Page 29 of The Evil Twin

In my mind, they appeared like castle ramparts, reinforced by flames and spikes. They loomed too large; I couldn’t see any way around them, or over them, or through.

I can’t, I told him. The walls are too high, there’s no way.

He didn’t speak. I supposed he didn’t want to clue Other-me in to what we were doing. But even without words, I could feel him close by. Not physically – I was barely aware of my physical body anymore. But he was there, just on the other side of the walls.

Then, out of nowhere, a door appeared. It was a tiny door, like something from Alice in Wonderland, but I couldn’t see a bottle saying “drink me” so I could fit through it.

The door swung open, and I could see Tennyson on the other side of it. I moved toward it, and as I did, the door grew, until, by the time I reached it, it was big enough for me to fit through.

He took me by the hand and we ran. I wasn’t sure why we were running, but wherever he was leading me, I followed. It was almost overwhelming, being in that place. It was pure Tennyson, more than just Tennyson essential oil, even. I couldn’t let myself think about it, or I’d overthink it, and this wasn’t the time.

We came to another wall. It wasn’t like the other wall. This was a sheer rock face on a mountainside. It stretched up so far, I couldn’t see the top, and the whole thing was as smooth as polished marble. I glanced at Tennyson in question.

He pointed toward a tiny crack at the base of the wall, so thin that an ant could barely climb through it.

You’re joking, I said.

There was no way I could fit through there. But it was no different than going through the tiny door had been. As I moved closer to it, the space got larger – or I got smaller. That had happened to me once before, and I looked back at Tennyson in a panic. He was the same size. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Come on, then, I said.

He shook his head.

I glanced at the crack in the rock, which now looked like a huge, dark cave. You’re going to make me go in there by myself?. I pointed to the cave to emphasize how creepy it looked.

He pointed to the cave and then back to me. “You,” he mouthed. He pointed to himself, then back at me, then made a heart with his hands. “Her,” he mouthed, then shook his head and made a cross with his arms. He seemed to take confidence from my understanding that part, so he got more complicated, with the pointing and the hand gestures and silent talking.

You’ve lost me, I told him. I have no idea what you’re trying to say.

His shoulders slumped, then he seemed to get an idea.

He moved so quickly that I barely saw it. He was just suddenly standing in front of me. He pulled me close to him and then kissed me. All of the anger, all of the betrayal, that faded away for a moment. There was nothing but the two of us, there, in that moment.

And I understood what he’d been trying to say. He couldn’t go with me. He didn’t want to do anything that might strengthen the connection to Other-me. Our bond was something sacred, something special, and it was only for the two of us. Having her use it had hurt him as much as it had hurt me, in a way. He hadn’t asked for it, hadn’t wanted it. It wasn’t something he did to me. It was something she’d done to the both of us.

She needed to be stopped.

I pulled away from him and turned toward the cave. I glanced back at him one more time before I entered it.

Be safe, he said.

And I hoped I would.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

It was obvious the moment I passed from Tennyson’s side of the wall to hers.

The cave was pitch dark. I shuffled along, keeping a hand on the stone wall beside me. Not only could I see nothing, but there was no sound, either. It wasn’t frightening – I could sense Tennyson in everything around me.

And then, I couldn’t.

The air turned slightly cooler, but that was the only tangible difference. I couldn’t say exactly what else had changed; it was just that the vibe was completely different. There was no Tennyson at all, only her.

I kept moving forward, but more cautiously. I didn’t know what to expect, only that it would be nothing good.

Eventually, my foot hit something. When I felt around, I realized it was some steps. I followed them up, and up. They twisted around in a spiral, and I was pleased that I still had walls on both sides of me because it would have been a heck of a drop otherwise.

Finally, I reached a door.

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