡¯t blame her. I¡¯d off myself too if I had to stay in a room with you two.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it. No more pudding for you.¡±


    Thompson''s eyes widened as Jack stole his dessert and brought it over to his plate. ¡°That¡¯s a low blow and you know it.¡±


    ¡°It''s mine and you know it.¡± Jack shot back and stuffed the pudding down his gullet before Thompson could protest.


    ¡®You look like one of those pelicans who doesn''t even swallow the fish before gulping it down.¡¯ Jill snorted in derision at Jack¡¯s attitude. ¡®Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me.¡± Jack turned to his confused friends. ¡°Tink woke me up at god knows what time. Again. He keeps going somewhere at night.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it''s time to get our thinking caps on,¡± Gregorian leaned forward and his dusty, smoke-damaged vocal cords seemed to protest with every word he spoke. ¡°What do you think he¡¯s doing?¡±


    ¡®See!¡¯ Jill pointed at Gregorian as the group grew curious. ¡®You¡¯re the only dumbo who isn¡¯t making a big deal about this.¡¯


    Dilmar opened his pudding cup with a gentle touch and as he brought a spoonful up to his lips he paused. ¡°How many times has he gone out?¡±


    ¡°Three times this week. Jill says he leaves every day.¡± Jack¡¯s eyebrows rose as he saw their interest growing. ¡°You guys don¡¯t think he¡¯s croaked, do you? Come on, he probably got lost on the way to the bathroom. The nurses will be bringing him through those doors at any moment.¡±


    ¡°Oh god no.¡± ¡°Not a chance.¡± Gregorian and Thompson shook their heads simultaneously, then Gregorian took the lead. ¡°I would have sensed his life force disappearing if he¡¯d died.¡±


    ¡°And I don¡¯t sense any bloodlust or killing aftertaste in the air.¡± Thompson sniffed into the air to show them he was doubly sure. ¡°Hell, I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s died in here for a while. Which is a rare treat for my nose. Do you know how rare it is not to smell death everywhere you go in my line of work?¡±


    ¡°Give me a few more weeks and I¡¯ll probably change that.¡± Gregorian laughed at his own morbid statement.


    ¡®Don''t say that you¡¯ll just bring down the mood.¡¯ Jill shook her head in exasperation.


    Sometimes the death jokes got a little too real around this place.


    ¡°Jill says to stop killing the mood,¡± Jack took a bite out of the grey goop this place called breakfast and tilted his head towards Dilmar. ¡°Any ideas big man?¡±


    "I¡¯m a showman not a magician like Gregorian," Dilmar shrugged. "Illusions won''t help you here. I have seen the nurses acting strange though, and maybe at the sermon, The Reverend was a little extra," He paused, "happy?"


    ¡°That¡¯s what we have? The Reverend is happy? God, we¡¯ve gone downhill in our quest for mystery and entertainment.¡± Jack sighed and pressed his back against his chair.


    A magician, an assassin, a showman, and two ordinary people gathered together eating gray goop and pudding. This wasn¡¯t the life he¡¯d imagined for himself in his teens. Then again, he didn¡¯t think any of them imagined being in this lifeless hellhole for the rest of their lives. He didn''t know how the others felt about the complex, but he wanted to get out someday. Even if it was just to spend the last few years of his life in a place not filled with dying old people.


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s making something. It¡¯s what he does isn¡¯t it?¡± Thompson shifted himself so that his head was resting in his hands, trying to look smart and thoughtful. ¡°What if The Reverend just wanted Tink to build him a new TV?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Jack turned to Jill and she turned away from him without responding.


    ¡°Not possible,¡± Dilmar refused the question outright to Jack''s surprise. ¡°You do remember what they think of us, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Dilmar pointed above their heads and they drew their eyes to a wooden sign. An ever-looming presence in their lives, that was a constant reminder of who they were.


    ¡°Right.¡± Thompson hung his head down as they all shifted their eyes away from the sign above their heads. ¡°That too.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    [GodSworn Healing Center for Extraordinary Persons.]


    The aging sign was gilded and hung in a prominent place as a reminder to all the patients in the center. Every one of them knew that the words ¡®healing center¡¯ were there to make them feel good. This was a place for society to stuff their undesirables. A location for families to hide their most shameful secrets. Every single one of the people patients being treated for their delusions.


    ¡®Damn bastards telling me I don¡¯t exist.¡¯ Jill spat on the ground and Jack could see the water moving through the floorboards, disappearing underneath. Touching nothing.


    It was the only hint that she wasn¡¯t real. That, and the fact that nobody else could see her. Jack sighed at the sudden hush that had fallen over his group. It was these moments of lucidity that he dreaded. The times when their entire group remembered where they were and why.


    For all their talk, they didn¡¯t know what had happened to Tink, nor did they have any clues. Because they didn¡¯t have any powers. Gregorian couldn¡¯t sense life, and Thompson couldn¡¯t smell death. Dilmar couldn''t even do sleight of hand let alone conjure illusions. The only reason they were here with Jack in the first place was that they thought they could.


    This was the GodSworn Healing Center.


    A psych ward for crazy people.


    ****


    ¡°What up my humans.¡±


    Jack and the gang looked up as two figures approached them gaily. One lifted his head up high and looked them in the eyes, his freckled cheeks caving in to form deep dimples as he smiled. Jill waved at him happily as he entered the room.


    ¡°What are my favourite humans doing here all sad and dismal?¡±


    ¡°Zelthar, Muddy.¡± Dilmar nodded to both of them. ¡°Sorry about the mood, we¡¯re just thinking about some stuff.¡±


    ¡®I am not calling them that. Not today.¡¯ Jill¡¯s frown lessened slightly, but Jack could see she was still angry.


    Even he found it hard to say the words Zelthar and Muddy, but it was what they wanted to be called. The two non-humans of the group. One convinced he was an alien, the other convinced they¡¯re a monster.


    ¡°Well think no longer,¡± Zelthar clapped his hands together dramatically. ¡°For the great Maximillian Lightbringer will soon be among us, spinning his weave of tales for us to hear.¡±


    ¡°God.¡± Thompson croaked out a word and his lips curled upwards. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that guy tell his stories a thousand times. I don¡¯t care what his grandpa did in some crappy cold evening in nineteen sixty-three. Give me a modern tale for once.¡±


    ¡°Shush, I like his stories,¡± Gregorian coughed as he motioned for Zelthar and Muddy to pull up chairs. ¡°When¡¯s he coming?¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s right behind you.¡¯ Jill pointed out a figure behind Gregorian.


    ¡°He¡¯s right behind you.¡± Jack laughed as he saw Gregorian jolt and shift his head behind him, only to see a golden-haired, chisel-jawed man grinning at him.


    The man''s build reminded Jack of the perfect body he''d once dreamt of having.


    Thompson¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°When the heck did you get there?¡±


    ¡°Around the time you were telling everyone how much you didn¡¯t want to hear my stories.¡±


    Jack scanned the man from top to bottom. He hadn¡¯t noticed him sneak behind them either.


    Maximillian Lightbringer.


    The self-proclaimed superhero. From a long line of superheroes starting from his grandfather, the first man to have invented the superhero serum. Which he then promptly destroyed because it was too powerful for the world to handle. Luckily good old Maximillian was there to pass on his grandfather¡¯s legacy through his stories.


    ¡®Yup. This guy.¡¯ Jill closed her eyes and her ears twitched as his voice boomed across the room.


    She absolutely hated Max. Jack knew her thoughts because she voiced them more often than not. Despite his friendly demeanour and a penchant for stories, she thought his ego was too much to take, that he was self-centered and that he always wore a shirt.


    Jack wasn¡¯t sure he agreed that the last thing was bad.


    She lifted herself out of the chair and turned to face Jack. ¡®Let¡¯s find Tink.¡¯


    Jack tilted his face at her as the others talked. They seemed like they¡¯d be busy for a while. It wasn¡¯t such a bad idea to get some sunshine and check out the perimeter. He could see the nurses hurrying about not even noting the group. It seemed like the perfect chance.


    ¡°Guys, Jill wants to go out for a walk, so I¡¯m going to go with her.¡± Jack shuffled up and gestured to the door. ¡°Won¡¯t be five minutes.¡±


    ¡°Heck, we¡¯ll miss you man but make sure you make it for the lunchtime crossover.¡± Maximillian smiled and waved goodbye, turning to the group and beginning his latest tale.


    ¡®Blegh,¡¯ Jill poked her tongue out at him. ¡®He didn¡¯t even comment on my dress.¡¯


    ¡°He can¡¯t see it Jill.¡± Jack suppressed a laugh as he saw her expression of annoyance. ¡°So where do you want to go?¡±


    ¡®Let¡¯s look for some nurses. I bet they know what¡¯s up.¡¯


    They eyed the hallways and exit outside. Staff filled the area but they all seemed to be busy. Jack wondered if there was an event he''d forgotten about. Technically, they were free to roam wherever they wanted for the duration of the day, but their main haunts were the dining hall and pretty much nowhere else.


    ¡°The garden it is.¡± Jack took the lead, opening the door and graciously letting Jill through.


    He didn¡¯t have to do it, but she got mad as hell when he didn¡¯t. Luckily the first person they spotted was the one they needed to see the most.


    ¡°Good morning, Jack.¡± A chill ran through Jack¡¯s back as he heard the hollow buzz of The Reverend''s voice. ¡°How are you this blessed morning?¡±


    The Reverend. Jack and the others didn¡¯t know him by any other name, only that he ran this complex with an iron fist. It wasn¡¯t a coincidence that they¡¯d all gathered together under his leadership. The Reverend seemed to have made it his life''s mission to take in people with their condition and place them in one complex to watch over them. Their families were all originally part of the same religion, and the complex was one of the many ¡®healing centers¡¯ under the management of their church. It wasn¡¯t a major religion, but a splinter group which long ago broke free from the rest.


    A group of followers known as the GodSworn.


    Jack kept his head down respectfully. ¡°Good reverend. Not much to report, although I was wondering where Tink was. He didn¡¯t come back this morning from a midnight walk.¡±


    ¡°Tink?¡± The Reverend¡¯s voice seemed to warm up and Jack peeked up with his eyes, surprised to see the man smiling. ¡°Yes, what a good fellow. He¡¯s been helping us with some electrical issues. Unfortunately, he got a bit tired last night and we allowed him to stay in our spare room.¡±


    ¡®How gracious.¡¯ Jill walked calmly around The Reverend, inspecting him from top to bottom. ¡®For a snake, he really is acting awfully human suddenly.¡¯


    ¡°Jack¡­¡± The Reverend followed Jack¡¯s eyes behind him and frowned. ¡°Is Jill here?¡±


    ¡°Jill?¡± Jack pretended to play dumb and lowered his head further. ¡°No sir, haven¡¯t seen her in a long time.¡±


    Jack could feel The Reverend¡¯s eyes drilling into him, trying to capture any signs of deceit. It never went well to mention Jill around the man. The reason he was in this place was because they were trying to get rid of her.


    ¡°Good, good.¡± The Reverend perked up and walked past Jack. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Tink. He¡¯ll probably wake up soon and head straight back to your dorm. Now if you don¡¯t mind, I have to check on a few things inside.¡±


    ¡®Curiouser and curiouser.¡¯ Jill pranced to Jack with her hands clasped behind her back. ¡®Since when does The Reverend or any of the staff let us rest in their quarters? They¡¯d rather stick their hands inside a shredder.¡¯


    ¡°You know what.¡± Jack searched his surroundings carefully to confirm there were no nurses in sight. They''d all gone inside the complex. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡®I am?¡¯ Jill¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®What?¡¯


    Jack stood, thinking, as he replayed the events in his head.


    Jack could still see The Reverend''s smile in his mind. It was a cold and menacing thing, not something that you would show a loved one. It looked more like a predator baring its teeth at its prey. He paced around the garden as he thought of what to do next, but the only thing that came to mind was waiting.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him act that way.¡± Jack turned back to walk inside. ¡°Maybe we should wait for Tink in our room.¡±


    The Reverend hadn¡¯t seemed to be lying when he said Tink would probably show up soon. But the man hadn¡¯t said what kind of state he¡¯d arrive in. If they¡¯d done something to Tink then Jack wanted to be there to greet him and calm him down.


    ¡®Okay, okay, okay.¡¯ Jill walked alongside him back into the complex. ¡®Hey, what¡¯s going on here?¡¯


    Jack looked around and then stopped. In the time they''d gone outside, the entire place seemed to have entered overdrive. The nurses were rushing around hurriedly, and inside the dining room, the entire group had disappeared except for Muddy and Zelthar.


    ¡°Hey, guys!¡± Jack called out to them. ¡°Where¡¯d the others go? And what¡¯s with all the hubbub?¡±


    ¡°Greetings Jack.¡± Zelther turned to him with a smile. ¡°The Reverend took the others away. Said he required them to prepare for an event.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jack had heard nothing about an event. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°I believe it means they are helping prepare for an event,¡± Zelther¡¯s smile faltered. ¡°I do not know what else there is to say on this matter.¡±


    ¡®They had to leave this guy behind.¡¯ Jill sighed.


    She loved talking to Zelther through Jack. The man was kind but also the type of whacky she could resonate with on another level. But even she knew he wasn¡¯t the greatest at conversation. Unfortunately, Muddy was a mute, However, he and Zelther always seemed to be on the same wavelength when it counted.


    ¡®We won¡¯t be getting anything else out of him.¡¯ Jill shook her head. ¡®What do you want to do?¡¯


    ¡°We¡¯re heading back to the room then,¡± Jack said firmly to Jill and waved goodbye to Zelther and Muddy. ¡°Those guys can take care of themselves, but Tink might need our help.¡±


    He trusted Dilmar to be reasonable enough in leading them all. He was the one The Reverend seemed to trust the most out of all the patients in the complex. Not that Jack blamed him. You¡¯d have to have a heart of stone not to trust Dilmar after spending so much time with him. The man would definitely stop the group from pissing off the staff.


    Jill walked alongside Jack as they made their way towards their room. The nurses began to disperse as they rushed off further into the complex and Jack watched them with disinterest. It was a short walk and by the time he¡¯d thought of what to say to Tink he¡¯d already made it there. But then Jill squinted and frowned the moment they went in as she looked out the window.


    ¡®Hey. Who turned out the lights?¡¯


    ¡°What?¡± Jack swiveled around to spot what she was looking at and saw that outside their room a pitch-black colour had covered the entire window. ¡°Oh god. I hope nobody painted over the glass.¡±


    If one of the guys was playing a prank on him, then it would definitely come back to bite them in the ass. The Reverend didn¡¯t take kindly to damaging property, and they¡¯d probably have to wash off the paint.


    ¡®It¡¯s not paint.¡¯ Jill walked up to the window and put her hand on it, her skin passing through the wall as though she was a ghost. ¡®It''s the sky.¡¯


    ¡°What?¡± Jack made his way to the window and peered through it, realising he could see the grass outside, even if just faintly. ¡°What the hell is going on out there?¡±


    It looked like it was already nighttime. But it had been morning just moments before.


    ¡®Did you blink and fall asleep?¡¯ Jill tried to joke but Jack could see she was nervous.


    Instead of shooting out a comeback he shuffled over to the door and stuck out his head.


    ¡°Nurse? Nurse!¡± he shouted into the hallway the only thing to greet him was the echoes of his own voice.


    The entire complex, which had been bustling with activity only moments before, was dead silent.


    ¡®I don¡¯t like this.¡¯ Jill walked out into the hallway and moved ahead of Jack, letting him stay inside the safety of his room. ¡®Jack Look!¡¯


    ¡°What?¡± Jack moved up to Jill and stared straight ahead.


    The lights were flickering on and off in the hallway. But between each flash of light, they could see a figure. Running towards them was a decrepit old man, sweating bullets and with the same expression of a deer about to be hit by a car.


    Tink.


    ¡°Tink!¡± Jack rushed up to the man and noticed his skin was paler than he¡¯d ever seen it before.


    He was trembling from head to toe and it looked like only adrenaline was keeping him on his feet. His lips were a pale orange and his eyes darted from side to side as though trying to escape from something. His breathing was deep and laboured.


    Jack doubted Tink even knew where he was.


    ¡®Is he having some kind of panic attack?¡¯ Jill looked at Tink with concern.


    She¡¯d always had a soft spot for the elderly man.


    ¡°Outside. I need to see the outside.¡± Tink¡¯s shivering body collapsed into Jack''s arms as he got closer.


    He was too weak to move.


    Jack pushed the terrified man into the room and closed the door behind him. ¡°We need to get you some blankets and a nurse.¡±


    ¡°Jack?¡± Tink seemed to notice Jack for the first time as Jack pushed him into their room. ¡°Oh god Jack, what have I done?¡±


    ¡°Hey-¡± Jack held Tink¡¯s hands firmly and guided him into the bed. ¡°Stay calm now. What happened? I¡¯ll get a nurse-¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tinks eyes widened with fear at the mention of the nurses, but then they clouded over and he seemed to stare off into the distance. ¡°They told me they¡¯d let me go if I did what they asked. They just wanted one favour and I¡¯d be with my family. You don¡¯t understand. I just wanted to see my family.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s not listening to you.¡¯ Jill followed Tink''s gaze and found him looking outside. ¡®Does he have something to do with what¡¯s going on?¡¯


    ¡°Do you have something to do with what¡¯s going on outside?¡± Jack could only see a pitch-black sky, with the rooms bulb being the only source of light.


    But even that bulb was starting to flicker. Jack doubted it would last a few minutes.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Tinks eyes seemed to clear up, but whatever trance had overtaken him gripped his mind tightly. ¡°This was all me. My machines, my inventions. The staff knew of my talents; They needed them to complete their machine. Oh how glorious it was, my crowning achievement.¡±


    ¡°Machine?¡± Jack began pressing a button on the end of Tinks bed, calling the nurses to his room.


    The old man had experienced something and lost his mind. Tink didn¡¯t have any special powers, and he was delusional just like the rest of them. He thought he could work any machine in the world, turning even scrap metal into versatile machinery and convinced that he could save the world with his inventions. But it was all pretending.


    ¡®Keep him talking,¡¯ Jill urged Jack. ¡®Keep him stable and concentrating on something until someone gets here.¡¯


    ¡°I need to get a nurse.¡±


    ¡®And leave him alone like this? He could hurt himself.¡¯


    Jack shook his head but then relented and turned back to Tink. ¡°Tell me about the machine Tink. What did you do?¡±


    As long as he could keep the old man talking, it would help calm him down. He had thoroughly wrapped Tink up in blankets but the nurses didn¡¯t seem to be responding to the alarm he was sure he was sending them through the bed buttons.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the machine. I don¡¯t know what it is or what it does.¡± Tink shook his head. ¡°They had the plans. They just needed me to help complete it. They said they were missing a way to make an energy source strong enough to power it. So I helped them. Oh god, they took the others.¡±


    ¡°The others?¡± Jack felt panic creeping into his voice as he took in Tink¡¯s words. ¡°What about the others? What did The Reverend do?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see Jack?¡± Tink¡¯s eyes tinged with mania and he dug his nails into Jack¡¯s skin like talons. ¡°They never needed us here. They weren¡¯t trying to cure us; They were searching for someone. Someone they knew was extraordinary but couldn¡¯t use their abilities.¡±


    ¡°Tink stop.¡± Jack broke his arm free and turned to the door.


    But Jill was already there. She swung the door open and stopped dead. Instead of the usual hallway that had greeted them every day for years, there was nothing but darkness. It wasn''t the ordinary darkness caused by the faulty lightbulbs. This was a pitch-black abyss. It was as though something was consuming everything outside of their room, and it was quickly eating through the walls and making its way towards them.


    ¡°Jack. There¡¯s nothing there.¡± Jill turned to him in a panic and then froze she realised what she¡¯d just done.


    ¡°Jill?¡± Jack¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Did you just open that door?¡±


    A sharp burst of laughter interrupted their surprise. ¡°So you¡¯re Jill.¡±


    They turned to find Tink completely calm but with an expression of sadness etched onto his face.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s only fitting that I see you before the end.¡± Tink ruffled his hands underneath his pillow and brought out a small device. ¡°Ah, see. I was smart enough to do this at least.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± Jack''s hands shook as he saw the darkness circling into the room from the outside. It was slowly encroaching around them and it would only be a minute or two before it consumed them.


    Nothing made sense anymore.


    ¡°A contingency. To hold back the end.¡± Tink rolled the device in his palm. ¡°But it looks like it failed. Its going to devour us alongside everything else. What a fool I¡¯ve been, my mind clouded by all my years in this hellhole.¡±


    ¡°Tink,¡± Jill approached the man carefully. ¡°What is this? What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡®Why can you see me?¡¯ She wanted to ask, but she held her tongue. There were more important things to worry about.


    Jack could see the last of the wall disappearing into the darkness as Tink lifted his head. The man¡¯s eyes had never been so clear in all the time that Jack had known him. It was as though he¡¯d been given twenty years of youth in an instant. But the man¡¯s calm attitude wasn¡¯t enough to lower his panic.


    ¡°Why Jill,¡± Tinks body slowly fell into the darkness and the last thing they heard was his voice softly calling out to them. ¡°This is the end of the world.¡±

 Book 1 Chapter 2: The Twin Dilemma

    ¡°JILL.¡±


    Jack woke up screaming and clutched his head in his hands as waves of pain shuddered across his body. His entire body felt like it had a joint migraine, washing his skin on fire and setting his nerves into overdrive. He barely registered the bed before his eyes scrunched closed because of the pain.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± He rubbed his palms against his temple and the pain died down as quickly as it had begun.


    It felt as though a white-hot flash of pain had passed through his entire body, both inside and out. But soon he could move about and he lowered his palms back down. He laid back for a few calm minutes and took a deep breath. His body was feeling incredibly relaxed.


    That flash of pain had filled him with more vitality than he¡¯d had in years, and he felt as though he could jog a mile easily. He was beginning to panic that he was getting sick. But he didn¡¯t know any sicknesses that could make him feel as though he was healthy.


    ''What the heck? I feel great.'' Jack stretched out his arms and smiled. Then he stared at them in confusion. "Eh?"


    They were tiny.


    ¡°Oh my god!¡± He threw the blankets off of his body and jumped off the bed. ¡°Nurse!¡±


    ¡®Wait.¡¯ He looked around. ¡®This isn¡¯t my room.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t in the GodSworn complex anymore. He felt like he vaguely recognised this place, but what he saw convinced him he¡¯d never been here before. Pillows covered the bed, more than he¡¯d ever had before, and the walls seemed larger than his room at the complex. But more conclusively, it was pink and red everywhere.


    This was a room he had never been in before.


    Jack looked around the strange room and realised that everything seemed bigger than it had only a few minutes ago. The windows were huge, and the bed even more so. He looked back down at his hands and his heart sank. He quickly scanned his surroundings and spotted a mirror and made his way towards it. He suspected that something drastic had changed in his body.


    He turned the mirror towards him and staring back at him was a pale-faced little boy in blue pajamas. They even had little roaring lions stitched into them. But that wasn¡¯t the issue.


    The issue was that the little boy was him.


    ¡°What is happening right now?¡± Jack tugged at his skin and poked his flabby cheeks.


    It was easy enough to recognise the face complexion and the golden-brown hair, after all, he¡¯d worn it all his life. But now he looked like he had when he was a child. He always remembered his adorable little chubby-cheeked phase, it wasn¡¯t something he could forget. But that was impossible.


    ¡°Right? It¡¯s impossible,¡± Jack said to no one in particular. ¡°Oh god.¡±


    Even his voice sounded like it had when he was a kid.


    ¡®Maybe I¡¯ve finally gone insane.¡¯ Jack mused to himself as he wandered through the door.


    Heaven looked a lot more pink and colourful than he''d imagined.


    He came out of the room and found himself at the end of a small corridor leading to various rooms and ending at a white kitchen area. ¡°Hello! Anybody home? Nurse?¡±


    ¡®I know this place.¡¯ Jack moved through it quickly.


    Even though his legs were smaller, this was clearly a house and not a huge one at that. But as he passed by the bedroom, the laundry room and what looked like a study he was suddenly beginning to get a severe case of deja vu.


    Then he froze as he exited the corridor and entered the kitchen area. It was exactly as he remembered it, with a small crooked table and lunch in the side where he¡¯d set up his computer to play on all day. Except that now there wasn¡¯t a computer on his table and instead there was a stack of papers.


    ¡®My table?¡¯


    Jack swiveled around in surprise and took in his surroundings. ¡°Hang on. This is my house!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the GodSworn complex, he¡¯d never called that place home. And it wasn¡¯t even the unit that his parents had allowed him to move into after he graduated.


    This was the house he lived in as a child.


    Before he could take in the sudden revelation, a bolt of bright light shot out from the space in front of him and startled him. A small silhouette outlined within the light, but it was too bright for Jack to see what was inside.


    ¡°AHH.¡± A girl''s voice shrieked out of the bright light as it disappeared. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°AHH,¡± Jack screamed as the girl appeared in front of him.


    ¡°What-the-hell-is-going-on.¡± The girl was talking a mile a minute, stamping her foot into the ground and wincing as pain shot up from her toes. ¡°Ouch-what-Jack?! OH MY GOD.¡±


    Jack took a step back in fright as the girl saw him. With no warning she lifted her arms and jumped at him, wrapping him in a giant hug and knocking him onto the ground. Jack watched with wide eyes as the kitchen suddenly shifted and he was facing the ceiling, his head cracking loudly on the marble floor.


    The girl shot up as she heard the crack and she looked down in horror. ¡°OH god. Oh-my-god I killed my brother. ¡±


    ¡°Ouch¡­?¡± Jack rubbed his head where it had smacked against the ground but there wasn¡¯t any pain. ¡°Wait. What? Jill?¡±


    He tried to get a grasp of what was going on.


    ¡°Holy crap you¡¯re okay!¡± Jill¡¯s expression transformed into a grin as she saw Jack looking confused but unhurt. ¡°Sorry, I was just so excited to see you. I still don¡¯t know how much pressure I¡¯m using when touching things too. Having a body is so confusing. Oh man, did you hear that crack though?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Jack lifted his head up and was happy that his fingers couldn¡¯t feel anything leaking out.


    Then he looked down and saw that it hadn¡¯t been his head that had broken. The impact had cracked the floor, which now looked like a spiderweb was spreading out of it. His head had completely destroyed the marble tile that it had hit.


    ¡°Huh. That¡¯s new.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Jill¡¯s eyes were wide as she saw the cracks. ¡°I always knew you were hard-headed but I didn¡¯t think it was literal.¡± She helped him up and started bouncing around the kitchen as she explored it. ¡°So much stuff is happening. I thought it was all over for us when that strange black stuff killed us. I thought I was in hell for a second.¡±


    ¡°When what killed us?¡± Jack looked at her in confusion.


    ¡°You know, the thing with Tink?¡± Jill prodded the utensils near the sink carefully as she tested that they were real, and what she could physically interact with them. ¡°Where he was all like, ¡®It¡¯s the end of the world!¡¯ and we just straight-up died.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Jack shook his head, but then the memories came rushing back into his head.


    Tink, that strange darkness, and then suddenly being consumed by it as he stood helpless in his room. After that, he¡¯d woken up in that strange bed.


    Jack fell to his knees as the flood of events entered his mind. But then he felt a pair of hands holding him and he looked up to see Jill¡¯s worried face looking down at him.


    ¡°Why are we kids?¡± Jack asked her.


    ¡°How the hell am I supposed to know that?¡± Jill let go of him and gestured at her surroundings. ¡°I¡¯m still getting used to being able to touch things. Actually, I don¡¯t even know how I got here...¡± She looked around in surprise. ¡°Is this our old house?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is,¡± Jack confirmed. ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know how you got here? Where were you before?¡±


    ¡°In a hospital I think. Then there was this bright flash of light and-¡± Jill tilted her head and looked down the corridor that was behind Jack. ¡°-Oh my god is that your old bedroom through there?¡±


    ¡°A hospital? Are you okay?¡± Jack followed her as she ignored his concerns and rushed towards the bedroom at the far end of the house. The one he¡¯d originally woken up in. ¡°Jill!¡±


    ¡°Wow, it''s a lot pinker than I remember.¡± Jill¡¯s voice floated towards him as she reached the bedroom. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were such a huge fan of pillows. There are tons in here. I like your style.¡±


    ¡°Hey, the hospital, remember?¡± Jack prodded her for information as she skipped through the rooms and explored every inch of them.


    ¡°Oh yeah, I remember this place.¡± Jill entered the study room and sniffed in disdain as dust assaulted her nose. ¡°Something like that. I woke up in one of those sick beds. Apparently they think I collapsed, so they sent me there, but I don¡¯t remember any of that. I think mum and dad were there too.¡±


    ¡°Mum and dad?¡± Jack almost couldn¡¯t believe his ears.


    He hadn¡¯t seen them in years.


    "Yeappp. I was mostly freaking out that I could touch stuff so I didn¡¯t hear most of it." Jill dragged out the words as they finally looped back into the kitchen. "Then a few minutes later there was a bright light and I poofed into the kitchen."


    Jack sighed. He should have been used to this behaviour after spending every waking moment of his life with Jill inside his head, but now that she was actually here in the flesh she was a big ball of energy and destruction. After being stuck in his head for so long, it was no wonder she wanted to mess with everything she could.


    It was like unleashing a kid on a petting zoo.


    A very hyperactive kid that wanted to squash everything as hard as she could.


    ¡°How are you here?¡± Jack frowned as the thought hit him. ¡°I mean, physically. How is that possible?¡±


    Before she could respond to him her ears perked up as she heard a scratching sound came from the door. ¡°Hey. Do you hear that?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jack looked at the door and through the opaque glass saw a tall silhouette outside the entrance.


    It was using a key to open the door.


    The door finally stopped rattling and then it slowly opened, revealing a middle-aged woman with bags under her eyes. The woman took one look at the kitchen and let out a squeak of glee.


    ¡°Honey. She¡¯s here.¡± The woman turned towards Jill and Jack with a huge grin plastered on her face. ¡°Thank god you¡¯re okay. Gerald get in here!¡±


    The woman strode through the doorway, closely followed by a tall man in a suit, and rushed over towards Jack.


    ¡°Mum! Dad!¡± Jack¡¯s eyes welled up with tears as he saw the two figures enter the house.


    He hadn¡¯t seen the two of them in years, the complex just hadn¡¯t allowed him to visit them. But here they were.


    The two of them stopped in their tracks as they heard him, and they turned to face him with confused expressions on their faces. They looked from Jack to Jill and then back to Jack and their confusion seemed to grow even more as they took in the similarities between the two. Jack couldn¡¯t blame them, he and Jill had always shared a lot of similarities, and now that they were both children that looked like identical twins. Except that Jill had long hair and no pajamas. It was probably confusing to see that their kid had somehow multiplied into two.


    "Gerald..." Jack''s mother hesitated as she spotted Jack.


    ¡°Hello there, little fella.¡±


    Jack''s dad knelt down and held him in a steady gaze.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±

 Book 1 Chapter 3: Dr. Martin

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Jack.¡±


    Jack felt a pang of pain in his heart at the sight of his dad staring at him in confusion. He¡¯d seen the look before, what child hadn¡¯t seen it on their parents'' faces before. But they had never directed it at him.


    ¡°What?!¡± Jill¡¯s voice called out to their dad. ¡°You don¡¯t recognise your own son old man?¡±


    Gerald¡¯s head snapped sharply towards Jill. ¡°My what?¡±


    Their mother turned to Gerald with a furious expression at her daughter¡¯s words. ¡°YOUR WHAT?¡±


    ¡°Wait- Jacqueline, honey. Let¡¯s not misunderstand things here.¡± Gerald didn¡¯t have to have a sixth sense to see that his wife was about the blow her lid at the sudden revelation. ¡°He-he looks exactly like Jill.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡± Jack lifted his hand awkwardly as he sensed the beginnings of a family shitstorm. ¡°You''re both my parents?¡±


    He phrased it as a question because he wasn¡¯t sure what was going on. These two were definitely his parents. He was certain about that. But something was different. They weren¡¯t looking at him the way they used to. It was as if they were staring at a stranger.


    It was starting to hurt his feelings.


    Jill crossed her arms and stared at them furiously. ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s my brother. Why are we even arguing about this?¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but laugh. When Jill was a full-grown woman, that stare would have looked terrifying, but as a child she was as intimidating as an angry goldfish. He wished the group at the complex could see her now. She¡¯d always complained about how they never knew she existed and here she was, stuck in a child¡¯s body.


    Jack''s reaction seemed to shake something in their parents as well. He could see the tension leaving their bodies as they heard his laughter. There was just something primal about a child''s joy that made them stop and think.


    Jacqueline shook her head to knock away the oncoming headache. He wasn¡¯t a child that had wandered in from a neighbouring house. He and Jill were just too similar for that to be possible. Not to mention Jill had just gone missing from the bed she¡¯d been in and turned up in their house. Jacqueline had no idea what else Jill could do.


    ¡°This has been a strange day. We¡­¡± Jacqueline paused as she tried to figure out what was happening. ¡°We need to call Dr. Martin. Right now.¡±


    Jack and Jill looked at each other in confusion.


    ¡°Dr. Martin?¡±


    ¡®Who the heck is that?¡¯


    ****


    ¡°You make sure not to bother your mother too much.¡± Gerald lifted Jill and Jack and placed them in the car seats. Jack smiled as he went along for the ride. It wasn¡¯t every day that someone wanted to help you with moving. The nurses at the complex had tried their hardest just to avoid working with the patients.


    ¡®He got used to me quickly.¡¯ Jack hadn¡¯t realised his dad was going to be so quick to adapt to the strange situation.


    ¡°You¡¯re not coming with us?¡± Jill shot their dad a puppy-eyed look.


    She wanted to spend as much time with her parents as she could, this was the first time they¡¯d been able to talk to her since Jack was born.


    Gerald shot their mother a covert look and she nodded to him.


    ¡°No, no.¡± Gerald shook his head and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve got some things to do. So you two have fun now.¡±


    ¡®You two aren¡¯t very subtle.¡¯ Jack mused as he saw them exchange glances.


    Clearly, they would do a little more than just send them to get a check-up. They couldn¡¯t even remember Jack, but they thought this ¡®doctor¡¯ could help them figure out the problem.


    ¡®He must be a great doctor.¡¯ Jack wondered how his mum would explain having an extra child.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry.¡± Jacqueline smiled as they put on their seatbelts. ¡°Dr. Martin is an amazing man, and I¡¯d wager he¡¯s seen quite a few strange things in his life considering he¡¯s part of a big clinic. He¡¯ll probably have all the answers we need.¡±


    ¡°A real doctor?¡± ¡°A normal doctor?¡±


    Jack and Jill asked at the same time.


    Jacqueline smiled. ¡°He¡¯s a real doctor. And as normal as a person can be in his field. Why wouldn¡¯t he be?¡±


    She smirked at the kid¡¯s expressions of surprise. It was nice to know that even if events were going straight into unknown territory, some things stayed the same. Kids would still be kids, and they wouldn¡¯t know too much about the world. She checked one last time that they''d strapped the kids in properly and turned the car on, pulling out of the driveway and making her way onto the roads.


    Jack and Jill shot each other a look of exasperation. Their mother had misunderstood the reason for their questions. Her words surprised them because their mother didn¡¯t use ordinary doctors to conduct their tests. Whenever Jack had gotten sick, she had always sent them to the local chapter of the GodSworn to get them checked out by their ''specially trained'' doctor. She had always been religious by nature and hadn''t trusted the ¡®ordinary¡¯ doctors as she¡¯d called them.


    ¡°This is weird.¡± Jack mouthed to Jill and tapped his head. ¡°I can¡¯t hear you.¡±


    He¡¯d grown so used to Jill just speaking into his mind for years that suddenly being devoid of her constant chatter was almost lonely. When she thought that nobody could hear her she wouldn¡¯t shut up, and now that people could hear her she was a lot more reserved.


    He couldn¡¯t help but smile at that. She¡¯d still been an incredible chatterbox when she¡¯d been in the house alone with him, it was just the nerves of talking to new people that had caused her to quieten down.


    Even if those people were her parents.


    Jill took a second to get his point. ¡°Of course you can¡¯t. I¡¯m not in your head.¡±


    It was such an obvious answer, but it caused them both to fall silent. They couldn¡¯t help but wonder what had happened to them that night at the GodSworn complex. Tink had suddenly seen Jill despite never having been able to before, and suddenly Jill was a physical person who everyone could see and interact with. It was such a sudden change after they had told him for years that she didn¡¯t exist.


    ¡®Was it even real?¡¯ Jack rested his head against the edge of the seatbelt. ¡®Or did I just imagine it all?¡¯


    Could he have made up an entire lifetime?


    ¡°That¡¯s too complicated to think about,¡± Jill said from the side. He looked at her in shock and she stuck her tongue out at him. ¡°No, I can¡¯t read your mind. I¡¯m just amazing.¡±


    ¡®Oh right.¡¯ Jack and Jill had spent forty-seven years living together every second of the day.


    She could read him like a book.


    ¡°Okay kids,¡± Jacqueline called out to them as they drove into the parking lot of a building. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    They¡¯d already reached the clinic.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Jack couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Why had they bothered driving an hour away all those years visiting the GodSworn doctor if their local practitioner was so close by? He¡¯d suffered too many times to count on those long journeys to visit his mother¡¯s old doctor.


    ¡®Thank god mum isn¡¯t with those religious nuts now.¡¯ Jack sighed in relief.


    If he never heard from the GodSworn again it would still be too soon.


    "Jacqueline!"


    A genial looking, white-haired man sprinted out of the clinic entrance, running towards them as quickly as his elderly legs could take him. Jack stared at the man cautiously. He¡¯d definitely never seen him before. But then again he had never been to this clinic before.


    "Dr. Martin." Jacqueline helped the kids out of the car as the man reached them. "Sorry to worry you so much."


    ¡°No, no. It''s wonderful you could make it back so quickly.¡± Dr. Martin welcomed them with open arms as he rushed out to meet them. ¡°I¡¯m glad Jill is safe. We were quite worried when she suddenly disappeared from the restroom.¡±


    He rushed over to Jill and checked her up and down, trying to spot any irregularities. ¡°Well, you look perfectly healthy to me. Let¡¯s conduct a few tests shall we?¡± He made sure not to push Jill too far, afraid that his enthusiasm and the sudden change of events would frighten the little girl.


    ¡°Tests?¡± Jill looked at him warily. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡±


    The doctor chuckled as they walked through the clinic and towards a room marked with the doctor¡¯s name. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Jill, there¡¯s nothing wrong with you. We just need to run some basic tests to see that the collapse won¡¯t happen again. As for your sudden¡­ disappearance.¡± He paused. ¡°Do you know what an ascended is?¡±


    ¡®An ascended?¡¯ Jack and Jill stared with wide eyes at their mother and the doctor.


    They had no idea what that was.


    ¡°An ascended?¡± Jacqueline was surprised, but for a different reason. ¡°I thought it could be that but¡­ are you sure?¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯ Jack looked at his mother in surprise.


    She had a theory why Jill had teleported into her kitchen?


    ¡®But that¡¯s insane.¡¯


    This should have been a newsworthy event. A child disappearing out of nowhere, and another appearing into existence out of thin air. He couldn''t believe his mother actually had an explanation for it.


    ¡°Quite sure.¡± Dr. Martin nodded his head vigorously and opened the door for all of them to enter the room, shifting his attention to Jack. ¡°Who¡¯s this? You had a son as well?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Martin, we¡¯ve been visiting you for years. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯d know if I had another child the same age as Jill? He popped up at the same time that Jill disappeared. We found them both inside our house when we got there.¡±


    The doctor¡¯s expression turned pensive as he studied Jack intensely. ¡°He has your nose. Gerald¡¯s hair. And even his skin tone. I¡¯d say he¡¯s a perfect match for the two of you.¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m their son.¡± Jack stifled the anger that was bubbling up at his mother¡¯s words. It hurt to hear her claim that he wasn¡¯t her child. It looked like only their dad had accepted it so far. ¡°It¡¯s just that nobody remembers me.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Dr. Martin gestured to Jack and Jill to sit on the bed that was resting on the corner of the room. One of those beds that looked like a washing board with a blue sheet placed over it. ¡°How curious. I thought I had a great memory. Tell me...¡±


    ¡°Jack.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, Jack.¡± The doctor grabbed a stethoscope from his desk and put it on, moving the end towards Jill to check her heart rate. ¡°Do you mind if I conduct a couple of tests on you today?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Jack confirmed for the doctor¡¯s sake. ¡°Do whatever you need to do.¡±


    He wanted to get to the bottom of this more than anyone.


    ¡°All right, well.¡± The doctor moved the stethoscope to Jack¡¯s chest. ¡°Breath deeply for me, please.¡±


    Jack breathed in and the doctor¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°All normal there. Which is good. Young boys should be healthy. How about a blood test? Are you fine with needles?¡±


    ¡®Moving awfully fast here.¡¯ Jack couldn¡¯t blame the man. ¡®And he¡¯s taking all this really calmly.


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but think that both his parents and this doctor were being far too nonchalant about the whole situation. They weren¡¯t acting like it was normal for a kid to pop into existence, but they didn¡¯t seem to be panicking about it either.


    He could see a tinge of excitement forming in the doctor¡¯s eyes since the moment Jacqueline had said that Jack appeared out of nowhere. It was probably the doctor¡¯s first time encountering anything like it. There was definitely something abnormal happening here and Jack could tell that it only excited the man.


    The doctor reminded him of Gregorian and the old patient¡¯s search for knowledge. The two had the same glint in their eyes that meant that they¡¯d found something new and exciting to research.


    It was oddly reassuring.


    Jack nodded and the doctor immediately brought them to another room, being extra careful around Jack and Jill and allowing their mother to follow them in. He left for a few minutes and when he came back, he was holding two needles and some cotton swabs.


    Dr. Martin gazed at Jack kindly as he dabbed something onto Jack¡¯s outstretched arm with a cotton ball. ¡°Now, this won''t hurt at all. But let me know if it does and we can stop. I¡¯ll even give you a lollipop after.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s treating me like a kid.¡¯ Jack smiled and nodded his head. ¡®The lollipop doesn¡¯t sound that bad, actually.¡¯


    Jack watched the needle approach his arm and squinted. He¡¯d never had a phobia of needles, but he wasn¡¯t fond of them either. Then he heard a sharp snap and the sound of metal clinking on the floor. He looked down to see a small stick of metal rolling on the floor and raised his head to see the doctor¡¯s face lighting up.


    The needle had snapped in two the moment it came into contact with his arm.


    ¡°Well now.¡± The doctor stared at the broken needle. ¡°Isn¡¯t that curious?¡±


    ****


    Gerald paced from side to side as he took in the information he had found online. Jacqueline had wanted him to stay behind so that he could research what was happening to Jill. Fortunately, the answer was obvious; She had gained some sort of power. He¡¯d always known that there were super-powered beings in the world, extraordinary and different from the moment they were born.


    The ascended.


    That was what the world called them. But he had never cared about them because as far as he was concerned they weren¡¯t a part of his life.


    He had heard tales. A friend of a friend whose cousin had suddenly sprouted wings and decided to fight crime. Or rumors of a child suddenly discovering she could make water out of thin air. But that was for the big cities, not the outer suburbs his family lived in.


    Now his daughter had gotten into an accident, and a strange boy had appeared claiming to be his son. Not to mention one of the kitchen tiles had broken during the day. It was a very confusing situation for him, and the Internet didn¡¯t have much concrete information about the ascended on it.


    He also couldn¡¯t help but feel like that child was telling the truth.


    If Gerald wasn¡¯t one hundred percent certain that he¡¯d only had one kid then he would have sworn that Jack was his. He looked too much like Gerald and Jill to not be and even had his mother¡¯s nose. But that was impossible.


    They¡¯d only ever had Jill.


    The sound of a person knocking on the front door interrupted his thoughts. Gerald sighed and shuffled over to it. Anyone would be a welcome distraction from this growing headache of a situation. It was probably a neighbour asking about how Jill was. They hadn¡¯t been very subtle when driving her to the clinic after she collapsed onto the floor.


    Gerald opened the door. ¡°Hello- Who are you?¡±


    It was a large man that he¡¯d never seen before, sporting a fabulous mustache.


    ¡°Good evening.¡± The man looked at him expectantly and Gerald hesitated.


    The man didn¡¯t look threatening.


    Gerald kept the door open enough to monitor the man but also at a length where he could slam it shut if he needed to. ¡°Hi. Can I help you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually looking for a friend. Are-are you-¡± The man tilted his head in confusion. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry. I was looking for Jack Fisher. It¡¯s rather urgent.¡±


    ¡®Jack? The kid?¡¯ Gerald¡¯s expression turned cautious.


    He could feel an urge rising inside him to protect Jack. What would a man like this have to do with a little kid?


    ¡°He¡¯s around your age, big and lanky, kind of hunched back and he looks similar to¡­¡± The man¡¯s words quietened down as he saw Gerald¡¯s expression clear up. ¡°You have no idea who I¡¯m talking about, do you?¡±


    ¡°I do not.¡± Gerald let out a breath of relief. This man wasn¡¯t looking for the kid at least. Even if they had the same name, Jack was a fairly common one around these parts. ¡°I¡¯m Gerald Fisher. Yeah, you must have gotten the wrong house. Did you find this place through the phonebook?¡±


    ¡°No, he-¡± The man hesitated again, confused at the sudden turn of events. ¡°He told me this was his address. But it was a long time ago now, and things have changed a lot.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Gerald shrugged and began to close the door. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t help you today, but I¡¯m rather busy at the moment so you¡¯ll have to excuse me.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± The man¡¯s expression turned sorrowful but then he blinked and clapped his hands together. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find him eventually-¡± His body froze and Gerald saw his expression shift. ¡°Tch- They¡¯ve found me.¡±


    The man¡¯s head shot up and his sorrow turned into anger, and something else. Fear. Gerald followed his gaze with surprise, only to see that he was staring into an empty space.


    The man turned back to him with a tense smile. ¡°Head back inside and stay there.¡±


    The man waved his hand and suddenly a puff of smoke erupted from his clothes. There wasn''t enough to obscure Gerald¡¯s vision, but it was surprising enough to make him blink. When he opened his eyes, he was staring at an empty doorway.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Gerald couldn¡¯t believe his eyes.


    The man had disappeared into thin air.

 Book 1 Chapter 4: Lets explore our powers (1)

    ¡°You¡¯d think he would have finished after the first ten needles broke.¡±


    Jill giggled and she wiggled around restlessly as they sat in the back of the car. Dr. Martin had been positively giddy after the first needle had broken, and then he¡¯d brought out several others that were apparently all ¡®specially ordered¡¯ just for ascended people. Sweat dripped down Jack''s neck as he remembered the sight of them all. Each one had snapped in half when the doctor had pushed them into his arm.


    Jack was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that people with superpowers were a normal occurrence.


    Jill hadn¡¯t been any better than Dr. Martin. Instead of asking questions about the ascended she¡¯d stood next to the doctor, eyes were wide in amazement as she watched needle after needle breaking when they came into contact with Jack''s skin. In the end, the doctor had settled for a swab of Jack''s cheek.


    Jack had smiled when it was Jill''s turn to go. She''d never even felt pain before. But he could taste his disappointment when she¡¯d smiled as she felt the needle plunging into her own skin. Just feeling anything and doing the things she had never done while in Jack¡¯s head was motivation enough for her to take all the tests and Jack knew that she didn¡¯t care about the results.


    ¡®Three days.¡¯ Jack moved the stick of his lollipop around his tongue as he mused on what the doctor had said to them.


    That was how long it would take for the results to come back.


    The tests were just something they did to check that Jill and Jack were healthy. The clinic wasn''t prepared to look after an ascended and so none of the equipment they had on hand could analyse Jack or Jill. Dr. Martin had promised to give them more information when the test results came back but the best he could do was provide them a recommendation to an official ascended testing centre after the medical checks they completed the medical checks.


    There they could test the extent of their powers and abilities.


    ''I wonder what else I''ll have?'' Jack tried to imagine shooting laser beams out of his eyes or pounding boulders into dust with his fists.


    Jill poked at his. ¡°Stop looking all serious. It sounds like fun. It¡¯s not like we have anything else to do, we¡¯re just kids.¡±


    Jack looked at her from the corner of his eye and smiled. She was right; they were kids again, the stuff of dreams. He even had superpowers, and the GodSworn weren¡¯t a part of their lives anymore. He hadn¡¯t mentioned it but he couldn¡¯t help but worry that something was going to go wrong. It almost seemed too perfect. But she had squashed his thoughts with just a few words.


    Sometimes he thought she could still read his mind.


    ¡°I totally can.¡± Jill puffed up with pride as she saw his shocked expression and she turned her nose up into the air. ¡°Bow down before me mortal, for I am amazing and fantastical.¡±


    ¡°Jill, don¡¯t bully your brother,¡± Jacqueline said absentmindedly as she drove. Then she froze as she realise what she¡¯d said by accident.


    Somehow she¡¯d just gotten caught in the flow and forgotten that Jack wasn¡¯t her child. Not one she remembered having at least. The kids also stared at her with smiles, and then Jill ignored her as she continued to tease Jack. It was like watching school children fighting.


    ¡®No, it¡¯s like watching siblings fight. Would it be so bad to have a son?¡¯ Jacqueline toyed with the thought.


    She¡¯d quickly gotten used to having Jack around. Even though she¡¯d only known him for an hour or two, she was already falling into a pattern of talking to him normally. It just felt right. Like he was filling a void in her heart that she¡¯d never realised she¡¯d had.


    She¡¯d definitely worried for a while that she¡¯d kidnapped some random kid. But his relaxed attitude and uncanny similarities to Jill had quickly dispelled that fear. A quick conversation with Dr. Martin had also calmed her down.


    ''Oh boy.'' She turned into the street their house was on. ''This is one hell of a mess.''


    Jack was probably part of Jill''s powers. That was what the doctor had said. Especially since he had appeared in their house at the same time that she had teleported there from the clinic. Jacqueline had heard of certain ascended summoning different things, usually animals or creatures that were inhuman. If Jack was something like them, then that meant that he would be around Jill forever.


    Jacqueline watched the squabbling duo with the car mirror and smiled. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be so bad if Jack was around. They had enough money to pay for the extra food, and Jill seemed content. Definitely much more lively than she¡¯d been before.


    Then Jacqueline got hit by a stray lollipop and scrunched her eyebrows together in frustration as it stuck to the back of her head.


    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± She pulled into their driveway and turned around to face them. ¡°Who threw the lollipop?¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Their trip home ended as quickly as it had when they¡¯d gone to the clinic.


    ¡°It was me.¡± Jack put his hand up, looking guilty.


    ¡°Jack.¡± Jacqueline put on her parental chastising face. ¡°There¡¯s not going to be a dessert for dinner if you don¡¯t apologise.¡±


    Jack looked at her with a bemused smile. ¡°Do I need to eat? I don¡¯t feel hungry.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jacqueline didn¡¯t know the answer to that question.


    Needles couldn¡¯t pierce his skin, and she didn''t even know what else was happening inside his body.


    Jack was curious about it himself. He hadn¡¯t felt a single hunger pang since returning to his childhood body and he¡¯d already been here for a few hours. He could tell Jill was feeling it heavily from the way she clutched at her stomach and groaned. She¡¯d even tried to steal his lollipop, smacking it by accident into their mum¡¯s hair.


    He rolled his eyes at her dramatic behaviour.


    ¡°Bully the new kid why don¡¯t you.¡± Jill retorted as she saw his smug expression. ¡°Just because you¡¯re used to it. I¡¯m experiencing this for the first time you know.¡±


    Jack sat back with a triumphant grin and he went over the interesting things he¡¯d found out while at the doctor¡¯s office.


    It was November 2019.


    Exactly forty years back from the moment the darkness had swallowed him in the GodSworn complex alongside Tink and Jill. In only five months he would be eight.


    It was an extraordinary leap back in time. With all of his memories intact to boot. But there were some obvious differences that contrasted with the memories he had of his old life.


    The primary of those being the ascended.


    There definitely weren¡¯t any of those in his prior life.


    Apparently here it was normal, although extremely rare, for people to sprout powers which let them do things that ordinary humans couldn¡¯t. Apparently, the ascended had been part of the culture long enough that society had grown accustomed to them. Jack could hardly believe his ears, but with all that had been happening, it wasn¡¯t the biggest surprise of the last twenty-four hours.


    ¡°You. Eat.¡± Jack stuck his tongue out at Jill. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask questions.¡±


    Jack jumped out of the car¡¯s side and felt the ground thump underneath his shoes. His legs weren¡¯t long enough to step out of it. Having a child¡¯s body meant that suddenly the simpler things like getting down from the car were much more fun to do.


    He made his way inside and instantly spotted the man he wanted to talk to.


    His father, Gerald. The man was sitting down in the lawn chair and was scribbling onto a series of papers he¡¯d laid out on the kitchen table.


    Jack couldn''t hold back his curiosity on how these ¡®ascended¡¯ gained their powers but Dr. Martin hadn¡¯t been clear on the details there. Even though Jack''s powers thrilled the doctor, the laypeople of the world didn¡¯t have much of an idea about the cause of the phenomenon. They were just interested in the new powers and the stories that resulted.


    ¡°So what did you find out on the internet?¡± Jack looked with curiosity at his father¡¯s handwritten notes lying on the table.


    The man had spent the time alone researching into the ascended. He could see a list of names written hurriedly and even a few columns. He¡¯d never realised his dad was so organised.


    ¡°Hey there, slugger. Internet? What do you mean? Gerald shuffled the papers on the table clumsily.


    Jack stared at him. His father definitely wasn''t a good liar.


    ¡°You stayed home so you could research the ascended. Those are your notes.¡±.


    He might be a kid but he didn¡¯t want to act like he was dumb.


    Gerald chuckled as he realised he wasn''t fooling Jack. ¡°Yeah, they are. I¡¯ll show you them after.¡± He pushed them away from Jack with an expression of shame. ¡°They¡¯re too untidy for me to show anyone else right now.¡±


    Jack grinned at his father¡¯s response and went to join Jill in grabbing a snack from the fridge.


    ¡®Time to test if I can eat.¡¯


    He wouldn¡¯t have pegged his dad to be someone so embarrassed about their writing. Jack always been hanging out with Jill or the other kids the first time he was this age. He¡¯d never taken the time to appreciate his family or their quirks.


    ¡°We had a visitor today,¡± Gerald said as he turned calmly to face Jacqueline. ¡°He was searching for someone called Jack Fisch¡­ er¡­ he-hello th-there?¡±


    Gerald stuttered in surprise as two pairs of eyes stared at him intensely from under the table. The two kids had somehow managed to sneak right next to him while he was talking. One second they¡¯d been roaming around the kitchen and now they were here.


    Jack could feel his heart pounding as he looked up at his dad. ¡°He was looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Oh no. No, no, no.¡± Gerald saw the worry on Jack¡¯s face and put on a reassuring smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. he wasn¡¯t here for you. Just someone with the same name. He was looking for someone my age, tall and lanky.¡± Gerald paused as he tried to think of the rest. ¡°And with a hunched back. I told him he¡¯d found the wrong house. He probably got the name Fischer out of a phonebook and was trying every address.¡±


    ¡®Crap.¡¯ Jack and Jill looked at each other.


    They could see the worry in each other''s eyes. Gerald had described his previous self perfectly, from the age to the hunched back. But there wasn¡¯t anybody in this time who should know him as an adult. He¡¯d spent far too much time in the GodSworn complex to keep up with any of his old friends. Heck, he couldn¡¯t even remember the people he¡¯d known when he was seven years old.


    Jack didn¡¯t like where this was going, but he knew he still needed to get the information from his dad.


    ¡°What did the man look like.¡± Jack¡¯s voice was sharp but it broke into a quiver at the end.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Gerald paused as he heard the urgency in Jack¡¯s voice. ¡°He was definitely large. I don¡¯t mean chubby, I just mean big physically. Tall, dark skin as well. Oh, and he had one hell of a moustache too. Immaculate.¡±


    He continued to list various things, and Jack and Jill¡¯s expressions grew grimmer and grimmer as their father¡¯s description became more intricate. There was no way they wouldn¡¯t recognise the person that they¡¯d spent years together with. Talking, laughing and having fun, all the memories came flooding back. The only person who Jack had ever felt comfortable enough around to reveal his old address. His father was describing their friend from their previous life perfectly.


    The patient that considered himself to be the greatest showman to ever live.


    Dilmar.