Soul Mate

Ch: 4- Karen and Kaden

“Just keep walking forward.” I heard Shane tell me for the third time.
“But what if I fall again?” I asked recalling the time I fell and found him.
“Unless you have multiple personalities, I doubt you will. Your almost out of here, just a few more steps.”

I continued to walk in the dark void as Shane instructed. Soon I found myself standing at the bottom of the subway stairs and looking down the dimly lit walk way. I still didn’t understand what was going on, but I was glad to have some light.

“Isn’t that Karen?” Shane asked as he directed my eyes to the left.
Sure enough, a small woman stood facing a corner as if in time out. Her long blond hair was in a pony tail that Karen was always seen wearing. I approached her cautiously. Nothing had been normal so far, and with the way Karen was acting, facing the corner and muttering to herself, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I was about to call out to her but Shane beat me to it. I was becoming frustrated with the way he was starting to control my actions. “Kaden quit being mean to the poor girl.”

I continued to stare at her puzzled. Didn’t Shane remember that Karen’s name wasn’t Kaden? He was me, so he should have remembered right?
Karen turned around, a big smile planted on her face. “Shane, so you’ve finally got a hold of yourself?”

“You’re one to talk. Why are you being mean to yourself?” I could do nothing but watch as the two reminisced.

“I’m not being mean, the poor thing was freaking out! It took me forever to convince her that I was her.”

I finally took control before Shane could say anymore. “Are you alright?”
Karen, or Kaden, smiled at me. “I’m fine Shaun. I take very good care of myself.”
I knew Karen enough to know that the tone of her voice wasn’t the same. But I suppose if I was talking to Kaden I was also speaking to Karen. “Have you seen anyone else?”

Kaden’s face turned serious before her eyes swelled with tears. Kaden threw herself at me, her arms wrapping around my waist. “Shaun what’s going on?”

I knew it was Karen now, who wept in my arms. “I’m not sure, but I need to know if you’ve seen anyone else around here.”

She moved away from me and wiped her teary eyes. “No I haven’t.” She automatically clung to my arm out of fear and nervousness.

“Then we are going to have to keep moving.” I began to walk and Karen followed.
“But I’m so tired.” She complained.

“Well, we can’t sleep down here.” Shane said with aggravation towards Karen. I immediately apologized for him.

“So it’s happened to you too? I wasn’t hallucinating?”

I nodded and continued forward until we came to a door that read, “Employees Only.” I turned the knob to find it unlocked. I let Karen go in first before I did and I locked the door out of instinct. “I guess we could rest here.” I stated upon seeing a couch and a large reclining chair. It must have been some sort of lounge.

As soon as Karen laid down on the small love seat, she fell asleep. I put a small blanket over her before I sat in the large recliner. I didn’t realize how tired I was until I laid back and put my feet up. Immediately I found my eyes closing and the world around me faded ever so slowly…

Ch: 5- Evil

I awoke in the same large and dimly lit room that I had found Shane. I saw him approaching me and asked, “Where is this place?”

“This place is your soul.” As Shane approached me, I found myself backing up into an object. Turning I saw a black, grand piano. Had it not been white before? “But never mind that,” He said, “I want to ask you a question.”

His hands lay on the piano at my sides trapping me in place. “What is it?” I asked. Why was I trembling? Could I really be that scared of myself?
“Do you love Karen?”

I stared at Shane in disbelief. “What?”

He grinned wickedly, proving all the more how evil he was. “Do you love Karen; you know the blond girl you work with?”

“I-I don’t know. I mean she is pretty and sweet, but I don’t think I love her.”
“You love yourself, don’t you?” He asked getting closer to my face. “I mean, if you can’t accept and love yourself, then who else can?”

I looked at him oddly, “I guess…” Where was he going with this? Behind him I saw the whit pillars turn black and the candles on the pillars turn white. “What’s going on Shane, why is everything changing?”

He chuckled, “Don’t worry about it.” That was when Shane leaned forward and placed his soft lips against mine in a possessive kiss.

I awoke in the lounge with a fright. Looking up from where I laid on the recliner, I saw Karen looking at me with concern. Her eyes widened and I sat up, making her move away. “What’s wrong Karen?”

“I’d sagest you take a look in a mirror.” She said softly as if she were slightly frightened.

Taking her advice, I got up and headed over to the small sink that had a mirror above it. Everything was normal about me, except the fact that one of my eyes had turned green. “Shane what is the meaning of this?” I asked my reflection.

To my horror Shane’s wicked grin crossed my lips, “The meaning of what?” He asked with my voice innocently.

It was one thing to understand that I was talking to myself it was another experience all together to see my reflections personality chance so quickly. “You know what I’m talking about.”

“It’s nothing to worry about. It’s just proof of how well we are getting along with each other.”

I glared at my reflection. I knew he was lying but I didn’t have time to argue with him at the moment. Karen ran over to me and before she could state what had frightened her, I heard the noise with my own ears.

The sound of pawing and barking could be heard outside the door that led to the subway. Looking around the small room, the only other exit was the one leading to what ever store the lounge was connected to. Upon hearing the animals on the other side of the subway door begin to ram into it, we decided to go through the new exit.