The Other One

by Amanda Jay

  But the Captain kept staring at his shoes. Two of the City Guards appeared, half pulling, half holding up a sagging Ezra, who looked around wildly and fearfully.

  "Please, I can't go back there," he spluttered, his eyes glassy.

  Tatum's lips pressed together so hard that they almost disappeared.

  "We are just taking you down to the station for a few questions, Mr Orson. You haven't been charged with anything yet."

  The blood that started to pound in Felix's ears made it difficult to hear anything else. This was not right. This was definitely, most certainly not right.

  He held onto the edge of the bannister, and then found himself sitting on the floor. He did not remember how he got there. He just remembered the guard escorting his father out of the house, as he stupidly kept asking Ioana when he could see his mother.

  EZRA

  Ezra and Onyx had sat dumbfounded for a moment, and it took just that moment for Kaelyn to swear under her breath and storm outside, angrily wiping off a tear that had managed to escape.

  Ezra stood up, and for the second time that evening, rushed out of the coffee shop. She had already made her way down the street when he managed to catch up to her.

  "Sweetheart, please, it wasn't what it looked like," he tried.

  Kaelyn didn't look at him. Keeping her eyes straight ahead, she just kept walking.

  "Please? Talk to me."

  She stopped abruptly then and whirled around to face him.

  "What would you like me to say?" Her voice was stone cold. He had never heard it like that before.

  "I'm really sorry. But that was not what it looked like," he repeated.

  "Is this where the both of you have been? When you've been disappearing? Have you been together?"

  Now that she said it out loud Ezra found it almost humorous.

  "Not like that. Look it's a long story--"

  "So you'll have been together? Oh Twin Gods be damned, how could I have been so stupid?" She turned around and started walking again.

  "No, no. Look, please stop. I wanted to tell you, I did. But I didn't want to upset you."

  "What could possibly upset me more than my husband and my friend going behind my back?" she spat, bitterly. The tears were starting to flow more freely now, and Ezra ached to wipe them away.

  "Can we please go home?" he asked. "Please? I promise I will explain everything and it will all make sense. Let's just please go home."

  Kaelyn stopped walking again, and covered her face with her hands. Her shoulders shook softly, and Ezra tried to put his arms around her.

  But she pushed them away, and for the first time since the coffee shop, looked directly at him.

  "I'm so sorry my love. If you would please let me explain--"

  "I can't believe you would do this to me Ezra. Not you. And certainly not now."

  "Darling, I haven't done anything, I swear. Well, I suppose I have, but not like that. I have to tell you so much--"

  "Ezra, I'm pregnant." Her words cut through his.

  Ezra almost fell over.

  "You're sure?" he asked. He knew that this was not the best of moments, but he couldn't help his face starting to break out into a smile.

  "Yes, I'm certain. I've been certain for a while now. I've just been looking for the right time to tell you."

  The weight of everything he had been carrying suddenly came crashing down on him, and he fell to his knees wrapping his arms around her waist.

  "That's wonderful" he said, hugging her tightly and feeling his own tears start to trickle down his face. "That's wonderful."

  They walked back to their flat with their arms wrapped around each other, and Kaelyn made them both tea while Ezra told her everything-- from the sadness and anger he felt for Xuntak, to the guilt he felt for lying to her, and the deep-seated need he seemed to have to make everyone happy. Ezra wasn't good at speaking his thoughts-- years of neglect and abuse had thought him to retreat into himself. But for the first time it felt good to let everything out. Even when he had trouble articulating what he really wanted to say.

  Kaelyn didn't say much while he spoke. She just listened. There didn't seem to be any judgment on her part, and Ezra was grateful for that.

  "So this girl, this Ethel. She is being held captive by Onyx?" she asked, eventually.

  "Looks like it. I had no idea this would happen though. You must believe me."

  "I do. I just wish you had spoken to me first. I would have known she was planning something like this."

  Ezra hung his head. "I know. I'm so sorry."

  "So what happens now?" Kaelyn asked.

  "Well, I need to convince her to let Ethel go somehow. I'll go to the City Guard, if I have to. And I won't have anything more to do with her, or this cause she keeps talking about. I shouldn't have gotten involved from the start."

  "No, I understand. I do, really. It's why I agreed to marry you, wasn't it? Because you always want to do the right thing. No matter what it takes out of you."

  Ezra couldn't believe his ears.

  "You mean you're alright with what I did?"

  "I wouldn't say that. I'm just saying I understand, that's all."

  He breathed a sigh of relief.

  "Thank you," he said, pulling her close to him.

  She nuzzled up next to him and he stroked her hair. Despite the worry he felt for Ethel's wellbeing, he felt more at peace now than he had felt in weeks.

  "I just want you to be safe, you know? For us to be safe. And we have someone else to take care of now..." Kaelyn placed a hand protectively on her stomach.

  "Darling, I understand. Of course I do. And I swear I will do everything I can to keep all of us safe, alright?"

  "Just promise me that you'll never lie to me again?"

  "I promise." And he really meant it.

  OF HEAVEN

  The evening sky stretches on, endless, familiar, vanilla-tinged, like the yellowing pages of a well-read book. I remember staring into the sky when I was young, and wondering where it would end. In my mind, it would stretch all the way out to heaven, where gentle cherubs would prance around on cotton candy clouds and everyone would be very, very happy. I know now that my childish notions of heaven were just that, childish. After all, it doesn’t matter if heaven is imaginary, or religious, it still has to fit within certain guidelines, and pink cotton candy clouds just didn’t meet the criteria. Still, when I allow myself the luxury to dream, I dream that that is what heaven is really like. And that one day I will see her again, and we will hold hands and dance on the bouncy balls of pink fluff, suspended high above my yellow-paged sky.

  FELIX

  It had not been Ioana who explained to Felix what happened. All her robust practicality was lost to a flood of heaving sobs and curses directed at the Twin Faced God. It had been Bayou, instead, who had taken Felix by the arm to the kitchen, and gotten him a glass of water, and reluctantly asked him to take a seat.

  "Bayou, she's going to be alright, isn't she? This is all just, just, some sort of, I don't know. Why did they take him?"

  Bayou sat on the seat next to Felix and put a steady hand on his shoulder.

  "S-sir..." the old man began, tepidly.

  His eyes were so green. The colour of the cut grass on a summer day. Why had Felix never noticed that before?

  "S-s-sir, I'm afraid the missusth, your mother, I'm afraid she ith, thwin faceth god bless her, I'm afraid she ith no more."

  "What do you mean, no more?"

  "They foundth her, sir. In the pond nearth the universth- universth- nearth the college. She wasth drowned. I'm stho stho sorry."

  Felix didn't make the sounds that Bayou expected him to. He just sat there instead. He didn't know what to feel. He wouldn't know what to feel for a great many days longer.

  Going to the City Guard was the most surreal experience of Felix's short life. The whole walk there, even though he was flanked by both Ioana and Bayou, he felt as though all of Mliss knew what happened, and they were all w
atching him.

  The Eyes of Mliss struck three. It was watching him too.

  Felix was escorted into a small, brightly lit room, containing a few tables and a scattering of chairs.

  When his father sat across the table from him, Felix almost thought there had been some kind of mistake. It was as though every single vein in and around the older man's eyes had been traced over in purple. His hair was oily, and flopped over his forehead. He didn't even look up to meet Felix's eye.

  "Father?" Felix tried. He didn't know what to say. He didn't even want to be there. Ioana, when she had finally calmed down enough, had given him a rough, undetailed, heavily censored version of what had happened.

  "Her body was found in the pond."

  "They believe the master might have had something to do with it. The rubbish these guards spew. Twin Faced God have mercy on them"

  "Suspect some sort of 'foul play' they said. Bearoux knows what that means."

  "Holding him for questioning until further notice."

  Her voice played back in his head like little sound clips, warbled as though underwater.

  Ezra looked at him through his bloodshot eyes, unfocused and glassy. He did not say anything, and Felix could do nothing but reciprocate.

  Finally, Ezra reached into his shirt cuff, and pulled out a small piece of paper, folded over many times over.

  "I didn't do it," he said, in a voice that wasn't his, before he slowly got up and walked away.

  Felix sat right there in the holding room and read it.

  Son, it read. It had taken Felix a moment to realise that it was addressed to him by his father, who had never called him anything other than his name.

  I know I have much to apologise for, and this note will hardly do it justice. But for now, I beg of you, run. Leave the house, and do me one last favour. I need you to find someone. Someone we gave away a long time ago. Felix, I need you to find your brother. I know that you must have so many questions, but I promise that this will all make sense in good time. I believe he lives in the Southern Quarter of the Underbelly, and you should have no trouble recognising him-- he is in your likeness. Find him, and keep him safe.

  Find him, and keep him safe.

  That was all.

  EZRA

  There was an annoying sunbeam that seemed to find Ezra's face no matter how much he shifted around. Sighing, he pulled a pillow over his eyes, but was greeted by a soft shove.

  "Stop stealing my pillow, silly," Kay mumbled sleepily.

  "Sorry, sorry." Ezra hastily handed it back, but she had already woken up.

  "Good morning," she said, turning to face him on her side and propping her head up with her hand. The sunbeams kissed her chestnut hair, and seemed to create a sort of halo around her.

  "Good morning, beautiful." Ezra leaned forward for a kiss.

  "What time is it? Don't you have to go in to university soon?"

  Ezra snuggled back into bed and wrapped his arms around Kay. He didn't feel like leaving this bed ever again.

  "Mmm, nope. Why would I want to go anywhere when we can just spend the day like this?" He buried his face in her hair and inhaled. How did she always manage to smell like flowers?

  "Maybe because your final paper is due soon, and it doesn't seem like you've been getting much work done on it?"

  Ezra groaned. Kaelyn was right. She was always right. He didn't want to, but he had to go in for a meeting with Professor Muriel today.

  Since the incident with Onyx and Ethel a few weeks ago, Ezra had kept a low profile. He had hastily met with Onyx the next morning to let her know that he wouldn't be involved with any of her plans in the future. He kept insisting that she let Ethel go, but she assured him that she was being taken good care of, and was cooperating well with her plans.

  "Everything should be back to normal in no time," she had said, dismissively.

  "If you don't return her, I will have to go to the City Guard and tell them what you, and what I, have done."

  Ezra knew Onyx wasn't the sort of woman who was used to being challenged, so he did his best to ignore the look of anger in her eyes.

  "She will be back by the end of tomorrow," she replied contritely, and Ezra left feeling marginally better. Would she keep her word, though? Ezra had gone by the Mathematics Department twice-- the first time Ethel was not to be seen. Neither was she the second time, but he was informed by the mousy girl behind the reception that she was just on her coffee break. Ezra couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

  Then, he committed himself entirely to being the best husband he could possibly be. And things were fine, save for the nagging voice that occasionally wondered if Ethel was alright after her ordeal. But Ezra was good at pushing nagging voices firmly away. He untangled himself from his beautiful wife and started getting ready.

  Ezra glanced out the window at the clear blue sky. Periwinkle blue-- Kay's favourite colour. He made a mental note to buy her some of the flowers on his way back home.

  "Eggs for you, my love?" he asked, making his way into the kitchen, and looking for a clean pan.

  "Sure, why not?" she called. "I'll join you in just a minute."

  They ate their eggs in happy silence, both of them reading a side each of their newspaper. It was a perfectly normal morning, but that's the problem with days that change everything.

  Ezra had barely made it five feet from the door of his flat when a stern voice called out to him.

  "Ezra Orson?"

  He turned, trying to look nonchalant, even though he instinctively knew that he wasn't going to like what happens next. His eyes took in the faces of three stern city guards.

  "Y-yes?" His voice gave him away.

  "You need to come with us," the burliest one said, holding his elbow roughly.

  "Hang on--" Ezra tried.

  "Don't let's cause a scene now. Just come quietly, and we can sort this all out."

  Rosie's face just before she got sucked into the creek flashed in his mind for a panic filled moment.

  One of them took the shoulder bag Ezra was carrying, as he found himself unable to respond.

  "My wife," he finally managed. "Could I please tell her first? She's pregnant, and I don't want her to worry."

  "There'll be plenty of time for all that later. Right now, we just need you to come with us."

  Fear enveloped Ezra. Something was very, very wrong. He couldn't just go with these men. He had to tell Kay. She would calm him down. She would know what to tell the guards. He had to get back to her.

  "I live upstairs." He tried to push his way past the men. "It will just take a minute."

  The hand that held his arm pulled him back roughly.

  "He said, don't cause a scene," the smaller of the guards snarled viciously, stepping in front of Ezra before giving him a quick knee to the stomach.

  Tears stung his eyes as Ezra doubled over in pain, just as he felt something being pulled over his head. Someone must have punched him then, because he felt a blow to the back of his head, and everything went black.

  OF TIME

  Time is a very relative thing. Both fluid and elastic at the same time. It stretches, it contracts, it flows, it moves. Time means different things to different people. ‘Later’ can mean the next day, or the next week. "Soon" can mean a matter of minutes, hours, or years, depending on who’s asking. A second can feel like forever, sometimes, and forever can feel like a second.

  Yes, time is relative, but no matter what our disagreements about time may be, we can all agree on one very important thing. Time affects us, more than we like to admit. People grow up, they grow old, and they grow apart. All because, no matter what, the clock ticks on.

  And so time gives us hope. ‘The best is yet to come,’ we say. ‘Time will heal.’ ‘Give it time.’ ‘Give me some time.’

  But time is also something we take for granted. We always think we have more of it. More time to fix something. More time to spend with someone. More time to right our wrongs. Sadly, this is
where we are all mistaken. This is when we realise that we were given false hope. That we have been lulled into a sense of fragile security.

  Because when our clocks stop ticking, we cannot simply wind them up again. When our clocks stop ticking, they stop for good, and no amount of power, or love, or money can start it up again.

  You see, time may be relative. But it is certainly not infinite.

  EZRA

  Drip. Drip. Drip.

  Ezra turned onto his side restlessly, his head pounding with every sound.

  Drip. Drip. Drip.

  He groaned softly. His throat was sore. It was dark in the closet. He hated it here-- the damp smell of mildew, the icy draft that managed to claw its way into his bones, the fear that very soon the air will run out and he will suffocate to death. He wondered how long his father will leave him locked in this time.

  Drip. Drip. Drip.

  There was one spot on the back of his head that the pain seemed to resonate from, and he felt at it, wincing at the pain. His fingers touched something warm and sticky. He recognised that metallic smell and groaned again.

  "I'm sorry, father," he whispered to himself. As if it would make a difference.

  He sat up carefully. It was pitch black in the cupboard, and he knew he had to move carefully or he risked bumping his head on the ceiling. Keeping himself hunched over, he reached up to feel how much space he had around him.

  Drip. Drip. Drip.

  His hands kept feeling air.

  Everything rushed back to him so quickly then that his pounding head felt like it was going to explode. He wasn't locked in a closet. He was somewhere far, far worse.

  Perhaps it's nothing serious, he thought to himself. Perhaps this was some kind of misunderstanding. Maybe he forgot to pay a fine or a tax or something like that. But even he knew he was just trying to comfort himself. The city guards didn't beat up and lock someone away for forgetting to pay a fine.

  "H-hello?" he ventured, his brain pummelling into his skull at the sound of his own voice.