Dark parallel trap

Chapter 6

Back at home, Owen was having supper with his family, they were having noodles with broccoli and carrots slices. Francine helped to set the table. Owen was watching Carter. He played a bit with his food before his mother stopped him. "Did you play a great game?" Francine asked Owen. Owen nodded his head. "What was the score?" Carter questioned. Owen was struggling to remember. He can't shake away the words "It's great to be bad" from his head. "Are you alright Owen?" The mother queried. "I'm alright mom. It's just that the power outage at the school just took me by surprise. Thank goodness the game was over before then." He said before twirling his fork into the noodles. Owen used his knife to shorten the noodles wrapped around his fork. He ate some of the noodles off his fork. After the dessert, he went to his room. He felt that he had the weirdest day. Owen sat on his bed.

He hoped that he won't have a weird day tomorrow. Suddenly, somebody knocked at the door. There was the sound of a boy laughing. Owen went over to his bedroom door. He quickly opened it and heard footsteps running down the hallway. There was nobody standing facing the bedroom door. But Owen saw Carter opening the door to his bedroom, giggling to himself. "Stop it Carter. I know you were knocking at my door." Owen spoke as he closed the door. "It wasn't me. It was a ghost." Carter laughed as he spoke. His voice was a little bit muffled behind the door from the distance to Owen's room. The mother was in the hallway. She shook her head. She looked at Owen. Then she went to Carter's bedroom. Owen went back inside his room and closed the door. He felt that he was probably imagining being in a different school. Owen can't shake off the part where the school entranceway was on his right side as he was opening his locker. He also remembered how the eighth grader was trying to escape the alligators. How he was forced to swim with them as a punishment for bullying. Owen felt that can't be true since he knew that the student was suspended for two weeks. Owen felt that it was unfair for somebody to be forced to swim with the reptiles. He remembered seeing their jaws open as they chase after the boy. Owen couldn't imagine it happening at his school. The principal or the students would never try to force some bully or somebody else who was bad at school to do something dangerous. Owen closed his eyes and tried to forget that the whole thing never happened. That he was just imagining the thing. He also felt that his twin was real. Owen tried to forget that he pushed his twin away just so he could escape. He felt that the bells rang each time that his school was different. Something else was bothering Owen. If the school told its students that its good to be bad, then why would they punish somebody who is a bully. It is something bad. "Then again," Owen said to himself. "It could be that I was just sleepwalking. I might have been daydreaming about winning the game today. I feel tired after a long school day." Owen didn't believe that he really ever saw his twin. Seeing somebody that looks like him would be impossible. Except maybe in science fiction and horror movies or TV shoes.

As Owen slept that night, he had a nightmare about his evil twin. He dreamed that his evil twin was standing in his bedroom. Owen threw his blankets at him and tried to escape. Something came out of his bed and held him back on his bed. The blanket didn't hit the evil twin. Instead. It pushed him against his mattress. Owen's evil twin smiled and began to say something. "Being bad is good. That's why you're going to be just like me Owen. You'll be just like me! And the whole world will be just like me and my friends." He said before laughing. Owen fought against the covers. The evil twin's laughing continued throughout the nightmare. Owen screamed when he couldn't get free. He woke up and looked around him. He looked at his alarm clock. It was four fifteen. Owen sighed and went back to sleep. Although his twin peeked from outside of his window for a short time. When his alarm clock went off, Owen woke up. He turned it off and went to the kitchen. Something good was being cooked in the kitchen. Owen walked to the dining room. Some small hand touched his back. "Tag, you're it!" Carter voiced from behind him. He ran towards the dining room. Before he was out of the hallway, Owen quickly grabbed him on the shoulders. "You are just an annoying brother! Did you know that?" Owen queried as he was not happy with his little brother. "Owen! What's going on?" The mother asked from the dining room table. "Carter is bugging me!" Owen replied. "Did not!" Carter lied. Owen's father went into the hallway. "Both of you, to the dining table. Please." The father pleaded. He had his hands on his hips and wanted his two sons to not fight.

Carter stuck his tongue out at his brother. Owen simply ignored him and went to the dinner table. The father had his eyes on Carter. He was not happy. Owen sat at his usual spot at the dinner table. Carter sat next to the father. "Owen? Could you come and help your sister set the table please?" The mother called from the dining room. He did so. Owen went to the kitchen, while the mother watched while leaning on the fridge. Owen got to see what was cooking. There was some French toast. Francine put the pieces of French toast on the plate. "Could you get me the syrup please?" She asked. Owen went to the fridge. He politely asked the mother if he could get to fridge. She smiled at him for the good manner. The mother moved away from the fridge and stood next to the kitchen counter. Owen took the syrup and gave it to Francine. She began to put it on the plates of French toast. Carter felt disgusted on the inside when Owen brought plates full of food. Francine turned off any oven elements. She waited until Owen had gave Carter, and the parents their plates of French toast. Francine was the last person to be seated at the dining room table with her plate of French toast. The family began to eat their breakfast. "Owen." Carter spoke before picking up his knife and fork. Owen looked up holding his cutlery in both hands. "I'm sorry." Carter said. Owen went back to eating his breakfast. "So, what's everybody doing for today?" The mother spoke up, attempting to change everybody's mood. "It's going to be another normal day at school." Owen replied. "Same here." Francine also answered. Carter didn't answer. He ate his meal instead of talking. "Is it going to be a normal day for you Carter?" Francine asked him. Carter gulped and looked up. He nodded his head. "Well, I think we can agree that today is going to be just as good as the last day." The father declared. "What do you mean dad?" Owen asked. "What I'm saying Owen is that today is going to be a busy day, just like yesterday." The mother smiled in agreement. Carter was quickly finishing his French toast. "Easy now son, easy there." The father said. "Yes, are you scared or something?" The mother pumped him. Carter used his fork to scoop a little bit of the syrup off his plate. Owen hoped that things will go well today. He never wanted to hear the words "It's good to be bad.". Owen told himself that he was just having daydreams while at school in his mind. Carter was the first to finish up his breakfast. "Why are you eating so quickly today?" The father inquired. "I'm just a little freaked out about you mom and dad." Carter responded as he scooped up a little bit of syrup.

Owen and the rest of his family finished up their breakfast. They all had their plates put into the dishwasher. Carter was the first one to get himself ready. Owen went to packing his bag. Suddenly, he heard the sound of his school bell. That was odd since there was no way he was at school yet. He went to take out a T-shirt from his dresser. Most of the T-shirts that were there all had dark colors. Owen opened his mouth. He was shocked to see that there was only dark shades or dark colors of T-shirt or long sleeved shirts in his dresser. There were navy, dark orange, dark yellow shirts. Then he remembered seeing how some of his classmates' T-shirts had the words "It's good to be bad." on them. Owen looked through all of the shirts and all of them had the embroidered words "It's great to be bad" or "Being mean is grand". Owen didn't know what to think. "Owen! I'm finished brushing my teeth. Now its your turn!" Carter shouted from the hallway. Owen picked up a T-shirt and some blue jeans. He put the clothes on the bed and went to the bathroom. Carter was standing outside in the hallway. He stared at Owen as he stood away from the bathroom doors. Owen's little brother ran towards his bedroom. He tried to open his bedroom door. Owen took three steps towards the bathroom. Carter looked back at Owen. He then turned to look at his door handle. Owen took two more steps towards the bathroom. Carter looked back and struggled to get the door opened. It was as if he was scared of him. Carter opened the door to his bedroom. He ran inside and slammed the door shut. "Hey! Carter! What did I just say about slamming on doors?!" The father yelled. Owen rushed to get his teeth brushed and used mouthwash. He felt that today was already a nightmare.