Annalene was surprised by Ken's ability to joke at a time like this. "I think I'll pass for now." "Suit yourself. It's delicious if I say so myself." Ken's demeanor was cool behind the wheel. Annalene watched Ken as stared ahead at the road, attentive to what dangers may beckon. He looks as if he has experience doing this. "Not your first car chase, huh?"
"Chase?" Ken glanced up at the mirror. "I don't think he'll be following this time. He didn't look any too comfortable running back there." Annalene smirked. "Good. I think I bruised my knee. I don't care. Where are you taking me?" "Away from there. You sure you're not hungry? It's sandwiches. From a sandwich shop." She was hungry. And the wrappings were white butcher paper, tightly wrapped. Besides, she was in his control, as long as he was driving. He didn't need to tamper with the food. He seemed to guess her thoughts. "If you take half a sandwich, I'll eat the other half. Your choice."
That offer was very tempting by now. Given the recent events, Annalene figured it 50/50. She bit her lip as she contemplated if the odds were good enough. And Ken did offer to eat half of sandwich himself. "Okay," she finally gave in. Ken smiled and gave a nod as Annalene accepted the sandwich. "Best decision you can make, I promise." She took a bite. A small one. Her taste buds were trampled by the zesty flavor of...
...prosciutto, pickled peppers, olives, smoked turkey, pepper jack cheese, sharp cheddar, and some kind of fancy mustard. Her nose broke out in a sweat but it was pretty good. "Wow you make...quite a sandwich," she said. Ken devoured his own half in four bites, eating as though he hadn't seen food in days. Skillet yowled from Ken's pocket and was rewarded with a small morsel as well.
"Can't take credit," Ken said, his mouth still half full. "Michael Angelo's Deli." Annalene blinked. While she ate, something had flickered in her peripheral vision, like a series of lightning flashes. Was there something in the sandwich after all? "Never heard of it," she said. Everything looked normal, but unfamiliar. She had driven the freeway many times, nut didn't recognize her surroundings at all. "Welcome to my world," Ken said quietly.
Annalene woke up, she was gagged. No one was in sight. She was laid across a couch, tied at the hands and feet. Her vision was a blur, her heartbeat was rapid.As she took in her surroundings, she noticed she was inside of a cabin. "Hi, sleepyhead... did you miss me?" Ken came out of a room, bright white smile and all. It's a little late for the dashing hero bit, Ken. "Mmmphf," Annalene mustered. A sarcastic cackle projected from Ken's mouth... like an evil Eddie Murphy. "I'm so glad you'll be joining us, tonight."
Annalene woke trembling. The dream seemed so terrifyingly real. I guess I still don't trust him, she thought. But that - story he had told her. It sounds like science fiction. I hate science fiction. Parallel worlds, my ass! And yet...
And yet as she lifted her head from the upholstery and looked out of the car window she saw a cityscape that didn't resemble anything she'd ever seen. It was...similar but brighter and as though seen through a kalaidascope...all patterns and mirror images. Ken was glancing at her with a little grin "What IS this place?" Annalene asked.
And he had told her. It still made no sense to her. This Ken was some kind of cop, or something. Assuming he was telling the truth. How could it be true? Just because he had a lookalike in her world... Now she was doing it. Her world indeed! There had to be another explanation, one that made sense. There had to be.
She found herself sitting practically sideways in her seat, staring narrowly at Ken as he drove. For the first time he seemed uncomfortable, as though telling her the truth left him vulnerable somehow, vulnerable to her disbelief. "So why...how...why are you in 'my world', then?" Annalene asked, "Not to mention what does any of this have to do with me?"
Ken looked at Annalene through the corner of his eye before returning his attention to the front. He paused slightly before answering. "I'm not sure how to explain this." He blinked a few times, hoping the succession of blinks would somehow make it easier to fill Annalene in. He drew a blank. Annalene was left hanging on to his last words, eyebrow cocked hoping Ken would just get it out already.
“Things are not what they seem. Worlds are colliding. We have to ask ourselves, is this the real life, or is it a fantasy? Are we caught in a landslide, or can we escape from reality.” He smiled at her and briefly touched her hand. “Open your eyes and see.”
"Queen?" Annalene nearly screamed, "I am in need of some real answers and you give me some Queen lyrics?" She put her hands to her temples and pressed, rubbing them. "So are you telling me that a classic rock band in...my world...are some kind of prophets? They made a song about riding a bicycle for Pete's sake!"
Ken closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I heard those words in asong, and they - well, they seemed to fit. I should have realized it might be a well known song." He shook his head, then looked at her. "For years now, we've been aware of an overlap between your world and ours. There are weak spots, where some people can cross over." Annalene interrupted. "Some people? Who? How many?" Ken held up his hand. "No one knows why some can and others cannot. Not many, we think. But it may be getting worse. I followed you across. Our you, I mean. But I lost her."
Annalene's lips moved as she attempted to sort this out. "So you're saying that there is another me? Like there is another you?" Her stomach growled and she dug for another sandwich in the basket.
"Exactly. And I had mistaken you for her." Ken's face hosted a hint of annoyance. His hands tightened on the wheel. "As you can guess, the mistake was easy to make."
Oddly, Annalene felt a little bit let down. "So I was just swept up in this by accident? Did you figure out that I wasn't her at the coffee shop or when you shot that...that hunchback thing...or when you," she stressed the you, "disappeared from our picnic? And did she do something criminal?"
"One thing at a time, please," Ken said. He pressed his middle finger into his temple clockwise. After clearing his throat, he continued. "I'm very sorry to include you in this madness. I was certain you weren't her when you woke up." Annalene's eyes sunk a little, then rose back. "You still didn't answer my question. Did she do something criminal?" Ken's eyes now sunk a little.
Ken sighed. "Technically, no. Not in my jurisdiction anyway. But I think she may have been killing people in your world." Annalene stared at Ken. "Murder's not against the law here?" "Your world doesn't exist, in any way that our laws recognize. Our Annalene has been in and out of institutions all her life. Your doctors would call her a sociopath. I believe she has found a way to kill for fun without legal consequence. She has no moral sense against killing, only the law stops her." Annalene nodded, "And your laws can't touch her from killiing in my world." She felt a deep chill.
Is she the one who killed the hippy? Annalene wondered. And why was the other Ken so violent? What was that hunchback monster? Yeah. "What was that hunchback . . . thing?"
Ken looked surprised. "There are differences between our worlds. I assumed that was a creature of your world." Annalene shook her head vigorously. "No way. I've never even heard of such a thing outside of a bad movie." Ken grunted. "It's not from my world, and I have to take your word that it's not from yours. We have a bigger problem than I thought. Than any of us thought."
It was now Annalenes' turn to look suprised. 'Wait, how can it not be of your world? You mean there might be another force at work here?' she said, her hands clasping tightly togeether, causing the skin of her knuckles to lose their colour. Ken sighed. 'Why is it never simple?'
Annalene couldn't help laughing at that. It was nice not to be entirely alone in her bewilderment. "So you have other-dimensional problems a lot?"
"This is news to me too. As far as we knew, there was our world and yours. Two sides of one mirror." Annalene's laughter was taking on a hysterical edge. Ken pulled over to the side of the road, and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Turn it around!" "Huh? Turn what around?" Ken looked at her. "Sorry, I don't know what you say in your world. I was - you were losing control." "You mean, snap out of it?" "I guess. It sounds about right." :So now what?" Annalene said.
