Chapter 14

I appreciate all the comments I got last chapter guys, keep em coming!  I still can't reply to them, so let me do this here...

@vampire comment- I'm glad that you guys weren't expecting her to be a vampire!

I use the club crymson body skin for the guys, peggy body skins for the girls, and Ephemera default faces.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter :).

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I woke up, and I noticed my reflection in a giant mirror.  Then, out of the corner of the eye, I saw other me standing, looking at nothing particular.  Well, he certainly wasn't staring at me.

I got up to observe the strange mirror.

Why don't I remember putting in a mirror?

Huh.  I couldn't come up with an answer.

Ah, well, Marshall or Jeff must have done it without my noticing

Yeah, right.

When I looked in the mirror, I noticed that I gained some weight and I was lacking muscle.

Oh great, I should really start to excercise more with Jeff and Marshall...no way do I want to look like THIS.

I touched my belly in disgust.

I blinked.

Then I opened my eyes, and I realized that I gained even more weight than I realized.  I didn't even want to look at myself.

OH NO!  I didn't realize it was so bad.  Gah, I don't even like salad...but salad I will have to eat!  And, oh, maybe I should do something more than speed walk on a treadmill. Run it?

I shivered at that thought.  Running and me are like Marshall and Jeff not having girlfriends.

Then I saw other me coming through the mirror.  His foot looked quite eery from the mirror's reflection.  Not to mention it was strange simply to see him walking through walls-well, a mirror.  Close enough.

"No, no, no, Alex.  You are fine."

"Um, what?"

I still get the chills when I see my other self.

"You are still dreaming, Alex.  This is a false awakening.  You see yourself in the mirror, Alex? You're not really fat in real life.  That's you, right?"

"Um...well, yeah..."

"Yes.  Well that image to you is what I am to you.  We appear to be exactly the same.  But there is one very important difference."

My eyes widened.  So, now I'm still in another dream and other me is trying to philosophisize about my reflection in a dang mirror!

"The difference is I am real, unlike that reflection of yourself, I am real, I am not just some character in a dream, Alex.  But, I am a reflection of you.

I was racking my brain trying to understand, but if I tried too hard everything started to go black.  I couldn't.  I had to keep hold of the dream.

"It's ok, Alex.  Just think about it when you wake up. And whatever you do, DON'T forget about this conversation."

Note to self: remember what he said throughout the rest of this dream.

Then I heard his thought: 'good. This is important.'

Then, I started to walk away. 'I' dissolved into myself and walked out of the room.  In passing, I noticed laundry on the floor.

Really, Suzy is a crappy butler.  When is she ever going to do the washing?

Outside my bedroom, I saw a plate.  Not just any plate either.  Green fumes were coming off the plate, and it smelled like dead fish.

And, why do we need Suzy exactly?  She fails at her job.  Oh right-um...

Then I noticed the tortoise block stand.  We never took it out-a few years ago, when we recently moved in, Marshall and Jeff tried to babysit to get us some extra money.  They failed miserably.  They aren't really kid people, or at least they were too young and irresponsible.  The parents told us that the kids really like blocks, so we bought them.  And that's because they made a mess around the house.  But, they just used the blocks to throw them at Jeff and Marshall.  It was pretty funny since I wasn't apart of it.

I went downstairs and I decided to do what Lucid Girl has done before.  But of course I adapt it to me with girls: I told myself that when I walked downstairs, a bunch of pretty girls would be there.

Lucid Girl is just a girl of my dreams, so it doesn't really matter, right?  I just want the sensation of kissing again.  Nothing personal.

To my utter happiness, there were four girls when I arrived downstairs.  I looked at them.  One was muscular (in a creepy way), showing off that 'beautious stomach' and strange outfit.  No thank you. Another was fit for a day in the jungle with odd orange colored hair.  Ew, no.

I looked at the girl directly in front of me.  She was hard to miss.  She had some gorgeous waves and bright red lips.

But when I studied her nose from the side, it was really hideous.  For some reason a bird came to mind.

But then I saw a girl I missed.  She was really pretty with a normal look to her.  But I didn't really care that much. In fact, it was like I only noticed her appearance from the corner of my eye.  I just wanted to kiss her, that's all.

I wasted no time.  I planted one on her without letting her say no.  It's my dream.  She'll do what I want her to!  I didn't even care that the other girls were still there.  Why should I be self consious in my own dream?

The kiss made me dizzy.  It was really tingly.  Unfortuanatly, I couldn't hold onto the dream any longer.  But I loved the sensation of butterflies in my stomach.

When I woke up, I was just glad to be at a normal weight.

Maybe I should go to the gym more often again...

That dream with Marina really was creepy, thank gosh Lucid Girl could save me.

Ah, Lucid Girl.

And, even in my lucid dreams this morning, other me insisted on being there and lecturing me. 

I have a very creative mind, that's for sure! 

And for some reason, I even believed him in my dreams.

Pch, goes to show just how irrational you can be in dreams, even in ones that are lucid.

I decided to call the only person I knew who I could talk to that takes me seriously.

"Hey, grandpa this is Alex.  Could you guys please stop by my house soon?  It's sort of important."

I wanted to somehow 'convieniently talk' about that girl Marina.  Like, I would go alone to some public place and they would watch me while hiding or something.  Marina isn't that smart, is she?  Surely she would grab the bait!  Then I would scream at her again, and leave and I could follow her home again.  Or maybe I could just chance it and stalk her house with them?  Then they could see how strange she is, and, I don't know, help me somehow? 

I am not sure why, but I felt like I could trust them.

"Yes, that would be lovely Alex.  But I'll have to get approved first."

Stupid nursing home and its rules.

"Are you okay Alex, you sound a bit-"

"Yeah, I"m fine.  Hope to see you soon!  Bye grandpa."

"Okay-see you later Alex."

I really want to wait to tell both of them what's wrong, and it would be impossible to believe over the phone. 'Hey grandpa?  Yeah I called to tell you that there is this vampire lady named Marina-or at least that's what she calls herself- that is stalking me.  She always 'surprisinly bumps into me' when I'm alone in public.  Then, she gets me to like her only when I see her.  But then when she tries to kiss me, I somehow am able to back away.' Yeah, they would believe that. Besides.  I didn't feel like talking about it really...I'll do it when I have to.

I went downstairs and sat on a barstool.  It was really weird to have Suzy cooking for us.  I was able to wake up somewhat later, since I knew I wouldn't have to be in charge.  Of anything.

"I am making you boys some mac 'n' cheese!"

Yes, actually it was 11:00.  It's been a tiring night.

"I was thinking we could go swimming after I'm done with the rest of what's around the house.  I just have to dust Marshall's room, and we can go."

I don't even care that Suzy crossed her employee bounds.  We all like her a lot, and she knows it.

We all sit in silence thinking of her suggestion, not knowing what to say.  If we agree, could that give her more oppurtunities to goof off and not work, or demand a raise or something?

While she gives me the last bowl, Marshall decides to speak for all of us.

"Yeah, that would be great fun, great idea Suzy!  Besides, Marshall and I broke up with our girlfriends last night."

Why am I not surprised?

"Yeah, what happened?"

"Eh, we just got bored of them.  They were getting too clingy."

"Yeah, we're so over them.  Now it's time to let a couple of new lucky ladies some time with us-for their own happiness."

We this, we that.

I'm surprised THEY aren't identical twins, or whatever other me and I are..

Oh, but silly me.  That's just from my dreams...

Marshall, I told you so.  You should've waited to milk out the relationship!  That goes for you too Jeff. You guys COULD have chilled in the beginning to make that fruit tree so you could take more of its sweet fruit, but no.  No one listens to Alex.

When we were done changing an hour later and at the pool, Marshall and Jeff veered away from us.

"See you guys later."

He winked at me.

"We've got our eyes on something."

Of course.  Newly broken up, and they're already after their next girls.  But, at least they never cheat.  They just forget all about the girls they dump, and go on to new ones.

And yet, Marina will stil be on my back.

Though plan 'not going alone anywhere in public' still stood, who knows when I'll break from that promise?

I looked at Suzy, and Suzy looked at me. 

Jeff senses the chemistry between us.  He didn't only want to leave to see those girls, but to leave us aone.

Win win.

We both walked over to this cute little glider.  She crossed her legs and arms, and I put my arms awkwardly on my legs.  Seeing her practically naked was making me feel a little dizzy.

Not a sign of cellulose...at all.

Again, I was glad that I wasn't super fat like in my dream.

I just gotta keep up with it, that's all.  Note to self: go to the gym later.

I realized that not only was I nervous, but so was Suzy.  I caught her glancing at my abs.

Clearly, she liked me.  It was now or never.

I started to put my arm around her and our lips almost met, but I convulsivly pulled away against my will.

You don't REALLY like her.  Don't do this to her.

My brain was having a thought that was not really mine.

Just like with Marina, I left her.  After that thought passed through my head, I didn't have the same feelings for her.  But, I wasn't really repulsed like I was with Marina.  Then, she was just my butler.

"Sorry, I can't..."

Suzy looked away, and I heard a small little sob, but I just couldn't do it.  I didn't mean to make her sad, but I just... couldn't.

Then I wondered: why do I really like her? We didn't really have that much in common.  Besides being nice, there was nothing.  She seemed like a completly normal person.

And besides, I just can't do this to her.

And why was it that Lucid Girl popped into my head?

NO.  I can't have feelings for her-she's not really real...She's what I want in a girl.  My brain made her up!

Then I realized why I liked Suzy.  She reminded me of Lucid Girl so faintly-and that's just because I don't really know that many girls, I guess.  She had her blonde hair color-but that's where all similarities stopped.

Lucid Girl had curves where Suzy was stick flat.

I glanced back at her, how could I have liked HER figure?

I realized for the first time that she was as skinny as a stick.  And not in a good way.  I tried to remember a time I saw her eating, but I couldn't.

Oh llama, is she anorexic?

This girl is messed up.  But not in the way I'm messed up-my self esteem is fine.  I just want someone that gets me, that's all.  I don't feel like I can truly open myself up to her, and I need a girl like that.  I just haven't found her yet.